Latest news with #Never51
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Yasir Naqvi leading in Ottawa Centre
Liberal Yasir Naqvi was leading in Ottawa Centre as preliminary results came in. Article content With just over 11 per cent of polls reporting, Naqvi was winning more than 61 per cent of the vote. NDP candidate Joel Harden trailed in a distant second with slightly less than 20 per cent and Tory candidate Paul D'Orsonnens was in third with 16 per cent of the vote. Article content Cheers erupted at Naqvi's election-night party at Beyond the Pale brewery in Centretown as Naqvi took his early lead. Many of his campaign staffers and volunteers donned jersey-like t-shirts with 'Never 51' splashed across the back, a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to make Canada an American state. Naqvi supporter Hamza Arsbi said he sees Trump's threats as a key issue in the riding, which encompasses much of downtown Ottawa, Parliament Hill and surrounding core neighbourhoods. 'For most people in the area it matters a lot to them,' he said. 'It's a very motivating call to arms, especially in the capital.' Meanwhile, at Harden's watch party, a crowd of about 50 supporters gathered at Eggspectation, a downtown diner that usually closes at 3 p.m. Orange, blue, and pink balloons bobbed gently above the booths, and caught the soft glow of the overhead lights of the rustic dinner. As polls officially closed at 9:30 p.m., a volunteer nudged the volume up on the large TV mounted above the bar. Conversations softened. But that did not last for long as loud cheers erupted when the NDP was projected to pick up a seat. 'NDP is on the board,' said one supporter. Article content Article content The race has been a rematch of the 2018 provincial election, which saw Naqvi ousted by Harden in a heated campaign. Article content Article content Historically, Ottawa Centre has long been a Liberal-NDP battleground, but in recent months, poll aggregator consistently predicted a Liberal win, calling the riding as 'safe' for the Grits in the run-up to Monday night. Article content Before Naqvi was elected to the federal seat in 2021, he had represented the riding in the provincial legislature from 2007 until 2018, and was an international trade lawyer before that. Article content Harden left his seat in the provincial legislature to try oust Naqvi a second time. The NDP's Catherine McKenney was won the seat in the recent provincial election. Article content Ed Broadbent and Paul Dewar, two NDP heavyweights, held the riding back-to-back for more than a decade before Justin Trudeau's red wave swept the country in 2015. The Liberals have held the seat federally since then. Article content Article content First, Catherine McKenna was the riding's MP, after defeating Dewar in the 2015 election. She was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to 2019, and minister of infrastructure and communities from 2019 until 2021, when she decided to leave politics, making the opening for Naqvi. Article content Article content Article content During the candidates' debate leading up to the election, Naqvi drew on his background in international trade when answering questions on how to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Article content Naqvi said dealing with Trump involves outlining 'non-negotiables,' and that it's 'carved in stone' that Canada not become the 51st state. He said tariffs should be fought back dollar-for-dollar. Article content Carleton Article content Ottawa West-Nepean Article content Kanata Article content Ottawa South Article content
Irish Daily Star
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Mike Myers defends bold political move he made on Saturday Night Live
Mike Myers isn't backing down from the political message he delivered during a recent Saturday Night Live appearance. The Toronto-born actor, who now lives mostly in the United States, explained in a new interview with The New York Times why he chose to make a statement supporting Canada . During a March episode of SNL, Myers appeared in a sketch spoofing Elon Musk. Though he hadn't planned to make a political remark, Myers said he became increasingly upset throughout the night after thinking about Musk's past comments calling Canada "not a real country" and former President Donald Trump 's suggestion that Canada could become America's "51st state." Read More Related Articles Cillian Murphy says this actress is 'Meryl Streep of her generation' Read More Related Articles People are only now realizing what the band name Thin Lizzy means after 56 years By the time the show ended, Myers unzipped his vest to reveal a shirt reading, "Canada Is Not for Sale," and mouthed "elbows up" - a phrase tied to Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe's aggressive style on the ice. Mike Myers has maintained that Canada is not for sale. 'What happened came from my ankles and from my brain and from my heart, and it was not about me — it was about my country,' Myers told the Times. 'I wanted to send a message home to say that I'm with you, you know.' The "Austin Powers" star continued, 'What's happened has really hurt our feelings. We love America. We love you guys. We don't understand what this madness is.' Since his SNL appearance, Myers has taken his message even further. He recently starred in a political ad with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. In the one-minute spot, Carney quizzes Myers about his loyalty, and the actor proudly wears a hockey jersey bearing the phrase 'Never 51.' For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here . Talking about his parody of Musk, Myers made it clear that he disagrees with the tech billionaire's growing influence in politics. 'The involvement of billionaires in democratic government goes against how I feel as a Canadian," he said, adding that he believes in "good government." Myers also stressed the importance of using humor to push back against dangerous ideas. "Fascism doesn't like to be ridiculed; it likes to be feared," he said. "Satire is an important tool in the toolbox to say that this is not normal, that the cuts he's making are not normal." For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike Myers Opens Up About His ‘SNL' Protest In Support Of Canada: 'Came From My Heart, And It Was Not About Me'
Like his dual citizenship, Mike Myers is doubling down on his Saturday Night Live 'Canada is not for sale' protest. In a new interview with the New York Times, the veteran comic and actor — who hails from Toronto, though largely resides in the U.S. — opened up about the reasoning for his political statement, saying it was a message of solidarity for folks back home. More from Deadline 'SNL' Stars Say 50th Anniversary Was Like "Building Up To A Wedding" - Contenders TV: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety World Leaders Gather For Pope Francis Funeral: Trump, Zelensky, Prince William Among Mourners (See Images) 'Real Time': Bill Maher Continues Denouncing Nazi Comparisons: "A Hard Word To Use With Nuance" Myers, who first appeared on SNL to spoof Elon Musk at the beginning of March (since reprising the role twice), did not originally intend to make any sort of remark. However, 'I got angrier and angrier,' he recalled, throughout the night while thinking of Musk's quip that 'Canada is not a real county' and President Donald Trump's '51st state' rhetoric. Thus, during the sketch show's goodnights, Myers' slogan tee — unveiled after he unzipped his vest — was accompanied by the actor mouthing 'elbows up,' a reference to Canadian hockey icon Gordie Howe's slogan toward aggressive opponents on the ice. 'What happened came from my ankles and from my brain and from my heart, and it was not about me — it was about my country,' he told the Gray Lady. 'I wanted to send a message home to say that I'm with you, you know.' The Austin Powers star added, 'What's happened has really hurt our feelings. We love America. We love you guys. We don't understand what this madness is.' Since then, Myers appeared in a political spot opposite newly minted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in which the latter quizzes him on his national identity. At the conclusion of the one-minute advert, Myers is seen with a hockey jersey that reads 'Never 51.' Speaking more broadly to his parody of Musk, the six-season SNL alum added that the tech CEO's involvement in democratic government 'goes against how I feel as a Canadian … [and] belief in good government.' 'Fascism doesn't like to be ridiculed; it likes to be feared,' he concluded. 'Satire is an important tool in the toolbox to say that this is not normal — that the cuts he's making are not normal.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far
Winnipeg Free Press
25-04-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Back so quickly': Carney holds rally at Pyramid Cabaret
Regularly reserved for bar crawls and cover bands, Liberal Leader Mark Carney was the headliner Thursday at the Pyramid Cabaret, as red-clad supporters rallied in what was the prime minister's second stop in Winnipeg before election day. 'It is great to be back in Winnipeg, back so quickly,' he said to cheers from the audience. Bartenders slung soda and water under the Pyramid's disco ball to hundreds of supporters, who were holding signs that read 'Never 51' and 'Canada Strong.' ADRIAN WYLD/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Liberal Leader Mark Carney was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1. Carney, who was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1, repeated many of the talking points that he has carried throughout the campaign. That included condemning the 'tragedy' of the trade war and heightened tensions with the U.S. and calling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a 'lifelong politician who worships at the altar of the free market.' 'I'm still learning how to be a politician — I think it's a good thing — but I think I'm a pragmatist,' he said. 'So when I see something that's not working, I will change it.' Carney promised to put in legislation to remove federal barriers to interprovincial trade by July 1 — 'free trade in Canada by Canada Day,' Carney said. 'We need one economy in this country, not 13.' Flanked by Liberal candidates who joined the leader on stage, Diana Fox-Carney described her husband as empathetic and strong-willed. 'Criss-crossing over the country over the past weeks, I think you've seen my husband is incredibly hard-working, that he is committed to listening to all of the many people like yourselves that he's met along the years,' she said. For some in the audience, the rally felt like a victory lap after a month of successful campaigning in Manitoba. Among those ready to rock was Manny Calisto, a retired school teacher who said he's becoming 'increasingly more confident with each day' the Liberal party will lead Canada after Monday's election. 'It's not necessarily based on the polls, which clearly are showing that's likely to happen,' the 59 year old said. 'I think I'm more confident because I really strongly believe that Canada will not follow the U.S. example.' While waiting to get into the venue, Nicole Van Osch said the race isn't over until it's over. 'I'm semi-confident, but don't want to take anything for granted,' she said. During Carney's first stop in Winnipeg, he visited New Flyer Industries in Transcona and met with Premier Wab Kinew but made no new policy announcements. His second visit came as all three major party leaders were darting across the country to make their final pitches to voters. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a rally in Transcona Wednesday evening and spoke with media Thursday morning. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was in Halifax Thursday. A Probe Research poll released Wednesday found 43 per cent of Manitoba respondents were either decided or leaning toward voting Liberal, while 40 per cent were supporting the Tories. In Winnipeg, that gap grew to 50 per cent Liberal and 32 per cent Conservative. Rural and northern Manitobans surveyed flipped to 54 per cent Conservative support and 32 per cent Liberal support. — with files from Alex Lambert Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
The Canadian electorate suddenly pays attention
Opinion At a moment of deep political dissatisfaction and a profoundly irritating existential threat to our national identity, Canadians quite clearly want to be heard. They're cancelling plans to travel to the United States, the suddenly less-neighbourly neighbouring nation whose president muses tiresomely about annexing Canada as the 51st U.S. state. They're doggedly donning shirts and hats adorned with 'Elbows Up,' 'Never 51' and 'Canada Is Not For Sale.' They're embracing a 'buy Canadian' ethos at grocery stores, shopping malls and even online, and some are even ill-advisedly booing the U.S. national anthem when it's performed at sporting events. Every day, in various ways, Canadians are making their feelings known. When it comes to the federal election that will, a scant four days from now, determine which party will form our next government, Canadians seem to be making it clear that they want to be heard at the ballot box as well. According to Elections Canada, 7.3 million people cast their ballots during the advance-voting period that ran from April 18 to 21 — a 25 per cent increase over the 5.8 million early votes recorded during the 2021 federal election. More than two million voted on April 18 alone, a record-setting figure. More than usual when it comes to electoral politics, Canadians are engaged. Galvanized, even. And if the turnout for advance balloting is any indication, we might see a significantly higher participation in this election than for any other — federal or provincial — in recent memory. That this election campaign has been reduced to a single question — how best to deal with the threats, chaos and erratic policy-making of U.S. President Donald Trump for the next four years — rather than a campaign-trail comparison of how each party proposes to address numerous issues of abiding concern to Canadians makes this a rather unique election. The fact it took a direct challenge to Canada's sovereignty to spark widespread interest in something as fundamental to the democratic process as an election is somewhat troubling; the revelation that voter engagement seems elevated during this campaign is, at the same time, both encouraging and discouraging. It's good news that more Canadians are immersing themselves in the federal election; less heartening, however, is the reality that it would take the involvement of just 63 per cent of registered voters for this election's turnout to top the 2021 figure — that vote had 62.6 per cent participation, a significant drop from turnouts in 2019 (67 per cent) and 2015 (68.3 per cent). Voter engagement has, in fact, been on the wane for decades; the last time uptake for a federal election topped 70 per cent was 1988. Perhaps, then, this time — this moment of existential angst, which has unleashed a wave of patriotic pride and a rare interlude of unpolarized unity — will remind Canadians of every political inclination that ours is not a democracy or a country that can be taken for granted. The point here is not to declare whether the Pierre Poilievre-led Conservatives or the Mark Carney-led Liberals are best suited to confront the cavalcade of perils presented by the second Trump term, or whether the NDP, under the leadership of Jagmeet Singh, deserves to wield continuing influence in yet another minority Parliament. Those are choices each individual voter must make. What's important — and, perhaps, what robust early voting indicates might be the case — is that this fraught moment in our nation's history underscores the reality that participation in the democratic process is not merely a right; it's a duty. Vote, as if your nation's future depends on it. Because it might.
