Auditor general holds news conference
Auditor General Karen Hogan and Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainability Jerry DeMarco take questions after tabling reports in the House of Commons.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
31 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
City of Burnaby, B.C., to apologize to Chinese-Canadians for past discrimination
BURNABY – A formal apology is being planned by the City of Burnaby, B.C., for its role in discrimination toward people of Chinese descent who lived and worked in the city between 1892 and 1947. The city says in a news release that the decision was made after a community consultation process that included surveys, dialogue sessions, focus groups and individual interviews. A report by the Community Heritage Commission, which advises council on the city's heritage program, says discriminatory bylaws, trades licenses, and labour regulations were enacted against the Chinese population during that time. The city says the findings 'underscored the importance of the city acknowledging the hardships faced by early Chinese settlers and the lasting impact of historical discrimination.' It noted that more than one-third of Burnaby's current residents are of Chinese descent, including new immigrants as well as fourth- or fifth-generation Chinese Canadians who have deep roots there. The city has scheduled an event for the formal apology on Nov. 15, joining the provincial and federal governments and two other B.C. cities — Vancouver and New Westminster — that have already apologized for discriminatory practices against the community. The Prime Minister of Canada formally apologized in the House of Commons in 2006 for policies including charging a head tax for the Chinese to immigrate. The B.C. government apologized in 2015 for 160 historically racist laws, regulations, and policies that were imposed by past provincial governments that discriminated against people of Chinese descent. The City of New Westminster issued its formal apology in 2010 and the City of Vancouver said it was sorry in April 2018. Burnaby's news release says that in addition to making its own formal apology, it is also committed to increasing the visibility of Chinese-Canadian history, facilitating cultural activities and reducing barriers for inclusion. 'While we cannot right the historic wrongs that were committed in Burnaby, this process has outlined a path toward ensuring Burnaby is a place that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone,' Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said in the release issued Wednesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
Globe and Mail
36 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Post-Mulroney, the Conservatives' brand is ‘loser.' It's time for an overhaul
How have Conservatives fared since making the big swerve rightward in the early 1990s? We recall that under Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative banner they won majority governments in 1984 and 1988. Then along came the dividers, the ideologues of the Reform Party, who grabbed 52 seats in the 1993 election and then proceeded to swallow the old Tories whole. And the rest is history – a primarily painful party history. Since the late Mr. Mulroney's departure from the party leadership in 1993, the Liberals have won eight elections to the Conservatives' three. The question now is whether the party will continue on its Liberal gift-giving track or clue in and opt, like the Liberal Party has just done, for a change of course: in the Conservatives' case, a change that broadens their identity beyond their Prairies-driven populist brand. Lawrence Martin: Why the Conservatives should dump Poilievre – but won't To be sure, the Conservatives' tradition is to lose most of the time. But in being bracketed further on the right in recent decades, they've lost even more of the time. If we count the four years (or so) to come under Mark Carney, the Liberals will have been in power for 27 years since 1993. The Conservatives? Nine. Their three victories came under Stephen Harper, who also lost two elections. Whether the wins were on account of ideology is doubtful. Two of the three wins came against Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff, arguably two of the weakest leaders in Liberal Party history. As for the Conservatives' defeats, three came courtesy of Jean Chrétien, one from Paul Martin, three from Justin Trudeau and one so far from Mr. Carney. In the meantime, a more moderate form of conservatism, as practiced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, has resulted in three straight majority victories in the province. On that more centrist side is where the federal party has been most successful, as exemplified by multiple election winners John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker and Mr. Mulroney. More bad news for the Conservative Party in its current form is the advantage the collapsed NDP gives the Liberals. Their plight, and Mr. Carney's shift away from left-leaning Trudeauism to the centre, means Liberals' available real estate has significantly expanded. It is especially the case if the Conservatives are cocooned on the right. Another factor that suggests the Conservatives need a big rethink is the plight of the populist brand. Leader Pierre Poilievre, who joined the Reform Party as a teenager, is an embedded populist. What Donald Trump is doing to the image of populism is ghastly. Under him, it is authoritarian, xenophobic, demagogic, vulgar, imperialist ... and I'll stop there. Lawrence Martin: How the Conservatives can save themselves: Changing Canada's image as the great white weakling of the North With the election of Mr. Carney – a big banker, an establishment man, a globalist respected for his knowledge – Canadians have signalled a turn away from populism. They're fed up with the politics of polarization. Mr. Carney might even bring back a modicum of respect for elites. His Liberals are popular in Quebec. As Mr. Mulroney argued, without Quebec the Conservatives' chances of winning a majority are scant. Post-Mulroney, the party has scored low in the province. A political party's deficiencies can be overcome with a popular leader, but the current Conservatives are saddled with one who lost his own seat and who, according to a new Nanos poll, is almost 25 points behind Mr. Carney in approval ratings. In the election campaign, many of Mr. Poilievre's economic policies were welcome enough, so much so that they were copied by the Liberals. Policy was less his problem than personality, likeability and his concocted look. Having been an MP for 20-plus years and party leader for almost three, that image is ingrained, hard to change. There's an old saying about all politics being local. That is not the case now. With foreign threats on the rise, with the country being bludgeoned by Donald Trump's tariffs, with Big Tech and AI posing new challenges, politics is becoming more and more global. The Liberals found a man of global stature to meet the times. Ironically, given all his political experience, Mr. Poilievre looks unseasoned by comparison. He has spent precious little time abroad. He gives no sense of having an informed global perspective. Hard economic times are ahead for the country. The Carney honeymoon will likely end before long. How he hopes to pay for all his wide-eyed promises is a mystery. There's a good chance the Conservatives will benefit in the polls, thus dampening momentum for bold change. But that would be folly. The trajectory Conservatives have been on since being overtaken by the Reform ideologues has been predominantly a failing one. They need put this phase of their history behind them.
Globe and Mail
37 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Quebec names mediator as Montreal public transit strike in third day
Quebec's labour minister says he has named a mediator in a labour dispute between Montreal's public transit authority and its maintenance workers that has limited bus and metro service across the city. About 2,400 maintenance workers have been on strike since Monday after more than a year of negotiating. As a result, buses and metros are only operating during morning and afternoon rush hours and late at night. Labour Minister Jean Boulet said Wednesday on social media that the mediator will be tasked with easing tensions between both sides and restoring a dialogue 'conducive to negotiations.' One day earlier, he urged the union and the transit authority to jointly seek mediation to bring them closer to a deal. In a news release on Wednesday, the transit authority — Société de transport de Montréal — said negotiations with the union extended late into the prior night before the two sides agreed on the conditions governing mediation. Both sides filed a joint application for mediation to the Labour Department. 'Meetings with the union continue and are still scheduled several times a week,' the transit authority said. The mediation deal is a 'step in the right direction,' said Marie-Claude Léonard, general director of the agency. But she said, 'we are not one meeting away from reaching a solution.' The agency noted it had proposed mediation as early as May 29. Bruno Jeannotte, president of the maintenance workers union, said in an e-mailed statement that mediation will hopefully accelerate negotiations 'to quickly resolve the issues that separate us.' As part of an agreement reached with Quebec's labour tribunal, regular service will be maintained from Friday to Sunday for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, but operations will be restricted on other days until the strike is set to end on June 17. Earlier this week, Jeannotte also said his team is in talks with the union representing bus and subway drivers — who have also voted for a strike mandate — on ways to increase pressure on the transit authority. In a post on the X platform, Mayor Valérie Plante thanked Boulet for getting involved. 'This is an important step that will help move things forward,' Plante wrote. 'Our wish is clear: that the dialogue accelerates to reach an agreement.' She also sympathized with Montrealers who've been affected by the service cuts. 'The situation is difficult and complex for thousands of us. Public transit is essential and must resume quickly,' Plante said.
