As a veteran of provincial and federal politics, Saskatoon’s Rob Norris is now hoping voters will choose him to become the city’s next mayor.
Born in Edmonton, Norris moved to Saskatoon in 1994 and became involved in politics at the University of Saskatchewan.
He made friends, he says, with those in the Liberal Party and in the Progressive Conservative Party.
In 1997 he went to work in Ottawa as a legislative assistant, and over the next several years ran first as a provincial Liberal for David Karwacki, but was later recruited by Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party.
“We identified Saskatoon Greystone as the seat that we would seek and rolled up our sleeves and worked as hard as we could for the better part of two years,” Norris says. “And as fate had it … I was able to join Brad’s government with about 300 votes.”
He was re-elected in 2011 and worked as Minister of Advanced Education, Employment, Labour, Immigration, Innovation and SaskPower as well as other portfolios.
So why the jump to civic politics, and why should voters choose him?
“The requirements of mayor really require some key experience, obviously professional judgment, political judgment, and also working well with others,” says Norris. “What we might call ‘across the aisle, and team-building and consensus.’ ”
And at this point, he believes the status quo simply isn’t working, adding that Saskatoon residents are “locked in” to what he says is a failed fiscal “experiment” by Charlie Clark.
“If there’s anything I should say I would bring is — my fear is — well, it just seems like there’s a little bit of group think or a little bit of a comfort level in some of the status quo players …,” he says. “Maybe it’s time for some fresh thinking and fresh eyes on some of the problems and some potential solutions that we seem to be skating by.”
Among the issues he believes need immediate attention? He’s made no secret of the cost of the new Saskatoon Library, with its $134-million price tag.
“I love libraries, but that price tag, well frankly, we’re living a little bit beyond our means, especially in the pandemic,” Norris says.
If elected, Norris says he would cut the salaries of the mayor and chief of staff by 10 per cent. He would also reduce the city communications budget by the same amount.
And he emphasizes that economic rebound is important after COVID-19.
“What we’ve seen is a great deal of passivity from Charlie Clark,” Norris says. “What we need to do is we need a job summit. We need to focus on key sectors of growth and we need to put some new energy and some really fresh energy into this.”
With regards to the level of crime in the city, Norris believes there needs to be two conversations.
One involves addressing what more can and should be done in partnership with the federal government, provincial government, First Nations and Metis partners among others to ensure better programming options and outcomes for those who are most vulnerable in Saskatoon.
The second involves giving police and social workers the proper resources to do their jobs, and allowing the mayor to sit as the chair of the Board of Police Commissioners.
“We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with police. We need to understand that the crime is not simply downtown anymore,” he contends. “The tone at the top matters.”
Aside from politics, Norris says his daughter is the “apple of his eye.” He gets great support from his sister, and from the Kimpton and Drury families.
He likes to golf, enjoys hockey, writing and running — along with writing and reading up on international relations.
His hero? Well, that’s former premier Brad Wall and former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. One day in particular he says was very special for him.
‘”There was one day when Premier Wall invited me down to his office,” Norris says. “I knew Peter Lougheed a little bit. And there he was. He was visiting the Saskatchewan Legislature and we were able to get a photo.
“In a sense, there was an opportunity to be with a couple of my heroes: Premier Brad Wall and Premier Peter Lougheed.”
Norris says he’s also proud of working on Nutrien’s Community Advisory Council and as the board chair of Canada World Youth.
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.
