Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Health, economy, crime top issues of concern as House of Commons resumes
Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
As MPs began filing back into West Block — which continues to serve as the temporary home of the House of Commons during Centre Block's decade-long renovation — the parliamentary precinct was relatively quiet after this weekend's one-year anniversary of the "Freedom Convoy" protest kickoff came and went with little fanfare.
On Monday afternoon, question period provided the first opportunity for politicians to square off on the headline-grabbing issues during the month-long holiday hiatus. From another chaotic travel season, to questions swirling around past comments about Quebec made by the Liberals' newly appointed special representative on combating Islamophobia, there was plenty for MPs to dig into.
The first item of government business up for debate was the Liberals' Bill C-35, aimed at enshrining in law a long-term commitment to Canada's early learning and child care Act system, beyond the $10-a-day-deals the federal government has signed with provinces and territories. Early debate was an indication that the Conservatives won't be supporting the legislation, barring amendments.
LIBERALS PLEDGE TO STAY 'POSITIVE'
Ahead of the House of Commons' opening, party caucuses held meetings to plot their political and legislative priorities. For all, inflation, affordability, and Canadians' ability to access services remain key issues of concern.
Top of mind for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this winter will be balancing a number of upcoming big ticket commitments, with the Liberals' pledge to be fiscally responsible given the widespread warnings of an economic slowdown.
"There's a host of hot issues, obviously. But, more than that, I think there's an important priority for the prime minister and his government to look like they're moving from arguments to achievements… Talking about the cost of living crisis, talking about economic wellbeing, talking about health care, talking about crime," said CTV political commentator Scott Reid on CTV News Channel on Monday.
"And I think the fundamental mission for the government right now is to demonstrate that it can fix those things that people are worried aren't working, and that they can make real progress,” Reid said. “This session is an opportunity for him day in and day out, measure to measure, policy to policy, question period to question period, to prove his point, that this government is getting things fixed and getting things done.”
In his caucus-rallying speech to MPs on Friday, Trudeau said, while the country and the world are facing "difficult times" given the risk of a recession and the ongoing war in Ukraine, it is important that Liberals reaffirm their "positive vision" for the future.
"This is a pivotal moment, not just for our country, but for the whole world. And, as we head together into this new sitting of Parliament, we — all of us — we must be ready to meet this moment. We must remember to always put Canadians at the centre of everything we do," Trudeau said.
CONSERVATIVES FOCUS ON CRIME RATE
Heading into a new year as the head of the Official Opposition to the Liberal minority, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to continue calling out reckless spending. As his caucus plans to push a number of committee studies connected to what they see as the Liberals' inability to govern without ethics breaches, or deliver services without relying on private consultants, Poilievre on Monday deliberately emphasized the fact that Trudeau has now been in power for "eight years."
During question period, the Conservatives largely focused their questions around the ongoing discussion of how much the federal Liberals have spent on contracts granted to consulting firm McKinsey and Co., while at the same time placing the blame on the federal government for a range of issues.
"After eight years of this prime minister, we have 40-year highs in inflation, we have a 32 per cent increase in crime. We have the TTC transit system in downtown Toronto overtaken by crime. We have more people eating at food banks and living at homeless shelters … but not everybody is doing badly, his friends at McKinsey are rolling in cash … How much did he give McKinsey?" Poilievre said Monday, echoing his own fiery address to caucus last week.
On Monday, Conservative deputy leader and MP Melissa Lantsman requested an emergency debate "regarding the unprecedented levels of violent crime across Canada," but her request was denied by House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota, who deemed it didn't meet the criteria.
The two main federal parties are heading into this political year looking to make their respective cases for why Canada is, or is not "broken." Trudeau has accused Poilievre of choosing to amplify anger without real solutions for the problems he's pointing to, while Poilievre is suggesting the prime minister has his head in the sand and should "get out of the way."
"We've got an interesting battle shaping up between Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau… I think that the richest vein to be mined by the Conservatives, is simple government incompetence," said CTV political commentator Tom Mulcair on CTV News Channel on Monday. "This is a core question of, you know, can the Conservatives do better?
NDP PRIORITIZE PRIVATIZATION DEBATE
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh — holding tough on seeing some big-ticket supply-and-confidence deal items fulfilled — started off Monday's sitting calling for an emergency debate on what he considers a "big shift" in the way health care is being delivered in Canada, sounding alarms over provinces' plans to increase privatization in certain areas.
During a return-to-Parliament-focused press conference Monday morning, Singh told reporters that he's been "surprised" to see that Trudeau is considering what Ontario is doing with its plan to allow more private clinics to perform surgeries as "innovation,” as he recently told the Toronto Star newspaper.
Singh called it a "complete flip-flop" from the last election campaign when Trudeau went hard at then-Conservative leader Erin O'Toole for his musings about increased private options.
"That's why we're calling for an emergency debate today, because really what's at stake is a turning point in our health-care system," Singh said. "The decisions we make today will define the type of healthcare we have in the next decade."
Singh's emergency debate request was also denied by the Speaker, but he told reporters that he had plans to bring up his privatization concerns directly with Trudeau as the two leaders had a meeting planned for Monday, a week before the health-care talks come to a head.
PREMIERS PUT ON PRESSURE AHEAD OF HEALTH TALKS
On Feb. 7, Trudeau is set to sit down with the premiers in Ottawa to discuss reaching cross-Canada health-care funding deals, a meeting that provincial leadership considers a long time coming.
The prime minister has said he views the gathering as a chance for federal, provincial and territorial governments to discuss an agreement — or series of agreements — that will see more funding put into health-care systems across the country, in exchange for improved care.
In a collective statement issued Monday morning, the premiers restated their expectation that the federal government increase the Canada Health Transfer from 22 per cent to 35 per cent, despite indications from Trudeau and his top negotiators that they aren't looking for a one-size-fits-all approach.
"As a federal proposal has not yet been received by premiers, this meeting will mark the beginning of the direct First Ministers’ dialogue and follow-up required to achieve the significant investment and outcomes expected by all Canadians on this fundamental priority," reads a statement issued by Chair of the Council of the Federation and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
More than 130,000 people have signed an e-petition calling on Canada to give transgender and non-binary people fleeing harmful laws in their home countries the right to claim asylum, but that's already possible in this country. Advocates say the popularity of the proposal shows politicians that Canadians want the government to affirm its welcoming position.
The Public Order Emergency Commission has concluded that the federal government met the threshold for invoking the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the 'Freedom Convoy' protests and blockades.
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says he thinks Canada is 'turning the corner' on inflation, but he isn't ruling out that the country could enter a 'mild recession.' In an English-language broadcast exclusive interview with CTV National News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier, Macklem encouraged Canadians to prepare a 'buffer' to withstand 'tougher times.'
Joe Biden comes for a sleepover next week to make Canada the 18th country he has visited since being sworn in as U.S. president, quite the protocol slippage from that fading, if not forgotten, tradition of Canada being the first foreign presidential pitstop, writes Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca.
After weeks of refusing to look further into foreign election interference, Justin Trudeau surrendered to intense pressure and appointed a 'special rapporteur' to review China's actions. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this 'startling change of heart' suggests the PMO is in panic mode and reflects badly on the prime minister's decision making.
The Trudeau tipping point is within sight. The moment when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows he has to quit for the good of the party or the Liberals realize they can't survive re-election with him at the helm is almost upon us, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Bombshell revelations that suggest Chinese agents actively, fraudulently and successfully manipulated Canada's electoral integrity in the last two federal elections cannot be dismissed with the standard Justin Trudeau nothing-to-see-here shrug, Don Martin writes in his exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
Home prices have fallen below the national average in 14-out-of-20 regional housing markets, according to a report by Zoocasa. Saint John, N.B., took the top place for the most affordable region, with an average home price of $268,400.
Around the U.S., private schools generally do not face as many requirements as public schools for developing security plans. The Nashville shooting that killed three children and three school employees is highlighting that issue.
Along with improving access to health care and investing in a clean economy, the 2023 federal budget also includes plans for a one-time 'grocery rebate.' If you're hoping to apply for this rebate, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
Experts say the Canadian presence of American retail giants such as Walmart and Costco isn't likely to blame for rising grocery prices. That's despite Canadian grocery chain executives having pushed for MPs to question those retailers as part of their study on food inflation.
King Charles III arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for his first foreign trip as Britain's monarch, hoping to improve the U.K.'s relations with the European Union and show he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades.
Along with improving access to health care and investing in a clean economy, the 2023 federal budget also includes plans for a one-time 'grocery rebate.' If you're hoping to apply for this rebate, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
A lawyer who represents Nova Scotia mass shooting victims' families said in an interview they are hoping "for clear commentary on what things went wrong and what things ought to have been done better or differently."
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
New research says Canada is heading into a mild recession as elevated borrowing costs, a downturn in the U.S. and persistent inflation dial up the country's economic uncertainty.
New Brunswickers suffering from a mystery neurological disorder are calling for an investigation into potential environmental causes of the health problems they've been living with for more than two years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday that unless his nation wins a drawn-out battle in a key eastern city, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises. He also invited the leader of China, long aligned with Russia, to visit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rebuffed President Joe Biden's suggestion that the premier 'walks away' from a contentious plan to overhaul the legal system, saying the country makes its own decisions.
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group acknowledged on Wednesday that fighting for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut had inflicted severe damage on his own forces as well as the Ukrainian side.
Around the U.S., private schools generally do not face as many requirements as public schools for developing security plans. The Nashville shooting that killed three children and three school employees is highlighting that issue.
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
A new peer-reviewed study from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Brain Connectivity has found individualized brain fingerprints which can help diagnose early Alzheimer's disease.
Tucked into the 2023 federal budget unveiled on Tuesday in Ottawa, the Liberals have announced plans to explore implementing a standard charging port across Canada, in an effort to save Canadians some money and reduce waste.
Apple is getting into the buy now, pay later space with a few tweaks to the existing model -- including no option to pay with a credit card. The company will roll out the product to some consumers this spring, and will begin reporting the loans to credit bureaus in the fall.
A group of prominent computer scientists and other tech industry notables such as Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are calling for a 6-month pause to consider AI's risks on society.
Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, were set to perform a 2017 duet by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton, until school administration asked fors its removal from the concert because its lyrics 'could be deemed controversial.'
The Army is working to quickly pull together some new recruiting ads to air during the NCAA's Final Four basketball games this weekend, after being forced to yank commercials that featured actor Jonathan Majors, in the wake of his arrest last Saturday.
Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys are expected to continue relying mostly on experts to mount their defense on Wednesday, the seventh day of the trial over her 2016 ski collision with a 76-year-old retired optometrist.
Along with improving access to health care and investing in a clean economy, the 2023 federal budget also includes plans for a one-time 'grocery rebate.' If you're hoping to apply for this rebate, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
Sportswear maker Adidas on Wednesday reversed course 48 hours after asking the U.S. Trademark Office to reject a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark featuring three parallel stripes.
A Japanese student showed up to graduation as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lookalike, wearing his signature olive-colored, snug-fit T-shirt and khaki trousers to show his support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
A mysterious, Montreal-based street artist named Junko is generating buzz in Metro Vancouver with futuristic, bug-like sculptures made from old car parts, scrap metal and tossed out shoes.
U.S. highway safety regulators have opened yet another investigation into problems with Teslas, this time tied to complaints that the seat belts may not hold people in a crash.
California lawmakers on Monday approved the nation's first penalty for price gouging at the pump, voting to give regulators the power to punish oil companies for profiting from the type of gas price spikes that plagued the nation's most populous state last summer.
Craig Pollock's latest project, Formula Equal, would be the first team in the sport that's 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women, he says, with that equal split applying across the whole organization -- from the cockpit to the engineers to the boardroom.
