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CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Top takeaways from former prime minister Stephen Harper's speech in Saskatoon
Stephen Harper took the stage at TCU Place in Saskatoon during the Midwestern Legislative Conference on Monday, July 28, 2025. (Laura Woodward / CTV News) Former prime minister Stephen Harper delivered a keynote speech at the Midwestern Legislative Conference on Monday — sharing insights on trade, international relations, and life after politics. Speaking at Saskatoon's TCU Place, Harper addressed a crowd of legislators from 11 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. Here are the key moments from his speech: The federal government turned to Harper for guidance on U.S. trade relations Harper revealed the federal government recently reached out to him for insight on handling rocky trade relations with the U.S. 'This government did actually ask me a few weeks ago for my advice,' Harper told the crowd. 'My advice was, yes, on the economy, we've got to get something short-term worked out with the Trump administration. But this really is a wake-up call for this country to truly diversify its trade export markets.' CTV News has reached the federal government for comment about contacting Harper. Harper told the conference attendees that Canada is too dependent on the U.S. as a trade partner. 'There is no reason for that. Just because we have that geographic proximity does not justify the degree of dependence that we have on a single market,' Harper said. While he admitted the Liberal government wasn't the outcome he had hoped for, Harper said 'the current government does 'get it' better than their predecessors.' Harper called Vladimir Putin 'a real-life Bond villain' Harper didn't mince words when speaking about Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Vladimir Putin is a real-life Bond villain, like, he really is,' Harper said, adding that he would never accept a drink from him. While Harper said he has a 'notoriously bad relationship' with Putin, he said the leader is a 'very impressive individual.' 'Vladimir Putin is very smart. He is very smart. He is very hardworking. He's extremely disciplined. He would come into any meeting just fantastically well-briefed. And he is a real psychological expert,' Harper said. 'He was very good at sizing up people's weaknesses and exploiting them, and getting them to think he was on their side when he wasn't. I watched this over and over again with this guy.' Harper said it's important for the U.S. to realize that Putin is their enemy. 'He lives, eats, and breathes to dismantle American power in the world. And the sooner the United States comes around to that full realization and puts its shoulder back to the wheel, we hopefully prevent Ukraine from falling, but certainly stop Putin's adventurism because it's a big threat to everybody.' Harper attended a $1-Billion Indian Wedding While discussing Canada's relationship with India, Harper shared a personal anecdote — his attendance at the extravagant wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. The 2024 celebrations included private performances by the Backstreet Boys, Pitbull, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber. 'Normally, going to purely social events is not my thing, but I just couldn't pass this one up,' Harper said, noting he knows the Ambani family through business. The wedding reportedly cost about $1 billion and drew a 1,200-person guest list, including celebrities like the Kardashians. 'It was quite something. I'm lowering my daughter's expectations, though, for any kind of wedding,' he said, laughing. Harper reflected on his minimal regrets as the prime minister and shared how he's enjoying life after politics. 'I have a lot less stress. I make a lot more money,' Harper said, eliciting laughter and cheers from the audience.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Delayed decision on Macquarie Point stadium reopens door for planning commission process
A revival of the planning process under which the Macquarie Point stadium was previously being assessed could be on the cards, as the state's planning commission prepares to hand down its final report on the contentious project. Hobart's proposed AFL stadium was initially being assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission under the Project of State Significance (PoSS) process, which would have required both houses of Tasmania's parliament to give it the green light. But the Liberal government, wary of delays, drafted special enabling legislation earlier this year in a bid to circumvent that process and hasten the stadium's approval. Now, in a turn of events, the fast-track legislation could take a back seat to the original, slower PoSS process. The timing of last week's snap state election meant a vote this month on the stadium by the upper and lower houses will not happen. Independent MLC Bec Thomas said the delayed vote was a blessing in disguise. "I think and I hope the PoSS process will be able to be finalised before the government even has the opportunity to be tabling enabling legislation," Ms Thomas said. "Regardless of whichever path, whoever forms government, my hope is we will have the information gathered through the PoSS process [available to us]. The planning commission is due to hand down its final report on September 17, potentially in the same week the new parliament would sit for the first time, and likely before a new government has the chance to re-table any special enabling legislation. That report will contain a potential recommendation or non-recommendation that the project proceed, and its contents will highly likely influence all parliamentarians voting on the project. The timing of the report and the resumption of parliament may see the Liberals, who could be returned to govern in minority, forced to re-embrace the planning process they had attempted to reject only weeks ago. During the election campaign, about 30 stakeholders were allowed to present evidence to the planning commission panel assessing the stadium. The fortnight-long commission hearings allowed the Macquarie Point Development Corporation (MPDC) and other stadium stakeholders, and a group opposing the stadium, to state their case directly to the planning commission panel. Those hearings also allowed several outstanding issues with the project to be remedied, with some stakeholders believing the two-week process strengthened the case for the build. On Friday, the Macquarie Point team submitted 38 pages of "proposed conditions" that the project would be subject to if granted planning approval. Those conditions were devised in response to issues raised by the planning commission in a blistering draft report issued in March, and to evidence presented at the recent hearings. They are similar to the ones attached to the government's special legislation, but are considered more stringent. Importantly, it also lists the Hobart City Council, Environmental Protection Agency, TasWater, and the director of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service as "relevant regulators" rather than a government minister, which was a key criticism of the special legislation. Labor has said it will continue to back the stadium and the special legislation, rather than entertain a pivot back to the PoSS process. There is a chance the party could still govern — with the support of the Greens and independent MPs — despite winning just 10 of 35 seats at Saturday's election. "We're not planning on making any changes to the current process" a spokesperson told the ABC. In any event, it is unlikely that the special legislation would be scrapped entirely. A possible scenario is that new legislation may be tabled that combines elements of the special legislation, findings from the planning commission, and proposed conditions crafted as part of the PoSS process by the MPDC. The legislation would pass the lower house with the support of the Liberal and Labor parties, and independent MP David O'Byrne. Upper house independents will then decide the stadium's fate, now armed with the full findings of the Tasmanian Planning Commission. "For the enabling legislation, I don't see the case for that stacking up anymore," Huon MLC Dean Harris told ABC's Mornings. "To be able to have informed decisions, that [PoSS] report would be good to have."
CBC
23-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.B. government will apologize to former P.C. minister for firing
Social Sharing New Brunswick's Liberal government will officially apologize to former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Margaret-Ann Blaney over her firing by a previous Liberal government in 2014. Premier Susan Holt confirmed to CBC News that her government will not contest a ruling by the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board that Blaney's rights were violated by the firing. The province will also comply with the board's order to compensate Blaney at a cost of more than $700,000. "There were errors made in the past. It wasn't the right way to do things, to fire people for partisan reasons," Holt told CBC News Wednesday morning. "Part of why I got into politics was to do things differently, and move away from partisan, petty politics to doing the right thing. So we abide by the ruling, we're going to apologize and things like that won't happen again on my watch." Blaney, a PC MLA first elected in 1999, was appointed CEO of the provincial agency Efficiency New Brunswick by PC Premier David Alward in 2012. The move was widely seen as an example of political patronage. Two years later, the new Liberal government of Brian Gallant fired Blaney and passed legislation that prevented her from collecting severance or from suing. Board upholds complaint This week, the labour board upheld Blaney's complaint under the Human Rights Act, saying the Liberal legislation was "an abuse of power" and that the law, and the firing, amounted to discrimination based on Blaney's party affiliation. "Ms. Blaney was not treated with dignity, was not afforded the protection of the rule of law, and she was subjected to public miseries because of her political belief and activity," the board said. It ordered the government to pay her the equivalent of more than $700,000 for lost salary and vacation, pension contributions and damages. It also ordered the government to issue a written apology "acknowledging that it discriminated against her in violation of the act because of political activity." WATCH | 'An abuse of power': Labour board rules for former minister: Former PC minister fired by Liberals wins legal challenge 19 hours ago The ruling noted that while a Liberal government fired Blaney, "blame cannot be attributed solely to that government." It said the PC government of Blaine Higgs, elected in 2018, "did nothing to rectify the violation of Ms. Blaney's rights" and continued to defend the Liberal legislation and tried to prevent Blaney from pursuing her complaint under the Human Rights Act. The legislature "as a whole" treated Blaney in a disingenuous and callous way, it said.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poilievre wants bill to stop 'longest ballot scam' introduced this fall
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberal government to introduce changes to Canada's election rules that would curb long ballot protests. Poilievre wrote a letter to government House leader Steven MacKinnon on Tuesday saying legislation should be brought before the House of Commons when MPs return to Ottawa in September. "This is not democracy in action. It is a deliberate attempt to manipulate the rules, confuse voters and undermine confidence in our elections," Poilievre wrote of the protests in his letter. A group of electoral reform advocates known as the Longest Ballot Committee is currently signing up more than 100 candidates to run in next month's byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, where Poilievre is seeking to regain a seat in the House. As of Tuesday, 178 candidates had registered to run in the Alberta riding. Poilievre lost his longtime Ottawa-area riding of Carleton in April's general election, where there were 91 candidates running, most of whom were also associated with the Longest Ballot Committee. Poilievre posted his letter to MacKinnon on social media, referring to the protests as the "longest ballot scam." Although Poilievre only mentioned Battle River-Crowfoot and Carleton in his letter, the advocates have organized a number of long ballots in recent years — including in Liberal strongholds such as Toronto-St. Paul's and LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in 2024. Those elections have seen metre-long ballots that have resulted in delayed vote counts and have confounded some voters. The committee's organizers want to put a citizens' assembly in charge of electoral reform and say political parties are too reluctant to make government more representative of the electorate. In his letter, Poilievre says the government should change the number of signatures a candidate is required to have on a nomination form — from the current 100 to 0.5 per cent of a riding's population. He also said electors should only be allowed to sign one nomination form and that official agents should only represent one candidate. The Longest Ballot Committee has electors sign multiple nomination forms and uses the same official agent to represent all their candidates. In an email to CBC News, the organizers rebuked Poilievre's suggestions. "When it comes to election law, politicians just have too much skin in the game to be calling the shots. There is a clear and inappropriate conflict of interest," the statement said. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault has called for some changes he said would help prevent long ballots. Speaking in front of a House committee last fall, Perrault argued that "certain penalties" should be imposed on individuals who sign — or encourage others to sign — multiple nomination papers in an effort to get as many candidates on a ballot as possible, though he didn't say what those penalties should be. Responding to a question about Poilievre's letter, MacKinnon's office suggested the government is open to making changes. "Our government shares the concerns about the longest ballot initiative and we are currently examining this issue," the statement said. WATCH | Candidate says Poilievre's win isn't guaranteed: Other Battle River-Crowfoot candidates have criticized the Long Ballot Committee for getting involved in the byelection. Bonnie Critchley — who is running as an Independent and pitching herself as an alternative to the Conservative leader, who she argues pushed Kurek out — said she's facing a "backlash" from voters who are worried that she is a "fake out" candidate. "I don't have a massive team, I don't have backing from millions of people. I have to go door to door within my community and explain to my neighbours that I have nothing to do with you," she wrote on her campaign website. Michael Harris, who is running for the Libertarian Party, called the protest a "mockery of the democratic process" that "actively hurts serious Independent and third-party candidates." Long ballot candidate pushes back Jayson Cowan, a Battle River-Crowfoot candidate affiliated with the Longest Ballot Committee, said the initiative isn't a gimmick. "It's not even completely a protest because everybody has their own reasons [for being on the ballot]," Cowan told CBC News. Cowan said election rules — specifically the requirement that a candidate have 100 signatures on their nomination form — favour organized political parties. A member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Cowan previously tried to run as an Independent. But he said he struggled to gather enough signatures, in part due to mobility issues. He credits the Longest Ballot Committee for helping get his name on the ballot for the first time. "This is no protest for me. It's the real deal. And they're just offering a beautiful, fantastic democratic service," he said. Cowan said he wants to see more Indigenous representation and more politicians from the disabled community. Although he doesn't live in the riding, he is pitching himself as a better option than Poilievre. "Who wants an Ottawa politician [in Battle River-Crowfoot]?" Cowan said. "He just wants a free ride now.… If they vote me in, I will serve."
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Auditor general plans to examine Canada's international students program
The federal auditor general plans to audit Canada's international students program in 2026. Auditor general Karen Hogan speaks during a news conference on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — The federal auditor general is planning a probe of Canada's international students program after critics claimed that public services were ill-equipped to take on a surge in student visas. A spokesperson for auditor general Karen Hogan says her office is planning an audit of the program for 2026. That review is in the early stages and details of its scope and timelines are still pending. News of the planned audit was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Critics argue Canada's rapid increase in international student admissions over recent years drove up youth unemployment and worsened the housing crisis. The federal Liberal government put a cap on study permit applications last fall and plans to consult on future student intake levels this summer. By Craig Lord.
