With the parliamentary clock ticking down and the government yet to pass their “affordable housing and groceries” bill—the first piece of federal legislation tabled in the fall sitting—the NDP have agreed to help the Liberals advance Bill C-56 in exchange for a series of amendments inspired by a similar bill from Leader Jagmeet Singh.
On the agenda for Monday’s return to the House is a lengthy motion programming the path forward for the bill, which CTV News has learned is the product of cross-party negotiations.
Under the motion—which is expected to be voted on later in the week—the Liberal minority government is seeking to set some timelines around each remaining stage of debate, and spells out instructions to the House Finance Committee, allowing them to expand the scope of the bill during what would be a compressed study of Bill C-56.
“When the Liberals tabled the legislation, we had some concerns… So we wanted to push at that. We also wanted to push at the housing issue… and frankly, it took longer for us to get agreement on some of these changes than we thought it would,” NDP MP and finance critic Daniel Blaikie told CTV News.
“But, because the Conservatives weren’t willing to let debate on the bill collapse… we thought that was an opportunity for us to have some leverage to get the Liberals to improve the bill.”
Government House Leader Karina Gould is the sponsor of the motion. In a statement to CTV News on Friday morning, her office said they’ve “always said we are willing to work with all parties in the House to advance legislation that will get help to Canadians.”
WHAT DOES BILL C-56 PROPOSE?
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled Bill C-56 during the first week of the fall sitting of the House, making good on a suite of commitments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made during the end-of-summer caucus retreat.
The legislation, which the Liberals have given the short title of, “The Affordable Housing and Groceries Act,” has two parts.
One portion of the bill aims to incentivize the construction of more apartment buildings, student housing, and senior living spaces by offering a 100 per cent rental rebate off of the GST paid on new purpose-built rental housing.
This move is estimated to provide $25,000 in tax relief for a two-bedroom rental apartment valued at $500,000, according to Finance Canada, and is expected to cost $4.5 billion over the fiscal period of the program.
The second element of the bill proposes to beef up protections for Canadians in connection to grocery sector competition, which is dominated by a handful of companies.
The government is pursuing amendments that, if passed, would give more power to the Competition Bureau to investigate and take enforcement action on unfair behaviour in the sector, such as price fixing or price gouging, according to officials.
The bureau would also be empowered to request information from companies through court orders in order to conduct market studies and “block collaborations that stifle competition and consumer choice, particularly in situations where large grocers prevent smaller competitors from establishing operations nearby,” according to Finance Canada.
Despite calls from the Liberals for all political parties to get on side, Bill C-56 has been stalled at second reading in the Commons after five days of debate—which Gould’s office attributes to Conservative obstruction— leaving a long legislative runway left before the bill could become law.
WHAT CHANGES HAVE NDP SECURED?
Despite Singh similarly pushing for a crackdown on anti-competitive practices he says have contributed to Canada’s sky-high food costs, the NDP leader was quick to slam Trudeau’s version of the pledge as “vague” and unlikely to prompt change.
That’s because just hours before the prime minister promised grocery-centric competition changes, CTV News broke the story that Singh would be kicking off the fall sitting by tabling a private member’s bill aimed at tackling essentially the same efforts: empowering Canada’s Competition Bureau to tamp down corporate powers and practices such as price gouging.
Titled the “Lowering Prices for Canadians Act,” Singh’s version, in the NDP’s view, went further and had more teeth than what the Liberals brought forward.
According to an NDP source close to the negotiations, who CTV News spoke with on a not-for-attribution basis, and as outlined in the motion coming up for debate on Monday, the Liberal’s confidence-and-supply dance partner has secured a series of competition-enhancing amendments through this new deal.
Specifically, the changes that will be permitted to Bill C-56 are:
Increasing the maximum penalty for bad corporate behaviours, such as price fixing and overcharging, to $25 million for the first infraction and $35 million each infraction thereafter;
Allowing the Competition Bureau to conduct market study inquiries if directed by the minister responsible or recommended by the Commissioner of Competition, and require consultation between the two officials prior to the study; and
Enabling the Competition Bureau to go after big corporate players who abuse their dominance to engage in anti-competitive acts, such as squeezing out smaller players, by revising the legal threshold to lessen competition in the market.
“Out of the gate, we were clear that we were happy to talk about how to move the bill forward, but we thought there had to be changes in order for us to be willing to expedite the bill as a partner,” Blaikie said, while noting not everything the NDP proposed was accepted. “Negotiation is exactly that.”
Blaikie also told CTV News that the NDP have received assurances that these changes, as well as one tweak to allow co-operative housing to be eligible under the GST housing rebate, will be backed by Liberal MPs on the finance committee when they come to a vote.
Should the motion pass as drafted, Bill C-56 will be brought for second reading vote in short order, and then go through a rapid committee study using late sitting hours. Then, the motion outlines single days only for debate at report stage and third reading, before Bill C-56 would come to a vote that would send it to the Senate, in hopes it will clear that chamber before the long holiday break begins mid-December.
“We are planning to work with others in the House to get this bill passed quickly because our priority is to put the needs of Canadians first,” Gould’s office said.
Asked by CTV News on Friday to comment on the Liberal’s accusation of Conservative obstruction, and whether his party supports the proposed efforts to crack down on anti-competitive practices and offer a GST break on rentals, Poilievre didn’t directly answer.
“Justin Trudeau can pass any bill he wants, he’s got a majority in his coalition with the NDP. So, it’s a complete distraction,” Poilievre said.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State has asked a judge to decide key parts of its lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference without a trial, hoping for a quicker resolution and path to a possible exit from the league.
Florida State requested a partial summary judgment from Circuit Judge John Cooper in a 574-page document filed earlier this week in Leon County, the Tallahassee-based school’s home court.
Florida State sued the ACC in December, challenging the validity of a contract that binds member schools to the conference and each other through media rights and claiming the league’s exit fees and penalties for withdrawal are exorbitant and unfair.
In its original compliant, Florida State said it would cost the school more than half a billion dollars to break the grant of rights and leave the ACC.
“The recently-produced 2016 ESPN agreements expose that the ACC has no rights to FSU home games played after it leaves the conference,” Florida State said in the filing.
Florida State is asking a judge to rule on the exit fees and for a summary judgment on its breach of contract claim, which says the conference broke its bylaws when it sued the school without first getting a majority vote from the entire league membership.
The case is one of four active right now involving the ACC and one of its members.
The ACC has sued Florida State in North Carolina, claiming the school is breaching a contract that it has signed twice in the last decade simply by challenging it.
The judge in Florida has already denied the ACC’s motion to dismiss or pause that case because the conference filed first in North Carolina. The conference appealed the Florida decision in a hearing earlier this week.
Clemson is also suing the ACC in South Carolina, trying to find an affordable potential exit, and the conference has countersued that school in North Carolina, too.
The dispute is tied to the ACC’s long-term deal with ESPN, which runs through 2036, and leaves those schools lagging well behind competitors in the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten when it comes to conference-payout revenue.
Florida State has said the athletic department is in danger of falling behind by as much as $40 million annually by being in the ACC.
“Postponing the resolution of this question only compounds the expense and travesty,” the school said in the latest filing.
The ACC has implemented a bonus system called a success initiative that will reward schools for accomplishments on the field and court, but Florida State and Clemson are looking for more as two of the conference’s highest-profile brands and most successful football programs.
The ACC evenly distributes revenue from its broadcast deal, though new members California, Stanford and SMU receive a reduced and no distribution. That money is used to fund the pool for the success initiative.
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QUEBEC – Australian road cyclist Michael Matthews raced to victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec on Friday.
Matthews earned a record third career victory in Quebec City. He was previously tied with Slovakia’s Peter Sagan with two wins.
The Jayco-AlUla rider won the fastest edition of the Quebec race on the UCI World Tour calendar.
Matthews, who claimed titles in 2018 and 2019, edged out Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and France’s Rudy Molard in a thrilling sprint.
Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, the heavy favourite, was unable to follow through with his attack launched just over two kilometres from the finish line. He finished in seventh place.
Pogacar will look to redeem himself at the Montreal cycling Grand Prix on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have loaned midfielder Jay Herdman to Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League and rewarded two Whitecaps FC 2 players with MLS contracts.
Midfielder Jeevan Badwal signed as a homegrown player through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029, while forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau signed an MLS contract through 2025, with club options for 2026 and 2027.
Both have been playing for the Whitecaps’ MLS Next Pro team along with the 20-year-old Herdman, the son of Toronto FC coach John Herdman.
The moves were made before Friday’s MLS and CPL roster freeze.
Born in New Zealand while his father was working for the New Zealand Football Federation, Jay Herdman was also part of the New Zealand soccer team at the Paris Olympics with three appearances including two starts. Herdman’s loan deal runs through the end of the CPL season.
“Jay is an important signing for us, who will provide another attacking option for the run-in,” Cavalry coach and GM Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said in a statement. “He’s a player that we’ve been tracking since we played against Whitecaps in pre-season and he has very good quality, with terrific energy and the ability to contribute to goals.
“With the recent injury to Mael Henry, Jay’s positional profile and age helps us with on-field options and minutes that count towards the league’s required 2,000 U-21 domestic minutes during the regular season.”
Badwal, an 18-year-old from suburban Surrey, is the 26th academy player to sign an MLS contract with the Whitecaps.
“Having joined our academy in 2019, Jeevan continues to progress through our club and takes every challenge in stride,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. “He is comfortable on the ball, positionally sound, and does the simple things very well. We are excited for Jeevan to make the next step in his young career.”
Badwal has made 19 appearances with Whitecaps 2 this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. A Canadian youth international, he started all three matches for Canada at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Badwal made his first-team debut off the bench in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal against Pacific FC.
Chateau was originally selected 74th overall by the Whitecaps in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft after spending two years at St. John’s University.
The 22-year-old from Ottawa signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in March. He leads Whitecaps FC 2 in goal-scoring this season with eight goals across 21 appearances (including eight starts).
“Nicolas leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots on target, has a very strong work rate and willpower. We are looking forward to seeing his growth as he builds on his young professional career,” said Schuster.
Chateau made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute at CF Montreal on July 6.
Herdman, who joined the Whitecaps academy as a 13-year-old, has made 19 appearances for Whitecaps FC 2 in 2024, scoring six goals and adding three assists. He made his MLS debut in April as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 victory at the Seattle Sounders.
Internationally, Herdman has represented New Zealand 29 times across the U-19, U-20, and U-23 sides. He was part of New Zealand’s squad at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting three matches at the tournament and scoring against Uzbekistan.
The Whitecaps host San Jose on Saturday while Cavalry entertains Atletico Ottawa on Sunday.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024
