PC rebels, Liberal opposition seem unsure how to push Higgs on Policy 713
CBC
The uprising against Premier Blaine Higgs last week over Policy 713 was a very New Brunswick rebellion.
There was that remarkable expression of "extreme disappointment" by eight Progressive Conservative MLAs — including six cabinet ministers — who refused to take their seats Thursday morning.
But there was no firm, sustained pressure to force the premier to back down or quit.
The opposition Liberals, meanwhile, seemed unsure how to leverage the turmoil to inflict maximum damage on Higgs or compel him to reverse course.
It's probably a symptom of decades of top-down, leader-driven, party-line governance that elected members of the legislature are so uncertain of the powers they have and the best way to use them.
"Obviously, it was certainly breaking the conventions of the British parliamentary system," Higgs said last week in Question Period of the statement by six ministers and two backbench MLAs.
The premier was right: normally, ministers who disagree with a government policy resign.
But the six ministers breaking ranks last week identified themselves as members of caucus — trying to distinguish between their cabinet jobs and their roles as ordinary MLAs, who have more leeway to disagree.
That's not a distinction our British cabinet system of government normally allows.
There's no rulebook for this in Canada, but the U.K. government has a manual for how cabinet works — and it says decisions are "binding on all members of government" and even if ministers disagree privately, they must maintain "a united front" publicly.
And, it says, they should quit or be removed, "when they are not able to continue to accept collective responsibility" — precisely where the six ministers found themselves Thursday.
Not only did the six not quit, their no-show lasted just two hours. After lunch, they were back in the legislature voting for government legislation.
That indicated that they weren't willing to resign or be fired over Policy 713.
So what other options do they have?
When Premier Tim Houston recently raised the idea of reconsidering the province's ban on uranium exploration, the suggestion may have left some people scratching their heads.
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Paul Hodgson has a couple of reasons to celebrate Family Day — and Black History Month, for that matter.
A year ago, then Gatineau mayor France Bélisle abruptly resigned, citing a hostile political climate. This week she has spoken out, offering more details of her complaints about municipal politics in Quebec.
One man is dead and three others are in police custody after a deadly assault on a Manitoba First Nation.
When Piper sends her son to school every morning, she calls out a similar refrain: "I love you, try your best, I'll be here to pick you up when school is done," hoping he will be safe and supported.
A downtown Edmonton business advocacy group is worried about how a series of planned bridge closures due to construction could impact the city.
Vancouver resident Tara Garofano says she made a dinner reservation on Valentine's Day — not for romance, but to take advantage of the final hours of the federal government's temporary Goods and Services Tax (GST) holiday.
Students at McMaster University in Hamilton are questioning the institution's commitment to the prevention of sexual violence after staffing changes at the office responsible for that work on campus.
Windsor-Essex could see its biggest snowfalls of the year in what Canada's weather agency is calling a "highly impactful" storm.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) is looking into reports of two young cougars that were spotted alone near Canmore this week.
All crew members of the MSC Baltic III have been rescued after their vessel ran aground close to the Lark Harbour shoreline off Newfoundland and Labrador's west coast.
Here's a look at some of the closures, and special events, happening in Thunder Bay on the Family Day weekend:
If you live in or around Toronto, you may want to keep that shovel nearby.