
How did the NDP do across Ottawa ridings?
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Not only did Liberals defend key seats, but they also seemingly took a huge chunk of what used to be NDP voters.
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In Ottawa Centre, Liberal candidate Yasir Naqvi secured a commanding win with 62.4 per cent of the vote, according to Elections Canada numbers, a 17 percentage point increase from the 2021 election.
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NDP candidate Joel Harden came in second with less than 20 per cent of the vote count, a substantial decrease from the previous federal election — and still the only riding in the capital where the NDP outperformed the Conservatives.
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He said it was important for the party to ensure the Liberals 'live up' to the promises made during their campaign.
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'If they don't, the New Democrats in this community are going to be there to call them to account in a constructive way,' Harden said.
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Harden gave up his provincial seat to run federally. When asked whether he regretted that decision, he was straightforward in his reply.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba slides down mining sector investment attractiveness list: report
Manitoba's attractiveness to mining investors has dropped, a new report by a conservative think tank states. The keystone province made the Fraser Institute's top-10 list of most attractive jurisdictions for mineral endowment. However, the 2024 Annual Survey of Mining Companies — released earlier this week — places Manitoba 26th of 82 jurisdictions for investment attractiveness. A year prior, Manitoba ranked sixth of 86. The Tanco lithium mine near Lac du Bonnet. (Sinomine Resource Group / Free Press files) 'It's just a wake-up call that there are some outstanding issues that need to be addressed,' said John Morris, co-director of the Mining Association of Manitoba. Survey respondents cited increased concerns about Manitoba's community development conditions, political stability and uncertainty over what areas will be protected, the report reads. Morris said it aligns with what he's heard from junior firms that don't yet have operational mines. Hesitation stems, in part, from the New Democrats' 2023 promise to protect 30 per cent of Manitoba's lands and waters by 2030, Morris said. 'They do not know whether certain areas will become off limits for future mining projects,' he continued. 'If you're trying to plan a 30-year project … you will want to know in the early days whether where you're exploring is going to be put into a protected area or not.' Mine production often follows a decade of research and exploration, Morris noted. Policy interpretation of Manitoba's heritage resource permits and requirements is a long-standing issue, he added. Morris expressed confidence the industry's concerns will be addressed: 'Our association has a very good working relationship with the provincial government.' Politicians have touted Manitoba as the 'Costco of critical minerals,' referring to the variety of goods available at the big-box retailer. Manitoba has 30 of 34 minerals deemed critical. It has four active mines producing zinc, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, cesium and lithium. Provincial mining minister Jamie Moses underscored the Fraser Institute report's timeline: the survey was conducted August-December 2024. Since the feedback window's tail end, the NDP has released a critical mineral strategy, opened a critical mineral office and a new gold mine, Moses said. (The Alamos Gold mine near Lynn Lake was being developed during the Progressive Conservatives' most recent reign.) 'Our government takes seriously the economic opportunity we have in our critical minerals sector,' Moses said. Environmental safety is also taken seriously, he said. He deferred to the province's environment minister when asked about a map or other means of transparency to show which areas will be conserved by 2030. There's been 'a lot of discussion' about the Seal River Watershed, Moses noted. Government and Indigenous leaders are pursuing a formal designation to turn the watershed, which is 50,000 square kilometres, into an protected area; it follows a year-long assessment. 'We know that we can do more than one thing at one time,' Moses said. 'That includes being able to advance mineral projects and also ensure that we have the right environmental sustainability approach.' Lauren Stone, PC finance critic, said the report shows the New Democrats have demonstrated they're 'anti-development and have created an anti-business rhetoric.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'Manitoba should be very concerned when we have almost equivalent the number of critical minerals here … to Saskatchewan.' Saskatchewan ranked seventh on the Fraser Institute's list for investor attractiveness. It touts 27 critical minerals within its borders. The 86-page report incorporates 350 responses from mining and exploration companies. Finland was crowned the top jurisdiction based on investment attractiveness. The Fraser Institute ranked every province and territory except for Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Yukon also ranked ahead of Manitoba in investment attractiveness, the report says. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle 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.


Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. NDP has promises to keep, but no money to spend
VICTORIA — The New Democrats face increasing pressure to live up to their commitments on long-term care for seniors, child care for families, and safeguards for children in government care. The most recent push came this week from the B.C. seniors advocate, Dan Levitt. He warned that seniors on the waiting list for long-term care facilities are clogging hospital beds and ER waiting rooms. The number of seniors on waiting lists for publicly funded long term care has tripled under the NDP, from 2,381 the year before they took office to 7,212 currently, Levitt reported. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Premier David Eby defended the government's performance, saying the New Democrats had added 5,500 spaces since taking power. Yet Levitt provided a scorecard on NDP election promises. The party's 2020 election platform promised 3,315 new beds and replacements for 1,755 others. To date, it has only delivered a fraction, 380 net new beds in all. The advocate identified the current shortfall at 2,000 beds. Eby professed to welcome the findings and conceded, given an aging population, 'we have to build faster, we have to build more and we have to build it more affordably to meet the demand that's out there,' Earlier this summer, the Coalition of Child Care Advocates lamented B.C.'s faltering progress on $10-a-day child care, a key promise in NDP election platforms going back to 2017. 'In 2018, because of $10-a-day advocacy, B.C. became a national leader in child care,' said spokesperson Sharon Gregson in a June 24 news release. 'That progress has now stalled. With just three years remaining in the government's 10-year plan, the province has flatlined provincial child care funding in the last two budgets, with no new provincial funds committed to achieving the promise of quality, universal $10-a-day child care by 2028.' Joining Gregson in the call was former NDP MLA Katrina Chen, who served as the NDP's minister of state for child care under Premier John Horgan. 'We need to get child care back on track in B.C.,' she said. Three weeks later came a survey from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives which found that B.C. had the most expensive child care in the country. Only 10 per cent of the province's licensed spaces met the $10-a-day standard promised by the NDP. Also in mid-July, the child and youth representative, Jennifer Charlesworth, provided a one-year update on the recommendations in Don't Look Away, her report on the horrific case ofYou saw there is a correction Colby. Colby is the name the representative gave to the 11-year-old Indigenous boy, tortured to death by the extended family members into whose care he was placed by the government. While acknowledging the province had made 'significant progress in some areas,' the representative said it still fell well short of where it needs to be in safeguarding children in care. 'We said in our report Colby's death was entirely preventable and without significant change future deaths are entirely predictable,' Charlesworth told Simi Sara on CKNW. 'Important changes have been made. But we are still in a very precarious state in child well-being and we've got a lot of work still to do before I can say with confidence that it's extremely unlikely that this kind of horrific situation would not happen again.' Charlesworth credited the New Democrats with good intentions in their response to the report. But she also flagged the main reason for the lack of sufficient progress on her recommendations. 'I am very concerned that with fiscal limitations, these good intentions will not translate into timely on the ground improvements,' the representative told Ashley Joannou of The Canadian Press. 'The government has a significant deficit, there are fiscal reviews underway, and what we worry — because we have seen it many times — that what gets cut are social programs.' One could readily adapt the same excuse for the NDP failure to deliver on child care, long-term care and any number of other programs and priorities. Premier David Eby referred this week to the 'fiscal challenges' facing his government, an understatement if ever there was one. The government is budgeting for an $11 billion deficit this year and shortfalls of $10 billion each of the next two years. Moreover, with the economy slowing and revenues faltering, the fiscal situation could get worse. In his time as premier, Eby has failed to manage the budget or set realistic priorities, instead spending as if there were no limit. Now, when he's run out of money, he faces the challenge of satisfying the expectations he and the New Democrats themselves have raised. In a column Friday on the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat, I wrote that an LNG Canada spokesperson said 'a new facility of this size and scope may face operational setbacks.' The quote marks wrongly gave the impression of a direct quote from the company. Rather, it was a paraphrase from a story by the Reuters news agency. An LNG Canada spokesperson says the company told Reuters: 'A new facility of the size and complexity of LNG Canada requires a break-in period to stabilize, which is normal in new LNG facilities.' vpalmer@


CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Elections Canada adds security ahead of Alberta byelection amid reported threats
Elections Canada has hired security guards in advance of this month's byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, candidates were told Friday. More than 200 candidates are contesting the riding alongside Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is running in the riding to regain a seat in the House of Commons. Last week, RCMP said several candidates contesting the byelection had reported receiving negative and sometimes "potentially threatening commentary" on social media platforms in recent days. Independent candidate Sarah Spanier said she heard at the meeting that Elections Canada had seen the way people were reacting online, and that this was taken as a "preemptive measure." "I was actually really happy because I was taking notes through all this and I actually put two really, really big stars next to those points when they were talked about," Spanier said. "Because I'm like, 'This is awesome. This is proactive behaviour.' It acknowledges that safety is an issue for candidates." Spanier previously spoke out about continued harassment and personal attacks on the campaign trail, which led her to pause door knocking for a time. Spanier had shared screenshots with CBC News of various social media comments, one of which stated that Spanier "[is] an ignorant pig and I pray [she gets] destroyed," while another stated that should Spanier come to their door, she "will regret it." She had said much of the rhetoric became aggressive after she publicly stated her support of transgender people. Citing a positive response from RCMP and no more "credible threats," Spanier returned to the campaign trail this week. High number of candidates a contributor In an email to CBC News, Elections Canada said "Canadians should be confident that they can exercise their right to vote in locations that are safe and secure." "Throughout the election period, returning officers work closely with landlords of polling places to discuss potential requirements, including the use of security guards. They are also in contact with local authorities throughout the election period," the statement reads. Of the more than 200 candidates in the riding, most are electoral reform advocates known as the Longest Ballot Committee. Poilievre, 9 other candidates square off in debate for seat in Alberta byelection 2 days ago While most candidates are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, Spanier is not. A spokesperson with the committee said while he wasn't at the meeting, he had heard of the move to hire security guards. The high number of candidates in the riding contributed to the move, Elections Canada said. "Due to the number of candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot, and the potential for an unusual number of observers and media at the polling sites, security guards were hired as a precautionary measure, in case additional support is needed for tasks such as directing traffic," Elections Canada said. 'Glad they're doing something' Spanier added that she was told security will be at every advanced polling station and will be present on polling day as well. "I'm glad that they're doing something … I just need more clarity. I'm not the only one who has faced these types of safety issues, and it's not something new to this election, either," Spanier said. The campaigns of Darcy Spady, the Liberal candidate in the byelection, and independent candidate Bonnie Critchley, also attended the meeting. Spady said it sounded as though Elections Canada had made its determination quite early on, just by the amount of "noise" the byelection was attracting from its very earliest stage. "I would say it was less of a reaction and more of a precaution, just because of all the attention that this has been getting," Spady said. "It's just been a bit active, let's just say that." Spady said he realizes that this election has put candidates on the national stage, and has seen even more "extra hype" added due to the presence of the Longest Ballot Committee. "It's a very interesting mix of not your usual three or four flavours, and factor into that the national attention," he said. "Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. Battle River-Crowfoot is a nice place with pleasant people, and I'm a bit disappointed that the drum is beating loudly and people are getting amped up. I think we need to make sure we keep an orderly way about doing elections in Canada."