Latest news with #Chartrand
Global News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Indigenous leaders tell Senate that Canada's major projects bill is moving too fast
The president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami says 'Canada's weakness' is publicly saying reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is of top priority then acting like it isn't when it introduces legislation like the major projects bill. The legislation is being widely criticized by Indigenous leaders and community members across the country for a lack of consultation and a tight timeline in which the government wants to pass the bill. Bill C-5 would give the federal cabinet the ability to set aside various statutes to push forward approvals for a small number of major industrial products, such as mines, pipelines and ports. ITK President Natan Obed, speaking to the Senate on Monday, said the way Canada operates is by positioning itself as a champion for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, but 'acting very differently through its legislation and through its practice.' 'I think of those things as being born not only out of ignorance, but out of a clear decision on whose rights matter and whose don't, and how to get to an end goal that makes Canada feel good about itself while still trampling on the very rights that it says it upholds,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Obed was one of three Indigenous leaders speaking in the Senate chamber Monday who all said their rights were not properly considered in the legislation, and while they are generally in support of shoring up the Canadian economy, the rights of Indigenous Peoples should not be sidelined to achieve that goal. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Obed, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand all want the government to allow more time for Indigenous groups to express their concerns. 'Not only does (the legislation) not live up to Canada's obligation to respect rights, it creates the possibility of national interest projects ending up before the courts with litigation causing significant delays in the ability of the national interest projects to move forward. As such, the Building Canada Act may end up creating instability and ultimately undermine investor confidence,' Obed said. Story continues below advertisement Chartrand told senators he'll support the legislation, saying Canada 'should not take lightly the threat that is coming from the south,' referring to the increasingly unsteady trading relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump. 'Trump has started an economic war with Canada to beat us and bring us down,' Chartrand said. 'The Red River Métis will kneel for no one. We stand with you.' While optimistic about the potential of the legislation, Chartrand said he is worried Métis won't be fully included in the benefits it promises, and that Canada won't be a trustworthy partner. That trust can be built, Chartrand said, if Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Indigenous leaders and provides clear details about how his government intends to consult with them on choosing the major projects to fast-track. Woodhouse Nepinak reiterated concerns she has been raising for weeks about the legislation and its potential impact on First Nations rights. She said that while Canada is trying to protect itself from Trump, the solution isn't to introduce Trump-like legislation. 'We know how it feels to have Trump at our borders. Let's not do that and have Trump-like policies with each other. Let's take the time and do things properly,' she said.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ssense Elevates Federico Barassi to Vice President, Buying
Ssense, the Montreal-based multibrand retailer of designer fashion and streetwear, has made some key changes in its buying roles. Brigitte Chartrand, vice president, womenswear buying, has exited the company, and Ssense will unify all buying teams under the leadership of Federico Barassi, vice president, buying. Barassi, who has been with Ssense for over 17 years, was most recently vice president of menswear. He joined the company in 2008 as senior menswear buyer and rose through the buying ranks. Earlier he was a menswear buyer for Hugo Boss in Montreal. More from WWD Tory Burch's Iconic Reva Ballet Flat From the 2000s Makes Its Return With Help From Ssense Tory Burch's Iconic Reva Ballet Flat From the 2000s Makes Its Return With Help From Ssense Fast Fashion, Resale Rise While Luxury Falls, According to Spending Report Chartrand had been with Ssense for over 11 years, starting as womenswear buying manager. She rose to senior director of womenswear buying before assuming her current post as vice president of womenswear in February 2020. She is also the founder of Reborn, a Montreal boutique, operating that business from 2005 to 2014. 'My time at Ssense has been incredibly rewarding, and I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I leave with full confidence in the exceptional team at Ssense and look forward to watching the company's continued success,' said Chartrand in a statement. Chartrand was unavailable Thursday to comment on her plans. Rami Atallah, chief executive officer and cofounder of Ssense, said, 'At Ssense, our purpose is to champion emerging and culturally impactful designers. With Brigitte's departure, we are proud to elevate internal leaders who embody the vision and values that define Ssense. Looking ahead, all buying categories will be unified under the direct leadership of Federico Barassi, vice president, buying.' Ssense has elevated key team members to leadership roles within womenswear, menswear and the rest of the categories. These strategic advancements reflect the company's commitment to talent development and creating significant growth opportunities within Ssense, according to the company. Best of WWD EXCLUSIVE: Maje Names Charlotte Tasset Ferrec CEO Nadja Swarovski Exits Family Company Amid Ongoing Corporate Shakeup Aeffe MD Exits Fashion Group
Winnipeg Free Press
11-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Vultures' preying on evacuees, Métis leader says
The Manitoba Métis Federation has warned evacuees about a scam that asks for their personal information. It's related to a fake social media post that claims to be from Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand. Chartrand said the federation has been forced to send out thousands of messages explaining that the post isn't from him. It uses a photograph of him that's been copied from the MMF website, to make it look legitimate. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES A scam targeting wildfire evacuees ripped off an image of Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand. 'This has really upset us,' he said on Wednesday. 'Now these vultures are coming out and they are entering this world of hardship and disaster to take advantage of people.' More than 21,000 Manitobans have been evacuated from wildfire hot spots across the province. Scammers are taking advantage of the circumstances to try to victimize people at their most vulnerable time, whether it's through social media, emails or text messages. Numerous evacuees, even ones who were sent as far away as Niagara Falls, Ont., because of the shortage of hotel rooms here, were posting images of the text messages they had received from scammers who claimed to be from the Canadian Red Cross. They were asked to provide banking information so they could get financial help. Red Cross spokeswoman Heather Hogan said the organization would never ask for personal information via text. During registration, evacuees weren't asked to give their social insurance number, bank account information, a credit card number, or even pay money in return for assistance. 'Unfortunately, there are some people who may try to take advantage of those impacted by a disaster through fraudulent tactics,' Hogan said. 'The Canadian Red Cross communicates only via email, phone, or in person and would never send a link through a text message. 'The Red Cross wants everyone to be cautious of unsolicited requests for payment and confirm any details through official channels.' Hogan encouraged anyone who has been scammed to contact local police. Another scam, reported by the CBC, said a fake website claimed a clothing warehouse in Flin Flon had been destroyed by wildfire. It asked donors to buy the remaining stock by sending money to the owner, a single mother. No such warehouse exists. On Wednesday, both the website and its Facebook account had been deleted. Terry Dojcak, 67, one of thousands of displaced Flin Flon residents, said he has already received several scam emails on his phone, asking for banking and personal information, which he immediately deleted without responding. Dojcak said it was 'disgusting' that people are trying to take advantage of evacuees. '(They should be) hung out to dry somewhere,' he said. A spokesman for the RCMP said no one has reported being scammed. Chartrand said despite the federation's attempts to expose the social media scam using his photo, he is still worried people could fall victim to a fraudster. 'A lot of people could be hurt financially and it could cause hurt to our government and our people,' he said. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'I'm very worried some elders may get scammed. The Red Cross is so far behind — there's some 21,000 people — and they are doing direct deposit. That's what the scammers are seeking.' Stephanie Meilleur, director of the federation's community resource department, called the scammers 'despicable.' 'It is horrendous that they have targeted some vulnerable senors and elders,' Meilleur said. 'These people are in dire need of these supports and the scammers are trying to trick people.' — with files from Massimo De Luca-Taronno Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba cabinet minister breaks silence about 2019 workplace harassment probe
Manitoba's sole cabinet minister has defended her work at a Winnipeg college and said she's being unjustly targeted more than five years after an investigation concluded she had harassed an employee. At least three employees of Red River College Polytechnic filed separate complaints about the behaviour of their boss, Rebecca Chartrand, in 2019. Chartrand, who won the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski for the Liberals in April, was chosen by Prime Minister Mark Carney to be part of his inner circle. Between her failed 2015 run for office and her successful second try, the new MP and minister of Northern and Arctic affairs spent about 2-½ years in a senior management role at RRC Polytech's Indigenous education unit. On Tuesday, Chartrand provided a lengthy statement in which she touted her commitment to positive change and the progress she made on 'enhancing programs and fostering a student-centered environment' at RRC Polytech. She said her work is a 'source of great pride.' 'Let us concentrate on building up the community and supporting positive developments within the Indigenous community, instead of focusing on negativity that fans lateral violence within the Indigenous community,' the cabinet minister said via email Tuesday. The findings of the 2019 probe into her treatment of one particular employee on campus was leaked against the backdrop of the rookie politician's sudden rise up the ranks on Parliament Hill. Investigators from Rachlis Neville LLP concluded Chartrand had repeatedly harassed and humiliated a subordinate, who is also an Indigenous woman, over an extended period in 2019. RRC Polytech hired the firm that fall, after undertaking an internal investigation sparked by the same complainant. That one concluded Chartrand had breached school policy when she pushed through a controversial student survey — a project that several of her colleagues had raised concerns about — and taken retaliatory action against the employee who flagged the suspected breach. That individual, who left the college in 2020, repeatedly flagged the gist of those conclusions with her federal Liberal contacts before the April 28 election. 'As an Indigenous Liberal member who supports Mark Carney, I have been trying to warn the Winnipeg Liberal head office about (Chartrand). She will be a liability if elected and a scandal waiting to happen,' she wrote in an April 6 email to a fellow Liberal who was heavily involved in Carney's campaign. 'Let us concentrate on building up the community and supporting positive developments within the Indigenous community, instead of focusing on negativity that fans lateral violence within the Indigenous community.'–Rebecca Chartrand The Free Press has interviewed that employee and four others who worked closely with Chartrand when she oversaw Indigenous strategy at RRC Polytech from June 2017 to December 2019. Each of them expressed serious concerns about her treatment of employees — either themselves, former colleagues or both — who had voiced differing views to ones she held. Three said they made written complaints about her, but the report of only one of them was escalated and substantiated. They all agreed to share their experiences on the condition of anonymity. 'She's very authoritarian and she surrounds herself with 'yes' people and if you're not a 'yes' person, you're not going to be there — or she's going to make it really tough for you,' one source said. She said she frequently witnessed what she called 'lateral violence' — undermining and bullying of the whistleblower whose complaint was escalated. Chartrand's hostile behaviour made others 'cower,' the source said. Another ex-staffer recalled being fired on the basis of 'insubordination' after questioning the appropriateness and legalities of collecting deeply personal information from prospective students, via the survey. Chartrand faced criticism during the 2018-19 school year for creating 'an assessment readiness tool,' exclusively prepared for applicants of an Indigenous studies program, that requested details about their alcohol and recreational drug use. Multiple sources described Chartrand as a vindictive ladder-climber, citing one instance when she uninvited a staff member from an international trip to a conference he had pitched they go to because they'd had a disagreement. The employee in question had expressed problems with the survey, sources said. The decision to push forward the initiative and write off workers' concerns showed her 'bad judgment,' said a fourth ex-employee who indicated he contacted the federal NDP after learning Chartrand was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. That employee said he left RRC Polytech when his complaints involving Chartrand were unresolved. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. The Liberal party has declined to comment on the vetting of specific candidate applications, citing confidentiality. RRC Polytech has released limited information about Chartrand's tenure over the same rationale. 'I'm really disappointed at (the Liberals') lack of integrity or their lack of an answer to the people,' said the whistleblower whose complaints were substantiated by Rachlis Neville LLP. 'To be honest, it makes me question if the prime minister has been given the correct information to make the best decisions for who is in key positions.' She noted it was the party that had first brought her and Chartrand together, as they both worked on her 2015 bid under the leadership of then-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Cooler weather, light rain helping some provinces in fight against wildfires
The Saskatchewan government is boosting support it's giving to wildfire evacuees, while officials say light rain and cooler temperatures this weekend could help keep some of the province's larger fires in check. Bryan Chartrand with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency told a news conference in Prince Albert, Sask., on Saturday that it's been mostly 'status quo' with the large fires in the past 24 hours. In addition to more favourable weather, Chartrand says there haven't been any new lightning-caused fires, and he says fires have also reached natural barriers such as lakes which have stopped their growth. The province announced Saturday a hike in financial assistance for those registered with the SPSA, raising the amount provided to the head of household to $40 per day, up from $20, and additional household members will get $20 per day, up from $10. Story continues below advertisement Marlo Pritchard with the SPSA told the news conference that the government raised the amounts because it's been a number of years since the supports have been increased. The province says in its latest statement there are 24 active wildfires in Saskatchewan and 33 communities have evacuated. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'While we are hoping to soon have some individuals and families repatriated back to their communities, we know that some will have to continue to be evacuated as we deal with ensuring safe cleanup of these devastating wildfires,' Saskatchewan Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said in a statement. 'Frontline crews and multiple agencies are working as quickly as possible to do so.' Pritchard said the new support for evacuees, which he said remains between 10,000 and 15,000 people, is in addition to the $15 million the government is already supplying to the Canadian Red Cross for evacuee assistance. He told Saturday's news conference that people should not bring donations to hotels where evacuees are staying, noting the government will announce details, possibly early next week, on how people in Saskatchewan can help people displaced by fires. 0:28 Province of Manitoba providing financial support for wildfire evacuees Environment Canada said Saturday a low pressure system passing through the Prairies, currently in northern Saskatchewan and expected to move into Manitoba and northwestern Ontario by Monday, is expected to bring precipitation for areas hit by out-of-control forest fires. Story continues below advertisement The Manitoba government said despite rain in the forecast and temperatures cooling to seasonal levels, Manitoba continues to be under very high to extreme wildfire danger. Northern Alberta was not expected to see much relief from the low-pressure system, according to Environment Canada, as there was little rain in the forecast.
