Winnipeg MP Gazan seeks emergency debate on wildfires
Leah Gazan, who represents Winnipeg Centre, shared a letter with media organizations that she sent to Francis Scarpaleggia on Monday morning.
'Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency for the next month and are now appealing for international assistance to contain the fires. Despite the heroic efforts of front-line workers — firefighters, nurses, doctors and volunteers — the response system has proven inadequate in addressing the urgent needs of evacuees, particularly in Indigenous communities,' the NDP MP wrote.
'This is not the first time First Nations have been left behind during climate emergencies. The federal government has repeatedly failed to ensure that remote and northern communities have access to reliable emergency preparedness infrastructure and evacuation support.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Poilievre's byelection win sets the table for his return to Parliament this fall
After a summer of rodeos, dinosaurs and door-knocking, Pierre Poilievre is now officially heading back to Ottawa as a Conservative member of Parliament for Alberta. The Tory leader will represent the sprawling rural riding of Battle River–Crowfoot, in the province's eastern region, after winning a byelection on Monday. Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life, Poilievre told a crowd at a victory party in Camrose, Alta., on Monday night. In fact, I've had a hell of a lot of fun. Poilievre spent weeks this summer meeting constituents, attending events and stopping by local businesses in his new riding. It was precisely the kind of boots-on-the-ground campaign he ran in 2004 when he became an MP for the first time in the Ontario riding of Carleton. It's also exactly the kind of local campaign he could not run in Carleton in the spring, when his leader's tour criss-crossed the country for 36 days, before holding a final rally in his home riding the night before the April 28 election. Poilievre lost to Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy, who had spent more than two years campaigning against him in the Ottawa-area riding. Poilievre's return to the House of Commons in one of the safest Conservative seats in Canada was all but guaranteed, observers said. Now Poilievre's attention will turn to two things: the fall sitting of Parliament and his upcoming leadership review. WATCH | Poilievre projected to win byelection, return as MP: Top priorities When Parliament resumes on Sept. 15, Poilievre will square off with Prime Minister Mark Carney in the House of Commons for the first time. The [Conservative] Party and the country have moved past the election campaign. We're now in a new government. He's going to have to show that he's really good at holding their feet to the fire, said Amanda Galbraith, a Conservative strategist and partner at Oyster Group. Poilievre has already signalled some of what he plans to focus on. At a news conference on Aug. 7, he said he will introduce a bill in the House of Commons called the Canadian Sovereignty Act (new window) to speed up the development of major projects. He also said Conservatives were calling on Carney to begin construction of at least two pipeline projects, a new natural gas liquefaction project and a road to the Ring of Fire in Ontario by March 14. WATCH | Conservative leader celebrates byelection result in Battle River–Crowfoot: With Poilievre once again leading the party in Parliament, Andrew Scheer will return to his Opposition House leader duties. There will be changes to the party's front bench, too. The Conservative leader pledged in the spring to shuffle his shadow cabinet — a group of 74 MPs appointed to critic or leadership roles in the House of Commons — this fall. We've seen which ministers are performing, which ministers are not, where the weaknesses lie in that government. So they'll realign, said Galbraith. Poilievre's former campaign manager, Jenni Byrne, said in a recent podcast interview that the fall House sitting is when the real next chapter starts for the party. The Conservatives will focus on issues like immigration and crime, said Byrne, who noted in the interview that she's still involved as an adviser to Poilievre and takes calls on a daily basis. The cost of living will likely remain a top priority for the Opposition, particularly as trade and U.S. tariffs command the government's attention. Leadership review to start 2026 Ginny Roth, a partner at Crestview Strategy and a Conservative commentator, said Poilievre has been successful as Opposition leader in pointing out the places where Canadians are struggling and where the government is failing. The Conservative Party will hold a national convention in Calgary in late January. The party's constitution stipulates that any leader who has just lost an election will face a vote on their future. Running a byelection campaign all summer has meant Poilievre has not been travelling the country. Enlarge image (new window) Poilievre meets a supporter during a break at a Battle River-Crowfoot byelection candidate forum in Camrose, Alta., on July 29. Photo: The Canadian Press / Jason Franson The rallies that were a fixture of his leadership since 2022 have been scrapped in favour of door-knocking. And while that's likely given him a good window into the mindset of Conservative voters during the Carney government's post-election honeymoon, it's also meant he has not been in the national spotlight. While that might feel frustrating when you come off this high-energy election, I think it was the right approach. Lie low, get back to basics, Roth said. The Tory caucus has been firm in its support for Poilievre, and it is widely expected that he will win the leadership review — not least because no one has so far publicly challenged his leadership. There's a lot to be excited about and I think Conservative members will recognize that in the leadership review, Roth said. Galbraith said things can shift quickly, and Poilievre can't take the leadership review for granted. For example, he was going to be prime minister until he wasn't going to be prime minister, right? she said. With files from CBC News
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Poilievre to win byelection, regain seat in Parliament, CBC projects
CBC projects Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will win the federal byelection for the Battle River-Crowfoot riding. Poilievre, who lost his previous seat in the federal election, can now return to the House of Commons when it sits in September.
National Observer
3 hours ago
- National Observer
Poilievre still wants to run against Trudeau
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre once again has a seat in the House of Commons after losing his long-held Ottawa riding in April's federal election. Little surprise there. But the four-month hiatus should have been plenty of time for him to chart a new offensive against Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal minority government. That would require imagination Poilievre has never exhibited. Instead, just days before the byelection, Poilievre announced plans to mount a campaign against the last vestiges of the Trudeau government's climate policy — the zero-emission vehicle mandate. Yawn. It's a predictable course for Poilievre, who crafted his unsuccessful election campaign against the consumer carbon tax and shamelessly shills for the oil and gas industry. Polls suggest attacking the vehicle mandate will be a huge hit with his supporters, 85 per cent of whom believe the goal is unrealistic. The poll indicates it will appeal to non-Conservatives as well — 68 per cent of Canadians overall think the goal is unrealistic. They might be right. The mandate, set to take effect next year, will require 20 per cent of all light-duty vehicles sold in Canada to be ZEVs. The percentage will rise yearly until it reaches 100 per cent by 2035. Even reaching the first-year target would take some doing; the adoption rate of ZEVs in 2024 was only 15.4 per cent. Given that federal incentives to help consumers offset the price of EVs are on pause and many oil-producing provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan wouldn't dream of offering any help, the uptake has slowed. Carney is under pressure from automakers to repeal the mandate and while he hasn't yet expressly said so, there are signs he may cave to their demands. The auto industry is already struggling under US tariffs and Carney may well decide the mandate would unreasonably add to their woes. Despite his climate background, which earned him support from the Liberals' climate wing, Carney has so far not hesitated to throw climate policy under the bus to keep his party ahead in the polls. Before the election, he kneecapped Poilievre's campaign by promising to kill the consumer carbon tax and made good on that pledge the day he took office. Poilievre claims credit for the move, but most Canadians credit the man who pulled the lever, not the one who started the fight. Since then he's indicated a willingness to backtrack on plans to impose an industrial emissions cap, another Trudeau initiative that was unpopular with business. Poilievre is back and plans to mount a campaign against the EV mandate, one of the last vestiges of the Trudeau government's climate policy. Shows once again, he's stuck in the past along with fossil fuel companies whose days are numbered. Carney's pragmatic approach has disappointed many of those who voted for him hoping he would expedite Canada's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But his popularity remains strong with the latest Leger poll finding 54 per cent of Canadians approve of the Carney-led government. With the NDP in the wilderness and the Green Party down to only one seat, voters who care about climate change appear to have little choice but to back Carney, who at least gives lip service to climate policy. That's exactly why Poilievre's most recent gambit to fight the EV mandate is weak from a tactical point of view. If Carney believes the vehicle mandate is politically unpalatable, there is every indication he will kill it, or at least push implementation so far into the future that the grumbling will stop. At the same time, he can offer carrots, instead of a stick, to increase ZEV purchases by reupping the federal incentive program. In June, Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said Ottawa is working to bring back the rebate program. If all those chips fall into place, Poilievre's anti-EV campaign will be over before it has a chance to begin. Poilievre's political persona is centred on his considerable attack-dog abilities — which served him well against former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had worn out his welcome with the electorate. The approach isn't working so well now. With our economy under attack in a bitter trade war with the US, Canadians continue to yearn for leadership from someone with a steady hand, fresh ideas and foresight. That type of leader would look to Norway where the share of electric car sales is getting close to 100 per cent and China, a more populous country which is at the half-way mark. Closer to home, a forward-looking leader would pay attention to Ford, which just built a giant US factory to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells to power lower-cost EVs. We don't yet know how hard Carney will go to bat for EV adoption in Canada. Regardless, in the minds of the majority of Canadians, the leader for our immediate future is Carney, not Poilievre. Poilievre is a wrecker who is good at tearing ideas down. But he'll never be a builder, because he's stuck in the past along with fossil fuel companies whose days are numbered. When it comes to motor vehicles, ZEVs are the future, whether that future comes in the next 10 years or takes a little longer. Carney is still enjoying a honeymoon period and he's reaping credit for creating sound policies of his own and killing unpopular policies from his predecessor. The transition to ZEVs presents an opportunity for him to do both. Poilievre, who lost his mojo the day Trudeau left office, will keep attacking no matter what. Back in the House of Commons, he can resume swinging his fists at any target in sight — but with Trudeau gone the punches just aren't landing.
