Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced pointed questions about his government’s cuts to foreign aid spending Thursday at a star-spangled conference meant to showcase his credentials as an international agent of change.
Trudeau’s appearance at Global Citizen Now, a gathering of world leaders, celebrities and activists focused on advancing sustainable development internationally, was to be a platform for new federal funding to promote women’s rights.
But moderator and former CTV anchor Lisa LaFlamme grilled the prime minister repeatedly about his government’s latest federal budget, which reflects an overall reduction in development spending of about 15 per cent.
“That is $1.3 billion that is just gone from the organizations that rely so heavily on it,” LaFlamme said. “How, first of all, do you justify that?”
Before 2019, the Liberal government in Ottawa committed to making steady annual increases in humanitarian aid, “and we absolutely have,” Trudeau responded.
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year and other crises around the world, including in Afghanistan, resulted in outsized one-time spending, he said.
There’s likely to be more humanitarian disasters before the end of the fiscal year that will demand Canada make additional commitments, but “the baseline continues to go (up),” Trudeau said.
“We spiked it massively because of the pandemic, because of various crises that we had to respond to,” he said.
“We will continue — as Canada always will — to be there (for) punctual crises ΓǪ we will continue to be there because we are committed to international assistance focused on empowering women and girls.”
From there, Trudeau segued into what he’d come to New York to talk about: a five-year, $195-million investment — plus $43 million every subsequent year — in women’s rights advocacy around the world.
He said the program, Women’s Voice and Leadership, has helped more than 1,500 organizations since it was launched in 2017. That far exceeded the original target of 400 groups, who receive the assistance without strings.
“We know that these kinds of initiatives — defending women’s rights from that grassroots community level, led by women, impacting other women — is one of the most powerful ways of effecting change.”
The NDP’s women and gender equality critic, Leah Gazan, fired off a missive Thursday that chastised Trudeau for cutting funding to women’s shelters in Canada.
“He has a moral obligation to support women internationally and here in Canada. He must do both,” said Gazan, who accused the government of slashing funding by $150 million.
“A true feminist government would never turn their back on any women, whether in Canada or around the world, during such a critical time of need.”
Eventually, the conversation in New York turned to abortion rights, which have been under legal siege in recent months in the U.S. — a chance for Trudeau to mark a contrast between his Liberals and the opposition Conservatives.
The U.S. courts have played host to seismic shifts in access to abortion over the last year, most notably the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established federal abortion rights.
Advocates had feared that a legal stalemate over access to the so-called abortion pill, mifepristone, would end much the same way before the high court opted late last week to maintain the status quo — for the time being.
The U.S. Department of Justice is fighting a Texas court decision which, if allowed to stand, would effectively rescind the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the drug.
“Oh my God, when do we get to stop having to re-litigate this every, every time,” Trudeau said as he characterized his reaction to the latest ruling.
“Women are still having to stand up for basic rights that should have been and have been recognized long ago.”
He noted how during Joe Biden’s speech to Parliament last month, the president “had to admonish” Conservative MPs who failed to stand up and applaud the importance of women’s rights.
“There’s no place where we’re not seeing attacks on rights that one would have hoped we could be taking for granted now.”
The perils facing abortion rights in the U.S. demonstrate that even the most basic rights must be defended with “constant vigilance,” said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s envoy to Washington and the first woman to occupy the post.
“Human rights, women’s rights, security of individuals and all kinds of minority rights around the world — these are things that we can’t take for granted,” Hillman said earlier Thursday outside the United Nations.
“We see in the United States that once rights are attained, you can’t take them for granted. You have to continue to make sure that you’re building on them and reinforcing them.”
Trudeau began his first full day in the city with a visit to the UN, where he met briefly with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley to talk about one of their shared passions: advancing sustainable development goals in the global south.
The two leaders also hosted a meeting of the UN panel they co-chair together: the SDG Advocates, a group of international activists and experts committed to accomplishing a daunting list of ambitious sustainable development goals by 2030.
“Whenever there’s a situation of real crisis, the natural human instinct is to fold inwards, hunker down and hope the storm passes by,” Trudeau told the meeting as it unfolded live on a UN sound stage.
“Well, this storm will not pass us by unless we actually reach out to each other and work together. And that’s where the SDG goals are so unbelievably important.”
On Friday, Trudeau will speak to the influential Council on Foreign Relations, making his case for Canada as an attractive trade partner and investment destination, especially after last month’s visit by President Joe Biden.
Business leaders and private-sector observers alike are pressing Ottawa to get busy on streamlining the regulatory process for Canada’s nascent critical minerals sector as the demand for green energy kick-starts a new 21st-century gold rush.
That is “absolutely a priority,” Hillman acknowledged Thursday, adding that Canadian industry currently enjoys a competitive advantage over its U.S. counterpart.
“From where I stand in Washington, what I hear from American industry is how much faster we tend to do it than they do.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2023.
Moe is set to speak in the city of Yorkton about affordability measures this morning before travelling to the nearby village of Theodore for an event with the local Saskatchewan Party candidate.
NDP Leader Carla Beck doesn’t have any events scheduled, though several party candidates are to hold press conferences.
On Thursday, Moe promised a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected.
The NDP said the Saskatchewan Party was punching down on vulnerable children.
Election day is Oct. 28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.
Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.
He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.
It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.
“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.
He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.
Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.
“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.
The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.
“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.
“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”
Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.
Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.
“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.
“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”
Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.
People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.
“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.
The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.
The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.
Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.
Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.
She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.
“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.
“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.
“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”
She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.
“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”
Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.
Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.
Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan‘s provincial election is on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at some of the campaign promises made by the two major parties:
Saskatchewan Party
— Continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa on natural gas until the end of 2025.
— Reduce personal income tax rates over four years; a family of four would save $3,400.
— Double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year and the benefit for children with disabilities to $400 a year.
— Direct all school divisions to ban “biological boys” from girls’ change rooms in schools.
— Increase the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from $10,000.
— Reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, allowing homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation costs on their income taxes; seniors could claim up to $5,000.
— Extend coverage for insulin pumps and diabetes supplies to seniors and young adults
— Provide a 50 per cent refundable tax credit — up to $10,000 — to help cover the cost of a first fertility treatment.
— Hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more officers with the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
— Amend legislation to provide police with more authority to address intoxication, vandalism and disturbances on public property.
— Platform cost of $1.2 billion, with deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in 2027.
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NDP
— Pause the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax for six months, saving an average family about $350.
— Remove the provincial sales tax from children’s clothes and ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and granola bars.
— Pass legislation to limit how often and how much landlords can raise rent.
— Repeal the law that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.
— Launch a provincewide school nutrition program.
— Build more schools and reduce classroom sizes.
— Hire 800 front-line health-care workers in areas most in need.
— Launch an accountability commission to investigate cost overruns for government projects.
— Scrap the marshals service.
— Hire 100 Mounties and expand detox services.
— Platform cost of $3.5 billion, with small deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in the fourth year.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct .17, 2024.
