Trudeau was also the subject of an attack ad against the provincial NDP by the Saskatchewan Party that was sent out as a robotext to Saskatchewan cellphone owners on Tuesday.
The video ad starts with the text “the NDP is Trudeau’s choice for Saskatchewan.” The ad uses photos from Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck’s trip to Ottawa last week. It claims that Beck attended a meeting to plot a strategy to get Trudeau and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh re-elected.
A composite image is shown of the three leaders sitting at a table with a blue backdrop. Each met individually with the Canadian Labour Congress but were not in the room together.
The CLC held a meeting last week to “to discuss how they will advance the rights of workers.” The CLC news release is titled “labour reps discuss election strategy and union momentum.”
Premier Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party have taken that and turned it into a political talking point and ad.
In question period on Tuesday, Moe responded to an affordability question from Beck and said the federal carbon tax was an issue.
“Makes me wonder why that leader and members of that caucus answered the call to arms to attend the Trudeau campaign school to keep that individual in place that is going to continue to increase the affordability challenges that Saskatchewan and Canadian families are facing today, far into the future,” Moe said.
Ads meant to distract: Beck
When asked by reporters about the ad, Beck said, “I grew up on a farm, I know a little B.S. when I see it.”
Beck said the ads are meant to “distract” from issues in health care, education and the economy.
“I’m proud of the meetings that we had,” Beck said Monday. “We were in Ottawa talking about jobs, the economy.”
Beck said she did not meet with Trudeau but did meet with federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. She said she expressed her opposition to the federal consumer carbon tax.
“The consumer carbon tax is simply not on for us. The carve-out around heating fuel was unfair.”
WATCH | Sask. residents to keep carbon rebate:
Sask. residents will get carbon tax rebates despite province withholding funds
4 days ago
Duration 2:01
Saskatchewan residents will continue to receive carbon tax rebates from the federal government, despite the province not sending the funds it collects for home heating taxes to Ottawa.
Feds, Sask. differ on carbon tax collection consequences
The “carve-out” Beck is referring to is the exemption on heating oil the federal government applied last year which affects mostly Atlantic Canadians.
The policy choice rankled the Saskatchewan government and leaders in other provinces who called it unfair.
LISTEN | CBC’s Political Panel discusses Trudeau’s carbon rebate decision and Sask. Party ads
The Morning Edition – Sask13:07Political Panel – Apr 26
<p>The prime minister says he won’t punish Saskatchewan people for the actions of our provincial government. We heard this week that we’ll get the full amount of our carbon tax rebates, despite the province not sending on all the tax we owe. Our political panel is in.</p>
Following that decision, the province announced it would no longer remit a carbon levy owed to the federal government ($172 million in 2022).
That decision caused a response from federal cabinet ministers. Federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault called it “immoral” and “irresponsible” and said it was against the law.
Federal Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said people in the province “would no longer get the rebate.”
Wilkinson said the provincial government’s position was “almost unheard of” in Canada. He would later say the rebates could be scaled back and said there would be “consequences.”
‘Good luck’ arguing with CRA: Trudeau
On Tuesday, Trudeau said people in Saskatchewan paying the carbon tax would not have their rebate touched.
“Premier Moe has decided that he does not want to pay the money to CRA that he is owing. We will not penalize the people of Saskatchewan or in any jurisdiction for that.”
“I don’t know about you, but having an argument with CRA about not wanting to pay your taxes is not a position I want anyone to be in. Good luck with that, Premier Moe,” Trudeau said in Oakville, Ont. on Wednesday.
Duncan said proposed legislation in the federal budget suggests the federal government cannot easily collect money owed by not remitting the carbon levy.
“There is some language that talks about ensuring the minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency can share information with other government ministries or departments. My read of that would be that they might not have the ability they think they have, but we’ll wait to see. We haven’t seen the legislation yet.”
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.
