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Thorny issues on the table as Biden makes presidential visit to Canada this week

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The ambassadors for both Canada and the United States sought to downplay differences between the two countries on key issues Sunday, ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s first official in-person visit to Canada this week.

Talks during the visit are expected to focus on a series of thorny issues, including defence, migration, economic development and the situation in Haiti.

But in separate interviews airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, both Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and American ambassador to Canada David Cohen sought to put forward a more sunny view of the relationship.

“[Biden] likes Canada, he cares about Canada, and the United States cares about Canada,” Cohen told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

 

Biden will make first official visit to Ottawa on Thursday

7 hours ago

Duration 7:51

Rosemary Barton Live speaks with U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen about what to expect during U.S. President Joe Biden’s first official visit to Ottawa since taking office.

Hillman said the conversation would inevitably turn to global issues of concern, but “we’ll also focus on how we’re sources of strength for each other.”

“I think that’s going to be the theme of this visit, that we are there making each other stronger and better,” she said.

Biden made a virtual visit to Canada in February 2021, speaking with Trudeau via video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden will become the eighth U.S. president to make an address to Parliament on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama receives a standing ovation prior to addressing Parliament in the House of Commons in Ottawa on June 29, 2016, the last time a U.S. president addressed Canadian parliamentarians. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Migration a major issue

One area where Hillman did acknowledge some tension was the area of migration, which has become once more a major concern with increased irregular crossings in places like Roxham Road, Que. Meanwhile, the United States has its own ongoing concerns about travel over its southern border with Mexico.

“It’s a crisis of very significant proportions and it’s a crisis of important proportions for us too in Canada with Roxham Road,” Hillman said.

But the ambassador said she has faith that the United States would take Canadian concerns seriously.

 

Migration and NORAD top priorities for Trudeau during Biden’s first official visit on Thursday

 

Rosemary Barton Live speaks with Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s top priorities during U.S. President Joe Biden’s first official visit to Ottawa since taking office. She says discussions about migration, NORAD and Haiti are all on the agenda

“I’ve been ambassador for three years, and there isn’t a single topic with the Biden administration that we have said, ‘Look, this is really important to us, they need to work on this’ where they’ve said, ‘Look, it’s not a priority for us, sorry.’ Not once.”

Canada has pushed the United States to start negotiations on revamping the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). The STCA compels people to make refugee claims in the first safe country they enter — in this case, the U.S. — unless they cross into Canada via an unofficial port of entry like Roxham Road.

Cohen left the door open to a “revised” agreement but reiterated the American view that work should be done to address the root causes of migration.

“I think the Safe Third Country Agreement can can easily be a part of that discussion, and how a revised Safe Third Country Agreement could help bring under control some of the underlying root causes of irregular migration,” he said.

Cohen also noted the ongoing discussion about a potential force to help stabilize Haiti — with Biden officials reportedly pushing for Canada to take a leading role — but also kept the door open Sunday around other options such as sanctions or additional aid to Haitian police.

Hillman pushed back on the idea that Canada was feeling the heat from Washington on the issue of Haiti.

“Pressure’s not a word I would use here,” she said, framing it more as a constructive dialogue to look for solutions that worked for both sides of the border and Haitians themselves.

Defence spending and continental security

Cohen similarly downplayed any tensions around defence spending, with the federal government set to unveil a budget later this month.

“There won’t necessarily be contention around these issues because I think Canada and the United States agree on the need for enhanced spending in the defence space,” he said.

Hillman also focused on the accomplishments of joint institutions like NORAD — recently in the news due to the downing of unidentified objects over North American airspace.

“I think the U.S. is very pleased with the announcements we made so far with respect to NORAD modernization” and with the decision to buy 88 F-35 fighters, Hillman said.

Asked about the visit during a health-care announcement Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Trudeau’s approach to the bilateral relationship as weak, saying “Canadians are getting ripped off by the United States.”

He noted three main areas of contention — trade, Buy American provisions and border control — where he said Canada needs to act more forcefully. He said Trudeau lacked respect on the world stage from leaders like Joe Biden and Xi Jinping of China.

“They believe they can walk all over him, that they can hit us with tariffs and discriminatory Buy American policy and Trudeau won’t do anything about it.”

Chrétien reflects on decision to keep Canada out of Iraq war

 

Rosemary Barton Live speaks with Canada’s former prime minister Jean Chrétien about his decision 20 years ago to keep Canada out of the war in Iraq.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien also reflected in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday about his experience managing Canada’s most important bilateral relations, saying it was “always very complicated.”

But almost 20 years after the American invasion of Iraq, he said it was good Canada had asserted itself.

“It was a great indication that we were a very independent nation, that we were not a 51st state of America that too often some people think we were.”

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Saskatchewan Party’s Moe pledges change room ban in schools; Beck calls it desperate

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REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.

Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.

He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.

It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.

“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.

He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.

Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.

“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.

The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.

“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.

“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”

Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.

Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.

“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.

“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”

Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.

People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.

“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.

The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.

The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.

Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.

Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.

She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.

“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.

“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.

“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”

She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.

“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”

Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.

Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.

Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

— With files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

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Promise tracker: What the Saskatchewan Party and NDP pledge to do if they win Oct. 28

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REGINA – Saskatchewan‘s provincial election is on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at some of the campaign promises made by the two major parties:

Saskatchewan Party

— Continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa on natural gas until the end of 2025.

— Reduce personal income tax rates over four years; a family of four would save $3,400.

— Double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year and the benefit for children with disabilities to $400 a year.

— Direct all school divisions to ban “biological boys” from girls’ change rooms in schools.

— Increase the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from $10,000.

— Reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, allowing homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation costs on their income taxes; seniors could claim up to $5,000.

— Extend coverage for insulin pumps and diabetes supplies to seniors and young adults

— Provide a 50 per cent refundable tax credit — up to $10,000 — to help cover the cost of a first fertility treatment.

— Hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more officers with the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.

— Amend legislation to provide police with more authority to address intoxication, vandalism and disturbances on public property.

— Platform cost of $1.2 billion, with deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in 2027.

NDP

— Pause the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax for six months, saving an average family about $350.

— Remove the provincial sales tax from children’s clothes and ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and granola bars.

— Pass legislation to limit how often and how much landlords can raise rent.

— Repeal the law that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.

— Launch a provincewide school nutrition program.

— Build more schools and reduce classroom sizes.

— Hire 800 front-line health-care workers in areas most in need.

— Launch an accountability commission to investigate cost overruns for government projects.

— Scrap the marshals service.

— Hire 100 Mounties and expand detox services.

— Platform cost of $3.5 billion, with small deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in the fourth year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct .17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Bad weather forecast for B.C. election day as record numbers vote in advance polls

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VANCOUVER – More than a million British Columbians have already cast their provincial election ballots, smashing the advance voting record ahead of what weather forecasters say will be a rain-drenched election day in much of B.C., with snow also predicted for the north.

Elections BC said Thursday that 1,001,331 people had cast ballots in six days of advance voting, easily breaking a record set during the pandemic election four years ago.

More than 28 per cent of all registered electors have voted, potentially putting the province on track for a big final turnout on Saturday.

“It reflects what I believe, which is this election is critically important for the future of our province,” New Democrat Leader David Eby said Thursday at a news conference in Vancouver. “I understand why British Columbians are out in numbers. We haven’t seen questions like this on the ballot in a generation.”

He said voters are faced with the choice of supporting his party’s plans to improve affordability, public health care and education, while the B.C. Conservatives, led by John Rustad, are proposing to cut services and are fielding candidates who support conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and espouse racist views.

Rustad held no public availabilities on Thursday.

Elections BC said the record advance vote tally includes about 223,000 people who voted on the final day of advance voting Wednesday, the last day of advance polls, shattering the one-day record set on Tuesday by more than 40,000 votes.

The previous record for advance voting in a B.C. election was set in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when about 670,000 people voted early, representing about 19 per cent of registered voters.

Some ridings have now seen turnout of more than 35 per cent, including in NDP Leader David Eby’s Vancouver-Point Grey riding where 36.5 per cent of all electors have voted.

There has also been big turnout in some Vancouver Island ridings, including Oak Bay-Gordon Head, where 39 per cent of electors have voted, and Victoria-Beacon Hill, where Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau is running, with 37.2 per cent.

Advance voter turnout in Rustad’s riding of Nechako Lakes was 30.5 per cent.

Total turnout in 2020 was 54 per cent, down from about 61 per cent in 2017.

Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia, said many factors are at play in the advance voter turnout.

“If you have an early option, if you have an option where there are fewer crowds, fewer lineups that you have to deal with, then that’s going to be a much more desirable option,” said Prest.

“So, having the possibility of voting across multiple advanced voting days is something that more people are looking to as a way to avoid last-minute lineups or heavy weather.”

Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.

Environment Canada said the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.

Eby said the forecast of an atmospheric weather storm on election day will become a “ballot question” for some voters who are concerned about the approaches the parties have towards addressing climate change.

But he said he is confident people will not let the storm deter them from voting.

“I know British Columbians are tough and they’re not going to let even an atmospheric river stop them from voting,” said Eby.

In northern B.C., heavy snow is in the forecast starting Friday and through to Saturday for areas along the Yukon boundary.

Elections BC said it will focus on ensuring it is prepared for bad weather, said Andrew Watson, senior director of communications.

“We’ve also been working with BC Hydro to make sure that they’re aware of all of our voting place locations so that they can respond quickly if there are any power outages,” he said.

Elections BC also has paper backups for all of its systems in case there is a power outage, forcing them to go through manual procedures, Watson said.

Prest said the dramatic downfall of the Official Opposition BC United Party just before the start of the campaign and voter frustration could also be contributing to the record size of the advance vote.

It’s too early to say if the province is experiencing a “renewed enthusiasm for voting,” he said.

“As a political scientist, I think it would be a good thing to see, but I’m not ready to conclude that’s what we are seeing just yet,” he said, adding, “this is one of the storylines to watch come Saturday.”

Overall turnout in B.C. elections has generally been dwindling compared with the 71.5 per cent turnout for the 1996 vote.

Adam Olsen, Green Party campaign chair, said the advance voting turnout indicates people are much more engaged in the campaign than they were in the weeks leading up to the start of the campaign in September.

“All we know so far is that people are excited to go out and vote early,” he said. “The real question will be does that voter turnout stay up throughout election night?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said more than 180,000 voters cast their votes on Wednesday.

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