Opinion: Alberta must move beyond federal frustration
In terms of federal elections, Quebec offers a compelling case study in how a province can wield significant influence within Canada. In contrast to Alberta's narrow, one-party voting pattern, Quebec strategically aligns its votes to maximize its leverage. Throughout Canadian history, Quebec has demonstrated a remarkable ability to support different parties depending on which best serves its interests at that time. For example, Brian Mulroney's Conservative victories in the 1980s were heavily reliant on strong support from Quebec. Similarly, several Liberal governments were boosted by huge shifts in Quebec votes. In recent elections, Quebec has strategically supported minority governments, empowering both the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to ensure its concerns are addressed. In short, Quebec understands that its vote is a valuable bargaining chip, and Quebecers use it effectively to extract concessions and attention to their needs. In contrast, Alberta sticks to one party, muscles that party to serve its ideal, and then expects the rest of the country to fall in line. We feel Canadians should change to suit us, which is much harder to do (even with sound policy logic).
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Unresolved questions require independent commission
Opinion Manitoba's ethics commissioner, Jeffrey Schnoor, recently released a report in which he concluded that former Progressive Conservative premier Heather Stefanson and two of her former cabinet ministers violated the province's conflict-of-interest laws after losing the 2023 election. They were accused of breaching the rules in an effort to approve the controversial Sio Silica sand mine during the short 'caretaker period' before the new NDP government was sworn in. Schnoor found that their actions 'lacked ethical and constitutional legitimacy,' but failed to identify what motivated them to act so recklessly. He says he found no evidence that any of the them acted for personal benefit but, if that wasn't the reason, why did they do it? MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Then-premier Heather Stefanson and finance minister Cliff Cullen announce the 2023 budget to media. Columnist Deveryn Ross says it's time to have an independent commission examine PC spending decisions. That's just one of many serious questions still swirling around the former government. Last week, Finance Minister Adrien Sala asked auditor general Tyson Shtykalo to investigate what went wrong with Manitoba Public Insurance's Project Nova technology project. MPI abandoned the program two months ago after a review estimated that total project costs had soared from $107 million to $435 million. The project was initially justified as an upgrade of MPI's digital capabilities, which would enable Manitobans to renew or amend their auto insurance and driver's licences online. It would also provide 'seamless connectivity' between MPI and repair shops. That was the hope back in 2020. Five years later, however, MPI Minister Matt Wiebe describes the program as a 'waste of taxpayers' money.' Where did all that money go, and why did MPI keep spending it? In April, the Kinew government asked Shtykalo to investigate an (almost) $100-million taxpayer-funded contract to build daycare facilities throughout the province. It alleges that the project, in which the province partnered with a company named JohnQ Public Inc., 'may not have followed normal provincial or municipal procurement practices.' Specifically, the government claims the contract enabled the previous government to funnel $2.8 million to Boom Done Next, a company owned by Marni Larkin. Larkin was the campaign manager for the Tories' 2023 doomed re-election campaign. How does a company earn almost $3 million on such a project? Two weeks ago, a CBC report revealed that the previous government gave an $18 million grant to JohnQ Public days before the 2023 provincial election was called. There was no public announcement of the funding, which was reportedly for a large land purchase in the RM of Ritchot to develop a proposed 'Winnipeg regional rail port.' Why the secrecy and rushed timing of the grant? In February, at a debate between PC Party leadership candidates Obby Khan and Wally Daudrich, Kahn alleged that Daudrich was the party's top donor for 12 years and accused him of receiving 'licensing permits up north under the table' from the previous government. Daudrich's company, Lazy Bear Lodge and Expeditions, first received approvals to operate off-road vehicle tours near Churchill in 2004. The total number of permits for all tour operators in the coastal plain of the Churchill Wildlife Management Area was limited to 18 between 1984 and 2020. Five years ago, however, the former Tory government reportedly approved two additional permits, both of which were awarded to Lazy Bear. Did Khan have inside knowledge that permits were improperly issued to Daudrich's company, or was his accusation simply bluster in the heat of the moment? There is no evidence that anybody acted improperly in these instances, let alone illegally, but there are many questions and few answers. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. The Kinew government and many Manitobans are counting on the auditor general to expose and explain the questionable conduct of the previous government, but their hopes may be overly optimistic. That's because Shtykalo has significant discretion as to which matters he chooses to investigate, and his office has limited resources. Even if he decides to review the issues referred to him, more than a year could pass before any reports are issued. That's neither good enough nor fast enough. The better, more efficient course of action is for the government to appoint an independent commissioner to investigate the many unresolved issues, and to give that commissioner the power to compel testimony and gather evidence if necessary. Manitobans deserve to know the truth. An independent commission is the best path to those answers. Deveryn Ross is a political commentator living in Brandon. deverynrossletters@ X: @deverynross
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Premier blasted for changing stance on pipelines
PREMIER Wab Kinew is defending his government's support of a proposed pipeline to Hudson Bay amid a wildfires crisis, arguing a trade war with the U.S. has changed the province's economic course. Chris Wiebe, former vice-president of the Manitoba NDP who ran unsuccessfully in the 2023 provincial election, said Kinew's message during the run-up to the campaign was clear — pipelines were not an option for the government. 'There was no discussion of pipelines other than Wab Kinew stating at an all-candidates' meeting in 2022 that that's where his line in the sand was: no new pipelines,' Wiebe said in an interview Monday. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Premier Wab Kinew is defending the NDP's decision to support a proposed pipeline to Hudson Bay, arguing a trade war with the U.S. has changed the province's economic course. 'Other than that, then there was no discussion.' Wiebe lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent Bob Lagasse in Dawson Trail by about 500 votes, but the NDP went on to form a majority government. 'The province is burning and we're talking about building pipelines up north, and I just don't see how a New Democratic Party can be discussing that,' said Wiebe, who resigned from the executive and the party earlier this year. 'All Manitoba NDP candidates in the 2023 provincial campaign were told that we cannot be pro-pipelines and run for the party … But with the province burning, here we are,' Wiebe wrote on social media Saturday. The post came after the premier told reporters a day earlier that his government would consider a pipeline to carry oil or gas to Hudson Bay. The province has been battling a wildfires crisis for weeks, with more than 20 communities evacuated amid a provincial state of emergency. Kinew didn't deny changing course on pipelines and paraphrased an English economist whose ideas influenced governments during the Great Depression of the 1930s. 'I'm a big fan of John Maynard Keynes and his famous quote, 'When the facts change, you know, you change your opinion on something.' Right now we're in an economic war that's been provoked by the Trump administration and it demands that we work together to build Canada,' he said after an unrelated news conference Monday. Last week, Kinew met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his fellow premiers and territorial leaders in Saskatoon to discuss nation-building projects, including how to get natural resources to tidewater to ship overseas, rather than relying on the U.S. as a trading partner. 'In our goal to create a 'have Manitoba' instead of our traditional 'have-not' status, I think it's time that we entertain serious investments in northern infrastructure investments in the port. I think there's a way that we can do that while maintaining our leading status as being a climate-friendly jurisdiction,' Kinew said Monday. Wiebe, a University of Winnipeg chemistry professor, said he's remained a 'social democrat' but said his principles no longer align with the Manitoba NDP. The Canadian Press Files Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, left, talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney during the First Minister's Meeting in Saskatoon last Monday. 'They run a very progressive platform with few details, but they govern more as conservatives — where we're seeing that is they kept the Tory tax cuts, health care is in a shambles, our education system isn't doing great and we're talking about building pipelines. So I have issues with that,' said Wiebe. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Wiebe said the party doesn't have much input in policy change. 'It's all coming from the premier's office and we're informed which policies are being accepted. I think that most Manitoba NDP members would not be for pipelines, for example.' Kinew and the NDP continue to be popular with Manitobans. The most recent Free Press-Probe Research poll in March found the NDP has the support of 64 per cent of voters. The non-profit Angus Reid Institute's quarterly approval ratings released March 25 had Kinew in second place among Canada's premiers, next to Newfoundland's Andrew Furey. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Toronto Star
4 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Canada Post, union trade shots Monday as progress stalls
After talks last week aimed at paving the way for binding arbitration, Canada Post and the union representing its 55,000 employees were back trading public potshots Monday, with both sides accusing the other of not negotiating seriously. Monday afternoon, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) blasted the Crown corporation, saying it was counting on government action to force an end to the dispute. 'CUPW's ultimate goal in returning to the bargaining table remains new negotiated ratifiable collective agreements,' CUPW said in a written statement. 'However, Canada Post's actions suggest it does not want to negotiate. It wants to rewrite our agreements — and is seeking to use government interference to further its goals.' The union pointed to Canada Post's request to federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu late last month to order a vote on its 'final' contract offer, as well as then-federal labour minister Steven MacKinnon's decision last December to 'pause' a 32-day strike by creating an Industrial Inquiry Commission run by veteran arbitrator William Kaplan. 'The historic rights and benefits our union has gained for our members — and for Canadian society — such as maternity leave have been won through our collective bargaining rights,' CUPW added. 'The attempt to trample over them should send a chill through the labour movement. CUPW will be standing against a forced vote — and for collective bargaining rights.' In a written statement Monday, Canada Post said two days of talks last week to set the terms for arbitration didn't result in any progress. The Crown corporation also said the union still hadn't provided an official response to its final offer. It also suggested Kaplan's report should be part of the terms of reference for any arbitration. 'The final report of the Industrial Inquiry Commission clearly outlines the critical issues we face and the immediate actions that need to be taken. It should therefore be the foundational document that guides any discussions about Canada Post's path forward. The union's refusal to recognize the IIC report and its recommendations in their proposed terms of reference for arbitration is unacceptable,' Canada Post said. 'After 18 months we urgently need a fair resolution that begins to address our challenges while respecting the important role our employees play, and the voice they have in our future.' A spokesperson for Hajdu said the minister was still reviewing Canada Post's request for a vote on the 'final offer,' and urged the two sides to get back to the bargaining table. 'Last week Minister Hajdu asked the parties to return to the negotiating table with federal mediators to do two things: to seek to negotiate terms for an arbitration process to conclude this round of bargaining, and to have the union table its response to Canada Post's last global offers,' said Hajdu spokesperson Jennifer Kozelj. 'Canadians expect the parties to resolve this dispute. Both parties must meet and pursue these paths with urgency.' Labour experts say it's unclear exactly how the impasse can be resolved. Both sides, suggested University of Toronto professor Rafael Gomez, could be waiting for clearer signals from the federal government on whether it will act on Kaplan's recommendations. 'If the government hems and haws, then of course the parties aren't going to negotiate strongly,' said Gomez, director of U of T's Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. 'If they said 'here's what we're doing about the report. We're implementing everything Kaplan has said,' that would move the needle.' While a full-blown strike might be another option for the union to try and force the issue, it's not clear if it would work, argued Stephanie Ross, a labour studies professor at McMaster University. The union doesn't have nearly as much leverage as it did last winter, Ross said, because it's not nearly as busy a time of year for parcels, but also because Kaplan's report was largely in line with the Crown corporation's arguments for restructuring. 'It's not clear how much pressure a walkout is going to put on the employer right now,' Ross said. Earlier this month, Canada Post rejected the union's request for binding arbitration, saying it would take too long, and could exacerbate their financial struggles. On May 28, Canada Post made what it called its 'final' contract offer, which includes a 13 per cent wage increase spread over four years, as well as a $1,000 signing bonus. Two days later, it asked Hajdu to order a vote on the offer, a request blasted by CUPW.
