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Global News
02-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
Just before the election, Liberals handed out 411 cheques worth $3.86B
In the final week before the 45th general election got underway, Liberal MPs engaged in a pre-election spending blitz, announcing $3.86 billion in funding commitments for 411 different projects across the country, a Global News analysis shows. Press releases and announcements about those funding commitments were made by 38 different Liberal MPs in that final week, who handed out cheques in 37 different communities across the country, from Yellowknife to Winnipeg to St. John's. On the day before the election started alone, 26 different MPs were busy handing $1.8 billion worth of cheques to support 116 different projects across the country. And yet, that's been the pattern since the for each of the last four Parliaments during which Global News has maintained a database of every spending commitment made by one Conservative government and three Liberal governments. The information on more than 67,000 projects funded is extracted from the press releases issued by government departments whenever a government MP announces a federal grant or contribution. Story continues below advertisement In the final week before the 2021 election, which produced a Liberal minority, Liberals MP pushed out $30.3 billion in spending commitments for 495 projects. But the Conservatives did it too ahead of the 2015 election, which produce a Liberal majority, when Conservative MPs handed out 430 cheques in the final week for that year's election totalling $2.7 billion. For the entire length of the four-year-long 44th Parliament, Liberal MPs announced 22,290 projects that received or were to receive federal funding. The combined federal funding commitment for those projects totaled just over $110 billion. The biggest projects to receive federal funds in the final week of the 44th Parliament were two transit projects in Quebec — the Quebec City Tramway and the Blue Line extension in Montreal — which received 'top-ups' of $332.3 million and $650 million, respectively. Those projects were approved by Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, then serving as the minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, but the press release quotes two Quebec Liberal MPs — Jean-Yves Duclos and Jöel Lightbound — and Prime Minister Mark Carney's Quebec lieutenant and Montreal MP Steven Guilbeault — all of whom were on the hustings seeking re-election the day after those announcements were made. Also on the day before the election — March 22 — Guilbeault announced, on behalf of Erskine-Smith, $400 million for 11 'green' infrastructure projects across Quebec. The Liberals would go on to have their best electoral performance in Quebec in decades, winning 44 seats. Story continues below advertisement Liberal MP Terry Sheehan won the riding of Sault Ste. Marie in 2015, 2019 and 2021 but was facing a big challenge in 2025 because of the redrawing of the country's riding boundaries. Where once Sheehan only had to worry about voters in the city of the Soo, his riding now stretched across hundreds of kilometres of Ontario's north, from Elliott Lake in the east to Wawa in the northwest. And, after transposing the votes from 2021 to the new riding boundaries of Sault Ste. Marie–Algoma, Sheehan, though he was the incumbent, was the underdog. More people in his new riding had voted Conservative in 2021 than had voted Liberal. 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 And so, starting in the summer of 2024, Sheehan started travelling outside his own riding to hand out federal government cheques in communities that were to become part of the riding he would contest in 2025. It is exceedingly rare for government MPs who are not cabinet ministers to make spending announcements in ridings represented by opposition MPs but that's what Sheehan did: first in Wawa on July 26, 2024 to hand out four cheques worth $972,057, and then in in Elliott Lake on Oct 17, 2024, to hand out four cheques worth $1.7 million. In the final week before the election call, Sheehan visited Serpent River First Nation to anounced federal funding of $108,000 on March 20 to develop a tourism plan and then travelling to Wawa again on March 21 to hand out two cheques worth $1.8 million. Wawa, Elliott Lake and Serpent River FN are all located in what used to be New Democrat Carol Hughes riding, not Sheehan's old riding. Story continues below advertisement Sheehan would win the new riding of Sault Ste Marie–Algoma — which now included Wawa, Elliott Lake and Serpent River FN — by 1,728 votes, or less than three percentage points. 2:43 Poilievre visits northern Canada after electoral map redrawn But showing up with a handful of cheques before a campaign gets underway is not always a guarantee of electoral success. Liberal George Chahal, for example, would lose his seat in northeast Calgary even though he announced funding commitments the day before campaigning started for 13 different projects across Alberta worth a combined $8.3 million, ranging from $2 million to 'scale up and enhance' the city's Energy Transition Centre, to $50,000 for the city of Grande Prairie to do a 'hydrogen foundational study.' Chahal made those spending announcements on behalf Anita Anand who was then acting as the minister in charge of Prairies Economic Development Canada. Similarly, the Liberals spent the four years of the 44th Parliament pouring millions into hundreds of projects in the riding of Liberal MP and former minister Diane Lebouthiller. Lebouthillier's name was on most of the press releases announcing the $242.42 million spent on 267 projects in the riding the former riding of Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. That was the second highest number of projects funded in any of the country's 343 ridings. But it was to no avail. Se lost to a BQ challenger in the new riding of Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj. Story continues below advertisement Same thing in the western Newfoundland riding of Long Range Mountains where, over the last four years, the Liberal government funded 209 projects — ninth most of any riding — worth $77.12 million but lost the riding to the Conservatives. The number of spending commitments made during the four-year-long 44th Parliament and their overall value — 22,290 worth $110 billion — easily eclipsed those of any of the three previous Parliaments. During the four years of the 41st Parliament, during which Stephen Harper led a majority government, Conservative MPs made 7,307 spending announcements touting a combined $90-billion in funding commitments. Spending announcements are never made by opposition MPs. The only names on the press releases taking credit for any spending are government MPs or cabinet ministers. Opposition MPs never get any public credit for spending announcements even though opposition MPs often play a role in helping local organizations and businesses access federal funding programs. During the first Trudeau Parliament, from 2015 to 2019, Liberal MPs made 20,672 announcements for a combined $80 billion in funding commitments. In the 43rd Parliament, the first Trudeau minority from 2019 to 2021, ministers and government MPs made 16,761 announcements worth a combined $29.5 billion. So far in the 45th Parliament, the Carney government has made four spending commitments, the biggest of which is a $410-million contract to build a federal Transportation Safety and Technology Science hub in Ottawa. Story continues below advertisement While the information about each project and its matching funding commitment are extracted from press releases, Global News also makes a determination, where possible, about the community where the funds will be spent and, in doing so, can track which ridings are getting the federal funding. There were 500 spending announcements worth $10.7 billion for projects outside of the country and 1,129 worth $25.9 billion where Global News could not determine where the spending would occur, or determined the spending for a single project would occur in two more ridings held by different parties. That said, Global News was able to determine the riding location for 20,675 projects worth a combined $78.5 billion. Of those, most were projects in ridings held by Liberal MPs: 9,834 projects with a combined funding commitment of $35.8 billion. Ridings held by Conservative MPs received funding commitments of $23.5 billion for 7,038 projects. NDP ridings received $7.27 billion across 2,456 projects and BQ ridings received $10.7 billion across 1,043 projects.
Associated Press
21-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Federal funding to help increase opportunities for women in Quebec and build a more resilient economy for everyone in Canada
QUEBEC CITY, March 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Women continue to face persistent pay equity challenges, underrepresentation in high-paying jobs, a disproportionate load of caregiving responsibilities, and a lack of pathways for career growth. Unlocking economic and leadership opportunities for women will lead to a more prosperous and resilient economy for everyone in Canada. Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Member of Parliament for Québec, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada and Quebec Lieutenant, who is responsible for the Department for Women and Gender Equality , highlighted $533,029 for Corporation de développement économique communautaire (CDEC) de Québec. Their project Towards a More Inclusive and Equal Entrepreneurial Ecosystem will target entrepreneur support organizations working across the province of Quebec to address systemic barriers that hinder women's entrepreneurial success. Their work will raise awareness of the challenges women entrepreneurs face, develop tools and activities to enhance support practices, provide training for employees and management in entrepreneur support organizations, and help transform policies and programs to build a more inclusive and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem. This funding is part of the previously announced investment of up to $100 million for 163 projects to improve economic and leadership opportunities for women across Canada. The projects will advance gender equality through one or more of the following ways: Changing gender norms and attitudes by working to change beliefs, assumptions, and stereotypes based on gender and other identity factors. Supporting changes to authority, voices at the table, and decision-making power by working to address power imbalances to ensure women are part of the dialogue and solution. Increasing networks and collaboration by building and strengthening partnerships to work across sectors and break down silos. Encouraging more effective and equitable sharing of resources by sharing, mobilizing, and redistributing resources to support equality. Changing policies and practices by creating, changing, or removing policies and practices to address sexism and other barriers to gender equality. This funding supports Women and Gender Equality Canada's continued work to advance equality through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada's economic, social, and political life. Quotes 'By supporting organizations like CDEC de Québec, we are continuing our work to advance gender equality in the entrepreneurial sector. This project will help create a more inclusive business environment for women across Quebec as it seeks to address systemic barriers and equip organizations with tools and training. Together, we are working to ensure that women entrepreneurs have what they need to succeed and contribute to the growth of our economy.' The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada and Quebec Lieutenant 'In Québec, women's entrepreneurship is a driving force that deserves support equal to its potential. By breaking systemic barriers and making support more inclusive, the CDEC paves the way for bold women entrepreneurs shaping the local economy of tomorrow.' The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Member of Parliament for Québec Quick facts Women's wages have grown steadily since the 1990s, but disparities persist. In 2024, women in Canada earned 0.89 cents for every dollar earned by men. The pay gap is wider for immigrant women who earned 0.82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women are overrepresented in low-wage occupations. 28.2% of women, compared to 16.2% of men, work in the five lowest-paid occupations in Canada (sales and service jobs, care providers, and administrative support roles).
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker
The federal government has handed a $3.25 billion contract to the Davie Shipyard in Lévis, Que. to build a new polar icebreaker by 2030. "This polar icebreaker will be among the largest and most complex ever built on the planet," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference in Lévis on Saturday morning. An icebreaker is a vessel designed to navigate and cut through thick ice that obstructs frozen waters. Another polar icebreaker will be built simultaneously at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to use the two ships in emergency situations in Canada's Arctic to conduct year-round missions to support northern communities and scientific research, and to ensure the country's Arctic sovereignty. "This will give Canada access to the Arctic and the High Arctic at all times and in all circumstances for the first time in the country's history," said Duclos. "This is particularly relevant in the present context, where Canadian sovereignty is threatened by growing global tensions." The construction of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 "direct and indirect jobs" per year between 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 million to Canada's GDP annually, according to Duclos. More than 70 per cent of the work will be done in the province and the rest of Canada. Canadian workers will also work with their Finnish counterparts to build part of the icebreaker in Finland. Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters this job creation comes at a "good time." "With Mr. Trump, there's a significant risk that jobs will be lost in the manufacturing sector as a result of the tariffs that will be put in place and the reduction of our exports to the United States," said Legault. Duclos noted that the PolarMax will withstand impacts and extreme vibrations in very cold temperatures and through ice up to three metres thick for a minimum lifespan of 40 years.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker
The federal government has handed a $3.25 billion contract to the Davie Shipyard in Lévis, Que. to build a new polar icebreaker by 2030. "This polar icebreaker will be among the largest and most complex ever built on the planet," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference in Lévis on Saturday morning. An icebreaker is a vessel designed to navigate and cut through thick ice that obstructs frozen waters. Another polar icebreaker will be built simultaneously at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to use the two ships in emergency situations in Canada's Arctic to conduct year-round missions to support northern communities and scientific research, and to ensure the country's Arctic sovereignty. "This will give Canada access to the Arctic and the High Arctic at all times and in all circumstances for the first time in the country's history," said Duclos. "This is particularly relevant in the present context, where Canadian sovereignty is threatened by growing global tensions." The construction of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 "direct and indirect jobs" per year between 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 million to Canada's GDP annually, according to Duclos. More than 70 per cent of the work will be done in the province and the rest of Canada. Canadian workers will also work with their Finnish counterparts to build part of the icebreaker in Finland. Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters this job creation comes at a "good time." "With Mr. Trump, there's a significant risk that jobs will be lost in the manufacturing sector as a result of the tariffs that will be put in place and the reduction of our exports to the United States," said Legault. Duclos noted that the PolarMax will withstand impacts and extreme vibrations in very cold temperatures and through ice up to three metres thick for a minimum lifespan of 40 years.
CBC
08-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker
The federal government has handed a $3.25 billion contract to the Davie Shipyard in Lévis, Que. to build a new polar icebreaker by 2030. "This polar icebreaker will be among the largest and most complex ever built on the planet," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference in Lévis on Saturday morning. An icebreaker is a vessel designed to navigate and cut through thick ice that obstructs frozen waters. Another polar icebreaker will be built simultaneously at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to use the two ships in emergency situations in Canada's Arctic to conduct year-round missions to support northern communities and scientific research, and to ensure the country's Arctic sovereignty. "This will give Canada access to the Arctic and the High Arctic at all times and in all circumstances for the first time in the country's history," said Duclos. "This is particularly relevant in the present context, where Canadian sovereignty is threatened by growing global tensions." The construction of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 "direct and indirect jobs" per year between 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 million to Canada's GDP annually, according to Duclos. More than 70 per cent of the work will be done in the province and the rest of Canada. Canadian workers will also work with their Finnish counterparts to build part of the icebreaker in Finland. Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters this job creation comes at a "good time." "With Mr. Trump, there's a significant risk that jobs will be lost in the manufacturing sector as a result of the tariffs that will be put in place and the reduction of our exports to the United States," said Legault. Duclos noted that the PolarMax will withstand impacts and extreme vibrations in very cold temperatures and through ice up to three metres thick for a minimum lifespan of 40 years.
