MONDAY RECAP: Poilievre talks crime, Carney discusses defence in Montreal ahead of French debate
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MONDAY RECAP: Poilievre talks crime, Carney discusses defence in Montreal ahead of French debate Back to video
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CARNEY VOWS TO BOOST MILITARY SPENDING
The Liberal party will increase spending on the Canadian military to more than 2% of its gross domestic product within a few years if elected, Leader Mark Carney announced at a campaign stop at the Bombardier aeronautics plant in Montreal on Monday.
The 2% target is a key demand of NATO as a measure of support of allied countries. It has also been a main sticking point with the United States, which accuses Canada of shirking its responsibilities on defence spending. Canada currently spends 1.3% of its GDP on defence.
Under his armed forces plan, Carney said the government would invest in the military industry in Canada by establishing a new defence procurement agency that would oversee military purchases, buying Canadian whenever possible, and prioritizing raw materials like steel, aluminum and critical minerals.
BLANCHET SCOFFS AT CARNEY, POILIEVRE TALK SHOW APPEARANCES
Yves-Francois Blanchet took issue on Monday with Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney’s appearances on the French talk show Tout le monde en parle, questioning Poilievre’s use of Lucien Bouchard’s name and suggesting Carney lacks a solid grasp of Quebec issues.
Appearing on the popular Radio-Canada talk show on Sunday, Carney, the Liberal leader, mentioned singer Coeur de pirate when asked about Quebec artists. He also knew that the show’s host, Guy A. Lepage, was once in the Quebec comedy troupe Rock et Belles Oreilles.
Doesn’t that show Carney has at least some knowledge of Quebec culture, Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, was asked at a press conference in Quebec City.
“In a very short time, I can learn the words ‘Wayne Gretzky,’ ‘Margaret Atwood’ and who knows what else — that doesn’t mean anything,” he answered.
DELAYS EXPECTED FOR SOME VOTER INFO CARDS
Elections Canada is facing delays in delivering voter information cards with some electors still waiting for their cards after last Friday’s deadline, the Montreal Gazette reports.
“It has proven challenging to identify and secure some polling locations in this general election,” said Elections Canada spokesperson Florence Ryan.
She said affected voters will receive their cards before advance polls, which open this Friday. Election day is April 28.
On its website, Elections Canada says voters who had not received their card by last Friday “may not be registered or your registration may not be up to date.”
CAMPAIGN VANDALISM SIGN OF THE TIMES?
It looked like a sting set up to to catch a carjacker. Instead, it was a trap set to nab an alleged sign-jacker, who was accused of partaking in election sign vandalism.
Like in the Watergate scandal which broke half a century ago, being under the cover of the night was not enough to cloak these alleged dirty tricks. Move over Washington, this clandestine operation allegedly occurred in Markham.
Popular Conservative candidate Lionel Loganathan, who’s running in Markham-Thornhill, laid the bait. And the person they set the trap for allegedly took it. It all stemmed from at least 20 of his election signs going missing or being destroyed.
“We had an anonymous tip; this guy was tearing down our signs,” said Loganathan.
He knew exactly what to do.
OUR EDITORIAL: LIBERALS THINK THEIR LACK OF ETHICS IS FUNNY
Mark Carney has just given Canadians an advance look at what the ethical standards will be of his government if the Liberals win the April 28 election and it’s not pretty, our editorial department writes.
That comes with his decision to “reassign” rather than fire two Liberal party staffers who attempted a disinformation campaign against Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives. They secretly planted phoney campaign buttons at a conservative convention featuring language evocative of U.S. President Donald Trump’s election campaign and highlighting reported divisions within the Conservative party.
Their obvious intention was for Conservatives to pick up and wear the buttons during the convention with the hopes this would be picked up by the media in a bid to discredit the party.
The scheme was revealed by CBC News reporter Kate McKenna, who overheard Liberal party staffers boasting about it at a pub in Ottawa last Friday night and, after confirming its authenticity, filed a story on it.
POILIEVRE JOINS LILLEY FOR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down on the weekend for an interview with the Toronto Sun’s Brian Lilley. They talked polls, criticism from old friends, why he has the best plan for protecting Canada from Donald Trump and boosting Canada’s economy.
You can watch the interview below or on our YouTube channel.
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DOUBLE ENDORSEMENT RARE FEAT AT FEDERAL LEVEL: LILLEY
Pierre Poilievre is one of the rare politicians at the federal level to get major endorsements from both union leaders and business leaders at the same time, Brian Lilley writes.
On Friday, Poilievre was introduced and endorsed at a rally in Windsor by Karl Lovett of IBEW Local 773 and on Saturday was endorsed in an open letter from some of Canada’s top business executives.
It’s that combo — labour and business leaders coming together — that is so unique, especially for a Conservative politician. Unions have traditionally been on the side of the NDP, but sometimes the Liberals. And despite the reputation, CEOs have preferred the Liberals for decades.
Now both are coming out in favour of Poilievre as the best one to not only deal with Donald Trump, but also to ignite Canada’s economy.
BURLINGTON CANDIDATES DEBATE AXED AHEAD OF PROTEST
A candidates debate involving the four major parties in the Burlington riding was cancelled Monday over a planned protest by People’s Party of Canada supporters.
Event organizers for the debate at Port Nelson United Church notified the participating candidates — recent Liberal leadership contender and incumbent Karina Gould, Conservative Emily Brown, New Democrat Michael Beauchemin and the Green party’s Kyle Hutton — of the cancellation on Monday afternoon, according to the online news website Burlington Today.
“The People’s Party of Canada has objected strongly to being excluded from the formal proceedings although they were invited to attend,” event organizers told the candidates in a release cited by Burlington Today. “We have become aware that they plan a protest in the form of a convoy starting in Hamilton and arriving at Port Nelson Church in Burlington and (are) likely to disrupt the meeting in some way. We feel justifiably worried about the safety of people attending, and out of concern for neighbours of the church, the rest of the neighbourhood, the candidates and people planning to attend we feel that we have no choice but to cancel.”
PPC candidate Michael Bator was excluded from the debate, which Burlington Today said was supposed to mimic the federal leaders debates. PPC Leader Maxime Bernier was not invited to be a part of the national debates that feature the Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green and Bloc Quebecois leaders.
Burlington debate organizers told the major party candidates that Bator, the Rhinoceros party’s Paul Harper and Libertarian party’s Ocean Marshall were invited to speak to attendees and provide campaign materials at the end of the meeting, according to the release obtained by Burlington Today.
Bator told Burlington Today that the protest was going ahead anyway.
“We are deeply disappointed by the cancellation of Burlington’s all candidates’ debate. Initially excluding registered candidates, organizers now appear to be avoiding a peaceful protest of their decision,” he said in a statement.
SAME BALLOT, DIFFERENT TRIBES
In this election, which voter are you?
Jerry Agar writes that he’s a tribal voter. He votes Conservative. That is his tribe. He knows people he respects who are tribal Liberal voters. They see the world essentially differently.
But those who are tribal are not the people who move the election, generally. They are not swing voters.
They could be accused of voting for an intellectually challenged chimp if he wore the team shirt.
LIBERAL LEADER APOLOGIZES, DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF BUTTONGATE SCANDAL
Liberal staffers responsible for a bungled disinformation campaign at an Ottawa conference last week were “reassigned,” party Leader Mark Carney said Monday.
Speaking to reporters from a press conference in Montreal, Carney described the stunt as “totally unacceptable,” and while an apology was offered, he maintained ignorance of the plot.
“I was unaware of this behaviour, but on behalf of my campaign, I apologize for it unreservedly,” he said.
Rather than being terminated, the staffers instead were “reassigned within the campaign,” Carney said. The Toronto Sun’s inquiries to the campaign for details weren’t returned by Monday afternoon.
POILIEVRE PROMISES JUSTICE REFORM, CARNEY TALKS DEFENCE
OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are both campaigning in Montreal on Monday and making announcements about defence procurement and justice reform.
Poilievre is vowing to use the notwithstanding clause to implement some of his crime agenda — something no federal government has ever done.
He says that “to bring justice back to the criminal justice system,” the Conservatives would reverse a Supreme Court decision that found it was unconstitutional to sentence people to consecutive life sentences.
Carney’s Liberals are promising to overhaul defence procurement with modernized rules and a new defence procurement agency.
Carney is also pledging to help the Canadian defence industry grow and diversify its markets through international exports.
Read the story here.
POILIEVRE WANTS AN END TO MURDER FREEBIES. CARNEY? NOT SO MUCH
On Monday, Pierre Poilievre announced that a Conservative government will give judges the power to sentence murderers who kill multiple people to consecutive prison sentences without parole eligibility beyond 25 years.
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Mark Carney called Poilievre’s vow to use the notwithstanding clause a “very dangerous step.” The former banker said it’s his job and that of the government to defend the Charter.
Read Brad Hunter’s thoughts on the topic here.
WHERE THE LEADERS ARE MONDAY
Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are both campaigning in Montreal on Monday.
Poilievre was slated to hold a press conference in Montreal in the morning.
Carney was set to make an announcement in Dorval, Que., in the morning.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will be in Toronto, scheduled to appear on CTV’s Your Morning and Breakfast Television before making an announcement at 10 a.m.
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