Andrea Horwath’s Tuesday morning announcement about her running for mayor of Hamilton is spurring mixed reactions from politicians, community members and fellow mayoral candidates.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford thanked Horwath for her “years of public service.”
“As I said the day after the election, let there be no doubt that Andrea wakes up every day ready to fight for what she believes in,” he said in a statement Tuesday, adding he wishes all municipal candidates across the province good luck.
Ontario NDP interim leader Peter Tabuns congratulated Horwath, saying in a statement “her heart is always in the Hammer.”
“While we will miss her dearly at our caucus table, we wish her nothing but the best in this municipal election,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Catherine McKenna, the Hamilton-born former federal minister of the environment and climate change under the Liberal government, tweeted that “Hamiltonians deserve better” than Horwath.
“Imagine announcing that you’re running for Mayor in the town you’re from & represented provincially for 18 years, with an election a few months away, and you don’t have anything to say to voters about your ideas. Politics isn’t about politicians. It’s about people & policy,” she wrote, adding she endorses mayoral candidate Keanin Loomis.
When pressed to share policy ideas at the media event, Horwath said Tuesday was really about announcing she was joining the mayoral race and that more would be to come.
Mayoral candidates Loomis, Bratina and Butt react
Loomis, the former president and CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview with CBC Hamilton he heard Horwath say “a lot of nothing” at her Tuesday announcement.
“People want change, not somebody who came to council in 1997,” he said, adding that he thought both Horwath and former mayor Bob Bratina, who is also running again, seem to be relying on name recognition more than anything.
“We’re running against two professional, career politicians who are desperate to remain relevant.”
Loomis said he’ll be talking more about affordability and road safety soon.
He added he has “great” relationships with both federal and provincial parties, something he says the other candidates don’t have.
Bratina said in an interview he’s not interested in trading insults and running an “American style” campaign. He said he’s excited voters can begin to compare candidates and make up their minds.
“We’ll be evaluated by what we bring forward and how we propose to do it,” he said.
“I’ve been friends with Andrea for years … we may have some interesting discussions over the next several weeks, but that’s not going to change the fact she’s a good person.”
He criticized Loomis’ plans, however, noting how Loomis’s desire to eliminate the area rating tax system will hurt rural Hamiltonians’ wallets.
Speaking about his own strengths, Bratina said he’s the only candidate who has been mayor and has lots of connections to city staffers.
Like Horwath, Bratina said more campaign and policy details will come soon, though he said he wants to ensure city services are functioning properly and wants to focus on housing if elected.
Bratina said his campaign website would be up soon. An early site for Horwath launched Tuesday and Loomis’s webpage has been up for some time.
Former taxi industry leader and community activist Ejaz Butt is the fourth mayoral candidate.
He said he’s not relying on the media like other “big shot” candidates and is keeping a low profile, speaking to residents for hours every day. Butt also said if elected, he won’t be influenced by parties like the NDP or Liberals.
“I want to work with all the parties,” he said in a call with CBC Hamilton Tuesday.
Butt said he’s running for mayor because he wants to make change, not because he wants a job.
He said he’s opposed to the light-rail transit (LRT) line but at this point would see it to completion given the money and time invested.
Butt said he’d also want to freeze property taxes for at least four years, supports proposed “strong mayor powers” by Ford and said his focus is getting more youth to vote, adding if elected, he would look to establish a youth committee within city government.
‘It’s time for change,’ says resident
Yana Njihia, 20, told CBC Hamilton she’s lived in the city her whole life but didn’t know much about Horwath.
Njihia said she lived on the streets during the summer of 2019 and living in shelters for a few months afterward.
She said she hoped to hear more from Horwath about her policy ideas to tackle homelessness.
“It makes me a little bit more nervous about my future,” Njihia said, adding politicians need to be on the ground and do a better job of understanding what it’s like to be unhoused.
Njihia added she hasn’t voted often, but would if she heard candidates offer strong policy options on the issue.
She said there need to be more shelter spaces for people of all age groups.
Yana Njihia, 20, said she cares about encampment issues in the city. She said she wants to hear more details from Horwath and other candidates about how they’ll tackle homelessness. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)
Samantha Smith also said homelessness is an important issue for the city. She thinks Horwath can fix the problem.
“She’s got a great mentality, she’s always thinking of the working class people and she’s all around just a great person,” she said.
Hamiltonian John Madea said Horwath is a good candidate because “she seems very passionate.” He wouldn’t say which candidate would get his vote, however.
“I can’t say I’ll give her some of my support, but it’s time for change.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
