‘The House will be seized,’ government business on pause over docs debate

OTTAWA – The Conservatives have asked Canada’s lobbying commissioner to investigate whether it violates ethics rules for the prime minister to make Mark Carney his own personal adviser.

The Liberals announced at their recent caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., that Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor, had been appointed chair of a task force on economic growth and adviser to the Liberal leader.

They said Carney will help shape the party’s policies for the next election, and will report to Justin Trudeau and the Liberal platform committee.

Tory ethics critic Michael Barrett says in a letter to the commissioner of lobbying that Carney is not registered to lobby federally, but his corporate positions put him in several potential conflicts of interest.

Carney is the chair of Brookfield Asset Management, which is in talks with the government to launch a $50-billion investment fund with support from Ottawa and Canadian pensions.

When asked about Carney’s potential conflict of interest in the House, the finance minister has repeatedly accused the Conservatives of mudslinging and says the Liberals are fortunate to have the advice of world renowned experts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick Liberals say that if elected, teachers will no longer need parental consent before they can use the preferred first names and pronouns of transgender students under 16.

Liberal Leader Susan Holt made the announcement today as she released her party’s platform.

The Liberals’ promise is a response to a reform imposed in 2023 by the Progressive Conservative government under Premier Blaine Higgs, who said parents must be informed if their children are questioning their gender identity.

Higgs’s changes were criticized across the country, including by the prime minister, but polling suggests the policy is popular in the province.

Meanwhile, the Tory leader promised today that if re-elected his party would introduce legislation forcing people into drug treatment if authorities deem they “pose a threat to themselves or others.”

Holt says the province doesn’t have resources to force people into treatment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Party is promising more help for parents trying to keep their children in sports and the arts.

With a provincial election set for Oct. 28, Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is pledging to double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year.

The benefit for children with disabilities would also double to $400 a year.

It would apply to sports, arts, cultural and recreational activities.

The program is currently provided through a tax credit to families who make a household income of $60,000 or less.

Moe says he would expand that threshold, allowing families with a household income of up to $120,000 per year to receive the credit.

“We all know how beneficial it is to get our kids involved in sports or artistic activities, like music and dance lessons,” Moe said in a statement Thursday.

“We also know the cost of those activities has gone up just like the cost of most other things.”

The Saskatchewan Party has made affordability a key plank in its election platform. It has also promised more tuition relief for students who stay in Saskatchewan after they graduate.

On Tuesday, the first day of the campaign, Moe promised broad-based tax relief on personal income tax rates, which the party says could save a family of four $3,400 over four years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.