Yves-François Blanchet shaken by Vancouver attack; Bloc candidates dance and sing
Article content
QUEBEC CITY — As Canadians from coast to coast mourned the loss of at least 11 lives in a car attack in Vancouver Sunday morning, Bloc Québécois candidates awaited their leader's visit with singing and dancing in a festive atmosphere.
Article content
The scene took place at the Bloc Québécois' Quebec—Centre riding headquarters, where leader Yves-François Blanchet was about to meet with candidates and volunteers in this battleground where they hope to win the seat of former Liberal cabinet minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
Article content
Article content
Led by Montmorency—Charlevoix candidate Caroline Desbiens, who sang traditional Quebec songs, a dozen Quebec volunteers and candidates, including Duclos's opponent, Simon Bérubé, clapped and danced, some joining the singer.
Article content
'C'est décidé, le bleu du Québec nous appelle. Ooohhh c'est décidé, le bleu du Québec nous appelle,' sang Desbiens in one of the songs, which can be translated as 'It's decided, the blue of Quebec is calling us. Ooohhh it's decided, the blue of Quebec is calling us'.
Article content
This morning, in Quebec City. Waiting for their leader @yfblanchet , @BlocQuebecois candidates are very festive. pic.twitter.com/qr5Y95u54Q
— Antoine Trépanier (@atreps) April 27, 2025
Article content
Article content
They then enthusiastically welcomed Blanchet in his final lap before election day. The room was filled with dozens of people, the majority of whom did not participate in the singing and dancing.
Article content
'It would be terrible, terrible, for anybody to imply in whatever way that our people lack compassion for those who suffer because we are the end of a campaign,' said Blanchet when asked about his people's behaviour.
Article content
A 30-year-old man is believed to have been the driver of a black SUV that drove eastward into a pedestrian-only area along 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street in Vancouver during Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
‘Scant progress' offloading federal office space for affordable housing: AG
The federal government has made little headway on its pledge to get rid of unused office space and transform some of it into affordable housing. A report released Tuesday by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that Public Services and Procurement Canada has made 'scant progress' on that commitment, reducing its office footprint by only two per cent between 2019 and 2024. The department planned to cut office space by 50 per cent by 2034, estimating it could save nearly $4 billion over the next decade. But Hogan says there has been little movement on the initiative, which could also alleviate the housing crisis. The auditor general blamed the inaction 'mainly on a lack of funding.' 1:36 Report gives Alberta lowest rating in the country for housing policies 'The federal government has been slow to reduce office space and cut costs to support hybrid work, and to convert surplus properties into affordable housing,' Hogan said. Story continues below advertisement 'Public Services and Procurement Canada and federal tenants need to accelerate their efforts to reduce the office space they occupy and contribute to increasing stock for housing that is sustainable, accessible, and affordable.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Last year, former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised to free up public land and vacant government offices to build more homes for Canadians, as part of his commitment in the Liberals' 2024 budget to restore fairness 'for every generation.' 'Governments across Canada are sitting on surplus, underused public land, like empty office towers, low rise buildings, there is great potential.' To unlock some of that potential, Trudeau announced a $500-million public lands acquisition fund. 1:43 Should home prices go down? 'No,' says Canada's new housing minister In 2017, Ottawa estimated that half of its office space was either vacant or underused. Three years later, even more buildings sat empty, as COVID-19 ushered in a new era of remote work. Story continues below advertisement Today, with public servants mandated to work a minimum of three days a week in office, most federal offices are still not at 100 per cent capacity. With bureaucrats back in the office, federal tenants are reluctant to leave. 'More public servants needing to spend more time in the building and hence are hesitant … to clear out of the building,' Hogan said. 'I know from our office I can tell you that we put up our hand and said with hybrid work, we don't need the space that we have, and we have offered to reduce our workspace,' she added. 'I would hope that other deputy heads would do the same in order to support the goal.'
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Most Canadians want increase in defence spending: Poll
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tours military vehicles and meets with Canadian troops of the 4th Canadian Division as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury on June 9, 2025 in Toronto. Carney has pledged to meet NATO's 2% spending pledge this year. Photo by Cole Burston / GETTY IMAGES OTTAWA — Spending an extra $20 billion to bring defence spending to its mandated NATO minimum is something Canadians approve of, say new poll numbers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Released on Tuesday, the new Angus Reid survey suggests two-thirds of Canadians support Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement Monday to boost Canada's defence spending to two per cent of our GDP — a minimum requirement under NATO that Canada has never achieved since the alliance introduced the benchmark in 2006. That plan, Carney said Monday, will ensure 'Canada is strong at home and reliable abroad,' and prioritize made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains. Sixty-eight per cent of those polled are in favour of increasing Canada's defence spending — with 51% wanting Canada to stop at two per cent, while 17% say they'd like to see spending go even higher. Twenty-three per cent want to keep spending where it is — currently 1.37% of GDP — while just 10% want defence spending reduced. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Broken down by party, 71% of Liberal supporters and 76% of Conservatives want defence spending increased, dropping to 55% for Bloc Quebecois voters, and 51% for NDP supporters. Unsurprisingly, NDP supporters were most likely to want defence spending decreased at 21%. With word this week that NATO's considering increasing defence spending benchmarks as high as five per cent, 47% say a spending increase that high would take away from other priorities, while 36% described it as a fair target. Read More Despite this, a plurality of Canadians aren't confidence the extra money will result in a stronger military. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Forty-six per cent say they're not that confident the Liberal government will make significant progress in strengthening our armed forces, compared to 44% who say they do. Canada's efforts to distance itself from the United States also includes Canada signing onto the ReArm Europe defence plan, a deal Carney is hoping to ink by Canada Day. Sixty per cent described this plan as a good idea, while just 23% said Canada should remain close to the United States. Canada, Carney said on Monday, needs to find ways to stop sending three-quarters of our defence capital spending to the United States. The poll was conducted among 4,067 Canadian adults between June 2 and June 8, 2025 via the Angus Reid Forum. As margins-of-error cannot be applied to online panels, a comparable probability sample would yield one no greater than ± 1.5%, 19 times out of 20. bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto Blue Jays NHL Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
New AI minister says Canada won't ‘over-index' on AI regulation
OTTAWA – Canada's new minister of artificial intelligence says he'll put less emphasis on AI regulation and more on finding ways to harness the technology's economic benefits. Evan Solomon says Canada will move away from 'over-indexing on warnings and regulation' to make sure the economy benefits from AI. He says getting AI regulation right is critical to Canada's 'economic destiny.' In his first speech since becoming Canada's first-ever AI minister, Solomon outlined four priorities for his ministry. They include scaling up Canada's AI industry, driving adoption and ensuring Canadians have trust in and sovereignty over the technology. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. He says his focus with AI regulation will be on data protection and privacy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
