Latest news with #OntarioProgressiveConservative
Global News
6 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Canadian leaders hold final day of talks in Ontario cottage country
The third and final day of meetings in Ontario's cottage country is dawning, with bail reform expected to be the major talking point for Canada's premiers. Since Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has hosted provincial and territorial premiers in Muskoka for discussions dominated by trade talks, including a briefing from the prime minister. Monday featured a meeting which ran for roughly three hours of talks with Indigenous leaders, before Ford hosted premiers and the prime minister at his family cottage for dinner. 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 The second day was dominated by the threat of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney chaired a briefing with premiers on the odds that a deal with the States can be reached. Thirty-five per cent tariffs are currently scheduled for Aug. 1. While the premiers and prime minister appeared to broadly agree about the threat from the United States, the need to improve internal trade and concerns about Trump's unpredictability, they emerged with few concrete solutions. Story continues below advertisement A news release issued directly after the meeting wrapped earlier than expected pointed to the need to work quickly on major projects and to coordinate federal tariff responses. It did not include any specific retaliation that the council had agreed upon, nor did it identify nation-building projects they would all back. Tuesday ended with an evening reception for the premiers, Ontario Progressive Conservative caucus members and other major stakeholders. The final Wednesday morning meeting, which will touch on bail reform among other potential topics, will be followed by a news conference from the premiers.
Global News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Here comes the MPP: Ontario bill could let politicians perform weddings
Cut the red tape and cue the white dress. Two Ontario Progressive Conservative members of provincial parliament are proposing to remove a layer of bureaucracy and let MPPs such as themselves more easily officiate weddings. A private member's bill from Matthew Rae and Dave Smith would automatically grant an MPP the authority to solemnize marriages after they give written notice of their interest, without having to go through a municipality as with most non-religious officiants. 'Not every single municipality actually has their clerk do weddings, so if you want a civil marriage, you have to go through a justice of the peace or a judge,' Smith said. 'When you look at some of the more northern, more remote, more rural ridings, you don't have as easy access to a justice of the peace or a judge and I just saw this as one of those things that's almost a red tape thing. We have the ability to make that change. It really doesn't have a negative effect. So why not do it?' Story continues below advertisement Rae said engaged couples sometimes reach out to elected officials – including himself – to request that they solemnize their marriage, thinking they're granted that ability automatically, like judges. 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 'Some are family and friends that live in my riding,' he said. 'Obviously, they think it would be kind of neat to have their local MPP perform the ceremony…(it's) just another provincial service that a local member can choose to offer their constituents if they choose to do so. And so it really is just having that little extra special component to your happy day.' Rae personally availed himself of that extra special component when he got married last year, using Bill Walker, the former member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, as his officiant. When it comes to politicians and weddings, Walker is the guy, both Smith and Rae said. Walker went through the whole regular process for becoming a civil marriage officiant, which includes a designation from a municipal clerk, and estimates he has done more than 70 weddings in just a few years. 'It's humbling, for anybody, to be part of their special day, but especially if you've worked with them, or my goddaughters,' Walker said. 'It was pretty hard to top those.' Walker's side gig as an officiant – he doesn't take any payment – began with a request from one of his goddaughters. Story continues below advertisement '(She) thought that we had the right as an MPP to be able to do weddings, because Bill Murdoch, who was my predecessor (as the MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), had done them up here forever, and I think she just thought it was one of those things you got to do,' he said. 'My other goddaughter said, 'Well, if you're marrying her, you've got to marry me.'' It snowballed from there – including other friends, family and Queen's Park staffers – and Walker has about a dozen weddings on tap for this year. The bill would allow provincial politicians who ask for the authority to perform marriages to keep that power for a full year after they leave office. That way, a snap election as the province saw earlier this year and an unexpected defeat doesn't leave an engaged couple with no officiant. Most private member's bills that get tabled come from opposition parties, and since this one is from within the government caucus it may be more likely than most to get through, but Rae and Smith said further discussions and debate are expected to be held in the fall. If the bill does become law, Rae said he isn't sure if he will set out to officiate weddings, but Smith is game. 'I'll probably reach out to the minister if this passes, and ask for permission to do it,' he said. 'Any time you can break down barriers for people who want to spend their life together, then why not do that?'
Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Doug Ford shrugs off attacks by Pierre Poilievre's Tories: ‘I'm done with all this stuff'
Enough's enough. That's the message from an exasperated Premier Doug Ford about the sniping from embattled Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's caucus toward his Ontario Progressive Conservative government. 'I'm done with all this stuff. Honestly, I'm just done,' Ford told the Star on Wednesday. 'We're going to govern,' said the premier, whose provincial Tories were re-elected Feb. 27 with a third consecutive majority. His comments came the day after Conservative MP Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu-Appelle) claimed Poilievre, who lost his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, was 'more popular in Ontario than Doug Ford is — just based on the votes' cast Monday. Ford's provincial party received 2.1 million votes in February, winning 80 of the 124 seats at Queen's Park in an election with 45 per cent turnout. In contrast, Poilievre's party garnered 3.3 million Ontario votes and won 53 of the 122 federal seats here, finishing behind Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals' tally of 3.7 million votes and 69 seats. Some 69 per cent of Ontarians cast federal ballots. Speaking to CTV Power Play's Vassy Kapelos on Wednesday, Scheer, a former Tory leader, complained that Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston were not there for the federal party in this campaign. 'I wish conservatives at other levels around the country would help, would be more cognizant that it's about the people. It's about the people that they represent as premiers or as other politicians. It's not about settling interpersonal differences,' he told Kapelos. 'There are dynamics that we have to figure out to make sure that doesn't happen again. But again, more people wanted Pierre Poilievre to be prime minister in Ontario than wanted Doug Ford to be premier. That's just a fact.' In an explosive interview early Tuesday, Tory MP Jamil Jivani blasted the premier for 'sabotaging' the federal Conservatives and being a 'hype man' for Carney's Liberals. 'He couldn't stay out of our business, always getting his criticisms and all his opinions out, distracting our campaign, trying to make it about him, trying to position himself as some kind of political genius that we needed to be taking cues from,' Jivani (Bowmanville-Oshawa North) told CBC's David Common. 'I see Doug Ford as a problem for Ontario and for Canada,' said the MP, who once worked for the premier as an aide. 'He's not doing a great job in running this province, and now he's trying to exercise his influence over other levels of government and it's not like this guy is doing anything particularly well. I'm speaking from experience. I tried to fix problems in this province, and he kept getting in his way, and all his goons around him all the time, they wouldn't make anything better,' he said. 'He has taken the provincial Conservative party and turned it into something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn't solve problems. He's glad-handing with (Transport Minister) Chrystia Freeland, having coffees and lattes with Mark Carney.' Jivani took to social media Wednesday posting a doctored photo of the premier as a professional wrestler ripping off a yellow Ontario PC singlet to reveal a red Liberal T-shirt. Doug Ford fires back at federal Tories' claims he 'sabotaged' Pierre Poilievre That was after Ford had reminded reporters the federal party did not help him in February. 'Last time I checked, Pierre Poilievre never came out in our election,' he said in Mississauga. 'Matter of fact, he … or one of his lieutenants told every one of his members, don't you dare go out and help the PCs. Isn't that ironic?' The Star reported Wednesday that Poilievre's office specifically ordered Conservative MPs not to publicly congratulate the provincial Tories on their victory in February — even though many share the same campaign volunteers in their ridings. That reflected a schism that has festered for years. Six weeks ago, the Star revealed Poilievre only reached out to Ford for the first time on March 17, two and a half years after he became federal leader. The premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario, the Star has learned. During the campaign, Ford had questioned the federal Tories for not copying his strategy of making the election a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff attack against Canada. 'Sometimes the truth hurts,' the premier said two weeks ago when pressed on his political czar Kory Teneycke's assertion that the CPC was guilty of 'campaign malpractice' for not using Trump as the ballot question like Carney's Liberals did. Despite losing his seat to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy, Poilievre, a 21-year MP, has vowed to stay on as federal leader.
CBC
09-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario NDP promise grocery rebate while PC leader Ford touts border security measures
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford touted his party's border security measures amid the threat of U.S. tariffs, as the NDP focused on pocketbook issues Saturday with the promise of a monthly grocery rebate for millions of people. Ford continued to hammer home his campaign message about protecting Ontario's economy, saying that even though U.S. President Donald Trump has put off his tariff threats until early March, "an unprecedented economic risk" still looms. "The simple truth is, as long as Donald Trump is president, the risk of tariffs will never go away," Ford said during a campaign stop at a regional airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada improves security at the border. Ford said his government's Operation Deterrence, announced last month as part of Ontario's response to the tariff threats, has so far intercepted eight illegal border crossings and led to the seizure of 21 illegal firearms and 624 kilograms of cocaine. If re-elected, Ford promised to spend $50 million to expand the Ontario Provincial Police's Joint-Air Support Unit with two new H-135 helicopters to support the Niagara Regional Police and the Windsor Police Service with increased border patrols, security and enforcement. Opposition parties have slammed Ford's claim that he needs an even larger electoral mandate to deal with four years of Trump, and have said the election campaign must focus on provincial health-care and affordability issues. NDP promise to introduce grocery rebate NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the rising cost of living is top of mind for Ontarians and that's why an NDP government would introduce a monthly grocery rebate for lower and middle-income households. Stiles said up to four million households would benefit from the program and a family of four could get up to $122 per month to help offset the cost of groceries. "That's over $1,400 per year," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Toronto on Saturday. "What I hear from people as I'm criss-crossing Ontario is that everybody is fed up with paying too much for basics like bread, rice and vegetables," she said. The tax-free rebate amount would be based on how much the cost of grocery staples has increased over the last several years and tied to the recipients' annual income and household size. The NDP said families and individuals with a net income of up to $65,000 would get the full credit, and the rebate would decrease for households earning between $65,000 and $100,000. The party said the program would cost about $409 million per month. A report by researchers at several Canadian universities released in December concluded that a Canadian family of four can expect to spend more than $16,800 on food in 2025 — and increase of about $800 from last year. If her party forms government, Stiles said it would also introduce measures to prevent co-ordinated price hikes among Ontario grocers and install a consumer protection watchdog. Meanwhile, the Liberal party made a pledge Saturday to appoint a special investigator to look into various moves by the Ford government, including the closure of the Ontario Science Centre and the now-reversed plan to develop land in the protected Greenbelt. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie had made a similar promise last June, long before Ford called the Feb. 27 snap election. Opening up the Greenbelt sparked a public outcry that hit a fever pitch in the summer of 2023 and led to an RCMP investigation that's still ongoing. Ford has denied any wrongdoing and said last week that he has not been interviewed by the RCMP in its Greenbelt probe, but he does not know if any of his staffers have been questioned.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario NDP pledges grocery rebate as PC leader Ford touts border security measures
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford touted his party's border security measures amid the threat of U.S. tariffs, as the NDP focused on pocketbook issues Saturday with the promise of a monthly grocery rebate for millions of people. Ford continued to hammer home his campaign message about protecting Ontario's economy, saying that even though U.S. President Donald Trump has put off his tariff threats until early March, "an unprecedented economic risk" still looms. "The simple truth is, as long as Donald Trump is president, the risk of tariffs will never go away," Ford said during a campaign stop at a regional airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada improves security at the border. Ford said his government's Operation Deterrence, announced last month as part of Ontario's response to the tariff threats, has so far intercepted eight illegal border crossings and led to the seizure of 21 illegal firearms and 624 kilograms of cocaine. If re-elected, Ford promised to spend $50 million to expand the Ontario Provincial Police's Joint-Air Support Unit with two new H-135 helicopters to support the Niagara Regional Police and the Windsor Police Service with increased border patrols, security and enforcement. Opposition parties have slammed Ford's claim that he needs an even larger electoral mandate to deal with four years of Trump, and have said the election campaign must focus on provincial health-care and affordability issues. NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the rising cost of living is top of mind for Ontarians and that's why an NDP government would introduce a monthly grocery rebate for lower and middle-income households. Stiles said up to four million households would benefit from the program and a family of four could get up to $122 per month to help offset the cost of groceries. "That's over $1,400 per year," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Toronto on Saturday. "What I hear from people as I'm criss-crossing Ontario is that everybody is fed up with paying too much for basics like bread, rice and vegetables," she said. The tax-free rebate amount would be based on how much the cost of grocery staples has increased over the last several years and tied to the recipients' annual income and household size. The NDP said families and individuals with a net income of up to $65,000 would get the full credit, and the rebate would decrease for households earning between $65,000 and $100,000. The party said the program would cost about $409 million per month. A report by researchers at several Canadian universities released in December concluded that a Canadian family of four can expect to spend more than $16,800 on food in 2025 – and increase of about $800 from last year. If her party forms government, Stiles said it would also introduce measures to prevent co-ordinated price hikes among Ontario grocers and install a consumer protection watchdog. Meanwhile, the Liberal party made a pledge Saturday to appoint a special investigator to look into various moves by the Ford government, including the closure of the Ontario Science Centre and the now-reversed plan to develop land in the protected Greenbelt. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie had made a similar promise last June, long before Ford called the Feb. 27 snap election. Opening up the Greenbelt sparked a public outcry that hit a fever pitch in the summer of 2023 and led to an RCMP investigation that's still ongoing. Ford has denied any wrongdoing and said last week that he has not been interviewed by the RCMP in its Greenbelt probe, but he does not know if any of his staffers have been questioned. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2025. Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
