Politics Insider: Canada's Supreme Court tightens rules for youth offender sentencing

Globe and Mail

a day ago

Hello and welcome to Politics Insider. Let's take a look at what happened this week.
Canada's Supreme Court has made it more difficult for judges to sentence youth offenders convicted of serious crimes, such as first-degree murder, as adults for their actions.
David Ebner reports that, in two related decisions today, the top court provided added detail on how the law should be interpreted by the lower courts.
In Canada, few young people are convicted of such serious crimes, and thereafter sentenced as adults, but the decisions are still likely to represent important precedents in how lower courts decide these cases in the future.
In the primary ruling written by Justice Nicholas Kasirer, in a 7-2 majority, the top court said the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a young person does not merit the presumption of diminished blame for their crime on account of their youth.
Also this week, a landmark meeting between Mark Carney and First Nations leaders ended with a divergence of views on display that signalled a long road ahead for the Prime Minister's plan to fast-track major projects.
Emily Haws and Stephanie Levitz report that some leaders emerged with a sense that Carney had listened thoughtfully to their points of view.
Others said the meeting was too disorganized and last minute to be considered meaningful dialogue in response to the central concern: whether First Nations rights will be respected and protected alongside the implementation of Bill C-5.
The law requires consultation with Indigenous peoples to determine which projects would be deemed in the national interest, and to develop the conditions under which chosen projects could proceed.
Canada Post union calls on employees to reject latest offer: The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the agreement would erode job security and pension benefits in the long-run and expand Canada Post's part-time workforce at the expense of full-time jobs.
Army removes commanding officer after alleged racist, sexual social-media posts by soldiers: Army commander Lieutenant-General Michael Wright said he was taking steps to address the 'inappropriate behaviour' of Canadian Army members involved in the 'Blue Hackle Mafia' Facebook group.
China says Canada's steel crackdown violates WTO rules: The Chinese embassy in Ottawa criticized duties Canada slapped on Chinese imported steel this week, saying they violate World Trade Organization rules and disrupt the global trade order.
Ontario Progressive Conservatives schedule convention for the same time as Poilievre's leadership review: The duelling conventions highlight the growing distance between the two parties that was laid bare during the recent federal election.
Ottawa looking at ways to `kickstart' housing market, Housing Minister says: 'We've got to look at how to best support and intervene where needed,' Gregor Robertson told The Globe and Mail, responding to a downturn in the residential real-estate sector.
Documents used to assess asylum cases fail to account for Trump's edicts, advocates say: Lawyers representing refugee claimants and migrants facing deportation from Canada are calling for an urgent update for the official package of documents on conditions in the U.S.
Ottawa's massive defence spending set to transform industry: The federal government's focus on military spending presents an opportunity for major new lines of business and lucrative contracts.
Alberta Premier dismisses report finding province complicated Jasper wildfire response: Today, Danielle Smith played down findings from the report, which was commissioned by the municipality of Jasper and examined perspectives from firefighters and other people involved in the effort against the wind-whipped conflagrations that devastated at least one-third of the buildings in the town.
B.C. Premier shakes up cabinet: David Eby says this week's cabinet changes, which include former housing minister Ravi Kahlon taking over as jobs minister, are a strategic shift in order to focus on jobs and the economy.
New Business Council VP: Theo Argitis, the former Ottawa bureau chief for Bloomberg News, has joined the Business Council of Canada as a senior vice president of policy. Most recently, he was editor-at-large at The Hub, a digital news outlet.
Minister on the Road: Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is in the South African city of Durban today, concluding two days of meetings of G20 and G7 finance ministers and central bank governors. Also along for the meetings: Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem.
Premiers meet: Canada's premiers and territorial leaders are meeting in the town of Huntsville, about 200 kilometres north of Toronto, next week. Members of the Council of the Federation will gather from Monday to Wednesday. Items on the agenda include Canada-U.S. relations, national security and sovereignty. Prime Minister Mark Carney is also set to join the gathering on Tuesday, making it a meeting of first ministers.
New government rep in Senate: Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed former Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Moreau, now a senator, as Government Representative in the Senate, replacing Marc Gold, who retired from the Senate last month after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Who was the first leader of the Green Party of Canada?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
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The answer to today's question: Trevor Hancock, a public-health physician and professor emeritus at the School of Public Health at the University of Victoria. Under Hancock's leadership, the party ran a total 60 candidates in the 1984 federal election. This was the election that saw Brian Mulroney lead the Progressive Conservatives to winning the most seats in Canadian political history - 211 in a Commons with 281 in total. The Greens did not win any seats, and earned 0.21 per cent of the vote.