It’s a busy Friday for the cabinet, with the PM and some ministers working in far-flung corners of the globe, and the defence minister teeing up what’s being billed as a big announcement in Halifax.
Back in Ottawa, officials at the National Capital Commission are closing the prime minister’s official residence on 24 Sussex Drive, and setting in motion a plan to start significant work on the property.
Wait, wasn’t it already closed?
No, it wasn’t, but it’s in such a state of disrepair that it has become a dilapidated fire hazard, and so Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU has chosen to live with his family in another residence on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Staff have apparently still been working at 24 Sussex, however, and now they won’t be anymore.
Wait, does this mean they’re finally rennovating 24 Sussex?
Somehow, also no. Successive prime ministers have declined to pay the cost of repairing and renovating the aging building, which is filled with asbestos and decrepit in so many other ways PTM hasn’t the space to list them all. Bad politics, and so forth. The NCC appears to have run out of patience, and is ordering what it calls an “abatement” of the property.
Definitions of the word abatement include, “to reduce in amount, degree, or intensity.” What’s being reduced here is the risk that the building will burst into flames or poison a staff member. Asbestos and faulty heating and electrical systems will be removed—must be, said the NCC press release, “regardless of any future decision on the residence.”
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“With continuously aging and worsening materials and systems, more significant actions must be taken to mitigate matters of great concern such as potential fire hazards, water damage and air quality issues,” read the release.
The building is destined, it seems, to a future as a cold and empty husk sitting on prime Ottawa real estate—at least until a government and opposition can both agree to make its restoration or replacement a non-partisan issue.
Drug shortage briefing
At 11 a.m., as-yet-unnamed federal officials will brief the media on the government’s efforts to resolve the shortage of children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
What’s the cabinet up to?
Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Bangkok, Thailand, for the APEC summit today.
Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT is wrapping up his time at the UN climate summit in Egypt. He’ll hold a virtual press conference from Sharm El Sheikh at 9:30 a.m. Ottawa time.
Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY is in Tunisia to meet with international counterparts at a summit of the Francophonie.
Defence Minister ANITA ANAND is in Halifax. She’ll start her day at the Navy’s dockyard, where she will make what her office is billing as an “important defence announcement” at 10 a.m.local time. Immigration Minister (and Nova Scotia MP) SEAN FRASER will be there, as will Chief of Defence Staff WAYNE EYRE.
After the presser, Anand, Eyre, and the deputy minister for Defence, BILL MATTHEWS, will head to a Westin hotel for the Halifax International Security Forum, where Anand will hold an opening news conference at 2 p.m. Atlantic, deliver a keynote speech on “Canada’s national defence priorities” at 3 p.m. Atlantic, and participate in a panel talk shortly after 4 p.m.
Defence Minister Anita Anand has a busy day in Halifax, where she will make an announcement this morning alongside Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
The three-day security conference is the flagship event for the organization that also goes by the name of Halifax International Security Forum. It is, somewhat confusingly, based in Washington, a non-profit NGO founded in 2009 by a U.S. think tank with support from the Canadian government.
Later in the day, Fraser will testify virtually before the House Immigration Committee as part of its study of “conditions faced by asylum seekers.”
Meanwhile, a trio of ministers are in Vancouver today to announce something to do with “strengthening marine preparedness, response, and partnerships during the next phase of the Oceans Protection Plan.”
They are Transport Minister OMAR ALGHABRA, Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON, and Fisheries and Oceans Minister JOYCE MURRAY, the latter two also being Vancouver MPs.
In Parliament
Today MPs are scheduled to continue debating the fall economic statement implementation bill, C-32.
In committee
Eight House and joint committees are meeting today.
Those include the joint committee on medical assistance in dying, which is hearing from disability advocates and associations of Quebec doctors and lawyers beginning at 8:45 a.m.
As mentioned above, Fraser will testify before the House Immigration Committee at 2 p.m., following an appearance by his deputy minister, CHRISTIANE FOX, at 1 p.m.
Also at 1 p.m., fisheries ministers from all four Atlantic provinces will be testifying—three virtually—before the House Fisheries and Oceans Committee, as part of its study of climate change.
At the same time, Auditor General KAREN HOGAN and officials from the Finance Department and Treasury Board Secretariat will appear before the House Public Accounts Committee as it studies last year’s government spending.
What else is happening today?
The Public Order Emergency Commission’s hearings continue today. The government’s top public servant, clerk of the Privy Council JANICE CHARETTE, is scheduled to testify, as are deputy clerk NATHALIE DROUIN; JACQUIE BOGDEN, the deputy secretary to the cabinet responsible for emergencies; and JEFF HUTCHINSON, an advisor at the PCO.
Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET is beginning a lengthy visit to France today.
Blanchet plans to meet with French MPs, journalists, and politicos, build diplomatic ties, and talk about “la cause de l’indépendance du Québec,” according to a release from the party. He’ll be in France until Nov. 26.
Last but not least, Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX is issuing a report at 9 a.m. that will present an analysis of the government’s latest package of supplementary estimates, which outlined almost $26-billion of new spending.
Legislation corner
New bill aims to ease trade, punish railway interference
Speaking of Alghabra, he tabled a new bill into the House of Commons yesterday.
Bill C-33, the Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act, will be added to the pile of now 13 government bills stacked up at second reading stage.
The bill amends a half-dozen federal laws for a variety of purposes, the common theme of them being a desire to improve the functioning of Canadian ports and railways.
In a press scrum yesterday, Alghabra talked up some of the ways in which the bill aims to ease trade through Canada’s ports. For example, it will give ports the authority to regulate marine traffic in their vicinity, including anchored cargo ships waiting for their turn to offload. It will also require that ports share information about traffic and scheduling with the transport companies that pick up or drop off goods at the port.
Alghabra and the government’s press materials did not draw the same kind of attention to other clauses in the bill that have to do with public safety. For example, it proposes to create new offences for interfering with a railway, a tactic that has been employed to great effect in the past by protesters, including members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk nation in 2020.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has sponsored a bill that aims to change numerous laws related to the operation of Canada’s ports and railways. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
At the moment, the Federal Railway Safety Act simply says that no person can access the land on which a railway line is located without permission—a violation that, in the most severe case, could land you in jail for a year. The new language would more specifically outlaw anything that interferes with or damages railway “operation,” “work,” or “equipment” in a manner that threatens safe rail operations. It also bans “unruly or dangerous behaviour” toward railway employees, riders, or that endangers the railways themselves. The same penalties would apply to those violations as do now to accessing railway land without permission.
The bill also proposes to give the transport minister powers to order ports and railways to improve security or change their operations if the minister deems it necessary for avoiding injury to Canada’s national security.
In case you missed it
Feds reviewing Competition Act
Yesterday, Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE announced the launch of a formal review of Canada’s Competition Act.
The act, enforced by the Competition Bureau, aims to prevent big businesses from forming monopolies, or otherwise using their heft to distort what should be relatively free markets.
Lack of competition ultimately means higher prices for consumers, a timely issue for Champagne to address. His review will include gathering public feedback and talking to unspecified stakeholders.
So what’s this all about? PTM spoke to LAWSON HUNTER, a lawyer at Stikeman Elliott who previously served as the commissioner of the Competition Bureau, and led the drafting of the existing Competition Act.
While Canadians often complain about a lack of competition in the grocery, banking, and telecommunications industries—Hunter also worked in the latter—this review likely has more to do with the tech sector, he said.
Companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon dominate in their respective fields.
“You need to sort of evolve your approach to the law as technology changes and make sure that you are as up to date as you can be with those technological changes,” he said.
There are also enforcement problems that this review could address, he said.
At the moment, the Competition Bureau can intervene in cases where it sees a merger or other practice as unduly restricting competition. However, the last call on whether those mergers or practices fall within the boundaries of the law must be settled by a tribunal.
As things stand, said Hunter, it takes too long for final decisions on those matters to be made, which is bad for business. Hunter also said the current law may make it too difficult for the Competition Bureau to actually win some of those cases.
Other things to consider, he said, include:
Whether the current competition law does enough to prevent digital giants from squashing up-and-coming businesses that might one day compete with them;
Whether the system used to evaluate the impact of mergers on competition relies too much on predicting changes in price;
And, whether tribunals should continue to include “lay people” as well as judges.
Hunter also drew attention to the fact that the government seems to be conducting the review in-house, rather than striking an external panel of experts to offer suggestions on how to reform a very technical piece of legislation. He said he was worried that would lead to errors that would have to be fixed down the road.
You can find details on the government’s consultation here.
DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with Lizzo on Saturday in the singer’s hometown of Detroit, marking the beginning of in-person voting and lavishing the city with praise after Republican nominee Donald Trump recently disparaged it.
“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing off the meat-on-a-stick and soda that the city is famous for.
She said it was time to “put some respect on Detroit’s name” noting that the city had revolutionized the auto and music industries and adding that she’d already cast her ballot for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”
Heaps of praise for the Motor City came after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign, “Like the people of Detroit, we have grit, we have excellence, we have history.”
Arms wide open as she took the stage, Harris let the crowd see she was wearing under her blazer a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the business that produces them gave her during a previous stop in the city earlier in the week. She also moved around the stage during her speech with a hand-held mic, not using a teleprompter.
More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted that Detroit turnout for early voting would be strong.
“Who is the capital of producing records?” Harris asked when imploring the crowd to set new highs for early voting tallies. “We are going to break some records here in Detroit today.”
She slammed Trump as unstable: “Somebody just needs to watch his rallies, if you’re not really sure how to vote.”
“We’re not going to get these 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets,” the vice president said.
Lizzo also told the crowd, “Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”
“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” the singer said. Then, referencing her song of the same title, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: “It’s about damn time!”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower, and everyone was better off.”
Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris rally and said that Harris “and her team are doing the things that are required to make sure that people are informed.”
“I believe she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help the people,” said Johnson, who said she planned to vote for Harris and saw women’s rights as her top concern.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything that she’s put out, but she’s better than the alternative,”
In comments to reporters prior to the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today. She also called Detroit “a great American city” with “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”
The vice president was asked about whether the Biden administration’s full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza might hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest city with an Arab majority in the nation.
“It has never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”
She will get more star power later Saturday when she holds a rally in Atlanta featuring another wildly popular singer, Usher.
Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail.
Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will boost Harris against Trump in the campaign’s final weeks.
___
Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.
Moe is set to speak in the city of Yorkton about affordability measures this morning before travelling to the nearby village of Theodore for an event with the local Saskatchewan Party candidate.
NDP Leader Carla Beck doesn’t have any events scheduled, though several party candidates are to hold press conferences.
On Thursday, Moe promised a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected.
The NDP said the Saskatchewan Party was punching down on vulnerable children.
Election day is Oct. 28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.
Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.
He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.
It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.
“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.
He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.
Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.
“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.
The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.
“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.
“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”
Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.
Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.
“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.
“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”
Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.
People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.
“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.
The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.
The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.
Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.
Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.
She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.
“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.
“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.
“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”
She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.
“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”
Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.
Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.
Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
