Was the U.S. election rigged? Brock University associate professor of political science, Paul Hamilton, says those who believe it was would have to explain why a majority conservative U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s bid to overturn the results and more.
Paul Hamilton, Brock University political science associate professor
Was the U.S. election rigged against U.S. President Donald Trump?
Well, the first question I would ask anyone who made those comments would be, is it possible for a Democrat to win the presidential election in the United States? Because I want to establish that it was possible for Joe Biden to have won because you get the impression that they’re appealing to some metaphysical rule that Joe Biden could not have won. He just simply couldn’t have won. And I don’t believe that, and it’s obviously not possible because it was a competitive election. So, that would be my first point. The second point I would make is that over 50 court cases, many of which were heard by Trump appointees to the bench of the Supreme Court, which is now a majority conservative appointed court, refused to hear or rejected the evidence of the complaints in over 50 court cases.
The people who claim the election was stolen must also believe that Republican officials in states like Georgia were in on the steal. It’s absolutely mind boggling to me that anyone would believe that this was possible. Statistically speaking, in an election where over 160 million people vote, there’s always going to be the odd irregularity, but none of the one’s found amount to anything that could alter the result of the election. And so if someone heard what I just said and still believe that somehow the election had been stolen or was rigged, I guess I would appeal to them for their evidence, I’ve never seen any. And after that, I’m not sure what I can say to change someone’s mind.
There is a kind of mindset that just assumes that Joe Biden could not have won and I’m not sure what I could do to change that person’s mind.
You can watch the entire interview with Paul Hamilton and Jenn Merritt, a Hamilton woman who no longer speaks with her American relatives due to disagreements over the Trump presidency, below.
After four years of the presidency of former reality television star Donald Trump, Hamilton’s Jenn Merritt doesn’t talk much to her family in the U.S.. We talked with Merritt and Brock University associate professor of political science, Paul Hamilton, about the Capitol Hill riot, the Trump presidency and more. 31:41
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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.
