Patrick Brown, disqualified in his bid to win the leadership of the federal Conservatives, says he will seek a second term as mayor of Brampton.
Mr. Brown made the announcement on Monday in the Toronto-area community of about 660,000 people where he has been mayor since 2018 after a run in politics that included stints as a Conservative MP, and leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives.
“My entire focus in the years ahead is going to be making sure that we have Brampton in a strong position, that we continue to make sure our city gets its fair share, that we’re able to get good-paying jobs in our community,” he told a news conference.
The municipal election is scheduled to be held on Oct. 24 and the deadline for registering as a candidate is Aug. 19.
Lawyers for Mr. Brown are attempting to appeal his disqualification as a Conservative leadership candidate over campaign financial irregularities.
Mr. Brown said Monday that the case against him was “manufactured” by the party, and his legal team is working to clarify the situation. “We’re still pursuing our legal options to make sure what was done was exposed,” he said.
Mr. Brown, whose campaign has said it signed up about 150,000 Conservative supporters for the leadership race, has previously endorsed Jean Charest as leader, but said Monday that his supporters could consider another candidate who shares Mr. Brown’s “inclusive values,” namely Ontario MP Scott Aitchison.
Elsewhere, a Liberal MP entered a mayoralty race in British Columbia.
Sukh Dhaliwal is seeking to become the mayor of Surrey, the second most populous city in the province. He is leading a slate of candidates for council under the new United Surrey banner.
There is no federal legislation prohibiting or disqualifying a MP from being a candidate in a municipal election
Mr. Dhaliwal, the MP for Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011 and then MP for Surrey-Newton since 2015, is entering a crowded field.
Current Mayor Doug McCallum is seeking his fifth term as mayor. Also former NDP MP Jinny Sims, who beat Mr. Dhaliwal for his seat in 2011, and was defeated by Mr. Dhaliwal in 2015, is also seeking the mayor’s office. Current city councilor Brenda Locke is also running for the job.
With a file from The Canadian Press.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
PAT KING GETS BAIL – A key figure of the self-described “Freedom Convoy” protest has been granted bail after spending five months in jail, an Ottawa court decided Monday. Story here from CBC.
BOISCLAIR JAILED – Former Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair has been sentenced to two years less a day for sexual assault. Story here.
AMAZON PROFITS APPROACH WARRANTS CHANGE: TORIES AND INDUSTRY GROUPS – The federal Conservatives and industry groups representing Canada’s small businesses and technology sector are calling for changes to the tax system that for years allowed Amazon.com Inc. to book its Canadian retail profits in the U.S., minimizing its exposure to corporate taxation here. Story here.
TWO MORE B.C. CABINET MINISTERS RULE OUT BID TO REPLACE HORGAN – Two more high-profile British Columbia NDP cabinet ministers have announced they’re not running to replace Premier John Horgan, further solidifying a likely coronation for Attorney-General David Eby. Story here from The Province.
ESCALATE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON RUSSIA: ZELENSKY TELLS TRUDEAU – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky implored Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to escalate international pressure on the Kremlin after Canada circumvented its own sanctions against Russia to help European allies. Story here.
PROTESTERS CURTAIL TRUDEAU APPEARANCE – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s day of whistle stops in the Ottawa area ended early Friday as anti-Liberal protesters gathered outside a brewery before he arrived. Story here.
$8,000 FLIGHT FOR SASKATCHEWAN MINISTER – Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister spent nearly $8,000 on a private plane to attend a chamber of commerce lunch days after she tabled a provincial budget containing tax hikes. Story here.
TRUDEAU GETS A `VERY SHORT’ HAIRCUT – The Prime Minister has a new haircut. Story here from canoe.com. As a Canadian Press pool report on Justin Trudeau’s visit to a visitors centre in Gatineau Park said on Friday, “It’s … very short..”
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is in the Greater Toronto Area. Roman Baber is holding a meet-and-greet event in Oakville. Jean Charest is in Toronto. Pierre Poilievre is in Ottawa. No details on Leslyn Lewis’ campaign whereabouts Monday, but she has stops across Ontario through the week.
AITCHISON AT MUNK SCHOOL – Mr. Aitchison is scheduled to participate in an hour-long forum at the Munk School of Global Affairs on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Peter Loewen, the school director, will be the moderator, Details here for the in-person and online event.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
NWT PREMIER HAS COVID-19 – Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane says she has tested positive for COVID-19. “My symptoms are mild and I’m doing well. Thankfully I have both my shots and have been boosted,” Ms. Cochrane said in a tweet here.
ALGHABRA IN KAMLOOPS – Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in Kamloops, B.C., announced that the federal government is providing the city’s airport with more than $1.8-million for an airfield electrical replacement project.
BLAIR IN VANCOUVER – Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair held a news conference in Vancouver on Monday with British Columbia Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth during which he announced advance payments of over $870-million to the B.C. government to support flood, landslide and storm recovery efforts in the province.
CHAMPAGNE IN UNITED KINGDOM – Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne is in the United Kingdom on Monday and Tuesday to attend the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow and meet with stakeholders in the aerospace, space and defence sectors. His agenda includes a fireside chat with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada and a media availability.
THE DECIBEL On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, The Globe’s Asia Correspondent James Griffiths says that China will be closely watching the unrest in Sri Lanka where months of fuel, medicine and food shortages have prompted protestors to take to the streets and the homes of the country’s leaders and will be evaluating whether Sri Lanka will stay within its sphere of influence. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In British Columbia, the Prime Minister visited a local children’s day camp in the Interior Region of the province, and a local food processing facility and was scheduled to visit a local family farm. The Prime Minister’s Office did not disclose specific communities on their daily media advisory,
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean as part of a summer tour running from July 18 to 22, 2022.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Whitehorse, met with the Council of Yukon First Nations and was was scheduled to meet with Yukon First Nation Wildfire – a partnership of nine Yukon First Nations stakeholders. that train and employ response crews for wildfires, flooding and other disaster and response mitigation efforts – and to hold a meet and greet event in Whitehorse.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
TRIBUTE
ST-PHILIPPE PASSES – Nadège St-Philippe, a prominent TV host and weather presenter on Quebec’s TVA television network since 2006, died Saturday evening, after she had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time late last year. Story here from CBC.
PUBLIC OPINION
Data Dive with Nik Nanos:When it comes to public opinion,a majority of Canadians believe the countryshould expand oil and gas exports to help give the world more secure energy supplies. However,a majority also want Canada to meet climate commitments, even if it means energy prices increasing. The Dive is here.
OPINION
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail)on how Danielle Smith’s push for provincial autonomy in the UCP leadership race is driving astounding political rehabilitation: “Since Ms. Smith lost the PC nomination contest in Highwood in 2015 – and Mr. Prentice lost the election to the NDP – she steered clear of elected politics (until now). But she’s always kept her hand in it, hosting a news and talk show on private radio, as well as emceeing various conferences and speeches. It’s been a slow burn, but she’s stayed in the public eye. Her strategy seems to have been at least a partial success. And political memories are, for the moment, being overtaken by a relentless barrage of Smith campaigning and policy.”
Christian Leuprecht and Shuvaloy Majumdar (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on how Canada is allowing Russia’s energy blackmail to win the day in Europe: “Canada is in a deep strategic crisis. In a contest where the democratic world’s economic and political order is under systemic assault by tyrants, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government appears to be dispensing with natural Canadian strengths that would change the geopolitical equation. Ottawa claims to be defending the rules-based international order, and yet, confronted by the Kremlin and Beijing, it is doing the opposite – it is undermining it. The Trudeau government’s decisions are helping bolster the democratic world’s authoritarian rivals.”
Steven Tobin and Parisa Mahboubi (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada keeps making labour market mistakes by missing recession-era opportunities: “Once labour and skill shortages rear their ugly heads, it’s almost too late to do anything. They require a quick response in order to increase the supply of labour with the required skills – but workforce investments of this nature take time and, because of skill losses during unemployment, the longer people go without working the more challenging and costly these programs become. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but we keep making the same mistake over and over. During economic downturns, such as the one at the start of the pandemic, governments have focused too narrowly on income support when, in addition, they should also use these periods as opportunities to make the right investments in people and skills.”
Steve Paikin (TVO) on Ontario New Democrat Gilles Bisson looking to the future after three decades at Queen’s Park: “The June 2 election night featured the worst — and the best — experiences of Bisson’s 32 years in provincial politics. On the one hand, the Progressive Conservative candidate, Timmins mayor George Pirie, romped to victory with almost 65 per cent of the votes, compared to less than 30 per cent for Bisson. Timmins was one of many ridings formerly held by the NDP that switched to the PCs last month. But Bisson shocked Pirie’s team when he showed up at his opponent’s campaign headquarters on election night with a handful of his own campaign team and NDP MP Charlie Angus, a long-time friend. As PC supporters looked on suspiciously, Bisson marched up to Pirie, shook his hand, congratulated him on his victory, then gave a concession speech at the new MPP’s headquarters. “The whole room was thinking, ‘What the f**k is he doing here?’” Bisson says jocularly. “But it’s what you need to do when you lose. We don’t need to be Donald Trumps with a January 6 insurrection. We have a great democratic system here in Ontario. You have to accept these things and be gracious in defeat.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a four-minute cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé cosplays as Anderson’s character before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”
At a rally for Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the former president spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston in October, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.
She did not perform — unlike in 2016, when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech, initially joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said at the rally in Houston, her hometown.
“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”
Harris used the song in July during her first official public appearance as a presidential candidate at her campaign headquarters in Delaware. That same month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, publicly endorsed Harris for president.
Beyoncé gave permission to Harris to use the song, a campaign official who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign operations confirmed to The Associated Press.
Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.
Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.
Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.
My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5th.
Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.
My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.
To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.
Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…
The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.
The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.
The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.
Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.
In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.
If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
