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CBC
18-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Election campaign, debates will give voters something to chew on this long weekend
As voters enjoy a holiday meal with family and friends this long weekend, they might also be digesting the leadership debates — and the election campaign writ large. Holidays in the middle of a campaign aren't new. Canada's fixed date election rules means the vote usually takes place in October after the Thanksgiving weekend. But the spring snap election call has put Easter and Passover celebrations in the final weeks of the campaign. "A lot of people are going to gather with family and friends and if you track things like trust — word of mouth, your friends' opinion, your family's opinion still matter an awful lot," Greg MacEachern told CBC's Power & Politics last week. At Issue | Did the federal leaders' debate change anything? 6 hours ago Duration 17:40 Major party leaders meet in Montreal for the English-language leaders' debate with less than two weeks until Canada votes. And event organizers are forced to cancel the post-debate news conferences over security concerns. MacEachern, who has worked on Liberal campaigns in the past, pointed to the 2008 campaign where he said the Thanksgiving weekend contributed to a souring of the public's perception of then Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. "There was a long weekend, Thanksgiving, and a lot of conversations around whether Stéphane Dion had the stuff," MacEachern said. Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, says the long weekend coming on the heels of the leadership debates will also give undecided voters something to chew on. No leader seemed to land a decisive blow in either the French or English debate, but the leaders took plenty of jabs at each other while trying to stay on their main message. "What you're likely to get is undecided voters who might be listening closely," Turnbull told CBC News. "You might have people who don't necessarily listen to every single thing that's going on in the campaign — they tend to switch on in the last couple of weeks — and so the leaders' debate can kind of give you a quick crash course." On the flip side, former Conservative cabinet minister James Moore said the debates typically only galvanize or reaffirm the choices of voters. "We're going to go into Easter weekend, Good Friday, where [the debates will] be, I think, probably a bit of a wash on the whole exercise," Moore told CBC's Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday. But Moore said that family gatherings over the long weekend might sway some undecided voters as they discuss the choice they're facing. "People will get back to what matters most, which is connecting with their families and having a heart-to-heart with their families about who they want to see as the next prime minister, which is I think where the vote will probably crystallize," he said. But holiday conversations aren't exclusively about politics and talk may drift into other topics, including the start of the NHL playoffs. Turnbull argued that even conversations about U.S. President Donald Trump — who has become a key issue this election — doesn't necessarily mean folks will explicitly talk about the campaign. But even with other conversations on the table, Turnbull said election talk will be difficult to avoid. "The overall level of engagement with this election is higher than typically is because there's a sense that the stakes are so high and the fact that it's shaped up to be a two-party race between the Liberals and the Conservatives," she said. Elections Canada will also be running advance polls from Friday to Monday. Turnbull said that could also encourage more turnout, especially among first-time voters. "For example, the university student is home for Easter. Tme to vote, you go with your parents. That's significant, that's important. That makes it more likely that the person is going to maintain that practice of voting over time," she said.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Border mayors say they're on the front line of the tariff war and need government help
Border mayors from across Canada say they're on the front line of the tariff war with the United States and are disproportionately suffering as a result. Border communities "are at a breaking point," said Barbara Barrett, executive director of Frontier Duty Free Association, who moderated a virtual meeting of border mayors on Friday. "We are calling on the federal government to step up now with targeted financial support and a plan that recognizes the unique vulnerabilities of border-dependent communities and the businesses that keep them alive." And if help doesn't come soon, some businesses will close permanently, said Trina Jones, mayor of Woodstock, N.B. "We know as border mayors for our communities, there already are businesses that are being impacted by the uncertainty," she said. She said it feels "very reminiscent of the pandemic." Jones said she'd like to see the same sort of government support extended now — and quickly. She said her community is already feeling the effects of reduced said residents feel "like they're in a holding pattern." Mayors from border communities across the country expressed similar concerns. Together, they're calling on federal and provincial governments to help them through a challenging time. The Border Mayors Alliance, which was formed in 2024, say they're being "disproportionately impacted" by tariffs and reduced cross-border travel. "Border communities and businesses that rely on cross-border travel are facing a new economic crisis. Still recovering from the impact of pandemic-era border closures, border community businesses are now grappling with additional economic pressures that threaten their survival," the group said. St. Stephen, N.B., Mayor Allan MacEachern said some border communities like his still haven't recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. "We need to know that our government's got our backs," he said. MacEachern said border towns "rely on the movement of people and product. And when people and product don't cross our borders, it's a huge impact on our communities." St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern said he hasn't heard of any open hostility between residents of his commuity and their American neighbours, but the fear exists that things may heat up. (Allyson McCormack/CBC) He said reduced traffic during the pandemic was "life-changing." "And I don't want to see us go there." MacEachern said border communities aren't just on the financial front lines, they're often face-to-face with their American neighbours. He said it's easier for those who live further away from the border "not to participate, but for us, it's tough. It's tough and I don't want to spoil our relationships once again." MacEachern said he hasn't seen any open hostility yet, but there's fear that it could happen. Jones agreed. "There's lots of fear, but there's really no hostility from what we can see," she said. Woodstock Mayor Trina Jones said her community is already feeling the effects of the tariff war with the United States. (Jacques Poitras/CBC) "We've been friendly neighbours for a long, long time and we don't see that changing." The group of mayors is asking government to act quickly to come up with an aid package for communities affected by tariffs. As for whether border communities deserve a bigger piece of that pie, Jones said "it's tricky." She said New Brunswick is particularly susceptible to the tariff war, "and maybe some of us need a little more help than others. And, the rest of the provinces might have to be kind." MacEachern said it shouldn't be forgotten that New Brunswick border communities are the "gateway to the Atlantic provinces" and all land-based traffic funnels through them. "So we got a lot of weight on our shoulders there. So it's just not New Brunswick that we're thinking of." MacEachern said 26,000 fewer people crossed the New Brunswick-Maine border last month. "That's a huge impact to us," he said.
CBC
22-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Southwest N.B. mayors want answers after second straight rejection by federal housing fund
The mayors of Saint Andrews, St. Stephen and the Village of McAdam are writing to the federal government hoping to learn why they were denied by Canada's Housing Accelerator Fund — again. Many municipalities from southwest New Brunswick tried tapping into the federal pot for housing. They weren't successful and haven't been told why. The applications were submitted in two rounds. The last rejection was received a few weeks ago, leaving municipal leaders disappointed. "It's really frustrating to not have any answers to why once again southwest New Brunswick did not get the attention from the federal government," said Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson. Henderson said his town reduced the amount it asked for in Round 2, but was still rejected. After the first rejection, Henderson contacted the housing minister at the time to reach out to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for some feedback and assistance, he said. "We were met with no assistance whatsoever," he said. He said nobody in his region has any explanation about the second rejection either. "When you have a program that ... isn't very transparent, it does open the door for speculation on what the reasoning is, whether it be political, whether it be the fact that we're urban or I mean, rural versus urban," he said. He said there was no opportunity to talk to somebody about improving their application or discuss the region's challenges. "It really feels like when it comes to housing we have been on our own working with private developers," he said. "We need all three levels of government working together." No support from federal Conservatives In March 2024, New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson — a Conservative — said he planned to bring up the matter with then Liberal Housing Minister Sean Fraser. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to cut the fund. In November, he instructed Conservative MPs to stop advocating on behalf of municipalities in their ridings who want to obtain funds through the $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund. CBC reached out to Williamson's office, but he declined to comment. 'Don't humour us again' Mayor Allan MacEachern of St. Stephen said his town is at a "critical stage" with insufficient housing. He said the lack of housing is also holding back the town's development. MacEachern said his staff worked closely with the funding partners to make sure the application had no errors, yet it was rejected. "If we are not going to get it, don't humour us again on doing it all over again because it took a lot of time on a lot of people's work." He said his community was counting on the fund for future developments and now they need to adjust their plans. MacEachern said no federal money from the program could make people avoid taking a job in rural towns like St. Stephen just because they can't find a place to live. 'Highly competitive' evaluation process The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation confirmed in an email that St. Stephen did not receive funding in 2023 or 2024. It said that Saint Andrews, Eastern Charlotte, Grand Manan and Campobello Island were also deemed unsuccessful in the second round. The organization called the evaluation process "highly competitive." "As with the first round of HAF, demand for the second round of HAF significantly exceeded the available budget and only the most ambitious applications were selected," said spokesperson David Harris. Both Henderson and MacEachern said their communities will keep applying to the fund. Their joint letter also included McAdam Mayor Ken Stannix.
CBC
21-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Border mayors say they're on the front line of the tariff war and need government help
Social Sharing Border mayors from across Canada say they're on the front line of the tariff war with the United States and are disproportionately suffering as a result. Border communities "are at a breaking point," said Barbara Barrett, executive director of Frontier Duty Free Association, who moderated a virtual meeting of border mayors on Friday. "We are calling on the federal government to step up now with targeted financial support and a plan that recognizes the unique vulnerabilities of border-dependent communities and the businesses that keep them alive." And if help doesn't come soon, some businesses will close permanently, said Trina Jones, mayor of Woodstock, N.B. "We know as border mayors for our communities, there already are businesses that are being impacted by the uncertainty," she said. She said it feels "very reminiscent of the pandemic." Jones said she'd like to see the same sort of government support extended now — and quickly. She said her community is already feeling the effects of reduced traffic. Trade war already having repercussions in border communities 1 hour ago Duration 1:33 The mayors of St. Stephen and Woodstock meet with counterparts from across Canada. She said residents feel "like they're in a holding pattern." Mayors from border communities across the country expressed similar concerns. Together, they're calling on federal and provincial governments to help them through a challenging time. The Border Mayors Alliance, which was formed in 2024, say they're being "disproportionately impacted" by tariffs and reduced cross-border travel. "Border communities and businesses that rely on cross-border travel are facing a new economic crisis. Still recovering from the impact of pandemic-era border closures, border community businesses are now grappling with additional economic pressures that threaten their survival," the group said. St. Stephen, N.B., Mayor Allan MacEachern said some border communities like his still haven't recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. "We need to know that our government's got our backs," he said. MacEachern said border towns "rely on the movement of people and product. And when people and product don't cross our borders, it's a huge impact on our communities." He said reduced traffic during the pandemic was "life-changing." "And I don't want to see us go there." MacEachern said border communities aren't just on the financial front lines, they're often face-to-face with their American neighbours. He said it's easier for those who live further away from the border "not to participate, but for us, it's tough. It's tough and I don't want to spoil our relationships once again." MacEachern said he hasn't seen any open hostility yet, but there's fear that it could happen. Jones agreed. "There's lots of fear, but there's really no hostility from what we can see," she said. "We've been friendly neighbours for a long, long time and we don't see that changing." The group of mayors is asking government to act quickly to come up with an aid package for communities affected by tariffs. As for whether border communities deserve a bigger piece of that pie, Jones said "it's tricky." She said New Brunswick is particularly susceptible to the tariff war, "and maybe some of us need a little more help than others. And, the rest of the provinces might have to be kind." MacEachern said it shouldn't be forgotten that New Brunswick border communities are the "gateway to the Atlantic provinces" and all land-based traffic funnels through them. "So we got a lot of weight on our shoulders there. So it's just not New Brunswick that we're thinking of." MacEachern said 26,000 fewer people crossed the New Brunswick-Maine border last month. "That's a huge impact to us," he said.
