Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott to feature Memorial University talk on discipline in party politics | Canada News Media
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Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott to feature Memorial University talk on discipline in party politics

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A political panel discussion on Thursday in St. John’s will feature two of last year’s biggest Canadian newsmakers.

Two former Liberal cabinet ministers — Jody Wilson-Raybould and Dr. Jane Philpott — will be on hand for “Navigating Party Discipline,” an event sponsored by the Royal Society of Canada (Atlantic) and Memorial University’s Scholarship in the Arts program.

Wilson-Raybould and Philpott were removed from the Liberal caucus last April in the aftermath of the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

A subsequent report from federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had improperly pressured Wilson-Raybould, who was the justice minister, regarding the prosecution of Canadian company SNC-Lavalin.

Wilson-Raybould, who didn’t interfere with the court case, was removed from the justice portfolio about a month before The Globe and Mail broke the story about the scandal. Thursday’s event will happen almost a year to the day after that story was published.

Philpott, who worked as a doctor before entering politics, resigned from her cabinet position as president of the Treasury Board over the government’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair.

The scandal almost cost Trudeau a second term as prime minister.

Philpott and Wilson-Raybould both ran for re-election as independent candidates, with only Wilson-Raybould retaining her seat.

Philpott, who spoke with The Telegram by phone earlier this week, said she expects Thursday’s conversation to be very interesting. Independent MHA Paul Lane, former MP Ryan Cleary and MUN political science professor Alex Marlard will join Philpott and Wilson-Raybould on the panel, with Michael Morden from the Toronto-based Samara Centre for Democracy MCing the event.

“The conversation we’ll have this week will be interesting because what I hear from Canadians is that they want their representatives to do the job of representation and to really listen to their constituents and do the best job they can — speaking up on their behalf,” said Philpott, who lives in Stouffville, Ont. “There are times when that may require them to respond to an issue slightly differently than what the broad party approach is. I think those are conversations responsible representatives need to have. I think people want to see politics done a little differently.”

Sitting as an independent

After she was removed from caucus, Philpott spent several months in Parliament as an independent MP. She said she enjoyed the freedom that came with not belonging to a specific party and had hoped to retain her seat as an independent in the 2019 election, but, at this time, she has no thoughts of returning to politics.

“I could vote on bills according to what I believed based on the evidence and based on what I had heard from constituents. Often, that was along the lines of the party I had previously been involved in, but it wasn’t always. I think it’s healthy to be able to realize that the real job of members of Parliament is to make the best possible decisions for Canadians, and particularly for the Canadians you’re sent to represent.”

Philpott said she recognizes the need for balance in weighing the concerns of constituents with those of a political party, adding there’s research to suggest this balance tips more toward the party, which now exerts a stronger control over messaging.

Marland — who has a book coming out later this year about party discipline in Canada — backs up this assertion. “Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada” was a three-year project for Marland, built on 131 in-depth interviews with politicians and political staff.

“What’s happening now is political parties are much more careful about who they’re recruiting,” he said. “They have to go through a long vetting exercise to become part of the party. During the campaign, they’re also told, ‘Stay on message.’ By the time you’re elected, you really have it drilled into you that you’re part of a team. Politicians talk about that all of the time. You’re part of a team. The idea of being part of the team is you have to always speak with one voice. A lot of it is much more voluntary and almost normalized than a lot of us think. A lot of us think it’s draconian, when actually a lot of them just inherently agree.”

Co-ordinated effort

In general, Marland contends party politics has become much more co-ordinated over the years.

“My argument is that party discipline used to be about making sure everybody voted the same way. What I found is party discipline has really moved from what happens inside legislatures to external. Now it’s much more co-ordinated. Everyone has to say the same thing all of the time. More specifically, they all have to stay on message and on brand.”

The existence of social media today allows party handlers to make sure politicians stick with the approved message and alerts them quickly when someone strays from that message.

“It’s become a monitoring device rather than necessarily something that allows people to say what they like,” Marland said.

While the option is always there for politicians to say what they like publicly, Marland suggests doing so leaves them at risk of being booted from caucus.

The party system that governs Canadian politics at federal and provincial levels has existed for a long time, and Philpott says it is a strong one with the potential to bring together likeminded individuals to work toward common goals. However, she cautioned there needs to be some flexibility within that system to recognize the fact not everyone will think alike on all issues.

“If we can find respectful ways to be able to speak freely, Canadians will benefit from that,” she says.

In the current political climate, Marland suggests there are politicians who choose to be a strong voice behind closed doors within caucus meetings and who may push back against the will of their party, unbeknownst to the public.

“I can think of some politicians in Newfoundland who do it, and they do it quite well, but the general public wouldn’t know that,” he said.

Thursday’s event takes place in Room IIC-2001 of the Bruneau Centre and starts at 7 p.m. It’s free to the public, with free parking available in Area 1A. It will feature moderated opening comments and a question-and-answer discussion. Marland will also offer a sneak peek from his upcoming book.

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.

A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”

Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.

“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.

“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.

“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.

“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”

“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.

Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.

She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.

Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.

Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.

Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.

“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.

“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”

The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.

In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.

“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”

In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.

“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”

Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.

Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.

“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”

In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.

In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.

“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”

Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.

“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”

The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.

“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.

“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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