Hello,
The provincial election in Manitoba is under way, with the Progressive Conservatives under leader Heather Stefanson seeking another term on Oct. 3.
Meanwhile, Wab Kinew is seeking to lead the New Democrats back to power for the first time since 2016, when then-PC Leader Brian Pallister ended some 17 years of NDP government, winning 40 of 57 seats.
Mr. Pallister stepped down in 2021 and was succeeded by Stefanson, formerly the deputy premier and justice minister.
At dissolution, the governing PCs held 35 seats, the NDP had 18, and the Liberals held three. One seat was vacant.
As the campaign began, Kinew was endorsed by former federal Liberal cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy. In a front-page newspaper ad taken out by the NDP, Axworthy said Kinew “can provide a caring, conscientious governance.”
After visiting Lieutenant-Governor Anita Neville on Tuesday to sign the writ for the election, Stefanson promised more tax cuts if the PCs are re-elected.
“Manitobans need real relief and a real long-term commitment to affordability in the future,” she told a news conference flanked by cheering Tory candidates.
A re-elected Tory government would cut the lowest provincial income tax bracket in half over four years, Stefanson said. The move would save the average Manitoban, earning $50,000 a year, $1,900 annually when fully implemented in 2028, she added.
The New Democrats have been leading in the polls, especially in Winnipeg, where most legislature seats are concentrated. They have promised to reopen three emergency departments that the Tories downgraded to urgent care centres, which are not aimed at dealing with life-threatening issues such as heart attacks.
Kinew started his campaign a day early Monday and promised to hire more health-care professionals and reduce wait times.
The Manitoba Liberal Party is seeking to add to the three seats it currently holds in a bid for official party status.
With files from The Canadian Press
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
Criminal trial begins for Ottawa trucker convoy’s two key organizers - The criminal trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two key organizers of the trucker-led convoy that prompted Ottawa officials to declare an emergency in early 2022, could see more than 20 witnesses called by the Crown, the prosecution said as the proceedings began Tuesday. Story here.
Former Canadian fighter pilots face RCMP probe over training work in China - The RCMP are investigating three former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilots who are training military and civilian pilots in China, even though their employer, a South African flying academy, insists no sensitive information is being passed on to Chinese authorities. Story here.
Prosecution of suspect in slaying of Muslim family puts Canadian terrorism cases at a crossroads - This week, the man charged in the 2021 deaths of four members of a Canadian Muslim family who were run down while out for a walk in London, Ont., goes on trial, with prosecutors arguing that an apparent hate crime was motivated by terrorist ideology. Story here.
Ontario to launch Greenbelt review, Premier Doug Ford says - Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his new Housing Minister, Paul Calandra, will launch what Ford calls a “complete review” of the province’s protected Greenbelt, a day after the previous minister, Steve Clark, resigned. Story here.
Conservatives to vote on controversial issues at Poilievre’s first policy convention as leader - Federal Conservatives are gathering in Quebec City this week for a policy convention that observers say presents as much political peril as opportunity. Story here.
Ford to Bank of Canada: Stop raising interest rates - Ontario’s Doug Ford has become the second premier, after British Columbia’s David Eby, to make a direct written appeal to the Bank of Canada to stop raising interest rates. Story here. Meanwhile, the central bank is expected to pause its monetary policy tightening campaign this week, with analysts suggesting it will keep its benchmark interest rate at 5 per cent Wednesday, after hikes in June and July. Story here.
Undercounting of an estimated million non-permanent residents could affect per-capita GDP, say economists - Economists are warning that Ottawa’s undercounting of non-permanent residents could have an impact on Canada’s per-capita GDP – a global measure used to gauge a country’s prosperity. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
Summer break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate will be back the following day.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day - Private meetings in Toronto.
Ministers on the Road - Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault joined Quebec Premier François Legault and Pierre Fitzgibbon, the provincial Economy Minister, to announce joint federal-provincial efforts to help Volta Energy Solutions Canada Inc. establish a new facility in Granby to produce copper foils for electric-vehicle batteries. Rural Development Minister Gudie Huchings, also responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, made a pair of economic announcements in Sydney, N.S., and met with ACOA staff in Cape Breton. She also announced almost $1.2-million in federal funding for Rogers to bring high-speed internet access to more than 1,600 Cape Breton households.
New deputy finance minister - Chris Forbes has been named the new deputy finance minister effective Sept. 11. The Prime Minister’s Office announced the assignment Tuesday. Forbes has been deputy environment minister. Deputy Ottawa bureau chief Bill Curry reported here, in May, on the race to succeed former deputy finance minister Michael Sabia, and Forbes was on the radar then.
Gable retires - Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail’s editorial cartoonist, has retired after a 35-year run that began when he was recruited with a call from Norman Webster, the legendary Globe editor. Gable, who drew five cartoons a week, won seven National Newspaper Awards for his efforts. (He was nominated 14 times.) His last day was Sept. 1
MacKay to speak at Conservative convention - Former federal cabinet minister Peter MacKay, a contender for the Conservative Party leadership in 2020, will speak at the party’s policy convention in Quebec City this week. The Conservatives announced his appearance in a posting on X, the former Twitter, here. MacKay’s slot is on Friday at noon. Party Leader Pierre Poilievre will speak to the gathering Friday night.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Jakarta for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. He was scheduled to begin Tuesday with private meetings before an official welcome by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, then a pair of meetings with Widodo, including one attended by Mary Ng, Canada’s International Trade Minister. Later this week, Trudeau is scheduled to visit Singapore, then attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, held meetings ahead of the NDP caucus meeting beginning Wednesday in Ottawa.
No schedules released for party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Tuesday’s edition of The Globe podcast, Chris Hannay, who covers small business, talks about how retirements of small-business owners could lead to a wave of consolidation of enterprise in Canada. Small-business owners are, on average, older than the general population. That means that in the next ten years 75 per cent of them are retiring, according to estimates from the federal government. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on the (possibly fatal) flaw in Doug Ford’s Greenbelt plan: “Ontario Premier Doug Ford repeated his tired mantra about building more homes last week, after the province’s Integrity Commissioner ruled that the Housing Minister, Steve Clark, had allowed “the private interests of certain developers” in the Greenbelt to be “furthered improperly.” “When we have a housing crisis, I have two options,” Mr. Ford said. “I sit back … and let the whole province fall apart, or we move forward and we build homes.”
André Picard (The Globe and Mail) on what the ‘de-privatization’ of lab services in Alberta can teach us about private health care delivery?: “An important lesson here is that this constant flip-flopping and futzing around serves no one. We need to get the petty politics out of health care. And we need to recognize that stability is important, especially for workers. There is a lot that needs fixing in Canadian health care – lab services, but also primary care, emergency rooms, surgical wait times, electronic health records, long-term care, and so on and so forth. But there’s a lot that works. We don’t need to blow things up, Alberta-style. We can make change thoughtfully. For all the problems and challenges that exist, we shouldn’t forget that much of the health system works well. We can scale up our successes, or at least leave them alone.”
Philip Landon (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on matching Canada’s immigration goals with an ambitious housing plan: “To meet the housing strategy’s target of 160,000 new affordable homes by 2028, Canada must invest in projects and ideas that will move us forward faster. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund and Rapid Housing Initiative are working, but we are still far from our goals. More can be done to leverage the unique strengths of universities and other community partners. Universities are well-positioned to help the government quickly deliver for Canadians, with access to land and simplified approval processes.”
Stephen Saideman (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada’s Conservatives should resist the urge to politicize the military: “Over the past 20 years, the U.S. military has become the plaything of politicians. While it started with each major party competing to accumulate endorsements of retired generals and admirals, it has now become a standoff where one senator, Tommy Tuberville, is blocking the promotions of more than 300 senior officers, keeping the offices of the heads of the Marines and Navy empty. It did not have to be this way in Canada, but the Conservative Party of Canada is emulating this dangerous American trend.”
Samantha McAleese (Policy Options) on not letting the cabinet shuffle delay reform on sealing criminal records: “More than four million people in Canada have a criminal record and face poorer social and economic outcomes because of the ongoing stigma associated with past convictions. These people should not get lost in the wake of a significant cabinet shuffle that unfolded in July with the naming of Dominic LeBlanc as Canada’s new minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs.”
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Ian Bailey