The Liberal Party deliberately stoked fears of American annexation in a cynical play for votes, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said yesterday. “The Liberals are not where they expected to be,” Blanchet told reporters: “Nobody should already look at the numbers saying, ‘OK, we can send everybody to hell because we can make a deal with the NDP.'”
New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh was among a half-dozen MPs to finish third in their ridings Monday night, according to updated returns. The loss of all but seven seats in the Commons was the NDP’s worst showing since its forerunner the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation under then-leader James Woodsworth was held to seven seats in 1935: “People are right to be angry.”
Newly-elected Conservative MP Steven Bonk led the nation in Monday’s election with the biggest majority of any candidate. Bonk won almost 84 percent of votes cast in Souris-Moose Mountain, a sprawling Saskatchewan riding the size of Austria where the second language is not French but German: “Thank you.”
A federal board mandated to enforce a ban on replacement workers has only 17 members though the legislation takes effect in weeks, according to a Department of Justice memo. The Canada Industrial Relations Board is to oversee disputes in the federally regulated private sector that numbers a workforce of one million: “It will be difficult for us to meet the timelines that are in the bill.”
Both the Communist and Marxist-Leninist parties saw statistical gains in their vote Monday night but were unable to crack the 6,000-ballot barrier. Communists had proposed to tax all capital gains while Marxists urged interested electors to join in May Day parades tomorrow: “Let Canadians know what the options are.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney last night led Liberals to a fourth term but with another minority government and casualties that included the loss of seven cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries. “I have much to be humble about,” Carney told supporters.
New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh last night announced his resignation after leading the Party to the worst showing in its 64-year history. Singh only days prior to the New Democrats’ collapse said he had no regrets in opting against a winter election when the Party was 21 percent in the polls.: “Is that how you want to be remembered?”
Electric transit buses are so impractical in Canada they require diesel heaters to extend battery life in winter conditions, say federal researchers. The National Research Council studied the vehicles’ feasibility four years after then-Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna promised billions in subsidies to make the “planet safe.”
Restaurant and food services receipts increased about three percent over a 60-day GST holiday period, Statistics Canada figures showed yesterday. The tax break cost $2.7 billion, by federal estimate: “Let’s help the people.”
Most Canadians complain internet scamming remains commonplace 15 years after Parliament passed an anti-spam law. CRTC research found more than 7 in 10 were personally aware of criminals using deceptive emails to obtain personal information: “The most shocking thing I’ll say is that Canada’s anti-spam legislation was never going to eliminate all spam.”
The Green Party acknowledges several candidates withdrew from today’s election to avoid vote splitting that could benefit Conservatives. The admission came in a Federal Court application protesting the Party’s disqualification from televised debates for failing to field a minimum number of candidates: “A small number of candidates, no more than 15, decided to withdraw their candidacy to avoid splitting the progressive vote.”
The Conservative Party if elected today will bring Parliament into session all summer if necessary to pass tax cuts and reform bills, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters. “Change cannot wait,” he said: “The bad news for politicians is your summer vacation is cancelled.”
A British Columbia First Nation was deemed “a priority client” for federal funding after claiming to find 215 children’s graves at an Indian Residential School, records show. The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation prior to its announcement was repeatedly told by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government it did not qualify for grants: “It was with a heavy heart that Tk’emlups te Secwepemc confirmed an unthinkable loss.”
Compensation for victims of Covid vaccines is expected to go over budget, says a Department of Health memo. The document is dated only days after new figures showed more than $16 million was paid to date to families of patients medically certified to have suffered death or injury after taking a government-approved shot: “The overall cost of the program is dependent on the volume of claims.”
Liberals if re-elected will improve disclosure of public records, says Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canadians deserve access to information regardless of who runs the government, he said: “I’m happy to commit to having a review.”
