Petition revives campaign to award Victoria Cross to Afghan war veterans
Liberal MP Pauline Rochefort is sponsoring the new petition in Parliament. It calls for the creation of an 'Independent Military Honours Review Board to review Afghanistan veterans' cases' to determine whether any of them meet the bar for the Victoria Cross.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Poilievre happy to keep old beater running, even if it's stuck in reverse
Opinion The federal Conservatives want to kill Ottawa's electric vehicle mandate. That's their solution to the many challenges Canada faces in transitioning to a low-emissions transportation sector. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has made no secret of his disdain for the policy, which requires that all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada by 2035 be either fully electric or plug-in hybrid. A phase-in period is scheduled to begin next year. ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES It's Poilievre's latest wedge issue — one he hopes will be as successful politically as the 'axe the tax' campaign he waged against the Liberal government's consumer carbon tax (which Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped earlier this year). Granted, there are legitimate concerns with Ottawa's EV target, especially in a country with long winters, sprawling geography and a patchwork of inadequate charging infrastructure. But cancelling the mandate outright would be reckless, given what's at stake with climate change. Canada has already been experiencing the costly effects of global warming — out-of-control wildfires that are devastating communities coast-to-coast, extreme heat and more intense storms. Transportation is the second-largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in Canada, accounting for almost a quarter of the total. About half of those emissions came from cars and light passenger trucks in 2023. If we're serious about curbing those emissions, we can't simply throw up our hands and stick with the status quo. Expecting Canadians to embrace electric vehicles, including hybrid plug-ins, en masse without ensuring affordability, reliable performance in cold weather and easy access to charging stations is putting the cart before the horse. That doesn't mean the Liberal plan is flawless. Far from it. Ottawa has set an ambitious deadline but hasn't fully equipped Canadians to meet it. Expecting Canadians to embrace electric vehicles, including hybrid plug-ins, en masse without ensuring affordability, reliable performance in cold weather and easy access to charging stations is putting the cart before the horse. For most Canadians, the biggest barrier to buying an EV today is price. While costs have come down in recent years, electric vehicles remain considerably more expensive than their gas-powered counterparts. Ottawa had an EV rebate program, but the program ran out of money. There's talk of bringing in a new one. The second challenge is performance in Canada's climate. Anyone who has driven or tested an EV in -30°C knows battery range drops significantly in the cold, sometimes by as much as 30 to 40 per cent. That's not a minor inconvenience for Canadians who live in rural or northern regions, where driving distances are longer and charging stations are few and far between. People need to know that their vehicle will get them from A to B reliably, even in the dead of winter. Manufacturers are making progress, but cold-weather performance is still a major hurdle that has to be overcome before Canadians can have full confidence in electric vehicles. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES That leads directly to the third problem: infrastructure. Canada's charging network is woefully inadequate. According to Natural Resources Canada, there are just under 30,000 public charging ports nationwide. That might sound like a lot, but the federal government estimates that Canada would need well over 600,000 charging ports by 2040 to meet the new mandate. It's not enough to have a token charging station in a small town off the highway. Drivers need the same kind of convenience they have today with gas stations — knowing they can charge quickly and get back on the road without planning their trip around charging stops. Ottawa has committed to funding more charging stations, but the pace of expansion is nowhere near what's required to meet the 2035 mandate. None of these shortcomings should surprise anyone. Transforming an entire transportation sector in a country as large and diverse as Canada is not a simple task. What's disappointing is the lack of urgency in addressing them. Rather than tackling these challenges head-on — through stronger subsidies, cold-weather technology incentives and aggressive investment in charging infrastructure — the Liberals have spent more time trumpeting the target itself. Targets don't reduce emissions. Real action does. This is where the Conservatives could play a constructive role. But instead, they've chosen the easy political path of tearing down the mandate altogether. That might be an effective vote-getter in some quarters, but it's dangerously short-sighted. It does nothing to address the broader climate crisis. We can debate the feasibility of a 2035 deadline and the phase-in period leading up to it. Maybe it needs to be pushed back to 2040 to give technology and infrastructure time to catch up. But eliminating the policy altogether would leave Canada further behind in a global transition that is already well underway. The climate crisis doesn't care about political lines or partisan preferences. It's already costing Canadians billions in disaster recovery and insurance payouts. The climate crisis doesn't care about political lines or partisan preferences. It's already costing Canadians billions in disaster recovery and insurance payouts, not to mention lives lost and communities destroyed. Canadians deserve a serious conversation about how to make this mandate workable, not a political stunt that promises a return to business as usual. That means acknowledging the obstacles and crafting solutions that ordinary people can afford and trust. Bring back meaningful subsidies. Accelerate investment in infrastructure. Incentivize research and development into cold-weather battery performance. And if the 2035 timeline proves unrealistic, adjust it. What Canada can't afford to do is simply give up. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are 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.
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Calgary Herald
Pierre Poilievre now faces tougher challenges ahead after Monday's overwhelming byelection win
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre easily won Monday's Battle River-Crowfoot byelection but now faces a much tougher task — gaining ground in the polls against Primer Minister Mark Carney. Article content Poilievre won the rural east-central Alberta riding with 80.4 per cent of the vote, down slightly from the 82.8 per cent that former Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek got in the spring federal election. Kurek stepped down in June to allow the Conservative leader to run in the byelection after Poilievre lost his Ottawa-area riding in the April 28 election. Article content Article content Article content Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley finished a distant second, receiving 9.9 per cent of the 50,434 ballots cast, a turnout of 58.8 per cent. Liberal candidate Darcy Spady was third, with 4.3 per cent support, in a byelection featuring over 200 candidates, the vast majority of them signed up by the Longest Ballot Committee, which has been running many candidates in high-profile ridings in an attempt to bring about electoral reform. Article content Article content 'Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life. In fact, I've had a hell of a lot of fun,' said Poilievre in his victory speech Monday night in Camrose. Article content This fall, Poilievre said the Conservatives will take on the Liberals over 'out-of-control' inflation, crime, immigration, cost of living and house prices. Article content 'US and Chinese tariffs have actually worsened since Mr. Carney got elected. That was the election that he ran on getting a better deal,' he said before striking a conciliatory note, saying the Conservatives 'want to work with any party to put an end to the tariffs and get a fair deal for Canada.' Article content Critchley said Tuesday she was expecting more of the vote share, with polling suggesting she would win 16 per cent. Article content 'I didn't lie, I didn't cheat — I did what integrity actually looks like — and I worked hard for it. Because I worked hard, I made (Poilievre) work hard for it.' Article content While Poilievre overwhelmingly won Monday, Mount Royal University professor Duane Bratt said Tuesday the Conservative leader's poll numbers against those of Carney heading into a leadership review early next year are going to matter more than winning the safest Conservative seat in the country. Article content With Poilievre at the helm, the Conservatives had a big lead heading into this spring's election, but ended up losing to Mark Carney's Liberals, who formed a minority government. Article content 'He's been given time, but that doesn't mean that the grumbling is over,' said Bratt on Tuesday. 'There are still Conservatives who are upset with an election that they thought they had won.'
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pimicikamak declares state of emergency amid water crisis
A northern Manitoba First Nation reeling from having to deal with wildfires for much of the summer is now grappling with a water crisis. Pimicikamak Cree Nation, where residents began returning last week after a mass evacuation in May, has declared a state of emergency, Chief David Monias said Tuesday. 'Pimicikamak Cree Nation is once again facing a crisis with its aging and failing water treatment system,' Monias wrote in a Facebook post. 'The current plant, built decades ago, is archaic and beyond repair. Replacement parts are nearly impossible to find, and repeated breakdowns leave the community at risk. Despite the tireless work of local operators who monitor the system around the clock, the plant cannot keep up with the community's needs.' SUBMITTED FILE PHOTO Monias is urging the federal government to intervene, calling on the country to 'honour its promises.' 'Access to safe drinking water is not a luxury, it is a basic human right, and it is a treaty right,' Monias said. 'Canada has a fiduciary duty to ensure our people are not forced to live under boil water advisories or face repeated failures of an archaic system. The federal government must honour its responsibility and act now. When you talk of 'projects of national interest,' then deal with this one first. 'Our people should not have to beg for clean water in 2025.' The Free Press has reached out to Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, who is expected in Winnipeg later this week. 'Our people should not have to beg for clean water in 2025.'– Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias Monias noted the federal government previously committed funds for a new water treatment facility but blamed repeated delays — including election cycles — for stalling progress. He said the community has been told the money is still available, but that's no longer sufficient. 'Canada must stop making excuses and fulfill its legal and moral obligations to First Nations,' Monias said. 'Former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised that every house in Canada would have clean running water by 2030. It is now 2025, and our people are still waiting. These commitments were made under the banner of the Liberal government, and First Nations across the country are holding them accountable.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Located about 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg, Pimicikamak — also known as Cross Lake — is not alone in being 'denied the same basic standards of safe water that all other Canadians take for granted.' In May, roughly 7,000 residents were evacuated due to wildfires, with some relocated as far as Niagara Falls, Ont. Many returned in mid-June, even as the community remained under a state of emergency, only to be forced out again in July when conditions worsened. Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott 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.
