Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s hoping for a decline in interest rates at some point this year, pointing to inflation rate news as the basis for his optimism.
In Vancouver today, Trudeau noted “the good news” that the inflation rate has dropped below three per cent, which is a target that the Bank of Canada had set.
“So we are optimistic that the Bank of Canada will start bringing down interest rates some time this year, hopefully sooner rather than later,” Trudeau said as he appeared with B.C. Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim at a housing announcement.
“But that is their decision to make,” Trudeau said.
Eby, who last year wrote to Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem asking him to consider the “human impact” of rate hikes, raised concerns about interest rates at the event with the Prime Minister.
“The Bank of Canada continues to hit us with high interest rates, driving inflation up, driving up the cost of housing,” Eby said.
“My concern with current interest rates and British Columbia is that the biggest driver of costs for families here is when they go to renew their mortgage, and they amount they used to pay is now doubling, or in any event, dramatically increasing beyond what their budgets can afford.”
Economics Reporter Matt Lundy reports here that the headline inflation rate has fallen back within the Bank of Canada’s target range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent, only the second time that’s happened since consumer prices began to flare up in 2021.
At today’s Vancouver announcement, the Prime Minister and B.C. Premier announced that Ottawa is providing $2-billion in loans to spur B.C. construction of more than 8,000 rental units.
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Quebec calls out Ottawa for ‘inaction’ on asylum seekers, demands $1-billion compensation: Three provincial ministers held a news conference today demanding the federal government stop the arrival of would-be refugees in Quebec, transfer those already in the province more equally across Canada, and reimburse the province for settling refugee claimants.
Canada should join non-nuclear part of AUKUS defence pact, say former British and Australian PMs: Former British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Elizabeth Truss and former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott are all quoted in an article by the London-based Legatum Institute encouraging the possible entry of Canada into the security pact between Australia, Britain and the United States to counter China’s rising military might in the Indo-Pacific region. Story here.
Canadian parts found in weapons used by Russian military in attacks on Ukraine: The parts were located in three Iranian-made combat drones, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention’s War and Sanctions database shows.
Newfoundland seeks answers after ‘shocking’ spending on temporary nurses: Tom Osborne, the province’s Health Minister, has asked the health authority to look into what happened to $1.6-million in meal allowances paid to a Toronto-based nursing agency after a Globe and Mail investigation of Canada’s burgeoning for-profit health worker industry. Story here.
Former Ontario nuclear plant operator employee charged in secretive leak case: In a case unfolding in a courtroom east of Toronto, Global News reports James Mousaly faces a rare charge under the Security of Information Act.
Senators receive panic buttons in response to rising concerns about security on Parliament Hill: CBC reports that the Senate and the Parliamentary Protective Service have refused to say what prompted the decision to offer senators panic buttons, or how much the measure is costing.
Catching up with Ottawa’s former mayor: Jim Watson, the longest-serving mayor for Canada’s capital, provides an update to the Ottawa Citizen on how life has been going since he left office in 2022, including his thoughts on the city’s troubled LRT system.
Liberal MP eyeing bid to become Halifax mayor: Andy Filmore tells Global News he is “thinking very seriously” about trying to replace Mike Savage, who is standing down after a dozen years in the job.
Duclos makes the case for renovation of the Supreme Court: “It has never been refurbished, and what we are going to do in the next years will have a value that will extend over decades and decades to come,” Jean-Yves Duclos said in an interview in the lobby of the building where cases were first heard in 1946.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“We’ll stand in the rain. We’ll stand in the snow if you give us another $3-billion….I am not kidding about standing in the snow” – Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, commenting on the rain at a housing announcement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby.
“Confusion between the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency about their respective roles and responsibilities for the application led to an accountability void that persisted for close to a year and a half.” – Auditor-General Karen Hogan, appearing before the Commons public accounts committee, on her report on the ArriveCan application.
“There continue to be ongoing investigations both external and otherwise into the contracting process. It is obvious the contracting process rules were not followed in this case and we need to make sure there is accountability and transparency around that.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at a news conference in Vancouver, responding to a question about the ArriveCan controversy.
THIS AND THAT
Commons and Senate on a break: Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks until Feb. 26.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Private meetings in Quebec City. Chrystia Freeland also held roundtable discussions with clean-energy leaders and as part of pre-budget consultations and delivered remarks and participated in a fireside conversation at the 2024 symposium of the Quebec Association for Renewable Energy Production.
Ministers on the road: With the Commons on a week-long break, ministers are fanning out across Canada. Treasury Board President Anita Anand, in Oakville, Ont., and acting on behalf of Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for electric-vehicle infrastructure. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, in Powell River, B.C., made an infrastructure announcement with Chief John Hackett Hegus of the Tla’amin Nation. National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in Sherbrooke, Que., announced federal support for the pork sector. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, in the Quebec city of Rouyn-Noranda, participated in discussions with representatives of the mining and critical minerals sector and held a news conference. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, also responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced the agency will invest $1.7-million to help small- and medium-sized businesses. Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, announced the federal government will be contributing to a $4.3-million project to improve shoreline and erosion controls involving Ottawa, the province and municipalities. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in the Brazilian city of Belem as part of a visit that includes travelling to Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday and Thursday to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, in Winnipeg, made an infrastructure announcement at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Justice Minister Arif Virani, in Toronto, made a funding announcement to support access to legal services and advice for Ukrainian nationals seeking refuge in Canada.
Italy’s Prime Minister is visiting: Giorgia Meloni will visit Toronto on March 2, Justin Trudeau’s office has announced. It will be her first official visit to Canada since she was elected to the office in 2022.
New diplomats: Diplomats from six new countries are presenting their credentials to Governor-General Mary Simon today. They are designated ambassadors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan, Greece, Algeria, Tunisia and Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau, in Vancouver, made a housing announcement with B.C. Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. Later, Trudeau participated in an event with local high-school students and visited a local community centre to meet with seniors.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is on a trip to the Quebec city of La Malbaie that began Monday and continues through to Wednesday. Commitments today include meetings with representatives of the Quebec fishing community, and a news conference.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, with deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault, visited the Ontario legislature, for the first sitting day of newly elected Green member Aislinn Clancy, representing Kitchener Centre. In the evening, they attended the annual general meeting of the Greens University-Rosedale Association.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has no public events scheduled today.
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Nenshi would be exciting to Alberta New Democrats: One in three Albertans who say they are likely to buy a provincial NDP membership also say they would be “excited” if former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi becomes party leader, according to a new Pollara survey.
OPINION
Canada needs a clear path to a robust defence
“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has at least one thing right about Canada’s continuing failure to meet its defence-spending commitments as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization: It undermines Canadian sovereignty by inviting the United States to step into the resulting vacuum.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Pointe-Claire demonstrates the nonsense in Poilievre’s housing formula
“Pierre Poilievre held a press event in a shopping-mall parking lot in Montréal’s West Island railing about big-city bureaucrats blocking the development of housing. The mall is near a soon-to-be-built station on a new REM train line partially funded by the federal government, and the Conservative Leader showed up last Thursday morning to complain that bureaucracy is blocking plans to build apartments near the station.” – Campbell Clark
Former Alberta premier Don Getty’s personal story behind the first Family Day
“If you have any time to take a break, you can go back to the story of Family Day, with former Progressive Conservative premier Don Getty taking a leading role. In promoting the new holiday – which was probably his most memorable achievement – Mr. Getty often implored Albertans to take the time to “reflect” on family. It’s always been hard to separate that plea from some of the darkest days in his own family’s story.” – Kelly Cryderman
The federal Liberals and Ontario Tories are fighting again – and it won’t end well for Trudeau
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford depend on the same voters to stay in power. They used to fight each other for those voters’ support. Then they learned that co-operation worked better. Now it seems they’re fighting again. It’s a fight that Mr. Trudeau is likely to lose.” – John Ibbitson
Why is Quebec the only province to give impaired drivers such a long leash?
“Earlier this month, Élizabeth Rivera and Antoine Bittar, a Quebec couple whose daughter died in a drunk-driving crash, testified at a legislative committee that they were told that, in order to meet the province’s Transport Minister, Geneviève Guilbault, they would have to pay $100 each to attend a cocktail-party fundraiser. The passing comment landed like a bombshell, because it suggested that anyone looking to influence government policy needed to “pay to play.”– André Picard
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OTTAWA – Several federal political parties are expressing reservations about the prospect of fresh regulations to prevent foreign meddlers from tainting their candidate nomination processes.
Elections Canada has suggested possible changes to safeguard nominations, including barring non-citizens from helping choose candidates, requiring parties to publish contest rules and explicitly outlawing behaviour such as voting more than once.
However, representatives of the Bloc Québécois, Green Party and NDP have told a federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference that such changes may be unwelcome, difficult to implement or counterproductive.
The Canada Elections Act currently provides for limited regulation of federal nomination races and contestants.
For instance, only contestants who accept $1,000 in contributions or incur $1,000 in expenses have to file a financial return. In addition, the act does not include specific obligations concerning candidacy, voting, counting or results reporting other than the identity of the successful nominee.
A report released in June by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians expressed concern about how easily foreign actors can take advantage of loopholes and vulnerabilities to support preferred candidates.
Lucy Watson, national director of the NDP, told the inquiry Thursday she had concerns about the way in which new legislation would interact with the internal decision-making of the party.
“We are very proud of the fact that our members play such a significant role in shaping the internal policies and procedures and infrastructure of the party, and I would not want to see that lost,” she said.
“There are guidelines, there are best practices that we would welcome, but if we were to talk about legal requirements and legislation, that’s something I would have to take away and put further thought into, and have discussions with folks who are integral to the party’s governance.”
In an August interview with the commission of inquiry, Bloc Québécois executive director Mathieu Desquilbet said the party would be opposed to any external body monitoring nomination and leadership contest rules.
A summary tabled Thursday says Desquilbet expressed doubts about the appropriateness of requiring nomination candidates to file a full financial report with Elections Canada, saying the agency’s existing regulatory framework and the Bloc’s internal rules on the matter are sufficient.
Green Party representatives Jon Irwin and Robin Marty told the inquiry in an August interview it would not be realistic for an external body, like Elections Canada, to administer nomination or leadership contests as the resources required would exceed the federal agency’s capacity.
A summary of the interview says Irwin and Marty “also did not believe that rules violations could effectively be investigated by an external body like the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections.”
“The types of complaints that get raised during nomination contests can be highly personal, politically driven, and could overwhelm an external body.”
Marty, national campaign director for the party, told the inquiry Thursday that more reporting requirements would also place an administrative burden on volunteers and riding workers.
In addition, he said that disclosing the vote tally of a nomination contest could actually help foreign meddlers by flagging the precise number of ballots needed for a candidate to be chosen.
Irwin, interim executive director of the Greens, said the ideal tactic for a foreign country would be working to get someone in a “position of power” within a Canadian political party.
He said “the bad guys are always a step ahead” when it comes to meddling in the Canadian political process.
In May, David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service at the time, said it was very clear from the design of popular social media app TikTok that data gleaned from its users is available to the Chinese government.
A December 2022 CSIS memo tabled at the inquiry Thursday said TikTok “has the potential to be exploited” by Beijing to “bolster its influence and power overseas, including in Canada.”
Asked about the app, Marty told the inquiry the Greens would benefit from more “direction and guidance,” given the party’s lack of resources to address such things.
Representatives of the Liberal and Conservative parties are slated to appear at the inquiry Friday, while chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault is to testify at a later date.
After her party representatives appeared Thursday, Green Leader Elizabeth May told reporters it was important for all party leaders to work together to come up with acceptable rules.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
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.
