Some Conservatives are breaking away from the federal caucus’ support for the Freedom Convoy that has led to chaos in Ottawa.
The dissension comes after parliamentary reporter Marieke Walsh reported here that the Conservative Party’s new interim leader, Candice Bergen, advocated in internal discussions against asking the protesters to go home, according to an e-mail obtained by The Globe and Mail.
On Friday, Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson, a lifelong Conservative appointed to the senate in 2009 on the recommendation of former prime minister Stephen Harper, announced he’s quitting the Conservative senate caucus over the issue though he will hold on to his party membership.
“This is no longer a caucus I want to belong to,” Mr. Patterson said in an interview. “I do not support this approach, and I hope it will change.”
He said he has been disappointed at the absence of a Conservative condemnation of the continued “lawless occupation” of the downtown core of Ottawa. “It’s uncharacteristic for a party I always considered stood for law and order.”
“I was absolutely appalled at members of our caucus and even our new leadership associating themselves in any way with the racist, hateful, misogynist, white-supremacist hooligans in the so-called Freedom Convoy. That was what motivated me to finally make the step of realizing that these caucuses no longer represent the party I know,” he said, referring to the senate caucus and national caucus.
Meanwhile, Quebec MP Pierre Paul-Hus, the Conservative public-services critic, tweeted Friday that action against the protest is necessary after a week “undergoing the Siege of Ottawa.”
He suggested the motivation of truckers is unclear. “I ask that we clear the streets and that we stop this occupation controlled by radicals and anarchist groups.”
Ontario Conservative MP Dean Allison said he respects and values his colleague Mr. Paul-Hus, “but on this issue, I would have to strongly disagree with him.” He did not elaborate.
Amid the back and forth, Ms. Bergen called for a “peaceful resolution” to the impasse in a statement released by her office. She said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should “provide a clear plan” to end the situation in Ottawa. “Let’s work together to find solutions,” said the statement “To the truck drivers in Ottawa: please remain peaceful. Call out and denounce any acts of hate, racism, intolerance or violence.”
Meanwhile, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Friday that 150 additional police officers will be deployed throughout downtown Ottawa as part of a new strategy to manage the occupying demonstrators and restore a shaken trust with residents as thousands more are expected to arrive this weekend.
Parliamentary reporters Janice Dickson and Ms. Walsh report here on this development.
Elsewhere, more than 100 vehicles taking part in a protest convoy arrived in Quebec City Thursday ahead of a rally planned this weekend in front of the National Assembly. Story here from CBC.
And in Saskatchewan, the provincial legislature was closed Friday in advance of expected protest against COVID-19 restrictions while a protest against restrictions began in Winnipeg, outside the main entrance of the Manitoba legislature grounds.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
EMPLOYMENT PLUMMETS – Canadian employment plummeted in January and work absences because of illness soared to record levels as the Omicron variant drove a steep uptick in COVID-19 infections. The country lost 200,000 jobs last month, the first decline in employment since May, Statistics Canada said Friday. Story here.
TRUDEAU AND FREELAND MAKE APPEALS TO UKRAINE GOVERNMENT – Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland made personal appeals to persuade the Ukrainian government to not arrest and imprison former president Petro Poroshenko when he returned home in mid-January, two sources in Ottawa and one in Kyiv say. Story here.
TORIES LOOKING TO QUICKLY REPLACE O’TOOLE – Federal Conservatives say they have to move quickly to find a permanent replacement for Erin O’Toole,because the minority government means Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could trigger an early election. Story here.
MPS SUMMON GOFUNDME REPS – A committee of MPs has voted to summon representatives of GoFundMe to Parliament “as soon as possible” to answer questions about the California crowdfunding company’s ability to screen out hate campaigns. Story here.
HORGAN FEELS “PRETTY GOOD” AFTER CANCER TREATMENT – B.C. Premier John Horgan says he’s “feeling pretty good” after treatment for cancer diagnosed in November, and has lost 25 pounds in the process. “I had a couple of jackets taken in, so I’m ready to go,” Mr. Horgan said outside the B.C. legislature this week. Story here from City News 1130. Meanwhile, voting to elect the next leader of British Columbia’s Liberals is under way. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
The projected order of business at the House of Commons, Feb. 4 is here.
PARLIAMENTARY BLACK CAUCUS SPEAKS OUT ON PROTESTS – The Parliamentary Black Caucus, representing MPs and senators, is denouncing protests in Ottawa and Gatineau. “We strongly support the right of Canadians to protest. Regrettably, we believe that this protest became a venue for extremist elements to intimidate Members of Parliament, Senators, and the residents of Ottawa and Gatineau,” said a statement issued on Friday. The full text, including proposed actions, is here.
DEFENCE MINISTER TRIP TO EUROPE CONCLUDED – Defence Minister Anita Anand has concluded a week-long trip to Europe that included stops in Ukraine, at NATO headquarters and in Latvia. In Ukraine, Ms. Anand’s meetings included talks with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed on the Operation UNIFIER training mission. During the tour, she also met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
FEDERAL LIBERALS GATHER IN ONTARIO – The Liberal Party of Canada’s Ontario wing is holding a virtual convention on Friday and Saturday, with party leader Justin Trudeau expected to join 1,300 party members. Other speakers include Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Defence Minister Anita Anand and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
COLLEGIALITY IS POSSIBLE – Amidst turmoil across the aisle during the week, the federal Transport Minister here records a moment of collegiality with a member of the Official Opposition.
THE DECIBEL – On Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Asia Correspondent James Griffiths is in Beijing as the 2022 Winter Olympics begin in China’s capital. Mr. Griffiths talks about what it’s like to be inside the Olympic bubble and how politics are playing into these Games. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister was scheduled to speak with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to virtually meet with students from Smallwood Academy in Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet holds a media availability at Parliament Hill.
No schedules provided for other leaders.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon how protest is a legal right, but a blockade isn’t a legal protest: “Canadians have the right to protest – regardless of whether the cause is left, right, centre, trucker, whatever. But any time that interferes more than minimally and temporarily with the rights of others – and particularly when it moves from persuasion by words to physical interference – it ceases to enjoy the protection of the law. It becomes instead a threat to law and order. Police always have every reason to show patience, and to lean on negotiation rather than force. But at some point, one way or the other, the law and the rights of others must ultimately be upheld against illegal protests – be they left, right, centre, trucker, whatever.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on why it already looks like no Conservative will be able to challenge Pierre Poilievre for the party leadership: “He is a love-him-or-hate-him politician who garners tub-thumping applause from those who agree and revulsion from those who don’t. He made his name as a partisan pitbull and placed his flag on the right wing of his party. He is probably the best communicator the federal Conservatives have, but will nonpartisans learn to like him? That’s a question that gnaws at some in his party, and at some in the caucus of MPs around him, who fear that he will shrink the blue tent to a hard core, and turn off broad swaths of moderate suburban Canada. But a lot of them think he will win the leadership.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on how Erin O’Toole pushed around the Conservative caucus, as leaders always have but didn’t count on caucus pushing back:“Mr. O’Toole’s leadership was not the only problem facing the party – its internal divisions, as I wrote recently, are the real issue, of which his uncertain leadership was more consequence than cause – nor will it necessarily fare any better under a new leader. But the decision to remove him could have highly salutary effects in the long-term, and not only for the Conservative Party. After this, any future Conservative leader will be on notice: treat the caucus with respect, or face the same fate as Mr. O’Toole. The example having been set, it is not inconceivable that members of other party caucuses may one day demand a similar measure of respect. It was one thing when all caucuses were under the same yoke, seemingly in perpetuity. But now that the Conservatives have broken free, there is at last the potential for a “backbench spring,” a fundamental change in the balance of power between leader and caucus.”
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail)on why theConservatives need an affable, relatable new leader more than a right-wing one: “In theory, it was probably the right approach – tactically speaking – for Mr. O’Toole to campaign for the Conservative leadership as a true blue, then pivot to the centre for the general election in order to be as palatable as possible to the widest swath of Canadians. But his change was so stark that it left the membership feeling duped and betrayed, and he never quite found a way to relay to Canadians what his centre-right vision would look like. Constantly changing your mind will do that. The Conservatives need a normal, affable, relatable new leader far more than they need one who will bring the party back over to the right. But they might be too busy laughing at Mr. Poilievre’s jokes to come to that realization.”
Kelly Egan (The Ottawa Citizen) on how it’s time for Ottawa police to stop saying “all options are on the table” to deal with protest, and instead pick one and try it: “Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly seems like a nice guy. Here’s the problem. We don’t need a nice guy right now. We need a strong leader, someone not afraid to pick the right fight. At the end of his initial presentation to the police services board Wednesday, Sloly dramatically took off his glasses, stared into the camera and said one of the most dispiriting things we’ve heard all week: “There may not be a policing solution to this demonstration.” You know, the truckers must be laughing at us. We’ve basically admitted we think it’s too risky to attempt to forcibly remove them, one by one, because someone might get hurt or even killed.”
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FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
