鶹ý

Politics

    • Most Canadians support expansion of Old Age Security benefits: Nanos survey

    Share

    Amid new polling indicating most Canadians support boosting Old Age Security (OAS) benefits by 10 per cent for seniors aged 65 to 74, a former Liberal finance minister and former Bank of Canada governor are warning the government not to pursue the policy change.

    According to a new conducted for 鶹ý, more than 3 in 4 Canadians support or somewhat support the increase, with support strong across the country, across gender and age groups.

    The push to increase OAS is one of two key demands from the Bloc Québécois to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government.

    Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet has given the government until Oct. 29 to help enact a pair of private members’ bills – one of which proposes a 10 per cent increase to OAS for seniors ages 65 to 74 – or risk an election before the new year.

    Earlier this week, the Bloc used its one opposition day of the fall sitting to present, and later pass, a symbolic motion on its OAS bill that asked for the government to "take the necessary steps to ensure that a royal recommendation is granted as soon as possible.”

    Despite the political pressure, a pair of former economic heavyweights told 鶹ý Channel's Power Play host Vassy Kapelos that the federal government can't afford to enact the expansion.

    "It's really bad policy," said former Liberal finance minister John Manley. "This is not something that should be done on a universal basis. Meeting people's needs, especially the elderly, that's very important. But understand this is not targeted to those who need it. This is universal. It's a bad idea. It's too expensive. There are many other priorities that the government needs to address well before this one."

    Former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge agreed. "This is bad economics."

    "The last thing that we need to be spending money on at this point in time is boosting consumption for relatively well-off people," Dodge said. "It's just terrible policy, both on economic grounds, but on social grounds as well. This is the most favoured generation."

    While most Liberal MPs voted against the Bloc's pension play – expressing concerns about the cost on the precedent of the potential program expansion – the proposal was supported by Conservative, New Democrat and Green MPs, as well as a handful of Liberal backbenchers.

    The vote was non-binding, meaning the federal government does not have to act on it.

    After the vote, Blanchet said if the Liberals think they'll get any more time on its ultimatum, .

    "They have until a few days from now to go on with the royal recommendation. And if they do not, we will start as rapidly as next week to speak with other opposition parties in order to get ready to go into an election," Blanchet said.

    In an interview on CTV Power Play on Wednesday, Government House Leader Karina Gould wouldn't rule out that the Liberals are still trying to find a path forward with the Bloc.

    "I don't negotiate in public, and I don't talk about those conversations, but I can say, and I think our government has demonstrated that when it comes to good ideas to support Canadians… We are there for Canadians," she said. "We are open to good ideas."

    Asked if given the political dynamics and majority House of Commons and public support for the boost to seniors' benefits that the federal minority government will be pressured to acquiesce, Manley said "polls can say one thing today and a different thing tomorrow."

    "It's foolish for leaders to run to follow anyway, they should be running to lead. And I think the need to give an explanation to people about why this is poor policy is evident by the polling result," he said.

    In an interview with CTV's Power Play last week, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said it may be "a bit tricky" for the federal government to meet its fiscal anchors if it acquiesces to the Bloc’s demand to expand the OAS. Giroux calculates that demand would come with an annual price tag of more than $3 billion, with a total cost of $16.1 billion over five years.

    Last year, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland pledged new fiscal guardrails aimed at limiting spending and deficits.

    Methodology

    The Nanos Research poll randomly surveyed 1,058 Canadians aged 18 years or older between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2. Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey. The margin of error for this survey is 3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. 

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted. Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.

    Canada

    • Magna International Inc. says it is conducting a “targeted review” of its records as its founder, Frank Stronach, is facing additional sexual assault charges.

    • Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has requested bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions in Toronto and the prison sentence he received last month.

    • A man charged with first-degree murder in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., doesn't have to sit in the prisoner's box when his trial begins next month, a judge with the Superior Court of Justice has ruled.

    • The River East Transcona School Division has filed a lawsuit against the City of Winnipeg regarding a fire at one of its schools in March 2022.

    • A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted. Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • Hundreds of Saskatchewan nurses and their supporters rallied outside the legislative building on Thursday calling for action to ongoing staffing shortages and hospital overcrowding around the province.

    • An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Eminem is going to be a grandpa

      Rapper Eminem announced that his daughter Hailie Jade, 28, is expecting her first child via a new music video on Thursday for his song 'Temporary,' featuring Skylar Grey.

    • Defence lawyers for Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard suggested a woman accusing him of sexual assault concocted an 'extravagant false story' about the nature of the encounter to gain sympathy and hide her infidelity.

    Business

    • A sign has gone up in front of the most expensive home in B.C. – the waterfront mansion owned by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson – calling the provincial NDP "communist."

    • Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area rose in September as buyers began taking advantage of a more accessible market, said the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board.

    Lifestyle

    • What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    Sports

    Autos

    • A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.

    • Canadian-made Chrysler Grand Caravans have seen sales jump over the third quarter and calendar year. According to FCA Canada, sales were up by 79 per cent this quarter and up 85 per cent for the calendar-year to date.

    Local Spotlight

    The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

    Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

    What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

    New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.

    On Saturday night at her parents’ home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.

    A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

    When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

    A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

    • For more than two months, a Squamish, B.C., man has been leading his community and a local wildlife rescue on a wild goose chase – literally.

    • In the waters off Vancouver Island, the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales is still dwindling.

    • One person is dead after a floatplane carrying three people crashed Wednesday evening in a remote inlet on British Columbia's central coast.

    • The mother of a man who was shot and killed in Etobicoke five years ago is pleading for information that could help solve the case as police announce a new $5,000 award.

    • JUST IN

      JUST IN

      A 13-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a 54-year-old man in Toronto’s west end earlier this week.

    • A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder in connection with the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her mother in Courtice earlier this week.

    • WATCH

      WATCH

      A car ended up on the lawn of a southeast Calgary home on Thursday after police conducted a takedown of a suspect reportedly driving dangerously.

    • Alberta rolled out a new regional model for victim services this week, prompting concerns from Albertans who've utilized the program.

    • A Calgary police officer has been demoted of seniority in rank for a year after filming and sharing a video of him having sex with a fellow officer without her consent, with other members of the Calgary Police Service.

    • A 37-year-old Ottawa business owner is facing charges after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted while applying for a job, according to police.

    • Transit Services General Manager Renée Amilcar says the 21-day trial running period for the north-south Trillium Line LRT will begin Oct. 7, meaning the line could open to the public as soon as mid-November.

    • Ottawa police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in an assault over the summer at an O-Train station.

    • The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has closed three metro stations on the Blue Line — Saint-Michel, Fabre and D'Iberville — indefinitely as a preventive safety measure after discovering major structural issues.

    • A 21-year-old man was found lifeless in Sherbrooke, in the Eastern Townships, on Thursday afternoon.

    • A new study out of Montreal's Concordia University found that, if policies and trends remain unchanged, a two-bedroom in Montreal will cost $4,325 per month, a similar unit in Toronto will cost $5,600 and one in Vancouver will be around $7,750 within eight years.

    • An Edmonton hot tub repairman who was the subject of a previous 鶹ý Edmonton report has been charged with fraud.

    • Police started searching a rural property north of Edmonton on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a suspected drug manufacturing lab.

    • A woman has been arrested after a search of a Blackfalds home turned up six guns and more than half a pound of cocaine.

    • Federal fisheries officers in Nova Scotia say they're refusing some enforcement duties because of threats to their safety, as they await Ottawa's response to their complaints.

    • The annual fall vaccines for the flu and COVID are still not available for Nova Scotians.

    • More than a hundred people living in a mobile home park in Summerside, P.E.I., have been told to pay up or move out.

    • Residents of an apartment building remain shaken up following an officer-involved shooting inside Wednesday afternoon that killed an armed man.

    • Small business owners want to see a temporary program that helps combat retail theft be made permanent.

    • A Manitoba politician who was ousted from the NDP caucus is accusing Premier Wab Kinew of lunging at him and grabbing his arm in 2019, when the New Democrats were in Opposition.

    • A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

    • A man has died in hospital from injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle on Monday.

    • Hundreds of Saskatchewan nurses and their supporters rallied outside the legislative building on Thursday calling for action to ongoing staffing shortages and hospital overcrowding around the province.

    • A Cambridge, Ont. father wants answers after his adult son, who has autism, was arrested and charged with assault after an encounter with a jogger.

    • An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    • Property owners in Waterloo could face a fine if their fire alarm isn’t reset within 45 minutes of crews arriving on scene.

    • Staff at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital (RUH) are calling for systemic changes just two days after its emergency room was more than three times above its capacity.

    • The mayor of Loon Lake is appealing to both provincial and federal government leaders for assistance in dealing with rising crime in the village, which has seen an increase in vandalism, theft, and property damage.

    • Staff at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert seized a sizeable load of contraband on Monday, according to the federal correctional service.

    • An Ontario child has died after coming in contact with a rabid bat, a health official confirmed on Wednesday.

    • A fingerprint found on a detergent bottle at the crime scene matched second-degree murder suspect Felicity Altiman, a Sudbury court heard Thursday.

    • A man charged with first-degree murder in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., doesn't have to sit in the prisoner's box when his trial begins next month, a judge with the Superior Court of Justice has ruled.

    • Coun. Sam Trosow admits he can’t be certain if it was a beer or a non-alcohol beer that he can be seen drinking during last week’s council meeting.

    • At least one city councillor has said that she’d like to see the province investigate after a person died following an overdose at London’s safe consumption site Tuesday.

    • The 36th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive kicked off Thursday with the goal of helping young families and children that face food insecurity issues in our community.

    • Governance, leadership, quality of care, operations, and financial performance are all concerns highlighted in a final report from an investigation into Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston.

    • A 62-year-old man has been charged after police received a report about an employee stealing over $60,000 worth of materials from a Huntsville business.

    • Closing submissions are underway on Thursday in the case of a Barrie man on trial for the death of a young mother 30 years ago.

    • Juliana Pannunzio, 20, was killed on Jan. 19, 2021, during a house party in Fort Erie, Ontario.

    • The rabies-related death of a Brantford-area child is highlighting concerns Windsor-Essex health officials flagged following a rise in bat bites.

    • The Downtown Mission is looking to raise $50,000 during its annual 24-hour “Bench Talk” fundraiser, happening now outside its Ouellette Avenue location.

    • One person is dead after a floatplane carrying three people crashed Wednesday evening in a remote inlet on British Columbia's central coast.

    • In the waters off Vancouver Island, the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales is still dwindling.

    • Three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month in Kamloops, B.C., tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, and the city is going to court to have them put down.

    • Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.

    • A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.

    • The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

    • WestJet has changed its operations at the Lethbridge Airport, and it means there's now only a single daily flight from Lethbridge to Calgary, down from three flights a day, as offered previously.

    • Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue has been open about six years and, like many other animal rescues, it has seen a surge in surrenders.

    • It’s almost deadline day for Lethbridge residents interested in becoming members of one of the city’s boards, commissions and committees (BCCs).

    • A man charged with first-degree murder in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., doesn't have to sit in the prisoner's box when his trial begins next month, a judge with the Superior Court of Justice has ruled.

    • After receiving complaints about off-road vehicles, police in Greater Sudbury laid more than a dozen charges in a recent safety blitz.

    • Aiming to bolster public trust and accountability – and help with investigations -- police in Sault Ste. Marie have equipped their vehicles with cameras.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 鶹ý