Latest news with #ParliamentHill
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poilievre, Conservative MPs criticize Crown ahead of Freedom Convoy leaders' sentencing
Several Conservative MPs and leader Pierre Poilievre are criticizing the Crown's approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the Freedom Convoy protests, with the party's deputy leader calling it an act of "political vengeance." Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill in Ottawa for more than three weeks in early 2022. Barber was also convicted of counselling others to disobey a court order. They were found not guilty of several charges, including counselling others to commit mischief. A sentencing hearing for Barber and Lich is scheduled to take place in Ottawa on Wednesday. Lich has posted on social media that the Crown is seeking a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Barber. She posted a screen shot of part of the Crown's submission to the judge, which called their actions "the worst case of mischief" and argued that the right to political expression has never existed without limitations. The Canadian Press has not independently verified the screen shot. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X on Monday to question the Crown's approach. "Let's get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges and antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares and block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants seven years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich and Barber," he said. "How is this justice?" In her own social media post, deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman said that if "the Crown suddenly wants to apply the law — equal application of law would be a good start — but this is political vengeance not actual justice and it's why trust in our institutions is dwindling." Ontario Conservative MP Andrew Lawton called the proposed sentencing range "excessive and vindictive." "The Crown is seeking a seven-year sentence (eight for Chris) for a three-week peaceful protest almost 3½ years ago. All while violent offenders are given slaps on the wrist," Lawton said. Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer described the proposed sentence as seven to eight years "for holding the line and causing Justin Trudeau a political emergency." He compared it to a case in which a man was given a conditional discharge for trying to buy sex from someone he believed was 15 years old. "It is pretty clear what the Liberals' priorities are. Conservatives are the only ones proposing to fix our laws so that the real criminals end up behind bars," Patzer said. A spokesperson from Poilievre's office said in a statement that MPs "are raising concerns because the sentencing sought by the Crown in this particular case appears completely disproportionate, particularly when compared to violent criminals who have gotten away with a mere slap on the wrist." The Conservatives ran on a tough-on-crime platform in the April election. Poilievre promised "jail not bail" for repeat offenders and pledged to legislate life sentences for some human trafficking and drug offences — promises that constitutional experts said would almost certainly be struck down by the courts. Monday's social media posts came after a number of prominent right-wing social media influencers and personalities called out Poilievre and his MPs over their alleged lack of support for Lich and Barber. 'Dangerous' for MPs to weigh in on prosecution, expert says Lich and Barber have been greeted by vocal supporters at each of their court appearances and Lich's post had thousands of likes and comments on Monday. Michael Spratt, an Ottawa-based defence lawyer, called the MPs' decision to weigh in on the proposed sentencing "craven politics." "It is very dangerous for politicians to be weighing in on matters before the court," he said. Spratt said there is a long-standing convention that politicians must not impose their views on the judicial system in Canada. But sometimes politicians step over that line. In 2021, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that it was "beyond comprehension" that the suspect in a homicide case involving the death of a Toronto police officer had been granted bail. The accused was found not guilty in 2024. Spratt said politicians who were critical of the justice system at the time ended up looking foolish when the facts of the case came out. WATCH | Freedom Convoy organizer Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence: Politicians who choose to leverage high-profile cases to "advance a political narrative" ultimately end up devaluing the work of the courts, Spratt said. The spokesperson for Poilievre's office said MPs are exercising their freedom to "raise concerns about disproportionate sentencing in the justice system." "It's the job of the Opposition to raise questions about consistency and proportionality in the criminal justice system, including sentencing law and policy, illuminated by specific cases," the spokesperson said. Spratt said the Conservative criticism undersells the nature of the offences; although the charge is "mischief," this isn't an instance like a child misbehaving, Spratt argued. The case involves two organizers of a demonstration that cost millions of dollars in damage and caused "real harm" to thousands of downtown Ottawa residents, he said. In delivering the guilty verdicts, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said Lich and Barber routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, even though they knew the effect it was having on people and businesses downtown. Thousands of protesters, vehicles and big rig trucks converged on downtown Ottawa in early 2022 in opposition to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, vaccine mandates and the government of then prime minister Justin Trudeau. The demonstrators refused to leave the downtown, with many honking their truck horns at all hours even after a court injunction ordered them to stop. Residents in the area complained of being harassed and said the smell of diesel fumes was overwhelming. Poilievre was supportive of the protesters during the demonstration. He brought coffee and doughnuts to some of the truckers and called them "honest, hardworking, decent people" in a February 2022 video taken outside Parliament. Some of the people involved in the protest said they wanted to overthrow the government. Poilievre said at the time that the truckers should not be disparaged as a group for the views of certain individuals. The protest was eventually broken up by a massive police operation after the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in the country's history. A federal public inquiry was held to examine the use of the law, which gave government, police and financial institutions extraordinary powers to quell the protest. The commission released a report one year after the protests that said the federal government was justified in using the law. Spratt said outside comments are not likely to change the judge's opinion on a possible sentence for Lich and Barber. "This judge in particular is not going to make a decision one way or the other because Pierre Poilievre decided that he'd hop on social media and express his opinion."
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Workplace assessment of RCMP watchdog found ‘clear call for change,' documents show
Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police march on Parliament Hill during the 47th Annual Canadian Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Service in Ottawa, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby OTTAWA — An independent assessment of the RCMP watchdog, prompted by an anonymous email from employees, uncovered concerns about favouritism, a lack of transparency, heavy workloads and 'a toxic environment.' The workplace assessment of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP found 'a clear call for change and action at the leadership level to restore credibility and trust within the organization.' The Canadian Press recently obtained a copy of the May 2024 assessment, almost six months after filing an Access to Information request with Public Safety Canada, which ordered the report. The Ottawa-based review commission is an independent agency created by Parliament to ensure public complaints about the conduct of RCMP members are examined fairly and impartially. Public Safety hired independent workplace investigator Robert Néron for the assessment after receiving an October 2023 email from review commission employees fearful of signing their names due to the watchdog's small size. In a June 2024 note to Public Safety summarizing his findings, Néron said the anonymous email had alleged the review commission was in total disarray because of a lack of leadership from the commission chairperson. Michelaine Lahaie was serving in the role at that time. Néron's summary, heavily redacted before release under the access law, rejected the pointed allegation against the chairperson — a conclusion he reached after interviewing commission employees, including Lahaie, and circulating a detailed questionnaire to staff. Néron found employees generally felt engaged with their work and that most believed leadership treated them fairly and provided constructive feedback. However, some staff expressed serious concerns. The report says a significant number felt overwhelmed by their workloads, causing stress and making them less satisfied with their jobs. It cites a 'notable communication gap' between the leadership and staff, with many employees saying organizational messaging was too infrequent and lacked clarity and consistency. The report says feedback from employees on methods of resolving conflict was mixed, 'with a distinct portion of the workforce feeling unsupported.' There were also multiple complaints of 'a toxic work environment' due to the behaviour and practices of leadership. 'The staff expresses a strong desire to address and resolve this toxic environment,' the report says. 'They seek an anonymous reporting system to report workplace misconduct, especially involving senior managers.' Employees also wanted additional support for mental health issues and a more compassionate means of accommodating staff needs. Many employees said supervisors and team managers should have more autonomy over decisions about investigative outcomes and allowing people to work remotely, the report adds. 'They believe some current leaders lack the necessary skills and hold positions due to favouritism.' The questionnaire, distributed to current and recently departed employees, revealed a consensus that the commission lacked vision, strategy and a cohesive plan for its future, the report says. 'Respondents feel there are no opportunities to discuss the broader mission or innovate.' The report makes several recommendations to improve employee well-being and promote stronger leadership at the commission. 'In our view, addressing these concerns is crucial to fostering a more inclusive, equitable and productive organizational culture,' Néron said in his letter last year to Public Safety. 'Employees' experiences demonstrate an urgent need for reforms in organizational management to address these issues.' Following completion of Néron's report, Public Safety took steps to help Lahaie communicate the findings to commission staff and implement the various recommendations, the records released under the access law show. Lahaie, a military veteran, was appointed chairperson of the complaints commission for a five-year term in 2019. Her tenure was later extended through early this year. The chairperson's job has been vacant since January and Lahaie is now vice-chairperson at Tribunals Ontario, a provincial government agency. Lahaie declined to comment on the workplace assessment, citing restrictions related to her new position. The review commission has put in place several initiatives to bolster employee well-being following the assessment, said Public Safety spokesperson Tim Warmington. The measures include better availability of wellness information on the organization's intranet and presentations to staff on stress resilience, conflict management and employee assistance, Warmington said in an emailed response to questions. The review commission's mandate is set to expand to cover the activities of the Canada Border Services Agency as well as the RCMP. Legislation establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission received royal assent last year, though it is unclear when the new agency will be up and running. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Take part in yoga on Parliament Hill
Take part in yoga on Parliament Hill Parliament Hill yoga is back! We tell you about this tradition that's returned to the hill this summer.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
New report says Ottawa to blame for higher consumer prices after spending splurge
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Parliament Hill reflected on the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa on Sept. 18, 2024. A new report blames the Trudeau government's spending — less than Bank of Canada interest rate policies — for soaring inflation during the pandemic. Photo by David Kawai / Bloomberg The Trudeau government's spending splurges — less than Bank of Canada interest rate policies — were largely responsible for soaring inflation during the pandemic, a new report has concluded. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The report, conducted by two economists at the C.D. Howe Institute, points the finger at Ottawa's unfunded spending spree that acted as 'helicopter drops' of money for the private sector. In 2020, the report says, 20.7 million Canadians out of an adult population of 30.3 million received income from one of the federal pandemic-related programs. In 2020, the programs are estimated to have cost $270 billion — about 12.5 per cent of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) — and have since grown to about $360 billion to date. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again While the programs generally succeeded in providing relief to individuals and businesses, and buttressed the economy during a crisis, the think tank says injecting that much 'nominal wealth' into an economy while unemployment has been relatively low led to an inflation burst and permanently higher prices. 'Whether this wealth takes the form of new money or new debt is largely irrelevant,' the report says. Benjamin Tal, the deputy chief economist of CIBC World Markets, agreed that loose fiscal monetary policy contributed to the pandemic-era price hikes, but thinks the central bank's low interest rates also played a role. 'There is no question about the fact that very accommodating fiscal and monetary policies were behind the acceleration in inflation,' Tal said. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prices rose 11.4 per cent between January 2020 and December 2022. Although the pandemic started in China in December 2019 and the first case was reported in Canada on January 25, 2020, inflation didn't spike for more than a year. In fact, prices were rising at relatively normal rates until May 2021, and didn't peak until June 2022 when inflation hit 8.1 per cent, the highest rate in almost four decades. But while the C.D. Howe economists, David Andolfatto and Fernando Martin, are critical of the spending, their assessment of the Bank of Canada's policies at that time are more nuanced. They agree with the Bank of Canada's own assessment that it can be faulted for not raising interest rates quickly enough to suppress inflation at that time. They also argued that it could be criticized for not doing a better job communicating how it intends to achieve its inflation targets. But they conclude that there was ultimately little the central bank could have done to curb the price spikes. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The paper acknowledges that the pandemic was a unique situation that included a series of inflationary and deflationary pressures. Prices rose in part because the supply of some products tightened, for example, due to factories being closed or experiencing reduced hours. Transportation became more expensive due to shipping delays and congestion at many ports. There were also shortages of some raw materials, such as lumber and metals, which also contributed to inflation. There was also increased demand for certain things, such as real estate, furniture, exercise equipment and home entertainment gadgets. Some of that demand increase was due to consumers having more disposable incomes. Many were saving money from working from home and not being able to go out or travel, while others got wage increases or (especially those in health care) were working longer hours. Income from government supports added to the demand. The result of reduced supply and rising demand was increased costs. Gasoline was among the products hit hardest by inflation, with a price increase of more than 50 per cent over that two-year period. Food and transportation jumped between 15 and 20 per cent, while appliances and rent increased by between 10 and 15 per cent. Finance Canada, the federal department responsible for fiscal policy, was not immediately available for comment. Since the pandemic ended, however, prices have not come back down for a number of reasons. Katherine Judge, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said inflation remained a challenge after the pandemic because many consumers had pent-up demand and excess savings, while long-term changes such as more people working from home and the retirement of many baby boomers also played a role. In recent months, she added in an email, import tariffs imposed by Ottawa amid trade disputes have raised prices. Statistics Canada reported earlier this week that Canada's inflation rate accelerated to 1.9 per cent in June, up from 1.7 per cent the previous month. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carney says a U.S. trade deal without some tariffs is unlikely
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump seems wedded to tariffs and any trade deal with the Americans may include accepting some levies on exports. Speaking to reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill about the trade war, Carney said in French that all of Trump's trade agreements to this point have included some tariffs. He said "there's not a lot of evidence right now" that the U.S. is willing to cut a deal without some tariffs included. Indeed, Trump's trade arrangement with the U.K., a country with which the U.S. has a trading surplus, includes a 10 per cent baseline tariff. WATCH | Carney says 'not a lot of evidence' for tariff-free deal: Carney did not say if he's willing to accept tariffs. At last month's G7 summit after a meeting with Trump, Carney said Canada will sign an agreement "that's in Canada's best interest, and only that." Carney said under Trump's current framework Canada has "almost free trade" with the U.S. and that's something he wants to see continue. That's a reference to the tariff exemptions granted to Canadian goods that are compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). At the outset of this trade war, the White House estimated some 62 per cent of Canadian exports were not compliant with the trade deal — some companies opted to pay very low duty rates rather than go along with the paperwork required for free access. A recent RBC report suggests compliance has improved since Trump slapped on tariffs and most goods are sold into the U.S. tariff-free. But Carney said Tuesday "there are obviously problems" with the U.S. sectoral tariffs that do apply universally to steel, aluminum, auto exports and the threatened ones on pharmaceuticals, lumber and copper. Those so-called Section 232 tariffs have been particularly damaging to the Canadian economy, leading to job losses and a drop in exports. Those tariffs take their name from the section of a U.S. trade law that allows the president to impose levies on certain goods that are said to threaten "national security." Catherine Cobden, the president and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, said in an interview Tuesday there's already been a 30 per cent drop in steel production since Trump first imposed his metals tariff. "We need to stabilize the situation for Canada," Carney said. "The government has consistently stood up for Canadian workers and businesses throughout these negotiations. We'll continue to do so. I expect that discussions will intensify between now and the end of the month and we'll be working hard on that." Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney's tariff remarks were "another unilateral concession from a man who said he would never back down to the U.S. president." Poilievre was previously critical of Carney's decision to scrap the digital services tax that primarily affected U.S. web giants — a move Trump demanded to continue trade negotiations. Businesswoman Arlene Dickinson, a member of Carney's Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, said tariffs may be inevitable — but there could be a chance to negotiate those away when CUSMA comes up for a review next year. "I can't believe he's going to allow no tariffs to occur because that's just not his style. It's just not what he wants," Dickinson said of Trump in an interview. She said Trump is "bullying" Canada with his constant tariff threats and "autocratic behaviour." Last week, Trump sent a letter to Carney saying he's moving to bump the existing 25 per cent border-related tariff rate on Canadian goods — the tariff that does not apply if a good is CUSMA-compliant — to 35 per cent by Aug. 1. A White House official told CBC News that the CUSMA compliance rule will still apply even if the elevated tariff rate is applied next month. Trump said it's a trade action designed to force Canada to crack down on fentanyl, even as U.S. government data suggests relatively very little of that drug is seized at the northern border. Push to dismantle drug trade Still, the federal government has budgeted more than $1 billion to better police the border for drugs and migrants and law enforcement across the country has been making seizures and arrests as part of a push to dismantle the drug trade. "If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter," Trump said. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said that the letters he's sent to Carney and others are what he sees as the "deal" with the respective countries. "I watched a show this morning and they were talking about, 'Well when's he going to make the deal?' The deals are already made. The letters are the deals. The deals are made. There are no deals to make," Trump said. If that's the case, Canada could hit back with higher counter-tariffs of its own on U.S. goods — something Trump has warned against. When Trump hiked the steel and aluminum tariff to 50 per cent last month, Carney withheld matching that rate saying talks are ongoing to get Canada out from under Trump's tariffs. The prime minister has said Canada's counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum products will go up if the two sides can't reach a satisfactory deal by month's end. "We will review our response as the negotiations progress," he said.
