New Brunswick election: Liberals promise safeguards for LGBTQ+ students

OTTAWA – Government business has been put on indefinite pause in the House of Commons and the Conservatives say it will stay that way until the Liberals hand over documents related to misspent government dollars.

Last week, Speaker Greg Fergus ruled that the government “clearly did not fully comply” with an order from the House to provide documents related to a now-defunct foundation responsible for doling out hundreds of millions of federal dollars for green technology projects.

The House has been seized by an indefinite debate on the issue ever since, and Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer says it will continue until the government hands over the unredacted documents.

The government abolished Sustainable Development Technology Canada after both the auditor general released a scathing report about the organization’s management.

Liberal House Leader Karina Gould says ordering the production of documents to be handed over to the RCMP blurs the lines between Parliament and police.

The Liberals have had to postpone a vote on government tax reform twice while the debate drags on in the House.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Saskatchewan Party is promising more help for parents trying to keep their children in sports and the arts.

With a provincial election set for Oct. 28, Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is pledging to double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year.

The benefit for children with disabilities would also double to $400 a year.

It would apply to sports, arts, cultural and recreational activities.

The program is currently provided through a tax credit to families who make a household income of $60,000 or less.

Moe says he would expand that threshold, allowing families with a household income of up to $120,000 per year to receive the credit.

“We all know how beneficial it is to get our kids involved in sports or artistic activities, like music and dance lessons,” Moe said in a statement Thursday.

“We also know the cost of those activities has gone up just like the cost of most other things.”

The Saskatchewan Party has made affordability a key plank in its election platform. It has also promised more tuition relief for students who stay in Saskatchewan after they graduate.

On Tuesday, the first day of the campaign, Moe promised broad-based tax relief on personal income tax rates, which the party says could save a family of four $3,400 over four years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is opening a two-day stay in Wisconsin and Michigan, and Republican candidate Donald Trump will be in Michigan on Thursday as the two candidates grapple for wins in the “blue wall” battleground states, which also include Pennsylvania.

Liz Cheney, one of Trump’s fiercest Republican antagonists, will join Harris at a campaign event in Wisconsin on Thursday aimed at reaching out to moderate voters and rattling the former president.

Cheney was the top Republican on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, earning Trump’s disdain and effectively exiling herself from her own party.

Cheney lost her Wyoming seat to a Trump-endorsed candidate two years ago and she endorsed Harris last month. The two women will appear together in a historic white schoolhouse in Ripon, where a series of meetings held in 1854 to oppose slavery’s expansion led to the birth of the Republican Party.

Harris’ visit to Wisconsin comes one day after a federal judge unsealed a 165-page court filing outlining prosecutors’ case against Trump for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction.

Harris on Friday will hold a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan, continuing her tour of states that have been critical to Democratic victories. Trump won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016, and Joe Biden won them in 2020.

Trump on Thursday will hold a rally in Saginaw County, a bellwether in the center of the state.

The Republican candidate has ramped up his focus on Michigan, holding two rallies there less than a week ago. In 2020, Biden’s win in Saginaw County by a slim 303 votes contributed to his victory in the state.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the latest:

President Biden says he isn’t concerned the 2024 presidential race is close

President Joe Biden said Thursday that he wasn’t concerned the 2024 presidential race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump was close

“It always gets this close,” he said to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on his way to visit storm-ravaged Georgia and Florida. “She’s gonna do fine,” he said of his vice president.

Biden was also asked how Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz did in the vice presidential debate.

“The other guy lost the debate,” Biden said. “He misrepresented everything.”

Hurricane Helene brings climate change to forefront of presidential campaign

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has brought climate change to the forefront of the presidential campaign after the issue lingered on the margins for months.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia Wednesday to see hard-hit areas, two days after her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, was in the state and criticized the federal response to the storm, which has killed at least 180 people. Thousands of people in the Carolinas still lack running water, cellphone service and electricity.

President Joe Biden toured some of the hardest-hit areas by helicopter on Wednesday. Biden, who has frequently been called on to survey damage and console victims after tornadoes, wildfires, tropical storms and other natural disasters, traveled to the Carolinas to get a closer look at the hurricane devastation. He is expected to visit Georgia and Florida later this week.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.