Gazan ensures NDP stay on electoral map in Manitoba
Leah Gazan has held her Winnipeg Centre seat in a tough battle with Liberal challenger Rahul Walia.
Gazan, an Indigenous and anti-poverty activist first elected in 2019, took nearly 40 per cent of the vote, five points more than Walia.
In winning Winnipeg Centre, Gazan kept true to the NDP record of always having at least one MP from Manitoba since the party was formed in 1961.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire evacuation underscores need for Red Dress Alert system
Opinion The grassroots organization Giganawenimaanaanig released an interim report this week on the progress of the proposed Red Dress Alert, an initiative that would notify the public and help co-ordinate responses when an Indigenous woman, girl, or two-spirit person goes missing. Similar to an Amber Alert, which is issued when a child goes missing, the program responds to the calls for justice in the national inquiry on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and the parliamentary motion put forward by Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan in 2023 to create the initiative. After receiving unanimous support in Parliament, a $1.3-million fund was established to research and make recommendations on how the program could be implemented nationally. Manitoba stepped up to take the lead. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the Red Dress Alert program by early- to mid-2026. After consulting with 29 urban, rural, and First Nations and Métis communities throughout Manitoba, Giganawenimaanaanig called on all governments to implement the program by early- to mid-2026. 'Every day that the Red Dress Alert is not implemented,' project lead Denise Cook said, 'is a day that someone could go missing.' In the wake of four murders of Indigenous women by a serial killer in Winnipeg, and countless other MMIWG in Manitoba, the value of a Red Dress Alert is obvious. When considered alongside the amount of young women and two-spirit people in the child welfare system, the rise in domestic violence, and a city of Winnipeg police force that called the search for Indigenous female remains at a landfill 'unfeasible,' the initiative is need more than ever. It's needed now, in fact. More than 17,000 evacuees, mostly from northern First Nations, have been displaced owing to wildfires. In excess of 10,000 of them are in hotels or other lodgings in Winnipeg. That means this city has had an influx of thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples — individuals preyed upon by many forces here. It's well-known that when Indigenous peoples are evacuated due to fires, floods, or some other traumatizing disaster, certain considerations in the health, justice, and emergency management systems must take place. For instance, many First Nations are alcohol-free due to a long history of complicated relationships with substance use. This community law is impossible to maintain off-reserve but community leaders combat the issue in other ways: such as by providing extra mental health services, family-building events, and even patrols to support people during their time as refugees. The same could be said about health, justice, and even governance. Simply put, due to a long history of political mistreatment, Indigenous communities require specific considerations when displaced by disasters. The issue of MMIWG2S+ is a disaster, too. Combined with recent fire evacuations, the situation has become critical. All this week, Indigenous social media has been full of individuals working overtime to protect Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit peoples from nefarious forces. 'I'm gathering a crew of helpers this evening,' posted activist Rylee Nepinak of the downtown patrol group Anishiative. 'After speaking to multiple sources (mainly our women), it's clear we need as many boots on the ground watching for any predatory/exploitative signs (and) talk to the kids about safety.' Indigenous leaders are reporting that predators have approached displaced vulnerable individuals online and in person to offer drugs, alcohol, and invite them to 'party' in a private home — where a sexual or physical assault can easily take place. Advocates have created a list of 'safety tips when heading out in Winnipeg' that include: travelling in pairs, informing family and support staff of travel and return plans, and keeping location apps activated on their cellphones. Isabel Daniels, a vulnerable person advocate, warned in a post: 'Nothing is for free: if people are offering FREE substances SAY NO… Please be cautious of the things people are offering, Fentanyl is in a lot of street drugs.' Daniels also posted a dire message: 'People offering you FREE clothing, cellphones and liquor can be human traffickers, ALWAYS SAY NO.' Winnipeg police are joining the fight to educate and keep Indigenous people safe by providing extra officers and visits to evacuee shelters and printing 3,000 pamphlets with emergency contacts and tips to remain safe. Similar situations have been reported in other cities where evacuees are being sheltered, such as Thompson and Brandon. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Community groups have recommended Indigenous families take photos of their female and two-spirit members in case a missing person report needs to be filed. If one didn't know better, one might see the release of the Red Dress Alert interim report, alongside a real-life emergency related to the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals, as a well-planned political move. It isn't. It's evidence the issue is urgent, laid bare right before our very eyes, now more than ever. Red Dress Alert report Niigaan SinclairColumnist Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press. Read full biography 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.
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Mark Carney's bill to make Canada a ‘superpower' is unveiled
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's bid to Trump-proof and supercharge the Canadian economy was unveiled on Friday when the Liberal government tabled a bill to create a new process to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects and ease the flow of goods and workers within the country. The proposed 'One Canadian Economy' law opens a five-year window to conditionally approve specially-selected development projects upfront, so they can go through a streamlined process geared toward deciding how — rather than whether — they should get built.
3 hours ago
Liberals introduce bill to cut trade barriers, speed up 'nation-building' infrastructure
The Liberal government introduced legislation Friday that it says will eliminate federal barriers to internal trade and detail how nation-building infrastructure projects will be identified and approved more quickly. The One Canadian Economy Act attempts to fulfil campaign promises made by Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen Canada's economy and sovereignty in the face of the economic attacks on Canada by the Trump administration. Carney said Friday that it is a bill with two equally important components, designed to create one Canadian economy out of 13. A bill that is laser-focused on building a stronger, more competitive and a more resilient Canadian economy that works for all Canadians. The prime minister said the bill will on, the one hand, speed up the approval process of major infrastructure projects, reducing approval times from five years to two by introducing a one-project, one-review approach instead of having federal and provincial approval processes happen sequentially. And the bill would also provide a boost to internal trade by recognizing provincial standards for goods, services and labour mobility as having met the federal standard. Carney says provinces will have a say over projects: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Carney says he won't force projects on provinces that refuse them 'We will not impose a project on a province,' said Prime Minister Mark Carney when asked if the federal government would force pipelines on provinces that may not want them. He added that the first ministers' meeting demonstrated the provinces are willing to collaborate. Under the legislation, someone who is certified or licensed to perform specific skilled work in a province or territory that wants to take on a job doing the same thing for a federally regulated project will be deemed to have met that federal standard. The government says recognizing provincial standards will open up job opportunities to workers and give employers a larger candidate pool to draw upon. The bill only recognizes provincial standards at the federal level. Workers certified or licensed in one province that want to work in another will only be able to do so when that province or territory agrees to drop their trade barriers. The federal government has rules and standards for businesses on top of regional requirements that apply across provincial and territorial borders. Under the legislation, provincial standards for goods and services will be recognized as having already met federal standards. That means a province's organic standards for food, or energy efficiency standards for appliances, will be treated as having met federal standards. Nation-building projects Canada's a country that used to build big things, Carney said. "But in recent decades it's become too difficult to build in this country. For too long, when federal agencies have evaluated a new project, their immediate question has been why. With this bill, we will instead ask ourselves, how? During the election campaign Carney promised his government would speed up approvals for infrastructure projects identified as being nation-building, without providing a detailed description of what that means or how it would be determined. Friday, the government said a nation-building project would make a significant contribution to Canada's prosperity and advance national security, economic security, defence security and national autonomy through the increased production of energy and goods, and the improved movement of goods, services and people throughout Canada. Examples of such projects include: highways, railways, ports, airports, pipelines, critical minerals, mines, nuclear facilities and electrical transmission projects. Projects that meet the nation-building standard are also measured against five key benchmarks to determine if they will: Strengthen Canada's autonomy, resilience and security. Provide national economic or other benefits. Have a high likelihood of being successful. Advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples. Contribute to Canada's objectives with respect to climate change. Officials speaking on background said these five standards are not a checklist, but rather factors that are considered when evaluating whether a project is nation-building or not. The parties doing the considering, the government said, include provinces, territories and Indigenous rights holders. Once something is declared a nation-building project it is put on a list of approved projects. That list can expand, adding new projects, until the measures in the bill sunset, which happens five years after it is passed. Cutting approval time by 60% Once a project is added to the list, proponents will use the newly formed federal Major Projects Office as their single point of contact instead of having to go through multiple agencies and ministers. The office will help walk proponents through the assessment and permitting process, consulting with provinces and Indigenous Peoples on mitigation and environmental impact measures that would need to be taken. Carney stressed Friday that consulting with Indigenous Peoples throughout the approval stage will be an important part of the process. The Major Projects Office will include an Indigenous Advisory Council of First Nations, Inuit and Métis members to provide advice and direction. Carney also said the legislation will ensure that environmental protections are maintained for these projects. He said the federal and provincial governments would work together to achieve the goal of a single assessment for projects. And the federal government would streamline its own process further by making one cabinet minister, instead of multiple ministers, responsible for authorizing a project in consultation with the prime minister. Peter Zimonjic (new window) · CBC News
