Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the issue of a no-fly zone for Ukraine is “extraordinarily difficult” because of images of the impact of Russian bombs and cruise missiles falling on hospitals, schools and Ukrainian civilians.
“It is heartbreaking to see these images every day of Vladimir Putin’s violence against innocents across Ukraine,” Mr. Trudeau told a news conference in Alliston, Ont., on Wednesday that he attended with Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“This is an extraordinarily difficult issue,” Mr. Trudeau said.
But the Prime Minister said the NATO alliance is looking at ways to help support and protect Ukrainians, and prevent the war from expanding elsewhere.
“These are heartbreaking decisions and choices we have to make,” he said.
In a speech to Canadian parliamentarians on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues. Story here.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau was responding to a journalist’s question about whether there was anything Mr. Zelensky said in his speech that made Mr. Trudeau reconsider Canada’s opposition to a no-fly zone.
Mr. Trudeau noted that in the early days of the conflict Ukrainians were far more successful than Russians expected at shooting down Russian aircraft.
“We’ve seen an emphasis away from aircraft flying into Ukrainian space and more bombs and cruise missiles launched from a distance, which is a challenge in terms of closing the skies.”
Asked Wednesday about the issue of a no-fly zone, Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly expressed concerns about the consequences of the measure.
“My answer has been, since the beginning, we need to make sure that we’re not triggering an international conflict. And, at the same time, we’re in creative mode and we’re willing to talk with allies to see how we can further support Ukraine,” she told journalists on Parliament Hill.
Mr. Trudeau also said he will be attending a March. 24 NATO summit at the organization’s headquarters in Brussels.
In a tweet, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he had convened the “extraordinary” summit to address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, support for Ukraine, and “further strengthening NATO’s deterrence & defence.”
Of the summit, Mr. Trudeau said it will allow for continued conversations on the best way to help Ukraine.
Mr. Trudeau was in Alliston, about 100 kilometres north of Toronto, to announce a $131.6-million federal investment to help Honda Canada retool its manufacturing operations in the town to launch the next generation of hybrid-electric vehicles. The Ontario government is matching the investment.
Please check here for live Globe and Mail updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
NEW INFLATION HIGH – Canada’s inflation rate hit a new three-decade high in February as consumers paid sharply more for gasoline and groceries, highlighting the tough task ahead for central bankers looking to calm the situation. Story here.
O’TOOLE WAS PUSHED TO VACATE STORNOWAY – Erin O’Toole was pushed to vacate Stornoway, the residence of the Official Opposition leader, by new interim leader Candice Bergen within weeks of being turfed by Conservative MPs, according to three sources. Story here.
EXPANDING FIELD OF VANCOUVER MAYORAL CANDIDATES – After the already-crowded field of candidates in Vancouver’s mayoral election grew even larger earlier this week, Adriane Carr, a popular Green Party councillor, says she is seriously considering a run because she thinks Mayor Kennedy Stewart is unreliable on climate-change issues. Story here.
JEAN WINS ALBERTA BYELECTION – Brian Jean, the co-founder of the governing United Conservative Party, is back in the Alberta legislature, setting up a showdown with his fellow founder turned political foe, Premier Jason Kenney. Story here.
TOUGH FEW DAYS, SAYS MOE – Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says it’s been a tough couple of days since a pickup truck registered in his name was impounded in British Columbia. Story here.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
TRANSCRIPT OF POLIEVRE INTERVIEW – Maclean’s magazine has posted the transcript of a one-hour interview with MP Pierre Poilievre, one of the contenders for the leadership of the federal Conservative party. The transcript is here.
HUAWEI ON CHAREST DUTIES – Huawei, the Chinese telecom company, says former Quebec premier Jean Charest, now running for the leadership of the federal Conservatives, focused on 5G issues when working with the company. Story here from Global News.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS -The House of Commons is not sitting again until March 21.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL MEETS WITH QUEEN – On Tuesday, Governor-General Mary Simon met in person with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. According to a statement from Rideau Hall, the meeting was intended to share Canadians’ best wishes in this year of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The Governor-General and her husband, Whit Fraser, also met with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. This was the Governor-General’s second encounter with the Queen after a virtual meeting on July 22, 2021.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, business reporter Joe Castaldo talks about meme stock investors who got caught up in the momentum around stock price hikes for companies like GameStop and AMC. While the heights of the craze have passed, a lot of retail investors who got caught up in the momentum are still advocating for their stock picks – and risking a lot of money on their convictions. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Alliston, Ont., the Prime Minister had private meetings, spoke with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and then, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, visited the production facilities of Honda Canada Manufacturing. The Prime Minister then made an announcement with the Premier and held a media availability.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Brampton, held a news conference and was scheduled, Wednesday evening, to meet with volunteers for the Ontario NDP.
No other schedules released for party leaders.
PUBLIC OPINION
CANADIAN VIEWS ON HELPING UKRAINE – A new study from the Angus Reid institute finds 48 per cent of Canadians are inclined to send more weaponry to the frontlines in Europe, with this representing a near tripling of support for Canada supplying Ukraine with lethal aid in the last six weeks. Details here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon when and how the war in Ukraine will end: “Starting a war is easy, as Vladimir Putin showed on Feb. 24. But ending a war, and ending it when it has reached a point where neither side has the strength to claim total victory, is a puzzle. The goal of the Western alliance is ending the war in Ukraine. That does not mean accepting any outcome that stops the fighting. But if and when Canada and its allies escalate in response to Moscow’s continued aggression – whether through more sanctions on Russia or more weapons transfers to Ukraine – we have to be sure that our actions aim at limiting the conflict, and bringing it to a conclusion, not expanding it.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on how answering Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to create a no-fly zone would be an unthinkable mistake: “Mr. Zelensky essentially tells Western allies that a Third World War has already begun. There are level-headed experts in Western capitals that believe that may be true. But even if that’s so, it doesn’t mean the best course is to accelerate it to an end. It does mean that Canada and its allies should continue to arm and aid Ukraine, even when Mr. Putin responds with threats. It means preparing to confront further Russian aggression, defend NATO allies in Europe and accept new NATO allies. It means expanding sanctions to weaken Russia’s economy and preparing secondary sanctions in case China provides war matériel to Moscow. Yet responding to Mr. Zelensky’s heart-rending pleas for a no-fly zone means an unthinkable step across the line that risks global war.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on the possible method to Pierre Poilievre’s nastiness: “For the moment, however, Mr. Poilievre bestrides the Conservative Party. The only way his rivals can dislodge him is by selling new memberships wholesale – tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands – in effect remaking the party. It’s a long shot. The day we see Mr. Poilievre launch a charm offensive, we will know it is beginning to work.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail)on how the spectre of Donald Trump hangs over the federal Conservative leadership race:“Make no mistake: Mr. Poilievre is going after those CPC supporters who would pick a Trump ticket over a Biden one. If you’re looking for them, many can be found at any of these pop-up “freedom” rallies you see across the country. They were the ones flying Trump flags at the trucker convoy that squatted in the city of Ottawa for three weeks before being forced out. It’s why Mr. Poilievre reached out to them to offer his encouragement and support at the time, despite the havoc and hardship they were causing to residents of the capital. A large percentage of these folks can be found in Alberta and Saskatchewan, two provinces Mr. Poilievre hopes to own come the convention. He likely will. His angry, divisive style of politics sells well on the Prairies, where hatred for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau runs high.”
Rita Trichur (The Globe and Mail) on how Canada is an international haven for financial crime and the only antidote is transparency: “There’s a reason that dirty money from around the world washes up on Canadian shores. International consultants are promoting Canada as an ideal place to set up anonymous shell companies because Ottawa is unable to unmask their true owners, according to a new report. Published by Transparency International Canada, a non-governmental anti-corruption organization, the report is titled Snow-washing, Inc: How Canada is marketed abroad as a secrecy jurisdiction. The research in its pages provides a startling glimpse into how shell companies established in this country can be readily exploited by kleptocrats, money launderers, tax dodgers and other crooks.”
Don Braid (The Calgary Herald)on where Brian Jean winning a provincial byelection in Alberta leaves Alberta Premier Jason Kenney: ” So, Brian Jean will go to Edmonton, again. But will he even be admitted to Premier Jason Kenney’s UCP caucus? There is talk that he might be excluded. This would be another unlikely first, but in practical terms it is possible. Jean says Kenney isn’t fit for the premier’s office and should quit. That was the whole point of his campaign to return to the legislature. Allowing Jean into caucus would be like Abel inviting Cain into the family living room.”
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FREDERICTON – New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has called an election for Oct. 21, signalling the beginning of a 33-day campaign expected to focus on pocketbook issues and the government’s provocative approach to gender identity policies.
The 70-year-old Progressive Conservative leader, who is seeking a third term in office, has attracted national attention by requiring teachers to get parental consent before they can use the preferred names and pronouns of young students.
More recently, however, the former Irving Oil executive has tried to win over inflation-weary voters by promising to lower the provincial harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent if re-elected.
At dissolution, the Conservatives held 25 seats in the 49-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the Greens had three and there was one Independent and four vacancies.
J.P. Lewis, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick, said the top three issues facing New Brunswickers are affordability, health care and education.
“Across many jurisdictions, affordability is the top concern — cost of living, housing prices, things like that,” he said.
Richard Saillant, an economist and former vice-president of Université de Moncton, said the Tories’ pledge to lower the HST represents a costly promise.
“I don’t think there’s that much room for that,” he said. “I’m not entirely clear that they can do so without producing a greater deficit.” Saillant also pointed to mounting pressures to invest more in health care, education and housing, all of which are facing increasing demands from a growing population.
Higgs’s main rivals are Liberal Leader Susan Holt and Green Party Leader David Coon. Both are focusing on economic and social issues.
Holt has promised to impose a rent cap and roll out a subsidized school food program. The Liberals also want to open at least 30 community health clinics over the next four years.
Coon has said a Green government would create an “electricity support program,” which would give families earning less than $70,000 annually about $25 per month to offset “unprecedented” rate increases.
Higgs first came to power in 2018, when the Tories formed the province’s first minority government in 100 years. In 2020, he called a snap election — the first province to go to the polls after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — and won a majority.
Since then, several well-known cabinet ministers and caucus members have stepped down after clashing with Higgs, some of them citing what they described as an authoritarian leadership style and a focus on policies that represent a hard shift to the right side of the political spectrum.
Lewis said the Progressive Conservatives are in the “midst of reinvention.”
“It appears he’s shaping the party now, really in the mould of his world views,” Lewis said. “Even though (Progressive Conservatives) have been down in the polls, I still think that they’re very competitive.”
Meanwhile, the legislature remained divided along linguistic lines. The Tories dominate in English-speaking ridings in central and southern parts of the province, while the Liberals held most French-speaking ridings in the north.
The drama within the party began in October 2022 when the province’s outspoken education minister, Dominic Cardy, resigned from cabinet, saying he could no longer tolerate the premier’s leadership style. In his resignation letter, Cardy cited controversial plans to reform French-language education. The government eventually stepped back those plans.
A series of resignations followed last year when the Higgs government announced changes to Policy 713, which now requires students under 16 who are exploring their gender identity to get their parents’ consent before teachers can use their preferred first names or pronouns — a reversal of the previous practice.
When several Tory lawmakers voted with the opposition to call for an external review of the change, Higgs dropped dissenters from his cabinet. And a bid by some party members to trigger a leadership review went nowhere.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A 33-day provincial election campaign is expected to officially get started today in New Brunswick.
Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs has said he plans to visit Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy this morning to have the legislature dissolved.
Higgs, a 70-year-old former oil executive, is seeking a third term in office, having led the province since 2018.
The campaign ahead of the Oct. 21 vote is expected to focus on pocketbook issues, but the government’s provocative approach to gender identity issues could also be in the spotlight.
The Tory premier has already announced he will try to win over inflation-weary voters by promising to lower the harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent if re-elected.
Higgs’s main rivals are Liberal Leader Susan Holt and Green Party Leader David Coon, both of whom are focusing on economic and social issues.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
VICTORIA – If the lead up to British Columbia‘s provincial election campaign is any indication of what’s to come, voters should expect the unexpected.
It could be a wild ride to voting day on Oct. 19.
The Conservative Party of B.C. that didn’t elect a single member in the last election and gained less than two per cent of the popular vote is now leading the charge for centre-right, anti-NDP voters.
The official Opposition BC United, who as the former B.C. Liberals won four consecutive majorities from 2001 to 2013, raised a white flag and suspended its campaign last month, asking its members, incumbents and voters to support the B.C. Conservatives to prevent a vote split on the political right.
New Democrat Leader David Eby delivered a few political surprises of his own in the days leading up to Saturday’s official campaign start, signalling major shifts on the carbon tax and the issue of involuntary care in an attempt to curb the deadly opioid overdose crisis.
He said the NDP would drop the province’s long-standing carbon tax for consumers if the federal government eliminates its requirement to keep the levy in place, and pledged to introduce involuntary care of people battling mental health and addiction issues.
The B.C. Coroners Service reports more than 15,000 overdose deaths since the province declared an opioid overdose public health emergency in 2016.
Drug policy in B.C., especially decriminalization of possession of small amounts of hard drugs and drug use in public areas, could become key election issues this fall.
Eby, a former executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said Wednesday that criticism of the NDP’s involuntary care plan by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is “misinformed” and “misleading.”
“This isn’t about forcing people into a particular treatment,” he said at an unrelated news conference. “This is about making sure that their safety, as well as the safety of the broader community, is looked after.”
Eby said “simplistic arguments,” where one side says lock people up and the other says don’t lock anybody up don’t make sense.
“There are some people who should be in jail, who belong in jail to ensure community safety,” said Eby. “There are some people who need to be in intensive, secure mental health treatment facilities because that’s what they need in order to be safe, in order not to be exploited, in order not to be dead.”
The CCLA said in a statement Eby’s plan is not acceptable.
“There is no doubt that substance use is an alarming and pressing epidemic,” said Anais Bussières McNicoll, the association’s fundamental freedoms program director. “This scourge is causing significant suffering, particularly, among vulnerable and marginalized groups. That being said, detaining people without even assessing their capacity to make treatment decisions, and forcing them to undergo treatment against their will, is unconstitutional.”
While Eby, a noted human rights lawyer, could face political pressure from civil rights opponents to his involuntary care plans, his opponents on the right also face difficulties.
The BC United Party suspended its campaign last month in a pre-election move to prevent a vote split on the right, but that support may splinter as former jilted United members run as Independents.
Five incumbent BC United MLAs, Mike Bernier, Dan Davies, Tom Shypitka, Karin Kirkpatrick and Coralee Oakes are running as Independents and could become power brokers in the event of a minority government situation, while former BC United incumbents Ian Paton, Peter Milobar and Trevor Halford are running under the B.C. Conservative banner.
Davies, who represents the Fort St. John area riding of Peace River North, said he’s always been a Conservative-leaning politician but he has deep community roots and was urged by his supporters to run as an Independent after the Conservatives nominated their own candidate.
Davies said he may be open to talking with B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad after the election, if he wins or loses.
Green Leader Sonia Furstenau has suggested her party is an option for alienated BC United voters.
Rustad — who faced criticism from BC United Leader Kevin Falcon and Eby about the far-right and extremist views of some of his current and former candidates and advisers — said the party’s rise over the past months has been meteoric.
“It’s been almost 100 years since the Conservative Party in B.C. has won a government,” he said. “The last time was 1927. I look at this now and I think I have never seen this happen anywhere in the country before. This has been happening in just over a year. It just speaks volumes that people are just that eager and interested in change.”
Rustad, ejected from the former B.C. Liberals in August 2022 for publicly supporting a climate change skeptic, sat briefly as an Independent before being acclaimed the B.C. Conservative leader in March 2023.
Rustad, who said if elected he will fire B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry over her vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, has removed the nominations of some of his candidates who were vaccine opponents.
“I am not interested in going after votes and trying to do things that I think might be popular,” he said.
Prof. David Black, a political communications specialist at Greater Victoria’s Royal Roads University, said the rise of Rustad’s Conservatives and the collapse of BC United is the political story of the year in B.C.
But it’s still too early to gauge the strength of the Conservative wave, he said.
“Many questions remain,” said Black. “Has the free enterprise coalition shifted sufficiently far enough to the right to find the social conservatism and culture-war populism of some parts of the B.C. Conservative platform agreeable? Is a party that had no infrastructure and minimal presence in what are now 93 ridings this election able to scale up and run a professional campaign across the province?”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
