Latest news with #byelection
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an hour ago
- Politics
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In the news today: Poilievre and the Alberta byelection debate, B.C. tsunami advisory
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Candidates in Alberta byelection gather for debate Pierre Poilievre was greeted with cheers and applause by the hundreds of Albertans who showed up to watch a two-and-a-half-hour political debate on a sunny Tuesday evening in July. The Camrose and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidates' forum featuring 10 of the people who are vying to represent Battle River—Crowfoot in the Aug. 18 byelection. "My mission here is to give national leadership to the issues that are of local importance," Poilievre told the sold-out crowd. The Conservative leader is widely expected to win the sprawling eastern Alberta riding, which is considered one of the safest Tory seats in the country. Tsunami advisory, some beaches shut in B.C. British Columbians are being urged to stay away from coastal areas that remain under a tsunami advisory, after one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded triggered warnings and alerts around the Pacific. The District of Tofino says beaches are closed, while the province's emergency information agency says people in areas covered by the advisory should stay away from shorelines, with strong waves and currents possible. Emergency Info BC had said tsunami waves of less than 30 centimetres were expected to hit Tofino, B.C., around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, but there was no immediate confirmation of their arrival that coincided with a low tide. The quake that hit off the coast of southeastern Russia on Tuesday had a preliminary magnitude of 8.8, which would make it the world's strongest quake since 2011. Carney to meet cabinet to talk U.S., Middle East Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting virtually with his cabinet today to discuss the state of trade negotiations with the U.S. and the situation in the Middle East. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc is in Washington today meeting with U.S. officials. Carney said Monday that Canada's negotiations with the United States are in an "intense phase" after President Donald Trump clinched a critical agreement with the European Union. Trump told reporters last week that Canada wasn't a priority ahead of his Aug. 1 deadline to make trade deals. Feds could boost housing fees for migrant workers An Ontario migrant farm worker says there is "wickedness" in a federal government proposal that could allow employers to charge workers upwards of 30 per cent of their income for housing. The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change shared with The Canadian Press a discussion paper from Employment and Social Development Canada. The document outlines possible regulations for a new temporary worker stream for agricultural and fish processing workers. The planned stream would include sector-specific work permits. That would allow temporary workers to work for any qualified employer in a specific field, instead of having their work permit tied to a specific job. This new stream isn't expected to be active until 2027 at the earliest, according to the discussion paper. Bank of Canada set for interest rate decision The Bank of Canada is expected to make an interest rate decision this morning. Economists and financial markets widely expect the central bank will keep its policy rate steady at 2.75 per cent. A surprisingly strong June jobs report and signs of stubbornness in core inflation convinced many economists the bank would remain on hold. The Bank of Canada left its key rate unchanged at its two most recent decisions as it waits for more clarity on how Canada's tariff dispute with the United States will affect inflation and the economy. Watching kids swim? Put down your phone: experts As Canada heads into a long weekend, the Lifesaving Society is urging parents and caregivers not to have their phones in hand while watching children playing near water or swimming. The society says there has been a spike in drowning deaths this year, particularly in Ontario and Quebec. Last week alone, three people — including two young children and a 24-year-old male kayaker — died in three separate drownings in Ontario. Although the specific circumstances of the deaths aren't known, senior communications officer Stephanie Bakalar says absent or distracted caregivers are a factor in more than 90 per cent of drownings among children under five in Canada. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025 The Canadian Press
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Candidates vying for seat in Alberta byelection featuring Poilievre to debate tonight
A campaign sign for Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley next to signs for Pierre Poilievre and Darcy Spady in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot in Camrose, Alta., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken CAMROSE — Ten candidates vying to represent Battle River-Crowfoot in the House of Commons are to debate tonight in the riding's largest municipality. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's press secretary Sarah Fischer says he will be attending the event hosted by the Camrose & District Chamber of Commerce ahead of the Aug. 18 byelection. Poilievre is looking to win in the sprawling eastern Alberta riding after he lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton in the April general election. The writ was dropped last month after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April vote, stepped down so Poilievre could run. About 210 candidates were registered to run as of Monday on Elections Canada's website, including Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, the NDP's Katherine Swampy, Independent Bonnie Critchley and dozens of others sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee protest group. Elections Canada says adapted ballots requiring electors to write out the name of their preferred pick will be available at polls given the unusually long list of candidates. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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In the news today: 10 candidates in Alberta byelection to debate
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... 10 candidates in Alberta byelection to debate Ten candidates vying to represent Battle River-Crowfoot in the House of Commons are to debate tonight in the riding's largest municipality. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's press secretary Sarah Fischer says he will be attending the event hosted by the Camrose & District Chamber of Commerce ahead of the Aug. 18 byelection. Poilievre is looking to win in the sprawling eastern Alberta riding after he lost his long-held Ottawa seat of Carleton in the April general election. The writ was dropped last month after Conservative Damien Kurek, who handily won the seat in the April vote, stepped down so Poilievre could run. About 210 candidates were registered to run as of Monday on Elections Canada's website, including Liberal candidate Darcy Spady, the NDP's Katherine Swampy, Independent Bonnie Critchley and dozens of others sponsored by the Longest Ballot Committee protest group. Here's what else we're watching... Businesses hoping for carveouts in potential deal Business leaders and academics say they hope to see Canada and the U.S. maintain free-trade protections for most goods once an agreement is reached, even if the negotiations can't stave off certain sectoral tariffs. It's unclear if the two countries will stick to the Aug. 1 deadline for wrapping up talks. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday negotiations were in an "intense phase" but U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters last week that Canada wasn't a priority for his administration. Whether a deal is announced Friday or later, Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly says his organization's members feel "a good chunk" of trade must remain tariff-free in order for talks to be considered successful. He says it wouldn't be a win for Canada if the trade agreement ends up looking similar to the deal struck by the U.S. with the European Union on Sunday. That framework imposes a 15-per-cent tariff on most goods imported into the U.S., including European automobiles, and there are no carveouts for key products like pharmaceuticals and steel. Motion on B.C. injection site closure deferred City council in Nanaimo, B.C., has voted to defer a motion on asking the local health authority to close an overdose prevention site next to city hall. The vote to defer Coun. Ian Thorpe's motion passed with a 6-3 vote in favour of deferral during a special meeting of council on Monday night. Had the motion not been deferred and instead passed a council vote, it would have resulted in the city formally requesting that Island Health close the site on Albert Street. The motion came after a similar request this month by Victoria Coun. Marg Gardiner related to a safe consumption site that she says is plagued by crime, although councillors in that city delayed the motion until later this year. B.C.'s Health Ministry says while overdose prevention services are vital programs, they are expected to take action to mitigate "street disorder within the immediate vicinity of sites during operating hours." Ex-MLA Chen draws deep for tale of gender violence Former British Columbia legislator Katrina Chen sits on a couch in her Burnaby home, reading aloud from the children's book she's co-written. The mother and son in the story, "A Stronger Home," co-written with Elaine Su, turn their backs on a scene of domestic turmoil: a broken vase, furniture overturned, sofa cushions in disarray. "I wrote this book as a survivor of gender-based violence with personal experiences about how violence has touched and impacted my whole life," said Chen, B.C.'s former minister of state for child care. Chen, who also has a young son, sees the problem as an urgent one, pointing to a recent spate of alleged intimate partner violence in B.C. This month alone, there has been the killing of an 80-year-old Abbotsford woman and the death of her husband in what police consider a murder-suicide; the killing in a Richmond apartment of a 51-year-old woman whose partner has been charged with second-degree murder; and the death of Bailey McCourt, allegedly beaten to death in a Kelowna parking lot by her estranged husband, James Plover, also charged with second-degree murder. Chen said it was "totally heartbreaking and unacceptable" to hear of such tragedies, and society needed to see the violence as an emergency. She and other advocates want changes to the legal and social justice systems to prevent it from continuing. Artists reflect on colourful Toronto moose project As people around the world welcomed a new millennium, Torontonians in the year 2000 were welcoming something even bigger – a herd of hundreds of life-size moose statues. Twenty-five years ago, Toronto launched its Moose in the City campaign, a project featuring 326 colourful moose statues decorated by artists and placed all over the city in an effort to usher in the new year with a boost for local tourism and art sectors. The project came at no cost to the city, according to council minutes from April 2000, and the statues were sponsored by various companies. The public could stumble upon the hoofed, herbivore masterpieces at locations including the CN Tower, Pearson Airport and city hall. Some of the artists involved say the project was emblematic of the city's culture and shows how municipalities can step up to support the art scene — even as some of the famed sculpted creatures have disappeared in the years since. Moose in the City was a "great collaboration with the city" for artists, said Kelly Borgers, who was commissioned to do three of the statues. There was even a launch party for the project, with music and a sculpture parade. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
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Write-in ballots to be used in Alberta byelection due to record number of candidates
Elections Canada says voters will need to write in their desired candidate during the upcoming byelection in Alberta's Battle River-Crowfoot to avoid a massive ballot with more than 200 names. The independent body said in a news release Monday that voters will be provided the special ballots at advance polls and on election day. Electors will need to write their preferred candidate's name. "This will replace the typical list-style ballot, on which electors mark a blank circle next to the name of the candidate of their choice," the news release said. Elections Canada said a full list of candidates will be available at polling stations. Write-in ballots are used in every election for voters who cast their ballots outside of designated voting days — including at Elections Canada offices or via mail-in ballots. The Elections Act allows the head of Elections Canada to make short-term changes in the case of "an unusual or unforeseen circumstance." A group of electoral reform advocates, known as the Longest Ballot Committee, has been organizing candidates to run in byelections in recent years in an effort to push for electoral reform. 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. When asked for comment, a Longest Ballot Committee spokesperson said in an email: "Sounds like they found a very reasonable solution." More than 200 candidates, mostly associated with the group, have signed up to run in the byelection next month. The vote was triggered after MP Damien Kurek vacated his seat to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a chance to rejoin the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his longtime Carleton riding in April's general election. As of Monday, 209 candidates had registered to run in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, exceeding the committee's goal of 200. That's more than double the previous record of 91 which has occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the last general election. That number of candidates resulted in a ballot roughly a metre long. The massive ballots have resulted in delays in vote-counting and confounded some voters. Despite the switch for the Aug. 18 byelection, Elections Canada is cautioning that there could still be counting delays. Elections Canada has had to make changes to accommodate the mammoth-sized ballots in the past — mostly through early counting and bringing in extra workers.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
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Over 200 candidates sign up for Poilievre's byelection — doubling previous record
More than 200 candidates, mostly associated with a group of electoral reform advocates, have signed up to run in an upcoming federal byelection next month. The number more than doubles the previous record on a single ballot. Former Alberta MP Damien Kurek vacated his seat in Battle River-Crowfoot to give Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a chance to rejoin the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his longtime Carleton riding in April's general election. A group known as the Longest Ballot Committee has been organizing candidates to run in byelections in recent years in an effort to push for electoral reform. 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. "We hope MPs hear our message loud and clear and do the right thing: recuse themselves and pass decisions on election law to an independent, permanent, non-partisan body, such as a citizens' assembly to decide," organizers said in a statement on Sunday. As of Sunday evening, 209 candidates had registered to run in Battle River-Crowfoot, exceeding the committee's goal of 200. That's more than double the previous record of 91 which has occurred twice in the past year: during a byelection in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun last September and Carleton during the last general election. That number of candidates resulted in a ballot roughly a metre long. The massive ballots have resulted in delays in vote counting and have confounded some voters. Elections Canada told CBC News on Wednesday that it will finalize ways to minimize disruptions from the long ballots. "We are looking at ways to [simplify] things based on recent experiences with elections involving a higher-than-usual number of candidates. We will finalize our plans after the deadline for candidate nominations," spokesperson Matthew McKenna said in an email. Elections Canada has already had to make changes to accommodate the mammoth-sized ballots — mostly through early counting and bringing in extra workers. Although the Longest Ballot Committee has organized in two elections where Poilievre is running, the group has also targeted Liberal strongholds such as Toronto-St. Paul's and LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in 2024. But the advocates' efforts to push the limits of a ballot have sparked calls for changes, most recently from Poilievre himself who has called the protests a "scam." The Conservative leader wrote a letter to government House leader Steven MacKinnon last week calling for legislation to change Canada's election rules in an effort to curb the long ballot protests. A spokesperson for MacKinnon's office said the Liberals share those concerns and are open to changes. MPs were debating legislation last Parliamentary session that could have implemented some of Poilievre's proposed changes — specifically to limit electors to only signing one nomination form. The advocates have voters sign multiple forms. Elections Canada head Stéphane Perrault himself made the suggestion in front of a committee of MPs that was studying a bill to amend the Canada Elections Act before Parliament was prorogued. 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. The deadline to register as a candidate in Battle River-Crowfoot is Monday. Voters head to the polls on Aug. 18.
