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CBC
38 minutes ago
- CBC
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith suggests premiers start constitutional talks
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it could be time for premiers to hold another constitutional convention. At the province's first Alberta Next panel town hall meeting in Red Deer Tuesday evening, the premier gauged the crowd's appetite for getting other premiers together in a room to discuss reopening the constitution. "There is a real appetite to fix some of these things that are just foundational," Smith said near the end of the meeting. Canada hasn't engaged in formal constitutional negotiations since 1992, when the premiers and then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney failed to get Quebec to sign on to the 1982 constitution in the Charlottetown Accord negotiations. The risk of reopening the constitution, Smith said, is that other provinces could attempt to include changes that Albertans may not want. In a conference hall in Red Deer's Westerner Park, a panel of 16 politicians, business leaders, medical professionals and others sat before six Alberta flags, hearing ideas, questions and comments from a crowd of at least 400 people. Up for discussion at the town halls are the potential merits and drawbacks of creating a provincial police service, a provincial pension plan, and assuming more provincial responsibility for tax collection. Organizers showed a series of videos asking attendees questions, such as considering changes to federal transfer arrangements — including equalization — changes to constitutional powers, and potentially withholding social benefits from some immigrants. Smith said the number of sheriffs working in policing roles for a new provincial police service could double in size in the near future. Event emcee and premier's office staffer Bruce McAllister also held impromptu straw polls, asking attendees to raise their hands and hold them up if they supported creating an Alberta pension plan or an Alberta provincial police service. Roughly 80 per cent of the people attending raised their hands in support of both. Several residents, who said they came from Red Deer, Trochu, Sylvan Lake, Stettler and beyond, implored elected officials to act upon the proposals, adding that the government doesn't need to hold referenda to make a decision. Alberta law would require the government to hold a referendum before giving notice to pull out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). A minority of attendees complained about the panel's videos and online surveys, saying the information is biased in favour of acting on the proposals, blames Ottawa for provincial problems, and fails to consider the cost of such decisions. Some attendees hoping for separation Wade Collinge of Sylvan Lake was among speakers advocating to the panel for the separation of Alberta from Canada. Reopening the constitution to make change is no solution, given the necessity of securing the support of Ontario or Quebec for any change, he said in an interview before the event. "The west will never become equal in Canada, from what I understand, unless we can open the constitution, and opening the constitution is pretty much ironclad shut," said Colligne, who was wearing an Alberta Prosperity Project tank top, and button that said, "Commonwealth of Alberta." The Alberta Prosperity Project is a separatist advocacy group. Bill Tompkins drove an hour from Rocky Mountain House to attend the meeting to hear ideas about the province's future, he said. Tompkins, a separation advocate, likes the idea of a provincial police service and Alberta's own pension plan. He said the federal government interferes too much in Alberta, and uses coercion by attaching conditions to spending federal funds. "I feel that the federal government has mismanaged the taxpayers' money — not only Albertans' but all of them," he said. Attendees asked the panel to limit money flowing to Quebec through equalization, but also suggested emulating Quebec policies, including by holding a referendum on independence, so the rest of Canada takes Alberta's grievances seriously. Smith said Quebec is sitting on a cache of natural gas that it isn't extracting, and that untapped revenue should be factored into Quebec's share of equalization funding. Some speakers pushed back against separatist sentiment, telling the panel that Albertans should be willing to support their fellow Canadians. After the event, Dave Travers, who's from Red Deer, said there was a large far-right wing element to the crowd, and that he doesn't think their sentiments reflect most Albertans' perspectives, as shown by public polling. "Danielle Smith's having a hard time just making her bed. And the house is looking awfully dirty," he said, referring to the struggling health-care system, allegations about mismanagement of health contracts and procurement, and the rapid spread of measles in the province. A few protesters gathered outside the venue, including Cassidy Simone, who said talk of separation ignores the rights of Indigenous people. "I'm really concerned that we're going to forget about Indigenous peoples and all the reconciliation that we have been working toward and trying to achieve within the past year," Simone said. Heather Plaizier, who lives near Sundre, stood outside the venue holding a sign saying, "UCP policies hurt water, wildlife, people." She said she couldn't get a ticket to get inside the event. Plaizier said the panel has shared biased surveys and information. She doesn't feel the members are listening to the public. "I feel like there's kind of a set agenda and it doesn't matter what we say," she said. "I hate to go into a consultation with that expectation, but I would love to see actual consultation happen." A second town-hall panel is scheduled for the Edmonton area on Wednesday evening.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
African asylum seekers in the GTA face systemic barriers and need better supports: new report
From unaffordable housing to employment discrimination to systemic anti-Black racism and uneven access to basic supports, the challenges are many for African asylum seekers in the Greater Toronto Area, a newly released report has found. The African refugee crisis first emerged in the spring of 2023 when hundreds of asylum seekers and refugee claimants, most of whom came from eastern Africa, arrived in the GTA and had nowhere to go and no support. Dozens ended up sleeping on the pavement outside Toronto's Central Intake site at 129 Peter St. in the hope that they might get a bed in a city-run shelter. This situation was further exacerbated by the City of Toronto's now-reversed decision to turn away African refugees from its emergency shelter system and refer them to federal programs. This move was heavily criticized in a scathing report by Ombudsman Toronto, which found that the city's actions lacked fairness and caused harm, and that it erred in its decision-making and implementation process. The challenges experienced by African refugees continued into 2024. Tatiana, an asylum seeker from Congo, landed here that year and also had no place to live and no other option but to live on the street. In those early days, Tatiana told CTV News Toronto that she felt 'overwhelmed, stressed, traumatized,' anxious feelings she said were heightened by the fact that she could not express herself in French, which is her mother tongue. About two years ago, the United Way of Greater Toronto began tracking the experiences of those who were directly affected by this crisis. The stories of 29 African asylum seekers, one of whom is Tatiana, as well as nine service providers, are shared in a report by the not-for-profit titled Understanding the Experiences of African Asylum Seekers in Peel, York Region, and Toronto. United Way Greater Toronto asylum seekers report The United Way Greater Toronto relewsed a new report on July 15 about the lack of supports for African asylum seekers in the region. 'We did some reflection with our partners at the City of Toronto, the Region of Peel, York and the community to say how did we get here and what happens after. What do we learn from this crisis that we can take to the next wave, the next emergency and really prevent that reactive approach all the time,' Adaoma Patterson, the organization's director of community impact, told CTV News Toronto. 'We heard primarily Black-led organizations and leaders raise the cry and the alarm to say that this needs attention. … The City of Toronto has now identified a Black-mandated and -led shelter that is part of their plans.' Among other thgns, the report recommends strengthening programs and services, investing in frontline organizations, especially Black-led agencies, advancing policy changes, creating accountability mechanisms, and increasing advocacy so that what happened in 2023 doesn't repeat itself ever again. In response, the United Way Greater Toronto is also making an initial $400,000 investment in two community-led initiatives, which it says will support 200 African asylum seekers, helping at least 50 secure stable housing. As for Tatiana, her situation improved after she connected with a non-profit organization named Passerelle – I.D.E., which was one of several groups and individuals on the ground at the Peter Street site helping asylum seekers and refugee claimants during the crisis and beyond. Tatiana said the non-profit, which offers a range of programs and services to Black and racialized francophone newcomers, has provided her with the help she needed to get settled in Canada and plan her future. 'I am so happy to live here because I can express myself, and when I don't understand, I have the support,' she told CTV News Toronto through a translator. Leonie Tchatat, Passerelle's founder and CEO, said it can be traumatizing for refugees who only speak French, but are forced to immerse themselves in services that are mostly offered in English. 'Most of the work that we're doing is to really help these newcomers and install themselves, settle in Toronto, by offering culturally adapted core government services,' she said. Toronto refugees A woman is seen surrounded by luggage and other personal belongings outside a shelter intake office in Toronto on July 11, 2023. City of Toronto says it is 'committed' to supporting those seeking refuge The City of Toronto, meanwhile, said it is 'committed to ensuring that everyone seeking refuge in our city, including African asylum seekers, are treated with dignity and has access to the supports they need to begin rebuilding their lives.' '(We continue) to work closely with community partners to provide emergency shelter and wrap-around supports, including access to health care, mental health services, harm reduction, and housing help,' spokesperson Russell Baker said in a written statement. It noted that as of July 6, emergency accommodation and wrap-around support services have been provided to more than 3,700 refugee claimants and that 'work continues to create a dedicated refugee shelter system designed to better meet the specific needs of refugee claimants, including African asylum seekers, with culturally responsive services and settlement supports.' The city added that this work includes establishing smaller refugee houses, like L'Agapanthe, a transitional home operated by La Passerelle-I.D.É., which recently opened to provide dedicated support to Francophone refugee claimants of African descent. Toronto's first Black-led and Black-mandated shelter, which is part of the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy is also in development, the city said. 'We acknowledge that systemic barriers, including anti-Black racism, continue to exist within institutions across Canada. The City is committed to working with community partners and stakeholders to identify and remove these barriers, and to ensure equity, inclusion and safety are central to our services and supports,' Baker said. Refugees outside 129 Peter Refugee claimants and asylum seekers gather outside Toronto's Central Intake centre at 129 Peter St. on Oct. 5. (Ken Enlow/CP24) Toronto says all levels of government need to help address African refugee crisis The city added that while it Toronto is a 'welcoming and inclusive city,' it cannot 'meet this challenge alone.' '(We continue) to advocate for sustainable, long-term funding, and a coordinated regional response from all orders of government to manage the growing demand for emergency shelter and ensure new arrivals are welcomed with dignity,' it noted. With files from CTV News Toronto's Allison Hurst
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Canadians support ‘hard approach' to Trump's tariffs, says survey
Vancouver Watch Nearly half of the respondents in an Angus Reid Institute survey supported getting rid of the Digital Services tax, while 3 in 5 support a 'hard approach' to negotiating with Trump.
