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Nicola Sturgeon remains defiant after dramatic political fall

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As the boxer Bob Fitzsimmons is reputed to have said, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

To be clear, neither Nicola Sturgeon nor her husband, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party Peter Murrell, has been charged, let alone convicted of a crime.

But in political terms they have clearly taken a dramatic and painful tumble, as demonstrated by the statement which the former first minister published shortly after her release from custody.

It was raw, blunt and defiant. Speaking of her shock and distress, Ms Sturgeon insisted: “I am certain I have committed no offence.”

Her forceful denials have not prevented calls for the former SNP leader to resign or be suspended from the party she loves pending the outcome of the investigation.

Those calls left her successor Humza Yousaf with a choice – demonstrate independence and ruthlessness by suspending his political mentor or swing in behind her on the basis that she had not been charged with a crime.

Either course of action would have caused him problems and provided ammunition for his political opponents. He chose the latter option – loyalty – and in doing so he binds his fate more closely to hers than would otherwise have been the case.

Mr Yousaf said he was treating Ms Sturgeon in the same manner that he had treated others who had been released without charge, adding: “I’ll do what I believe is right to the values of natural justice.”

Labour are hoping to profit from that decision.

A by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, after the conviction for breaching lockdown laws of the former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier, is not a certainty – that is a matter for voters in the constituency.

But Anas Sarwar’s appearance there the day after Ms Sturgeon’s arrest tells you all you need to know about the opportunity the Scottish Labour leader spies.

 

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Mr Sarwar said Mr Yousaf was too weak to show leadership and the SNP was “mired in scandal”.

If he had been hoping for a total collapse in SNP support in recent months, however, he must be disappointed.

The SNP’s polling has sagged from its heights under Ms Sturgeon but, as Professor Sir John Curtice of Strathclyde University points out, under Mr Yousaf, the SNP has been registering about 38% support both before and after the arrest, and release without charge, of Mr Murrell.

The political impact of the investigation, said Sir John, was “perhaps not necessarily as much as the drama might suggest”.

Not only that, but the apparent level of support for independence, pointed out the polling expert, remained at around 47% or 48%.

Nonetheless, Sir John added, the SNP did face serious difficulties. He said it was facing “a Labour Party north of the border which is much rejuvenated,” improving the UK leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street at the next general election.

 

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For the Conservatives, the latest developments have been a gift, pushing talk of Tory turmoil and by-election woes in England off the front pages, at least for now, in favour of headlines about SNP meltdown.

The Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy pointed to the suspension of other figures in the SNP when they faced legal troubles as a precedent the first minister should follow.

He said Mr Yousaf would not take that step “because he’s hopelessly compromised by the fact that he only won the leadership election thanks to the backing of Nicola Sturgeon and her inner circle”.

For Nicola Sturgeon, the political and the personal have always been pretty much inseparable.

Ms Sturgeon joined the SNP as a teenage schoolgirl. Her formative years were spent knocking doors for what often felt, in those days, like an unloved cause. Independence became a central part of her identity.

She struck up a relationship with, and later married, fellow Scottish nationalist, Mr Murrell, who, from 2001, was chief executive of the SNP.

 

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Along with the likes of Alex Salmond and John Swinney, Murrell and Sturgeon transformed a fringe movement into an election-winning machine.

Not only that, but their core aim – for Scotland to become a independent sovereign state – became a realistic prospect for the first time.

The opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, running much of the country’s domestic affairs, had prompted a switch in focus from London to Edinburgh.

It also provided an opportunity for the SNP, which won control of the devolved Scottish government in 2007 and tightened its grip with a landslide victory in 2011.

At the ballot box in 2014, Scotland rejected independence by 55% to 45% but, rather than fading away, the SNP bounced back after Ms Sturgeon took over the leadership from Mr Salmond. The party swept the board at the general election by securing 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.

 

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The SNP had gone from a relatively small outfit with relatively little money and power to a slick and successful operation with donations pouring in and rock-star style appearances by the leader – including one particularly famous rally at Glasgow’s enormous Hydro music venue.

Some of those donations are now at the centre of the police inquiry, which began after activists raised questions about what had happened to almost £667,000 raised as the party pushed for a second referendum following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016.

Brexit was opposed by 62% of voters in Scotland, which Ms Sturgeon said amounted to a material change in circumstances, constituting grounds to revisit the issue of the constitution.

At that point Ms Sturgeon was feted by many social democrats, and feared by some conservatives and unionists, around the UK.

Critics, both inside and outside the party, say one of the SNP’s problems was that hubris then set in.

Ms Sturgeon was accused of relying on a tiny team of advisers including her husband, and of presiding over an insular operation which failed to heed political dangers.

 

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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.

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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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