Pierre Poilievre was kicked out of the House of Commons by Speaker Greg Fergus today over remarks he made about the Prime Minister.
Fergus ordered the Conservative Leader out after he refused to withdraw comments calling Justin Trudeau a “wacko” and an extremist.
Not only was the Official Opposition Leader ordered to go, but Fergus barred him from participating virtually in proceedings.
Earlier, Fergus ordered out Conservative MP Rachael Harder after she declared that Fergus, himself, was “acting in a disgraceful manner.”
Eventually, the entire Conservative caucus left the Commons.
The turmoil erupted after a tempestuous Question Period that featured queries to the government over how it was handling British Columbia’s request to recriminalize the use of drugs in public spaces such as hospitals, parks and transit.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Foreign agent registry urged: MPs from all parties in the House of Commons joined a coalition of diaspora community groups today, calling on the federal government to immediately table legislation setting up a foreign agent influence registration.
Toronto police chief apologizes for comments made after Zameer acquitted in officer’s death: Chief Myron Demkiw told the Toronto Police Services Board today that he should have been more clear that he supports and accepts the verdict.
Canadian economy loses steam after strong start to year, grows 0.2% in February: The Canadian economy lost momentum after a roaring start to the year, reinforcing economists’ expectations that the Bank of Canada is on track to cut interest rates in the coming months.
McGill requests ‘police assistance’ to remove pro-Palestinian encampment on campus: “Police representatives, who have expertise in skillfully resolving situations such as these, have now started their own process,” the university said in a statement today. “We continue to work with them to resolve the matter.”
Trudeau confronted with unions’ concerns about sidelining of Canadian workers at Windsor EV plant: In a keynote discussion with the Prime Minister at the annual conference of Canada’s Building Trades Unions in Gatineau, Que., this week, union leader Sean Strickland told Trudeau that the concerns that emerged last year about the hiring of hundreds of South Korean and Japanese workers at the electric-vehicle factory have yet to be resolved.
NDP candidate apologizes for comments about health of federal Green Party leader: Colin Plant, nominated as the NDP candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands, has expressed regret about a news release sent out by a volunteer, and retracted, making comments about the health of the ridings’ current MP, Elizabeth May. The Times Colonist reports.
“The chair is acting in a disgraceful manner” – Conservative MP Rachael Harder in comments in the Commons today that prompted Speaker Greg Fergus to ask the MP to withdraw from the House for the day.
“Mr. Speaker. I replace the word whacko with extremist.” – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to Fergus in the House today after the Speaker took issue with Poilievre’s description of federal government policies on harm reduction.
“That guy has never shut his mouth in his life. Who silences him? He keeps saying dumb things. I think it would be great if he shut his yap once in awhile.” – Immigration Minister Marc Miller referring to Poilievre, and commenting after the Conservative Leader was asked to leave the Commons by Fergus.
“My family, my wife, and my kids do not deserve to be harassed, nor do my neighbours. People have a problem with me. It’s my name that’s on the ballot.” – Justice Minister Arif Virani on protests at his house.
“The Prime Minister and I agree on many things. And this is one that we do not agree on. I’ve said this. I don’t think that any provincial premier and prime minister, regardless of friendship, should always agree because then I wouldn’t be doing my job and he wouldn’t be doing his.” – Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, during a discussion today at the Empire Club of Canada in Toronto, on differences with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on carbon pricing policy.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons today, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland attended the weekly cabinet meeting and, later, provided a news conference update on the government’s economic plan. Later, Freeland attended Question Period.
New diplomats: Ambassadors and high commissioners from Chile, Tanzania, Malta, Cuba and Nepal are scheduled to present their credentials to Governor-General Mary Simon today at Rideau Hall.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau chaired the weekly cabinet meeting and attended Question Period.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet took media questions at the House of Commons, accompanied by BQ natural resources critic Mario Simard and industries critic Jean-Denis Garon.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a keynote address in Gatineau, Que.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a confidential preview of the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development’s spring 2024 report, then a pair of news conferences, one featuring Indigenous leaders on concerns about nuclear waste on their homelands and calls for the adoption of a Foreign Influence Transparency Registry. She also attended the House of Commons.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh addressed the annual conference of the Canada’s Building Trades Union in Gatineau, Que., and, in the evening, is to deliver the 2024 Carleton Bell Lecture.
THE DECIBEL
The Globe’s Africa bureau chief Geoffrey York is on the podcast today to explain what’s been going on in Sudan, why so little attention is being paid to this conflict among others, and what that means for the people on the ground. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
No budget bounce for Liberals: Nanos Research, based on new polling, says jobs and the economy are top issues among voters, and the Conservatives are leading the Liberals by 20 points.
OPINION
Only Ottawa can fix the Mounties and keep Canada safe
“The RCMP is overextended, underfunded and undermanned in a country facing a growing assortment of threats.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Jews have eyes. And they see that the antisemitism in the protests over Gaza is no aberration
“There is a point at which the gaslighting becomes genuinely insulting. When meek attempts to blame a rogue few for hateful or antisemitic speech, or the repeated insistence that such displays of bigotry have “no place in Canada,” are so disconnected from reality that they become offensive and belittling.” – Robyn Urback.
Natural resources are more important to the economy than city dwellers realize
“What is Canada’s strongest feature on the global economic stage? We don’t have the largest population on the planet. We don’t have the biggest GDP. We aren’t a financial powerhouse and we don’t have the smartest or most economically astute government. But area-wise, we are the second-largest country on Earth, which means that we have the second-largest, or perhaps even the largest, stock of natural resources on the planet – an enormous source of strength and responsibility if we would only recognize it, capitalize on it, and make its future development and stewardship a national priority.” – Preston Manning
Canada, a natural-resources economy, must remember our greatest resource is our people
“Natural resources have been key to Canada’s survival and growth. Our oceans, forests, agricultural lands, mineral and energy resources support us. It is no wonder that resource companies dominate Canada’s economy. Our people have always fished and farmed, harvested timber and extracted the wealth that lies beneath our feet. Today this is no longer sufficient.” – Roseann O’Reilly Runte
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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.
