A promise of a free ride, an undiplomatic leak and an outsider takes on the PM
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks to guests at the annual Premier’s Stampede breakfast in Calgary, Alta., on Monday, July 6, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The Important
While all eyes are on Toronto on Monday for the federal leaders’ debate on foreign policy, outgoing Industry Minister James Moore was on the West Coast, announcing that a re-elected Tory government would provide up to $700 million for the $2.1-billion light-rapid-transit proposal in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, B.C.
#CPC promise on #Surrey light rail coming from @JamesMoore_org & @DianneLWatts. #elxn42 pic.twitter.com/Dx9ZuBxswH
— Jeff Nagel (@jeffnagel) September 28, 2015
The cash for the project in Surrey, one of this election’s battleground areas, will come from the new Public Transit Fund, which provides capital for major transit projects.
Meanwhile, in the Conservative heartland of Alberta, the province’s premier may be an NDPer, but that doesn’t mean she agrees entirely with her federal counterpart. During a business trip in Montreal, Rachel Notley said Tom Mulcair’s national cap-and-trade proposal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in Canada “may not be our best road forward.”
Although the premier didn’t answer any media questions after her talk, her press secretary tried to dispel the idea that her comment contradicted the NDP leader.
.@RachelNotley climate change view is in line w/NDP & Lib plans, which allow opt-out. C&T can work, but may not be ABs best option. #ableg
— Cheryl Oates (@cherylanne) September 28, 2015
The Interesting
In the lead-up to the debate, leaked documents from Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs warned that the country’s global influence might be waning.
For starters, the report describes Canada’s “loss of our traditional place at some multilateral tables” and “declining market share in emerging markets,” stemming from inadequate commercial relations with developing countries. In addition, the leaked memo notes that “20 per cent of [Canada’s diplomatic] missions are now categorized as high-risk,” most notably in Africa and the Middle East.
Diplomats I have met have been privately telling me this for years. http://t.co/DRfLELacfw #cdnpoli #elxn42
— Stephen Lautens (@stephenlautens) September 28, 2015
Conveniently leaked just before the Foreign Affairs debate…. elxn42 https://t.co/CY7468uUef
— AlbertaGirl (@AlbertaGrl) September 28, 2015
While Canada’s influence slips on the world stage, domestically, the NDP’s poll numbers continue to slide. The most recent numbers from Abacus Data have the orange wave subsiding in Quebec, putting the party only six points above the Liberals in La Belle Province in the aftermath of last week’s French-language debate.
Un sondage Abacus indique une chute de 17 points du NPD au Québec http://t.co/spFoMkHrXh #elxn42 pic.twitter.com/4XMXARObBB
— Florent Daudens (@fdaudens) September 28, 2015
Two weeks ago, the NDP was leading the polls nationally, but now it has dropped to third.
https://twitter.com/davidakin/status/648468610516652032
The Fun
Nicolas Duchastel de Montrouge can’t vote in the election on Oct. 19, but that isn’t stopping him from running to become an MP in Stephen Harper’s own riding. Duchastel de Montrouge hasn’t lived in Canada for 15 years and currently resides in Seattle, but, during two campaign stops this month in Calgary Heritage, he collected just enough signatures from within the riding to run for office. He was approved by Elections Canada over the weekend in his bid to run as an Independent.
Duchastel de Montrouge isn’t gunning for a seat in the House of Commons. He doesn’t even have an official office phone number for his campaign. He says he simply wants to bring attention to the fact that he, like about 1.4 million other Canadian expats, aren’t able to vote, as he has been in the past.
https://twitter.com/jtleathers/status/648565720721293312