Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ruling out the use of the military to deal with any of the ongoing protests at the border or in Ottawa, saying it is up to police to deal with them.
“We never want to deploy the army against Canadian citizens,” Mr. Trudeau told a Friday afternoon news conference on Parliament Hill as trucks were parked outside, blocking Wellington Street, not far from where he was speaking.
“Using military forces against civilian populations in Canada or any other democracy is something to avoid having to do at all costs. That’s why the solution right now is focused on police forces enforcing the law that exists, protecting public order in the way that they are trained to do, in a predictable, progressive approach that doesn’t skip any steps, that works to conclude this situation peacefully,” Mr. Trudeau said.
“We are a long way from ever having to call in the military, although, of course, we have to be ready for any eventuality, but it is not something we are seriously contemplating at this time.”
The Prime Minister noted that politicians do not direct police, but the RCMP is working with provincial and local forces to enforce the law. “Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity has to end – and it will end,” he said, adding he could not say much about how that would happen.
He said he hoped the protesters would choose to leave peacefully now that they had been heard.
He said he did not think the city of Ottawa had exhausted its tools and resources, noting the police force has been given resources from the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP.
Mr. Trudeau was speaking after talks Friday with U.S. President Joe Biden about protests affecting the flow of goods across the border and the shared challenges of dealing with them.
A statement released from the White House said the two leaders agreed that the actions of the individuals obstructing travel and commerce between the two countries are having significant impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods.
“The President expressed his concern that U.S. companies and workers are experiencing serious effects, including slowdowns in production, shortened work hours, and plant closures. The Prime Minister promised quick action in enforcing the law,” it said.
In Toronto, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced earlier Friday that he was declaring a state of emergency in response to the ongoing blockades in Ottawa and Windsor, Ont.
Mr. Trudeau described the announcement as “responsible and necessary.”
Mr. Ford said he would use legal measures to enact orders making it “crystal clear” that it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.
The Premier said that includes protecting international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways.
Queen’s Park Reporter Jeff Gray reports here on Mr. Ford’s announcement.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
PROTESTS
BIDEN TEAM PUSHING FOR ACTION ON BORDER-CROSSING PROTESTS – The Biden administration is pressing Ottawa to intervene to end blockades at border crossings and is offering help from the Department of Homeland Security. Story here.
TORIES SHIFT PROTEST POLICY – In a reversal of their earlier support for the protesters, federal Conservatives called Thursday for trucker blockades to end, as a new border protest in Manitoba joined similar efforts in Alberta and Ontario. Story here.
DANIEL DALE ON FALSE CANADIAN PROTEST CLAIMS – CNN’s Daniel Dale looks at several false claims about the ongoing Canadian protests against vaccine mandates, COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government. Story here.
POILIEVRE PROUD OF TRUCKERS – Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre said he is “proud” of the truckers and stands with them. The Ottawa-area MP made the remarks in an interview recorded Thursday for next week’s episode of the Postmedia podcast Full Comment with Anthony Furey. Story here.
SECURITY RISK CLOSES N.S. LEGISLATURE – The Nova Scotia Legislature will be temporarily closed to visitors starting Friday because of a “security risk.” James Charlton, chief clerk of the Nova Scotia Assembly, wouldn’t provide details on the threats or the locations involved but said ongoing protests in Ottawa and at the Ambassador Bridge were “a factor.” Story here from CBC.
MEANWHILE
CHAREST PODERING LEADERSHIP RUN – Le Devoir is reporting that former Quebec premier Jean Charest is seriously considering running for the leadership of the federal Conservatives, with a decision likely in a week. Story here.
BORDER RULES TO CHANGE : DUCLOS – The federal government is reviewing its pandemic-related border restrictions, and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said it will announce changes next week. Story here.
MANITOBA ANNOUNCES EASING OF RESTRICTIONS – Premier Heather Stefanson says Manitoba is accelerating its plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions and expects to have all public-health orders lifted in the coming weeks. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
The projected order of business at the House of Commons for Feb.11 is here.
BERGEN NAMES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF – Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen has appointed William Stairs as her chief of staff. The previous chief of staff in the office of the leader of the Official Opposition was Tausha Michaud. Mr. Stairs was a communications director for former prime minister Stephen Harper, among other senior government roles that included chief of staff in the minister’s office at Treasury Board and the Justice Department. Since leaving politics, he has run his own communications consulting firm and taught strategic communications at Carleton University.
RAE ON PROTESTS – Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations is here speaking out on what he thinks is really going on with the protests.
KIND WEEK AHEAD – Next week is the third week of February, which means it’s Canada’s first National Kindness Week. It’s the result of an act brought forward by former senator Jim Munson as a private member’s bill in the Senate and sponsored in the House by Conservative MP Michael Barrett and Liberal MP Emmanuella Lambropoulos. All three will participate in a Tuesday news conference on the subject.
THE DECIBEL – Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast features Zexi Li, an Ottawa resident who was key to a civil suit that muted the honking of trucker convoy horns in the city’s downtown. Zexi shares what it’s been like living among the cacophony, how she slept and why she agreed to be the public face of the class-action suit. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister received a COVID–19 briefing from Theresa Tam, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada. He also participated in a meeting hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss Ukraine with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO. A news conference was also scheduled.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, with MP Niki Ashton, met with chiefs about internet connectivity over Indigenous lands.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on time being an ally and boredom a friend in ending the trucker protests: “Much as many may be desiring a quick end to the standoff, that option is not realistically open to us. The better course is what might for want of a better word be called containment, neither assaulting the encampment nor allowing it to spread, but slowly squeezing it: shrinking its footprint, restricting access in or out (a perimeter fence could be useful in this regard), controlling and curtailing its supply lines, increasing the legal and financial pressures on the participants (licences and insurance would both seem points of vulnerability) and depriving them, as much as possible, of the oxygen of publicity – smothering them, as it were, with inactivity. As time goes on, nothing happens, and the media gets bored, so will many of them. That will make it easier to separate the hard-core ideologues from the ones who are just along for the ride – not all at once, most likely, but by attrition, an arrest here, an injunction there.”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail)on how Ontario Premier Doug Ford has astutely shifted blame to Ottawa in the runup to Ontario’s spring election: “Ontario is in turmoil from one end of the province to the other – from a blockade in Windsor to trucker protests in Ottawa. But those disturbances are unlikely to reshape the outcome of the June 2 provincial election. Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford appears to be pursuing the politically astute tactic of shifting responsibility to the federal government, while at the same time not alienating voters who may share the protesters’ opposition to pandemic restrictions. It could help him get re-elected.”
Adam Radwanski (The Globe and Mail)on high-profile Conservatives launching a bid to convince party leaders that climate policy matters: “Even as their party appears to be abandoning its short-lived support for carbon pricing, a small group of high-profile Conservatives is launching an effort to get their next leader to take climate policy seriously. Conservatives for Clean Growth, launched on Thursday morning, bills itself as an organization of long-term “activists, advisers and members” who believe “it’s critical for the Conservative Party of Canada to have a credible plan on the environment.”
Daniel Panneton (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on how the trucker convoy shows how Canadians are being sucked into larger conspiratorial narratives: “Rising food costs and supply chain issues were among the legitimate issues highlighted during the protests, but panic-shopping in the early days of the pandemic demonstrated how the prospect of empty shelves can easily induce irrational behaviour. Already, right-wing extremist activity has surged and increasing numbers of Canadians are thinking conspiratorially. Trust in institutions is failing, and it’s vital that journalists and particularly lawmakers recognize how extremists can opportunistically redefine and hijack existing issues, and hold their peers accountable when they amplify or normalize accelerationist narratives. Failure to do so, or worse, attempting to harness and manipulate them for political gain, will only pull Canada deeper into our present quagmire.”
Hamish Telford (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how returning the BC Liberals to glory will be a very tall order for Kevin Falcon: “Under the successful leadership of both Mr. Campbell and Ms. Clark, the liberal and conservative factions in the party were held together by a relentless focus on economic issues, while social issues were generally held in abeyance. Even party stalwarts such as Rich Coleman and Mary Polak held their socially conservative views in check. However, in the past election, some social conservatives in the party were unwilling to suppress their convictions. One candidate suggested that free contraception was akin to eugenics, while another opposed rainbow crosswalks in her community. These candidates did the party irreparable harm in many urban ridings. It will be difficult for Mr. Falcon to put this genie back in the bottle, and even if he is successful it may not be enough.”
Mohammed Adam (The Ottawa Citizen)on how Ottawa is under siege because police inaction enabled it: “Yes, policing is hard even at the best of times, and harder still, when faced with protesters who have turned into occupiers. But let’s be clear about one thing: Ottawa is under siege because police inaction enabled it. Police are now having a hard time ending the demonstration because they let it fester in the first place. They have a lot of questions to answer, not only for how they handled this protest but, critically, going forward.”
Susan Prentice and Lisa Pasolli (Policy Options)on why there is no go reason for Ontario to delay signing a child-care agreement: “All Ontarians – not just parents of young children – should welcome Ottawa’s national child-care policy and urge the province to sign on. Ontario is the last holdout on the national initiative. While Premier Doug Ford dithers, a small minority is trying to weaken the pan-Canadian policy. They are trying to undermine the national approach, for reasons that include skepticism, financial self-interest and old-fashioned nostalgia for the 1950s family. While they may have the Ford government’s ear, they should not.”
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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.
