Politics

Turkey raises public worker salaries by 45% days before elections

Published

1 year ago

May 9, 2023

President Erdogan makes announcement as he seeks re-election and economic turmoil hurts his chances.

The Turkish government is raising its workers’ salaries by 45 percent, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, five days before Turks vote in presidential and parliamentary elections.

Polls show Erdogan in a tight race with the main opposition presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Erdogan announced the pay rise on Tuesday at a meeting in Ankara that discussed the economic and social rights of public workers through a framework called the Public Collective Bargaining Agreement Framework Protocol.

“We are increasing wages by 45 percent, including the welfare share,” the president said, according to a statement on the government’s website. “Thus, we are raising the lowest public worker wage to TL15,000 [$768 per month].”

Erdogan added that he would continue to work on raising the wages and pensions of civil servants.

“In July, we have preparations based on the inflation difference and welfare share,” he said.

Turkey’s economy is a key issue heading into Sunday’s elections. Unorthodox interest rate cuts sought by Erdogan sparked a devaluation of the Turkish lira in late 2021 and sent inflation to a 24-year peak of 85.5 percent last year.

The country’s struggling economy, also reeling after the country’s devastating double earthquakes in February, has been a major blow to Erdogan’s campaign for re-election.

The president, who has led Turkey for 20 years, is campaigning on a promise of lowered interest rates as a way to tackle the economic crisis. He has also promised to slash inflation to single digits and boost economic growth.

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Politics

New Brunswick election candidate profile: Green Party Leader David Coon

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Politics

New Brunswick election profile: Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

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.

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Politics

Climate, food security, Arctic among Canada’s intelligence priorities, Ottawa says

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.

The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.

The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.

Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.

Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.

The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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