Politics Briefing: Ontario Premier wants Ottawa public servants back in the office. They're already mandated to return - The Globe and Mail | Canada News Media
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pressing the federal government to get public servants in Ottawa into their offices more regularly as a means of helping the downtown core of the capital.
Ford made the point today as he announced a “new deal for Ottawa,” a financial package of more than $500-million in operating and capital funding to help the city on a number of files.
“As the largest employer in the city, the federal government needs to do its part to help rebuild the city’s economy,” Ford, accompanied by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, told a breakfast gathering.
In 2022, however, the federal government mandated that federal public servants return to the office at least two to three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat said the mandate would take effect on Jan. 16, 2023, with employees having to fully comply by the end of March, 2024.
Ottawa is the second-most populous city in Ontario after Toronto.
“I know a lot of people love working at home, and that’s fine, but we need the federal government to get government workers back into the office – even a few days,” Ford said to applause from an audience of hundreds at Ottawa’s downtown convention centre.
A return to the office would be helpful to the city’s transit system and its downtown economy, he said. “Without the people down there, the economy starts dying and the restaurants start hurting and everything else starts hurting so hopefully the Prime Minister will start calling people back to work.”
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Chief Electoral Officer acknowledges he lacks authority to properly investigate foreign interference allegations: Stéphane Perrault says his agency looked into the allegations but could not find enough evidence to forward the matter to the office of the Commissioner of Elections, which has the mandate to investigate and enforce election laws.
Supreme Court rules collective rights of Indigenous communities trump individual Charter rights in some cases: A majority of the court ruled the Charter applies to self-governing Indigenous communities, but that where Section 25 is in a real and irreconcilable conflict with individual Charter rights, it trumps those rights.
Ontario’s 2023 sunshine list shows more than 300,000 public sector workers make more than $100,000: Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney says the largest year-over-year increases in the number of public sector workers who were paid more than $100,000 were in the hospitals, municipalities and postsecondary sectors.
How some Muslims view Pierre Poilievre’s stance on Israel-Hamas war: A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says the federal Conservative Leader’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party’s relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Four Ontario school boards sue Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok owners for $4.5-billion: The Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and Peel District School Board accused social-media companies of employing “exploitative business practices” and choosing to “maximize profits” at the expense of the mental health and well-being of students. Caroline Alphonso reports.
Trudeau announces plans to expand $10-a-day child care: During an announcement in Surrey, B.C., the Prime Minister said the government plans to provide more than $1-billion in low-cost loans, grants and student loan forgiveness to expand child care across Canada. CBC reports.
RCMP admits it made mistakes during response to N.S. mass shooting in 2020: RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme also insisted the Mounties are making progress on changes, a year after a public inquiryidentified a series of disastrous failures and called for an overhaul of Canada’s national police service.
Conservative-controlled committee invites premiers Moe, Higgs and Smith to testify on the carbon price: The Conservative chair of the government operations committee and an Alberta MP changed the witness list to allow Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to testify this week, and also scheduled another meeting today to hear from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.
Larger ArriveCan investigation is under way, RCMP commissioner says: Mike Duheme says the RCMP has received multiple referrals to investigate ArriveCan, “and we are investigating.”
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“The MPs don’t really know very much at all about what any of the provinces are doing to reduce emissions. They have a number of preconceived notions thinking that the only solution is to put a retail carbon tax on people, which is in, our view, a punishing tax that doesn’t achieve the outcome.” – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, during a news conference in Edmonton today.
“You know who is having a tougher job than the mayor is my teleprompter guy Rico because I am all over the map. I haven’t even looked at the teleprompter. Rico. I apologize. Go have some bacon and eggs. I am going to be back with you in a minute.” – Ontario Premier Doug Ford, while delivering remarks at a breakfast event in Ottawa today, accompanied on stage by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
THIS AND THAT
French PM visits: Gabriel Attal will be in Canada from April 10 to the 12, with a stop in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for talks on climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other issues. He’ll also meet with Governor-General Mary Simon, then goes on to Quebec City and Montreal.
GG in Nunavut: Mary Simon and her partner Whit Fraser are visiting Nunavut from April 1 through April 4 to mark the territory’s 25th anniversary. The trip includes stops in Iqaluit, Kimmirut and Qikiqtarjuaq.
Commons, Senate: The House of Commons is on a break until April 8. The Senate sits again April 9.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland is in Winnipeg where she made a child-care infrastructure announcement.
Ministers on the road: Across Canada, ministers were making child-care and affordability announcements today. Public-Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos was in Quebec City; Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutching and Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor were in Halifax; and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Immigration Minister Marc Miller werein Montreal. Also today, International Trade Minister Mary Ng is in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, leading a Canadian trade mission that concludes today.
Commons committee highlights: New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith appear before the government-operations committee on carbon pricing.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau made a child-care announcement in Surrey, B.C., ahead of the 2024 federal budget.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled to hold a rally on carbon pricing in Winnipeg.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the weekly breakfast gathering of the Rotary Club in the Vancouver Island town of Sidney by the Sea.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, spoke to the national committees meeting of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
No schedule released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Rébecca Robillard, neuropsychologist at the University of Ottawa and co-chair of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, goes deep into the science of sleep and why it’s vital for cognition and brain health. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
Immigration is more than a numbers game
“If anyone needed more proof that the Liberal government has lost control of immigration, it came this week in the form of a new Statistics Canada report on the number of temporary residents in the country. Last Thursday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there were 2½ million temporary residents in Canada, and that they make up 6.2 per cent of the population.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
The inquiry gets a personal lesson in foreign interference
“If the inquiry on foreign interference grew out of allegations about elections, Mehmet Tohti personalized its mission. Mr. Tohti was there to talk about what Uyghur Canadians have been through and he drew a picture through some of his own experiences.” – Campbell Clark
Provincial finances are a future crisis in the making. It’s time to start work on a solution
“A decade or so ago Europe was in the throes of a political and economic crisis over the finances of a single, tiny country: Greece. Though it accounted for a mere 1.5 per cent of the European Union’s GDP, Greece’s massive debts, arthritic economy and dysfunctional politics provoked speculation that it would default on its debts, withdraw from the euro, or both. And if Greece might, would other member states? Would the EU bail it out, to avoid this fate? Or would this amount to rewarding Greece for its fecklessness, and thus simply invite others to follow its example?” – Andrew Coyne
Canada’s foreign policy and its domestic politics on Israel’s war against Hamas are shifting
“The vote in the House of Commons last week on Israel’s war against Hamas represents a shift in both Canada’s foreign policy and its domestic politics. The Liberal government is now markedly more supportive of the rights of Palestinians and less supportive of the state of Israel than in the past. That shift mirrors changing demographics, and the increasing importance of Muslim voters within the Liberal coalition.” – John Ibbitson
Canada must empty its cupboards for Ukraine
“It is estimated that Ukraine could run out of anti-air ammunition in a matter of days. If that happens, the devastation is going to be severe: And it will be our fault. A failure to deliver this critical aid is emblematic of how blasé some NATO countries have become about the state of the war. From the very beginning of the conflict, we have transferred enough aid to help Ukraine defend, but not enough to help it win. Today, however, we are failing to fund even its defence.” – Justin Ling
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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.
