Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will present the next federal budget on April. 7.
Ms. Freeland, also the Deputy Prime Minister, announced the date on Tuesday afternoon during Question Period in the House of Commons.
“Our government was re-elected on a commitment to grow our economy, make life more affordable and to continue building a Canada where nobody gets left behind,” said Ms. Freeland. “That is exactly what we are doing, and that is what we are going to continue to do in the budget I will present to this House on April. 7. 2022 at 4 p.m.”
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELEASES EMISSIONS-REDUCTION PLAN – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Canadian oil industry Tuesday that it should use the massive bump in profits from the current surge in prices to fund a transition to cut their emissions. His comments came as Ottawa unveiled its emissions-reduction plan to reach its new greenhouse-gas targets by 2030. Story here.
CANADA DEPLOYS MOUNTIES ON WAR-CRIMES PROBE – The federal government is sending a specialized team of RCMP investigators to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to gather evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Story here.
ONTARIO AND OTTAWA AGREE ON CHILD CARE – Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it was worth the wait to be the last province to sign on to the federal government’s $10-a-day child-care plan – but critics say there are few differences between the deal announced on Monday and those Ottawa made with all other provinces last year. Story here.
MÉTIS AND INUIT DELEGATIONS MEET WITH POPE ON RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS – Leaders of Métis and Inuit delegations called on Pope Francis, during and after private meetings with him this week, to bring perpetrators of abuse at Canada’s residential schools to justice, saying the Catholic Church must stop shielding those who committed crimes and actively assist in holding them to account. Story here.
FEDS LOOKING AT F-35 JET FOR CANADA – The federal government has narrowed its search for a new warplane to the very aircraft the Liberals once swore they would never pick: Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter jet. Story here.
HILLIER OUT ON BAIL AFTER OTTAWA DEMONSTRATION CHARGES – Ontario MPPRandy Hillier was released on bail this week after he was charged for his involvement in demonstrations that brought downtown Ottawa to a standstill. Story here.
KENNEY INTERVIEWED BY RCMP – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he has been interviewed by RCMP as part of an investigation into potential criminal identity fraud in the 2017 United Conservative Party leadership contest. Story here,
‘WE’LL ALL GET COVID’: HIGGS – New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is under fire for suggesting that it’s inevitable that “at the end of the day, we’ll all get COVID in some way or another.” Story here from CBC.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
POILIEVRE PROMISES ACTION ON CRYPTOCURRENCIES – Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre said Monday that a government led by him would do more to normalize cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum in Canada to “decentralize” the economy and reduce the influence of central bankers. Story here from CBC.
MARTEL BACKS CHAREST – Former Quebec premier Jean Charest has picked up an endorsement from another Conservative caucus member. Richard Martel, the MP for Chicoutimi-Le Fjord and a former Quebec lieutenant for the Conservatives, announced in a Facebook posting that he will support Mr. Charest’s leadership bid. “Canada, Quebec and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord need a government led by M. Charest to counter liberal incompetence and to take power at the next election,” wrote Mr. Martel, who was first elected in 2018, and has been the critic for sport, the economic development agency of Canada and for the regions of Quebec.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, March 29, accessible here.
O’TOOLE REVIVES PODCAST – Erin O’Toole says he has more time on his hands than when he was leader of the official opposition so he is resuming work on his podcast, Blue Skies. Since early March, the former leader of the federal Conservative Party has been back at work on the podcast he launched in 2016, but suspended while leading the party. “You may notice we haven’t had a new episode in a couple of years,” Mr. O’Toole said in a posting earlier this month. “Pick your excuse for why there has been such a delay.” Since then, Mr. O’Toole has had a pair of episodes, the most recent featuring former vice-chief of the Defence Staff, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman – part of his story is told here – talking about the Canadian Armed Forces. Mr. O’Toole plans to release episodes about every two weeks. Coming episodes include a conversation with Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith – who has his own podcast called Uncommons – on the Liberal-NDP deal and social media. The podcast is here.
NEW AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM – Canada has a new ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Tuesday that Shawn Steil, who has been ambassador to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, will replace Deborah Paul.
THE DECIBEL
On Tuesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Yemen-born Kamal Al-Solaylee talks about Yemen’s now seven-year-long war, between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition, that has killed almost 400,000 people, mostly children younger than five years old. Mr. Al-Solaylee is a journalist, author, professor and director of the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia. He explains that the war is deliberately forgotten by the world, why that is, and why he thinks Canada’s millions in aid to Yemen doesn’t tell the full story of our role in the conflict. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Metro Vancouver, the Prime Minister holds private meetings, then delivers a keynote address at the GLOBE Forum 2022. He then holds a media availability with Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. He is scheduled to meet with B.C. Premier John Horgan, and then hold a discussion on climate action with local students. In the evening, the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend a pair of Liberal Party of Canada fundraising events.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is to attend Question Period and then, in the evening, participate in a virtual townhall meeting with Deputy NDP Leader, Alexandre Boulerice, the member for the Montreal-area riding of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
TRIBUTE
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has died at the age of 62. The Senators made the announcement Monday night, but did not release a cause of death. Story here.
OPINION
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s intrusion into provincial affairs reaching a new level:“Not only does the latest expansion of the social safety net by the Liberal government, as part of its accord with the NDP, intrude into areas of provincial jurisdiction, it flouts the wisdom of Lester B. Pearson. During the comprehensive expansion of health care, welfare and pensions in the 1960s, the federal Liberals deferred to provincial needs and interests by making Ottawa smaller and the provinces more self-sufficient. Justin Trudeau prefers to strong-arm. The country will pay a price.”
John Boyko (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on recapturing the flag: Canada is still recovering from a moment of darkness in Ottawa: “Last weekend, I drove four hours to Ottawa and passed several farms with large Canadian flags at the ends of their long driveways. With each flag, I cringed. The Maple Leaf used to afford me a sense of communal pride – there, I used to think, was someone who, like me, is proud to live in one of the world’s most peaceful, democratic, egalitarian countries. But instead, over and over, I felt repulsion. Each time I passed a red-and-white flag, blowing in the wind, I wondered if the owner believed in a free and democratic Canada, or in the vitriolic vision of our country on display at the trucker convoy last month. I am saddened by this newfound uncertainty, and frustrated that our Maple Leaf flag has been captured, in a sense, by the small minority who support the convoy and its negative anti-government, anti-science, anti-democracy and anti-God-knows-what-else messages that few among them seem able to clearly articulate. But this isn’t the first time that a symbol has been stolen for nefarious purposes.”
Stephanie Carvin (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on why Russia’s propaganda machine has failed to control the Ukraine narrative: “And yet, despite the devastating destruction of its invasion in Ukraine, there appears to be a genuine consensus that Russia’s much vaunted information-operations capability has greatly underperformed. Why is this the case? In war, much can change quickly. But already there are some possible explanations to be considered. The most straightforward explanation is that Russia didn’t use its own playbook, and hasn’t even tried to use extensive information operations in its invasion. As author Emerson T. Brooking has argued, the sheer scale of the operations, and the months-long buildup of forces on the Ukrainian border, made it impossible to engage in “psychological dislocation, mass disinformation campaigns and repeated denials.”
Adam Fiser, Twiladawn Stonefish and Qauyisaq Etitiq (Policy Options)on Inuit conservation transforming life and work in the Arctic: “COVID-19 continues to disrupt employment in remote northern communities. For the Inuit of Nunavut, unemployment has worsened: between August and October 2021, almost a quarter of them were looking for work. At 22.3 per cent, unemployment was slightly more than two percentage points higher for unemployment over the previous year. Amidst the disruptions, Inuit are turning to land-based skills to sustain their communities. Skills like hunting and harvesting contribute to community resilience and economic recovery. With the right support, these skills could play a larger role in northern economies.”
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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.
