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B.C. lieutenant-governor asks NDP Leader David Eby to form government

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VICTORIA – British Columbia Premier David Eby has been asked by Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin to form the next government after a count of absentee votes gave his New Democrats a narrow win in the provincial election.

Eby says he met Austin on Monday, nine days after the vote, and that he will “work hard every day to earn the trust” British Columbians have placed in the party.

Austin says in a separate statement that Eby told her “he is prepared to continue as premier.”

Whether the NDP forms a majority or minority government will depend on whether it hangs onto a razor-thin lead in Surrey-Guildford, where it had 16 more votes than the B.C. Conservatives in an ongoing count of absentee and special votes.

If the NDP wins Surrey-Guildford, it will have enough for the barest majority of 47 seats in the 93-seat legislature, although the prospect of a judicial recount looms because the margin is so tight.

Eby didn’t address whether he would form a majority or minority government, but Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says in a statement that it appears the parties will have to work together for the legislature to function effectively.

The B.C. Conservatives, led by John Rustad, ended the count with at least 44 seats.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Breakingnews: Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe wins seat in provincial election

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Liberals put focus on accountability as N.S. parties begin first full day of campaign

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal leader took direct aim at his Progressive Conservative opponent Monday, saying the Liberals want to bring accountability to government if elected Nov. 26.

On the first full day of the provincial election campaign, Zach Churchill promised a string of “trust and transparency” measures, including a $250,000 fine for any party that doesn’t stick to the province’s fixed election date.

Churchill said the snap election called on Sunday by Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston is unnecessary and “broke the spirit” of the very first law passed by Houston’s government — which set next July 15 as the election date.

“He (Houston) thinks it gives him an advantage,” Churchill told reporters at his party’s campaign headquarters about the Tory leader’s early election call. “Tim Houston is a guy that will prioritize his own ambition over the needs of Nova Scotians.”

Churchill, who was a cabinet minister in a previous Liberal government that was content to leave Nova Scotia as the only province or territory in Canada without a fixed election date, said it is important to hold Houston to his word.

“The spirit of the law has been broken by a premier who thinks he can take advantage of the current situation for his own purposes,” he said.

At a campaign stop in Halifax, Houston defended his decision to call an early election despite the law he had trumpeted as necessary and fair to all parties when his government passed it in October 2021.

“My word is important to me, it’s really important to me, but the thing that’s more important to me is Nova Scotians,” he said, repeating his message that he needs a strong mandate now — not next July — to stand up to Ottawa on issues like the resettlement of asylum seekers and the imposition of the federal carbon price.

But, when he spoke on the fixed date law during a debate in the legislature in 2021, Houston said the legislation would bring “predictability to our elections.”

“Former governments have chosen not to act … but this government won’t look the other way, we’re going to walk the walk,” he said at the time.

Meanwhile, Churchill said measures are needed to battle public cynicism in politics, adding that if elected his party would establish an ethics commissioner and follow through on an unfulfilled Progressive Conservative promise to give order-making powers to the province’s information and privacy commissioner. Those powers would permit the commissioner to compel the government to release information sought by the public, rather than simply issue non-binding recommendations.

Churchill said the Liberals would also give the auditor general’s office more resources to help it audit untendered contracts and government spending above what is budgeted.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail Monday, the NDP held a media event at the site of a Halifax-area hotel called Hogan Court, which is being converted into a health facility. Leader Claudia Chender used the setting to criticize the Tories for “backroom spending” that hasn’t fixed health care.

“Take the Hogan Court boondoggle,” Chender said in a statement. “Tens of millions of dollars have been spent on a half-finished hotel. Yet this facility hasn’t helped a single Nova Scotian — the only ones benefiting are the rich developers profiting from this botched deal.”

A report by the auditor general in February criticized the government for failing to exercise appropriate due diligence when it invested about $46 million to purchase and renovate the Bedford property. In March, long-term care company Shannex bought the property for the same amount, taking over the project.

Also in Halifax Monday, Houston announced that a Tory government would increase the basic personal exemption on Nova Scotia income taxes from $8,744 to $11,744, and raise Nova Scotia’s minimum wage from $15.20 to $16.50 in 2025.

“In big ways and small, we are putting dollars in people’s pockets by helping them earn more at work and to keep more of what they earn,” Houston said.

Last week, the Tory government promised to reduce the harmonized sales tax by one percentage point on April 1, dropping it to 14 per cent.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature, the Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

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New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives announce interim leader after election defeat

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FREDERICTON – A former provincial cabinet minister has been named as interim leader of the Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick.

The party announced today that Glen Savoie will take on the role after Blaine Higgs led his party to a decisive defeat in last week’s election.

Savoie is the member of the legislature for Saint John East and has been the house leader and has held the environment and local government portfolios.

The announcement by party president Erika Hachey confirms that Higgs, the former premier who lost his seat in the Oct. 21 election, resigned as party leader on Friday.

Savoie will lead the 16-member Progressive Conservative Official Opposition in the legislature, facing off against the Liberals under Susan Holt with 31 members. Two Greens were also elected.

A news release says the interim Tory leader will address party members at an annual general meeting scheduled for Nov. 9, but a date has not been set for electing a new leader.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

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