Latest news with #Dumont
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump threats unite Canadians - even many in Quebec who want independence
In Quebec, the issue of independence from Canada has long simmered. But faced with US tariffs and President Donald Trump's comments about making Canada the 51st US state, many voters are now seeking Dumont knows who she will vote for in Canada's election, though it's a decision made "not from my heart, it's from my head".The 70-year-old from Quebec City considers herself a sovereigntist, but hopes when Canadians go to the polls on Monday they'll elect a majority government to take on Bloc Québécois, a federal party that supports independence and only runs candidates in the predominantly French-speaking province, can't deliver on that, she says. Supporting the Conservatives is "unthinkable" to Ms Dumont, so this time she will be voting Montreal, Louis Plouffe is picking up groceries at the city's Jean-Talon tells the BBC that he thinks the Bloc "defends Quebec's interests well" as an opposition party in Parliament. Still, "it's not being in power", the 65-year-old says, and he wants a government with a strong mandate "ready for the wave that's coming" from the while Mr Plouffe has reservations about the Liberal leader, he believes Mark Carney has come across as credible and confident in interviews. He too will vote for the party."Canadian patriotism is on the rise in Quebec", said Émilie Foster, an adjunct professor in politics at Carleton University. "We prefer to be part of Canada instead of being part of the United States, if we have to choose," she says.Sébastien Dallaire, a pollster with Léger, puts it this way: "It's hard to say now is the time to talk about Quebec sovereignty, or now is the time to do things specifically to defend Quebec, when clearly there's a national crisis and everybody is staring not at Ottawa as the adversary, but as Washington as the clear opponent." It has been a remarkable election campaign, one sparked by the resignation of longtime Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then overshadowed by the unprecedented intervention from an American president. A recent Léger survey suggests that almost 40% of voters for the Bloc believe an independent Quebec would have less influence than Canada as a whole in dealing with the US. The Liberals are currently polling at about 46% in the province, with the Bloc a distant second at 25%, slightly ahead of the Conservatives, who have long struggled to gain real traction can be a wildcard in general elections, and winning the province - which holds 78 seats of the 343 in the House of Commons - can propel a party to abandonment of smaller parties - like the Bloc, the left-leaning New Democrats or the Green Party - is a trend seen nationwide as Canadians rally around either the Liberals or the Conservatives in the face of a new threat from their neighbour. Carney, a former central banker for Canada and the UK, is seeking to paint himself as the leader most able to help the country navigate the crisis. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is billing himself as the change candidate who can restore the "Canadian promise". Trump's tariffs are expected to hit Quebec especially hard. The province is one of the biggest suppliers to the US of aluminium, a sector hit by Trump's 25% tariffs. Its significant forestry and dairy industries are also in the president's also fiercely protects its identity and its culture as a distinct society, and has twice held referendums on whether to seek independence from the rest of Canada. That's why the US president's repeated digs at Canada's sovereignty has sparked such disquiet MP Louis-Philippe Sauvé, a former political aide, is fighting to hold on to the seat he won just last September in a special election in the southwest Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun - an upset victory in a district considered a Liberal riding is historically working-class, and in recent years parts have become some of the trendiest in the city. Gentrification has brought pressures, and Sauvé tells the BBC during a pause while campaigning that issues like housing, homelessness and immigration all come up as he goes door-knocking, just as they did six months ago."That's all still there, but for sure this general election is very much monopolised by challenges posed by the US, the Canada-US relationship," he says. "That's really what everyone's talking about."He admits some frustration that it's become the "ballot box question"."Trump won't be president of the United States for eternity," he adds. "The housing crisis will still be a problem in the next few years." What Trump really wants from CanadaWho's who in Canada's federal electionWhat did Canadian voters make of the big debate?'My home is worth millions - but young people are priced out of this city' The Bloc's struggles come despite a consensus that party leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn't had many stumbles in the campaign. His pitch is that the party can be a check on federal powers, warning that Ottawa might sell out provincial interests if push comes to shove in trade and security talks with the US, which are expected to launch shortly after the 28 April in a number of ways, Carney is also an unusual choice for Quebec voters. Born in western Canada, his French can be shaky - usually a political liability in the Trudeau, widely viewed as bilingual, faced scrutiny over his linguistic abilities. Carney has given his own French a six out of 10. Ms Dumont said she would "never" rate him that high. Carney has also come out against sensitive issues for many Quebecers, including saying that a Liberal government would intervene if a bill that expands French-language requirements in the province were challenged at the Supreme Court. "I have a hard time explaining the lack of reaction by Quebecers," says Bloc MP Sauvé of Carney's enduring popularity in the province. "It's like there is a Teflon effect." The Liberal candidate in the riding, Claude Guay - the former CEO of IBM Canada who is taking his first run at politics - says Quebecers have taken notice of things like Trump signing an executive order making English America's official language. (French is Quebec's official language, while Canada is officially bilingual.)"The threat of the 51st state, for example, really impacts the opinions of people that may have been sovereigntist and they're thinking: 'Well, do we have a better place in Canada?'" he no one suggests that the issue of Quebec sovereignty has been settled. About 30% of Quebecers currently back independence even as some are opting to vote with the Liberals this election. For Mr Plouffe, the shopper at the Montreal market, however, now is just not the time to take the leap. "It's not saying it won't happen, and I won't say I won't support it. But we're not ready," he says.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
What you should know about Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont
The Dallas Mavericks sent shockwaves around the NBA this season when they dealt 25-year-old superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that is hard to imagine occurring in the Mark Cuban era. And Cuban made it clear in the aftermath of the trade that he believed it was a big mistake. But even though Cuban is still around the franchise, his influence has been greatly reduced since he sold his controlling interest in the team to the Adelson and Dumont families in December 2023. Advertisement Instead, the trade was engineered by general manager Nico Harrison and approved by Patrick Dumont, the team's current governor. The Athletic has reported extensively about Harrison since the trade, yielding some insight into the man who sent a transcendent star packing. And David Aldridge and Christian Clark have since shed light on how and why the trade came about. But what about the man in charge? What about Patrick Dumont? Here's what you should know about who is running the Mavericks. Dumont is the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson and her late husband, Sheldon. He began working for the Adelson-owned Las Vegas Sands Corp. — a casino and resort company — in 2009 after he married their daughter, Sivan Ochshorn. By 2016, he had been promoted to chief financial officer. After Sheldon Adelson died in 2021, Dumont was elevated to president and chief operating officer. When the Adelson-Dumont family bought a controlling interest in the Mavs in 2023, Dumont replaced Cuban as the team's representative to the NBA's Board of Governors. Before working for Las Vegas Sands Corp., Dumont was an investment banker with stints at Miller Buckfire and Bear Stearns. In 2015, he helped Sheldon Adelson buy the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper for $140 million. Adelson credited Dumont with orchestrating the deal. According to Harrison, Dumont laughed when Harrison first approached him about the deal. But ultimately he went along with it, which leads us to our next question … In business, Dumont is known to be trusting of the people he has empowered. He wants to understand his employees' thought processes before a big decision is made, but typically will trust them if he feels they have more expertise than he does. The Mavericks made the NBA Finals in 2024, and when it came to Dončić, Dumont trusted Harrison, who believed he had amassed more than enough intelligence over the last couple of years to make his choice. Advertisement 'I don't know how many teams saw the same thing that Nico saw,' one source familiar with all involved, but who was not involved in the trade discussions, told The Athletic. 'And then, the other pieces, the PJ Washingtons, that he put together. And they go to the fricking finals, right? So, I don't know what you (Dumont) think of your general manager in your few month's experience with him. But you probably think that he's got a gift. That he's good at this.' In an article on announcing the purchase of the team, Dumont said in a statement: 'Our family loves basketball, and we plan to display our passion for the sport by owning and investing in a world-class basketball organization that wins games and proudly represents its community.' In that same story, Cuban praised the deal as an ideal partnership because, 'They're not basketball people. I'm not real estate people. That's why I did it.' So, as much as Dumont may love the game, he came in unfamiliar with the workings of the NBA. In an interview at a luncheon last offseason, Dumont awkwardly referred to the finals as 'the championship games.' Cuban certainly figured he would have a say in personnel decisions, but Harrison cut him out of the discussions around Dončić. Dumont, meanwhile, trusted Harrison. 'Patrick doesn't know basketball, and he knows he doesn't,' said one league source.
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Norma Dumont pitches interim UFC title fight vs. Kayla Harrison as division drags
Norma Dumont is getting itchy knuckles as she awaits her next assignment in the UFC women's bantamweight division – with hopes it will be something big. Dumont (12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is currently riding a five-fight unbeaten streak inside the octagon with her most recent performance being an all-time bloodbath against former title challenger Irene Aldana at UFC 306 in September. She wanted to carry momentum forward directly off the back of that result, but the division has been in a holding pattern. The expectation is reigning 135-pound champ Julianna Peña will next defend against Kayla Harrison, but it hasn't been announced in the aftermath of both fighters' most recent victories at UFC 307 in October. If for any reason that matchup gets derailed, Dumont wants it known she is ready and available for an interim championship opportunity or title eliminator. 'It's a little bit weird, the division right now,' Dumont told MMA Junkie on Thursday through an interpreter. 'It seems that Julianna is not fighting Kayla, or is avoiding Kayla, or whatever her problem is. I think that the right fight would be me against Ketlen (Vieira) or Raquel (Pennington), which is the fight to make since we're right up there in the division. 'If Julianna and Kayla doesn't happen, I could fight Kayla for an interim title. That's kind of what I think is fair so that the division evolves. … If Julianna vs. Kayla doesn't happen, I'm the one in line for an interim title shot. It's the fight that makes sense. There's nobody else.' Dumont, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women's bantamweight rankings, has a list of desired names that, beyond Peña and Harrison, includes Vieira and Macy Chiasson. If none of those can materialize, though, the 34-year-old knows she can't wait around forever for the perfect situation. The Brazilian will be ready to open herself up to all options if her top wishes don't come true, but admits that's something of a last resort. 'Ketlen's No. 3, it's a fight that hasn't happened yet – that's a fight that could make sense because she's above me,' Dumont said. 'With Chiasson, we need that rematch. She didn't want to fight, she just held me all the time and it was a very (slow) decision. If neither of these fights can happen, I can't just stay stuck. I can't spend a year without fighting. Then yeah, I'll have to consider other fights because I need to show the UFC that I want to stay active. I want to be the most active fighter in this division, and to do that, I have to fight.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explains the Luka Dončić trade was 'about the future'
Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explained at a speaking engagement last month that the Luka Dončić trade was about the "future" and creating the "most competitive team." Dumont was a guest at the Real Estate Council's Bank of Texas Speaker Series on Feb. 13 and discussed business matters as well as the shocking trade of Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] 'Tough decisions are never easy and a part of leadership is looking at risk and looking at all the factors of a decision and being willing to act at that time and look to the long-term and not only think about the short-term or how it may be received immediately,' said Dumont. Dumont noted how the Mavericks were 26-23 at the time of the trade and that teams that were around them in the Western Conference standings were improving. Now that we are over a month into the Dončić-for-Davis swap, he feels the team is ready to begin an upward trend. 'For us going into the trade deadline last year, we were not competitive, if you recall, we were not a playoff-bound team and we were able to do some things to reconstruct the roster and enable the team to become very competitive, and after the trade deadline last year, we actually had the best record in basketball. Which was a big accomplishment and we got to the championship games and we didn't win and so we had to decide: how do we get better?" Dumont said. "What can we do to improve our team? And so we looked at our trajectory during the season and realized that we did not get better, but the teams that we competed against, some of which we beat, did get better. So this was a decision about the future. If you look at our roster today and who we have, we feel like we position ourselves to be incredibly competitive against the best teams in the NBA.' In an interview with the Dallas Morning News last month, Dumont cited "character" and "culture" as reasons for the trade and said there were no financial motivations behind it. Since the trade, the fanbase has turned sour against the organization; Davis has played only one game after suffering an adductor injury; Kyrie Irving has been lost for the season with a torn ACL; and the Mavericks have a 7-10 record, while Dončić is averaging 24.5 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the 40-23 Lakers, who sit fourth in the conference. Dumont described making the trade as "hard" and "emotional," and he understands the fans' frustrations. Going forward, he's hoping the organization can win back those disillusioned supporters. "I heard from the fans, I respect their voices, I listened, we know that this wasn't easy," Dumont said. "If we lost any of our fans' trust, it was hard and I apologize, but I hope over time we can regain that trust through hard work, and that's our plan. And hopefully people will believe in the long run that what we did was the right decision. Time will tell."
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explains that the Luka Dončić trade was 'about the future'
Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont explained at a speaking engagement last month that the Luka Dončić trade was about the "future" and creating the "most competitive team." Dumont was a guest at the Real Estate Council's Bank of Texas Speaker Series on Feb. 13 and discussed business matters as well as the shocking trade of Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] 'Tough decisions are never easy and a part of leadership is looking at risk and looking at all the factors of a decision and being willing to act at that time and look to the long-term and not only think about the short-term or how it may be received immediately,' said Dumont. Dumont noted how the Mavericks were 26-23 at the time of the trade and that teams that were around them in the Western Conference standings were improving. Now that we are over a month into the Dončić-for-Davis swap, he feels the team is ready to begin an upward trend. 'For us going into the trade deadline last year we were not competitive if you recall we were not a playoff-bound team and we were able to do some things to reconstruct the roster and enable the team to become very competitive and after the trade deadline last year we actually had the best record in basketball. Which was a big accomplishment and we got to the championship games and we didn't win and so we had to decide how do we get better.," Dumont said. "What can we do to improve our team and so we looked at our trajectory during the season and realized that we did not get better but the teams that we competed against some of which we beat, did get better. So this was a decision about the future if you look at our roster today and who we have we feel like we position ourselves to be incredibly competitive against the best teams in the NBA.' In an interview with the Dallas Morning News last month, Dumont cited "character" and "culture" as reasons for the trade and there were no financial motivations behind it. Since the trade, the fanbase has turned sour against the organization; Davis has played only one game after suffering an adductor injury; Kyrie Irving has been lost for the season with a torn ACL; and the Mavericks have a 7-10 record, while Dončić is averaging 24.5 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the 40-23 Lakers, who sit fourth in the conference. Dumont described making the trade "hard" and "emotional" and that he understands the fans' frustrations. Going forward, he's hoping the organization can win back those disillusioned supporters. "I heard from the fans, I respect their voices, I listened, we know that this wasn't easy," Dumont said. "If we lost any of our fans' trust, it was hard and I apologize, but I hope over time we can regain that trust through hard work and that's our plan. And hopefully people will believe in the long run that what we did was the right decision. Time will tell."
