Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ruling out any negotiations with representatives of the protests that shut down most of downtown Ottawa over the weekend and continued for a third day on Monday.
As MPs returned to Parliament after the Christmas break, Mr. Trudeau told a news conference that he has attended protests in past, but chosen not to go anywhere near any that have expressed “hateful rhetoric” or perform violence toward fellow citizens.
Scores of trucks have filled the core of the nation’s capital in a protest that began last week to denounce the vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers by the Canadian and American governments, but has come to involve various issues around pandemic restrictions.
Referring to various incidents over the weekend, Mr. Trudeau said, “Over the past few days, Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital. I want to be very clear: We are not intimidated by those who hurl abuse at small-business workers and steal food from the homeless.”
“We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave in to those who engage in vandalism, or dishonour the memory of our veterans.”
Mr. Trudeau, who earlier Monday disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19, also said during the news conference that two of his three children had tested positive for COVID-19.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
TRUDEAU COUNTS ON BLOC AND NDP SUPPORT – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is counting on the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to help his minority Liberal government get things done in the face of what he anticipates will be systematic obstructionism by the Conservatives. Story here.
KENNEY DENOUNCES TRUCK CONVOY – Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says a truck convoy that’s blockaded a highway at a busy U.S. border crossing as part of a protest against vaccine mandates violates the province’s Traffic Safety Act and must end immediately. Story here.
LIBERALS FACE TIGHT TIMELINE TO MEET 100-DAY DEADLINE – As the 44th edition of the Canadian Parliament returns Monday after its winter break, the federal Liberal government has only a few days to deliver on its promises for its first 100 days in office. Among legislation promised but not yet introduced are bills to combat online hate; to regulate foreign web giants; and to better protect Canada’s critical infrastructure, including 5G networks. Story here, from CBC.
BC LIBERALS LEADER CHOICE LOOMS – A new leader will be chosen by British Columbia’s Liberals on Saturday after a months-long campaign that often focused on renewal and a new course for a party that has lost successive elections after 16 years in power. Story here from CBC.
UKRAINE
ANAND DETAILS TROOP MOVEMENT – Defence Minister Anita Anand says all Canadian troops stationed in Ukraine have been moved west of the country’s Dnieper River as worries about a possible Russian invasion continue to grow. Story here.
NATO THINK-TANK HEAD WARNS OF RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION – The head of a NATO think tank that studies Russian information warfare says the country has ramped up disinformation campaigns that are playing a significant role in the Ukraine crisis, as Moscow tries to refashion the narrative of the conflict. Story here.
UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS HONE MARTIAL SKILLS – Ukrainian civilians are training to to defend their northern border with skills learned from Canada. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
LE COUTEUR TO CTV – Michael Le Couteur is taking on a new assignment as senior political correspondent for CTV News Channel this month, ending a 21-year run at Global National.
THE DECIBEL –On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Kate Taylor, a cultural columnist and visual arts critic for the Globe, talks about how people are feeling in the arts industry given it has been decimated by COVID-19 lockdowns with – according to the Canadian Association for Performing Arts – one in four workers having lost their jobs in 2020. She also talks about hopes for a comeback, and how the artistic community might one day look back and reflect on this unprecedented time. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister speaks with Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King. The Prime Minister holds a news conference. He also virtually attends Question Period, participates in a debate on the Ukraine and participates in a virtual celebration of the Lunar New Year. An interview with the Prime Minister appears on Vancouver’s Fairchild Radio 96.1 FM and 1470 AM.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks virtually to the media, attends Question Period, and delivers a speech in honor of the late NDP leader Alexa McDonough, and participates in a debate on the situation in the Ukraine.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
PUBLIC OPINION
O’TOOLE TRAPPED – Philippe J. Fournier of 338Canada writes in Maclean’s about how federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is trapped, with his latest personal popularity numbers bleak inside and outside his party. Story here.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on how a protest that’s focused on truckers poses a bigger question for politicians who want to embrace it: “But now that it is clear the protests are not just about cross-border rules for truckers, the question is whether Conservatives, and premiers other than Mr. Moe, will still embrace them. Part of that answer might depend on how the protests end. Mr. Trudeau isn’t going to do an about-face. Parliament is to resume sitting Monday. The protesters’ numbers were dwindling Sunday, but it’s not clear how the protest will evolve. From Day One, it wasn’t mostly about the truckers.”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail)on how Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is taking a big gamble by siding with trucker-convoy protesters: “The cynical might believe that the Conservative Leader is simply trying to outflank opponents within his own party. Former leader Andrew Scheer, deputy leader Candice Bergen, finance critic Pierre Poilievre, MPs Leslyn Lewis and Mark Strahl and several others have declared their solidarity with the protesters. Many of them also publicly or privately oppose the Durham MP’s continued leadership. Is Mr. O’Toole hoping to accommodate conservative populists who have grown impatient with his more progressive stands on the environment and minority rights by catering to anti-vaxxers? He says no.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail)on how the trucker convoy has evolved into something far more dangerous: “There is likely a faction of those involved in the trucker convoy, now making its way to the capital, who believe they are part of a legitimate protest. But as well-meaning as some of these people may be, it’s now clear that this demonstration has been hijacked by a fringe element that sounds an awful lot like the “freedom fighters” and “patriots” who gathered at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, and ended up storming the premises in a poorly organized coup d’état. In fact, some of those involved have called for precisely this type of action. It’s something the RCMP, I hope, is taking seriously, regardless of what organizers are saying about this being a non-violent demonstration. Not-so-funny things happen when mobs gather and are incited by outside elements.”
Kelly Egan (The Ottawa Citizen)on how the truckers convoy has lost the room – now how do we lose the trucks?: “In the course of a couple of hours, the “movement” was being blamed for disrespecting the two things in Canada that cannot ever be disrespected – the memory of Terry Fox and the graves of our war dead. If that wasn’t bad enough, there came news a pair of protesters were harassing the homeless, being aggressive, even racist, toward a shelter security guard and taking food set aside for street people. And this is how your “message” gets – not just lost – but reversed. Freedom? Freedom to do that?”
Alison Shaw (Policy Options)on how, to climate-proof public infrastructure, we must reconsider the conventional emissions-intensive approaches that got us here in the first place: “But here is the truth. We cannot repair and replace climate-damaged or destroyed infrastructure the same way we built it in the first place. Emissions- and capital-intensive solutions that involve pouring more concrete and building more roads are maladaptive. In other words, resorting to the same approaches that got us into this mess won’t get us out of it. It is a classic negative feedback loop. The more we build defensively with high-carbon solutions, working against natural systems, the less resilient our social systems, services and communities become, and the higher the costs of repairing them will be the next time.”
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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
