The newest Tory senator is a Trudeau appointee. What to know about about David Adams Richards
Article content
In November 2019, he was one of the founding members of the new Canadian Senators Group (CSG), which was established in part to address centralization within the Senate, particularly in the ISG, and to reinforce senators' roles as regional representatives.
He remained with the second-largest ensemble in the upper house until May 21 this year, when he left to again sit as a non-affiliated member. He's the only Liberal-appointed Senator to have joined the Conservative caucus, which now counts 12 s enators.
As of Thursday, ISG leads the way with 45 members, CSG follows with 21, the Progressive Senator Group has 18, and there are eight non-affiliated. There's one vacancy — the seat left behind upon Don Plet's mandatory retirement at the age of 75 earlier last month.
He'll soon be joined in retirement by Richards, who turns 75 on Oct. 17.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
10 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Carney's ‘Canada Strong Pass' to come into effect on June 20
OTTAWA - The federal government is set to announce details of its promised 'Canada Strong Pass' next week and the tourism initiative is expected to take effect later this month. A Liberal government spokesperson told The Canadian Press that the pass will be available from June 20 until the end of August. During the recent federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to introduce a single pass that would give young people under 18 free seats on Via Rail when travelling with their parents, and free access to Canada's national galleries and museums. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Liberal platform said the party would also introduce 'heavily discounted' access to museums and galleries for Canadians aged 18 to 24. Carney, who pitched the idea as a way to unite Canadians in the face of threats from the U.S., said his government also would reduce prices for camping in national parks for all Canadians from June to August. Carney said during the campaign that Canadians would have free access to national parks and historic sites during the summer. The spokesperson said those promises will all be covered by the 'Canada Strong Pass.' A spokesperson for Via Rail Canada said the national passenger rail service is 'proud' to support the plan as it encourages young Canadians and their families to discover the country. The government spokesperson said details of the initiative will be announced in the coming days. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In 2017, Via Rail offered unlimited travel passes for youth during the month of July to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. While the organization said it planned originally to make 1,867 passes available, it extended the offer due to high demand and more than 4,000 Canadians purchased passes. Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Steven Guilbeault's director of communications said there has been an 'incredible show of unity' from Canadians since the beginning of the year. 'We look forward to delivering on our commitment to the Canada Strong Pass to make it even easier for Canadian families to choose Canada as they plan their summer travels,' Alisson Lévesque said. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. 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. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
National Observer
12 hours ago
- National Observer
PBO estimates tax rebate on new homes would save typical first-time buyer $27K
An eligible first-time homebuyer could save an average of $26,832 in sales tax on the price of a newly built home under Ottawa's latest housing proposal, the parliamentary budget officer said in a new report on Wednesday. But the PBO's estimate of the plan's total cost is substantially lower than the federal government's estimate, and ministers responsible for the file have not offered an explanation for the gap. In a new analysis released Wednesday, the federal fiscal watchdog predicts that 71,711 new builds would qualify for GST relief over the lifetime of the program. The proposal would see the federal portion of the sales tax eliminated on a new home worth up to $1 million if it's bought by a qualifying first-time homebuyer. The GST rebate would be phased down as the price of the home approaches $1.5 million. Homes bought from May 27 through to 2031 can qualify for the rebate, as long as construction starts before 2031 and finishes by 2036. With some exceptions, Canadians who have owned a home already are not eligible for the GST relief. Neither are investors. The PBO forecasts the program will cost $1.9 billion over six years, about $100 million lower than the estimate it presented during the spring federal election campaign. It attributes that gap to a later implementation date and a different definition used for first-time homebuyers. The federal government, meanwhile, estimated the "tax savings" for Canadians at $3.9 billion over five years when the legislation was tabled on May 27. The Liberals' spring election platform costed the GST rebate at around $1.6 billion over four years. A PBO spokesperson said in an email that any difference in figures is likely due to assumptions about the share of homes ultimately bought by first-time buyers, but deferred to Finance Canada for questions about the government's figures. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne did not stop for questions about the cost discrepancy on his way out of the Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday. His office did not respond to a request for clarification. Housing Minister Gregor Robertson also did not comment about the PBO report when asked Wednesday. He told reporters he would answer questions "tomorrow." A Desjardins Economics analysis of the proposal released Monday offered one explanation for the discrepancy between the PBO's cost estimate and the government's figure: Ottawa might think its program will be more popular than the PBO does. A higher cost estimate suggests more first-time homebuyers purchasing qualifying new builds, in other words. The GST rebate, which is not yet law, was included in the Liberals' spring election platform as a way to help Canadians break into the housing market. A home priced at $1 million would receive the maximum rebate of $50,000. Homes priced below that amount would still get the full rebate — but since the sales tax is a taken off a lower overall cost, the size of the rebate would be reduced accordingly. The rebate also would be lower than $50,000 for homes sold above $1 million because the rebate gradually ramps down until it zeros out at a purchase price of $1.5 million. The Desjardins report by economist Kari Norman said that if the program proves popular with first-time buyers, it could spur additional housing construction to meet higher demand. The PBO said it does not include possible behavioural responses to the program in its analysis. Norman noted in her report that it's also possible increased demand from homebuyers will push up home prices in the near-term. She estimated that 85 per cent of new homes built in Canada over the program time frame will be eligible for the full GST break of up to $50,000. In cases where the GST portion of a new home sale is rolled into the mortgage principal, the typical owner could expect to save $240 per month on mortgage payments, she said. The savings are more direct when a developer charges the GST upfront. The measure is packaged in legislation that also includes the Liberals' promised income tax cut, which is set to take effect July 1.
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Liberals won't split internal trade, major projects bill despite Bloc call
The Liberal government is rejecting a call from the Bloc Québécois to split its marquee legislation in two and allow part of it to speed through the House of Commons this summer. The bill — known as Bill C-5, or the free trade and labour mobility in Canada act —was introduced last Friday. It has two parts. The first portion addresses internal trade barriers the Liberals have promised to tackle by July 1. The second part proposes to make sweeping changes to speed up approvals of major projects. The Bloc argued the internal trade portion of the legislation could be passed relatively quickly with broad support from the House of Commons, but called for a separate study of the changes to major project reviews. 'The bill as it is now would be sent to the transport committee, whereas if it were to be split it could be sent to two different committees, the second one being environment,' Bloc deputy leader Christie Normandin said at a press conference on Monday. Story continues below advertisement Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Wednesday the Liberals won't split the legislation, even if that would ensure the government meets its self-imposed deadline to tackle interprovincial trade barriers. 'This is a bill that responds to economic conditions caused by the tariff war, among other things, and mobilizes premiers, mobilizes Canadians from coast to coast to coast behind projects of national significance,' MacKinnon said on his way into a Liberal caucus meeting. 1:46 Can the Liberal government's trade bill unify Canada's economy? The legislation would give the federal government sweeping new powers to push forward projects that have been deemed to be in the national interest. 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 It sets out five criteria to determine if a project is the national interest, including its likelihood of success, whether it would strengthen the country's resiliency and advance the interests of Indigenous peoples, and whether it would contribute to economic growth in an environmentally responsible way. Story continues below advertisement The government intends to create a list of such projects and then fast-track the approval system with a goal of issuing approvals within two years, instead of the current five-year timeline. The bill would create a new federal office to take the lead on streamlining approvals and task the intergovernmental affairs minister with overseeing the final permitting decision. It's meant to send a signal to build investor confidence, the government said. The proposed legislation has been criticized already by groups like Greenpeace Canada, and some have warned that there are risks in trying to shortcut environmental interests. 4:58 Carney looking to pass legislation 'before summer' to remove trade barriers in Canada The minority Liberal government needs the support of at least four MPs from another party to pass the bill. It does not have a formal or informal agreement with any opposition party to pass legislation, as was the case with the NDP in the last Parliament. Story continues below advertisement Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party will support legislation that gets new projects built — but he also said he wants the current bill amended to go even further. On Friday, Poilievre said he wanted to meet with his caucus before saying whether Conservative MPs will vote in favour of the legislation. After Wednesday's caucus meeting, his office said there was no update to provide. Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested last week he would consider extending the House sitting into July to get the legislation passed. The House of Commons is scheduled to take a summer break beginning June 21. MacKinnon said Wednesday that he has not tried to get consensus from the other parties to extend the sitting.
