Manitoba byelection called in traditional Progressive Conservative stronghold
Premier Wab Kinew has called a byelection in the Spruce Woods constituency, which has been vacant since Progressive Conservative Grant Jackson resigned in March to run for federal office.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Michigan lawmaker calls on Canada to take action on wildfire smoke
CTV's Danton Unger has the latest on the evacuation of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation due to the threat of wildfires. CTV's Danton Unger has the latest on the evacuation of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation due to the threat of wildfires. A Michigan congressman is calling on Canadian leaders to do more to address the spread of wildfire smoke in his state. Representative John James, a Republican who represents Michigan's 10th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, recently wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking for leaders in the country to take action to contain the wildfire crisis in the country, specifically citing the smoke from Manitoba's wildfires. '(Our constituents) are paying the price physically, economically, and environmentally for Canada's failure to prevent disasters that are entirely foreseeable,' James wrote. Environment and Climate Change Canada has confirmed 2025 is the smokiest year on record for Manitoba due to widespread wildfires. James specifically took issue with Premier Wab Kinew's comments last month, claiming he is diminishing the health impact on Americans from the wildfire smoke. 'Even more disturbing are Premier Kinew's comments dismissing the health impact on their neighbors to the south as 'trivial,' adding that Americans 'enjoying their summers' is not a priority for Manitoba,' he wrote. 'Let us be clear: this is not a seasonal annoyance. It is a public health emergency, and it is actively damaging the U.S.-Canada relationship.' On July 10, Kinew responded to a letter from several U.S. lawmakers in Minnesota and Wisconsin criticizing the presence of wildfire smoke in their states. Kinew called the congresspeople who wrote the letter 'ambulance chasers,' while praising the work of firefighters from the U.S. in helping with wildfire efforts. 'This is what turns people off from politics—when you've got a group of Congress people trying to trivialize and make hay out of a wildfire season where we've lost lives in our province,' Kinew said at the time. 'There's no place for that in politics. 'If you can't get likes on Instagram from your own skills as a politician, don't bother trying to throw other people under the bus during a state of emergency.' CTV News Winnipeg has reached out to both the premier's office and James' office for a response. James is calling on Canada to reform its forest management policies and invest in modern technology to help prevent future wildfires.
Edmonton Journal
9 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Wednesday's letters: Pushing separation isn't Smith's job
What would happen if I went to downtown Edmonton and encouraged 1,000 people to take over Canada Place and destroy it? My butt would be in jail regardless of the issue. Yet, we have Danielle Smith putting the idea of separation into people's heads. Article content I've served in the Canadian navy, lived in five provinces and settled in Edmonton. We have the best country in the world. Politicians that even hint at separation should be charged with treason; no excuses. Their job is to make our home better, not destroy it. Article content Article content Article content Danielle Smith and Mickey Amery are furious that a nonpartisan official did his job — because it got in the way of their latest performance art: the Alberta Separation Clown Show. They wanted a referendum question asking if Alberta should leave Canada. The chief electoral officer did what adults do when children play with fire — he called in the courts. Article content That's when the UCP lost it. They don't want oversight. They want a blank cheque, signed by rage and underwritten by stupidity. And they're wasting your tax dollars pushing a question that will be laughed out of court and flushed down the toilet of constitutional law. This isn't democracy. It's cosplay for cowards who can't govern. While families struggle, they're busy stroking the egos of separatist zealots with tinfoil hats and Facebook diplomas. Article content Article content The UCP doesn't want sovereignty. They want chaos and they want you to pay for it. Article content There has been much discussion about the long-ballot issue in the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection. I believe that the process underway is wrong for Alberta. I submit this as a Progressive Conservative rural candidate from the Lougheed government era and cabinet minister for two terms (1971-79). A very serious mistake seems underway. There has to be a better way. Article content I urge Mr. Poilievre to step aside, and do so on behalf of the well-meaning folks in the Battle River-Crowfoot Alberta constituency. I was elected twice by rural Albertans, and they taught me a lot. What's going on now is not likely what these rural voters want. Make a mistake like this and you'll hear about it forever. Start over; take advice from those whose experiences know better.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Manitoba foster parents fear families minister has blocked them
After years of feeling ignored by the previous Progressive Conservative government, the Manitoba Foster Parents Association says it felt hopeful when the NDP was elected two years ago. But recent attempts to reach Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine have them wondering if they've been blocked, following a reported trend of such behaviour. Last week, a board member was concerned when she messaged the minister about a memorial event for children who have died in the child welfare system and her email didn't generate the usual auto-reply. '(The board member) reached out to me and so I said, 'OK, I'll send it through the association email,'' association president Jamie Pfau says. 'I did that. And I sent it to other MLAs as well, received confirmation from other MLAs but not from minister of families. So then I tried with my business account and it went through, and I received a notification from minister of families through an entirely different email that has nothing to do with children and care.' Story continues below advertisement Pfau says she has corresponded with the minister as recently as April 2024 and doesn't know why emails would now not go through. 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 'That's anti-democratic as far as I'm concerned. You're preventing advocacy, you're promoting silence. It's a very dangerous path to go down,' says Pfau, who has raised eight foster children. 'I would understand if I used any type of aggressive or foul language or was unprofessional or inappropriate in any way, but I would be happy to share my 'sent' folder. There's absolutely nothing in there that would indicate any type of aggression or abuse or harassment. In fact, I don't necessarily email her very often. It's just to shine light on issues that are coming up regularly with foster parents.' The last she heard from the minister was an emailed letter last year, which Global News has seen. 'Essentially, it's saying thank you for helping to support children in care but we're not looking for any particular advice, we're looking to Indigenous leadership and to decolonize child welfare,' Pfau said. She didn't interpret that to mean communication would be cut off to the organization representing caregivers of the 10,000 kids in the system. Neither Fontaine's office nor communications staff or the chief of staff for Premier Wab Kinew responded to Global News' emails looking for answers about the email situation. Story continues below advertisement On July 10, APTN News reported that Fontaine 'had blocked every member of the APTN news team on social media.' That came after the news outlet caught Fontaine in a hot mic moment complaining about having to share a stage with a sign language interpreter. The outlet reported that it eventually got a statement from the minister that said that 'immediately upon learning that journalists were blocked on my social media account I directed staff to reverse the decision.' Jodie Byram, the Opposition critic for families and accessibility, said this type of behaviour 'isn't unusual.' 'When things get hot, heated or there might be some negative feedback input or comments made, (Fontaine) has a tendency to block all of that, making it very challenging for people who are involved in the child welfare system,' Bryam said. Manitoba has the highest per capita rate of kids in care in Canada — around 10,000 at any given time. The foster parents association says not being able to communicate with the minister responsible for these children makes their work that much harder.
