Politics Briefing: Patrick Brown removed as federal Conservative leadership candidate to keep party 'beyond reproach,' official says – The Globe and Mail
Patrick Brown was removed as a candidate for the federal Conservative leadership to avoid the risk of having a prospect for the position under investigation, says the chair of the party’s leadership committee.
As the fallout over Mr. Brown’s disqualification continued Friday, the party issued a statement from Ian Brodie, head of the leadership election organizing committee (LEOC), to members of the Conservative Party.
“LEOC could not afford the risk of having a leadership candidate under the investigation of Elections Canada for breaking federal law – especially one that did not answer the questions we put forward to him to bring him into compliance,” the statement read.
“Our leadership race is to select a person to contend for the role of prime minister of Canada. The process must be beyond reproach and in full compliance with the law.”
Five candidates remain in the race: Ontario MPs Scott Aitchison, Leslyn Lewis and Pierre Poilievre, as well as former Quebec premier Jean Charest and Roman Baber, a former member of the Ontario legislature. The winner, based on a mail-in vote, is to be announced Sept. 10.
Mr. Brodie acknowledged transparency questions on the Brown issue. “I would love to share all that we have,” he said. “But we have legal restrictions of what we are to say when we are dealing with allegations of breaking federal law. That’s why we referred this case to Elections Canada.
“The reality is our party received credible, verifiable information alleging serious wrongdoing in the Patrick Brown leadership campaign that violated not only the leadership election rules, but the Canada Elections Act.”
He said the party spent a week, working with the party lawyer, looking for a path to bring the Brown campaign in compliance with party rules and federal law.
“To be clear, the Brown campaign knew full well what the allegations were. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply incorrect,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former campaign organizer for Brown says the disqualified candidate was aware that a corporation was paying her for campaign work, which is illegal under federal election laws. There’s a story by Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and I here.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
ROGERS NETWORK OUTAGE – A widespread Rogers Communications Inc. network outage across the country Friday morning is interrupting internet, cellular and 911 services and affecting payment systems. Story here.
NEW CANADIAN SANCTIONS – Canada has imposed a new round of sanctions on Russia’s media machine that is designed to puncture disinformation campaigns about the war in Ukraine. Story here.
LICH DENIED BAIL – Freedom convoy leader Tamara Lich has been denied bail for violating the conditions of her release when she attended an awards gala in Toronto and had contact with another convoy organizer. Story here from CBC.
TRUDEAU DENOUNCES “HORRIFICALLY DISTURBING” ASSASSINATION OF ABE – The assassination of Japan’s former prime minister during a campaign speech is “horrifically disturbing” and demands pushback against rising violence and threats that are harming democracy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Story here. Globe and Mail Asia Correspondent James Griffiths reports on the assassination here.
AMBROSE BACK IN POLITICS – Former federal cabinet minister Rona Ambrose is back in politics, chairing the campaign of one of the contenders for the leadership of Alberta’s United Conservative Party. Story here from Global News.
SURPRISE JOB LOSS – The Canadian economy posted a surprise loss of jobs in June, the first monthly decline that was not associated with tighter public-health restrictions since the outset of the pandemic. Story here.
SCHOLZ COMING TO OTTAWA – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is coming to Ottawa next month to push for liquefied natural gas terminals on Canada’s East Coast and the release of a turbine, caught up in sanctions against Russia, critical to the flow of gas to Europe. Story here.
REVIEW OF AFN FINANCIAL POLICIES – First Nations chiefs from across Canada have voted in favour of reviewing the Assembly of First Nations’ financial policies, and if deemed necessary, conducting a financial audit. The vote, which took place on the final day of the AFN’s annual general assembly, solidified support for National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, who was suspended by the AFN’s executive committee last month. Story here.
JAMES SENTENCED – A man at the centre of one of the biggest spending scandals in the history of British Columbia politics has been sentenced. Story here from CTV.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Jean Charest and Pierre Poilievre are all in Calgary. Leslyn Lewis was en route from Yellowknife to Calgary on Friday.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
GUILBEAULT IN SUDBURY – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in Sudbury, made an announcement on engaging youth in the fight against climate change.
WILKINSON IN ST. JOHN’S – In St. John’s, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson held a news conference at the conclusion of an energy and mines ministers’ conference.
PREMIERS MEETING NEXT WEEK – Canada’s premiers and territorial leaders – members of the Council of the Federation – will be holding a summer meeting next Monday and Tuesday in Victoria. Please check The Globe and Mail for coverage.
PUBLIC SERVICE APPOINTMENTS BY THE PM – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Erin O’Gorman, current Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board, as the new president of the Canada Border Services Agency as part of a series of changes to the senior ranks of the public service announced Friday and detailed here.
THE DECIBEL
New episodes of The Decibel are not being published on Fridays for the months of July and August. You can check previous episodes here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings, and the Prime Minister participated in the unveiling of the Humanity Art installation in Ottawa, with Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, and Toronto Raptors President and Vice-Chairman Masai Ujiri attending.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on how the very nature of a leadership race based on selling memberships as fast as you can is corrupting: “At the very least, the choice of party leader should be restricted to the party’s existing members at the start of the campaign. In the best of all worlds, they would be elected by the parliamentary caucus. Perhaps these could be supplemented by the candidates of record in ridings not held by the party. Or perhaps, for those who object to the choice being left to mere MPs – those nobodies, as our quasi-presidential system makes them out to be – some hybrid scheme could be adopted, like the one now used by the British Conservative Party: The caucus narrows the choice to two, on which the membership votes. Or we can stick with the present system, and endure more scandals, more takeovers by single-issue zealots, and still greater marginalization of MPs under leaders chosen not by them, but by a phantom electorate bought with gobs of cash.”
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail)on how Pierre the Polarizer has got the Conservative Party and he could certainly take the country too: “Having already won with a Reform brand of conservatism under Stephen Harper, it’s hardly a stretch to think that a Conservative Party under Mr. Poilievre, a former Harper cabinet member, could win again. Mr. Harper was able to avoid the extremist tag, and benefited from a great run of fortune: the sponsorship scandal, the Jean Chrétien-Paul Martin split, the RCMP incredibly calling a midelection criminal investigation into the Liberals’ finance minister’s office – which was similar to what the FBI did to Hillary Clinton in 2016 as she was campaigning against Donald Trump. Throw in some breaks like that to the many trends already working in its favour, and a Poilievre-led Conservative Party could win the country handily.”
Rita Trichur (The Globe and Mail)on how dairy market protectionism is exposing Ottawa’s hypocrisy on free trade: “Canada wants the world to believe that it’s committed to free trade. But when it comes to dairy imports, other countries are calling our bluff. New Zealand is the latest trading partner to complain about fettered access to Canada’s dairy market, alleging that Ottawa is violating provisions of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Pacific island country’s grievance follows that of the U.S., which is pursuing its second such trade challenge of our dairy restrictions under the auspices of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. These dairy disputes are damaging Canada’s credibility as a free-trading nation, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Ottawa is busy negotiating bilateral trade agreements with other countries including Britain and India, but its protectionist dairy policies are under scrutiny like never before.”
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail)on how poor Patrick Brown is the subject of a takedown again:“Maybe Patrick Brown is the most unfairly persecuted politician on the planet. Despite his deep fidelity to the rules and squeaky clean procedural history, trouble seems to find him – or rather, is maliciously assigned to him, in the form of repeated and deliberate political takedowns (which, not coincidentally, inspired the title of his 2018 memoir, Takedown). Perhaps there’s something about Mr. Brown that his many enemies, both past and present, have feared – enemies that have at times included the news media, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party and, now, the federal Conservative Party, which disqualified him from its leadership race Tuesday evening over “serious allegations of wrongdoing.” Is it his moderate form of conservatism? His vision for Canada that is radically … uh … inclusive? Why else would Mr. Brown – noted choirboy, scrupulous ethicist, the Ned Flanders of contemporary Canadian politics – so routinely be the subject of financial, moral and procedural scandal?”
Don Braid (The Calgary Herald)on federal Conservative candidate Jean Charest promising Alberta a new deal in Canada:Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest vows to break the bronco of Alberta anger with a unique special deal for the province. If he becomes Conservative leader and then prime minister, Charest said Thursday, he would immediately develop an “Alberta Accord – a specific agreement with Alberta on the issues Alberta cares about.” “I want this Alberta accord to say to the rest of the country that we are responding to the issues of Alberta,” Charest said in an interview before starting Stampede appearances. “We are going to answer. We’re not just going to pretend the problems aren’t there.” Charest says he would ask to meet the Alberta premier within 30 days of being sworn in. Shortly thereafter, he would co-chair a meeting with all premiers.”
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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.
