Longest-serving Raptor Chris Boucher motivated as camp opens in Montreal

OTTAWA – The Liberal government survived a second non-confidence vote in as many weeks Tuesday, once again putting off the possibility Canada would be plunged into an immediate election campaign.

Though the Liberals are in the clear for another day, the Bloc Québécois made it clear they may not be so fortunate the next time the Conservatives bring a non-confidence motion before the House of Commons.

Members of Parliament voted on a Conservative motion Tuesday afternoon that called for MPs to declare they have lost faith in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his nine-year-old government.

The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois voted against the motion, as they did with a similar motion last week.

Last month, the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence agreement that had stabilized the minority government for more than two years. New Democrats now will vote on a case-by-case basis but have given no ultimatums for their support.

Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet has given the Liberals until Oct. 29 to green-light his party’s pension bill, which is estimated to cost about $16 billion over five years.

In exchange, his party will “not unplug the government that isn’t doing well,” he said in French on Tuesday.

“If the government doesn’t accept our request, well, we’ll understand what that means and we’ll begin negotiations that might not be pleasant, but the end will be clear,” Blanchet said in his speech to the House Tuesday, promising in that case to work with other opposition parties to bring the government down.

Acquiescing to the Bloc’s demands, however, will only buy the government a few months of support.

The NDP and Conservatives already voted in favour of the Bloc’s pension bill at second reading, which would increase old age security payments by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74.

Because it’s a spending bill, the governing Liberals need to support the legislation. They have not yet said whether they will negotiate with the Bloc.

The Liberals increased old age security payments by 10 per cent for people over the age of 75 in 2022, with the intention of targeting the most vulnerable seniors.

Despite all the attention on the political threat to the Liberals, Bloc MP Yves Perron said the vote on the bill is a question of human dignity for seniors.

Instead of debating the motion, Kevin Lamoureux, the parliamentary secretary to the Liberal House leader, outlined other ways his party has supported seniors since it was elected in 2015, including by creating a national dental-care program for low- and middle-income Canadians and drafting national pharmacare legislation.

“These programs are of great benefit to our seniors. Unfortunately, the Bloc have made the decision to vote against these programs,” said Lamoureaux.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould would not comment on the Bloc’s motion Tuesday except to say that she looked forward to the debate.

NDP MP Bonita Zarrillo called the Liberals “cruel and callous” for withholding financial support for the Bloc bill. The vote on the Bloc’s motion is expected later this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

KING CITY, Ont. – Former captain Saad Bin Zafar scored 33 not out Tuesday to lead Canada to a four-wicket win over Nepal in a T20 cricket match.

After Nepal scored 139 for six in its 20 overs, the Canadian men reached their victory target with three balls to spare at Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.

Anil Sah and Aasif Sheikh led Nepal with 41 and 40 runs, apiece, in a 70-run opening partnership after Canada won the toss and elected to field.

Captain Nicholas Kirton scored 26 runs for Canada with opener Dilpreet Bajwa adding 25. Zafar slammed four fours and one six in his 18-ball knock as Canada finished at 140 for six.

Tuesday’s match was the fourth in the six-game No Frills T20 Cup featuring Canada, Nepal and Oman. The Canadians previously beat Nepal by 14 runs and lost to Oman by eight wickets.

Canada wraps up the T20 series on Thursday against Oman.

The three teams played an ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series at the same venue last month, with Canada winning all four matches to move atop the standings at 8-4.

The eight World League 2 teams each play 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026. The top four sides will go through to a World Cup qualifier that will decide the last four berths in the expanded 14-team Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The bottom four teams still have a chance to get to the World Cup qualifier, via another tournament from which the top two teams move on.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

KELOWNA, B.C. – Police in Kelowna, B.C., say they’re investigating a violent attack on a girl that was captured on video on Friday night.

RCMP say they are “reviewing very clear and detailed video of the incident to identify all of those involved,” including “primary aggressors” and witnesses.

They say the video has been circulating “widely” online in the Kelowna community.

The Mounties say the attack was one of several incidents of youth committing criminal offences, including assault and mischief near a beachfront park in the city.

They’re asking anyone with information about the assault, including any witnesses who have yet to speak with investigators, to come forward to police.

A statement from Sgt. Laura Pollock with Kelowna RCMP says filming or posting video online for the purpose of humiliating another person is “unacceptable,” and video showing evidence of a crime should not be circulated publicly.

The Mounties say investigators believe several additional violent incidents went unreported in Kelowna over the weekend, and they’re asking community members to “take an active stand against violence” by reporting it right away.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.