Â鶹´«Ã½

Politics

    • New guest guidelines circulating after MPs applauded man who fought for Nazis

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    Speaker Greg Fergus is looking to implement new guidelines for recognizing certain guests in the House of Commons, after MPs stood twice to applaud a man without knowing he had fought for a Nazi unit.

    Draft guidelines on the recognition of guests during a joint address of Parliament have been circulated to all House leaders and other officers of Parliament, said Mathieu Gravel, a spokesperson for Fergus.

    "Feedback will be incorporated before the Speaker shares these guidelines with members," he said in a statement.

    House leaders did not provide details of the draft guidelines, and Gravel said he cannot say more at this time.

    Yaroslav Hunka, who fought for the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a voluntary unit created by the Nazis to help fight the Soviet Union, was welcomed to the House of Commons in September to hear a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    Liberal MP Anthony Rota, who invited the 98-year-old Hunka and introduced him as a hero, resigned as Speaker over his decision. Fergus was elected to succeed Rota in October.

    In his apology, Rota said he alone was responsible for the invitation and that neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Ukrainian delegation had been aware of it.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also apologized on behalf of Parliament.

    Senior Canadian politicians called the episode an international embarrassment, while Russia used the controversy to advance propaganda seeking to legitimize its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    Many MPs later expressed their disgust in participating in the House ovation for Hunka, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pushed for hearings to determine how the invitation happened.

    The Conservatives argued the blame should have laid solely with the Prime Minister's Office, saying the government had a responsibility to vet attendees of such a high-profile event for security reasons.

    One of the main functions of the House of Commons is to hold the government to account, said Steven Chaplin, who was senior legal counsel for the House for 12 years.

    "So going to government for anything, the House does it very, very, very reluctantly," Chaplin said.

    The Speaker also has independence from the government when it comes to invitations.

    "Even if (Rota) had gone to the government and they said the (invite) was a bad idea, they couldn't have stopped him," Chaplin said.

    That independence extends to the administration of the House.

    "Even if the sergeant-at-arms and protocol people knew this, all they could do is inform the members, because the members control their own processes, and how to resolve things is up to the House and not the government," Chaplin said.

    The Speaker's independence is enshrined in a memorandum of understanding brought in by the Harper government following the 2014 attack by a gunman who stormed Parliament Hill.

    The calamity prompted the creation of the Parliamentary Protective Service, which is responsible for the physical security of the parliamentary precinct.

    However, the protective service will vet only for security threats, not political sensitivities, said Chaplin.

    A former spokesperson for Rota had said in September that the vetting process for guests who had attended Zelenskyy's address in Parliament was "for physical security threats, not reputational threats."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2023.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

    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

    Debate gets testy as MPs consider confidence motion in PM Trudeau

    MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.

    A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.

    After Ontario Premier Doug Ford made controversial comments about solutions to get people out of homeless encampments, advocates and members of the opposition spoke up on Tuesday.

    Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.

    We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    Canada

    • An advocate organization is calling for an inquiry following the death of a six-year-old boy who went missing in Shamattawa First Nation.

    • Montreal battery fire sparks prevention warning

      The smoke over the Port of Montreal has dissipated, but the fire in a container filled with 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries prompted firefighters to issue a warning about how common these incidents have become.

    • A team at the University of Waterloo are developing a process to 3D-print bones, which could dramatically improve the quality of life for cancer and trauma patients.

    • Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.

    • After Ontario Premier Doug Ford made controversial comments about solutions to get people out of homeless encampments, advocates and members of the opposition spoke up on Tuesday.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A team at the University of Waterloo are developing a process to 3D-print bones, which could dramatically improve the quality of life for cancer and trauma patients.

    • The province has announced a new plan to lower the age for mammogram self-referrals to 40 from 50 in an effort to get more Manitobans screened for breast cancer.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • The Crown's key witness in the sexual assault trial against former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard will take the stand in a northern Ontario courtroom Tuesday afternoon following the judge's instructions to the jury.

    • Drake wasn't around to accept a handful of trophies at the SOCAN Awards on Tuesday, but the rapper's presence was still looming large at the celebration of Canadian songwriters.

    Business

    • Metro Vancouver grain terminal workers are now on strike, bringing tens of millions of dollars of exports to a standstill.

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    Local Spotlight

    Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

    An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

    Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

    Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

    A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

    A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

    Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    • Less than one month before voters cast their ballots in the provincial election, a new poll of British Columbians shows half of respondents fear for their safety in their own communities.

    • A new report from Re/Max shows it's becoming increasingly unrealistic for most people to buy a detached home in Metro Vancouver.

    • Jericho Pier has been closed to the public since a storm battered it in January 2022 – but now, the Vancouver Park Board has approved a plan to repair it at a cost of $1 million.

    • Ontario's ministry of education is now officially investigating a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) field trip at an Indigenous rights rally students participated in, where pro-Palestinian slogans were later chanted.

    • A woman fatally struck in a collision in The Junction neighbourhood on Monday evening is being remembered as a 'wonderful and beautiful person' who was a beloved member of Toronto's jazz community.

    • An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

    • Alberta's premier wants to reinforce the ability to choose whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedures through changes to the province's Bill of Rights.

    • In-street signs meant to slow drivers down and keep pedestrians safe are having to be replaced at a rapid rate in Calgary because they're being hit by vehicles.

    • A Calgary man is facing child pornography charges after an investigation uncovered years of messages exchanged with an alleged felon.

    • Ottawa police say two people under the age of 18 have been arrested following an incident that prompted a lockdown at Glebe Collegiate Institute around the noon hour Tuesday.

    • After Ontario Premier Doug Ford made controversial comments about solutions to get people out of homeless encampments, advocates and members of the opposition spoke up on Tuesday.

    • Ottawa Community Housing has announced a new development downtown, which in its first phase will see 336 new affordable homes – and that plan is only the beginning.

    • The heat is rising for Quebec Premier François Legault as opposition parties demand answers about his government's investment in the planned Northvolt battery factory near Montreal.

    • Quebec's language watchdog received a record number of complaints from citizens last year and carried out an increasing number of inspections on employers.

    • Quebec's minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit says northern communities can't opt out of paying their electricity bills.

    • Local leaders are echoing concerns about doctor shortages as the organization representing Alberta's doctors warns nearly half of the physicians surveyed are considering leaving the province within five years.

    • One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a Valley Line Southeast LRT train and a semi Tuesday morning.

    • While Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff still have two weeks of training camp to decide who stays and who goes to cement the 23-man roster for opening night, onlookers saw what could well be the makeup of the squad come Oct. 9's home game against the Winnipeg Jets.

    • As temperatures cool down, the Halifax Regional Municipality is serving eviction notices to residents at one of the city’s larger tent encampments.

    • Questions are being raised over the use of body cameras in stores as a way to combat crime.

    • Antigonish County District RCMP is trying to track down a man wanted on a provincewide arrest warrant for sexual assault in Nova Scotia.

    • An advocate organization is calling for an inquiry following the death of a six-year-old boy who went missing in Shamattawa First Nation.

    • An MLA recently kicked out of the NDP caucus says he is setting the record straight about a controversial handshake between PC MLA Obby Khan and Premier Wab Kinew.

    • Summer officially gave way to autumn on Sunday, but Winnipeg’s construction season is far from over with work continuing on regional roadways and residential streets.

    • Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been deployed following a fatal officer-involved shooting on Fishing Lake First Nation.

    • An appeal hearing stemming from a court challenge of the Government of Saskatchewan's Parents' Bill of Rights has come to a close.

    • A new program is expanding the capacity of breast cancer screening services across Saskatchewan, and a fundraising campaign is underway to get it done. This all comes as age requirement have been lowered for mammogram screening starting in the new year.

    • A reward of up to $50K has been issued by Waterloo Regional Police for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Joshua Bennett.

    • Newlyweds claim the company they hired to take their wedding photos and videos took off with their precious memories – and their money.

    • Back in July, a plot of land had an immature crop of corn destroyed. It was an action that outraged local farmers. Now, a new report into the matter has been released and will be presented to regional council Wednesday.

    • Saskatchewan’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has been deployed following a fatal officer-involved shooting on Fishing Lake First Nation.

    • The Government of Saskatchewan says a private Christian school, embroiled in abuse allegations, has proved it's met education ministry rules by formally disconnecting from an affiliated church. But, by some indications, connections remain.

    • An appeal hearing stemming from a court challenge of the Government of Saskatchewan's Parents' Bill of Rights has come to a close.

    • We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    • A 49-year-old Sudbury woman who was killed in a tragic collision with a police boat June 7 on Nepewassi Lake was told to remain in a residence on an island until police returned to pick her up.

    • The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    • “I was going to make breakfast, and I put the frying pan on the stove and opened it and remembered I needed something from No Frills,†said Frank Wall, who lives just north of Aylmer, Ont.

    • Protesting for more than an hour in a pouring rain, members of tenants’ advocacy group London ACORN called on city council to strengthen a draft licensing by-law meant to discourage so-called ‘renovictions’.

    • Three construction workers are being praised for their actions that police in Barrie say likely prevented an armed man from fleeing before being taken into custody.

    • Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.

    • An Uber driver was handed a 12-month driving ban on Tuesday following a collision that injured a pedestrian and killed a labrador retriever in Barrie.

    • A person from Windsor has died in a collision on Highway 59 in Oxford County.

    • A road in Essex County has reopened following a multi-vehicle crash. According to OPP, County Road 20 had been closed between Iler road and McCormick Road in Harrow.

    • Amherstburg town council has given the go-ahead for restoration proposals for the Belle Vue National Historic Site.

    • A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.

    • Less than one month before voters cast their ballots in the provincial election, a new poll of British Columbians shows half of respondents fear for their safety in their own communities.

    • A boater was rescued on Monday evening after spending three hours in the frigid waters off Vancouver Island.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • Dozens of police officers and support workers have come to Lethbridge for the Social Disorder and Urban Crime Conference.

    • Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

    • To make higher education an easier step to take for Indigenous students, the University of Lethbridge is dropping some fees for those applicants.

    • A 25-year-old suspect was charged with impaired driving Sept. 21 after police spotted two people without helmets on an ATV on Sand Bay Road in Goulais River.

    • A federal offender who was last seen in Sudbury is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for allegedly breaching his statutory release conditions.

    • The Crown's key witness in the sexual assault trial against former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard will take the stand in a northern Ontario courtroom Tuesday afternoon following the judge's instructions to the jury.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½