Jun 5 2019 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Justin Trudeau's Liberals went looking for a donation from an unlikely source — the interim leader of the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois. The unusual pitch — a Liberal Party of Canada letter dated May 2 and signed by the prime minister — came in the mail to Pascal Berube's constituency office in Matane, Que. Berube shared the […]
Jun 3 2019 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — The federal and Quebec governments have announced a $500-million reconstruction project for Canada's longest highway tunnel — the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel linking Montreal to its southern suburbs. "We're bringing Montreal infrastructure into the 21st century," said federal Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, referring also to the new Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge expected to open at the end […]
Mar 18 2019 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — The Quebec government has convened a panel of experts and given it one year to come up with recommendations on improving support for sexual assault and domestic violence victims, who often feel let down by the system. Justice Minister Sonia LeBel was joined by members of Quebec's other main political parties as she announced the committee […]
Mar 13 2019 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — The NDP welcomed a candidate Wednesday who says she is "not that much" of a sovereigntist as it continued a push launched this week to rebuild in Quebec ahead of the federal election. Nima Machouf, a member of the sovereigntist Quebec solidaire provincial party, acknowledged that the NDP has a steep climb ahead of it to recapture the success […]
Jun 28 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Former Parti Quebecois leader Pierre Karl Peladeau said Thursday he'll appeal a decision by the Canada Revenue Agency to deny charitable status to the sovereigntist think-tank he founded. Peladeau and the organization's president, Daniel Turp, accused the federal agency of discriminating against the institute based on politics. In a news conference, Peladeau noted that the Federal Idea, a Quebec-based think-tank […]
Jun 18 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Crane operators disrupted work sites across Quebec on Monday with an illegal strike, according to the provincial agency that enforces construction labour rules. A spokeswoman for Quebec's Construction Commission said the agency was calling on crane operators who've been "strongly encouraged" to stay home as well as construction entrepreneurs to file a complaint. Unions representing Quebec's crane operators aren't pleased that […]
May 25 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — A senior member of Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard's cabinet flatly denied Friday she has begun mobilizing a bid to succeed him as Liberal leader. Dominique Anglade, who is deputy premier as well as economy minister, was quick to quash a report by Bernard Drainville, a former Parti Quebecois cabinet minister who is now a political pundit. Drainville said on Montreal radio station 98.5 FM that several […]
Apr 4 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Former Quebec premier Bernard Landry publicly lent his support Wednesday to the embattled leader of the Bloc Quebecois who is fighting to keep her job after losing 70 per cent of her caucus. Bloc leader Martine Ouellet has strong convictions and is very motivated by the idea of Quebec sovereignty, Landry said in […]
Mar 16 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — The Quebec and federal governments announced Friday the implementation of a new partnership to provide funding for the agriculture and agri-food sector. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and his provincial counterpart, Laurent Lessard, launched the Quebec arm of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership in Montreal. Ottawa will contribute 60 per cent of the $293 million over the next five years, while […]
Jan 24 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Frustrated by the Liberal government's inability to fix the Phoenix pay system, federal civil servants are mobilizing ahead of the 2019 election. "In Quebec, the mobilization is starting," Magali Picard of the Public Service Alliance of Canada said Wednesday. "If the government wants to maintain 40 seats in Quebec, they better fix Phoenix because our people are going to be serious in […]
Jan 17 2018 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Quebec will raise the province's minimum wage to $12 an hour as of May 1, Labour Minister Dominique Vien announced Wednesday. More than 352,000 workers stand to benefit from the 75-cent increase, the largest hike in Quebec history. Vien said in a statement the rise is in line with a four-year plan to have the minimum wage equivalent […]
Nov 17 2017 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — LAVAL, Que. — The fraud and corruption trial of well-known Quebec construction boss Tony Accurso ended abruptly Friday when a judge declared a mistrial because of a stunning revelation by a juror. Quebec Superior Court Justice James Brunton said it was the first time in his 15 years on the bench he'd gone that route, but he told the […]
Oct 10 2017 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Parents opposed to a supervised safe injection site near a Montreal elementary school are ready to go to court in a last-minute effort to stop it from opening. They have hired well-known civil liberties lawyer Julius Grey who said Tuesday he's ready to seek an injunction or another court ruling against the centre if need be. But he is hopeful an agreement can still be worked out before Sunday when the […]
Aug 29 2017 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Airbnb and the Quebec government announced an agreement Tuesday that will see the home-sharing platform begin collecting a lodging tax on short-term rentals in the province as of October. In what Airbnb is calling a first in Canada, the service will automatically collect and remit a 3.5 per cent tax on bookings for stays of under 31 […]
May 18 2017 — Lia Levesque, The Canadian Press — MONTREAL — Almost 40 per cent of Canadians are eating lunch at their desks — a number that reflects increasing workplace pressures as well as shifting attitudes toward meals, says the lead author of a new study gauging the country's eating habits. The survey, which was conducted by Nova Scotia's Dalhousie University, found that 39 per cent of respondents ate at their […]