In the news today: Liberals and NDP to address their caucuses

By The Canadian Press on September 10, 2024.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Mark Carney, Trudeau to address Liberal caucus

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney will present his vision for the Liberals’ economic policy when he meets with MPs in Nanaimo, B.C., today. The party announced Carney’s new role as chair of a Liberal task force on economic growth as MPs arrived for the caucus retreat Monday, where they are planning their strategy for the upcoming election year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also expected to address his caucus as a whole for the first time since several of his MPs have expressed privately and publicly that he is not the person to lead the party into the next election.

NDP caucus meets after leaving deal with Liberals

New Democrats are kicking off a three-day caucus retreat today in Montreal, days after leaving the supply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals. Leader Jagmeet Singh announced on Wednesday that he had “ripped up” the agreement with the minority government. Singh says the Liberals are too weak to fight for Canadians and can’t stop the Conservatives, offering himself as a credible alternative to Pierre Poilievre. The retreat is also happening in one of the two cities where the N-D-P is hoping to win a byelection on September 16th.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Report highlights hurdles to federal housing plan

A new report warns Ottawa’s efforts to kickstart new housing supply likely won’t be enough to meet its optimistic targets. The report by Desjardins highlights the ongoing labour shortage in the construction industry as the main obstacle holding back housing starts. Ottawa has vowed to unlock 3.87 million new homes by 2031 through measures such as new tax incentives and building more housing on public lands. But the report says even with the projected increase in housing starts, it will still fall well short of the pace needed to achieve affordability by 2030.

Hoggard to seek bail pending appeal attempt

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is expected to seek bail at a court hearing today, weeks after beginning to serve his sentence for a sexual assault conviction. The Hedley frontman filed an application seeking leave to appeal his case to the Supreme Court of Canada last week. Hoggard was found guilty in June 2022 of sexual assault causing bodily harm against an Ottawa woman and later sentenced to five years behind bars. He is set to seek bail at the Court of Appeal today as he seeks leave to appeal at the Supreme Court.

Unifor vote begins at Walmart warehouse in Ontario

Unifor says employees at a Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ont., will begin voting Tuesday on whether to join the union. The union applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to represent the workers on September 3, and said a vote would be called if the cards submitted by Unifor represented at least 40 per cent of the eligible workforce. Unifor represents 315,000 workers across the country. Unifor National President Lana Payne says in a statement that a vote for the union this week is “the best way for workers to get a level playing field with a corporate giant.”

Business warns Ottawa about digital services tax

One of Canada’s most influential business lobby groups is warning Ottawa its digital services tax may damage the relationship with the United States. The Business Council of Canada called for the tax to be revoked after the Office of the United States Trade Representative asked for dispute settlement consultations under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement. Canada’s three-per-cent tax on large foreign digital services companies has been criticized by U-S companies and officials, because it would force American companies to pay taxes on revenue generated from Canadian users.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

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