麻豆传媒

Politics

    • Poilievre disagrees with Conservative MP who opposes same-sex marriage, vows to uphold

    Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
    Share

    Facing scrutiny over comments one of his MPs made, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says if he become prime minister, he will uphold same sex marriage rights, "full stop."

    "Canadians are free to love and marry who they choose. Same sex marriage is legal and it will remain legal when I am prime minister," Poilievre said in a statement sent to 麻豆传媒 on Monday.

    His comment comes amid renewed attention on the Official Opposition's position on LGBTQ2S+ rights after Conservative MP Arnold Viersen recently said on a podcast that he'd "vote gay marriage down," if he could.

    Viersen appeared on an episode of Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith's , where the conversation turned to his views on social conservativism. 

    Viersen, who has represented the Alberta riding of Peace River-Westlock since 2015, said it was "not a lonely fight" within the Conservative caucus on social conservative issues, noting there was "a spectrum on pretty much every issue."

    Over the weekend, after his comments surfaced and of saying "the quiet part out loud," saying his remarks "don't represent the positions of the Leader, nor the policies passed by Conservative Party members themselves."

    Viersen went on to note that the "reality" is the "status quo" will remain under a Poilievre government.

    In his statement, Poilievre said he disagreed with Viersen's "statements and the positions he took on this podcast," noting how the two men also differ on issues such as abortion and marijuana legalization.

    "They do not represent the positions of the Conservative Party, or myself as leader," Poilievre said in his comment to 麻豆传媒.

    "When I am prime minister, no laws or rules will be passed that restrict women's reproductive choices. Period," Poilievre said. "There will also be no change to the legal status of marijuana under a future Conservative government."

    Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005. It was in July of that year that Parliament enacted the Civil Marriage Act, after a years-long push both in the public and through the courts.

    At the time, Poilievre was among the MPs who voted against this bill and its proposal to extend "the legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes to same-sex couples in order to reflect values of tolerance, respect and equality, consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

    In 2023, Poilievre 鈥 whose adoptive father is gay 鈥 distanced himself from a photo taken showing him standing next to a man , indicating he didn't agree with the message.

    Months later, as so-called "parental rights" protests took place across the country and on the lawn of Parliament Hill, The Canadian Press reported that Poilievre's office told his MPs not to post or talk about the demonstrations.

    In recent months, Poilievre has faced criticism 鈥 largely from his progressive opponents 鈥 for siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, and for refusing to say whether he'd campaign on a pair of anti-trans policy resolutions party delegates passed at their latest convention.

    On Monday, Poilievre vowed his intention is to lead a "small government" that lets people make their own decisions "about their love lives, their families, their bodies, their speech, their beliefs and their money."

    His unequivocal comment about same sex marriage also comes just hours after parliamentarians 鈥 including Poilievre's deputy Melissa Lantsman and party-causus liaison Eric Duncan, who are both openly gay 鈥 attended the Pride flag-raising on the Hill. 

    麻豆传媒 has asked Poilievre's office if he'd commit to continuing with the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-initiated tradition of raising the Pride flag to mark the start of Pride month. The office of the leader of the Official Opposition has yet to respond.

    With files from 麻豆传媒' Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos

    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

    Canada

    • A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.

    • Seas of orange shirts have come to represent a growing awareness of Canada's history of oppressing Indigenous Peoples 鈥 but that awareness must translate into more "substantive changes" from the government, according to a B.C. chief.

    • A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.

    Sports

    • Ryan Hunter's athleticism has been on full display since his arrival in the CFL, but the Canadian's versatility is now shining through.

    • Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri tried to lay to rest rumours that he has friction with Edward Rogers, the executive chair of Rogers Communications, Inc.

    Autos

    • 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.

    • A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.

    Local Spotlight

    On Saturday night at her parents鈥 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.

    Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

    Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

    A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

    An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

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

    • A fire in South Vancouver Monday completely destroyed one home and caused damage to two others, according to officials, who said no one was injured in the blaze.

    • The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.

    • The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.

    • One male is dead following a shooting in North York, Toronto police say.

    • Peel police say one person is dead and two others are in hospital following an incident in Mississauga early Tuesday morning.

    • Those earning minimum wage in Ontario will now make more money per hour. The annual wage increase is tied to inflation and jumps to $17.20 per hour on Tuesday, marking a 3.9 per cent increase from the previous rate of $16.55 per hour.

    • On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, hundreds took part in a walk in honour of an Indigenous man who died in police custody two weeks ago.

    • Five people were rushed to hospital after a gas well fire northwest of Calgary Monday afternoon.

    • The Calgary police homicide unit is investigating after two people were found dead in a home in the community of Penbrooke Meadows.

    • The city has implemented a new three item garbage limit on all households that receive curbside collection as part of a plan to reduce the amount of waste heading to the landfill and to help extend the life of the Trail Road Waste Facility until 2049.

    • The stretch of unseasonably warm temperatures continues into October, as the days continue to get shorter.

    • Health Canada has granted a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to one of Lowertown's safe consumption sites that will allow the facility to continue operating.

    • A group of 23 bilingual municipalities in Quebec has asked a Superior Court judge to suspend the application of several portions of the province's 2022 language reform, known as Bill 96. Lawyer Julius Grey says the law will have "enormous consequences" for cities that have the right to serve citizens in both English and French.

    • A 19-year-old man convicted of killing a Montreal teenager outside his school in October 2021 was sentenced to six years on Monday.

    • Several windows were damaged and spray painted with 'Free Gaza' during a protest at Concordia University Sunday night, Montreal police say.

    • A pair of city events held on Monday, among several others in the region, helped residents mark the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.

    • Thousands of Manitoba Hydro customers are without power Monday after strong winds barrelled through parts of the province overnight.

    • Residents in Tadoule Lake, Man., and Churchill can expect to see heavy rain trickle in Sunday afternoon, lingering until Monday evening.

    • Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen touched down in Winnipeg this week, ahead of his lunar mission set to launch in a year鈥檚 time.

    • Premier Scott Moe has confirmed that the writ will be dropped Tuesday morning 鈥 officially kicking off campaigning prior to the provincial election on Oct. 28.

    • Exclusive polling data collected by 麻豆传媒 in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they鈥檙e familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.

    • With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.

    • Those earning minimum wage in Ontario will now make more money per hour. The annual wage increase is tied to inflation and jumps to $17.20 per hour on Tuesday, marking a 3.9 per cent increase from the previous rate of $16.55 per hour.

    • Communities across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events honouring survivors of residential schools and remembering those who never made it home.

    • An Etobicoke resident was taken to hospital after he told a Guelph Police officer he had been stabbed during Homecoming celebrations near the University of Guelph.

    • Premier Scott Moe has confirmed that the writ will be dropped Tuesday morning 鈥 officially kicking off campaigning prior to the provincial election on Oct. 28.

    • Exclusive polling data collected by 麻豆传媒 in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they鈥檙e familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.

    • With the writ for Saskatchewan's provincial election set to be issued on Tuesday and election day scheduled for Oct. 28, residents have approximately one month to decide which MLA to vote for.

    • Police in Sarnia are investigating after a man was shot in the face and neck several times with a pellet gun. Around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to an apartment building in the 100 block of East Street near Wellington Street for a weapons call.

    • A pair of homes are destroyed on Penhale Avenue in St. Thomas, Ont. after an electrical fire set a garage ablaze Sunday night.

    • Students from three elementary schools in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) were taking part in a day of learning on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

    • A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

    • More than 70 communities nationwide are demand the government take action on climate change.

    • An early Sunday morning fire in Colgan that caused significant damage is under investigation.

    • U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $11,000 US from an inbound American citizen at the Ambassador Bridge.

    • A section of Drouillard Road will close this week for an infrastructure renewal project.

    • The Department of National Defence is warning boaters to avoid a small island southwest of Victoria this week as the military conducts routine, but potentially dangerous, demolition training.

    • The New Democrats are campaigning for another term in British Columbia's provincial election but without many of the familiar faces that have graced lawn signs of elections past.

    • The residential 鈥渟chool鈥 survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day 鈥 and the 鈥淓very Child Matters鈥 movement 鈥 says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.

    • Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.

    • 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.

    • The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.

    • A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.

    • A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.

    • Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that 鈥榓 case is never closed until it is solved,鈥 while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.

    • Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆传媒