The full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada is top of mind for some First Nations leaders in B.C. as federal election campaigns are underway. 

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André Valois knew Denise Boucher was the woman for him when she showed up at a poker party, slammed a gun down on the table and said, “Okay, let’s play!”

“We played and I fell in love,” Mr. Valois said. “She won all night long.”

As the P.E.I. Legislature resumed for its spring sitting on Wednesday, the Leader of the Opposition questioned the Progressive Conservative government's preparedness to deal with the threat of U.S. tariffs. 

Yet another area of low pressure will bring rain and snow across the Island and southern Labrador on Thursday. The heaviest snow will fly over central and western Newfoundland, while rain will fall in the southeast. The weather improves late Thursday night as the low departs. Get more details in Wednesday’s forecast from the NTV Evening News Hour!

Most federal ridings in the province have changed since the last election. A population boom has led to votes being redistributed across the province, which means some candidates are running in untested seats, and voters will need to do their homework. Taryn Grant has the story.

Robotic-assisted surgery could soon be offered in Newfoundland and Labrador. Doctors say it will be a game-changer for patients and surgeons in the province.

NTV’s Beth Penney has more.

While Pierre Poilievre promises to “champion workers” and “work with our unions,” the leader of the Conservatives is also receiving endorsements from anti-union “open shop” lobbying firms.

Poilievre, who recently criticized Liberal candidate Mark Carney over Brookfield Asset Management’s alleged “union-busting” and “anti-union activity” while Carney was board chairman, was also endorsed by the anti-union group Merit Canada a few weeks ago.

Merit Canada, which represents non-union employers in the construction sector, announced their endorsement of Pierre Poilievre. Two other provincial open shop organizations (the Independent Contractors and Businesses Associations of British Columbia and Alberta) endorsed Poilievre in January.

Merit Canada, which bills itself as the “national voice of Canada’s six provincial open shop construction associations,” represents open shop construction companies and describes its mission as ensuring “open shop construction workers have the ability to work in their chosen trade, without forced affiliation with a labour union.”

“Open shop” refers to workplaces where workers can opt-out of joining or financially supporting a union.

Both Merit Canada and Merit Ontario, one of the organization’s provincial sister organizations, have maintained close ties to Canadian conservative parties.

Michael Gallardo, Merit Ontario’s president and CEO, was appointed to the Ford government’s Skilled Trades Council in 2022, where he was paid over $250,000 per year.

According to a press release announcing Merit Ontario’s endorsement of Doug Ford in the 2025 provincial election, the organization has received over $23 million through the Skills Development Fund for their training courses since Ford was elected as Premier in 2018, while eight Merit affiliate members have received more than $43 million to “help more people connect” with training.

Gallardo praised Ford’s investments in infrastructure projects and skilled trades training while “cutting red tape.”

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Merit has also lobbied to make it harder for construction workers to organize unions.

According to lobbying records for Ontario’s Office of the Integrity Commissioner, Merit Ontario lobbied the provincial government as recently as August 2024, pushing for mandated secret ballot elections during unionization efforts and the removal of restrictions that limit the ability of non-union contractors to bid on publicly funded infrastructure projects.

So far in 2025, Merit Ontario has already lobbied seven federal government agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Canada and the House of Commons.

Merit was represented by lobbyist Terrance Oakey, a former president of Merit Canada, and his boutique research, marketing and advocacy firm, One Persuasion. Oakey is a founding partner of One Persuasion alongside Hamish Marshall, one of the founding directors of Rebel Media and Andrew Scheer’s campaign manager during the 2019 election.

Office of the Integrity Commissioner

On the ‘Advocacy’ page of One Persuasion’s website, the firm boasts of working for Pierre Poilievre during the 2022 Conservative leadership race, as well as with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, to “connect, mobilize and win.”

“The next Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, just gave you the roadmap to approaching his government, and you don’t have long to figure out how to navigate it,” reads a passage on the One Persuasion website.

In 2016, when Oakey was still president of Merit Canada, he co-chaired and handled corporate fundraising for the then-Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown’s biggest annual fundraiser.

During the Harper-era, Merit Canada was one of the most active corporate lobbyists in the Prime Minister’s Office. Oakey regularly met with Conservative MPs like Russ Hiebert and the Prime Minister’s senior staff members to push forward Hiebert’s Bill C-377, which sought “financial transparency” by forcing unions to disclose any payment exceeding $5000, including salaries, benefits and pensions.

Critics of the bill, including the Canadian Bar Association, pointed out that surrendering financial statements could risk violating workers’ privacy and be unconstitutional.

Poilievre was a prominent supporter of the bill, and also called for legislation that would make union dues optional, a cornerstone of “right-to-work” laws that undermine the collective bargaining process.

“I am the first federal politician to make a dedicated push towards this goal,” said Poilievre about introducing right-to-work legislation.

The close relationship and frequent closed-door meetings between Merit Canada and the Conservative Party were widely criticized at the time.

“Now we’re wondering who is actually writing this bill,” then-NDP labour critic Alexandre Boulerice said. “Is it Hiebert? The Prime Minister’s Office? Or even Merit?”

Harper’s Conservatives used their senate majority to pass the bill in 2015, but it was repealed by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government in 2017.

Despite Poilievre’s close ties to anti-union lobbyists like Merit, he has promoted himself as a friend to the working class throughout his time as leader of the Conservative Party, frequently taking photos with union workers across the province.

But some labour leaders say he has no proven experience of standing up for workers.

“Pierre Poilievre has never worked on a factory floor, never run a business, never held corporate interests accountable. How can he negotiate with Trump when he has no experience of getting things done for Canadians?” said Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, in a statement announcing the Workers Together platform.

The post Anti-Union Lobby Groups are Endorsing Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives appeared first on PressProgress.

The province’s nurses union is once again calling for more to be done to protect their members against workplace violence, harassment and injuries. As NTV’s Ryan Harding reports, this time, the call is going out to anyone who will listen.

It’s been six weeks since the grounding of a large cargo ship near Lark Habour and crews continue to work on removing it. 

It’s a complex salvage job, but today, an update on the progress. NTV’s Jodi Cooke has this report.

Police say another dangerous drug is making the rounds in this province and is responsible for at least one recent death on the Northeast Avalon. NTV’s Marykate O’Neill has the details. 

Unions representing London's public school teachers say the Thames Valley District School Board's (TVDSB) move to cut almost 60 positions shows that school boards need more provincial funding.

U.S. President Donald Trump is dealing another tariff blow to Canada, signing an executive order on Wednesday that will hit all non-U.S. made autos with hefty import levies.

Regina police charged a 26-year-old man and a 16-year-old female after a firearms incident on Tuesday Officers responded to a business on Hamilton Street at around 10:20 a.m. , where they found EMS treating a man for a gunshot wound .

British Columbia’s former chief coroner says a new study linking safer supply and decriminalization to a rise in opioid overdose hospitalizations doesn’t provide the full picture on the effectiveness of the province’s drug policies.

Lisa Lapointe, who retired from the post last year, says the study published in JAMA Health Forum on Friday used data up to the end of 2023 and did not capture the “significant” decrease in opioid-related deaths in B.C. in 2024 – the lowest rate since 2020.

A group of women in central Newfoundland say they've rediscovered their passion for figure skating and competition by coming together to form an adult skating team.

A federal judge in Alaska on Tuesday ruled the Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel seven oil and gas leases that had been issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

As of June 1, Jean-Pierre Perreault will step into the role of rector at the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), taking the helm at a time of uncertainty and ambition for one of Quebec’s largest universities. In an interview conducted on Mar. 25—just hours before the release of the provincial budget—Perreault expressed pride in the appointment and outlined a bold vision for the university’s future, while acknowledging the challenges ahead.

“I’m very proud,” he said. “We will have a wind in the face based on many decisions outside, but I’m excited to take this position.” His election was confirmed by the university’s board of directors on Mar. 20 following a vote by a 43-member electoral college. That body includes representatives from the administration, unions, part-time lecturers, professors, and students. Perreault won the position with 65 per cent of the vote, defeating two other candidates, including one from the University of Victoria. “It’s a big mandate,” he said. “That’s the confidence of our community.”

According to a related press release, Perreault will be the 11th rector of the university since its founding in 1954, succeeding Pierre Cossette, who has held the position since 2017. A biochemist by training, Perreault earned his doctorate at the Université de Montréal and completed postdoctoral work at Yale before joining the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UdeS in 1993. Over the last three decades, he has served as department director, associate dean, vice-dean, and most recently as vice-rector of research and graduate studies. During his tenure, the university rose to 10th in Canada for research income. He has played a key role in major initiatives, including a graduate scholarship fund of over $25 million, contributions to the national quantum strategy, and the development of the university’s precision health and research facilities.

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L’article New rector of UdeS sets sights on growth, collaboration and student success est apparu en premier sur Sherbrooke Record.

REGINA – The opposition New Democrats shredded the Sask Party government’s budget on Wednesday, in every way.

At a media event at the Legislature, NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon took the printed contents of the 2025-26 budget and in front of the cameras he put them into a shredding machine.

The message from Wotherspoon was that the budget, with its $12 million projected surplus for 2025-26, had failed to take into account the tariff threat from President Donald Trump.

Wotherspoon again pointed to the lack of a dedicated contingency plan in the budget to address the impact — a move Premier Scott Moe and Finance Minister Jim Reiter have resisted on the grounds it would have to be deficit financed.

“We had a budget that was presented last week that denies the realities that we face in this province,” said Wotherspoon.

Wotherspoon said it “doesn’t incorporate or plan for any of the impacts of threats and tariffs on Saskatchewan’s economy, producers or workers… It doesn’t meet the moment, doesn’t reflect the reality that we face, certainly doesn’t focus on the future and really it’s not worth the paper that it’s printed on.”

Wotherspoon noted debate on the budget was still ongoing and a vote on it was planned for Thursday, when the Sask Party majority expects to pass it.

“But really there should be no vote,” Wotherspoon said. “The Premier needs to do the right thing and pull this budget and to send it through the shredder, and ultimately bring forward a budget that’s based on reality, focused on the future, and has the backstop that Saskatchewan people deserve.”

Wotherspoon’s media event came one day after word hit the Legislature that President Trump would be opening up Russian market access to ag and fertilizer, a move directly impacting Saskatchewan industry including potash. It also came on the same day that Trump was set to announce auto tariffs at a news conference at 2 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

When asked about this latest tariff threat Wotherspoon said Trump was “completely out of line.”

“We need to be pushing back in all the effective ways we can, standing together as a country, standing strong as Team Saskatchewan, all hands on deck. It’s completely reprehensible the way he is going about this, aligning with a dictator that’s committing atrocities beyond description while threatening an ally, both us economically as well as our sovereignty. It’s beyond the pale.”

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

In the wake of a record-setting $13.6-billion deficit in the 2025–2026 provincial budget, municipalities across Quebec—including those in the Estrie region—are voicing serious concerns about what they see as a continuing provincial retreat from funding key local infrastructure. The Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ), representing towns and cities across the province, says the government is offloading more responsibilities onto local governments without providing the financial means to match.

“We were frankly surprised,” said Martin Damphousse, president of the UMQ and mayor of Varennes, in a March 26 interview. “It’s a historic deficit, and at the municipal level, we’re forbidden by law from running a deficit at all. The contrast is stark.”

The provincial budget, tabled March 25 by Finance Minister Eric Girard, is shaped by rising trade tensions with the United States and what the government calls a “turbulent economic period.” Despite the economic uncertainty, the province is pushing ahead with major investments in innovation, public services, and infrastructure. The 2025–2035 Québec Infrastructure Plan (QIP) has been raised to $164 billion, up by $11 billion from last year.

But Damphousse says the increase does little for municipalities. “The share going to municipalities is just 4.3 per cent, or $7 billion out of $164 billion,” he noted. “That’s down from 7.5 per cent a few years ago, even though infrastructure deficits and costs have only increased.”

Budget highlights: growth and cuts

According to a series of press releases, the government’s overall approach in Budget 2025–2026 is to weather economic instability through targeted spending while planning to restore balance by 2029–2030. It includes $12.3 billion in new measures over five years to stimulate the economy and support Quebecers. Here’s how some of that breaks down:

Wealth creation and innovation 

A total of $5.4 billion is earmarked over five years to stimulate economic growth. This includes:

– $4.1 billion to help businesses hit by U.S. tariffs, fund export and investment projects, and encourage diversification.

– $604 million to boost innovation through the new research, innovation and commercialization tax credit (CRIC) and other initiatives.

– $759 million to support regional development, including the forestry sector, tourism, critical mineral exploitation, and rural internet connectivity.

Services for Quebecers 

Another $6.8 billion over six years is set aside to improve public services:

– $3.9 billion will go toward healthcare, including funding for frontline care, youth protection, and vaccinations.

– $1.1 billion is allocated to education and youth development, with funds for recreation, sports, and converting childcare spaces into subsidized options.

– $550 million will support vulnerable individuals, including $303 million for housing needs.

– $717 million will promote Quebec culture and identity, and $636 million will fund justice, sustainable development, and road infrastructure.

Tax system overhaul

The government says it has reviewed 170 tax measures and is introducing changes projected to free up $3 billion over five years. Highlights include:

– Replacing outdated tax credits with streamlined systems like the new CRIC.

– Ending electric vehicle toll exemptions by 2027 and introducing an annual road contribution from EV users.

– Eliminating lesser-used or outdated tax breaks to better align with current economic and environmental priorities.

According to Minister Girard, “We are taking action to help our businesses by focusing on their capacity to innovate and on the contribution of our regions.”

Mixed blessings for the Estrie region

For Estrie, some budget measures may bring modest benefits. Notably, $250 million is planned for local road maintenance in 2026–2027. There’s also $94.7 million for the forestry sector over three years—a significant nod to the economic importance of forestry in the region. Housing measures include $228 million over three years for low-rent housing and $175 million over five years to support the accommodation of vulnerable individuals.

But Damphousse says these investments are too little and too late.

“These are over three to five years, often with no funding this year. When you break those amounts down annually, it becomes very small. Meanwhile, our needs are immediate and growing,” he said.

The strain is especially acute when it comes to housing and infrastructure. Municipalities are being asked to contribute land for new schools and adapt their infrastructure to meet climate challenges—costs they can’t afford without more support.

“In Estrie, we’re right next to the U.S. border,” Damphousse pointed out. “With the tightening trade environment and tensions over things like cross-border library services, we’re worried these pressures will get worse.”

He added that municipalities in the region are also being hit hard by increased costs related to policing services.

“In many small communities—including places like Ayer’s Cliff—people are already complaining that SQ services are too expensive and don’t meet expectations,” he said. “Now the government is withdrawing more of its support. That means even higher costs for local governments.”

Fears of property tax hikes

Asked whether the growing financial burden will force municipalities to raise property taxes, Damphousse admitted that pressure is mounting.

“Municipalities always try not to raise taxes—it’s never popular. But as responsibilities increase and services are stretched, it’s harder to avoid,” he said. “We’ve already seen it with rising property valuations. Unfortunately, those increases end up reflected in tax bills.”

With housing costs, homelessness, climate resilience, and service demands all on the rise, local governments say they need more than words of support.

“It’s not just about money—it’s about fairness,” Damphousse said. “We’re expected to deliver more with less, and that’s not sustainable.”

An erosion of local democracy?

In a final note of concern, the UMQ also flagged the government’s decision to eliminate the provincial tax credit for donations to municipal political parties as of January 2026. Damphousse said the change could discourage political participation at the local level.

“It’s a small thing, but it matters,” he said. “Anything that puts a barrier in front of citizen engagement is a step in the wrong direction.”

Call for partnership

In its official statement, the UMQ stressed that municipalities are “critical players” in Quebec’s economic, social and environmental development. The organization is calling for a renewed, stable partnership with the province to ensure regions like Estrie can thrive.

“We need to work together to support the regions and protect the quality of life for Quebecers,” Damphousse concluded. “That starts with recognizing municipalities as full partners—not just service providers.”

While the government continues to frame its budget as forward-thinking and balanced in the long run, municipalities say the current gap between responsibility and funding is becoming unmanageable. Whether the province will respond to their concerns remains to be seen.

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L’article Municipalities feel squeezed as Quebec tables record deficit budget est apparu en premier sur Sherbrooke Record.