VANCOUVER — Brenda Montagano, a teacher at Parkcrest Elementary School in Burnaby, British Columbia, had a special item for show-and-tell on Tuesday — her own class photo from the same school 34 years ago, with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss in the second row.
Truss, who attended Grade 7 at Parkcrest in 1987-1988, is remembered by Montagano as a bright and funny student with a “cool British accent.”
“I would sometimes sit with her in the hallway doing work and she had this witty sense of humour,” said Montagano.
“You know, she would tell a joke and then have a little bit of a half smile after she told the joke.”
Montagano, who teaches Grades 5 and 6 at Parkcrest, had her pupils guess which classmate in the photo was Truss.
Truss had shared the same photo on Instagram and Twitter to mark Canada Day in 2018.
“30 years ago, I spent a year in Canada that changed my outlook on life,” wrote Truss, who included the hashtags “CanadaDay,” “maplespirit” and “pioneercountry.”
Asked to identify herself, Truss had said: “Pink jumper. Big fringe.”
Montagano — flipped collar, red hair — said it was “a bit surreal” to hear of her former classmate’s new job.
On Monday, Conservative Truss, 47, succeeded Boris Johnson and became the U.K.’s third woman prime minister.
Truss lived in Canada when her mathematician father taught at Simon Fraser University.
Montagano, a teacher for almost 25 years, recalled that Truss was also interested in mathematics and “settled in very quickly” during her brief time at Parkcrest, “no small feat” for a little girl from a different country.
“Sometimes it takes a while for kids to settle in and make friends … She was only here for a year, but everybody remembers her that she fit in very quickly, made friends quickly and was part of the community,” said Montagano.
Montagano used Truss as the basis for a class activity on Tuesday in which she invited students to write down their goals and dreams for this semester and the future.
“We talked about how you never know where the person beside you is going to end up. And we also talked about how your actions and your words really carry forwards with people,” said Montagano.
Andrew Lee, principal of Parkcrest Elementary, said there was excitement in the hallways as news spread of the connection to Truss at the start of the school year.
“To know that a student who walked these same halls as them went on to become Prime Minister of Britain is inspiring to students,” said Lee in a written statement.
“It’s something tangible to show that they, too, can dream big and succeed — no matter what their interests and aspirations. We are proud of all of our students and staff — both current and former — and it is very nice to hear that Ms. Truss remembers her time so fondly at our school.”
Truss became prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race, beating former treasury chief Rishi Sunak in a party vote.
Truss has vowed to press ahead with the tax cuts and action to tackle Britain’s energy crisis and heavily burdened health service.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
OTTAWA – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is making some changes to mortgage rules to help more Canadians to purchase their first home.
She says the changes will come into force in December and better reflect the housing market.
The price cap for insured mortgages will be boosted for the first time since 2012, moving to $1.5 million from $1 million, to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
On Aug. 1 eligibility for the 30-year amortization was changed to include first-time buyers purchasing a newly-built home.
Justice Minister Arif Virani is also releasing drafts for a bill of rights for renters as well as one for homebuyers, both of which the government promised five months ago.
Virani says the government intends to work with provinces to prevent practices like renovictions, where landowners evict tenants and make minimal renovations and then seek higher rents.
The government touts today’s announced measures as the “boldest mortgage reforms in decades,” and it comes after a year of criticism over high housing costs.
The Liberals have been slumping in the polls for months, including among younger adults who say not being able to afford a house is one of their key concerns.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
OTTAWA – The head of a federal inquiry into foreign interference says she will not be publicly identifying parliamentarians suspected by a spy watchdog of meddling in Canadian affairs.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians raised eyebrows earlier this year with a public version of a secret report that said some parliamentarians were “semi-witting or witting” participants in the efforts of foreign states to meddle in Canadian politics.
Although the report didn’t name individuals, the blunt findings prompted a flurry of concern that members knowingly involved in interference might still be active in politics.
As inquiry hearings resume today, commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue cautions that the allegations are based on classified information, which means the inquiry can neither make them public, nor even disclose them to the people in question.
As a result, she says, the commission of inquiry won’t be able to provide the individuals with a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves.
However, Hogue adds, the commission plans to address the allegations in the classified version of its final report and make recommendations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
OTTAWA – The judge overseeing the sexual assault trial of former vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson is reading his decision in an Ottawa court this morning.
Edmundson was the head of the military’s personnel in 2021 when he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman while they were deployed together back in 1991.
The trial was held in February, but the verdict has been delayed twice.
The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified at trial that she was in the navy’s lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault and Edmundson was an officer.
Edmundson pleaded not guilty, and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau.
He was one of several high-ranking military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in 2021, a scandal that led to an external report calling for sweeping changes to reform the culture of the Armed Forces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
