Federal Court Justice Ann Marie McDonald ruled against Major-General Dany Fortin’s request to be reinstated as the leader of the federal government’s vaccine rollout Tuesday, deciding that he should exhaust the Canadian Forces’ internal grievances process before turning to the courts.
Maj.-Gen. Fortin was a prominent face of the government’s efforts to distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the country earlier this year, but he was informed on May 14 that his secondment to the Public Health Agency of Canada had been terminated. He had been privately informed in April that he was being investigated by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service in relation to an alleged instance of sexual misconduct dating back over 30 years.
In August, he was charged with one count of sexual assault, which he said he would “vigorously” defend himself against.
“For the past three months, my family and I have been living this nightmare of not knowing,” he told reporters in August. “Not knowing the nature of the allegation, not knowing the status of the investigation, not knowing whether or not I’d be charged.”
Maj.-Gen. Fortin had asked the Federal Court to review his situation and said the Canadian Forces internal process was not appropriate because it is plagued by delays. He also told the Court that he believed the decision to remove him from the job was made by political actors, including federal cabinet ministers, and not the Acting Chief of Defence Staff.
Justice McDonald rejected those arguments and referred Maj.-Gen. Fortin back to the Canadian Forces grievances process.
“As Maj.-Gen. Fortin has not yet availed himself of the [Canadian Armed Forces] grievance process on these issues, the Court will not consider the merits of his application as it has been brought prematurely,” Tuesday’s written decision states.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
The Soviet Union’s secret police, the infamous KGB, praised her savvy and erudition, even as she frustrated their attempts to spy on her in Cold War Ukraine. They tagged her with the code name Frida. But today we know Chrystia Freeland as Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Ms. Freeland’s ties to Ukraine are no secret, but materials uncovered from the KGB archives in Kyiv illuminate her role in the Ukrainian independence movement while on exchange there from Harvard University. Story here.
Albertans will vote in a referendum next week about whether to switch to permanent daylight time – joining a growing list of jurisdictions in Canada and the United States that have moved to ditch twice-yearly time changes even as experts warn that the province’s approach would harm people’s health.
The defeated Conservative MP now tasked with determining where his party’s federal election campaign went wrong says he intends to “hit the ground running” within the week — and his work will include a review of leader Erin O’Toole’s campaign performance. From CBC. Story here.
You never know who you’re going to run into while getting around Ottawa as photographer Dave Chan found, and notes here.
NDP LEADERSHIP
The NDP is waiting for the federal government’s cabinet announcement to name its policy critics, but has lined up its leadership roles in the House, announced last week. They are:
The Prime Minister is in Ottawa for private meetings, according to his public itinerary.
He is scheduled to take part virtually in the G20 Extraordinary Leaders’ Meeting on Afghanistan.
LEADERS
No public itineraries were issued by the other leaders for Tuesday.
HOW TO BE A PRIME MINISTER
From Governing Canada, A Guide to the Tradecraft of Politics by Michael Wernick (Published by On Point Press, an imprint of UBC Press)
The Politics Briefing newsletter is featuring excerpts from Governing Canada, a new book by Michael Wernick, the former clerk of the privy council. Our focus is a key chapter, Advice to a Prime Minister. (Parliamentary reporter Kristy Kirkup reported on the project here.)
Today’s excerpt features some key points of Mr. Wernick’s advice on how a prime minister can deal with Indigenous leadership:
“As prime minister, you will have to decide how to structure your own engagement with Indigenous issues and your relationships with Indigenous leaders. There are many precedents to draw from, but you will have to find your own way. You may want to create a special Cabinet committee or co-ordinating group and a supporting secretariat from the Privy Council Office…
“You will have to decide how to factor Indigenous leaders into the machinery of intergovernmental relations. Should they be invited to all meetings of first ministers or for parts of them, and if so, which ones? Do you want to attempt an event with high risk and high reward such as a First Minister’s Meeting devoted to Indigenous issues or a version of the Crown-First Nations Gathering of January, 2012? You will have to decide to what extent the protocols of Indigenous gatherings should infuse your own government, starting with the very first swearing-in ceremony.
“You will discover that Indigenous leaders, no matter how critical they may be of you and your government in public, will seek to establish a good working relationship with you personally and can be candid and constructive in private… Make time for private meetings and calls. But be careful that you don’t end up undermining your ministers by incenting people to go over their heads and directly to you.”
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on Justin Trudeau’s need to bring in new faces to revive a faded cabinet: “First and foremost, he needs a defence minister who actually thinks they are responsible for the conduct of the military, unlike Mr. Sajjan, who repeatedly sloughed off responsibility for the military’s repeated mishandling of sexual harassment. Ms. Freeland said last week that the brass still don’t get it, so Mr. Trudeau needs an experienced minister, preferably a woman, who will make them get it. Perhaps Ms. Anand.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail)on the equalization referendum that’s the last thing Albertans want: “It’s not really about opening up a series of painful constitutional discussions about the existence of a program designed to make sure every Canadian gets roughly comparable public services, [Alberta Premier Jason] Kenney and others say. It’s about provincial leverage in negotiations with Ottawa. Have no doubt, the referendum is a high-priced, attention-grabbing political stunt. But even if it’s gimmicky, Alberta could arguably use some leverage. The province is no longer an economic powerhouse that draws people and investment with ease. It has little representation within the governing federal Liberal ranks. Federal seat distributions aren’t equitable, and Alberta would have more MPs if the country’s electoral system more closely followed the principle of representation by population.”
André Blais and Jean-François Daoust (Policy Options)on a better way to hold leaders’’ debates in elections: “The main objective of the leaders’ debates should be to help the least-informed citizens learn some basic facts about the previous government, what the various parties promise to do if they form the next government, and the personal qualities and shortcomings of the leaders. The best way to achieve these goals is to combine two formats: solo presentations by the leaders and a series of mini-debates between two of them at a time. We need the debates to be chaired by a neutral person who implements a precise timetable in which each leader is allowed to speak the same amount of time.”
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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
