Pierre Poilievre has won the fundraising race among candidates seeking to become the next federal Conservative leader.
The Ottawa-area MP raised about $4-million, according to second-quarter figures released Tuesday by Elections Canada. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest ranked second among candidates with about $1.3-million.
There are three other candidates in the race: Ontario MPs Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis, as well as Roman Baber, a former Progressive Conservative member of the Ontario legislature.
Three of the five candidates are participating in a party-sanctioned debate in Ottawa on Wednesday. Mr. Poilievre and Ms. Lewis are skipping the debate to focus on getting out their vote and engaging with party members. The Conservatives are to announce the winner of the leadership race on Sept. 10.
Overall, the Elections Canada figures indicate that the Conservatives raised over $4.4-million from about 36,000 donors between April 1 and June 30. Meanwhile, the Liberals raised nearly $2.8 million from almost 28,000 donors and New Democrats received almost $1.2 million in contributions from nearly 16,000 people.
The federal Greens raised almost $438,000 from about 5,200 Canadians while over 1,600 people donated about $248,00 to the Bloc Quebecois.
The People’s Party of Canada, which does not hold any seats in Parliament, raised just under $200,000 from about 4,000 donors.
All parties, except for the Greens, received less money from donations in the second quarter than in the first three months of the year.
With a file from The Canadian Press.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
WOMAN CENTRAL TO HOCKEY CANADA SCANDAL SPEAKS OUT – E.M., the woman who filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada over an alleged group sexual assault by some members of Canada’s world junior hockey team in 2018, says that she has felt “vulnerable and exposed” since news of her allegations became public two months ago. Story here.
MORE ACTION NEEDED TO COMBAT HATE: RACE-RELATIONS FOUNDATION – The head of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation is calling for action to combat hate and more federal help for victims, as new statistics show that hate crimes in Canada rose by 27 per cent last year. Story here.
QUESTIONS RAISED OVER CANADA ABANDONING UKRAINIAN EMBASSY – Before pulling Canadian diplomats out of Ukraine weeks ahead of the Russian invasion, Global Affairs Canada received intelligence confirming Ukrainians who worked for the Canadian embassy were likely on lists of people Moscow intended to hunt down as Russia waged war against its neighbour. However, Ottawa told Canadian embassy leaders in Kyiv to withhold this information from those Ukrainian staff members and leave them behind. Story here.
CHANCELLOR PRAISES TRUDEAU FOR TURBINE APPROACH – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Kremlin’s bluff by allowing Russian pipeline turbines repaired in Canada to be sent back to Moscow’s state-controlled Gazprom, arguing that this move eliminated a pretext for Vladimir Putin to reduce or stop deliveries of natural gas to Europe. Story here.
PARLIAMENTARY SECURITY NEEDS TO ADDRESS RACISM: EX MP – A former MP who says she was recently racially profiled by parliamentary security is calling on the service to address racism within its ranks. Story here.
ALBERTA MLA TAKES ON RAMPAGING BULL – For Alberta MLA Leela Aheer, jumping in to save a trampled rodeo-goer from a rampaging bull on Saturday came down to maternal instincts. Story here from CBC.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is in Ottawa, as is Roman Baber.Jean Charest is in Montreal. Leslyn Lewis is in her Haldimand-Norfolk riding and the Greater Toronto Area. Pierre Poilievre is in Saskatchewan, in North Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
STEWART NAMED CLIMATE-CHANGE AMBASSADOR – Catherine Stewart, an assistant deputy environment minister, has been appointed Canada’s new ambassador of climate change, according to an announcement from Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Ms. Stewart will advise both the environment minister and foreign-affairs minister on how Canada can best advance its climate change priorities on the world stage. Appointees hold the post for a three-year term.
BLANCHFIELD EXITS CP – Canadian Press International Affairs Writer Mike Blanchfield has announced his exit from the news service. On Friday, the Ottawa-based Mr. Blanchfield tweeted he was bidding a “fond farewell” to CP. “I’ve treasured the great ride with so many fine, memorable travelers in this essential craft,” he wrote. “”Excited about the days and years ahead.” Mr. Blanchfield was the co author, with Fen Hampson, of the 2021 book The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-Canada Cyber War.
WILSON-RAYBOULD RECEIVES ORDER OF B.C. – Former federal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is among the recipients of the Order of B.C. this year. Check here.
JOLY MEETS WITH GERMAN FOREIGN-AFFAIRS MINISTER – Foreign Affairs Minister Joly is meeting with Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, during the German minister’s Tuesday and Wednesday visit to Montreal. It’s the minister’s first official trip to Canada.
BOISSONNAULT IN EDMONTON – Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, in Edmonton, made an announcement on behalf of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
FRASER IN PICTOU – Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, in Pictou, Nova Scotia, made an announcement with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, and Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan.
MENDICINO IN SUDBURY – Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, in Sudbury, made an announcement regarding federal support for organizations on the front lines of the fight against gun and gang violence in Greater Sudbury. Also present: Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger.
THE DECIBEL
Amidst soaring rents, scammers are swooping in to target victims. Globe reporter Patrick Egwu, who almost fell victim to a rental scam himself, tells us how these scams work and what to look out for when looking for a place. The Decibel is here.
SENATOR ENGINEERS POLL ON VIRTUAL WORK BY MPS, SENATORS – 56 per cent of respondents to a poll say members of parliament and senators should continue to have a choice between travelling to Ottawa for their meetings or attending meetings online, according to the survey commissioned by senator Donna Dasko. The senator said in a statement that the poll by Nanos Research also found 39 per cent of respondents think parliamentarians should go back to travelling to Ottawa for meetings after the pandemic. The poll was based on a national sample of 1,002 Canadians surveyed from June 30 to July. 4. Senator Dasko, the former senior vice president of the Environics polling firm, was nominated to the senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2018.
OPINION
André Picard (The Globe and Mail)on how COVID-19 remains a health threat: “COVID-19 infections have grown exponentially thanks to the coronavirus mutating and becoming far more infectious. At the same time, thanks to a combination of widespread vaccination, infection and reinfection, people are not getting as sick. Proportionally, there are far fewer hospitalizations and deaths. Yet, there are still more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in Canada’s beleaguered hospitals, including almost 300 in intensive care. And, even if the death rate remains where it is today (about 40 pandemic fatalities daily), and doesn’t rise in the fall as expected, there will be significantly more COVID deaths in 2022 than in the previous two years.”
Irwin Cotler (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on how the Chinese government’s continued assault on Canadian freedoms requires action: “Taking meaningful action to address this repression by Xi Jinping’s China is important. By doing so, Canada can send a signal of hope to all victims, including our unlawfully detained citizens. No one should be targeted for who they are, for what they believe, or for what their citizenship represents. Canada should continue to pursue justice, to combat injustice, and to be a source of hope and inspiration in the darkest moments of this fight.”
Tracey Tremayne-Lloyd (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how nurse practitioners could relieve Canada’s doctor shortage but funding models are causing roadblocks: “I believe that nurse practitioners are key to relieving our strained health system. These advanced-practice nurses have two additional years of schooling, allowing them to assess, diagnose, prescribe and manage patients in primary health care settings. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 6,661 NPs were licensed to practice in Canada in 2020, with about 35 per cent working in hospitals, and 36 per cent working in community settings. Across Canada, many NPs are looking to contribute to the delivery of primary care on a greater scale, but compensation models have created stumbling blocks that get in the way of expanding the availability of nurse practitioner-led primary care.”
Matt Gurney (TVO) on what Ontario can learn from Germany’s bleak energy situation: “John’s article wasn’t about Germany or Russia or even natural gas, really. It was about the future of the Pickering nuclear-power station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2025. It’s an old plant, and if we were to keep it running, it would need many billions of dollars in upgrades and refurbishing. We could find the money. What would probably be harder to find: the political capital. Local, provincial, and federal officials would all need to agree. And they would have to agree quickly. As John notes in the article, it’s possible we’re already past the point of no return. This is relevant to the German example because Germany has persisted in retiring a series of nuclear plants even as this energy crisis looms. Here at home, nuclear power is a large, reliable, and carbon-free element of Ontario’s electrical mix.”
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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.
