Hello,
The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada sent a warning today about the risks elected officials run by reacting to decisions from the court without first reading the rulings themselves.
Richard Wagner said he is concerned about the spread of false information on court rulings – and politicians criticizing rulings based in part on which judge delivered them.
“It is one thing to express disagreement with a decision,” he said during his annual news conference on the work of the top court and other matters pertaining to the administration of justice.
“But it is another thing altogether to criticize it because of who the judge is or how they were appointed. Comments like this undermine public confidence in the justice system.”
Full story here.
BREAKING: The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has this afternoon issued a special report on foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes and institutions, available here. Please watch The Globe and Mail for coverage.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
AFN national chief criticizes governments’ inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report: Only two of the more than 150 calls to action in the national inquiry’s report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls have been implemented since 2019, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says.
Elenore Sturko leaves BC United party for Conservatives to ‘defeat the NDP’: Another BC United member has left the former BC Liberal party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election. Sturko, a former Mountie, talks here to The Orca about her decision.
Caregivers from abroad to be given permanent residence upon arrival under new pilot programs: The pilots, which are enhanced versions of two programs set to expire June 17, will put qualified nannies, child-care and home-support workers on a fast track to settling in Canada.
Ottawa creates $530-million fund to help cities adapt to climate change: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the plan today that will enable local governments to apply for as much as $1-million to help cover adaptation project costs and as much as $70,000 for risk assessments and feasibility studies.
Detox beds in B.C. routinely sit empty because of staff shortages: In the Vancouver region, this has meant that up to half of the spaces at 24- and 18-bed withdrawal-management facilities remain unoccupied at times despite long lists of people waiting, according to the data, which covers the past several weeks.
Trudeau pitches strong ties to Mexico’s new leader, Claudia Sheinbaum, amid U.S. tumult: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he wants to work with Mexico’s next president on climate change, international security, gender equality and reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Story here.
Voting to decide next leader of Alberta’s New Democratic Party begins today: Nearly 85,150 party members are eligible to vote for the new leader, succeeding Rachel Notley, who will be named June 22.
Nearly half of the federal government’s office space could be converted into housing, expert firm says: The architectural firm Gensler, which has analyzed hundreds of buildings in more than 150 North American cities and worked with Canadian jurisdictions, including the federal government, said a significant share of the federal office portfolio has characteristics that make it suitable for conversion.
Pierre Poilievre disagrees with Conservative MP who wants to vote against same-sex marriage: CBC reports that in a statement today, the federal Conservative leader noted that same-sex marriage is legal and will remain legal if he becomes prime minister.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“In a democracy, we accept and even desire that court decisions will be the topic of debates, but it is important that these debates take place in a respectful manner and, above all, in an informed manner. People should, at the very least, read court decisions before criticizing them.” - Richard Wagner, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, at his annual news conference in Ottawa today.
“You only have to be caught lying once for people to know you engage in that behaviour.” - Health Minister Mark Holland during a news conference at Parliament Hill today.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 3, accessible here,
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day: Private meetings, and Chrystia Freeland attended Question Period.
Ministers on the Road: In Vancouver, Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced $3.5-million in funding and other measures in Vancouver to protect Southern Resident killer whales. In the Northern Saskatchewan town of La Ronge, Rural Development Minister Gudie Hutchings made an announcement about improving connectivity in rural parts of the province. Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks, in Toronto, made an announcement about youth mental-health research.
Commons Committee Highlights: Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux appeared before the finance committee on Bill C-69 to implement certain provisions of the federal budget. The justice committee heard witnesses on Islamophobia and measures to address fears expressed by the Muslim community. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared before the industry committee on Bill C-352, a private member’s bill he has advanced to deal with grocery prices with measures that include amending the Competition Act to increase penalties for certain anti-competitive practices.
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Housing Minister Sean Fraser appeared before the Indigenous and northern affairs committee on reports by the Auditor-General of Canada on housing in Indigenous communities. The foreign-affairs committee was scheduled to hear witnesses this afternoon on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the current situation in Iran.
Senate Committee Highlights: Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, is among the witnesses appearing before a 4 p.m. ET hearing of the human-rights committee. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux appears before the national-security committee, also at 4 p.m.
Rankin exiting politics: Former NDP MP Murray Rankin, now British Columbia’s Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister, has announced in a posting on X that he is leaving politics. The former University of Victoria law professor, who was the MP for Victoria from 2012 to 2019, was first elected to the B.C. Legislature for the Victoria-area riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head in 2020.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Ottawa, Justin Trudeau was scheduled to meet with the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano, and Juan Carlos Salazar, the secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Later, Trudeau met with Oleksandra Matviichuk, chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was honoured with a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Matviichuk is on a speaking tour of Canada.
LEADERS
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May participated virtually in the House of Commons. In Toronto, May opened the campaign office for Green Party byelection candidate Christian Cullis in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared before the industry committee, later made remarks on the pharmacare act and took media questions. He later participated in Question Period.
No schedules released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet or Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
THE DECIBEL
Jeff Gray, one of The Globe’s Ontario politics reporters, talks about a new policy outlined by Premier Doug Ford to make beer and wine available for purchase in convenience stores and big-box stores across the province. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
New poll suggests stark divide on federal return-to-office plan: CBC reports that a survey of 1,000 Gatineau residents found that 62 per cent of respondents who do not work for the federal public service back a move to have federal public servants work three days a week in their offices, up from two days.
OPINION
Another drug treatment plan falls short
“British Columbia Premier David Eby promised his government would not abandon people with drug addictions when he rolled back decriminalization in the province. There would be better, more consistent care for people who are addicted to drugs, he said, including overdose-prevention services and addictions specialists attached to every major hospital.” - The Globe and Mail Editorial Board.
This social media prognosticator channels the angst of a housing-challenged generation
“Millennial Moron is a self-appointed housing prognosticator who, with his dry wit and dour analysis of Canadian indebtedness, is more than a comedic content creator. He’s a voice of his generation. He first rose to social media prominence a year ago for videos showing the absurdity of modest Canadian properties selling for around the same price as European castles or private Caribbean islands. He’s graduated to explaining Bank of Canada moves and his worries about the country entering a period of Japanese-style stagflation.” - Kelly Cryderman
Why has Toronto let Queen’s Park (the actual park, that is) fall into such disrepair?
“Queen’s Park is everyone’s shorthand for the government of Ontario, which has its headquarters in the grand Legislative Building there. Queen’s Park did this, Queen’s Park said that. But Queen’s Park is also, well, a park, and a lovely one at that.” - Marcus Gee.
Which way, Canada? Make housing cheaper or protect homeowners’ investments?
“Federal housing policy – the number one government priority in Budget 2024 – is unequivocal in its approach: supply, supply, supply. And rightly so. But the ultimate goal is not clear. In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail’s City Space podcast, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau stated that “in the coming years … [young generations] will be able to see the path towards owning a home.” - David Jones.
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