Atlantic premiers are making the case for additional health care funding from the federal government ahead of a meeting next month of all premiers and territorial leaders where the issue will be key to the agenda.
“This increased funding would have a significant impact on the ability of provinces to provide quality health care services and respond to the strain on health care systems,” said the closing statement Wednesday for the meeting of the Council of Atlantic Premiers.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, chair of the Atlantic premiers council, hosted the meeting in Pictou, N.S. Present for the meeting were Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, Dennis King of Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.
The 13 provincial and territorial premiers in the Council of the Federation are to meet in Victoria on July 11 and 12. Premiers have said Ottawa should increase its contribution to the Canada Health Transfer by about $28-billion more this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this year that discussion on the issue should wait until the pandemic is over. He has said the federal government has spent the past two years engaging directly with provinces and territories on funding for health in addition to the Canada Health Transfer, which is worth $43.1-billion this year. Story here.
As B.C. Premier John Horgan, chair of the Council of the Federation, announced Tuesday that he would be stepping down as premier, he said that he remained committed to the health care funding issue and would work on it through to his expected departure from his post later this year.
“Premiers across the country will be assembling in Victoria, where the number one issue on the table is a commitment from the federal government to sit down with the provinces and resolve the crisis in public health care,” Mr. Horgan told a news conference in the B.C. capital.
“I fully intend to carry on that battle to make the federal government stand up for the commitments they made to all of us and convene a meeting so we can fix the most important social program, in fact, the most important program in Canada.”
Mr. Horgan, a New Democrat, said premiers and territorial leaders have been united across Canada on the issue despite partisan differences. “We have been a uniform group.”
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
TIM HORTONS LATEST COMPANY TO SUSPEND HOCKEY CANADA SUPPORT – Tim Hortons is suspending its support of the IIHF World Junior Championship and plans to re-evaluate its sponsorship of Hockey Canada, as the organization faces growing backlash from corporate partners over its payment to settle allegations that eight Canadian Hockey League players assaulted a young woman in 2018 following a Hockey Canada gala. Story here.
$150M SETTLEMENT WITH PERDUE PHARMA CANADA – A proposed $150-million settlement with Purdue Pharma Canada covering all provinces and territories has been reached for the recovery of health care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medication. Story here.
RCMP COMMISSIONER BOWED TO POLITICAL PRESSURE: SENIOR CIVILIAN MOUNTIE – A senior civilian Mountie sent a strongly worded letter to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki last year, accusing her of bowing to political pressure and displaying “unprofessional and extremely belittling” behaviour to officers investigating the worst mass shooting in Canadian history. Story here.
FIRST NATIONS CHIEFS GATHERING LOOMS – First Nations Chiefs from across Canada are set to gather in Vancouver next week, but along with discussionson issues ranging from climate change to housing and child welfare, they will also face an unfolding leadership crisis within their national advocacy organization. Story here.
CANADA OPENING FOUR NEW EMBASSIES – Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada will open four new embassies in Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Armenia, and will reinforce its presence in Latvia amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Story here.
B.C. PREMIER QUITTING – John Horgan will step down as B.C. Premier this fall, saying two bouts of cancer and 36 years in government have left him without the intensity needed to commit to another term. Story here. Global News looks here at possible successors to Mr. Horgan, including former NDP MP Nathan Cullen.
‘I STABBED HIM IN THE FRONT’: JEAN ON TOPPLING KENNEY – Brian Jean is blunt about his efforts to see Jason Kenney ousted as leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, leading to the ongoing race to lead the party. “People that say I stabbed Kenney in the back, well, I never. I stabbed him in the front. He knew I was coming. I was very honest with him,” Mr. Jean, a candidate in the UCP leadership race, told The Edmonton Journal. Story here.
JUDGE IN CONVOY CASES THREATENED – One of the judges who presided over the court hearings of Freedom Convoy organizers is speaking out after receiving threats considered serious enough to require police intervention. Story here from CBC.
PMO POWER CENTRALIZATION NECESSARY: FORMER ADVISERS – The frequently criticized centralization of power within the Prime Minister’s Office is a necessary part of governing – regardless of who is in power – argued two former prime ministerial advisers, at an event in Calgary Tuesday. Story here from The National Post.
ALBERTA POSTS SURPLUS – Alberta posted a multi-billion-dollar surplus in the last fiscal year after a record windfall of energy revenue erased a forecasted deficit that motivated the government to cut spending. Story here.
CANADA LACKS AMBASSADOR TO CHINA – Canada has been without an ambassador to China since the end of 2021, when Dominic Barton moved out of the Beijing offices. The government says, while a representative will be named in “due course,” Canada continues to engage with China at the “highest levels” in the meantime. Story here from CTV.
SWEET TAX COMING IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR – Newfoundland and Labrador’s pending tax on soft drinks and other sugary beverages is leaving a bad taste with some in the province. The tax, which takes effect in September, will be a first in Canada. Story here from Global News.
TOUGH GREEN LEADERSHIP RULES DRAW COMPLAINTS- The contest to find the next Green Party leader is off to a rocky start, with leadership hopefuls and a former party insider complaining about the restrictive rules governing the race. Story here from CBC.
CYBERSPY AGENCY SOUGHT TO PROTECT ELECTION – Canada’s cyberspy agency launched a defensive operation to protect last year’s federal election – including the party leaders’ debate – from disruption by foreign agencies. Story here from CTV.
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE NEEDS TO BE DECLARED EPIDEMIC: INQUEST JURY – The Ontario government should formally declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, says an inquest jury after three weeks of testimony into a rural triple femicide nearly seven years ago. Story here.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is in Ontario. Patrick Brown is in Brampton. Jean Charest is in Alberta. Leslyn Lewis is in her riding of Halimand-Norfolk. Pierre Poilievre is in Ottawa. There was no word on the campaign whereabouts of Roman Baber.
BROWN CALLS FOR CONSERVATIVE CLARITY ON ABORTION – Patrick Brown says the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion means the Conservative Party in Canada needs to emphasize it is ruling out changes to policies on terminating pregnancies. Story here.
BROWN AND MACKAY BREAKFAST – Patrick Brown is scheduled to attend a breakfast event in Stellarton, Nova Scotia on Sunday with former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay, also a contender for the party leadership in 2020. However, an endorsement is unlikely. In a statement this week, Mr. MacKay said he is doing what he can to support all candidates, but not picking a favorite.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20
FREELAND IN SHERBROOKE – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is in Sherbrooke, visiting footwear manufacturer LP Royer and workers. She was also scheduled to meet with workers and hold a news conference. She will also meet with the Sherbrooke Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
MENDICINO IN SCARBOROUGH – Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is in Scarborough to make an announcement with Toronto Mayor John Tory on federal support for organizations on the front lines of the fight against gun and gang violence in Toronto.
MILLER IN N.W.T AND HAJDU IN THUNDER BAY – In Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller announces a project under the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program. Meanwhile, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu announces support to enhance tourism and expand Northwestern Ontario’s creative economy.
ALGHABRA IN MISSISSAGUA – Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, and NAV CANADA vice president Mark Cooper, in Mississauga, will make an important funding announcement regarding investments in air traffic control infrastructure in Canada.
SUTCLIFFE RUNS FOR OTTAWA MAYOR – Writer, broadcaster and podcaster Mark Sutcliffe, the founder of the Ottawa Business Journal, and the former executive editor of The Ottawa Citizen newspaper, has entered the mayoral race in Ottawa. Jim Watson, who has been mayor since 2010 after serving a previous three-year term, is not seeking re-election. There are now a total eight candidates in the Oct. 24 election. I will work hard, every single day, to make Ottawa safe, reliable, and affordable for everyone,” he said in a tweet Wednesday.
THE DECIBEL
Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast features Rosemary Westwood, who has been following the battle over abortion rights in the Southern U.S. for the past six years. She’s the host of Banned, a podcast about the Mississippi case that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She’s on the show to explain how the U.S. got to this point, the people behind the fight on both sides of the issue and what their plans are now that Roe v. Wade is gone. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Madrid for a NATO summit, the Prime Minister held private meetings, and participated in the official arrivals at the summit, met with the Secretary General of NATO,Jens Stoltenberg and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and attended the official summit welcome ceremony by Secretary-General Stoltenberg.The Prime Minister also participated in the Opening Session of the North Atlantic Council Meeting, and met with Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö. After that, the Prime Minister participated in the North Atlantic Council Plenary Session, and attended the Transatlantic Working Dinner, chaired by the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
LEADERS
No schedules provided for party leaders.
OPINION
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail)on how John Horgan’s power as B.C.’s NDP Premier was his ability to connect with ordinary people: “There will be other opportunities to discuss Mr. Horgan’s legacy. But without question, he will go down as one of the top two or three most popular premiers in B.C. history. He had the Irish gift of gab, combined with a common touch that made him highly relatable – a guy with whom you wouldn’t mind having a pint. That’s not something you teach; you’re born with those skills. It’s funny when you consider he almost talked himself out of going for the job.”
Rosemary Westwood (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the U.S. has demolished abortion rights: “On the day the decision came down, former vice-president Mike Pence – the man whose evangelical bona fides helped affirm the religious right’s support of Mr. Trump – tweeted that Republicans “must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.” It took half a century for the anti-abortion movement to take down Roe, and its work may not be finished. The question now is whether the abortion-rights movement can mount an expansive, well-funded, enduring movement of even greater force to restore women’s rights – and how fast.”
Jake Enright (The National Post)on the truth behind skyrocketing Conservative party membership sales: “Finally, and for me most significantly, each of the three Conservative leadership front-runners are communicating to a unique audience, using a specific medium they themselves dominate. For example, Patrick Brown is primarily communicating to ethnic communities, using cultural media and outreach. Jean Charest is communicating to disillusioned progressive conservatives, using traditional media to reach his audience, especially in Quebec. Lastly, Pierre Poilievre is communicating to the “Left Behinds,” an audience that feels they are falling further and further behind financially, who also do not trust the government and are becoming suspicious of institutions. Poilievre is using his mastery of social media to reach this once illusive political audience. Leslyn Lewis is also communicating to a specific audience, the pro-life community.”
Marjory LeBreton (Policy Magazine)on the Conservative Party’s Make-or-break Moment: “Now, I fervently believe that the Conservative Party has reached an existential choice. The current leadership race is the third in six years, and the message that sends to Canadians in general cannot go unheard by Conservatives in particular: We have to get it right this time. I fear that if we don’t, the great accommodation reached by Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay in the fall of 2003 could fracture, possibly beyond repair. Clearly, this trend cannot continue if we are serious about earning the support of Canadians in future elections.”
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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.
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.
