Politics This Morning: Unanimous support for NDP motion calling on Ottawa to drop legal battles against First Nations kids; ministers abstain

Good Tuesday morning, MPs from all five parties supported NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s opposition motion demanding Ottawa drop its fight in the Federal Court next week, where it will push against the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rulings.on compensation for First Nations children in foster care and the expansion of Jordan's Principle to children who live off reserves, as reported by The Canadian Press. It passed 271-0, according to the wire service, with Liberal cabinet members at the hybrid sitting abstaining from the vote alongside and some backbench Grit MPs. Assembly of First Nations, Chief Perry Bellegarde called their silence a “missed opportunity” and said he was “deeply concerned” by the abstentions. In a statement afterward, Mr. Singh made note of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s absence for the non-binding vote and said it’s a sign his government’s legal battles with Indigenous kids will continue. “Indigenous kids and residential school survivors, their families and communities feel betrayed and insulted by Justin Trudeau and his government,” said Mr. Singh in the statement. “They are demanding real action to bring about genuine reconciliation, not just words and symbolic gestures. Also in the House yesterday, Speaker Anthony Rota ruled the conduct of Liberal MP Will Amos, who urinated while on camera late last month during virtual proceedings, constituted a breach of the privileges of his parliamentary colleagues. That image was broadcast internally, not publicly, during a meeting as was the case in April when Mr. Amos appeared naked on camera. He apologized in both cases and after the second instance, stepped back from his parliamentary secretary and committee roles. Mr. Rota said the matter warrants further study by a parliamentary committee, a finding that came after Conservative MP Karen Vecchio raised a question of privilege that Mr. Amos committed an offence against the dignity of the House, per The Canadian Press. Today the prime minister’s national security adviser, Vincent Rigby, is addressing the question of national security challenges in the 21st Century at a 1:30 p.m. Centre for International Governance Innovation event. The intelligence adviser, who was appointed to the post in January 2020, will discuss his role in supporting the government in responding to these challenges, the evolving global threat landscape, the best practices emerging in allied states, and Canada’s response. Mr. Rigby has also served as associate deputy minister of foreign affairs at Global Affairs Canada, associate deputy minister of Public Safety Canada, and sherpa to the prime minister at the G20, supporting three G20 Leaders’ Summits. Mr. Trudeau, meanwhile, is also taking questions today, but from the media at a 12:15 p.m. presser. Also on hand will be Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who is scheduled to join Mr. Trudeau earlier, at 11:45 a.m., for a virtual announcement with Nova Bus, a Quebec-based transit bus manufacturer. Mr. Trudeau is also scheduled to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Late Monday Mr. Trudeau said he was “horrified” by what police believe was a targeted attack in London, Ont., on a Muslim family that left three adults and one teenager dead. Twenty-year-old Nathaniel Veltman has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder and may face terrorism charges, according to CBC News. A child is also seriously injured from the hit and run with a pickup truck. https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1402018499753648130 Mr. Trudeau addressed the Muslim community in his Tweet, condemning Islamophobia as hate that is “insidious and despicable.” Former Conservative cabinet minister and current Alberta Premier Jason Kenney apologized Monday amid growing outrage at a leaked image of the leader on a rooftop patio appearing to flout his province’s COVID-19 public health rules. “We have to set a higher example, a higher threshold of conduct. So I want sincerely to apologize to my colleagues and to Albertans for letting you down for not being more careful to scrupulously follow every aspect of the public health guidelines that we expect of everyone,” he said, per The Edmonton Journal of his maskless meal with other members of his party. There are 14 House committees meeting today, with many at the draft report stage of their respective studies. At 11 a.m., the Status of Women Committee is looking at two draft reports, on women living in rural communities and sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, while the Indigenous Affairs Committee is also doubling up, at the same time, on enforcement on First Nations reserves and food security in northern communities. Also at 11 a.m., the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, which endured a lengthy Liberal filibuster over bringing Mr. Trudeau in to testify on the government’s reasons proroguing Parliament last summer, is now at the draft stage of that report. At 3:30 p.m., the Human Resource Committee is closing up its review of the Employment Insurance Program, and at 5:30 p.m. the Foreign Affairs Committee is drafting its conclusions on Canada’s granting of arms export permits, focusing on those headed for Turkey. Finally, at 6:30 p.m. the Transport Committee is completing its assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation sector. The House of Commons’ law clerk, Philippe Dufresne, is before the Finance Committee at 5 p.m. to address the Canada Revenue Agency’s Efforts to Combat Tax Avoidance and Evasion. Over in the Senate, there are two committees meeting: the Energy Committee at 9 a.m. to deal with the net-zero emissions bill, and at 9:30 a.m. the National Finance Committee is dealing with the supplementary estimates. At 10 a.m., the Canadian International Council’s Victoria branch is hosting a webinar on Canada-Brazil relations, asking: where to and what next? To answer these questions, the council has brought in Jennifer May, Canada’s ambassador to Brazil, and Jean Daudelin, a Latin America expert and associate professor at Carleton University. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Unanimous support for NDP motion calling on Ottawa to drop legal battles against First Nations kids; ministers abstain

Plus, the prime minister’s national security adviser is headlining a chat about his role, the challenges amid an evolving global threat landscape, and Canada’s response.

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Follow us

Advertise

subscribe

get help

Get free news updates

Submit a guest opinion article

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Unanimous support for NDP motion calling on Ottawa to drop legal battles against First Nations kids; ministers abstain

Plus, the prime minister’s national security adviser is headlining a chat about his role, the challenges amid an evolving global threat landscape, and Canada’s response.

Become a Political Insider