Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Emergencies Act will remain in place because of the continued threat linked to ongoing protests.
Parliament is to vote Monday night on officially authorizing the use of the legislation, though it has provided powers to police that, for example, facilitated weekend actions in Ottawa to clear away hundreds of protesters, who had blocked downtown streets with trucks for three weeks.
“Even though things seem to be resolving very well in Ottawa, this state of emergency is not over. There continue to be real concerns about the coming days,” Mr. Trudeau told a Monday news conference.
The Prime Minister was asked what’s in the act that makes its continued measures necessary to protect Canadians.
In response, Mr. Trudeau cited measures that compelled tow-truck drivers to help remove big trucks a measure that facilitated the removal of trucks parked in Ottawa as part of the protest.
He said the power of the act in this instance may be needed given trucks holding in other Ottawa-region areas, referring to Arnprior and Embrun, that maybe become involved in protest.
Mr. Trudeau also said the act’s power to designate critical infrastructure like border crossings as not just the actual border crossing itself, which is protected under current legislation, but approaches to border crossings has been helpful.
“This is not something we want to imagine continuing indefinitely in Canada.,” he said of the legislation. “We hope to only keep it in place for a number of more days. We will evaluate every single day.
Asked if the vote is a confidence vote, Mr. Trudeau said he cannot imagine anyone voting against the bill as expressing anything other than a deep mistrust in the government’s ability to keep Canadians safe “at an extraordinarily important time” but that he is confident the bill will pass.
The NDP is supporting the minority Liberal government in passing the act while MPs from the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois have strongly objected to the use of the act, and are expected to vote against it.
Under the legislation, the new powers take effect once invoked. However, the government must table a formal motion for confirmation of the declaration of emergency and other documents within seven days. The government tabled those documents on Wednesday.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
PROTEST LARGELY CLEARED IN OTTAWA – The protests against pandemic restrictions that blockaded downtown Ottawa for three weeks appeared to have largely dissipated after a massive police operation, as MPs continued to debate the Emergencies Act that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked last week. Story here.
TARGETING OF JOURNALISTS A CONCERN: GROUP- A group representing Canadian journalists says it is shocked by the level of hatred, verbal harassment and physical confrontations some news reporters have experienced while covering protests against public-health measures cross the country. Story here.
SENATOR SEEN ON VIDEO DENOUNCING OTTAWA RESIDENTS – A Conservative senator from Nova Scotia was seen on a video deriding the response of people who live in Ottawa to recent protests, saying he’s sick of their entitlement and “six-figure salaries and 20-hour work weeks.” Story here from CTV.
KENNEY ANNOUNCES LEGAL CHALLENGE OF EMERGENCIES ACT – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said this weekend that he will launch a legal challenge against the federal government’s “unnecessary and disproportionate” use of the Emergencies Act to dismantle protests against COVID-19 measures – just two weeks afterthe Alberta government quietly asked Ottawa for help dealing with demonstrators at the Coutts border crossing to the United States. Story here.
JOLY CUTS SHORT EUROPEAN TRIP – Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has returned from Europe to Canada amid continuing tensions in Ukraine. Story here from CBC. Ms. Joly also says she will travel to Asia and elsewhere for some first-hand research before she releases the government’s much-anticipated new policy on China. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, Feb.21, accessible here.
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR TORIES – Wayne Benson has been named executive director of the Conservative Party. The former party secretary replaces Janet Fryday Dorey who, according to a party statement, has resigned after being director since August, 2020. Mr. Benson is a three-term member of National Council from Manitoba from 2013 to 2021, and had been hired, after the 2021 party convention as a staff resource officer for the party. Mr. Benson’s arrival continues a series of changes in the senior ranks of the official opposition since the recent exit of Erin O’Toole as party leader, including a new parliamentary leadership team and a new chief of staff in the leader’s office.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and other ministers, delivered remarks and held a media availability. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to attend Question Period and chair a meeting of the Incident Response Group on the illegal blockades.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet attends Question Period and holds a news conference.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a press conference about the Emergencies Act vote.
No schedule released for other leaders.
TRIBUTE – Steve Fonyo, who ran across Canada to raise funds after losing his leg to cancer has died, aged 56. Story here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on why it is time for Parliament to end the state of emergency: “A week ago, the only significant and continuing incident of persistent lawlessness was the park-in on Parliament Hill. It was illegal and it had to be ended. But did it constitute a once-in-a-generation national emergency? Even that is now moot, the protestors and their trucks having been removed on the weekend. As such, the question before Parliament is not: “Was Canada facing an unprecedented national emergency, a week ago?” It is rather: “Is Canada facing an unprecedented national emergency, today?” Last week, there were arguments both for and against the Emergencies Act. But changed circumstances – the basic facts on the ground – have greatly strengthened the arguments against, to the point where they are overwhelming.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on the need for a healer in the House after the trauma of the convoy protests: “Of course, Mr. Trudeau could not really have negotiated with this convoy. It was a patchwork that included some organizers arriving with arguably seditious and certainly conspiracy-minded rhetoric, demanding federal and provincial governments change policies or they’d blockade a city. But there were also ordinary folks among them, expressing frustration. Mr. Trudeau should have looked for ways to reach out to those in the country who shared their sentiments, and send them some signal of inclusion. That would have been better than sending the impression that the government of Canada dismisses them as a basket of deplorables. It still would be now.”
Robert Libman (The Montreal Gazette) on the merits of Jean Charest as a leader for the federal Conservatives: “Compared to the recent leaders, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole, and any of the current contenders, Charest is certainly in another league, in terms of experience, intellectual gravitas, quickness on his feet, knowledge and understanding of Quebec. He was one of the stars of the 1995 referendum, whipping out his passport to make the point about being Canadian. In debates, he could easily outmatch the other leaders, including any potential successors to Justin Trudeau. Charest would also be likely to stand up to some of Premier François Legault’s overreaching nationalist policies, more so than the other federal leaders have done. Charest and Legault have had their share of confrontations in the National Assembly. Federally, Quebecers have historically voted for a native son. Charest would be the first Quebec premier to lead a federal party.”
Shachi Kurl (The Ottawa Citizen) on how the Ottawa trucker protest reveals the ugly side of federal politics: “The last month has taught us a lot. About how easy it is for long-simmering regional frustration over not feeling seen or heard on Parliament Hill to blow up over issues and in ways we least expect. About how fast and abundantly foreign dollars will flow when political actors in other jurisdictions smell an opportunity. And about how woefully unprepared our politicians and institutional officials were to adequately deal with any of it. The next lesson for us to learn is to better hold our leaders to account in the face of such an abysmal response. I wonder if we can.”
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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.
