Liberals projected to do well in N.L., CBC Poll Tracker suggests — but the tide could turn
Éric Grenier, who oversees CBC's Poll Tracker, is projecting that if a federal election were held today, the Liberals would win. Conservatives are projected to make a few gains, while the NDP appears to be in freefall. Grenier explains why every seat could count come election day.
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National Post
19 minutes ago
- National Post
Liberal government's throne speech passes in House of Commons without a vote
OTTAWA — The government's reply to the throne speech was adopted in the House of Commons Wednesday. Article content It was adopted 'on division,' meaning no recorded vote was held. It does not need a vote in the Senate. Article content Article content Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon said on social media that the adoption of the speech sets the stage for a 'strong and focused agenda.' Article content Article content 'We have a clear mandate to deliver on priorities for Canadians and build a strong Canada — and we're going to do just that,' MacKinnon said. Article content Article content Earlier Wednesday, interim NDP Leader Don Davies said New Democrat MPs would vote against the government's throne speech. Article content After a caucus meeting, Davies said that 1.2 million Canadians sent New Democrats to Parliament to advocate for working families and those priorities aren't reflected in the speech. Article content Davies said the speech offers few details about the government's plans for health care and housing. Article content MacKinnon said the vote on the throne speech was a confidence matter, which means it was the first real test of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Article content If the government loses a confidence vote, it's defeated — which can lead to a snap election. Article content Davies said that while Canadians don't want an election right now, his party was taking a 'principled approach.' Article content 'It's a clear message that this throne speech is not a worker-centric throne speech,' he said. 'We can't support a throne speech that so badly misses the mark in terms of the economic and social policies that people need in this country.' Article content Article content MacKinnon said before the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday that the caucus was confident the throne speech would pass. Article content He would not say if his party had secured the support of other parties, referring questions directly to those parties. Article content He said that while the Liberals have a minority government, they also have a mandate to deliver for Canadians. Article content The Conservatives did not say how the party would vote. Article content In the House of Commons Wednesday, during a debate on the reply to the throne speech, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she would vote in favour of the speech. Article content May said she agreed with the major theme of the speech — building a stronger Canada — but said it lacked details and only mentioned climate change in 'passing references.' Article content The Liberals lost a vote Monday evening when opposition members successfully amended the reply to the throne speech to call on the government to table an economic update before Parliament breaks for the summer. That vote was not a matter of confidence.
Winnipeg Free Press
36 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Separatist Alberta Republican Party cries foul after byelection debate is cancelled
EDMONTON – The separatist Republican Party of Alberta is crying foul over a cancelled debate in a central Alberta byelection, suggesting the governing United Conservative Party is dodging democracy. The local Olds and District Chamber of Commerce said it had invited candidates from both those parties and the NDP, but only Republican Party of Alberta leader Cameron Davies committed in time, so the chamber was forced to call it off. Davies said it's up to the UCP to explain to voters why they don't want to debate. 'When you have nothing to offer Albertans at the ballot box, maybe that's their idea – avoid accountability and dodge democracy,' said Davies. He added he is still hoping a forum can be arranged before voters go to the polls on June 23, and that he's heard interest from two organizations to do so. Davies said the biggest issue he's hearing on the doorsteps is Alberta's place in Canada, and voters' discomfort with Premier Danielle Smith's party giving Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney a chance to bring the province a better deal. '(The UCP) should be up front and honest about where they stand, and I think avoiding whether or not they're in favour of independence – that's not going to satisfy Albertans that want to see Alberta end this toxic, abusive relationship with Ottawa,' said Davies. 'It doesn't take a petition for a provincial government to hold a referendum. The whole notion of a petition is nothing more than passing the buck and the UCP is trying to sit on the fence, instead of saying, 'Let's let Albertans have a say,'' he said. Smith has repeatedly said she wants to see Alberta remain in Canada, but recently passed legislation to lower the threshold for citizens to spark a referendum on seceding from Canada. The UCP said they're holding a town hall in Three Hills with their candidate, Tara Sawyer, and Smith on the same night the chamber wanted to hold their debate. 'We offered other dates, but they weren't able to move it, which we understand,' spokesman Dave Prisco said in an email. 'We held another town hall last week in Olds with hundreds of people in attendance, free to ask questions on any topic. We'll keep meeting with people, listening, and earning their support throughout the campaign,' he said. Doug Rieberger, president of the Olds and District Chamber of Commerce, said with Sawyer unavailable, and the chamber not getting a response from the NDP until after its deadline, they made the decision to cancel their event. 'Due to the short timeline of the campaign and availability of facilities, the chamber will be unable to reschedule,' said Rieberger. Bev Toews, the NDP's candidate in the riding, said in a statement it's a shame that the UCP refuses to debate. 'As always, they take this riding for granted. They assume people will blindly vote for them,' said Toews. 'I am the only candidate in this race that loves Canada and wants to fight to save it. The UCP candidate is too scared to say even that. 'I'll debate with her any time, anywhere.' Smith appointed Sawyer, a farmer and former chair of the Grain Growers of Canada, to run for the UCP without a competitive nomination process, citing the need to pick a candidate quickly. Davies, a longtime conservative activist and organizer, has become a key figure in Alberta's renewed separatist movement following the latest federal election. He said there are 'several' UCP MLAs who are in favour of Alberta independence but they're being silenced within their own party. 'There's speculation that's why they chose to avoid having their own internal nomination process,' said Davies. 'They made a very clear and conscious decision to have an Ottawa-first candidate hand-picked for the riding of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.' The seat became vacant last month when Nathan Cooper, the former legislature Speaker and a longtime United Conservative member in the legislature, resigned to become Alberta's representative in Washington, D.C. It's one of three vacant ridings, along with Edmonton-Strathcona and Edmonton-Ellerslie, that will have a byelection on the same day in less than three weeks. But in the rural riding of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, western separatist sentiment has bubbled to the surface before. In 1982, Gordon Kesler won what was Olds-Didsbury with 42 per cent of the vote in a byelection under the Western Canada Concept banner. Davies said there are differences now, including that his party has much less runway ahead of that vote than the Western Canada Concept did more than decades ago. 'We've been around for all of two months now,' said Davies. 'This is why the (UCP) wanted the byelection so quickly, because they did see we're getting momentum.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. Conservatives' first session includes bright spots and recriminations
VICTORIA — It was hard to know what to expect back in February when the B.C. Conservatives settled into their seats for their first session of the legislature. Party leader John Rustad and a half dozen or so holdovers from the B.C. Liberal/B.C. United parties had experience and records in politics. The other members of the Opposition caucus were, as a recent movie title had it, complete unknowns. But as the 11-week session unfolded, they showcased unexpected diversity and more than a few surprises. One of those moments happened the first week, when Premier David Eby was defending his government's safer supply drug program. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Fourteen years ago, I was a homeless addict living on the Downtown Eastside,' returned Skeena MLA Claire Rattée. 'And I can tell you that the people that are going to die today and tomorrow deserve better than that answer.' Rattée brought a 'lived experience' to the floor of the House unlike any that had been heard there before. When she spoke, the whole chamber listened with respect. 'One of the reasons that I came to this place is because I know what it's like to feel invisible, abandoned and hopeless, as someone that's unhoused,' she said late in the session. 'In Terrace, one in every 84 people is homeless. Let that sink in. If that same rate applied to the Lower Mainland, it would be as if everyone in the City of Langley suddenly became homeless overnight.' Another unique perspective was provided by A'a:liya Warbus, the MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, the daughter of former Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, had a sobering personal tale to tell. 'I came here to this house and to this position to serve British Columbians because far too many people in this province have had to bury their loved ones,' she said in a poignant wrap up of the last Question Period of the session. 'My family is unfortunately included in those statistics and the lives that have been lost by the toxic drug crisis. Today, I'm going to say their names, because I think that too often we repeat numbers and we play politics with issues that actually affect people. Stanley, Jared, Sheila, Chetan, Kevin and Tamara.' Rustad raised more than a few eyebrows when he named Warbus as Opposition house leader, although she had never before served in the House in any capacity. But it was an inspired choice, as Mike Farnworth, her counterpart on the government side, acknowledged early on. For some other Conservative newcomers, the record was mixed. Harman Bhangu, an outspoken trucker from Langley-Abbotsford, knew how to get attention. On the X social media platform last week, he posted a walkthrough of the provincial capital's squalid Pandora Avenue, something that few Victoria residents (including me) would dare to attempt. 'It's absolute chaos,' declared Bhangu. 'People are in deep crisis with mental health and addiction, and it's heartbreaking. This is not compassion. This is failure.' Grandstanding also got Bhangu into trouble when he accused a Teamsters Union local of being 'blatantly corrupt' and guilty of 'systemic nepotism.' He later withdrew the comments 'without reservation.' But the union is suing Bhangu, in a legal action filed by lawyer Andrew Mercier. Until the last election, Mercier was the NDP MLA for another of the Langley ridings. Other rookie Conservatives who distinguished themselves include Brennan Day, critic for rural and seniors' health, and Judy Toor, who managed the rare feat for an Opposition member of steering a private member's bill through the House. They and other newcomers, along with more experienced Conservatives — especially veterans Elenore Sturko, Trevor Halford and Peter Milobar — held the NDP government to account, which is, after all, the first job of the Opposition. The Conservatives struggled with the second job, which is presenting their party as united and ready to govern. The session was less than a month old when the Opposition caucus split wide open. Rustad expelled Dallas Brodie, the party's lone MLA from Vancouver, over her provocative comments on residential schools. MLAs Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy joined Brodie in protest to sit as independents. The trio of independents has so far proven to be more-effective critics of their former party than the NDP government. They ended the session by accusing Rustad of spending $100,000 in party funds to recruit a block of South Asian voters to pack the Conservative convention earlier this year. They presented no evidence of their insinuations. Nor was it the first time that a B.C. political party was accused of recruitment shenanigans in a South Asian community. Yet it raises the question of what's next for the three independents. If they form a party, they would vault past the Greens into third place in the House and all that entails in financial resources, staffing and access to the daily Question Period. Not a happy prospect for the Conservatives, but one that would surely gratify the New Democrats. • A total of 74 tankers were loaded at the Burnaby terminal of the TMX pipeline in the first quarter of this year, not 741 as I reported in error Wednesday. vpalmer@
