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Language politics take centre stage in Montreal federal byelection

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On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Alex Montagano walked along Avenue King Edward in Montreal, knocking on doors to make his pitch.

Montagano is not a traditional federal election candidate. His campaign materials show him in a conductor’s uniform — a nod to his passion for trains — and he stamps his fliers with a ticket punch.

He’s running in Monday’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount byelection under the banner of the Centrist Party of Canada, a party that has never elected a federal candidate.

But Montagano — or “Trainman,” as he identifies himself to voters — said a vote for him is a protest vote, intended to send a message to the Liberal Party of Canada.

And while trains may be his passion, his political interests include language rights for English-speaking Quebecers — something he feels is under threat.

Alex ‘Trainman’ Montagano said he is running in the federal byelection to send a message to the Liberal government. (Alex Montagano)

“We’re brought up with this idea, this concept that Canada was open, that it is a free society,” he said.

“This idea of what Canada is is dying in Quebec. It’s being attacked.”

On a walk around the neighborhood, his cri de coeur resonates with residents. Many of them raised language as the issue that worries them the most, after recent pieces of provincial and federal legislation ratcheted up tensions in Quebec’s English-speaking community.

“I think language is one of the biggest problems,” said first-time voter Thomas Donnelly. “To get a job, you really have to be perfectly bilingual … It really makes it hard for people to feel included in this province.”

C-13, Bill 96 and the Liberals

The riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount is considered to be a Liberal stronghold.

It’s also the heartland of anglophone Montreal. According to census data, about 44 per cent of residents list English as their mother tongue.

It was held by Liberal member of Parliament Marc Garneau until he resigned last spring.

While the riding’s boundaries have changed over time, the area has consistently elected Liberal candidates since the 1990s.

A campaign sign for Conservative candidate Mathew Kaminski in the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount. (CBC News)

The Liberal candidate this time, Anna Gainey, is a former party president. Her father, Bob Gainey, played for the Montreal Canadiens and went on to become their general manager. She was not made available for an interview.

But in recent months, groups representing English-speaking Quebecers, including the Quebec Community Groups Network, have been expressing concern about a bill introduced by the federal Liberal government, C-13, which is a revamp of the Official Languages Act. The bill passed the Senate earlier this week.

The bill aims to strengthen French in Canada, inside and outside of Quebec.

But some groups representing English-speaking Quebecers have expressed concerns about the bill’s repeated references to Quebec’s French Language Charter — which some fear could be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of a recent tightening of provincial language laws in Quebec through Bill 96.

Bill 96 introduced an overhaul of language laws that includes a stricter definition of who qualifies for English-language services, increased powers for the province’s language watchdog, a cap on the English-language colleges known as CEGEPs, and more.

“There’s a definite worry,” said Jonathan Pedneault, Green Party co-leader and candidate in the byelection.

“People feel like they are being treated as second class citizens and I understand that concern.”

Concerns about tacit approval

It also invokes the notwithstanding clause — a section in the Charter of Rights that gives provincial governments the ability to override parts of the charter — to shield the law from court challenges.

All of this has left the English-speaking community on edge, said former senator and editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette Joan Fraser.

“We have been accustomed for a while to the notion that the Quebec government’s policies tend not to be very helpful to us, but that the federal government gave us equal standing in law,” she told CBC News.

“Now there’s a sense, not unjustified, that the federal government is more interested in getting along with the Quebec government than protecting us.”

But residents hoping to park their vote with another, non-Liberal party don’t have a clear choice either.

C-13 passed through the House of Commons almost unanimously. Only Liberal MP Anthony Housefather voted against it.

 

Montreal-area Liberal MP on why he voted against the Trudeau government’s minority languages bill

 

Anthony Housefather was the lone MP to vote against bill C-13, the Trudeau government’s controversial minority language reform

He said he’s worried the references in a federal bill to Quebec’s French Language Charter could undermine legal challenges to Bill 96, some of which are already underway.

“I’m not saying that there’s a substantial risk or a huge risk, but I think there’s a moderate risk. And I prefer not to take a moderate risk to my community’s right to be served in English federally,” he said.

Federal Minister of Official Languages Ginette Petitpas Taylor has said repeatedly that C-13 will not adversely affect English-speaking Quebecers.

Her ministry also pledged $2.5 million to support the community’s arts and culture sector.

Despite the reassurance, voters like Doug Karpman said C-13 and Bill 96 are top of mind for many people in this byelection.

“I would say that’s the only issue I’ve ever even heard discussed in the byelection,” he said. “People are worried about their minority rights within the English community.”

 

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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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