Canada
Quebec premier François Legault wants Bloc Québécois to help topple Trudeau government
Quebec Premier François Legault on Thursday urged the Bloc Québécois to help topple the federal Liberal government and trigger an election, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to disrespect the will of the province. Legault says keeping the Trudeau government in place does not serve the interests of the province. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet responded moments later, rejecting that call and saying he serves Quebecers “according to my own judgment.”
NDP to join Bloc in backing Liberals against non-confidence vote
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern.
Pas le moment pour une élection fédérale selon un député conservateur
Un membre du caucus conservateur de Pierre Poilievre « doute » que les gens de sa circonscription, en Saskatchewan, aient envie d’être plongés dans une campagne électorale fédérale dès maintenant puisqu’ils font face à une élection provinciale et municipale. I think Saskatoon-Grasswood MP Kevin Waugh's reasons for holding this opinion are quite sound -- just a little surprised he said it out loud.
Pablo Rodriguez quits Trudeau cabinet to seek Quebec Liberal leadership
Pablo Rodriquez has resigned from his position as transport minister in the federal cabinet and will be seeking leadership of the Quebec Liberals.
Jean-Yves Duclos sera le prochain lieutenant politique de Justin Trudeau au Québec
Le ministre de l’Approvisionnement et des Services publics, Jean-Yves Duclos, sera nommé le prochain lieutenant politique de Justin Trudeau au Québec, a appris La Presse de plusieurs sources.
Canada gives 1st-ever peek into priorities for intelligence work
The government said Thursday it was publishing its list of intelligence priorities for the first time in a bid for greater transparency with the public.
Métis Nation Saskatchewan leaves national council, cites concerns with Ontario group
The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan has pulled out of a national body representing Métis, citing problems with the Métis Nation of Ontario.
Ethics commissioner will not investigate Boissonnault over ‘Randy’ texts, says the matter is closed
Cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault was under scrutiny from the ethics commissioner after texts raised questions about whether he was involved in a business deal while in office.
The Provinces
Premiers’ Performance: As Election Day looms for three, Eby up, Moe down, Higgs remains least approved-of-premier -
For three premiers in Canada, assessments of their job performances come with high stakes as campaign writs are issued in New Brunswick and will be issued in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
New Brunswick Tory leader kicks off provincial election campaign with fed-bashing
This is a direct page out of the Justin Trudeau-Jagmeet Singh playbook," Higgs said, referring to the confidence and supply agreement that saw Singh's New Democrats support Trudeau's Liberal minority government until earlier this month. I think you can expect Higgs and the PCs to spend every day of the campaign trying to tie their opponents to Trudeau.
Allsopp wins Bay of Quinte byelection with 38.69% of the vote
Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted on social media the “people of Bay of Quinte have sent a clear message tonight by electing a strong local champion who will fight the Liberal carbon tax and Bonnie Crombie’s plan to raise taxes.”
Main parties still seeking a full slate for provincial vote
Nomination update: main parties only have a few candidate spots left to fill.
Premier Smith aims to help fund private school construction in Alberta
Danielle Smith did not offer details about how much private school construction costs might be incentivized, but said she wants to see what independent schools might pitch.
Ontario teases ‘game-changing’ ideas to address Toronto’s suffocating congestion
Speaking at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Premier Doug Ford said he was planning to bring big changes to two particular routes, the Gardiner Expressway and Highway 401.
Law organizations call for Manitoba NDP to reinstate turfed backbencher
National and provincial legal organizations are calling on Premier Wab Kinew to reverse the decision to boot Mark Wasyliw from caucus and are demanding an apology over the NDP's rationale for turfing him. I must admit I’m sympathetic to the views of the law societies here. You can’t pillory a lawyer for the actual or perceived sins of their clients. Thought the NDP defended this principle during the election when the PCs went after Wasyliw because his client roster defended child abusers. If the NDP just don’t like Wasyliw, say so. But turfing him for his client list is dangerous territory
BC United membership drive offers front-row seats to internal fight
Vaughn Palmer: The bitterness left for many in United by Leader Kevin Falcon's sudden shutdown of the party campaign will linger for years.
Four months in jail for man who threatened Alberta NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt
Schmidt, the former minister of advanced education, said the email was the most disturbing he had ever received. FWIW: I have had dozens of emails and late-night phone calls with the same message - that one day I’ll be swinging at the end of a rope. Lots of my colleagues have had the same. So bravo to this judge.
Elsewhere
Botswana grants Canadian firm license to mine manganese
The mine will be the first manganese project in the country and comes amid high global demand for the raw material used in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.
Mark Robinson, NC GOP nominee for governor, called himself a ‘black NAZI!,’ supported slavery in past comments made on porn forum | CNN Politics
Mark Robinson, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery, a CNN KFile investigation found. Despite a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, Robinson said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, a review of archived messages found in which he also referred to himself as a “perv.”
Media
Far-right Rebel News not eligible for journalism tax credits, Federal Court rules
The decision is the latest instalment in a long-running battle between Rebel News and the federal government. The outlet applied in May 2021 to be designated a "qualified Canadian journalism organization," but was rejected by the Canada Revenue Agency, which found that less than one per cent of its content was original news.
MPs want Canadians tied to alleged Russian influencer op to testify at committee
While not explicitly mentioned in court documents, the details match up with Tenet Media, founded by Canadian Lauren Chen and Liam Donovan, who is identified as her husband on social media. The committee will invite Chen and Donovan to testify on the matter, as well as Lauren Southern, who is among the Tenet cast of personalities
Data Driven 2024
This one-day conference is your opportunity to learn from top data-driven reporters, developers, coders, and open data advocates in Canada and around the world. Sign up for hands-on workshops, network with industry peers in the heart of downtown Toronto. I've been saying for 30 years, that the ability to use spreadsheets and wrangle data should be part of any reporter's basic toolkit. Not sure if I'll be able to attend this event but if I was a journo near Toronto ...
Reader Notes
This newsletter is curated by David Akin, chief political correspondent at Global News. The headlines, excerpts, and photos are generated by the publishers of the clipping. The publisher is at the bottom left of the clipping. If I've got a comment, you''ll see that in italics. But if I've generated the headline and the excerpt, you'll see me taking attribution by finishing with -DA in bold. The stuff about the stamps at the bottom — that’s all me.
You can help keep this newsletter going with a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. Thanks for all your help!
Science and tech
iOS 18: Recording Audio With Transcripts in Notes
The new audio recording tool in Notes offers more than just simple voice capture. As users record, the app automatically generates a real-time transcript, making it easier to review and search through recorded content. This feature is particularly useful for students attending lectures, professionals in meetings, or anyone who needs to quickly capture and reference spoken information.
Americans Consumed 100 Trillion Megabytes Of Wireless Data Last Year (And Paid Too Much For It)
… last year saw the biggest single-year increase in wireless data usage ever recorded: 36% more data consumed than in 2022 — and almost double the volume of data used in 2021. The survey also found that nearly 40% of all wireless devices had a 5G connection in 2023
The Calendar
- 0830 ET: Ottawa - GPC MP Elizabeth May attends the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples meetings.
- 0900 ET: Thunder Bay, ON - Indigenous Services Min Patty Hajdu makes a funding announcement
- 0900 ET: Charlottetown - LPC MP Sean Casey makes a funding announcement
- 0930 ET: Windsor, ON - LPC MP Terry Duguid and LPC MP IRek Kusmierczyk make a funding announcement.
- 1200 ET: Trinity, NL - ACOA Min Gudie Hutchings and LPC MP Churence Rogers make a funding announcement.
- 1330 ET: Vancouver - Energy and Natural Resources Min Jonathan Wilkinson makes a funding announcement
- 1430 ET: Toronto - Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly hosts a Women Foreign Ministers meeting.
- 1800 ET: Toronto - Intl Development Min Ahmed Hussen makes a funding announcement
- ET: Montreal - PM Trudeau speaks about artificial intelligence
