Recount confirms narrow Liberal victory in Ontario riding of Milton East–Halton Hills South
Liberal Kristina Tesser Derksen says she found out just before midnight on May 15 that a judicial recount had confirmed her victory in the federal Ontario riding of Milton East–Halton Hills South.
The margin narrowed from 29 votes to 21 with the recount.
Elections Canada ordered the recount last week after the vote validation process showed Tesser Derksen won the riding over Conservative Parm Gill a slim margin.
A judicial recount is ordered automatically when the top two candidates are separated by less than 0.1 per cent of the valid votes cast.
Gill was declared the victor on election night but the riding flipped to the Liberals after the results were validated by Elections Canada.
This recount leaves the Liberals three seats shy of a majority government, with 169 MPs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
13 minutes ago
- CTV News
Ambrose says western separatism can fizzle out if Ottawa listens to grievances
Rona Ambrose responds to a question during an announcement in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Tuesday February 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld CALGARY — Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Rona Ambrose says the secessionist sentiment in Alberta is an unwelcome source of uncertainty for investors — but it could fizzle out quickly if Ottawa handles it right. Ambrose, now deputy chair at TD Securities, said Tuesday there's a feeling of resentment in Alberta and in neighbouring Saskatchewan. 'I think that it can dissipate quite quickly if some of these underlying issues around how the energy sector has been treated by Ottawa are dealt with,' she told a panel discussion at the Global Energy Show. Prime Minister Mark Carney can't take those feelings lightly, she said. 'We've had 10 years that have created a huge division, east-west, in between the federal and provincial governments. He's got to heal that,' Ambrose said of environmental policies Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, brought in. 'And so decisions he makes are not just for the economic benefit of Canada, but it's for the benefit of national unity, which is the most important thing a prime minister should always have top of mind.' Ambrose said outreach and trust-building is paramount and the federal-provincial relationship is 'already better.' The chief executive of one of Canada's biggest oil and gas companies said the complaints are valid even if the separatist talk isn't the most constructive way to go about expressing them. 'The way this separatist movement has manifested itself is really rooted in some grievances that I think are real and have frustrated this region for a long period of time,' Cenovus Energy chief executive Jon McKenzie told the panel. McKenzie told reporters on the sidelines of the conference he has not been hearing from investors about the separatist rumblings, and that he agrees the movement will 'go away' if political leaders address the concerns. Talk of Alberta going it alone or joining the United States has ratcheted up since the federal Liberals won a fourth term in office in April. In the province, where all but a few seats went Conservative blue, there is widespread discontent with federal environmental policies affecting the key oilpatch industry. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has introduced a bill that, if passed, would make it far easier for Albertans to launch referendums on various topics — including splitting from Canada. Last month, the top executive of another major Alberta company said mere talk of secession has already been hurting the investment climate. Atco Ltd. CEO Nancy Southern said Asian partners in a major hydrogen project indicated they won't make final investment decisions unless there is certainty around the issue. 'There's just too many questions for them to be confident that they can move forward with large-scale investment decisions, and so I think the separatist discussion is very unhelpful and not constructive to Alberta,' Southern said in a May interview. Questions include how an independent Alberta would get its products to coastal ports, what kind of trade deals it would have with its neighbours, what currency it would use and how stable the economy would be. Southern said she understands Albertans' frustration with the federal government. 'We have had the short end of the stick on many occasions as a result of new regulations and legislation and rule of law,' Southern said. 'I'm a big believer that this prime minister wants to change things and I think we need to sit down and work together.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Companies in this story: (TSX: CVE) (TSX: TD) (TSX: ACO. X) Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press
National Post
16 minutes ago
- National Post
The federal government's GST/HST legislation must meet the needs of the GTA housing market
A few weeks ago, the federal government tabled its proposed GST/HST reduction measures on new homes. Unfortunately, like many federal housing policies, the proposal to exempt first-time new home buyers from the GST for homes under $1 million and provide a declining exemption to homes for $1.5 million does not recognize the realities of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and will have little impact on housing supply and affordability in this region. Article content Article content The fact that the government is proposing even this limited measure is a tacit acknowledgement that the tax, along with the other myriad of government fees and taxes heaped onto new homes, is now one of the barriers to affordability. This is compounded by the failure to keep structural mechanisms, such as the GST/HST new housing rebate program current to market property values. That said, the current federal proposal is lacking in many ways. Article content Article content First, is the comparatively small number of new home buyers who are first-time buyers in the GTA. While the number may be higher in other jurisdictions, in the GTA, estimates of first-time buyers as buyers of new homes are between five and 10 per cent. Recognizing that resale homes do not attach GST/HST means that the total number of people who would benefit in the GTA ranges between 1,500 and 3,000 in an average year, and a paltry 500 to 1,000 people based on 2024 annual sales. In a metropolitan area that represents 20 per cent of the Canadian population — and is one of the fastest growing regions in North American — this is a symbolic drop in the bucket. Article content Second, the dollar figures used are geographically biased. While $1 million will buy a very well-heeled detached single-family home in almost every other part of Canada, except the GTA and the lower mainland of B.C., the average price for a new condominium in the GTA in April was $1,019,120 and $1,530,126 for a single-family home (including townhomes, semis and detached). So, while a purchaser in Ottawa can buy a fully detached single-family home in the mid-$800,000s and pay no GST, a comparable product in the GTA would cost in excess of $1.5 million and attract nearly $70,000 in GST. And before you say, 'but salaries in the GTA are higher,' the average annual household income in Ottawa is $125,700 and in the GTHA it is $129,000. By selecting dollar thresholds that are not reflective of high-property value jurisdictions, the federal government is basically ignoring the regions where the need is the greatest. Article content Last, when the GST was introduced, it had a corresponding rebate program that applied to 95 per cent of purchasers so that it would 'not pose a barrier to the affordability of new housing in Canada (page 21).' Now, with properly values effectively excluding anyone in the GTA from a GST rebate, and such a narrow federal proposal, effectively 90 to 95 per cent of homes are subject to the GST and receive zero rebate. This means less incentive to move up in new housing as families grow and expand, or down in new housing as seniors age and look to downsize, limiting mobility within existing housing stock and impeding the addition of appropriately sized new supply.
CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
More funding first, says Charlottetown police about joining new P.E.I. joint enforcement unit
Social Sharing Charlottetown police Chief Brad MacConnell says he's seen the province fund various policing initiatives, but that funding is often not sustained, leaving police departments on the hook for commitments made by the province. Last month, a letter sent by MacConnell and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown to Justice Minister Bloyce Thompson was made public. It outlined some of the reasons why the Charlottetown Police Services would not be joining a new Joint Enforcement Team aimed at tackling the illicit drug trade and organized crime. The team is made up of members from Summerside Police Services, the Kensington police agency and RCMP. The province is spending $800,000 on the project. MacConnell has seen similar initiatives in the past and they haven't worked out, he said, such as when the previous provincial government created a similar group to tackle biker gangs. "The government had certainly the best intentions to form a task force to deal with outlaw motorcycle gangs, but I can tell you logistically it broke down. Partners retreated. Bikers are still here. And Charlottetown police were left with expectations to try to manage that," he said. "We certainly realize drug enforcement and drug issues are at the forefront of Islanders' minds. While we agree in the spirit of this initiative, we have concerns over logistics, over sustainability of the model." 'We'd like those core issues addressed' MacConnell pointed out despite Charlottetown police not being part of the program, there is still a lot of collaboration such as Charlottetown aiding with technology and digital forensics. "There are some core fundamental policing issues that have to be addressed in regarding the funding of policing here on Prince Edward Island, especially in the capital area, and Charlottetown in particular," he said. "So, we'd like those, you know, core issues addressed before we jump into a situation where we're increasing public expectation and we're not going to be able to deliver." The province had previously provided funding for four Charlottetown police officers to help patrol the area around the Community Outreach Centre on Park Street. There were two more which were going to be funded, but because of city council voting against keeping those services running, that money never came through, MacConnell said. MacConnell also thinks Charlottetown police aren't being recognized for the role they play in drug enforcement already, he said. "Our drug enforcement teams are out pacing any of the other drug enforcement units, I think, in Atlantic Canada. Certainly, I think there is a lack of recognition for that, for the great work Charlottetown is doing," MacConnell said. "I think it is quite unfair for the province at this point to cast any shadow over the city of Charlottetown and our police services when we are just trying to meet the demands of our own mandates." Council questions lack of consultation The issue came up during the regular meeting of Charlottetown's city council on Tuesday night. Coun. Terry Bernard wanted council to have a role in deciding if the city's police would be part of the program. "Decisions are being made that we know nothing about. That's not the way council is supposed to operate. It's more of a concern for me that the process here is you have a level of government asking another level of government, 'Will you join us?' And so, it is not up to staff or the mayor alone to make that decision to say, 'No, we're not.' It's council as a collective," Bernard said during the meeting. Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov backed up Bernard's position, saying she would have liked to know about the letter and that it could be "politicized" in the P.E.I. Legislature before Thompson made it public. Brown didn't think the letter he signed would be made public by Thompson, he said. "I thought there was a breach there between the two offices," Brown said during the meeting, adding that he thought the correspondence was going to be private. "The chief assisted with the response because of his background in this field." MacConnell believes the matter was operational in nature and didn't need to come to council for approval, though he acknowledges more information should have been provided on what the province was asking city police to do.
