Tasmania Heads to Polls Again, Second Election in 14 Months
Tasmanians will return to the polls on July 19 after Premier Jeremy Rockliff was granted an early election by Governor Barbara Baker, just months after the March 2024 state poll.
The decision follows a no-confidence motion passed in the lower house last week, leaving the Liberal leader's minority government in crisis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Liberal MP criticizes Modi's G7 invitation in meeting with Prime Minister Carney
OTTAWA — B.C. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday morning to push back against the decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta next week. In an interview with The Canadian Press before that meeting took place, Dhaliwal said he spoke with hundreds of people who don't want Modi to attend the upcoming leaders summit — some of them members of the Liberal caucus. "We as Canadians take pride to be a champion on human rights. We are the country of law and justice," Dhaliwal said Tuesday. "When it comes to protecting fundamental rights and serving justice for the victim, it is non-negotiable." In 2023 and 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police force had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide. Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who led the public inquiry into foreign political interference last year, reported that China and India are among the primary actors behind foreign inference operations targeting Canada. Carney issued an invitation to Modi in a phone call on June 6. Dhaliwal said Wednesday that he met with Carney Wednesday before the weekly Liberal caucus meeting and shared concerns about that invitation that were raised by constituents. "Now that (Modi's) invited, we have to move forward," Dhaliwal said. "(Carney) is alarmed about the issue and he will be very strong in dealing with those issues that are important to Canadians." Gurbux Saini, another B.C. Liberal MP, said the decision to invite Modi to the G7 and the invitation extended to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are undermining Canada's reputation as a champion of human rights. "It is a damaging thing because we have been known in the world as caring and compassionate people who love human rights, and this is something the prime minister is aware of and it has been brought to his attention," Saini said Wednesday. Canada has invited Saudi Arabia's de facto leader to the G7 summit, according to two Canadian government officials who were not authorized to speak publicly about maCanada's invitation list. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, Riyadh had not indicated whether it had accepted the invitation. Carney did not respond to reporters' questions on his way into the caucus meeting Wednesday. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said some of his constituents have raised concerns with him about "invitations to leaders." "But I think it's important to note that at this time, at a time of crisis, we need to be able to collaborate and of course work out some issues," Sidhu said before entering the caucus room. The crisis Sidhu referred to is the tariff war with the U.S. Dhaliwal, who represents the riding where Nijjar was killed, said Tuesday the invitation betrays Canadian values. "Before we invited him, Prime Minister Modi should have committed that he and his team or his associates or his departments will fully co-operate with the Canadian authorities," Dhaliwal said Tuesday. Carney said he wants to keep policing matters separate from Canada's responsibilities as G7 chair and has argued that India, one of the world's largest economies, belongs at the table. Carney has said India agreed to continue "law enforcement dialogue." Modi's comment on his Friday call with Carney did not mention policing. The NDP condemned the decision to invite Modi. At a press conference on Parliament Hill Wednesday morning, Alberta NDP MP Heather McPherson accused the Carney government of putting "profits over people." "That's appalling. For me, what it indicated, this government has consistently and very clearly chosen profits and the economy over human rights," McPherson said. "I think all Canadians expect their government to provide good, family-sustaining jobs, but not at the expense of human rights." At a Tuesday webinar organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation, a federal think tank, experts argued Canada can use the G7 summit to build a functional relationship with India on trade, clean energy and dealing with China. C. Raja Mohan of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research in New Delhi argued that South Asia's political concerns are going to continue to resonate across the English-speaking world, in part due to high emigration to places like Canada, the U.S. and Britain. He said that creates "a structural problem" where foreign interference and extremist elements among Sikh activists can create tensions for both India and other countries. "This is going to get worse. After all, politics is not going to cease, either in the West or in India," he said. Mohan argued Ottawa and New Delhi must find ways to address these issues through sustained, long-term law enforcement co-operation, rather than "public posturing." "How do you prevent Indian politics from poisoning Canadian politics, or prevent political mobilization within the … Anglo-American world from … generating problems for India?" he asked. "This is something we have to manage over the longer term, and there are not going to be these high-minded, declaratory solutions to this." Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow with the Asia Pacific Foundation, said he suspects India will be observing how Ottawa responds to any protests against Modi in Canada. "New Delhi will be watching this very closely," he said. Kugelman said the G7 visit could be a way to build trust between Canada and India, and might lead to more a substantive reset of relations before the November G20 summit in South Africa. — With files from Nick Murray This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025. David Baxter and Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Liberals to cut short study of bill to speed up resource project approvals
OTTAWA - The Liberal government in Ottawa is signalling it plans to push its internal trade and major projects bill through the House of Commons next week at high speed. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon has put a motion on notice that would push the bill through the House of Commons by the end of next week at an unusually rapid pace — leaving just one day to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. Bill C-5 would grant the government sweeping powers to quickly approve major natural resource and infrastructure projects once cabinet deems them to be in the national interest. The legislation also looks to break down internal trade barriers and make it easier for workers to take jobs in other provinces. MacKinnon rejected a call from the Bloc Québécois this week to split the landmark legislation in two — so the House could speed through the less contentious internal-trade provisions while putting the controversial major projects portion under the microscope. Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed repeatedly to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, 19 days from now. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
NDP leader says Carney needs to keep Parliament in the loop on trade talks
OTTAWA - Interim NDP Leader Don Davies is accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney of not being transparent about negotiations with the U.S. on getting President Donald Trump's tariffs lifted. Davies said Wednesday that Parliament has not been kept in the loop on what Carney and Trump are talking about behind closed doors, or whether Ottawa has involved stakeholders in negotiations with the U.S. 'Previous Liberal governments have made quite a deal out of appointing different stakeholders from society to be present in advising them. Yet we don't know anything about that in these negotiations,' Davies told reporters outside the House of Commons just ahead of question period. 'It's time that Carney government became more transparent with Canadians, let us know who's negotiating, and definitely explain to Canadians why he's pursuing deeper military and economic integration with the United States when he promised Canadians that he would do exactly the opposite.' Carney declared during the recent federal election that Canada's old relationship with the United States, based on deepening economic integration and military cooperation, had come to an end and he vowed to stand up to Trump in the face of steep U.S. tariffs. CBC/Radio-Canada reported earlier Wednesday that the U.S. and Canada are hashing out a 'working document' that outlines details of a potential trade deal and states that Canada will participate in Trump's Golden Dome missile defence project. The prime minister's office is neither confirming nor denying that report. Asked by reporters about talks on the U.S. tariffs, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government's 'endgame' is to have all of Trump's tariffs removed, but he referred journalists to Carney and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc for the most up-to-date information. 'It's a very dynamic situation,' Champagne said. 'We've been engaging with our friends in the United States. You know, we talk to different people in the administration.' But Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand breezed past reporters who shouted questions at them on Wednesday, while LeBlanc was not seen in Parliament. Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly confirmed the secret, top-level discussions last week, saying that Carney and Trump are in 'deep discussions' on trade and working 'around the clock to get a deal.' 'They're right at the brink,' Ford said in Toronto on June 5. Pete Hoekstra, Trump's ambassador to Canada, said in an armchair talk at the Canadian Club of Ottawa on Wednesday that he thinks there's a 'possibility to have a great deal.' He said that 'all indications' are that the two countries could reach a 'very positive agreement,' but couched that 'there's also the possibility you could end up with something like no deal or whatever.' 'Until a deal is announced, you really won't know what's it in it,' Hoekstra said. Trump has insisted that Canada could join his unbuilt Golden Dome continental missile defence program at a cost of $61 billion. Carney confirmed last month that he is in talks with Trump about the project. 'It's something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,' Carney said at a press conference in Ottawa on May 21. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
