Pity poor Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota, who had the job of getting a roomful of social butterflies to hush up and listen during this year’s Politics and the Pen dinner, which was back in the flesh Tuesday for its first time since 2019.
It took a bagpiper to get the roughly 500 guests to clear out of the cocktail reception areas and into the Fairmont Château Laurier’s main ballroom, where the laughs, smiles and chatter continued. Rota repeatedly called for order. Former politician Brian Tobin, now vice chair of BMO Financial Group, tried the tapping-the-utensil-against-a-glass trick. Eventually, folks took their seats and settled in.
“After two years of COVID, an event like this is just wonderful for the soul,” Rota told the black-tie dinner crowd. “It’s nice to see people interacting in person rather than on video conference.”
The sold-out gala, which had the support of CN, CIBC, Imperial and other corporate sponsors, is the largest fundraiser for the Writers’ Trust of Canada, a charitable organization that advances, nurtures and celebrates Canadian writers and writing. It also brings politicians together with prolific authors and journalists to poke a little fun at each other and themselves.
The event raised more than $300,000 this year, culminating with the awarding of the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing to Joanna Chiu, senior journalist for the Toronto Star and author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder.
Rodger Cuzner, former long-time Liberal MP for Cape Breton, may have left politics but everyone was happy to have him back for his always-popular video to open the evening program, done by Shaw Communications. Cuzner is now Canada’s consul general in Boston.
Elizabeth Gray-Smith and Patrick Kennedy were co-chairs of the Politics and the Pen literary gala that took place at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Photo by Caroline PhillipsIt was a sold-out crowd at this year’s Politics and the Pen gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsSpeaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota tries to quiet the crowd in order to start the evening program at Politics and the Pen. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Elizabeth Gray-Smith, co-founder of GSD&Co, co-chaired this year’s Politics and the Pen with Patrick Kennedy, principal at Earnscliffe Strategies. They were joined by fellow volunteer committee members Jim Armour (Summa Strategies), Hardave Birk (Shaw Communications), Maureen Boyd (Parliamentary Centre and Carleton University), Heather Bradley (Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons), Catherine Clark (Catherine Clark Communications) and Dan Mader (Loyalist Public Affairs).
Clark also chairs the board of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, a Toronto-based national organization led by award-winning Canadian author Charles Foran as its executive director.
Clark’s famous parents — former prime minister and former PC leader Joe Clark and Maureen McTeer, who’s a long-time advocate for gender equality and women’s health — attended that night as authors.
So did former governor general David Johnston and his wife, Sharon Johnston, and retired Supreme Court chief justice Beverley McLachlin, who in 2020 was presented the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for her memoir.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien, 88, was also among the distinguished guests.
Marci Ien and Seamus O’Regan, both of whom are federal cabinet ministers, served as this year’s delightful co-hosts. They’re close pals from their days together in television broadcasting on CTV’s former morning news show, Canada AM.
“It is so much fun, I have to say, co-hosting with you here again,” Ien told O’Regan on stage during an affectionate moment shared between the two.
Ien went on to point out that she’s the second black woman from the GTA to serve in cabinet, after Jean Augustine, while O’Regan is the second gay man to serve in cabinet, after Scott Brison.
“Yeah, yeah, the second gay man to serve in cabinet,” replied O’Regan with a ‘nudge, nudge, wink, wink’ expression that had the whole room laughing. “This is a political award for non-fiction, right?”
Ien, who’s the MP for Toronto Centre, is minister of women, gender equality and youth while O’Regan, who’s the MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl in Newfoundland and Labrador, is minister of labour.
Also finalists for the literary prize were Mike Blanchfield, international affairs writer for The Canadian Press, and Fen Osler Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor at Carleton University, for The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War; Stephen Poloz, former governor of the Bank of Canada, for The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future; Geoffrey Stevens, former managing editor of Maclean’s and The Globe and Mail, for Flora!: A Woman in a Man’s World; and Jody Wilson-Raybould, former justice minister and attorney general, for “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power. Wilson-Raybould was not in attendance.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt, vice chair of global investment banking at CIBC,was part of the three-member independent judging panel for the literary prize, joined by Charelle Evelyn from The Hill Times and Jacques Poitras from CBC News in New Brunswick.
Federal cabinet ministers Marci Ien and Seamus O’Regan, who had former broadcasting careers on CTV’s Canada AM, reunited to host the Politics and Pen literary gala dinner held at the Fairmont Château Laurier in support of Writers’ Trust of Canada. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFormer prime minister and former PC leader Joe Clark and his wife, Maureen McTeer, both published authors, with their daughter Catherine Clark, board chair of The Writers’ Trust of Canada, and her husband, Chad Schella, general manager of government and community affairs at Canada Post, at the Politics and Pen literary gala held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsStephen Poloz, finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, with his wife, Valerie, at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Sen. Donna Dasko, a former pollster, with retired Supreme Court chief justice and author Beverley McLachlin at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsAllan Thompson, head of the journalism program at Carleton University, with former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsMichael Scrivens, partner at Scrivens Insurance and Investment Solutions, with Janice McDonald, author of Fearless: Girls With Dreams, Women With Vision, and Heather Bradley, member of the organizing committee for Politics and the Pen and director of communications for the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, at Politics and the Pen. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFormer Newfoundland premier and federal cabinet minister Brian Tobin, vice chair of BMO Financial Group, with his colleague Kimberley Goode, chief communications and social impact officer with BMO Financial Group, at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Evan Solomon, host of CTV’s Power Play, with National Post political columnist John Ivison, former environment minister Catherine McKenna (who’s now chairing a UN panel related to climate change), Rodger Cuzner, consul general of Canada to New England, and François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, at the Politics and Pen literary gala. Photo by Caroline PhillipsSharon Johnston and her husband, former governor general David Johnston — both of whom attended as published authors during this year’s Politics and the Pen literary dinner — seen with Joyce Napier, Ottawa bureau chief for CTV National News, at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Sean Finn, executive vice president, corporate services and chief legal officer for CN, with Politics and the Pen committee member Jim Armour, managing partner of Summa Strategies, and author Alex Marland at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipFrom left, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng with Cindy Woodhouse, regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and Susan Smith, co-founder and principal at Bluesky Strategy Group, at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, former Conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt with Treasury Board President and Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Jennifer Madigan, executive vice president of media and communications at Syntax Strategic, with Jennifer Stewart, president and CEO of Syntax Strategic, and Liberal MP Jenna Sudds (Kanata-Carleton) at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipCharles Foran, executive director of The Writers’ Trust of Canada, with Geneviève Dumas, who recently took over as the new general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, at the hotel on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, for Politics and the Pen. Photo by Caroline PhillipsFrom left, Dan Mader, founder of Loyalist Public Affairs, with Rob Rosenfeld, vice president, national capital region and public sector lead, at LifeWorks at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline PhillipFrom left, retired senator Jim Munson with Rodger Cuzner, consul general of Canada to New England, and Paul Genest, senior vice president of Power Corporation of Canada, at the Politics and Pen literary gala held in support of the Writers’ Trust of Canada on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillip
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.
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.
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.
