Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is doing what it can to deal with the massive surge in applications for passports as Canadians seek to travel amidst the easing pandemic.
“I understand there are people dealing with delays. We are doing our utmost to try and expedite the processes because, yes, Canadians want to travel, and we want to welcome people to Canada as well,” Mr. Trudeau said Monday.
“We still have to tread carefully because of COVID but we are setting up the necessary measures to accelerate the processes for passports.”
Mr. Trudeau was appearing at a news conference with visiting Chilean President Gabriel Boric when a journalist raised the travel issue.
The Prime Minister said 500 additional staff have been hired to work in passport offices, and 40,000 passports are being processed each day.
Michelle Carbert reported here in May that the union representing Canada’s passport officers says its members are facing verbal abuse, stress and long hours as they continue to respond to an overwhelming surge in applications prompted by an uptake in travel after the lifting of many COVID-19 restrictions.
During Monday’s news conference, Mr. Trudeau also denounced China’s recent actions toward Canadian planes participating in a multilateral UN mission over the Pacific Ocean to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
Last week, the Canadian military accused Chinese planes of not following international safety norms on several occasions and putting a Canadian crew at risk
“China’s actions are irresponsible and provocative and we will continue to register strongly that they are putting people at risk while at the same time not respecting decisions by the UN,” Mr. Trudeau said. Story here.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
SPOTLIGHT IN QUEBEC TEACHER IN BILL 21 SPOTLIGHT – The Quebec teacher removed from her classroom over the province’s Bill 21 says taking off her hijab to keep her job would send wrong the message to students. “I am always about encouraging kids to find their own identity, and grow on their own terms, and that nobody should dictate who they are,” Fatemeh Anvari, a teacher in Chelsea, Que, said in an interview. “I wouldn’t have been me in my class.” Story here.
POILIEVRE CAMPAIGN CLAIMS 300,000-PLUS SIGNUPS – Pierre Poilievre’s campaign to lead the federal Conservatives has shaken up the race, saying it has signed up more than 300,000 new members, but his rivals insist that the battle to succeed former leader Erin O’Toole is far from over. Story here.
EX-ALBERTA FINANCE MINISTER BEGINS LEADERSHIP CAMPAIGN – Alberta’s former finance minister officially launched his campaign to succeed Premier Jason Kenney as leader of the United Conservative Party over the weekend by stressing the need for unity and warning against the dangers of division. Story here.
SUPREME COURT CHIEF CALLS FOR VIGILANCE – Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner says the court has to be vigilant. “As soon as an incident occurs that can attack judicial independence, we must react, we must denounce,” he said during an interview with Radio-Canada. Story here.
TAX-EVASION CHARGES AGAINST FORMER MP DROPPED – All charges against former Calgary MP Rob Anders have been dropped on what was supposed to be the first day of a two-week tax evasion trial. Story here.
HALF THE QUEBEC LIBERAL CAUCUS NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION – Former Quebec cabinet minister Kathleen Weil will not seek re-election in the provincial election this year, and is the 13th Liberal — half of Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade’s caucus — to announce they will not run again. Story here from The Montreal Gazette.
PUBLIC SERVANT ON TRIAL FOR LEAK -The trial of a federal public servant accused of leaking cabinet secrets about a shipbuilding project is set to begin this morning. Story here.
VETERAN MANITOBA MINISTER LEAVING POLITICS – Scott Fielding, Manitoba’s Natural Resources Minister and a former provincial finance minister, is leaving politics to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 6, accessible here.
UKRAINE AMBASSADOR AMONG DIPLOMATS PRESENTING CREDENTIALS – Ukraine’s ambassador-designate to Canada is among seven new heads of mission who were scheduled on Monday to present their credentials to the Governor-General. Kovaliv Yuliya arrived in Canada on March 29 after being appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada. She has held a number of positions in the public sector including being deputy head of the Ukraine president’s office in charge of economic policy development. Details here. Other mission heads are from Cuba, Ecuador, Portugal, Poland, Japan, and Pakistan.
COMPETITION OPEN FOR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON COMBATTING ISLAMOPHOBIA – On Monday, Housing and Diversity Minister Ahmed Hussen invited applicants to submit their candidacy for the new position of Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, which has been posted on the Governor in Council Appointments website. The deadline for submitting applications is July 6.
ANAND IN THE U.S. AND SINGAPORE – Defence Minister Anita Anand is travelling, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to NORAD Headquarters in Colorado Springs on Tuesday for a series of briefings and meetings with officials, and then headed for Singapore June 9-12 to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue – a defence summit for Asia involving Asia’s during which ministers from more than 50 nations discuss and debate the region’s most pressing security challenges.
JOLY IN L.A. – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is going to Los Angeles from Monday to June 10, to join Prime Minister Trudeau at the ninth Summit of the Americas. While in California, she will hold a North American Foreign Ministers’ Trilateral Meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, to discuss mutual efforts on global security issues as well as progress towards the next North American Leaders’ Summit.
DUCLOS HAS COVID-19 – Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a tweet posted on Saturday. “As per public health guidelines, I will be isolating for 10 days,” Mr. Duclos wrote.
THE DECIBEL
Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail features Rollie Pemberton, the Edminton-born rapper known as Cadence Weapon, who won the Polaris Music Prize in 2021, and is known for his music with a political bent. Edmonton’s poet laureate in 2009 has written a non-fiction book, Bedroom Rapper: Cadence Weapon on Hip-Hop, Resistance and Surviving the Music Industry that charts his path through the music industry. He joins Globe Associate Arts editor Aruna Dutt for a conversation on creativity in the pandemic and emerging with a new album – and now a book – to live audiences. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In the Ottawa, the Prime Minister held private meetings as well as a bilateral meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric, made an announcement with the president, and was scheduled to participate with the Chilean president in a Q&A discussion with local high-school students on the environment and climate change, leadership, democracy, and gender equality.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh met with a delegation from the National Council of Canadian Muslims, and spoke on the anniversary of the fatal attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario before heading into Question Period. He was also scheduled to deliver remarks on the National Council of Canadian Muslims advocacy day march.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
TRIBUTE
IN HONOUR OF DECEASED PARLIAMENTARIANS – On Monday, families, friends and colleagues of the 35 former parliamentarians who have died between July, 2021 and April, 2022 gathered in the Senate chamber for a memorial service held by the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. The names of the deceased are here.
VETERAN B.C. POLITICIAN DECEASED – Jack Weisgerber, a former Social Credit cabinet minister in British Columbia and member of the legislative assembly from northern B.C., has died. Story here from The Vancouver Sun.
PUBLIC OPINION
Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians were comfortable or somewhat comfortable with a deal that could see the federal NDP prop up the minority Liberal government until 2025, a new survey says. Story here.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on why francophone Quebeckers should worry about Bill 96: “So for a moment, let’s put aside questions about minority rights or language laws – important as those things are – to recognize there is something else going on in Bill 96. It’s something that should worry a francophone Quebecker as much as any anglo: Mr. Legault’s government believes it should be able to make laws that are protected from judicial review. And that isn’t limited to language, or culture, even if in this case it is tucked into a language law. In Bill 96, Mr. Legault and his language minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette, have created a surprisingly wide inspection power. It gives the Office québécoise de la langue française the power to enter any building other than a “dwelling house” where there are activities governed by the language law, or where documents or property related to it “may be held,” to get information.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail)on how British Columbia’s health crisis keeps getting worse: “This is a story to watch in Canada, as B.C.’s primary care system finds itself “teetering” – Mr. Horgan’s word, not mine – on the verge of calamity. If that seems too strong a word, consider some of the things that have happened recently. There has been a wave of resignations among health care workers in northern B.C., including half of the doctors in the intensive care units of the area’s biggest hospitals. These physicians tendered their resignations in a display of frustration over how overworked and understaffed hospitals in the region are. There is already a well-documented doctor shortage, not just in the north but virtually everywhere in the province. More than a million British Columbians are without a family physician, with tens of thousands of new people pouring into the province each year, exacerbating the problem.”
Sheila Das (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on why the English language is not the menace it’s made out to be: “Bill 96, which recently passed, greatly reduces the use of English in legal and medical services and diminishes learning in English at CEGEPs for all students, except for anglophones with historical rights. The fact that this bill is discriminatory, meaning it goes against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is readily acknowledged by those who proposed it when they invoked the notwithstanding clause. But is it necessary? Bill 101, the Charter of the French Language, is already doing the job of advancing French in the province. Multiple studies show that public use of French has been slowly on the increase, as anglophone bilingualism has reached 70 per cent. Those are the facts. But frightening narratives easily overshadow the numbers.”
Graham Fraser (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on whether Quebec Premier François Legault is the political heir of René Lévesque or Maurice Duplessis?: “Both men grew up in predominantly English-speaking communities – Lévesque in New Carlisle, and Legault in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. Both created new parties, bringing together different streams of Quebec nationalists. Both have presided over the introduction of legislation intended to protect the French language, which disrupted and unnerved the English communities of Quebec. But there are also differences, and they are striking. Lévesque grew up completely bilingual and went to work as a broadcaster for the American military during the Second World War; his English was comfortable and colloquial, and he wrote warmly of his English-speaking colleagues. By contrast, Legault had a hostile relationship with his English-speaking neighbours – he writes about the neighbourhood fights in his memoir Cap sur un Québec gagnant – and is uncomfortable in English. In his book, in which he lists virtually all the people he worked with before entering politics, there are no anglophones.”
Don Braid (The Calgary Herald) on the rise and fall of Jason Kenney’s leadership, and what comes next: “What’s next? Travis Toews is the designated ‘establishment’ candidate — he will get organizational and financial support from Kenney backers, or so the Kenney loyalists hope. It’s not necessarily the best look. I doubt this will be a cakewalk for social conservative Toews, even though many UCP members would welcome a premier from outside Calgary. Brian Jean and Danielle Smith are in the race. So is northern MLA and fierce Kenney critic Todd Loewen. Leela Aheer will join next week. I don’t have a clue as to who’s going to end up in the premier’s chair. There’s no saying the leader has to come from the UCP caucus or government. It could be an unexpected outsider. Or it could be, say, a female moderate from Calgary.”
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The New Brunswick Liberal Party has won a majority government, and Susan Holt will become the first woman to lead the province.
Here’s the latest from election night. All times are ADT.
10:15 p.m.
The results of the New Brunswick election are in, and with virtually all of the ballots counted, the Liberals won 31 seats out of 49.
The Progressive Conservatives won 16 seats.
The Green Party won two.
Voter turnout was about 66 per cent.
—
10 p.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has congratulated New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt for her party’s victory in the provincial election.
Trudeau says on the X platform he’s looking forward to working with Holt to build more homes, protect the country’s two official languages, and improve health care.
—
9:48 p.m.
During her victory speech tonight in Fredericton, New Brunswick premier-designate Susan Holt thanked all the women who came before her.
Holt will become the first woman to lead the province after her party won a majority government in the New Brunswick election.
The Liberals are elected or leading in 31 of 49 ridings.
—
9:30 p.m.
Blaine Higgs says he will begin a transition to replace him as leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
After being in power for six years, the Tories lost the election to the Liberals.
Higgs, who lost his seat of Quispamsis, says, “My leadership days are over.”
—
9:17 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick since 2016, has lost in the riding of Quispamsis.
Higgs, 70, has been premier of New Brunswick since 2018, and was first elected to the legislature in 2010.
—
8:45 p.m.
When asked about the election results, Progressive Conservative chief of staff Paul D’Astous says that over the last 18 months the party has had to contend with a number of caucus members who disagreed with its policy.
D’Astous says the Tories have also had to own what happened over the last six years, since they came to power in 2018, adding that the voters have spoken.
—
8:39 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that David Coon, leader of the New Brunswick Green Party, has won the riding of Fredericton Lincoln.
Coon, 67, has been leader of the party since 2014, the year he was first elected to the legislature.
—
8:36 p.m.
The Canadian Press is projecting that the New Brunswick Liberal Party has won a majority government in the provincial election.
Party leader Susan Holt will become the first woman premier in the province’s history.
—
8:20 p.m.
Early returns show a number of close races across the province, with the Liberals off to an early lead.
Liberal campaign manager Katie Davey says the results will show whether party leader Susan Holt, a relative newcomer, was able to capture the attention and trust of the people of New Brunswick.
Davey says she believes voters have welcomed Holt and her message, which focused on pocketbook issues, especially health care.
—
8 p.m.
Polls have closed.
Eyes will be on a number of key ridings including Fredericton South-Silverwood, where Liberal Leader Susan Holt is vying for a seat; Saint John Harbour, which has been competitive between the Tories and Liberals in recent elections; and Moncton East, a redrawn Tory-held riding that the Liberals have targeted.
At dissolution, the Conservatives held 25 seats in the 49-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the Greens had three, there was one Independent and there were four vacancies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Susan Holt, premier-designate and leader of the New Brunswick Liberal party.
Born: April 22, 1977.
Early years: Raised in Fredericton, she attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and then spent a year in Toronto before moving abroad for three years, spending time in Australia and India.
Education: Earned a bachelor of arts in economics and a bachelor of science in chemistry from Queen’s University.
Family: Lives in Fredericton with her husband, Jon Holt, and three young daughters.
Hobbies: Running, visiting the farmers market in Fredericton with her family every Saturday.
Before politics: CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, CEO of the New Brunswick Business Council, civil servant, business lobbyist, advocate, consultant and executive with an IT service company that trains and employs Indigenous people.
Politics: Worked as an adviser to former Liberal premier Brian Gallant. Won the leadership of the provincial Liberal party in August 2022 and was elected to the legislature in an April 2023 byelection.
Quote: “We don’t take it lightly that you have put your trust in myself and my team, and you have hope for a brighter future. But that hope I know is short-lived and it will be on us to deliver authentically, on the ground, and openly and transparently.” — Susan Holt, in her speech to supporters in Fredericton after the Liberals won a majority government on Oct. 21, 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick voters have elected a Liberal majority government, tossing out the incumbent Progressive Conservatives after six years in power and handing the reins to the first woman ever to lead the province.
Liberal Leader Susan Holt is a relative newcomer to the province’s political scene, having won a byelection last year, eight months after she became the first woman to win the leadership of the party.
The Liberals appeared poised to take 31 of 49 seats to the Conservatives’ 16 and the Greens two.
Holt, 47, led the Liberals to victory after a 33-day campaign, thwarting Blaine Higgs’s bid to secure a third term as Tory premier.
The Liberal win marks a strong repudiation of Higgs’s pronounced shift to more socially conservative policies.
Higgs, meanwhile, lost in his riding of Quispamsis. In a speech to supporters in the riding, he confirmed that he would begin a leadership transition process.
As the Liberals secured their majority, Green Party Leader David Coon thanked his supporters and pledged to continue building the party, but he then turned his sights on the premier. “One thing is for sure,” he told a crowd gathered at Dolan’s Pub in Fredericton, “we know that Blaine Higgs is no longer the premier of this province.”
The election race was largely focused on health care and affordability but was notable for the remarkably dissimilar campaign styles of Holt and Higgs. Holt repeatedly promised to bring a balanced approach to governing, pledging a sharp contrast to Higgs’s “one-man show taking New Brunswick to the far right.”
“We need a government that acts as a partner and not as a dictator from one office in Fredericton,” she said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
Higgs focused on the high cost of living, promising to lower the provincial harmonized sales tax by two percentage points to 13 per cent — a pledge that will cost the province about $450 million annually.
Holt spent much of the campaign rolling out proposed fixes for a health-care system racked by a doctor shortage, overcrowded emergency rooms and long wait-times. A former business advocate and public servant, she promised to open 30 community health clinics across the province by 2028; remove the provincial sales tax from electricity bills; overhaul mental health services; and impose a three per cent cap on rent increases by 2025.
The 70-year-old Tory leader, a mechanical engineer and former Irving Oil executive, led a low-key campaign, during which he didn’t have any scheduled public events on at least 10 days — and was absent from the second leaders debate on Oct. 9.
Holt missed only two days of campaigning and submitted a 30-page platform with 100 promises, a far heftier document than the Tories’ two-page platform that includes 11 pledges.
When the election was called on Sept. 19, the Conservatives held 25 seats in the 49-seat legislature. The Liberals held 16 seats, the Green Party had three, there was one Independent and four vacancies. At least 25 seats are needed for a majority.
Higgs was hoping to become the first New Brunswick premier to win three consecutive elections since Liberal Frank McKenna won his third straight majority in 1995. But it was clear from the start that Higgs would have to overcome some big obstacles.
On the first day of the campaign, a national survey showed he had the lowest approval rating of any premier in the country. That same morning, Higgs openly mused about how he was perceived by the public, suggesting people had the wrong idea about who he really is.
“I really wish that people could know me outside of politics,” he said, adding that a sunnier disposition might increase his popularity. “I don’t know whether I’ve got to do comedy hour or I’ve got to smile more.”
Still, Higgs had plenty to boast about, including six consecutive balanced budgets, a significant reduction in the province’s debt, income tax cuts and a booming population.
Higgs’s party was elected to govern in 2018, when the Tories formed the province’s first minority government in almost 100 years. In 2020, he called a snap election — marking the first province to go to the polls during the COVID-19 pandemic — and won a slim majority.
Since then, 14 Tory caucus members have stepped down after clashing with the premier, some of them citing what they described as an authoritarian leadership style and a focus on conservative policies that represented a hard shift to the right.
A caucus revolt erupted last year after Higgs announced changes to the gender identity policy in schools. When several Tory lawmakers voted for an external review of the change, Higgs dropped dissenters from cabinet. A bid by some party members to trigger a leadership review went nowhere.
Higgs has also said a Tory government would reject all new applications for supervised drug-consumption sites, renew a legal challenge against the federal carbon pricing scheme and force people into drug treatment if authorities deem they “pose a threat to themselves or others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
