
Arthabaska by-election to be held in August
The by-election in Arthabaska, in the Centre-du-Québec region, is expected to be called officially on Tuesday by Quebec Premier François Legault, Noovo Info has learned.
Voters are expected to be called to the polls on Aug. 11, and posters of the various candidates are already being installed throughout the riding.
Legault's government had until September to call the by-election.
The news comes a few days after the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) nominated Keven Brasseur as its candidate.
He is slated to face off against Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) Leader Éric Duhaime, Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate Alex Boissonneault and Québec Solidaire's Pascale Fortin.
The Quebec Liberals (PLQ) have not named a candidate.
Recent polls predict a close race between the Conservatives and the PQ, with the latter leading by one per cent in voting intentions.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
29 minutes ago
Republican senator says Trump's 51st state rhetoric not 'constructive' during Ottawa visit
A U.S. Republican senator says she doesn't think President Donald Trump's past comments about making Canada the 51st state are helpful as the two countries are locked in negotiations to reach some sort of trade agreement. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was in Ottawa as part of a bipartisan delegation meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday morning. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Murkowski was asked about Trump's taunts about Canada becoming part of the U.S. I cannot explain President Trump's rhetoric about the 51st state. That is his statement [and] I think it has been made very, very clear that most view that as nothing more than a positioning statement… something to maybe agitate, she said. I don't think that's constructive, quite honestly. Certainly here in Canada you can sense that there is a direct hostility, if you will, to that suggestion. U.S. senators Ron Wyden, Maggie Hassan, Catherine Cortez Masto and Lisa Murkowski met with Carney on Monday. Photo: The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld Since his re-election in November, Trump has said multiple times that he wants to see Canada join the U.S. as its 51st state — though his rhetoric has cooled in recent weeks. Trump was asked about the idea of Canada joining the U.S. as he was leaving the G7 meeting in Alberta last month and said he still thinks the country should become a state. I think it's a much better deal from Canada, but, you know, it's up to them, the president told reporters. WATCH | Trump asked about 51st state comments: Trump and Carney have been in talks to reach a trade agreement after the U.S. slapped a series of tariffs on Canada earlier this year. Carney had set a deadline for an agreement to be reached a few times but has most recently pushed it back to Aug. 1. Murkowski was joined in Ottawa by Democratic senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada. Carney briefly spoke to reporters, saying he had a good meeting with the U.S. delegation. The senators showed off Canada-U.S. friendship bracelets they wore into the meeting. Four senators here, [from] both political parties, spent the morning working to build bridges, not throw wrenches, Wyden said of the trade talks. Wyden said he and his colleagues covered a number of topics with Carney, including Canada's digital services tax and softwood lumber. Enlarge image (new window) U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney have been negotiating to reach a trade agreement by Aug. 1. Photo: Reuters / Kevin Lamarque The federal government rescinded the tax on companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb last month after Trump called for its removal. Wyden said Monday that he wants Canada to permanently kill the tax in legislation and suggested Carney was open to that idea. The Oregon senator also said he and his colleagues were pushing for a quota on Canadian softwood lumber exports to the U.S. Softwood lumber is enormously important and we asked about how we could make progress on dealing with that issue, Wyden said. Carney says softwood quota is a possibility The prime minister suggested last week he is open to a trade agreement that includes quotas. There is normally some element of managed trade that comes out of any agreement that comes there, it can include quotas, can include a variety of trade factors, Carney said. The prime minister's comments came after B.C. Premier David Eby told Bloomberg News that a softwood quota was on the table in the trade talks with the U.S. Softwood lumber has been a sticking point in Canada-U.S. relations for decades. The two countries have been without a softwood deal since 2015. Speaking at premiers meeting in Huntsville, Ont., on Monday, Eby said he's been pushing Carney to reach a softwood deal with the Americans as part of the broader trade talks. I've been advocating for that with the prime minister: start with softwood, let's get a deal done, Eby told reporters. I'm hopeful that he's hearing that message. Darren Major (new window) · CBC News · Senior writer Darren Major is a senior writer for CBC's parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. He previously worked as a digital reporter for CBC Ottawa and a producer for CBC's Power & Politics. He holds a master's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in public affairs and policy management, both from Carleton University. He also holds master's degree in arts from Queen's University. He can be reached at With files from The Canadian Press


CTV News
29 minutes ago
- CTV News
Conservative MPs publicly support ‘Freedom Convoy' organizers ahead of sentencing
Tamara Lich leaves the courthouse in Ottawa after the verdict was delivered in her trial with fellow Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber, on Thursday, April 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA — Several Conservative MPs are criticizing the Crown's approach to prosecuting two key organizers of the 'Freedom Convoy' protests, with the party's deputy leader calling it an act of 'political vengeance.' Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were convicted of mischief in April for their roles in organizing the demonstration, which blockaded streets around Parliament Hill for more than three weeks in early 2022. Lich has posted on social media that the Crown is seeking a sentence of seven years for her and eight years for Barber. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on X today comparing the proposed sentences to other offences that came with less severe punishments, asking, 'How is this justice?' Let's get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges & antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares & block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants 7 years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich… — Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) July 21, 2025 In her own social media post, deputy leader Melissa Lantsman calls the Crown's approach 'political vengeance and not actual justice,' while Conservative MP Andrew Lawton says it's 'excessive and vindictive.' Yup. Violent criminals are back on the streets in hours. Antisemitic mobs block traffic, intimidate families, and trash businesses with zero consequences. Meanwhile, the Crown wants 7 and 8-year prison sentences—over a non-violent protest from 3 years ago. If the Crown suddenly… — Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) July 21, 2025 The judge in the case is set to announce the sentences on Wednesday, after taking into account submissions from the Crown and the defence. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025 Sarah Ritchie and Craig Lord, The Canadian Press


CBC
29 minutes ago
- CBC
Fired B.C. nurse launches human rights complaints, says constitutional advocacy group
Social Sharing The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms says a nurse who was sanctioned by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and fired by her employer has filed two human rights complaints with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms was founded in 2010, to "defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education," says its website. In March, the BCCNM announced a disciplinary panel with the college determined Amy Hamm committed unprofessional conduct for making "public discriminatory statements directed towards transgender people while identifying as a nurse." It said Hamm's statements made across "various online platforms" between July 2018 and March 2021 were partly designed "to elicit fear, contempt and outrage against members of the transgender community." In June, the college updated a news release that said that its discipline committee would deliberate on an appropriate penalty and costs at a future date. It also announced that Hamm had filed an appeal of the March decision in B.C. Supreme Court. The justice centre says in a news release that Hamm was the "target of escalating disciplinary measures, and eventually termination, for expressing views on gender and women's rights during her personal time." It says her first application to the human rights tribunal is against Vancouver Coastal Health, alleging discrimination based on her political beliefs that led to her dismissal in March 2025. The centre says the second application is against the College of Nurses and Midwives and claims regulatory authorities used their power to enforce a particular worldview — in this case, gender ideology. The news release says Hamm is seeking reinstatement, a public apology, a declaration that she was discriminated against, as well as monetary compensation. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives' disciplinary panel said Hamm can share her views but not while identifying her professional affiliation as a nurse. In September 2020, Hamm helped pay for an I Love J.K. Rowling Sign on Hastings Street in Vancouver, supporting the author's views about gender identity. It was taken down a day after it was put up. Since the hearing with B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, Hamm has written several columns for a variety of media outlets on multiple issues, including politics and crime, as well as sex and gender.