Liberal Nick Whalen, MP for the riding of St. John’s East, has lost reelection in his riding against the New Democrats.
Whalen won the riding in 2015 over the NDP, edging them out by only 645 votes.
The St. John’s East riding was a two-horse race, as polls showed the incumbent Liberal Party trailing the New Democrats by 3.1 percent, as the NDP polled out at 40.5 percent, according to 338 Canada.
As Canadians headed to the polls, projections had the New Democrats at a 65 percent chance of winning, with the Liberals taking the remaining 35 percent.
Whalen took on Canadian lawyer Jack Harris in a rematch for the riding. Harris formerly served as MP of the riding for two consecutive ridings, winning both the 2008 and 2011 election, eventually losing in 2015, and finally winning back his riding in 2019.
The riding was an important riding for the LPC, as it serves as one of seven electoral ridings in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the remainder of the seats projected to stay safe in LPC’s hands.
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Kenney wears 'I LOVE CANADIAN OIL & GAS' sweater to Grey Cup, causes controversy
Jason Kenney was spotted on-field wearing an “I 🖤🍁 OIL & GAS” sweater at the 107th Grey Cup last night, with most of the Calgary crowd in attendance greeting the premier to loud cheers.
Kenney, the leader of the United Conservatives that won the province from the Notley-led New Democrats, has been a vocal supporter of the province’s natural resource industry.
Though not all were pleased with the gesture, as some saw the sweater as a way to divide Canadians during a time in Canada’s culture intended to unite Canadians from all walks of life.
The sweater has been the centre of controversy for months now.
Two months ago, visitors at the Parliament buildings in Ottawa a security guard stopped them from entering a tour because they were wearing pro-oil and pro-gas shirts.
Chris Wollen, of Calgary, said he and his fiance were wearing “I (LOVE) (CANADIAN) OIL AND GAS” shirts when a security official told them that the shirts would prohibit them from entering the tour.
“The security officer mentioned that if we were to come back with our ‘I love Canadian oil and gas’ shirts on, that we wouldn’t be allowed to do the tour because you’re not allowed to wear any shirts that are too political,” Wollin told CTV News Calgary.
According to the Parliament of Canada’s website, “participating in any form of demonstration inside the buildings is prohibited, including wearing items or clothing with visible political messages.”
But the sweater hasn’t always been as controversial as it is now.
In 2016, former premier Rachel Notley wore a hoodie by the same pro-oil group, Oil Sands Action.
According to Oil Sands Action’s website, the group is “an entirely volunteer created grassroots movement encouraging Canadians to take action and work together in support of our vital natural resources sector.”
“We’re strong supporters of Canada’s oil sands and the resource sector generally because we know how important these industries are to Canada’s present and future prosperity,” the site reads.
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Alberta NDP finance critic compares Kenney to Stalin
Alberta’s NDP Finance Critic Shannon Phillips has compared Jason Kenney’s politics to the tactics of “strong men” in Syria and Hong Kong. She also compared Kenney’s policies to Joseph Stalin’s tactics in the manufactured famine of Holodomor.
Last week, Kenney move to combine both the Electoral Commissioner’s Office with the province’s Chief Electoral Office. This was a hotly contested decision, however, as the Electoral Commissioner was levying over $200,000 worth of fines towards Kenney’s UCP.
Speaking in Alberta’s Legislative Assembly, Phillips called Jason Kenney’s tactics “a strong man maneuver … we wouldn’t want in a democracy to be apart of a party that was referred to as a strong man maneuver.”
Phillips went on to say that she “knew that many of the members have deplored strong men in other parts of the world. We were at the Holodomor memorial today, and we have deplored some of the actions that we have seen in Hong Kong … we have deplored the invasion of Turkey into northern Syria … I don’t think anyone wants to be associated with that language.”
For some context, Phillips was comparing Kenney’s move to disband the office of the electoral commissioner (a body established by the previous NDP government) with Stalin’s Massacre of the Ukrainians and other modern and deplorable global incidents.
In the past, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley wore a wristwatch with strongman Che Guevera on it.
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Domestic violence law passed unanimously in Alberta, but is it enough?
During the third reading of Bill 17 Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Claire’s Law) Act, the honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Community and Social Services, shared a personal story of a friend who experienced domestic violence.
Sawhney stated that domestic violence is not usually reported to the police and that “the prevalence of this issue is way more common than we think it is.”
She said that this law is relevant because “when you have this information, people can make informed decisions about their relationships as to whether they could be harmful to them.”
Premier Jason Kenney also spoke of a recent example in Alberta where Claire’s Law may have been effective in preventing domestic abuse. In this example, the woman was brutally beaten by a boyfriend who had a history of violence.
However, it’s far from enough. Jonathan Denis, Alberta’s former Attorney General, said there is “no one solution”. Instead, this is “a step forward”.
Minister Sawhney and Premier Kenney both believe that this new law can both save lives and prevent further domestic violence.
The provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador has made similar efforts to develop a procedure curbing domestic violence. It recently passed its second reading.
Alberta, like it’s Prairie counterparts, suffer from high rates of domestic violence
According to a Stats Canada report report, 75,399 of 166,928 (45 percent) female victims nationwide were victims of intimate partner violence. On page 26 of the same report, women aged 25 to 34 years and 35 to 44 years were predominantly impacted, accounting for 56 and 52 percent of violence towards those respective age groups.
3,642 of said 75,399 women experienced sexual assault, accounting for 4.83 percent of all intimate partner violence towards that particular gender, the Stats Canada report states.
Alberta, like it’s prairie counterparts in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is subject to some of the highest rates nationwide according to the report. The third-highest rate, which is exacerbated in rural areas because of “justice by geography.”
Throughout 2018, about a quarter of homicides committed in Alberta were documented cases of domestic violence.
Claire’s Law is “a step forward”, but more can be done to curb domestic violence
Despite the continued shortage of Crown prosecutors, which the UCP has committed $10 million to alleviate for rural concerns, gaps in policy still remain.
Notably, budget cuts to the specialized electronic monitoring of domestic violence perpetrators serving their sentence in the community were taken off the table.
However, individuals can find out if their partner has a history of violence by requesting records from the police, but that’s only if their history violence has been reported. The police are then able to inform that individual of their partner’s criminal history if they determine that it is necessary to ensure an individual’s safety.
Bill 17 was passed into law on Nov. 1 with unanimous support from both the NDP and the UCP. It is not with any coincidence that this law passed on the first day of November as this month is Family Violence Prevention Month.
Saskatchewan was the first province to adopt Claire’s Law. Claire’s Law is named after Claire Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton in Manchester, England. After Claire’s murder, her family found out that Appleton had spent six years in prison for a previous domestic violence assault.
Had this law existed before Wood’s murder, the police could have notified Wood on her boyfriend’s violent history.
Hopefully, this law will entice further dialogue and encourage the reduction of domestic abuse in Alberta.
If you or someone you know are experiencing family or spousal violence in Alberta (and it is not urgent), please call the Family Violence Info Line at 310-1818. For more information, click on the following link: https://www.alberta.ca/family-violence-prevention-month.aspx
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Ontario NDP MPP accused of supporting terror group
The NDP MPP Joel Harden has been accused of supporting a terrorist organization after he called on the federal government to demand that Israel release a senior member of a Palestinian terror group, according to Bnai Brith Canada.
On Twitter, Harden stated that he was “Saddened, sickened and disgusted by the continued abuse of Khalida Jarrar, my parliamentary colleague, by Israeli occupation forces.” Jarrar was re-arrested on Wednesday after further suspected terrorist activities.
Jarrar was arrested by the Israeli troops due to incitement and promoting terrorist acts in 2015 and is a suspected high-ranking member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). In Canada, the PFLP is a designated terrorist group.
The PLFP has been charged with the killing of innocent civilians. In 2014, it was connected to the death of a Canadian citizen, Howie Rothman. In late August this year, the PLFB is alleged to have murdered an Israeli teenager.
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