2020 has been a year like no other and that goes double for all things political.
While most people will be happy to close the door on the past 12 months, the team at CBC News Network’s Power & Politics took a look back at the top five political stories from this year, because, as they say, “hindsight is 2020.”
To help wrap things up, our Power Panel — Hill Times’ managing editor Charelle Evelyn, Amanda Alvaro of Pomp and Circumstance, Summa Strategies’ Tim Powers and Kathleen Monk of Earnscliffe Strategy Group — helped host Vassy Kapelos count down the key political moments from this year.
You can catch the full show Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.
5. Conservative leadership race
The race to replace Andrew Scheer as leader of the Conservative party takes the number five spot.
The contest started with much speculation over who would compete for the top Tory job — and included names like Rona Ambrose, Pierre Poilievre and Jean Charest.
But after the pandemic forced the party to suspend the race and delay the vote, Conservatives had four candidates to chose from in August: Erin O’Toole, Peter MacKay, Leslyn Lewis and Derek Sloan.
In a fitting end to the a 2020 leadership contest, O’Toole won after a six-hour delay due to glitches with the ballots, beating out MacKay in the final round of the run-off style vote.
The team at Power & Politics breaks down the top five political stories of 2020. 7:10
In his victory speech, O’Toole pledged to widen the Conservative base.
“I believe that whether you are Black, white, brown or from any race or creed, whether you are LGBT or straight, whether you are an Indigenous Canadian or have joined the Canadian family three weeks ago or three generations ago … whether you’re doing well or barely getting by. Whether you worship on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or not at all … you are an important part of Canada and you have a home in the Conservative Party of Canada,” he said.
4. Systemic racism
Number four is a topic that many governments and public officials struggled with this year — systemic racism.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked outrage and calls to end systemic racism in the United States and across the globe, including Canada.
While protests gripped several U.S. cities, rallies and demonstrations also took place here at home — including in the nation’s capital, where the Prime Minister attended.
The team at Power & Politics breaks down the top five political stories of 2020. 9:46
Public officials faced questions about what could be done to end systemic racism in Canada.
Most notably, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki struggled to with the term systemic racism, before making an about face and admitting it exists within the national police force.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was later booted from the House of Commons for refusing to apologize or withdraw comments directed at Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien. Singh had tried to get all parties to agree to a motion recognizing the existence of systemic racism in the RCMP. After Therrien was the only MP to vote against the motion, thus defeating it, Singh called Therrien a racist, resulting in his expulsion from the house.
Quebec Premier François Legault has likewise faced fierce criticism for not acknowledging the existence of systemic racism in his province.
3. U.S. election
For number three, we turn our gaze south of the border to the U.S. presidential election.
The campaign itself was different due to the pandemic, not least of all when a debate had to be cancelled after President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19.
Then 2020 struck again on Nov. 3, leaving no clear winner after election night.
What followed were days of counting absentee and mail-in ballots that had everyone — including Canada’s federal government — on the edge of their seats waiting for a final result.
The team at Power & Politics breaks down the top five political stories of 2020. 6:59
It wouldn’t be until four days after election night that the race was called, with democratic candidate Joe Biden winning the presidency after securing enough electoral college votes.
But afterward, President Trump refused to concede, making false claims about voter fraud and launching several legal challenges in an attempt to overturn the results in some states.
Multiple states, including Georgia and Wisconsin, conducted recounts. But in the end Biden still had enough votes to claim victory.
2. WE Charity scandal
In a year that has been gripped by a pandemic, it’s somewhat hard to pick out just one pandemic-related story that would make the cut for this list.
Yet coming in at number two is the WE Charity scandal.
The scandal rose out of what was supposed to be a pandemic support program for students, one that would offer money from the federal government for completing a specific number of volunteer hours during the summer break.
The WE Charity was originally tapped to administer the program, but the entire thing fell apart after it was revealed that members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family had previously been paid by the charity.
The team at Power & Politics breaks down the top five political stories of 2020. 8:53
What followed were weeks of outcry from the opposition. Trudeau and WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger were brought before committee to testify.
Trudeau said he pushed back against a public service recommendation to have WE administer the program, but ultimately didn’t recuse himself when the decision was put before cabinet.
It was later revealed that then Finance Minister Bill Morneau had cut the cheque to the organization during the scandal. The money was to repay the travel expenses incurred by WE related to two 2017 trips he and his family took with the organization.
Morneau would later resign from his position as finance minister and leave parliament entirely, though he has maintained his decision to leave had nothing to do with the scandal.
The WE Charity would also later announce that they would be winding down operations in Canada.
1. COVID-19 Pandemic
In what should come as a surprise to no one, the pandemic takes the top spot for this year’s political story.
No other event in recent memory has changed so fundamentally the world as we know it, including our politics.
As mentioned previously, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the U.S. election as well as Canada’s Conservative leadership race, but it goes far beyond that.
Even before the pandemic took hold in this country, the federal government was forced to organize a charter plane to bring Canadian citizens and permanent residents home from Wuhan, China, the original epicentre of the pandemic.
But it was when the virus arrived in Canada and started to spread that life really began to change here.
The team at Power & Politics breaks down the top five political stories of 2020. 9:21
Just last year the Liberal government was defending its deficit spending by claiming it had the best debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.
That was thrown out the window when suddenly people were being asked to stay home and employees were forced to shut down their shops and lay off workers.
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.
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