New rules mark unofficial start of N.B. PC party leadership race
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CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Pierre's riding to lose': Candidates in Alberta byelection get together for debate
Pierre Poilievre was greeted with cheers and applause by the hundreds of Albertans who showed up to watch a two-and-a-half-hour political debate on a sunny Tuesday evening in July. The Camrose and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidates' forum featuring 10 of the people who are vying to represent Battle River—Crowfoot in the Aug. 18 byelection. 'My mission here is to give national leadership to the issues that are of local importance,' Poilievre told the sold-out crowd. The Conservative leader is widely expected to win the sprawling eastern Alberta riding, which is considered one of the safest Tory seats in the country. Damien Kurek won more than 82 per cent of the vote in the April election. He resigned to allow Poilievre, who lost his own seat in the Ottawa riding of Carleton, the chance to return to the House of Commons in the fall. A crowd of Poilievre's supporters was outside the venue before things got underway, many carrying signs with his name. Inside, the signs had to be put away. The moderator kept a tight schedule, cutting off the microphones of anyone who ran over their allotted time as the candidates answered a range of questions submitted by the public about the economy, health care privatization, electoral reform and immigration. The candidates seated at a long table on a stage occasionally took aim at Poilievre, particularly for the fact that he does not live in the riding and is running to progress his political career. Liberal candidate Darcy Spady introduced himself by saying, 'I'm from Three Hills, and I don't want to be prime minister' — a line that elicited chuckles from the crowd and from Poilievre when he repeated it. Spady said he wanted to bring local issues to the government caucus and give an electorate that has historically voted Conservative the option of voting in a centrist. 'I'd like to grow the culture so the next generation can say, 'Oh, we can choose a Liberal, a Conservative, a moderate, a NDP,' he said in an interview after the debate. 'The stigma of only voting to the right here, in my home, all my life... I don't like that.' Poilievre argued that electing the leader of a political party is a trade-off — leaders are on the road much of the time, he said. 'The other side, though, is that leader can bring a very powerful megaphone to the local issues of the community,' he added. Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley pointed out in her closing statement that several candidates, including Poilievre, won't be able to vote in the byelection because they don't live in the riding. 'I firmly believe that Mr. Poilievre is too busy with his personal ambitions to give a rat's backside about us,' Critchley said in her closing statement. She got loud cheers from the crowd earlier in the evening as she argued for local representation. 'If you want to run for an area, you need to live here. This longest ballot crap, that's got to stop,' she said. More than 200 candidates were signed up to run in the byelection as of Tuesday, most of whom were sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee protest group. The group says it's trying to get attention for electoral reform, arguing that Canada needs to end the first-past-the-post system. As a result of the protest, Elections Canada has decided that voters will write in the name of their selected candidate on a modified ballot in the byelection, rather than selecting from a list of 200. The longest ballot group signed up 85 people to run in Carleton during the April election, and ran dozens of candidates in byelections last summer. Poilievre called the Longest Ballot Committee 'a total scam that must be stopped,' and pledged that if he's elected, he will put forward legislative changes to ensure it doesn't happen again. In opening and closing statements, a number of candidates said Ottawa takes advantage of Alberta and pledged to try to end equalization. One candidate expressed sympathy for Alberta's separatist movement. There was broad agreement from candidates that, while immigration has historically been important, Canada needs to pull back on the number of people it is letting in. 'We must have more people leaving than coming over the next several years as we bring down our population,' Poilievre said. Green Party candidate Ashley MacDonald and the NDP's Katherine Swampy called immigration one of the country's strengths. Critchley and fellow Independent candidate Sarah Spanier made pitches to voters that they would hold a powerful position as Independent MPs in a minority government, and would leverage that to help the riding. The forum also featured candidates from the People's Party of Canada, the Libertarian Party, the Christian Heritage Party and the United Party of Canada. 'I think we all know this is Pierre's riding to lose here; he's definitely going to win,' MacDonald said in his closing statement. 'So please, take a chance.' By Fakiha Baig in Camrose, Alta., and Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Crombie vows to fight on in face of Ont. Liberal leadership challenge
Bonnie Crombie says she will spend the summer pitching a message of unity to Ontario Liberal Party faithful, as she fights to fend off a bid to remove her as leader in September. Crombie faces a mandatory leadership review at the party's annual general meeting and, under the organization's constitution, needs over 50 per cent support to stay on. But a group of Liberals has emerged calling for new leadership, a sentiment echoed by the candidate who finished second in the 2023 race she won. Crombie said she has spent the last few months touring the province, speaking with riding association presidents, candidates and party members. She wants to stay on as leader and intends to fight, she said in an interview with CBC News. "Certainly, the membership thought I was the right person in December of 2023," she said of her victory. "I think they still believe so today and I'm here to rebuild trust and to revitalize our party." Crombie won the Liberal leadership in a closer than expected third ballot vote at a party convention a year and a half ago. She edged out federal MP and former cabinet minister Nathaniel Erksine-Smith with 53 per cent of delegate points to his 47 per cent. But much has changed since her victory. WATCH | Crombie reacts to Ontario election loss: Crombie reacts to Ontario election loss 5 months ago Party members raise questions after 3rd place finish in seat count Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives called a snap election earlier this year and won a third-straight majority government. Crombie's Liberals came second in the popular vote, winning nearly 30 per cent support. That translated to winning 14 seats and helped the party secure official party status — along with millions in resources — for the first time since 2018. But the Liberals remain the third place party in the legislature despite their improved vote share. Crombie failed to win her own seat in Mississauga where she once served as mayor, leaving her outside of the house and its debate. "Obviously, we wanted to win and we didn't," she said. "And I will say to you that that's very humbling." The results have given rise to criticism from some within the party. A group dubbed the New Leaf Liberals says Crombie's team was caught flat-footed by the snap vote, despite Ford musing about calling the election since last summer. As a result, it didn't have candidates in place fast enough to run competitive campaigns in many ridings. The group also says Crombie's team didn't pivot away from its health-care-themed platform when it became clear the election was focused on Trump, tariffs and the economy. Despite the Liberal Party constitution rules, Nathaniel Arfin, one of the group's founders, said the threshold should be higher for Crombie to stay on. In the group's view, she needs a minimum 66 per cent vote in the review to remain leader. "We are strictly calling for the current leadership to recognize that they have failed us and that it's time for us to move forward with change so that we can build a stronger Ontario Liberal Party," he said. And while Arfin said he has worked for Nate Erskine-Smith in the past, the group is not affiliated with the federal MP or other possible candidates. Erksine-Smith calls for change at the top of Ontario Liberal Party Erksine-Smith also said he is not affiliated with the group and has not decided if he will run if Crombie is forced out. "This isn't about me, it's about what's best for the party," he said in an interview with CBC News. He agreed a two-thirds majority of voting party members should be required if Crombie wants to stay on. "If you can't secure 66 per cent of your members, I mean, good luck in a general election," he said. Erskine-Smith said he's concerned that the registration fees for the event, as well as the cost to travel and attend the meeting in Toronto, will discourage many Liberals. He issued an open letter earlier this month calling on delegates to dump Crombie. "A new leadership race would attract talent, it would attract contributions, it would attract public attention, and that's exactly what we need if we're going to renew this party in a serious way," he said. Crombie said she has heard the criticisms from the group and from other members of the party as she toured the province this summer. She's making changes to address those, including opening candidate nominations in January 2026 for the next provincial election, providing more support to rural and northern ridings, and holding more policy conventions. "Many of the requests that this new organization has made, we have responded to," she said. "And if they want reform and change, I want them to know that I want it too." Crombie also said she thinks there are members of the party stoking discontent for their own gain. "There are people who have put their own ambitions ahead of the party," she said. "I think that's what we're seeing here." Despite some opposition, Crombie continues to have support. The Ontario Liberal Party executive endorsed Crombie's continued leadership after the election. And since Erskine-Smith published his open letter, most of the party caucus and former premier Kathleen Wynne have signalled their support for Crombie on social media. Former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister John Milloy said Erskine-Smith's showing in the 2023 race was impressive. However, the fact that he didn't run for the provincial Liberals in the last election, opting instead to run again federally, may lead some members to question his commitment to the Ontario party, he said. "Nate Erskine-Smith is trying to position himself as the heir apparent," Milloy said. "He's got a long way to go with that." "I don't think (the party has) the luxury of having some knock them down, drag them out, internal battle that goes on for years," added Milloy, who is now the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College. Crombie has good reason to be worried about the challenge, said McMaster University political science professor Peter Graefe. Winning the review vote by a healthy margin is essential and that could mean capturing as much 75 per cent. The in-fighting among the Liberals is a symptom of larger problems with the party still struggling to find its identity after a brutal 2018 loss, Graefe said. "The political base of parties is often very impatient and expect magic from leaders, when really they're the ones who have to make the magic happen through organization," he said. The Ontario Liberal Annual General meeting takes place from Sept. 12 to 14.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- CTV News
Ottawa Board of Trade warns of worsening downtown economy as federal cuts loom
The CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade is warning that the downtown core of the nation's capital is at even greater risk with word of significant cuts to federal departments. Sueling Ching authored an op-ed in the Globe and Mail this week, saying the federal government has a responsibility to show leadership and transparency about its plans for workers and federal properties that occupy the heart of Ottawa. 'Let us be clear: this is not a call to drag public servants back to the office or to cling to aging buildings for sentiment's sake. It is a call for leadership, transparency and accountability from the federal government to the city it depends on, and to the capital that belongs to every Canadian,' Ching wrote in the Globe and Mail. Finance Minister François Philippe Champagne sent letters to fellow cabinet ministers on July 7 stating that they must present plans to find 15 per cent in day-to-day operational savings in their respective departments over the next three years. Crown corporations such as the National Capital Commission, the CBC, and Via Rail have also been asked to find similar savings. Speaking on CTV Morning Live on Wednesday, Ching said the federal government is an anchor employer in the capital, with more than 150,000 federal workers calling the National Capital Region home. 'The main economy in Ottawa has been the federal public service and we have benefited largely from that for a long time,' she said. 'When the pandemic hit five years ago and we went to work from home, that really disproportionately impacted our downtown core. It impacted many of the large city downtown cores but particularly us because of the federal government's return to office strategy.' The vacancy rate in downtown Ottawa was 15 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, according to a recent CBRE report. Some buildings are being converted to housing, such as a former Department of National Defence building at the corner of Slater and O'Connor streets, but a federal auditor general's report notes that the government has been slow to implement its plan to downsize its office footprint. Ching says her piece in the Globe and Mail is intended to highlight the need to work closely with the federal government on plans for Ottawa's downtown. 'If we get too far down the road about not being intentional about how we transform the city core of the nation's capital, then it will be more difficult to come back,' she said. 'In addition, with a new government and their ambitious mandate and desire to work closely with the business communities across the country, this is an opportune time for us to talk about how federal government decision making can, through policy, transform our downtown in a meaningful way that is very much aligned with our national agenda.' Proposed cuts to federal departments will also likely mean job losses, Ching says, which would further reduce the once regular foot traffic downtown Ottawa used to see. 'So many of those jobs are concentrated in Ottawa, we know so many of their buildings are concentrated in Ottawa, so what we're really asking for is a very defined and enforced workforce strategy,' said Ching. 'We're not saying you have to bring everyone back; we're saying you have to be really transparent about what that plan is. You have to be accelerating and disposing of those assets very quickly and clearly and looking for opportunities such as bringing a concentration of, for example, defence to Ottawa to help diversify the economy.' Defence is one of the few sectors the government plans to grow. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced plans to reach NATO's defence and security spending target of two per cent of GDP by the end of this year and up to five per cent of GDP by 2035. 'We really need to focus on what is within our control,' says Ching. 'We need to build confidence in our own economy and look for ways to grow our own economy. We need to be very clear in our shared vision, all working towards the same goal, and working collaboratively, every level of government and the business community.'
