National

New Brunswick election called for Sept. 14

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Aug, 2020 07:12 PM

Premier Blaine Higgs has called an election in New Brunswick for Sept. 14.

The province will be the first to go to the polls since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The Tory premier threatened last week to trigger a provincial vote unless opposition parties agreed to keep his minority government in power until 2022 — or until the pandemic was declared over.

Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers walked out of talks aimed at reaching a multi-party power-sharing arrangement Friday, saying they amounted to a power grab by Higgs.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals each have 20 seats in the legislature, while the Greens and the People's Alliance each have three. There are two vacant seats and one Independent.

On Aug. 10, Higgs invited opposition leaders to talks to reach a formal agreement not to trigger an election until September 2022, or no earlier than 30 days after public health officials declare the COVID-19 pandemic over.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

U.S. seals the deal on USMCA, says trade agreement can now take effect July 1

The United States has cleared the way for its long-awaited trade agreement with Canada and Mexico to go into effect July 1. The U.S. notified its North American trading partners today that it has finished the domestic housekeeping work called for in the agreement, a step the other two countries completed earlier this month.

U.S. seals the deal on USMCA, says trade agreement can now take effect July 1

Poultry plant in Coquitlam, B.C., closed by health authority over COVID-19

A poultry processing plant in Coquitlam, B.C., has been closed by Fraser Health after an outbreak of COVID-19 among its workers. The health authority says two workers at the facility operated by Superior Poultry Processors Ltd. have tested positive for the virus and all employees have been screened.

Poultry plant in Coquitlam, B.C., closed by health authority over COVID-19

Expectant mothers to get financial help: Feds

Expectant mothers who have been left out of a key COVID-19 emergency-aid program will receive financial help, and will qualify for federal benefits when they go on maternity leave, says Canada's employment minister. Pregnant women who applied for employment insurance at the outset of the pandemic have found that they weren't automatically transferred over to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit when it became available earlier this month.

Expectant mothers to get financial help: Feds

Trudeau unveils rent relief for small businesses hurt by COVID-19

The federal government is providing rent relief to businesses that can't afford to pay their landlords at a time when their operations are seriously curtailed or shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal help, expected to lower rent by 75 per cent for affected small businesses, will be provided in partnership with the provinces and territories, which have jurisdiction over rents.

Trudeau unveils rent relief for small businesses hurt by COVID-19

Nova Scotia mass shooter had unlicensed guns: police

Police say the man who went on a murderous rampage through five Nova Scotia communities was likely using unlicensed firearms, and investigators are trying find out how he obtained illegal weapons.

Nova Scotia mass shooter had unlicensed guns: police

PM suggests U.S. experience will inform Canada's plan

Canada's federal and provincial governments will be watching closely for teachable moments as jurisdictions in the United States start to lift personal restrictions and reopen businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says. The best way forward will be informed by what works — and also what doesn't — as the U.S. and the rest of the world emerges from the crisis, Trudeau said Thursday during his daily briefing outside the front door of his Rideau Cottage residence.