Alberta premier's request for separation referendum question approval rebuffed
On social media, Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery said earlier Tuesday that Albertans should be able to embark on gathering signatures 'without needless bureaucratic red tape or court applications slowing the process.'
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Authorities investigating ex-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith for alleged illegal political activity
Published Aug 02, 2025 • 1 minute read Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, at an office of the Department of Justice in Washington. Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Federal officials have opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who investigated then-candidate Donald Trump before his reelection to a second term. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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 Toronto Sun 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 Toronto Sun 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 Don't have an account? Create Account The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, on Saturday confirmed the investigation after reporting by other news organizations. Smith was named special counsel to investigate Trump in by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022. Trump and his Republican allies, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have — without offering evidence of wrongdoing_ accused Smith of violating the Hatch Act, a federal law that bans certain public officials from engaging in political activity. Smith prosecuted two federal cases against Republican candidate Trump in the lead-up to the November 2024 presidential election. Smith ultimately dropped the cases — neither one had gone to trial — after Trump was reelected, which would have shielded him from prosecution according to longstanding Justice Department practice. Smith then subsequently resigned as special counsel. Cotton, R-Ark., on Wednesday asked the Office of Special Counsel to investigate Smith, alleging that his conduct was designed to help then-President Joe Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris, both Democrats. Biden had dropped his own bid for reelection following his disastrous performance in a campaign debate against Trump and tapped Harris to succeed him on the ticket. Trump won the election. The New York Post was first to report on the investigation into Smith. Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA Canada
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'Alberta Forever Canada' petition sees potential hurdles according to Alberta political scientist
Article content 'I would think that this has got to be one of largest petition campaigns, not just in Alberta, but in Canadian history,' Wesley said. 'I can't recall a petition in Canada that would have had north of 250,000 signatures.' Article content If they are able to garner that number of signatures in the dead-heat of summer, Wesley said it would be a great political feat. Article content It's a high-risk, high-reward venture that will ultimately see where Alberta stands on the topic. Article content 'If they get enough signatures, it does definitely support their claim that Albertans want nothing to do with separatism,' he said. 'If they don't, it has the potential to put wind in the sails of the separatist movement, who can claim their numbers are bigger than what the polls are showing.' Article content Wesley hopes the petition isn't motivated by wedge politics. Article content He views petitions and referendums as majoritarian instruments that are often used on complex issues that require discussion and negotiation. Article content Article content 'In a way, taking this to the streets and having these conversations in public removes it from the elite-style accommodation that makes federalism work in Canada,' Wesley said. 'Will this drive a wedge within the United Conservative Party? I'm not sure they need any more. Article content 'They've got the federal byelection campaign that's drawn the leader of the federal party into discussions around this; the UCP has their AGM in the fall where this will be at the top of their agenda; and if anything, this petition adds one more potential area for division among the UCP caucus and cabinet.' Article content With additional external pressures, Wesley said the petition will become another front where the UCP will need to pay attention. Article content 'And that position is very unclear,' he said. Article content In terms of the petition itself, Wesley said one challenge it may face can draw similarities from what federalists ran into during the Quebec 1995 referendum campaign. Article content Article content 'Albertans, like Quebecers, are not happy with the status quo, so selling them on the notion of remaining… (it doesn't) really capture the mood of Albertans, most of whom are not actually happy with the way things are going within confederation,' he said. Article content One of the challenges he sees is avoiding the sell of 'what Canada is right now.' Article content 'That's what the federalists did in Quebec in 1995,' Wesley said. 'Jean Chretien famously said that when somebody asks him how easy it is to campaign he'd say, 'It's easy, I have the best product in the world: I've got Canada.' Article content 'And if that's the tactic that the Lukaszuk group is going to employ, I think they're going to find some resistance on the doorstep.' Article content Another potential pitfall is making people choose between Canada and Alberta. Article content 'The vast majority of Albertans strongly identify with their province and country, and more than that, they hate being asked to pick between the two,' Wesley said. 'If the Forever Canada campaign is only selling Canada and not talking about what it means to be Albertan and how being Albertan is also being Canadian, I think it's going to be a branding misfire.' Article content If there's one thing Wesley would like someone to ask, it would be regarding laws surrounding the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) petition and Lukaszuk's petition.
Calgary Herald
10 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Alberta once welcomed immigrants now under microscope by government's panel
Article content It's been several weeks since Stampede ended, and Calgary's Ismaili community held its annual Stampede breakfast. As always, the event attracts several thousand attendees and stands as a microcosm of what defines Calgary today, and who has helped to shape it. Article content There is no mistaking the immigrant impact on this city and province. Article content Article content In attendance at the breakfast, there are always representatives of current and past generations – many sporting myriad versions of the ubiquitous Smithbilt hat rooted in the immigrant story of the Schumiatcher family, who came to Calgary in 1910 and created the iconic white hat in 1946. Article content Article content From teachers to entrepreneurs, business, arts and community leaders – we are a richer community because of all who have chosen to make Alberta home. And that includes my parents. Article content Article content Which is why the Alberta Next panel – which kicked off just after Stampede Week and is seeking feedback from Albertans on the province's place in Confederation through the summer – is troubling for me. More specifically, it's the question focused on immigrants – targeting those who don't meet certain criteria and could be denied access to social services supports if they come to Alberta. Article content I was in Poland when the panel was announced. It's where my parents were born and raised before the Second World War – and it was my first visit to the country, which had the largest Jewish population in Europe until war broke out. Article content I am a first-generation Canadian. My parents came to Canada, and to Alberta, in 1951. They survived the horrors of the Second World War, with my dad Moshe losing his entire family and my mother Tova and her parents being the only surviving members of her immediate family. My brother and I grew up in the shadow of loss, which hung over our house every day. Article content Article content Canada was a place of refuge, where my parents could rebuild their lives, and Edmonton was where they settled. Article content You see, the war interrupted my mother's education. When she left Poland, she had a high school diploma. And no English skills. She spoke many other languages, but not English. My dad had a Master's degree in history, but lacked a teaching certificate or other qualifications. He also didn't speak English. Article content Odds are, they wouldn't have qualified for social services support under the current construct of the question being put before Albertans and the panel. Article content Yet, as so many immigrants do, they figured it out. My dad did become a teacher, and my mother went back to school. She graduated with a PhD in history from the University of Alberta in 1968 and retired as professor emerita in 1996.
