Latest news with #Caucus
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Rustad wonders if he should have made 'blackmail' claim after Opposition caucus meets
Social Sharing British Columbia Opposition Leader John Rustad said he wonders whether he should have used the word "blackmail" to describe the alleged behaviour of former B.C. Conservatives he's accused of trying to take over the party. But he said he didn't exaggerate the claims and doesn't regret writing a letter to his caucus that contained the allegations that are now being examined by police. Rustad was speaking Wednesday after a Conservative caucus meeting in Surrey, B.C., where most of his party's legislators stood behind him as he addressed reporters. "I do think about whether I should have used the word 'blackmail.' That was how staff described it to me," Rustad said, adding it was "unfortunate" the situation had become "very politicized." "I don't want to say a whole lot more because I'm trying to protect our staff." Former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell also attended the caucus meeting. Rustad said Campbell was brought in to talk to legislators about how he handled differences in his own caucus, and how the party's situation differs today. "There's nothing like drawing on some experience," Rustad said. Rustad has faced questions over his handling of allegations that three former Conservative members of the legislative assembly tried to blackmail legislators and staff. He said this week that a person who relayed the claims to him did not want to provide a statement in a police investigation. WATCH | John Rustad alleges blackmail: B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail by ex-members 9 days ago Duration 10:04 In a letter leaked to media on Monday, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad alleges that a group of legislators who left his party are threatening to release texts and messages to intimidate members of his caucus. It comes after two Conservative defectors formed the OneBC party. Tim Thielmann, the chief of staff for the OneBC leader, called the allegations a desperate attempt by Rustad to cling to power. The three former Conservative MLAs, Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy, have all denied the accusations. They said the allegations were intended to distract from questions about Rustad's leadership. Rustad's leadership is currently under a review that is expected to last until December, with individual riding associations voting on whether he should stay on. The constitution approved at the party's most recent annual general meeting in Nanaimo says a leader can only be removed from office after voluntary resignation, death, incapacity or in a leadership review by the membership. Rustad said Wednesday that the review was not a unique situation, and while he would "love to have 100 per cent" support, he does not have a particular number in mind beyond the 50 per cent plus one benchmark set out in the party's constitution. WATCH | Rustad under leadership review: B.C. Conservative leader to face scheduled leadership review amid infighting 2 days ago Duration 3:05 The B.C. Conservative party has launched a leadership review into John Rustad. It comes as Rustad struggles to control infighting within the conservative movement. Our Katie DeRosa has been looking into this. University of British Columbia political science lecturer Stewart Prest said he expects MLAs to let that process play out for now. But Prest said the riding-by-riding vote also created the "possibility of an additional drip, drip effect" where Rustad had to continually defend his record. "There's not one particular way this rule may play out, but I would think, if I were Mr. Rustad, I would not be looking forward to the summer," Prest said. He added it is not clear whether any future leadership challenger to Rustad would come from the "populist" or moderate wings of the party. "We are already hearing rumblings of challenges from both camps, so I don't know if it is an either-or situation," Prest said. He said that the recent emergence of the One B.C. party, launched by Brodie and Armstrong, speaks to a growing unwillingness among populists to compromise. "So I think that is likely to continue," Prest said. As for the moderate camp, its members would focus on the question of whether Rustad can win government, Prest said. "If there isn't a sense that Mr. Rustad can pull everyone together, they too will join the calls for him to step aside and let someone else try," Prest said. Premier David Eby said during his weekly news conference that the Opposition faces "significant challenges" regardless of who leads them, saying it has "far-right politics" that are extreme.
The Hill
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Democrat battle over Connolly's Oversight seat comes down to wire
The high-stakes race to become the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee appears to be up for grabs. There's no clear front-runner just before House Democrats vote Tuesday to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the panel's ranking member who died last month after a battle with cancer. The field is a crowded one: Four members of the committee are gunning for Connolly's post. The candidates embody a microcosm of the broader caucus in diversity in age, gender, ethnicity and regional representation that makes the race both a referendum on the Democrats' long-held seniority system and a measure of how the party wants to broadcast its image heading into next year's midterm elections. It's a dynamic the candidates are quick to acknowledge. 'The Caucus will decide what it is they want to prioritize,' said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), 44, a second-term Democrat competing for the seat. 'There's someone in this race for everyone.' Crockett represents a younger generation of ambitious up-and-coming Democrats fighting to reshape the party's brand with an eye, not only on energizing the liberal base, but also winning over the younger voters who shifted towards Trump in 2024. In that mold, she's joined by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), 47, another second-term lawmaker vowing to revive the party's standing as support has eroded across a spectrum of demographics. On the other side of that coin is Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), 70, the most senior of the four candidates who is now serving as the interim ranking member. Lynch, a former ironworker and union leader, is touting his long experience of investigative work on the committee, The few weeks he's spent leading Democrats from the panel's dais have been viewed as an audition for what he hopes is a permanent role. Meanwhile, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), 76, has pitched himself as someone who can bridge the generational gap — talking to colleagues about the need to draw from voices across the party — while vowing to shift the committee's focus away from the Republicans' targets, like Hunter Biden, which Democrats deemed to be trivial and over-politicized. 'We've got to restore the credibility of that committee,' Mfume said recently. 'The Republican Party has decimated the goals, the objectives, the mission and the mandate of Oversight as we have come to know it.' Identity politics could be a major factor in the race. Garcia is the lone member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The group has formally endorsed his bid, lending a huge boost from an influential faction boasting almost 40 House members. The Congressional Black Caucus is no less powerful, but because it has two members in the race — Mfume and Crockett — it won't be endorsing anyone, at least while both of them remain in the contest. 'We don't endorse, especially because we have two CBC candidates,' Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), head of the Black Caucus, said before the recess. Likewise, three of the candidates — Mfume, Crockett and Garcia — are members of the powerful Congressional Progressive Caucus, likely dividing allegiances within a group that boasts almost 100 members. Regional concerns could also play a role. The Democrats' power base has, for years, been consolidated on the coasts, and the party has long sought a strategy to build its appeal in the middle of the country, where voter sentiment has shifted steadily to the right. Crockett, the lone candidate not from the coasts, is advancing the idea that she could help Democrats win over those elusive voters. 'Southern Democrats are not represented in our elected leadership,' she said. 'When we're talking about winning states like Georgia, when we're talking about winning in North Carolina and Virginia and some of these other places, we may want to put some Southern states into the mix.' With subpoena power and broad jurisdiction over virtually every facet of the federal government, the Oversight Committee ranks among Capitol Hill's mightiest panels. Democrats don't have the power to set the panel's agenda or decide the target of investigations since they are in the minority. But the high-profile seat is still among the most important launching pads for Democratic messaging on Capitol Hill — a perch from where they're hoping to challenge the many controversial actions of President Trump. That includes decisions to discard due process rights in conducting deportations and openly use the office of the presidency to steer policies that enrich himself personally. 'It's a remarkably important position, especially at this moment,' said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who was the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee in the last Congress. 'We're living in an age of spectacular corruption throughout the federal government. I mean, we've seen nothing like this before in American history, with the opening up of the new crypto scam ventures and pay to play pardons and the transformation of the White House to a complete money-making operation,' he continued.
Toronto Sun
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
John Rustad accuses former B.C. Conservative MLAs of blackmail
Caucus told former colleagues, staff threatening to release secret phone recordings, text messages Published Jun 16, 2025 • Last updated 44 minutes ago • 3 minute read B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is accusing a group of legislators who split from the party of blackmailing his MLAs and staff in a bid to take over and divide the Opposition. 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 Rustad has confirmed the authenticity of a letter obtained by The Canadian Press in which he tells the Conservative caucus that their former colleagues and staff are threatening to release 'blackmail materials,' including secretly recorded phone conversations and text messages. 'We will not allow ourselves to be lowered by manipulative, dishonest, and malicious actions of people who see fit to, potentially criminally, blackmail others,' Rustad says in the letter. 'This is sociopathic behaviour.' He said in an interview on Monday that the letter was authentic and the party was considering whether to call in the RCMP. The letter says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives, or to 'do or say certain things' if they want to prevent the materials being leaked. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'From what I have been told, the threat is framed as something like: we will pay you handsomely to join with us, we will damage you if you refuse,' Rustad says in the letter. Rustad doesn't name the former Conservatives, but Dallas Brodie, who was ejected from the caucus in March, said in a statement on Monday that the letter consists of 'wild lies' and 'baseless, false, and defamatory' accusations about the new OneBC party, which she launched with fellow former Conservative Tara Armstrong last week. She said Rustad and his team 'rigged' the Conservatives' March annual general meeting that endorsed his 'Team Rustad' slate of executive candidates, alleging the meeting was stacked stacking the meeting with people paid 'to vote the way Mr. Rustad wanted.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Dallas Brodie (centre) was ejected from the B.C. Conservative caucus in January, and Jordan Kealy (left) and Tara Armstrong quit in solidarity. Photo by Alec Lazenby Rustad's letter denied any that. He said in the letter that some in the party were surprised at a large number of South Asian party members at the AGM, and that 'individuals' had paid for the whole group's transport to the Nanaimo meeting. He said he understood why 'people who have not participated in organized political parties before may be surprised by this.' But he said 'group-based political organizing occurs quite often in politics and is not unique to the South Asian community.' 'I have been advised by our legal counsel and experts, who were present to scrutinize the voting process that our AGM was 100 per cent in line with this party's 2024-25 constitution,' he said. Rustad said in the interview that he could not offer any details about what kinds of jobs were allegedly being offered to the targeted Conservatives. 'I wasn't party to those conversations, so I would be saying it third hand,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The letter says one former Conservative staffer, whom it did not identify, called 'multiple individuals in order to explicitly blackmail them.' Rustad said in the letter that the former colleagues were 'trying to sink our party, sour our caucus, and break apart the powerful movement' that Conservatives have built. Asked about his characterization of their alleged behaviour as sociopathic, Rustad said 'certainly, it is not normal.' Brodie was thrown out of the party over remarks about residential schools, prompting Armstrong and Jordan Kealy to quit the party in sympathy. Armstrong said she won't comment beyond the statement Brodie issued, while Kealy, who still sits as an Independent, said he had no involvement in the alleged blackmail. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brodie's statement said that there was a 'mountain of evidence' demonstrating the rigging of the annual general meeting, 'including photographs, emails, audio recordings, detailed written statements and public statements and interviews from various AGM attendees' and 'a personal confession by a senior Rustad staff member.' Brodie, Armstrong and Kealy came forward with claims about vote-rigging on May 28. Armstrong said at the time that an unnamed senior member of Rustad's team told her the party paid about $100,000, using that member's personal credit card, to transport more than 100 men to Nanaimo to 'rig the election' in favour of Rustad. She did not name the person or offer any other evidence. Rustad's letter suggested there was nothing unusual about Conservative riding association funds being used to sponsor delegates to attend the meeting. 'Hundreds of people, the vast majority of whom were Caucasian (not that it should matter), were ultimately sponsored by our caucus members via funds from your riding associations — at your specific direction as MLAs,' he told the caucus. Read More
West Australian
14-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Important first State Budget following landslide election for ambitious Rita Saffioti
It's a no-brainer to suggest Thursday's State Budget is important for the re-elected Cook Labor Government. Every Budget is important. But this is the first Budget after Labor's smashing of the Liberals at the March State election. So: people who voted for Labor — and that's the majority of West Aussies — will be eagerly awaiting their 'post-election dividend' on Thursday. But equally, this is an important Budget for the hard-nosed and driven Rita Saffioti, who will deliver her second Budget and, as Treasurer, has been a driving force behind how the Government's billions in royalties and GST payments are divvied up for next financial year. So, these days, where's Saffioti at in terms of future ambitions? I'm reliably told Saffioti still harbours a burning desire to be Labor's next premier. The size of Roger Cook's win in March — for mine, Labor's greatest victory since it won power in 2017 — has made the likelihood of the Kwinana MP retiring before the next election less than it would otherwise have been. Nevertheless, despite Cook's line that he is 'only just getting started' in terms of his premiership, I am unconvinced he will recontest the 2029 poll. I'm told Saffioti is still hoping to lead Labor to the next election. Her main rival is Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson. I can confidently predict that should Sanderson get the nod to be Premier — if Cook resigns before the next poll — Saffioti will retire from politics quicker than an Italian Nonna can knock up a plate of spaghetti bolognaise. If Saffioti is to become Labor's next leader, she needs to be an outstanding Treasurer. Thursday is a big day for her. There's a few things for her to achieve this Budget. Saffioti needs to make sure WA's AAA credit rating remains intact; she needs to appease the business community; she needs to appease the general community; and she needs to appease Caucus. It's Caucus — under instructions from unions — that will vote for Labor's next leader. And my mail (from senior Labor sources) is that a number of backbenchers are getting a bit testy about where the Government's billions are being spent. Hands up who remembers Colin Barnett's Emperor's Palace? Barnett's $26 million decision to relocate his office and the Cabinet room from rented accommodation in Governor Stirling Tower to the heritage-listed Hale House — instead of joining his ministers at Dumas House — was lambasted by Labor in opposition, in which Saffioti was finance spokesperson. Barnett moved into Hale House in 2012, at a time state debt had climbed from $3.6 billion to $19b under his rein. Labor pointed to the Hale House project as further proof of Barnett's and the Liberals' arrogance. Saffioti is the driving force behind a $217 million 'world-class motorsport street circuit.' That's what Labor called the project when it first publicly floated it in The Sunday Times in June last year. 'Imagine the noise, atmosphere and crowds as V8s fly around a new and specially designed racetrack in Burswood Park, just a stone's throw from the city. It'll be incredible,' Saffioti said at the time. These days, Saffioti calls it an entertainment precinct, because it includes a 20,000-seat amphitheatre for concerts and the like. Regardless of what you call it, backbenchers — and I'm sure members of the public who aren't revheads, are questioning whether that $217m could be better spent elsewhere. Will people think spending $65m on basing a new NRL side to Perth is a justifiable expense? Roger Cook might, but what about if you are one of 22,000 West Australians currently waiting, on average, 154 weeks for social housing? Labor's Budget will be inked in black — not red, like the Budgets of governments across the Nullarbor. The quarterly financial results released just a few weeks ago already show an operating surplus of $2.8b for the first nine months of this financial year. Saffioti will, on Budget day, detail spending on hundreds of millions of dollars in health, education and social housing. Great. But sometimes it takes just one project, one example of wasteful spending, to smear an administration. And mud sticks. Just ask The Emperor.
Globe and Mail
12-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Mark Carney's early moves are making the Conservatives look like waterboys
Ever since the election, the Conservative Party has been giving off strong 'loser energy' vibes. It's not simply that the party failed to form government, or even that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his own seat (though it certainly doesn't help that he's forced to press his nose up against the House's stained glass windows). It's more so the air of flailing insecurity: selecting one of the safest Conservative seats in the country for Mr. Poilievre to run in a by-election; appointing a shadow cabinet of a whopping 74 MPs to keep caucus content, and thus less likely to call for the Leader's head; calling for 'severe limits' on population growth but running away when asked to elaborate. It seems like the Conservatives, humbled and humiliated, have no idea what to do with themselves now. Robyn Urback: Mark Carney is making himself the moonshot Prime Minister – for better or for worse What's worse for the party is that Mark Carney is making big moves on many of the files on which the Conservatives have long demanded action. Last week, the Carney government tabled its 'One Canadian Economy' bill that provides a framework for fast-tracking major infrastructure projects that promises to 'substantially reduce the burden of federal rules that apply to trade across provincial and territorial borders.' The bill alone does not eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by July 1, as Mr. Carney promised, but even Mr. Poilievre acknowledged it is a 'small step,' before insisting that the government must go even further. Then the Carney government tabled a border bill that, among other things, significantly narrows the window during which refugees are eligible to claim asylum in Canada and allows the government to cancel the processing of immigration applications en masse in certain circumstances. It's precisely the type of bill that the Conservatives would have introduced had they won a plurality of seats in April, instead of the Liberals. On that one, Mr. Poilievre didn't muster much of a response at all. This week, Mr. Carney announced that he was accelerating his government's plan to reach NATO's target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence, promising that Canada will reach the target this fiscal year – five years earlier than planned. He said the government would move ahead with purchasing new equipment such as submarines and icebreakers, but added that much of the new spending will be in operational expenses, for a bigger, better-funded military. Mr. Poilievre, who promised during the campaign that his government would reach NATO's spending target by 2030, had no choice but to offer his support for the plan. What else could he say? That he didn't like the look of Mr. Carney's tie during the announcement? There will certainly be more talk about dumping Mr. Poilievre as Leader, particularly if the party's numbers continue to tank post-election (the latest Nanos poll has the Liberals 10 points ahead of the Conservatives). And while Mr. Poilievre shoulders much of the blame for his party's loss, its current predicament is just as much, or perhaps even more, about actions by the Prime Minister as it is about the Conservative Leader. Mr. Carney, unlike his predecessor, is actually making big moves on major files, and unfortunately for the Conservatives' narrow political interests, many of those moves happen to come from their own playbook. That necessarily makes the Conservatives look like waterboys, trying to sheepishly call out suggestions to the quarterback. Sometimes the party will have something important and substantial to oppose, such as the new powers of surveillance granted to authorities that the Liberals have embedded in their border-security bill. But it's hard to get anyone to pay attention to guys handing out cups of Gatorade on the bench while the actual players are on the field. The Conservatives are in a tough spot right now, and that would likely be the case with anyone at the helm. But there are ways for the Conservatives to tamp down on their 'loser energy.' They can, for example, give the government genuine credit where it is due, as many Canadians who didn't vote for Mr. Carney already seem to be doing. That would make them look like grown-ups – actual players – instead of sore losers trained to reflexively oppose. They can resist the urge to fall back on lazy talking points about Liberal waste and instead focus on a few narrow but important issues specific to the Carney government. And they can continue to talk about big ideas, so long as they actually stick around to explain them. But regardless of how the party navigates the next few months, it seems likely that the Conservatives will be a largely peripheral political force for the next little while. That's the problem with having a quarterback who actually marches downfield: no one pays attention to who is sitting on the bench.
