Politics This Morning: Trudeau condemns ‘appalling violence’ after fatal sword attack in Quebec City

Good Monday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the "appalling violence" in Quebec City, where a sword attack believed by police to be "random" left two dead and five others injured on Halloween night. "My and Sophie’s hearts are broken for the loved ones of the victims of this terrible tragedy, and we wish a full recovery to those who have been injured. We are keeping you in our thoughts," he said in a statement. The suspect, a 24-year-old man named Carl Girouard, is in custody and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, according to CBC. He sent condolences to the families of François Duchesne, 56, and Suzanne Clermont, 61. With the U.S. election just a day away, Ottawa is no doubt on tenterhooks over the outcome of the vote. Mr. Trudeau took the step last week, in concert with EU leaders, to register that he's hoping there won't be a repeat of the 2000 election, which took weeks to litigate, and to indicate he and other world leaders will be cautious before issuing their congratulations, especially with the threat of civil unrest hanging over the process. "As we did then, we will follow along carefully without interfering or intervening in well-established processes internal to the United States's democracy," he said. Canada's U.S. ambassador, Kirsten Hillman, said she's prepared for an all-nighter, telling CBC that the government is holding off on issuing a statement unless it's "absolutely clear what the outcome is and Americans have made that decision." Much of the world is bracing for a volatile period after election day, if the election is contested and if U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to delegitimize the integrity of the vote if it doesn't end in his favour. There also concerns that Mr. Trump could declare a victory prematurely if the early returns point in his favour. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is in the clear, testing negative for the virus after the COVID app detected an exposure. As a precaution, she isolated until she got the results, which took about a day to receive. She didn't miss a beat in reminding people to download the app. The first day of the trial against Quebec's Bill 21 begins today, with Ichrak Nourel Hak, a Université de Montréal student who is the plaintiff at the centre of the dispute, is poised to testify first. Ms. Hak, who is studying to be a teacher, would be among those affected by the controversial secularism law that bans some public servants from wearing religious symbols, including hijabs and other head coverings. The province's ban became a point of contention during the 2019 election, with each party pressured to take a stance on whether they would intervene and seek to override the ban. Mr. Trudeau left the door open for federal intervention, but said he'd leave it to the courts first before challenging it. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, meanwhile, has said he doesn't want to trample on Quebec's provincial autonomy, arguing that respecting Quebec's efforts "to protect secularism and the French language" is a priority for him. Ex-finance minister Bill Morneau insisted that he was eyeing an exit from politics long before the WE Charity controversy hounded him, which appeared to make his tenure as a longtime Trudeau cabinet minister untenable. He told CBC that he had be looking to make a career change and was gunning for the secretary-general post at the OECD even before the fallout over his government's decision to partner with WE. "It's always a little bit messy when you leave politics. That's kind of the nature of the sport. There are no rules and you've got to find your way out, but I'm happy to have done it," he said. Mr. Morneau has been campaigning—both in person and over social media—for the organzation's top post. The new head won't be decided until March 2021, or around the one-year anniversary since COVID-19 became a global pandemic. Premiers are pressing the PM to hold a call to discuss federal health transfers. It's been almost two months since Mr. Trudeau said he'd hold a virtual sit-down with his provincial counterparts, but per CP, a date had yet to be set. The bloc wants the government to pony up an additional $28-billion, which would represent a 35 per cent increase. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc suggested the government may not be able to meet their demand, noting the strain on the public finances due to the pandemic. In scheduled committee meetings, a cancelled appearance by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki is back on the books at 6:30 p.m. The two, along with a handful of other witnesses, were supposed to testify before the SECU committee, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute. Both are likely to face a grilling over their mandates and handling of the lobster dispute in Nova Scotia, among other issues. The feds have been accused of inflaming the situation by some Indigenous leaders, with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs alleging that Fisheries and Oceans Department could be planning to confiscate the gear and traps of lobster fishers in the province, per The Canadian Press. The departmental spokesperson did not comment on the allegations. The dispute will be the subject of discussion at the Fisheries Committee, which is scheduled to meet at 3:30 p.m. Witnesses had yet to be named, as of deadline. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is also due to appear before the National Defence Committee at 11 a.m. as part of an ongoing series of meetings on the main estimates. Defence had projected a 6.5 per cent budgetary increase. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau condemns ‘appalling violence’ after fatal sword attack in Quebec City

Plus, ex-finance minister Bill Morneau insists he was eyeing an exit long before the WE Charity controversy hounded him.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau condemns ‘appalling violence’ after fatal sword attack in Quebec City

Plus, ex-finance minister Bill Morneau insists he was eyeing an exit long before the WE Charity controversy hounded him.

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