Latest news with #SocialSharingConservative
CBC
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Conservative Damien Kurek says he'll step aside for Poilievre — but by law he has to wait
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already taken a trip out to the Alberta riding he hopes to represent, after losing the Ottawa-area seat he held for more than two decades in last week's general election. On Friday, Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek announced he'll step aside so Poilievre can run in the riding, considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country. But Poilievre will have to wait at least 30 days for that to happen, and likely more. According to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Members of Parliament can't resign their seat until 30 days after their election result is published in the Canada Gazette, the federal government's official publication. After the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, it took about a month before the chief electoral officer's validated results were published in gazette. CBC News has asked Elections Canada when it expects to publish results this time around. The Parliament of Canada Act sets out when a member can and can't resign. Olivier Duhaime, spokesperson for the Speaker's office, said the 30-day window is enshrined in the Canada Elections Act and "linked to the contestation period of an election." "After this period, a member may submit their resignation unless their election is being contested," he said in a statement to CBC News. Once Kurek is in the clear to resign, it's the Speaker who informs the chief electoral officer that a seat is vacant. The Governor General, on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet, then sets the date for the byelection. A byelection can be called between 11 and 180 days after an MP resigns. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he won't go the long route. "I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible. No games, nothing," he told reporters at a news conference. That could mean Poilievre will be back to leading the Opposition and facing off against the prime minister at some point during the fall sitting. Kurek first won the seat of Battle River-Crowfoot in 2019 and was re-elected last week with almost 82 per cent of the vote. In his statement Friday, Kurek said he plans to run in Battle River-Crowfoot again in the next general election "An unstoppable movement has grown under [Poilievre's] leadership, and I know we need Pierre fighting in the House of Commons to hold the Liberal minority government to account," he said. Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy by more than 4,000 votes, leaving the Conservatives without its leader in the House of Commons. Poilievre, originally from Calgary, called Kurek's move "selfless." Other MPs who stepped aside were rewarded The Conservative leader posted photos from the riding on Monday, where he met with Kurek's family and team. In an accompanying video, Poilievre addressed Monday's results for the the first time since his concession speech, acknowledging "it didn't go how we wanted." "But when you get knocked down, you get up and get going," he said to the camera. There's some precedent of MPs stepping aside for their party leaders. After winning the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership, Brian Mulroney was on the hunt for a seat. Nova Scotia MP Elmer MacKay, father of former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay, resigned his Central Nova seat and Mulroney was able to lead the Opposition. WATCH | Opposition parties are holding meetings to discuss their futures: Conservatives, NDP work on their paths forward before Parliament's return | Power & Politics 11 minutes ago Duration 19:19 Conservative caucus members will gather Tuesday for their first-post election meeting since party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat to pick an interim leader of the Official Opposition. And New Democrats are meeting Monday night to select an interim leader to replace Jagmeet Singh who also lost his seat in last week's election. The Power Panel discusses the future for both opposition parties. Mulroney ran in his home riding of Manicouagan in the 1984 general election, which his party won in a landslide. MacKay was re-elected in Central Nova that same year and served in Mulroney's cabinet. In 1990, New Brunswick MP Fernand Robichaud ceded his riding of Beauséjour so Liberal Party Leader Jean Chrétien could run in a byelection. Chrétien had represented the Saint-Maurice area of Quebec under former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, but had resigned before making his successful leadership push. When the 1993 general election rolled around, Chrétien ran in St-Maurice, which includes his hometown of Shawinigan, and Robichaud successfully re-offered in Beauséjour.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Poilievre pledges to protect seniors by forcing banks, telcos to crack down on scammers
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to protect seniors by making it mandatory for financial institutions and phone companies to stop digital scammers in their tracks. The plan would require these companies to detect, report and block "suspected fraud in real time," or face the prospect of massive fines and/or being charged with a new crime under the Criminal Code. "We're going to pass the 'Stop Scamming Seniors Act,' a common-sense law that forces banks and telecom companies to deploy state of the art technology to catch scams and stop them before they happen," Poilievre said during a campaign stop in Montreal on Tuesday. A backgrounder explaining the proposed policy says seniors are the Number 1 target for digital scammers who use phishing texts, robocalls and other tricks to fleece the elderly of their life savings. "Meanwhile, the institutions best positioned to prevent these crimes — banks and telecom companies — are not legally required to act fast, transparently, or decisively," a statement from the party said. Under the plan, corporations would be required to employ the same AI tools they currently use to optimize their marketing and sales initiatives to track possible instances of fraud. Anyone caught committing an act of fraud over $5,000 would get a minimum jail sentence of one year. Those convicted of fraud over $100,000 would get a minimum sentence of three years, while those guilty of fraud over $1 million would be subject to a five-year minimum sentence. Under the Criminal Code today, people convicted of fraud over $5,000 do not face a minimum sentence but can be sentenced to prison for up to 14 years. Those convicted of fraud over $1 million currently face a minimum prison term of two years and a maximum of 14 years. Poilievre's plan also calls for convicted fraudsters to pay fines that amount to "ten times the amount defrauded." "We want to financially cripple the fraudsters to deter their greed," Poilievre said Tuesday. Fining and holding companies accountable The Conservative plan calls for the creation of a new Criminal Code offence called "wilful blind profiteering from fraud" that would target corporate executives "who ignore red flags and knowingly allow scam traffic or activity." Companies found to have wilfully neglected to implement scam-prevention efforts could face fines of up to $5 million per violation. Banks and telecom companies would be required to implement mandatory scam detection systems that are specially crafted to protect seniors over 65. Corporations would also have to create a "senior transaction shielding protocol" that would impose a 24-hour hold on high-risk transactions involving seniors' accounts. The Conservatives did not detail what qualifies as a "high-risk transaction." During the 24-hour delay "a verification call and fraud check must occur." Each company would be required to issue public quarterly reports detailing their fraud-prevention statistics including how many scams they blocked and customers they reimbursed. "Our seniors deserve to feel safe and secure when they pick up their phones, iPads or computers," Poilievre said Tuesday. "If you are a bank or telco, we want you to do everything you can to protect our beloved seniors who built this country."
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Poilievre says he'll use notwithstanding clause to ensure multiple-murderers die in prison
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he'll ensure multiple-murderers die in jail by becoming the first Canadian prime minister to override Charter rights by invoking the notwithstanding clause. "Conservatives believe a punishment should be proportionate to the crime. If you kill multiple people you should spend the rest of your life behind bars," he said in a video promoting the policy. "Multiple-murderers should only come out in a box." People convicted of first-degree murder in Canada are ineligible for parole for 25 years. A sentencing provision introduced in 2011 by the Harper Conservatives gave judges discretion to hand out consecutive, 25-year blocks of parole ineligibility in cases where an offender has committed multiple first-degree murders. It means that if someone was convicted of six murders they would not be eligible for parole for 150 years. But that provision in the law was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2022, which said consecutive periods of parole ineligibility "are intrinsically incompatible with human dignity because of their degrading nature." The notwithstanding clause, Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, gives parliaments in Canada the power to override certain portions of the Charter for five-year terms when passing legislation. The clause can only override certain sections of the charter — including Section 2 and sections 7 to 15, which deal with fundamental freedoms, legal rights and equality rights — but can't be used to override democratic rights. Once invoked, Section 33 prevents any judicial review of the legislation in question. After five years, the clause ceases to have any effect — unless it is re-enacted. The clause has been used at the provincial level multiple times including in recent years by Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario, but it has never been used at the federal level. Poilievre and the notwithstanding clause Poilievre said Alexandre Bissonnette, the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooter who killed six people, and Justin Bourque, who shot and killed three Mounties in New Brunswick in 2014, are good examples of why he needs to use the clause. After Bissonnette pleaded guilty in 2018, the Crown asked the Quebec Superior Court judge to impose a parole ineligibility period of 150 years — 25 consecutive years for each of the six people he murdered. The judge handed down a life sentence with no chance of parole for 40 years — a decision that was overturned in 2020 by the Quebec Court of Appeal, which unanimously decided to set Bissonnette's period of parole ineligibility at 25 years. When Bourque was sentenced, the judge applied the Harper-era law, resulting in Bourque being ineligible for parole for 75 years. But in a 2023 decision, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal reduced Bourque's parole eligibility by 50 years. The ruling means the 33-year-old can now seek parole at age 49 instead of 99. Poilievre's previous election promises include a pledge to pass a "three-strikes-and-you're-out law," which would stop criminals convicted of three "serious" offences from ever getting bail, probation, parole or house arrest. Three-time serious, violent criminals would be classified as "dangerous offenders" under the law to make their release into the community less likely. Repeat offenders would also be required to serve a minimum sentence of 10 years to life behind bars for their third offence.
CBC
10-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Poilievre takes aim at Carney's ability to handle Trump and his tariffs
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took aim at his Liberal opponent Thursday over his handling of the Canada-U.S. relationship, saying Mark Carney has so far "failed" to secure any tariff relief for Canada, even as other countries get something of a break. Carney, meanwhile, said U.S. President Donald Trump's much-maligned "reciprocal" tariffs never applied to Canada in the first place, and he has agreed to sit down with the Americans right after this election — if he wins — to negotiate a comprehensive new economic and security agreement. As part of his three-pronged tariff plan, Trump last week announced huge "reciprocal" tariffs on virtually every country in the world except Canada and Mexico. The fact that Canada dodged these particular tariffs was seen as a victory, and Carney called it progress and "the best of a series of bad deals." On Wednesday, Trump relented and temporarily dialled back the more onerous tariff rates for 90 days after the stock market tanked amid the trade chaos. "Other countries got a pause in tariffs while he failed to secure one here in Canada," Poilievre said of Carney during a housing announcement in Milton, Ont. But Trump is still pushing ahead with a "reciprocal" 10 per cent tariff on goods coming from nearly every country — again, except Canada and Mexico, which were never hit by these particular tariffs — and a new, higher 125 per cent rate for all Chinese goods after that country retaliated. "This, of course, happened after Prime Minister Carney boasted he had had a productive call with President Trump and that he had made 'progress.' What progress? There are more American tariffs on Canada today than there were when Prime Minister Carney took office, while dozens of other countries have secured pauses," Poilievre said. WATCH: Poilievre condemns Trump for keeping tariffs on Canada: Poilievre condemns Trump for keeping tariffs on Canada 58 minutes ago Duration 1:19 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking from Milton, Ont., on Day 19 of the election campaign, responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's recent tariffs by saying, 'It remains a mystery why the president treats Canada worse than dozens of other far-away countries who are not America's best friend.' It's true that Trump has hit Canada harder than other countries with some of his other tariff schemes. The president's previously announced global levies on steel, aluminum and most foreign-made autos are still in effect, and U.S. importers will have to pay tariffs when they bring those Canadian products stateside. Trump's levies to punish Canada for supposedly being a major source of fentanyl and migrants — based on exaggerated claims that are not backed up by border data — are also in effect, but Canada has secured some exemptions to those tariffs under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Still, Poilievre said the Liberal leader should have gotten more out of Trump. "Carney's biggest election promise and distraction are empty. He's telling you to forget about the lost Liberal decade of rising costs, crime, taxes and housing prices because he's somehow a magical negotiator, but we're learning that is not true. He does not control President Trump — no one does," Poilievre said. Despite stating no Canadian leader can control Trump, Poilievre also said he will work to "end the tariffs on Day 1 after the next election" if he wins. Poilievre has previously pitched pausing Canadian retaliatory tariffs as part of a push to hammer out a new trade deal with Trump. Carney said this vote is "the most consequential election of our lifetime," and he's working hard to represent Canada in its negotiations with the U.S. over the future of the bilateral relationship. "The stakes have never been higher," he said. Carney said he spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, earlier Thursday and he is pressing for closer trade ties with like-minded, "reliable" allies now that the Canada-U.S. relationship is on shaky ground.
CBC
08-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Former PM Harper praises Poilievre's experience, ascent in huge Edmonton rally
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's political experience and his climb to the top of the party's ranks makes him aptly positioned to lead Canada, former prime minister Stephen Harper says. "Political experience — elected accountable political experience — and the capacity for growth with that political experience, that is what Pierre has demonstrated for two decades," said Harper at a Conservative campaign rally Monday, packing an estimated 12,000 people in an industrial warehouse south of Edmonton. "That is the single most important characteristic a prime minister needs." Harper, Canada's prime minister from 2006 to 2015, said Poilievre's experience, including his time in Harper's cabinet, should outweigh the resume of the political newcomer in Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada during Harper's time in office. "I am the only person who can say that both of the men running to be prime minister once worked for me," Harper told the crowd. "And in that regard, my choice without hesitation, without equivocation, without a shadow of a doubt, is Pierre Poilievre." Harper, who received a boisterous applause at the campaign's first Alberta stop and largest so far, didn't take a position on the Conservative Party's 2017 and 2020 leadership contests, but he did endorse Poilievre in 2022. Harper said that while Canada faces a grave threat in U.S. President Donald Trump, "the bulk of the problems that afflict our country" are a result of 10 years of Liberal policy-making. "Falling living standards, declining employment and housing opportunities, rising crime, the growing divisions between our regions and our people — these were not created by Donald Trump," Harper said. "I believe that the challenge this country faces today from the United States — as real and serious as it is — should not be another excuse for Liberal failure." Poilievre, joining the former prime minister on stage, said Harper was a much-appreciated mentor and that a Poilievre-led government would follow in Harper's footsteps. "Always and everywhere he was solid, competent, honest, decent, down to earth," Poilievre said of Harper. Speaking in Terrace, B.C., earlier Monday, Poilievre promised a "one-and-done" approach to resource project approvals if he becomes prime minister. Poilievre said his plan was to speed up approvals for major resource projects and he told reporters he would create a one-stop shop that would see one application and one environmental review for each project. Poilievre said the idea is about "ensuring efficiency without sacrificing standards." "It's not about reducing our environmental or public safety protection. It's about merging them into one simplified step instead of overlapping processes," he said. Poilievre pitched the plan as a way to make Canada less dependent on selling to the United States — as Trump's tariff war continues to rock global financial markets. Stock markets continued their steep plunge on Monday, prompting Poilievre to take a shot at Trump's tariffs during his announcement. "This chaos is the direct result of wrong-headed, unnecessary, chaotic policies coming from President Trump," he said. He also accused the Liberals of making Canada "dependent" on the U.S. as a market for its natural resources. The Conservative plan would require that Ottawa work with the provinces to create a single office that would coordinate project approvals across all levels of government. "My goal is to bring First Nations, municipalities and provinces all under the same tent," Poilievre said. "Let's sit down and put together the checklist of all the things we need to approve, put it in one office that is accountable to all levels of government, and let the company then apply to the project right there." The Conservative proposal is similar to a deal Carney struck with Canada's premiers two days before the federal election began last month. That agreement would see Ottawa recognize provincial and territorial assessments when weighing whether a proposal can move forward, adopting what Carney told reporters was a "one project, one review" model for major projects. Poilievre is also promising to rapidly approve 10 projects he said are stuck in limbo, including LNG Canada Phase II, a liquefied natural gas project in northern B.C. The $40-billion LNG Canada facility got regulatory approval in 2015 and received a final investment decision from its key stakeholders in 2018. The export facility is expected to send its first shipments of liquefied natural gas in the coming months. The Conservatives' list of what they say are stalled projects also includes proposed roads, ports, mining sites and expansions of existing mines in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. The Conservatives claim some of these projects have been under assessment by the federal government for years. Poilievre said he plans to impose a one-year cap on wait times for approvals — the target would be six months — to give businesses the certainty they need to start work. Greenpeace Canada senior energy strategist Keith Stewart said Poilievre's promise to fast-track fossil fuel industry infrastructure projects is misguided. He said that projects are taking years to develop because of their complicated nature and the multiple layers of community consultations that are required. He said the best way to speed things up is to pursue renewables that "have a lot less risk and harm involved." "There's just so much less risk to water, to air quality, that they're actually a lot easier to get through because communities are more likely to be accepting of them," he said. "The reality is, markets outside of the U.S. are trying as hard as they can to move off of fossil fuels. "So rather than trying to build projects to deliver the stuff that people wanted last century, we should be building projects that are producing and exporting the things that people want this century." The LNG Canada website said in an update last fall that the project was awaiting a final investment decision from the consortium partners about moving ahead with a possible second phase. Stewart said most of the delays in energy projects tend to come from the proponents and it is "sort of a myth" that the federal government is the main impediment to faster approval of such projects. In October 2018, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau announced $275 million in federal funding to support the LNG Canada project.
