Poilievre calls for ballot reform
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National Post
15 minutes ago
- National Post
Canadians still supportive of letting in Ukrainian migrants fleeing war with Russia: poll
Article content Those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, at 17 per cent, are least likely to say Canada should accept more Ukrainians, while 32 per cent of Atlantic Canadians believe we should. Article content Canadians are somewhat more skeptical of temporary workers; only 12 per cent say Canada should allow more temporary workers into the country, while 41 per cent say the numbers should stay the same and 34 per cent said fewer should be allowed into the country. Temporary foreign workers, according to Statistics Canada, may hold permits for work, study or other purposes; as of 2021, there were roughly 845,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada. Article content Those who favour increases in temporary foreign workers are more likely to support more Ukrainians coming to Canada, the polling found. Forty-nine per cent of those who support more TFWs also support more Ukrainians, while 48 per cent who say they want fewer TFWs also want fewer Ukrainians. Article content '(The) net meaning of this is or net implication is some of the pushback we're seeing in immigration, both permanent and temporary, is spilling over,' said Jedwab. 'Before the pushback on immigration, there was really, really large scale support across the country for admitting those Ukrainians. Now, you're seeing some slippage, because it's sort of aligning a bit with the overall pushback on immigration.' Article content Support for accepting Ukrainians into the country is higher among those who say they have a good understanding of the conflict. Forty-one per cent of those who say they have a 'very good' understanding of Putin's invasion of Ukraine say Canada should increase its intake of Ukrainians, while 36 per cent of them say the number should remain the same. Just 18 per cent of those who say they have a very good understanding believe that fewer Ukrainians should come to Canada. Article content In contrast, those who say they have 'barely any' understanding are far more likely to support reductions in the numbers of Ukrainians coming to Canada: 34 per cent say there should be fewer, compared to just 10 per cent who said Canada's intake should be increased. Article content 'There's an important relationship between people being sensitized to what actually is going on right now and their openness to Ukrainian migration,' said Jedwab. Article content Those who believe that Canada is not doing enough are also more likely to say Canada should take more Ukrainian migrants. Fifty-one per cent who say Canada's support should be increased also say Canada should take in more Ukrainians, and 38 per cent say the intake should remain the same. Just seven per cent say there should be fewer Ukrainians coming to Canada. When it comes to those who think Canada is striking the right balance on Ukraine, 52 per cent say the number of temporary permits issued should remain the same, while 26 per cent say more should be brought in and 15 per cent say there should be fewer. Article content More than half of those who believe Canada is doing too much to support Ukraine — 55 per cent — say that fewer Ukrainians should be allowed into Canada, while just 11 per cent say more should be brought to Canada and 27 per cent say the numbers should remain the same. Article content The online poll was conducted by Leger Marketing among 1,511 respondents in Canada between June 6 and June 8, 2025. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,511 respondents in Canada would have a margin of error of ±2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
CTV News
15 minutes ago
- CTV News
Advance polls open in Alberta byelection with 214 candidates, historic blank ballots
A campaign sign for Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley next to signs for federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal candidate Darcy Spady in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, near Camrose, Alta., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken CAMROSE — Advance polls in a historic federal byelection for Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot open today. For the first time ever, Elections Canada says voters must fill out a blank ballot. The agency lists a record 214 candidates running in the rural riding, with voting day on Aug. 18. The majority are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, a protest group calling for various changes to Canada's electoral system. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the byelection in June after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April general election, stepped down so Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could run. Poilievre lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton. The byelection also features Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, the NDP's Katherine Swampy and Independent Bonnie Critchley. Elections Canada says there have been some exceptions to its regular ballot. Adapted ballots with two columns have been used in elections with a higher-than-usual number of candidates. In this byelection, it's not just marking an x. Voters must handwrite the name of their preferred candidate in a blank space. 'Their vote will be counted, even if they misspell the candidate's name,' said agency spokesperson Matthew McKenna. 'They can also include the name of the political party. However, if they write only the name of a political party, their ballot cannot be counted. The candidate's name has to be there.' A list of all candidates in large-print will be at polling stations for electors to refer to, he added. The agency's website also said magnifiers and large-grip pencils will be available. Poll workers have been given extra training. McKenna said there are ways they can assist electors with ballots, and the counting process will be different. Poilievre repeated his frustration Thursday with the longest ballot initiative. More than 90 candidates were on the ballot when he ran in Carleton. 'I don't have a problem with anyone who wants to run for office, even if they're not known or not wealthy,' he said at an unrelated news conference in Calgary. 'But that's not what these people are doing ... they just want to inundate the ballot to confuse the situation, make it harder for people to vote. People with vision problems, the elderly, others who have difficulty now will have a harder time voting.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Canada is trying to salvage its relationship with Mexico after falling out with Trump
MEXICO CITY - Prime Minister Mark Carney is scrambling to save his country's relationship with Mexico after it disintegrated late last year when Canadian officials suggested they'd be better off negotiating a trade deal with the Trump administration alone. Carney attempted to break the ice in a phone call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in July by complimenting an indigenous-made soccer ball she had gifted him at their last meeting and saying he hoped to visit Mexico soon. The warm overture, relayed to Reuters by three people familiar with the call, highlights Canada's attempt to repair the damage after a string of public slights by Canadian officials, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said in November that any comparison of Canada to Mexico was 'the most insulting thing I've ever heard.' Mexico and Canada are in many ways natural allies. They've benefited from trilateral trade deals with the U.S. for 31 years: first the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 and subsequently the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that replaced it in 2020. But the relationship between the two countries has been beset by allegations of betrayal on both sides and memories of fraught negotiations with Trump. Top officials virtually stopped talking in November after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mused about cutting a trade deal with the U.S. without Mexico, suggesting the U.S. and Canada were more aligned on issues like China. A few days later, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago for a surprise visit with U.S. President Donald Trump, stunning Mexican officials. It seemed as if Canada had already developed a strategy for dealing with Trump while Mexico was wringing its hands, one Mexican official said. An infuriated Sheinbaum directed her lieutenants to stop dealing with the Canadians, at least until Trudeau left office, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Nine months later, Canada finds itself on the back foot with Trump while Mexico is reveling in its relative success. Last week, Trump gave Mexico a 90-day pause on new tariffs going into effect, keeping the rate at 25%, while raising tariffs on Canada to 35%. Now, in a remarkable about-face, Canadian officials are on a campaign to win back Mexico's favor and save the trilateral trade deal Trudeau suggested he was willing to ditch, according to two people with knowledge of the countries' tense relationship. That treaty continues to shield a large number of Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S. from Trump's latest rounds of tariffs. Carney said on Tuesday that 'it's important to preserve' the trilateral agreement while Canada's foreign minister and finance minister traveled this week to Mexico for a two-day visit with top officials. Asked by Reuters whether the purpose of her visit was to repair shattered ties with Mexico, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said: 'It is extremely important for Canada to have a resilient relationship with Mexico, and indeed, I'm here to kick start that relationship.' Sheinbaum, on X, reiterated that message. 'We're strengthening the relationship between our countries,' she wrote. A spokesperson for Sheinbaum declined to comment. 'Look in the mirror' Whether they repair their partnership and become a tightly-knit bloc in negotiations with the U.S. will have lasting consequences not only for the three countries but the thousands of companies that depend on free trade in the region, from automakers to medical suppliers, three trade analysts said. 'The big question I have is whether there's a real sense of communication or coordination between Mexico and Canada,' said Kenneth Smith Ramos, a former trade negotiator for Mexico. 'I don't get the sense that is the case. I think both are operating bilaterally with the U.S. and that's it.' He said Mexico saved Canada from being ousted from the USMCA treaty when Canadian and U.S. negotiators got into a 'severe fight' during negotiations in 2018. 'Mexico insisted that the agreement remain trilateral,' said Smith, who represented Mexico in those negotiations, adding it's that history that likely made Mexican officials especially bitter when Canada appeared to spurn Mexico to curry favor with Trump. A Canadian source involved in the 2018 talks sharply disputed that characterization. 'The Mexican team went behind our back and negotiated their own bilateral deal with the U.S. Trump then used that to pressure Canada to make concessions,' said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said the bad blood with Mexico stemming from the 2018 negotiations is part of the reason Canadian officials expressed interest last year in a bilateral deal with the U.S. 'If there are Mexicans who feel Canada betrayed them, they should look in the mirror.' Trading barbs After Trudeau came away from Mar-a-Lago empty-handed at the beginning of the year, the relationship became openly hostile with him and Trump trading barbs. Sheinbaum, meanwhile, insisted on staying on Trump's good side, virtually at any cost, according to three people familiar with her strategy. As the Canadians fell into a deeper rut with Trump, Carney, who replaced Trudeau as prime minister in March, sought to make amends with Mexico by inviting Sheinbaum to attend the Group of 7 summit in Canada. Sheinbaum delayed accepting for nearly three weeks but eventually assented. Trump left the summit early without meeting Sheinbaum, a development that 'worried' Mexico's president, one of her advisors said. Carney's invitation and Sheinbaum's attendance appeared to be a reset of sorts in the two countries' relationship, said Pedro Casas, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. It sent a 'clear message' that the two leaders are 'in this together,' he said. The Canadian prime minister extended his good-faith gestures to Sheinbaum during their follow-up phone call in July. He told her that the following day Canada would announce limits on imports of steel produced in other countries in an effort to help the country's domestic steel sector, which is reeling from Trump's 50% tariffs. But Carney assured Sheinbaum that the measure wouldn't affect imports from Mexico, according to two people with knowledge of their conversation. Whatever her reservations about Canada, Sheinbaum has made clear she is completely invested in saving the trilateral trade deal with it and the U.S. If the three countries fail to renew the pact next year, the treaty will automatically expire in 2036, creating a potentially disastrous economic blow to Mexico. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has privately raised the idea of ditching the agreement in favor of a bilateral trade deal with Mexico, according to the Mexican official – a scenario the person said Mexico is not keen to pursue. Secretary Lutnick did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. 'Mexico knows very well that if we try to go head-to-head, toe-to-toe with Washington the asymmetry in the negotiations is going to favor the U.S,' said former Mexican trade negotiator Juan Carlos Baker. 'It's always better to have a three-player game.' Reporting by Emily Green, David Ljunggren and Stephen Eisenhammer. Editing by Christian Plumb and Michael Learmonth, Reuters
