Saskatoon Conservative MP says he'll prioritize crime — even if the Liberals don't
Conservative MP Brad Redekopp has been re-elected in Saskatoon West. With the Liberals projected to form government, Redekopp says he doesn't suspect this government will last as long as the previous one.
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Vancouver Sun
9 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Former Justin Trudeau cabinet minister Pablo Rodriquez wins Quebec Liberal leadership
The Quebec Liberals have chosen longtime federal politician Pablo Rodriguez to lead the provincial party on Saturday and to carry it into the October 2026 provincial election. The ex-federal Liberal cabinet minister won the party's leadership contest Saturday after two rounds of voting, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce with just over 52 per cent of votes cast. The three other candidates vying for the top job — Karl Blackburn, former president of a Quebec employers group; Marc Belanger, an international trade lawyer; and Mario Roy, an economist and farmer — were eliminated after a first round after no one received 50 per cent. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. 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 Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Rodriguez, 57, told party faithful at a leadership convention in the provincial capital it was time to come together as Liberals and write a new chapter for the party. He preached unity, inviting all members of caucus on stage with him. 'No matter who you supported, we're all together today, united,' he said. He said those fellow leadership candidates would be key to the future and notably singled out Milliard, 46, who was among the favourites. Milliard and Blackburn have already committed to running in the next election, while Belanger intends to run in western Quebec. 'Starting today, the work begins,' he told reporters following his victory. 'I'm going to talk with the other candidates, it's extremely important to meet with the different teams because we're all part of the same party, the same team, with the same goal of forming a government in 2026.' Born in Argentina, Rodriguez arrived in Quebec at eight years old. He grew up in Sherbrooke and served as a federal Liberal MP for the Montreal riding of Honore-Mercier. He notably served as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister of Transport under Justin Trudeau. He brushed off the notion his opponents would try paint him as being an extension of the federal party. 'I'm my own man and I will be judged on my own decisions, my own team, my platform,' Rodriguez said. 'I don't control what they do, but what we're going to do is be ready.' Rodriguez, who does not have a seat in the national assembly, will have to rebuild the party in the next 16 months if it is to have a chance of forming government. The Liberals have been polling badly among francophone voters outside Montreal for years. I'm my own man and I will be judged on my own decisions, my own team, my platform Speaking to reporters after his victory, Rodriguez said he would be holding a caucus meeting in the coming days. He also said he wasn't in a hurry to gain entry to the provincial legislature and would continue touring the province as he has in the past nine months. 'What's important is to have a party — a strong one in every riding, in every region, with the necessary resources to win the next election,' Rodriguez said. The leadership campaign had to compete for the public's attention with a federal election and a trade war with the United States. Still, party president Rafael Primeau-Ferraro said he was pleased with the level of interest the leadership race has generated. 'If we go back two years ago, the party wasn't in the same position that we are today,' he said in an interview. 'We were able to attract quality candidates that are surrounded by very competent people in their teams. The membership of the party has doubled.' The Liberals lost more than half their seats when the right-leaning Coalition Avenir Quebec, led by Francois Legault, swept to power in 2018. In 2022, the party suffered its worst-ever defeat based on its share of the popular vote. It managed to hang onto Official Opposition status thanks to the concentration of Liberal voters in Montreal. Rodriguez replaces Dominique Anglade, who stepped down in the aftermath of that historic loss. But Legault's government has since declined in popularity, while the Parti Québécois has been leading in the polls for months. The Liberals are hoping to offer a credible alternative to the sovereigntist party, which has promised to hold a referendum on independence by 2030. Rodriguez ensured those themes were present in his speech to party members, presenting himself as an experienced candidate capable of defeating Legault and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in 2026. 'Quebec needs you because we must get rid of this bad government and because we must avoid the threat of another referendum,' Rodriguez told members. A recent Leger poll found that with Rodriguez as leader, the Liberals would win 31 per cent of the vote in a provincial election, one point ahead of the Parti Québécois. — By Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal with files from Maura Forrest in Montreal and Thomas Laberge in Quebec City. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
National Post
16 hours ago
- National Post
Tony Abbott: How Anglosphere conservatives can thrive in the age of Trump
Article content As a consequence of the Trump tariff wars, Canada's conservative opposition leader went from being 20 points ahead in the polls to a narrow loss in April's election. And Australia's conservative opposition leader went from being competitive in the polls to a massive defeat last month. Despite Pierre Poilievre's fierce repudiation of the insults against Canada, and despite Peter Dutton's insistence that he would prevent U.S. tariffs against Australia, voters saw both as guilty by association. Donald Trump was a right-winger, many voters' reasoning ran; Poilievre and Dutton were right-wingers, therefore both were somehow 'mini-Trumps' who might be just as erratic should they gain office. Naturally, the Liberals in Canada, and Labor in Australia, revelled in attacking their 'Trump-like' opponents. Article content Conservative leaders' best response to the president's 'America first,' verging on 'everyone else last,' foreign policy is to declare that their first duty, likewise, is to their own country. After all, seeing one's own country as a 'shining city on a hill' and even as 'the last best hope of mankind,' to use Ronald Reagan's rhetoric, is the hallmark of conservative leaders. A deep patriotism is at the heart of all conservative thinking. Article content Article content A key difference between this president and his predecessors is that his love of America does not so readily extend to an embrace of America's like-minded allies; or to using American soft and hard power to extend American values throughout the world. Loyalty, sentiment, high-mindedness, and a 'love that pays the price' count for little with a transactional administration, even though it's America's readiness, up till now, to keep the world safe for democracy that's made it so widely admired. Article content A smart move by conservatives would be to push for much deeper cooperation between the other members of the Anglosphere. After all, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (the CANZUK countries) are all members of the Five Eyes security partnership and are all now members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. If America's security guarantees are weakening, there's a strong argument for Britain, supported by Canada and Australia, to step up; especially if the wider world is to continue to reflect the long Anglo-American ascendancy rather than a new Chinese one. And there's every reason to think that the current centre-left British, Canadian and Australian governments would be amenable to working more closely together on global issues if Trump's America is starting to go missing. Article content Article content It was always a mistake to see Reagan-Thatcher conservatism as exclusively, or even mainly, economic. Those two conservative titans respected freer markets as the best means of securing individual prosperity and national strength, not as ends in themselves. They supported smaller government and greater freedom because it's strong citizens rather than a nanny state that creates the best society. They saw love of country, a commitment to excellence, and personal responsibility as the key to a strong social fabric; much more so than 'equalizing' taxes and over-generous, incentive-sapping social welfare. Their record was freer trade with like-minded democracies, rather than with geo-political rivals; and of boosting local industry via robust competition and domestic deregulation rather than government subsidy. Article content Whether it's Trump Derangement Syndrome or the almost equally prevalent Trump Fascination Syndrome, the U.S. president's out-sized political personality is denying oxygen to everyone and everything that's not referencing him. Because America matters, and because the president has so much sway over what America does, the wild ride will continue. But what counts, in the end, is less what someone else does, that's up to him; and more what we do, that's up to us. Conservatives should respectfully dissent from any rogue actions by the current administration, while remembering that there will be a new one within four years. Donald Trump is just one manifestation of American conservatism, not the embodiment of it. And in the meantime, conservative leaders should get on with devising a credible policy agenda for their own countries and relentlessly making the case for change with their own voters. Article content
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Quebec Liberals elect former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez as leader
The Quebec Liberals have chosen Pablo Rodriguez to lead the party into the October 2026 provincial election. The former federal cabinet minister won the party's leadership contest today after two rounds of voting, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce with just over 52 per cent of votes cast. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The three other candidates vying for the top job — Karl Blackburn, Marc Bélanger and Mario Roy — were eliminated after a first round. Rodriguez told party faithful at a leadership convention in the provincial capital it was time to come together as Liberals and write a new chapter for the party. Rodriguez, who does not have a seat in the national assembly, will have to rebuild the party in the coming months if it is to have a chance of forming government. Story continues below advertisement The Liberals have for years been polling badly among francophone voters outside Montreal.
