Patrick Brown says he was disqualified as a candidate to lead the Conservative Party of Canada because of an allegation that someone was being paid by a corporation to work on his campaign.
The Brampton mayor was ousted late Tuesday for what the party called “serious allegations of wrongdoing.” However, it has not provided any specifics. The development leaves five candidates in the race, the winner of which will be announced on Sept. 10.
“We have no information about who that was or who that corporation was, so it’s impossible to respond to a phantom,” he said Wednesday during an interview on CTV.
Mr. Brown, who had reported signing up about 150,000 supporters during the race, said it is clear to him that the party establishment wants his rival, Ottawa-area-MP Pierre Poilievre, to be leader.
“I am shocked that they would take lengths this extraordinary to rob members of the party of a democratic election based on an anonymous complaint we have no information on.”
He added, “Frankly, if Pierre Poilievre was going to win this race, if he had gone through a fair leadership contest, he would have a stronger standing afterwards, post Sept. 10.”
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter sign-up page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
SPORT MINISTER CITES CULTURE PROBLEM IN HOCKEY CANADA – Hockey Canada’s handling ofsexual-assault allegations involving eight Canadian Hockey Leaguemembers, including players with the gold-medal-winning world junior team, reveals a culture problem within the organization that needs to change, federal Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge says. Story here.
PREMIERS SEEK FEDERAL HEALTH FUNDING AS MEETING LOOMS – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said early last year that provincial demands for major increases in health care transfers would have to wait until Canada was “through the worst” of the pandemic crisis. That time is now, say provincial and territorial premiers preparing to meet next week as the Council of the Federation. Story here.
ARCHIBALD MAKES CASE – RoseAnne Archibald has made her case to the Assembly of First Nations annual general assembly after weeks of political uncertainty that followed the National Chief’s suspension last month. Ms. Archibald faces competing efforts at the assembly to remove her from her role or to support her continued leadership. Story here.
WON’T SHAKE LAVROV’S HAND: JOLY – Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she won’t shake the hand of her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at a G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, this week. She told The Canadian Press she plans to instead take aim at the Russian Foreign Minister’s falsehoods about the invasion of Ukraine. Story here.
QUEBEC CONSERVATIVE PARTY SURGING – Quebec’s provincial Conservative Party is surging as a “protest vote” against the province’s heavy-handed government, with Eric Duhaime’s party’s staunchly populist messaging about personal freedoms after two years of COVID-19 seeming to be resonating now more than ever. Story here from The National Post.
NEW NEWFOUNDLAND HEALTH MINISTER – Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister has been replaced after seeing the province through the COVID-19 pandemic. John Haggie, a former surgeon, is out as health minister and now education minister. Meanwhile, former education minister Tom Osborne is taking over as health minister. Story here from CBC.
DON’T CALL ME ‘YOUR WORSHIP:’ GONDEK – Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek wants councillors and city administration to stop using the title “your worship” when referring to her. Story here from The Calgary Herald.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is in Ontario. Jean Charest is in Calgary. Leslyn Lewis is in Edmonton. Pierre Poilievre is in Toronto. No details on Roman Baber campaign whereabouts.
CANDIDATES CALGARY BOUND – In the days ahead, Conservative Party leadership hopefuls will be filing into Calgary alongside other public figures for the busy politicking season that is part of the annual Stampede. But as most candidates square off in a downtown debate shortly after the Stampede parade ends on Friday afternoon, Pierre Poilievre will be at a nearby party with entrepreneur Brett Wilson. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
FREELAND IN GRIMSBY – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was scheduled to meet, in Grimsby, Ont., with union workers, and then hold a media availability.
WILKINSON IN ST. JOHN’S – Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is to hold a media availability with Newfoundland and Labrador Industry Minister Andrew Parsons in St. John’s at the end of the Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference.
BIBEAU IN COMPTON – Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in Compton, Que., appearing on behalf of Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge, is to announce federal government funding to support the Club Lions de Compton for a new project.
KAHLON NOT SEEKING TO SUCCEED HORGAN; BACKS EBY – In British Columbia, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon has ruled out a bid for the leadership of the provincial NDP, citing discussions with his family, and suggested Attorney-General David Eby seek the job. Premier John Horgan has said he will step down once his replacement is selected by the party. “David is someone who I admire, someone with integrity, passion and is the right person to be our next Premier,” Mr. Kahlon said in a statement.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Globe columnist Andrew Coyne talks about what has happened with the situation around RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. She allegedly pressed senior officers to publicly release information about the kinds of firearms that were used in the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting, where 22 people were killed, in order to bolster Liberal gun legislation. The Commissioner, the former public safety minister and the Prime Minister all deny there was political interference – but a paper trail strongly suggests that someone is lying. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Vaughan, Ont., the Prime Minister was scheduled to visit a local children’s day camp. He was also scheduled to meet in Simcoe County with families at a local farm, and to attend a BBQ with members of the Canadian Armed Forces in North Bay.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Burnaby, B.C., met with United Steelworkers District 3, and was later scheduled to meet with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights and participate in a Korean community roundtable with Peter Julian and Bonita Zarrillo.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on reasonable limits – the antidote to U.S.-style extremism in high-court decisions: “Partway through the majority opinion in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the United States Supreme Court struck down a century-old state law restricting the carrying of handguns in public, one is struck by the realization: these people are guided by no coherent judicial philosophy whatsoever. The case is one of a handful of rulings in the past few weeks – on school prayer, on environmental regulation, and of course on abortion – with which the conservative majority on the court has begun to rewrite decades of jurisprudence. But in its recklessness, in its single-mindedness and above all in its determined opportunism can be found the seeds of the others.”
Susan Franceschet (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the ‘role model effect’ can transform how women and girls think of political leadership: “The good news is that women’s heightened visibility among UCP leadership hopefuls sets the stage for a transformation in how girls and women see political leadership. That’s because the many women in the race will generate a “role model effect,” activating women’s political interest. Researchers have documented this in several studies from around the world.”
Catherine Tait (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how CBC’s licence renewal shows how the traditional broadcaster has evolved into a modern digital service: “You may not have seen it, but for Canadians interested in the future of their public broadcaster, the recent CRTC renewal of the CBC/Radio-Canada television and radio licences represents a groundbreaking decision. For the first time, Canada’s regulator has recognized how we serve Canadians today – not just as a linear television and radio broadcaster but as a multiplatform streaming service as well.”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
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.
