It’s going to be a busy week of Commons committees probing issues from Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault complaints to allegations of political interference by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.
By week’s end, Commissioner Lucki, the president of Hockey Canada and executives from Rogers Communications – in the spotlight over service outages – will have been questioned by MPs.
Parliamentary committees include MPs from varied parties in an examination of issues with, according to the Commons website, a greater depth than is possible in the House of Commons. Committees can also call witnesses, and will be exercising that power to a significant degree this week.
In a Monday appearance before the Public Safety and National Security Committee, Commissioner Lucki talked about what happened in the wake of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that left 22 people dead.
The House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee was looking into allegations the commissioner put pressure on the Mounties investigating the shooting to help advance Ottawa’s gun-control agenda.
Also Monday, the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology began hearings on service outages at Rogers Communications. Tony Staffieri, the company’s president and chief and executive officer, as well as the company’s new chief technology and information officer were among those scheduled to attend.
The Hockey Canada scandal will be in the spotlight on Tuesday. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is holding a hearing on the organization’s involvement in alleged sexual assaults committed in 2018, with witnesses that include federal Sports Minister Pascal St-Onge.
On Wednesday, Scott Smith, the president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, is scheduled to appear before the committee.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
THE POPE
PAPAL APOLOGY – Pope Francis formally apologized on Monday for the ways in which members of the Catholic Church participated in a system of cultural destruction and forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples, calling the effects of residential-school policies “catastrophic.” Story here. The text of the apology is here. There’s an Explainer here on the papal visit. Also, European Bureau Chief Eric Reguly was on the Pope’s flight to Canada and writes about the experience here.
OTHER HEADLINES
HOCKEY CANADA RELEASES PLAN – Hockey Canada has released a plan to combat the “toxic” culture in its sport a day before the start of the second round of parliamentary hearings into the organization’s handling of sexual assault complaints. Story here.
ROGERS IMPROVING CORE INFRASTRUCTURE – Rogers Communications Inc. engineers began the sixth step of a seven-step process to upgrade the core infrastructure that supports the company’s wireless and broadband networks at 2:27 a.m. on July 8. Story here.
FRASER INTERIM LEADER OF ONTARIO LIBERALS – Ontario’s Liberal caucus has selected Ottawa legislator John Fraser as the party’s interim leader. Story here.
LICH SEEKING RELEASE – “Freedom Convoy” organizer Tamara Lich is once again arguing to be released from jail after a justice of the peace denied her bail earlier this month. Story here.
DIAS PANICKED AHEAD OF RETIREMENT – Former Unifor national president Jerry Dias, who was accused by his own organization of improperly accepting $50,000 from a vendor, became increasingly panicked in his final days before retiring, and exerted pressure on a former assistantwho had made the initial complaint about the alleged payment. Story here.
WORK TO TRACK CANADIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT – The Florida man who created a Twitter account that tracks Elon Musk’s jet has teamed up with an Ottawa partner to set up a mechanism that will monitor and publicize the movement of Canadian military aircraft transporting VIPs such as the Prime Minister. Story here.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison had no public campaign events on Monday. Roman Baber has a meet-and-greet event in Hamilton. Jean Charest is in British Columbia. Leslyn Lewis is in Thunder Bay. No details on the campaign whereabouts of Pierre Poilievre.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
ALGHABRA IN SAINT JOHN – Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in Saint John, N.B., announces funding under the Oceans Protection Plan.
ANAND IN BRASILIA – Defence Minister Anand is travelling Monday to Brasilia, Brazil to attend the 15th biennial Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas, which brings together defence ministers from 34 members states.
BENNETT IN GUELPH – Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett, in Guelph, announces funding to support people there who use substances.
GUIBEAULT IN TERREBONNE – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in Terrebonne, Que., makes an announcement on plastic management.
LEBLANC/PETITPAS TAYLOR IN ST. JOHN’S – Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey hold a press conference, in St. John’s, after a meeting of the Atlantic Growth Strategy Leadership Committee.
QUALTROUGH IN WINNIPEG – Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, in Winnipeg, announces a federal investment in a new local initiative that will provide skills training to workers in Manitoba.
THE DECIBEL
On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, lawyer Bruce McIvor, also a historian and the author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It, talks about why he would like to see Pope Francis publicly renounce the Doctrine of Discovery. Mr. McIvor explains what this doctrine is, how it went from a papal edict to a legal principle in Canada and why renouncing it would be a meaningful action for the Pope to take while here. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Maskwacîs, Alta., the Prime Minister attended the papal visit in Ermineskin Cree Nation.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended the papal visit to the Former Ermineskin Residential School.
No schedules from other party leaders available.
TRIBUTE
Former Ottawa Sun columnist Susan Sherring, a noted observer of Ottawa’s municipal political scene, has died. The Ottawa Sun reports here.
PUBLIC OPINION
NUMBERS ON CHAREST VS. POILIEVRE – New research by the Angus Reid Institute says that with Jean Charest as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, the party would hold a four-point advantage over the Liberal Party in vote intention in vote-rich Ontario. With Pierre Poilievre as leader, the party trails by three points. The research also finds that more than half of Canadians say it is time for a change in government. Details here.
OPINION
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail)on how the federal plan for the oil and gas sector might be an overly political, unnecessary relic: “If the Canadian government is looking to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the country, an industry-specific plan capping and cutting emissions from the oil and gas sector is one of the clunkier ways to go about it. It’s likely to start another political battle with Alberta when across-the-board climate policies and carbon pricing already exist. But the discussion document for the industry-specific cap is exactly what was laid out by Ottawa this week, building on a 2021 campaign promise from the federal Liberals. It was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s centrepiece pledge from COP26.”
Candace MacGibbon (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how our allies need more access to Canada’s natural resources: “Russia has weaponized the supply of natural gas. The state-owned energy company Gazprom has ratcheted down export quantities to Europe and said it can’t guarantee future supply, resulting in serious concerns about shortfalls for the approaching winter. Last week, the European Commission joined the G7 in agreeing to ban imports of Russian gold. Is Canada ready should future sanctions ban critical minerals such as copper, nickel, lithium and uranium? Not yet.”
Shachi Kurl (The Ottawa Citizen)on how summer doldrums displace thoughts of COVID-19, Ukraine: “It may seem so, but I’m not wagging a judgmental finger. Believe me, no one could want to retreat to a hammock and a book more than I over the next six weeks. Nor am I trying to be a harbinger of tougher times to come. I don’t have to be. They will come anyway. We’re just – by our own admission – not paying attention. Lack of engagement now will have an impact on how equipped we are to deal with COVID-19 this fall. Geopolitical decisions we take now will have great bearing on how we rely upon our allies – and in turn can be relied upon by them in the months and years to come. As a friend put it to me recently “we’re entitled to our summer.” Perhaps we are. But along with all the other things that are rising in price, it’s an entitlement we may not be able to afford.”
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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.
