Former PM Chrétien misses throne speech due to minor heart surgery
Eddie Goldenberg, former senior political adviser to Chrétien, says the former leader had "some discomfort" yesterday and a doctor determined that he had a blocked artery.
Goldenberg says a stent was inserted this morning.
Tuesday's speech from the throne officially opened the new Parliament after last month's election and several former prime ministers were present.
It was the first throne speech delivered by a sitting British monarch in Canada in nearly 50 years.
Chrétien is now 91 but has remained active in politics, speaking at the Liberal leadership convention in March and at rallies for multiple candidates during the election campaign in April.
He also attended the swearing-in ceremony for Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet on May 13.
"He says he is feeling fine and plans to be home tomorrow," Goldenberg said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Turkey and Britain sign preliminary deal for Eurofighter Typhoon jets
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Britain on Wednesday signed a preliminary agreement for the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey, a significant step in Ankara's efforts to modernize its air fleet. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his British counterpart, John Healey, inked a memorandum of understanding during a defense industry fair in Istanbul, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense said. NATO member Turkey has long aimed to buy 40 Eurofighter jets, which are built by a consortium of British, German and Italian companies. Germany reportedly initially opposed the sale but later reversed its position. Britain led negotiations on behalf of the consortium. A Turkish defense ministry statement said the memorandum takes the two countries 'one step closer to a full agreement on the Typhoon.' 'Both Ministers welcome signature as a positive step towards bringing Turkey into the Typhoon club and share a mutual ambition to conclude the necessary arrangements as soon as possible,' it added. Turkish officials have said that they are still negotiating over pricing and technical terms, saying that they have received an initial offer and expect to submit a counter-proposal. Turkey is also seeking to return to the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program, from which the country was ousted in 2019, following its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. The U.S. said the systems posed a risk to the F-35s. Turkey is also developing a domestic fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, which is slated to be operational in 2028.


The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Zelenskyy faces backlash as Ukrainians protest new anti-corruption law
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian activists called for more protests against a law they say weakens the country's anti-corruption bodies. The legislation has also drawn rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups. Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities across Ukraine on Tuesday evening to urge President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto a controversial bill passed by Ukraine's Parliament earlier that day. After Zelenskyy approved it, activists called on social media for another demonstration in the center of Kyiv at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The legislation tightens government oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies. Critics say the step could significantly weaken the independence of those agencies and grant Zelenskyy's circle greater influence over investigations. Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in its fight against Russia's three-year invasion. Instead of vetoing the bill as protestors demanded, Zelenskyy signed it into law and argued for it, in a move that risked his public support after more than three years of war with Russia. Zelenskyy said the measure clears out 'Russian influence' from the fight against corruption and ensures punishment for those found guilty of it, after what he said were yearslong delays in criminal proceedings involving huge amounts of money. 'This is what Ukraine really needs,' Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post after midnight Wednesday. 'The cases that have been lying dormant must be investigated.' 'For years, officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason – in very nice countries and without legal consequences – and this is not normal,' he said. He didn't provide examples of what he said was Russian interference. Russian officials relished Zelenskyy's difficulties. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked Zelenskyy's claim of Russian infiltration into the anti-corruption agency, noting sarcastically that 'they might just as well pull a couple of bears out of the corner.' Zelenskyy has been the international face of Ukraine's determination to defeat Russia's all-out invasion, and his domestic troubles are an unwelcome diversion from the war effort. Delegations from Russia and Ukraine were set to meet in Istanbul on Wednesday for their third round of direct talks in two months, although the Kremlin didn't confirm the date or venue and its spokesman warned against expecting 'any magical breakthroughs' in the meeting. The changes would grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). In a post on X, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern over the vote in the Ukrainian Parliament, called the Rada, calling it 'a serious step back.' The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized Parliament's decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and damages trust with international partners. It accused authorities of 'dismantling' the country's anti-corruption architecture. The mood of anger and frustration among the war-weary Ukrainians prevailed in the crowd Tuesday. Some protesters accused Ukraine's leadership of prioritizing loyalty and personal connections over the fight against corruption. 'Those who swore to protect the laws and the Constitution have instead chosen to shield their inner circle, even at the expense of Ukrainian democracy,' said veteran Oleh Symoroz, sitting in a wheelchair because both his legs were amputated after he was wounded in 2022.


The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Democrats divided over looming government shutdown fight
Democrats are deeply divided over how hard to press their leverage with President Trump and his Republican allies on getting concessions in a bill to fund the government that needs to pass by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown. Senate Democrats held a tense lunch meeting Tuesday to discuss their plan for how to vote on the first spending bill to reach the floor — the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations bill — as well as their strategy for how to handle the end-of-September government funding deadline. Soon after that session, which stretched to nearly 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) met with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) to piece together a strategy as progressives called for them to take a hard line with Republicans. 'It's hard to negotiate a budget with Republicans right now because they have demonstrated that they will cut a deal and then turn around and change the deal solely to benefit themselves. That's not a deal, that's like cutting a deal to buy a car, and then long after the price has been paid, the Republicans want to come and repossess the tires. It doesn't work that way,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said. 'My views on engaging in pretend negotiations with Republicans who are simply in a power grab and will do whatever Donald Trump tells them to do [is that it] doesn't make a lot of sense,' Warren said. Some disgruntled progressives are vowing they cannot repeat the mistake they made in March, when 10 Democratic senators including Schumer voted for a partisan government funding package passed by the House, which cut Democratic priorities and failed to put guardrails on Elon Musk or the Department of Government Efficiency. Democrats are arguing behind closed doors that they need to make every effort to insist that Republicans agree to bipartisan legislation to fund the government. If Republicans refuse, these Democrats say they should then blame Trump and his GOP allies for any ensuing shutdown. Democratic lawmakers say Schumer is 'afraid' of how a shutdown would play out politically and wants to avoid such a scenario at almost all costs. At the same time, Democrats warn that if Schumer votes again for a partisan funding package that barely squeaks through Congress with minimal Democratic support, there will likely be a strong backlash from the party base. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat representing swing-state Pennsylvania, argues Congress should do everything it can to avoid a government shutdown that would result in hundreds of thousands of federal employees being furloughed. 'I was the first to say I will never vote to shut the government down, and that hasn't changed and it's not going to change,' Fetterman told The Hill. 'Shutting the government down — how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos?' he added. Schumer acknowledged his dilemma Tuesday, telling reporters he wants to reach a deal with Republicans but complaining that Trump's allies aren't making it easy. 'We Democrats want a bipartisan deal. We're working together to get one, but the bottom line is Republicans are making it much harder — rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this,' he said, referring to the rescissions package Republicans passed last week to defund PBS, NPR and global aid programs. 'You can't say you want a bipartisan process … and at the same time put rescissions on the floor, which is the antithesis of bipartisan,' he said. Recent polling shows Democrats have a lower approval rating than Republicans. Some Democratic senators think the party's poor rating stems from a perception that they aren't putting up enough of a fight against Trump and the GOP. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, is now pushing an amendment to prevent the White House from advancing another rescissions package. He wants Republicans to agree to it before advancing annual appropriations legislation. Some progressives argue it would be foolish to agree to bipartisan spending bills to keep the government open only to watch Republicans later advance rescissions packages to cut funding for Democratic priorities, such as women's health care, education and environmental programs. Democrats are also toying with the idea of insisting Republicans agree to extend enhanced health care insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that are due to expire at the end of the year. Republicans decided not to do so as part of tax credits extended in Trump's tax and spending megabill, leaving Democrats warning that millions of Americans will lose their health insurance. 'We had a constructive lunch and we've got some very significant issues right in front of us,' said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Coons said he and his staff is working well with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the chair of the subcommittee, but cautioned there's a 'real tension' being created by the threat that the White House budget office director, Russell Vought, will send another rescissions package to Congress. 'The next rescission is predicted will go after education,' Coons said. 'It was one of the early targets of DOGE [the Department of Government Efficiency]. When they start trying to rescission things like Veterans Administration, defense, Social Security, you get right into the very heart of what impacts the lives of millions of Americans. And he warned that the 'so-called 'big, beautiful bill' is going to throw something like 17 million Americans off of health care.' Coons said he supports Merkley's amendment to stop future rescissions packages. 'Having a process whereby they can reach a bipartisan agreement with us and then undo it with a partisan rescissions process — in the long-term, that is not a sustainable process,' he said. Asked about Democrats' game plan for a government shutdown fight, Coons said: 'Lots of things about the appropriations process were discussed.'