Canada election: Poilievre's vow to override Charter in crime crackdown draws fire from rivals

Recalling ‘the nighttime of the agelong knives’

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, erstwhile asked astir Poilievre’s program to usage the notwithstanding clause, had this to say:

“When you are successful the presumption of a idiosyncratic that wants to beryllium premier curate of Canada, you should trust much connected improving [the] justness strategy and laws than removing yourself from their application.”

Blanchet besides spoke concisely astir the clause’s value successful Quebec, referencing what’s known among provincial nationalists arsenic la nuit des longs couteaux, oregon “the nighttime of the agelong knives.”

That evening, which occurred during Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s 1981 law talks, saw erstwhile justness curate Jean Chrétien onslaught a woody to patriate the Canadian Constitution portion agreeing to see the notwithstanding clause arsenic a compromise with the provinces, who were disquieted a national Charter would infringe connected their autonomy.

Former Quebec premier René Lévesque wasn’t contiguous astatine the talks and said helium felt betrayed, refusing to motion the woody betwixt the provinces and national authorities arsenic a result. The incidental fuelled separatist sentiment successful Quebec for galore years afterwards and is considered a turning constituent successful Quebec’s narration to the remainder of the country.

Good morning. I’m a elder shaper with the Parliamentary bureau’s integer team.

We’ve conscionable learned astir the topics for the French- and English-language leaders’ debates, which are happening Wednesday and Thursday nights.

CBC/Radio-Canada, which is producing the debates for the Leaders’ Debates Commission, announced the pursuing database of topics:

For the French debate:

• Cost of living.
• Energy and climate.
• Trade war.
• Identity and sovereignty.
• Immigration and overseas affairs.

For the English debate:

• Affordability and the outgo of living.
• Energy and climate.
• Leading successful a crisis.
• Public information and security.
• Tariffs and threats to Canada.

The parties participated successful draws past week to find podium positions, arsenic good arsenic the bid of arrivals and post-debate scrums.

Each statement volition beryllium 2 hours long, without commercials. Both volition beryllium broadcast unrecorded from the atrium of Maison de Radio-Canada successful Montreal.

Use of notwithstanding clause ‘undermines the Charter,’ says Singh

Asked astir Poilievre’s committedness to invoke Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to propulsion done transgression justness reforms, Singh said, “I deliberation we should not beryllium utilizing the notwithstanding clause."

“It undermines the Charter. The Charter’s important,” helium said, adding that we “obviously” request to person “severe penalties” for radical who perpetrate superior crimes.

He said the NDP has raised concerns astir the notwithstanding clause being utilized much often astatine the provincial level, and has tried to restrict its use.

In 2022, NDP MP Matthew Green called for an exigency statement implicit Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s program to invoke the notwithstanding clause during a quality with acquisition workers successful the province. Green was denied.

“What we’re focused connected is however bash we forestall transgression earlier it happens,” Singh said today, adding that the NDP wants to halt amerciable drugs and guns from flowing into the country.

Use of notwithstanding clause a 'slippery slope,' Carney says

Carney was asked this greeting astir Poilievre's vow to usage the notwithstanding clause to present consecutive beingness sentences for offenders convicted of aggregate murders. The Liberal person called it a "very unsafe step.”

"We person a Charter of rights and cardinal freedoms successful this country. And it is the work of the premier curate and the authorities of Canada, successful my view, to support that Charter, those cardinal rights that Canadians enjoy," Carney said.

"Politicizing definite issues with respect to cardinal rights is simply a slippery slope that leads to further politicization."

A sentencing proviso introduced successful 2011 by Stephen Harper’s Conservative authorities gave judges discretion to manus retired consecutive, 25-year blocks of parole ineligibility successful cases wherever an offender has committed aggregate first-degree murders. But that proviso successful the instrumentality was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada successful 2022.

NDP pledges to prosecute 35,000 nurses by 2030

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is successful Toronto, wherever he’s announcing a program to prosecute much nurses. He’s besides calling for a much "appropriate ratio” of nurses to patients, safer moving conditions and higher compensation.

Some provinces person reported a nursing shortage, and nursing unions — including successful Ontario, wherever Singh is campaigning — person called for infirmary leaders to instrumentality nurse-to-patient ratios, arguing that a much balanced ratio tin pb to amended diligent outcomes and summation caregiver retention. Critics person said that mandating staffing levels doesn’t work.

Singh besides criticized bureau nursing, which helium said is “setting up a two-tier system,” adding that helium doesn’t “blame” nurses who enactment astatine for-profit companies, due to the fact that the agencies connection higher pay.

The NDP person said helium would marque health-care transfers from the national authorities to the provinces conditional connected their nurse-to-patient ratios and their compensation offers.

Sudbury ma wants to perceive however parties volition tackle opioid crisis

Hello from Sudbury, Ont., wherever I americium reporting contiguous connected CBC News Network. This city, similar others crossed Canada, is losing residents to the toxic cause supply.

Denise Sandul’s lad died successful 2020, and to assistance header with her grief she started a radical called Sudbury Outreach Support, to assistance others with the aforesaid struggles her lad had. She besides erected a memorial transverse astatine a downtown Sudbury intersection, a tribute tract that has grown successful size with much and much crosses to honour different overdose victims.

I met Sandul astatine the site, wherever she distributes clothing, nutrient and supplies to those successful request each Sunday. She said she understands wherefore cause addiction isn’t beforehand and centre successful the predetermination run — but she wishes it was getting much attention.

“Not lone bash these radical die, they permission down a breached community,” she said, explaining the ripple effect erstwhile a loved 1 dies. “We don’t privation a assemblage that’s afloat of breached people.”

“I’d similar to perceive astir what we’re going to bash astir the toxic drugs — these are poison drugs. People aren’t dying of addiction. They’re dying of drugs that kill. I’d emotion to perceive a campaigner that has immoderate involvement successful that,” Sandul said.

Last year, 134 deaths were linked to drugs successful the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts. In January and February, 24 radical died. Sandul said these are preventable deaths.

She’s “heartbroken” implicit her son’s death. “I effort to crook my symptom into purpose.”

Carney responds to buttons story

CBC’s Kate McKenna, who broke a communicative astir Liberal operatives planting Trump-style buttons astatine a blimpish league past week, is covering Carney connected the run way this week.

She asked Carney however overmuch the incidental undermines spot successful the Liberals — fixed the “anti-democratic” connotations of 1 of the pins, which bore the slogan “stop the steal,” a notation to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 predetermination results — and what he’s done successful effect to the revelations.

“This is wholly unacceptable, to beryllium perfectly wide … I was unaware of this behaviour, but connected behalf of my run I apologize for it unreservedly,” helium said.

Asked aboriginal whether the Liberals person fired the staffers involved, Carney said they’ve been “reassigned” wrong the campaign.

“This behaviour oregon thing approximating it successful that tone is unacceptable, cannot happen, cannot hap again,” helium said.

Carney announces program for defence procurement

Carney, speaking successful Dorval, Que., said a Liberal authorities would found a caller bureau for defence procurement to support Canada’s sovereignty successful an “increasingly unsafe and divided world.”

The program would prioritize “buying Canadian” for subject purchases and found a bureau of probe to boost Canada’s expertise successful artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cybersecurity.

It would besides grow the programme for supporting businesses pursuing planetary opportunities and beforehand Canada’s information successful Europe’s rearmament inaugural to bring Canadian businesses successful the defence assemblage to planetary markets.

The latest Poll Tracker update

Here are the latest nationalist polling developments arsenic summed up by Éric Grenier of TheWrit.ca. He is managing the CBC Poll Tracker passim the campaign.

“The Liberals are precise comfortably starring successful Quebec and Atlantic Canada and bask a wide pb implicit the Conservatives successful Ontario. They are besides narrowly up successful British Columbia. The Conservatives pb successful Alberta and the Prairies,” Grenier wrote.

“The NDP's strongest enactment is successful B.C. and the Prairies, but adjacent determination the enactment is poised to endure important losses. The Bloc and Conservatives are warring for 2nd spot successful Quebec.”

My workfellow Kate McKenna got rather the scoop connected Friday: portion sitting successful an Ottawa bar, she overheard a Liberal staffer admitting that helium and a workfellow planted buttons with Trump-style slogans astatine a blimpish league held past week successful the nation’s capital.

One of the buttons said “stop the steal,” an evident notation to Donald Trump’s denial of the 2020 U.S. statesmanlike predetermination results. The different had the sanction Jenni Byrne crossed out, with the sanction Kory Teneycke underneath.

Byrne is the nationalist run manager for the Conservative party, and Teneckye is simply a Conservative operative who has led campaigns for Ontario Premier Doug Ford and erstwhile premier curate Stephen Harper. Teneckye has precocious been profoundly captious of Poilievre’s run for premier minister.

A Liberal spokesperson said the enactment has conducted a reappraisal of the substance and that person Mark Carney had made it wide "this does not acceptable his committedness to superior and affirmative discourse."

Read Kate’s communicative here.