Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, is recovering from what her husband describes as “sheer overwork, fatigue and stress” – a situation he says raises red flags about the workload of MPs.
John Kidder, Ms. May’s husband, said Monday his wife suffered a serious headache while at a high-school event last week, and was taken to Saanich Peninsula Hospital on Vancouver Island for observation. She spent 2½ days in hospital. Mr. Kidder said there was no specific diagnosis for his wife, but doctors recommended rest.
Now Mr. Kidder said Ms. May, who has been MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands since 2011, is at home. “She’s slow and resting and not doing any work,” Mr. Kidder said in an interview.
“She and her work colleagues are going to take a look at the work situation and see how it might be addressed,” said Mr. Kidder.
Ms. May, 69, was the Green Party leader from 2006 to 2019, then regained the leadership in 2022 with Jonathan Pedneault, Que., serving as deputy leader.
Mr. Kidder said the work hours imposed on MPs are onerous. “No other profession expects people to work these hours except health care,” he said.
He elaborated in a newsletter to Ms. May’s constituents. “Does it not seem odd to you that we expect our parliamentarians to work double shifts through May and June, sometimes 19-hour days, to sit until midnight almost every day, to keep up with their always demanding constituency work, and still have any minds at all?
“In any other profession, we acknowledge that people cannot do their best work when they’re overtired – here, with those who are arguably responsible for some of the most important decisions in the country, we expect them to handle routine 16-hour days in and out of Parliament, constant travel, instant responses to matters of urgency from constituents and the press.”
He added, “In any decent union job, the grievances would be flying thick and fast.”
Ironically, Mr. Kidder said one consequence of the situation is that, for the first time in years, Ms. May has secured a family doctor.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Canada to expand contribution to NATO mission in Latvia - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised Monday to more than double the size of Canada’s contribution to a NATO mission in Latvia, committing $2.6-billion in funding over three years and up to 2,200 Canadian troops for persistent deployment. Story here.
Postmedia, Toronto Star owner end talks to merge - Canadian media companies Postmedia Network Canada Corp. and Nordstar Capital LP, the company that owns the Toronto Star, have ended discussions about a potential merger, saying they were unable to come to an agreement. Story here.
Heritage department drafting regulations to address Google’s concerns about Bill C-18 - The federal government is drafting regulations to its online news legislation to address Google’s key concerns in a bid to stop the tech giant from blocking searches for Canadian news in Canada. Story here.
Estimates on impact of B.C. port strike - Up to $775-million a day in trade has been disrupted during the strike by B.C. port workers across British Columbia, totaling $7-billion in cargo affected as of Sunday night, employers estimate. Story here. Meanwhile, the Canadian government is weighing financial backing for a new deep-water container port in Nova Scotia, a surprising development at a time existing ports in Eastern Canada are processing far less cargo volumes than they can handle. Story here.
Interest hike looming from Bank of Canada - A month after surprising markets by restarting interest rate hikes, the Bank of Canada is widely expected to ratchet up borrowing costs again this week, despite the continuing decline in inflation and mixed signals about the strength of the economy. Story here.
Work continues on apology for First World War all-Black Canadian unit - Ottawa is continuing to implement recommendations brought forward as part of an apology for the systemic hate and racism experienced by an all-Black Canadian unit that served in the First World War, Defence Minister Anita Anand says. Story here.
AFN annual meetings this week - Hundreds of Indigenous leaders are to gather in Halifax this week for the Assembly of First Nations annual meetings the advocacy organization tries to forge a path forward after the tumultuous leadership and ousting of its national chief. Story here.
PM flying on a jet that first began flying passengers when he was still a teenager - As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travels in Latvia and Lithuania (for the NATO leaders summit) this week, former CTV senior political correspondent Glen McGregor looks here at the aircraft a Canadian prime minister now uses for overseas travel, and the upgrade on the way.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons - The House of Commons is now on a break until Sept. 18. The Senate resumes sitting on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day - In Winnipeg, Chrystia Freeland held private meetings, toured an early learning and child-care centre, and took media questions, toured a trades and technology skills training institute, and held a roundtable discussion with business leaders from Manitoba.
Ministers on the Road - Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett, in Edmonton, made a funding announcement to support populations in Alberta vulnerable to sexually-transmitted blood-borne infections. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, in Coaticook, Que., announced funding for new on-farm research activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and agri-food in Quebec. Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, in Enoch, Alta., discussed federal tourism policy with tourism stakeholders Filomena Tassi, Minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, made a funding announcement for a manufacturer in Kitchener. Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, also minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, in Kinkora, PEI, announced federal support for community and business development.
Ontario Speakers Book Award nominees - The 2023 nominees for the Ontario Speakers Book Award, recognizing non-fiction books by Ontario authors have been released. Details here.
Shotgun mayor - Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim shows here that, as he put it, “We’re serious about bringing fun back to Vancouver!’
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Latvia for a visit ahead of attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Leaders’ Summit in Lithuania, met, In Riga, with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, accompanied by Defence Minister Anita Anand, attended a welcoming ceremony in the town of Ādaži, and met with Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. He then held a joint media availability with Mr. Kariņš. Mr. Trudeau attended a lunch with Canadian troops, then departed for Vilnius, Lithuania where he met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, then joined her to make statements to media.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe’s science reporter, talks about El Niño - the natural weather pattern is known to increase severe weather around the world. He explains the impacts of El Niños in the past and what to expect this time around. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
New federal leaders needed - Just over half of Canadians believe the federal Liberals and Conservatives need new leaders heading into the next federal election, according to a new Nanos Research poll. Story here.
Public views on online news policy - Canadians are aligned on the principle of going after “Big Tech” to pay online news publishers, but are concerned about the consequences of the Liberal government’s proposed solution, the Online News Act, according to new research by the Angus Reid Institute. Details here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how Ottawa can level a tilted field for small businesses: “In looking at industries dominated by a few powerful players, the focus is typically on the effect on consumers. For example, how a handful of national grocers decide the price of bread. The consumer angle is important, but there is another pernicious effect of market domination: small enterprises get trampled under the feet of their larger rivals. Elevated levels of corporate concentration have eroded Canada’s economy by stifling innovation, discouraging entrepreneurs and tilting the playing field. Ottawa has an opportunity to address this by making it a key priority in the upcoming reform of the Competition Act.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith meeting with a working group under pressure to sort out energy issues: “As of Friday, the two have agreed on a bilateral working group – something Ms. Smith asked for last month – to try to sort out their issues on energy and climate, including how to incentivize carbon capture and other emissions-reducing technologies. “It’s going to make sure we’re responding to the energy needs of a growing economy around the world, while at the same time making sure that we get to that net-zero by 2050 that we all agree on,” Mr. Trudeau said. The stakes are high. Both levels of governments are aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. But there’s a wide divide about the goals, or lack thereof, in the intervening years.”
Chris Alexander (The Globe and Mail) on why bold actions must be taken at the NATO Vilnius summit to ensure a free Ukraine prevails: “When Henry Kissinger agrees it’s a good idea, it’s past time to make Ukraine a NATO ally. Mr. Kissinger, the notorious great power realist who relegated Ukraine and other countries to Moscow’s “sphere of influence” for decades, has seen his misguided worldview blown apart by Belarus’s 2020 pro-democracy uprising and Ukraine’s wartime heroism since February, 2022. This week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a genuine opportunity to put right a historic string of strategic wrongs. When NATO leaders agreed 15 years ago in Bucharest that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the alliance, then reneged, Moscow embarked on a spree of violence in Georgia, Syria, Ukraine and across Africa.”
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Ian Bailey