Quebeckers are voting on Monday in a provincial election where polls have the Coalition Avenir Québec out front, raising questions about who will come second.
As parties hit the campaign trail, Mr. Legault’s party had 76 seats in the National Assembly. The Quebec Liberals had 27 and Québéc Solidaire had 10. There were seven Parti Quebecois members, one member of the Conservative Party of Quebec and four Independents. There’s an overview here of what the parties were promising voters.
When the CAQ won the 2018 election, it was a break in a political dynamic spanning five decades that had seen federalists and separatists governing the province.
There’s a story here on the final day of campaigning, as party leaders made a final appeal to voters. And Globe and Mail Montreal Reporter Eric Andrew-Gee explores here how Mr. Legault found the sweet spot of Quebec politics, taking years to get his brand of paternal populism just right.
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Watch The Globe and Mail for election updates this evening.
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 signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW IRANIAN SANCTIONS – Canada is sanctioning 25 senior Iranian officials and nine government entities following a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. Story here.
NEW DETAILS ON HOCKEY CANADA FINANCIAL RESERVES – Several years after Hockey Canada began using player registration fees to build a large financial reserve known as the National Equity Fund to cover sexual assault claims and other lawsuits, it channelled a significant portion of that money into a second multimillion-dollar fund for similar purposes. Story here.
GLOBE INVESTIGATION FINDS INEQUITIES IN SALARIES FOR FEMALE ONTARIO DOCTORS – Female doctors in Ontario made less on average than their male counterparts in 35 medical specialties tracked by the Ministry of Health, a Globe and Mail analysis of physician billings has shown. This was true even in specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology, where the majority of practising doctors were women. Story here.
FORMER SENATOR FACES SEXUAL ASSAULT AND CRIMINAL HARASSMENT CHARGES – A former Canadian senator has been charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of criminal harassment in relation to alleged incidents during which he was still a member of Parliament’s upper house. Story here.
RELATIVELY LOW INTEREST IN FEDERAL INDIGENOUS COURSES: CBC – The federal government offers its employees a variety of Indigenous cultural awareness and sensitivity programs through the Canada School of Public Service, but participation in the optional sessions is relatively low. Story here from CBC.
PRIME MINISTER TAKES THE PLUNGE – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a plunge this weekend when he went bungee jumping just outside of the Ottawa area over the weekend. Story here from CTV.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, Oct. 3, accessible here.
DAYS SINCE CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE POILIEVRE TOOK MEDIA QUESTIONS IN OTTAWA: 20
SOLOMON EXIT – Evan Solomon is leaving his role as host of CTV’s Power Play and Question Period shows to become the new Publisher of GZERO Media and member of the Eurasia Group Management Committee – details here. However, he will continue his professional connection with CTV, working as a special correspondent focused on Canadian politics and global affairs. Mr. Solomon explains here.
FREELAND AT FINANCE COMMITTEE – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was scheduled to appear Monday at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance to discuss Bill C-30, the Cost of Living Relief Act, No.1 (Targeted Tax Relief). Details here. The appearance was being screened here.
THE DECIBEL
On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mailpodcast, infectious disease specialist, Dr. Lisa Barrett answers COVID-19 questions, such as: When you get sick, is there any way to tell if it’s COVID-19 or the flu or a cold? How long should you isolate if you have COVID-19? What’s the right time frame to get a bivalent vaccine – and what does bivalent mean? The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Ottawa region, was scheduled to present the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.
LEADERS
No schedules provided for party leaders.
TRIBUTE
The flag on the Peace Tower flew at half mast Sunday as funeral services were held for Bill Blaikie, who represented Winnipeg for the NDP in the House of Commons for three decades. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attended the service in Winnipeg. Mr. Blaikie died on Sept. 24, aged 71. There’s an obituary here by Ottawa reporter Shannon Proudfoot.
PUBLIC OPINION
British Columbia Premier John Horgan is dodging the scandal and unpopularity that dogged his predecessors upon their political exits, with data from the Angus Reid Institute suggesting those surveyed in the province will remember him as an outstanding or above-average premier. However, the path ahead is more complicated for his presumed successor David Eby. Details here.
READER OPINION
Reader Lois Avison writes on the Sept. 29 Politics Briefing newsletter, available here, which dealt, in part, with the fate of an NDP bill to lower the voting age to 16.
How well I remember the days when I was 16, and thought I had the world by the tail. I thought I knew everything that I needed to know at that time. And yes, I probably did know a lot, but about what? 75 years later it is easy to see that I didn’t know or hadn’t had the time to internalize what I did know about the ways of the world. We learn so much from what went before us. Those who don’t pay attention to history and learn from decisions made, all in good faith, by decision makers of earlier days, will never understand all the information and intelligence that needs to be taken into consideration for decisions of today. Oh to be so young again and think I knew so much. Now I know how little I understood of world politics, and am happy I was not allowed to vote during those hay days of youth.
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail)on how Albertans could some day miss Jason Kenney, even if his current approval numbers spell a different story: “It’s the strange moment where Mr. Kenney is leaving but is not yet gone. Even with his time as Premier ending, Mr. Kenney continues to work. Surely it’s about establishing a legacy beyond a bungled pandemic response in the summer of 2021. But he also seems to be in a mad rush to get loose ends tied up, keep election campaign promises and make announcements that are difficult for future premiers to unwind. Mr. Kenney could jam in more activities in the days ahead, just before a new premier is sworn in, an event that could come just after the Thanksgiving long weekend.”
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail)on Conservatives deciding to compete in the victimhood Olympics: “The Conservatives are supposed to be a party of sobriety, one that understands the difference between a genuine incitement to violence and a figure of speech – not one that melts into a puddle when they hear the latter. So what if a Liberal MP might interpret the same tweet as a bona fide threat on his life and lap up support and sympathy from colleagues and the public? Let him. The Conservatives are, by their own telling, better than that: focusing on real issues like the cost of living and the fact that some people still can’t get passports. Instead, they’ve spent the last week-and-a-half painting exaggerated frowns on their faces and lumbering around like sad clowns.”
Mark Carney (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on the U.K. tax cuts and how, with one foot on the brakes, it’s foolish to stomp on the gas: “With trade agreements with the U.S., Mexico, the EU and much of Asia, we are well positioned to bring global production and high-paying jobs to Canada. We can build sustainable solutions to global energy security. And with the right support, Canadian workers can seize the benefits of the digital and sustainable revolutions. But to get there, we need a transformation of economic policy. That includes urgent federal-provincial collaboration to build a clean electricity grid by 2035. It means comprehensive tax reform to favour skills development and business investment. It requires bold new approaches so our colleges, institutes and universities provide mid-career training for every Canadian who wants it. It demands a financial system that supports an energy transition that seizes our full potential as an energy superpower.”
Shachi Kurl (The Ottawa Citizen)on how Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre face a similar challenge in attracting voters: “What remains the same, for now anyway, is the inability of Poilievre and his rival, Justin Trudeau, to overcome an unlikability factor outside their own support bases that leaves both incapable of impressing a broader segment of the population. Without change, the result will most certainly be continued frustration for the actors involved. Those bearing witness to an increasingly polarized political climate aren’t likely to fare much better if they are looking for leadership that unites rather than divides.”
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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.
