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Canadanewsmedia news October 21, 2024: MPs returning, but it’s hardly business as usual

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Here is a roundup of stories from Canadanewsmedia designed to bring you up to speed…

MPs returning, but it’s hardly business as usual

The House of Commons returns today from a week-long break, but it’s unlikely to be business as usual.

Members of Parliament are slated to resume debating a Conservative demand for documents about federal spending on green technology projects.

The matter of privilege has all but paralyzed House business as the Liberals try to maintain a grip on an increasingly fractious minority Parliament.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to face the most serious challenge to his leadership to date.

Several media reports have detailed the plans of a group of Liberal MPs to confront Trudeau at the party’s Wednesday caucus meeting over sagging poll numbers and gloomy electoral prospects.

The precise strategy and breadth of the attempt to push Trudeau to resign remain unclear, though some MPs who spoke to The Canadian Press on background said the number of members involved is significant.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

It’s election day for New Brunswick residents

New Brunswick’s residents will be casting their votes today in what polls suggest is a tight election centred on two leaders with sharply contrasting visions for the province.

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs is seeking a third term as premier.

The former oil executive presented voters with a two-page platform containing 11 promises, including a pledge to cut the harmonized sales tax by two percentage points from 15 per cent to 13 per cent.

The Liberals led by Susan Holt have made 100 campaign promises, such as opening 30 community health clinics across the province by 2028 and eliminating the provincial sales tax on electricity bills for residential customers.

New Brunswickers can cast their votes at polling stations throughout the province between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. today.

Recounts set for Oct. 26-28 in B.C.’s election

The final results of British Columbia’s weekend election won’t be known until at least next week.

Elections BC says official recounts are being held in two tight ridings where the difference between the New Democrat and B.C. Conservatives candidates is less than 100 votes.

The NDP candidates hold slim leads in both the Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat ridings, and the results could determine who forms government.

Elections BC says it will also be counting about 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots.

The election’s initial results have the NDP leading or elected in 46 ridings, with the B.C. Conservatives leading or elected in 45 ridings, with the Green Party electing two members.

High-wage foreign workers to get more expensive

The federal government is expected to boost the minimum hourly wage that must be paid to temporary foreign workers in the high-wage stream as a way to encourage employers to hire more Canadian staff.

Under the current program’s high-wage labour market impact assessment (LMIA) stream, an employer must pay at least the median income in their province to qualify for a permit. A government official, who The Canadian Press is not naming because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the change, said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault will announce Tuesday that the threshold will increase to 20 per cent above the provincial median hourly wage.

The change is scheduled to come into force on Nov. 8.

As with previous changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program, the government’s goal is to encourage employers to hire more Canadian workers. The Liberal government has faced criticism for increasing the number of temporary residents allowed into Canada, which many have linked to housing shortages and a higher cost of living.

The program has also come under fire for allegations of mistreatment of workers.

Ontario legislature back with flurry of activity

Ontario’s provincial parliament will be a hive of activity today, as the legislature resumes sitting following a 19-week summer break.

The first day back promises to be a busy one, with Energy Minister Stephen Lecce and Housing Minister Paul Calandra making an 8:30 a.m. announcement, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria introducing a bill aimed at tackling gridlock and advocacy groups planning protests.

Sarkaria has announced that his bill will include facilitating construction 24 hours a day, accelerating property acquisitions and an environmental assessment for Highway 413 and requiring municipalities to ask the province for permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a lane of vehicle traffic.

Lecce’s announcement follows his pledge last week to soon release his vision for how to significantly boost electricity supply in the province, after the Independent Electricity System Operator said demand will surge by 75 per cent between now and 2050.

Opposition parties say some of Premier Doug Ford’s recent remarks and announcements, such as the idea to dig a tunnel for traffic and transit under Highway 401, are evidence he is focused more on electioneering than governing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

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Saskatchewan NDP candidate urges Indigenous voters to get to the polls

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REGINA – A Saskatchewan NDP candidate is urging Indigenous voters to make their voices heard in next week’s provincial election.

Election day is Oct. 28.

Betty Nippi-Albright, a Saulteaux and Cree woman seeking re-election in Saskatoon Centre, says Indigenous people have the power to put an end to the Saskatchewan Party’s 17-year run in government.

She says if the NDP wins, it would work with First Nations and Métis people on truth and reconciliation and restore a physical government presence in the province’s north.

She says it would also honour Treaty rights of all Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, apologize for the province’s role in the Timber Bay and Île-à-la-Crosse residential schools, and work with survivors to provide meaningful support.

Nippi-Albright says other plans include working with First Nations and Métis leaders on a recruitment and retention plan to get more Indigenous people working in health care.

“We cannot afford four more years of Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Nippi-Albright said in a news release Monday.

“For too long, our people have been ignored and divided by politicians like them. It’s time for change. This election, you can vote to make that happen.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Early voting begins in final week of Saskatchewan election campaign

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REGINA – Saskatchewan residents can vote early for five days starting Tuesday in the lead-up to the Oct. 28 provincial election.

Chief electoral officer Michael Boda says Voting Week is meant to make it convenient for eligible voters to cast their ballots early.

He says there are more than 880 voting locations spread across 61 ridings, open nine hours per day for the first five days and for 11 hours on election day.

Hey says more than 32,000 voters have chosen to cast their ballots by mail, down from the last election held in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boda says Elections Saskatchewan will also have mobile polls open at personal care homes for residents who aren’t able to leave their facilities.

He says there are about 810,000 registered voters in Saskatchewan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Alberta government to build 250 units of interim housing in Jasper for $112 million

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JASPER, ALTA. – The Alberta government has announced 250 units of interim housing for Jasper, Alta., residents displaced by a wildfire this summer.

Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon says the housing will cost the province $112 million, and the units will be rented at or near market rates.

The July wildfire destroyed one-third of the tourist town’s structures, including more than 800 units of housing.

Nixon says it’s still being determined how many of the interim housing units will be single occupancy and how many will be designed for families.

Mayor Richard Ireland says the need for housing was already an issue before the fire, but these units will help Jasper residents recover from the disaster.

Nixon says units are expected to be available in January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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