Energy experts think Donald Trump will make tariff exemptions for Canadian oil

HALIFAX – The director of a democracy watchdog says that if Nova Scotia’s electoral officer had more power to levy fines, it would discourage situations such as campaign managers giving Tim Hortons gift cards to voters.

The Liberal party has complained to Elections Nova Scotia after a Progressive Conservative campaign manager in Lunenburg, N.S., handed out gift cards each good for a single cup of coffee at a drive-thru while candidate Susan Corkum-Greek greeted voters as they exited.

The campaign manager resigned earlier this week and issued a statement saying he’d handed out 25 of the $2.07 cards.

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, says Nova Scotia needs law reform to permit its chief electoral officer to directly order a fine in such cases, rather than lengthy, costly and often ineffective court cases.

“We need to discourage violations of election laws, even small ones, as much as we discourage illegal parking,” he said.

He said there may be significant violations of the Elections Act where the public prosecution service should be called in, but often minor cases in provincial jurisdictions can drift on for months and end up being abandoned.

The Liberals have argued providing the gift cards violated Section 327 of the provincial Elections Act, which prohibits offering “a bribe” to influence a person’s vote.

The party has also filed a petition seeking a declaration by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the incident constitutes corrupt practices under the Elections Act. However, a spokesperson for the judiciary said the case won’t be heard until after the Nov. 26 election.

Conacher said law reforms in Nova Scotia could result in similar cases being dealt with summarily, as occurs with parking tickets, particularly if they are isolated and less severe.

Asked about such a potential reform, Tim Houston, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said it’s important to keep in mind the person involved in Lunenburg was a party volunteer.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact these are people volunteering their time to help the process …. I think it’s a very slippery slope to kind of weaponize the legal system against a party volunteer who maybe made a mistake,” he said.

Conacher said he does not think his proposal would discourage people from volunteering for political parties.

“It’s more important to discourage violations of the law. I don’t think you discourage volunteers. It just makes them pay more attention to following the rules, and as a result you get fairer elections,” he said.

The NDP and Liberal leaders didn’t immediately provide comment on the proposed law reform.

Unlike the federal system, in Nova Scotia there is no commissioner appointed to levy administrative penalties under the Nova Scotia Elections Act. Conacher said it’s preferable to have separate roles, with chief electoral officers focusing on running elections while the election commissioner focuses on monitoring any violations of the legislation.

However, he said he recognizes this system is more costly, and that it’s possible for chief electoral officers to take on the function of levying administrative fines as well.

“The lack of penalties for many violations can just encourage more violations. You don’t want to tie up the courts with all these minor things,” said Conacher.

Naomi Shelton, a spokeswoman for Elections Nova Scotia, says the Tim Hortons case remains under investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to leave this afternoon for the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, followed by the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Both summits aim to improve the multilateral institutions that have drawn skepticism from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

In Peru, Trudeau will take part in meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, which largely involve resolving barriers to trade and forming better links across the Pacific Rim.

On Saturday, the prime minister will leave for Brazil for the G20 summit, for discussions ranging from the war in Ukraine to artificial intelligence and ending hunger.

Both summits will involve meeting with other heads of government in formal meetings as well as side conversations.

Analysts say it will be key for Canada to try to retain strong ties with numerous countries, as the looming Trump administration plans to raise tariffs and could disrupt global trade flows.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

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OTTAWA – The rate at which Canadian rental prices are increasing should slow in the coming years as the government’s plan to cut back immigration numbers takes hold, a new report from Desjardins says.

“Our outlook is for a slowdown in the pace of rent inflation over the next few years, in line with a rising unemployment rate and weaker population growth,” it predicted.

Rents have been rising fast and rent inflation is “much higher” than increases in the price of owned homes, it said. Inflation of rented accommodation was 8.3 per cent in the third quarter of this year, “the fastest pace since the early 1980s.”

Last month, the federal government announced plans to slash Canada’s immigration targets by 20 per cent as the government faced increased pressure to address the cost and availability of housing.

Ottawa is also aiming to reduce the proportion of temporary residents, which includes temporary foreign workers and international students.

The Desjardins report noted that non-permanent residents “are more likely to rent than purchase a home due to the temporary or uncertain nature of their stay in Canada.” Many permanent residents also rent once they arrive in Canada, it noted.

“Lowering the number of newcomers should halt or possibly even reverse Canada’s population growth, slowing demand for rental accommodation,” the report said.

But while Desjardins expects rent inflation to slow, it said there is uncertainty around how the federal government will implement its new immigration policies.

“If the population slows faster than anticipated, the demand for rental accommodation will slow and price pressures will ease,” it said.

On the other hand, higher-than-anticipated population growth that are more in line with the Bank of Canada’s recent outlook wouldl put more sustained pressure on rent prices, the report said.

The effects will also vary by region, the report says. Rent inflation in provinces like British Columbia and Ontario will increase more slowly. And while rent inflation is expected to come down in all major cities, it will “ease more” in Calgary and Edmonton, Desjardins said.

“Alberta and Saskatchewan should see rents slow the fastest given the highly cyclical nature of the economy and rental market in those provinces. In contrast, still-elevated rent inflation is expected in Quebec,” it predicted.

Desjardins noted that across the country, the number of households that rent has “risen dramatically,” meaning “rapidly rising rents impact a large and growing share of households across the country.”

It also warned any improvements may be temporary, with “longer-term solutions requiring substantial increases in housing supply and policy efforts to address affordability across both rental and ownership sectors.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.

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