Latest news with #LiberalGovernment
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Auditor general plans to examine Canada's international students program
The federal auditor general plans to audit Canada's international students program in 2026. Auditor general Karen Hogan speaks during a news conference on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — The federal auditor general is planning a probe of Canada's international students program after critics claimed that public services were ill-equipped to take on a surge in student visas. A spokesperson for auditor general Karen Hogan says her office is planning an audit of the program for 2026. That review is in the early stages and details of its scope and timelines are still pending. News of the planned audit was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Critics argue Canada's rapid increase in international student admissions over recent years drove up youth unemployment and worsened the housing crisis. The federal Liberal government put a cap on study permit applications last fall and plans to consult on future student intake levels this summer. By Craig Lord.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia's Tasmania on track for minority government after poll
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's island state of Tasmania appeared on Sunday to be heading for a minority government as vote counting continued after an election that did not produce a clear winner. The conservative Liberal government was on track to win more seats than the main Labor opposition in the new parliament but would probably fall short of a majority after Saturday's election, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. projected. The Liberals' strong performance under Jeremy Rockliff, premier since 2022, follows a heavy defeat suffered at May's national election, which returned Anthony Albanese-led Labor for a second term with an increased majority. Saturday's vote showed Tasmanians have "no confidence in the Labor party to form government and they have voted to reendorse our Liberal government," Rockliff said in televised remarks from the state capital of Hobart. The result for Labor, on track to win nine seats of a possible 35, was shaping as the party's worst-ever result in Tasmania, the Guardian Australia newspaper said. On Sunday, state Labor leader Dean Winter said the result was disappointing for the party, but he did not concede defeat. The election was triggered by a no-confidence vote against Rockliff initiated by Labor on concerns about public debt and plans to privatise assets. It came less than two years after the state's most recent poll, in which a majority eluded the Liberals. The only Australian state to elect its lower house on the basis of proportional representation, Tasmania has a long history of minority governments. Wilderness or protected areas make up 40% of the island, which is 445 km (275 miles) away from Melbourne, usually requiring a flight of an hour, or a ferry crossing 10 times longer, to cover the distance. Solve the daily Crossword
SBS Australia
4 days ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Five things to know about this weekend's Tasmanian election
Tasmania is holding its second state election within 16 months. A no-confidence vote in the Premier led to the snap election. Another minority government could potentially be voted in. Tasmanians may have a sense of déjà vu on Saturday as they head back to the polls. Following the Federal Election in May and a state election last year, an early state election is being held after Tasmania's governor conceded a workable government could not be formed. It will be Tasmania's second state election in 16 months and the fourth in seven years. This is what we know about the election dubbed 'the one nobody wanted'. No-confidence vote prompted election Concerns about Tasmania's poor financial position had prompted the vote of no confidence. The state budget forecast had the state with more than $10 billion in debt by 2029. There had also been major cost blowouts in the project to launch two new Spirit of Tasmania ferries, which link the island state with the mainland, and disagreement over the government's plan to potentially privatise some state-owned businesses. Tasmanian voters might not have wanted to return to the polls so soon, but school P&Cs could be in for a bump in their fundraising totals for the year. Source: AAP / Ethan James Other parties were able to get the numbers in the no-confidence vote, given that the Liberal government formed after the 2024 election was a minority government with just 14 members. Rockliff resisted pressure to resign. After the Premier consulted the Governor of Tasmania Barbara Baker, she decided to dissolve parliament and call an election. "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed," she said. Candidate and potential premiers Labor leader Dean Winter could become premier within 18 months of becoming opposition leader. The 40-year-old former councillor became his party's leader following its 2024 election loss. Despite reports that former senator Eric Abetz and ex-deputy premier Michael Ferguson were willing to be Liberal leader following the no-confidence vote, Rockliff insisted the backing of his party room was solid and he remained leader. The 55-year-old has been premier since 2022 and part of the state's Liberal government since they came to power in 2014. The Liberals recruited former federal MPs Gavin Pearce and Bridget Archer to run, while Labor has done the same with Brian Mitchell. Anti-salmon activist Peter George, who picked up sizeable support at the federal election, is among a record cohort of 44 independent candidates. The Nationals are aiming to enter parliament via former Liberal John Tucker and ex-Jacqui Lambie Network MPs Andrew Jenner and Miriam Beswick. Chance of a hung parliament Multiple surveys point to the election resulting in another hung parliament, meaning no single party would hold a majority of seats. This is the situation that Rockliff's government had faced after the last election, with the government requiring support of members from outside its party to pass legislation. The latest opinion survey suggests the Liberals will pick up more seats than Labor, but neither will reach the 18-seat mark required for majority. Polling suggests 20 per cent support for independents, with the Liberals on 35, Labor on 25 and the Greens on 16. Both major parties have ruled out doing a deal with the Greens to form government, but have said they are prepared to work with "sensible independents". The Greens could end up wielding power from the crossbench. Election promises Rockliff's pledge for a state-owned insurance company to bring down the prices of premiums has been lashed by Labor as a thought bubble. Treasury on Friday revealed it was unable to cost the proposal because of insufficient detail, and it would likely incur additional costs for any government. The Liberals also promised a reduction in red tape around residential planning approvals and talked about a new agricultural learning centre Labor's campaign has been focused on promoting a fresh start. It plans to implement a policy whereby any new public schools or major school redevelopment must include a childcare centre. While many have welcomed the proposed addition of a Tasmanian team to the AFL, not all Tasmanians are comfortable with the commitment to build a new stadium, given the state's financial position. Source: AAP / Ethan James The party has also seized on the state's financial woes. "Our finances are the worst in the nation," Winter said. "Health waitlists are double the size they were a decade ago, and young people are fleeing the state in record numbers." The Greens have pledged to continue their fight against a new AFL stadium that is supported by the Liberals and Labor and a requirement for a side in the national competition. "Poll after poll, door after door we've heard loud and clear Tasmanians overwhelmingly do not want a new stadium," Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff told reporters. The Hare-Clarke voting system Votes will be counted differently in the Tasmanian poll to how they are counted in other state and territory elections. The island state uses the Hare-Clarke system, which is a single transferable vote method of proportional representation that sees ballot papers move between candidates as determined by the elector's marked preferences. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission said this means the composition of the House more closely reflects the proportion of primary votes for each party on a state-wide basis. Under the system, seven MPs are elected in each of the state's five electorates.
National Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Chris Selley: Canada's refugee system — and the world's — is overdue for an overhaul
Article content The simple fact is, Canada is not equipped to handle as many refugee claims as we currently accept. If we were, there wouldn't be African migrants sleeping on Toronto sidewalks. There wouldn't have been 281,000 pending asylum cases as of March 31. Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government is certainly aware of the issue. Bill C-2 proposes a one-year deadline after arriving in Canada for claiming asylum — so people with expired or revoked visas couldn't apply, for example — and to eliminate a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement that allows illegal border-crossers who evade capture for two weeks to apply for asylum nevertheless. Article content Both are entirely reasonable. But the current issue of The Economist, cover headline 'Scrap the refugee system,' suggests the sort of wholesale changes to the global refugee system that I have been arguing for forever. It's interesting not so much as a piece of journalism as it is to know that liberal (and Liberal) policymakers very much tend to read The Economist. Article content Article content 'About 123 million people have been displaced by conflict, disaster or persecution. … All these people have a right to seek safety,' the magazine's editorial observes. 'But 'safety' does not mean access to a rich country's labour market. Indeed, resettlement in rich countries will never be more than a tiny part of the solution.' Article content The goal, the august organ argues, should be for refugees to receive asylum closer to home — ideally in culturally and linguistically similar countries whose population will tend to be more sympathetic. For the money that rich countries spend processing everyone who manages to make it to their shores — who are generally by definition not the world's most imperilled or downtrodden, else they wouldn't be able to get here — they could help vastly more people to safety, even if not First World prosperity. (The latter was never the goal of the current system.) Article content This is an idea that would require multilateral co-operation to achieve full bloom, of course. But many First World countries are far more hostile to asylum-seekers, if not immigrants in general, than Canada is. If Canada significantly restricted refugee claims made on Canadian soil, and instead refocused its efforts on helping people find refuge closer to home, it would set a useful example — not least because we have been so welcoming, to a fault, in the past. Article content
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Bank of Canada, Crown corporations set to align with Liberal cost-cutting plans
The Bank of Canada will align with the federal government's cost-cutting plans, a spokesperson confirms. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada and most other federal Crown corporations will be looking to trim their budgets alongside a wider government effort to cut costs. A spokesperson for the Bank of Canada confirms the central bank will 'align' with the Liberal government's plans to carve out savings of 15 per cent in departments' operational spending over the next three years. The Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation responsible for monetary policy in Canada but operates independently and its budget is managed by its own board of directors. An internal email obtained by The Canadian Press shows Bank of Canada staff were informed Tuesday of the central bank's plans trim costs. A Treasury Board spokesperson confirms that most Crown corporations and other federally funded institutions are also subject to the Liberals' cost-cutting exercise, as first reported by the Toronto Star. Prime Minister Mark Carney has touted plans to 'spend less' and 'invest more' ahead of his plan to publish a new budget in the fall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. Craig Lord, The Canadian Press
