A bombshell resignation by  Chrystia Freeland has turbocharged the likelihood we’re witnessing the final days of Justin Trudeau’s Prime Ministership. Plus the BC NDP and Greens sign a new confidence and supply agreement. We also get a peak  at the province and country’s finances. And another byelection goes badly for the Liberals.

Links

• Sean Fraser to leave federal cabinet as PMO pushes to add Mark Carney | CBC News
• Trudeau says he won’t quit but will reflect on events in wake of Freeland’s resignation – The Globe and Mail
• Chrystia Freeland’s letter
• Dominic LeBlanc sworn in as finance minister in wake of Chrystia Freeland’s exit – The Globe and Mail
• ‘Why would I box myself in?’: Singh on why he won’t commit to helping bring Trudeau’s gov’t down, yet
• Premier’s statement on agreement with BC Greens
• Agreement in Principle [pdf]
• Fairy Creek closer to permanent protection | The Narwhal
• BC fiscal update
• B.C.’s projected deficit grows again to $9.4 billion in latest fiscal update | CBC News
•  2024 Fall Economic Statement: “Reducing Everyday Costs and Raising Wages” 
• First Nations leaders blast feds for attributing deficit overrun to Indigenous legal claims | CBC News 
• Election Night Results – Electoral Districts

Tensions in the BC Conservative caucus spills out into public view. Plus a round up of BC politics stories and the latest from Ottawa on the GST holiday and the long delayed fiscal update.

Links

• Rift in B.C. Conservative caucus deepens as MLA defies party leader | CBC News
• BC Conservative MLA accused of being a Manchurian candidate, Rustad defends free speech amongst caucus
• Canadian premiers urge strong response to Trump tariff threat, minister says | Reuters
• Eby says ‘nothing’s off the table’ in responding to Trump’s tariff threats
• Premier David Eby vows accountability after Small Business BC bankruptcy
• Small Business BC files for bankruptcy
• B.C. announces 9 new wind projects to power equivalent of 500,000 homes | CBC News
• Wind energy in B.C. now exempt from environmental assessment | The Narwhal
•  Trudeau’s office at odds with Finance Minister Freeland over GST holiday, $250 cheques, sources say – The Globe and Mail
• Trudeau makes fresh bid to recruit Mark Carney amid tensions with Freeland – The Globe and Mail
• GST holiday would cost Ottawa $2.7-billion if provinces with HST asked for compensation, PBO says – The Globe and Mail
•  The GST/HST holiday begins Saturday | CBC News
• 2024 Fall Economic Statement: Making it easier for homeowners to build secondary suites – Canada.ca
• Freeland doesn’t commit to meeting her own deficit target in fall economic statement – Lacombe Express

Health issues for NDP MLAs and MPs. Polling suggests the GST holiday lands with a thud. Foreign interference in the Conservative Party. Trudeau meets with Trump and looks at further immigration and gun control reforms.

Links

• Children and Family Development Minister Grace Lore steps down to undergo cancer treatment | CBC News
• NDP MP Randall Garrison to step down due to health reasons – The Globe and Mail  
• Canadian Politics: December 2024 – Leger
• Agents of Indian government interfered in Patrick Brown’s Conservative leadership campaign: sources | CBC News
• Patrick Brown says Indian diplomat made an ‘angry’ call to his Conservative campaign chair | CBC News
• So how did Trudeau and Trump’s dinner meeting go? Here’s what we know | CBC News
• Canada promised helicopters, more border security in a bid to get Trump to walk back tariff plan – The Globe and Mail
• Poilievre calls for asylum seeker cap, border plan as U.S. tariff threat looms
• Provinces support defense spending call
• Ottawa plans clamp down on foreign jobs-for-sale scam, and asylum reforms – The Globe and Mail
• Immigration minister says private refugee sponsorship pause an ‘unfortunate reality’ – The Globe and Mail
• Canada pulls refugee welcome mat, launches ads warning asylum claims hard | Reuters
• Liberal government adds hundreds of firearm models to list of banned weapons | CBC News
• Trudeau government adds hundreds more assault-style weapons to its gun ban

David Eby’s new cabinet is sworn in. John Rustad bestows opposition roles. But the legislature won’t meet till February. Federally, we have a GST holiday and $250 gift from Trudeau, if Singh will agree to the terms. And Trump threatens Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on everything.

Links

• New Chief of staff
• New cabinet ready to deliver on the priorities of British Columbians
• All NDP MLAs receive a new title, and all but one get a raise
• BC Conservative shadow cabinet revealed | Radio NL – Kamloops News
• New Abbotsford West MLA remains on school board
• Van Popta to juggle duties as MLA, and Langley Township councillor
• Dropped candidate Damon Scrase now caucus comms staffer 
• B.C. legislature won’t sit until February, as fall sitting scrapped | Globalnews.ca
• Boissonnault out of cabinet after shifting claims about Indigenous heritage | CBC News
• Liberal candidate in B.C. byelection seeks Métis membership after identity questioned
• Government tables legislation to put more money in your pocket – Canada.ca
• Trudeau government to send $250 cheques to most people, slash GST on some goods | CBC News
• Liberals table GST holiday legislation, putting $250 rebate on backburner
• Trudeau holiday relief package in peril? NDP want changes, as House stalemate persists
• Freeland says the two-month GST holiday is meant to tackle the ‘vibecession’
• Rob Shaw: B.C. facing calls to match GST exemption with PST holiday break
• Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI raise concerns about compensation for lost tax revenue after Trudeau’s GST cut – The Globe and Mail
• 2 premiers ask Ottawa to cover provincial cost of proposed tax holiday | CBC News
• Trudeau meets with the premiers as Trump ramps up his threats against Canada | CBC News
• Trump, Sheinbaum discuss migration in Mexico amid tariff threat
• Nova Scotia PCs secure supermajority government with re-election win | CBC News
• Impact of the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan on Canada’s Housing Gap
• Elections chief proposes rule changes to discourage ‘longest ballot’ protests | CBC News

We remember John Horgan, look back at the final judicial recount results and preview an upcoming federal byelection. Plus labour strife for Trudeau, Singh promises to cut the GST on essentials, Liberal & Conservative bickering over housing grants and a cap on oil & gas emissions.

Links

• Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies following battle with cancer | Globalnews.ca
• Surrey-Guildford Judicial Recount Complete | Elections BC
• Kelowna Centre Judicial Recount Complete | Elections BC
• Prince George-Mackenzie Judicial Recount Complete | Elections BC
• Prime Minister announces by-election in Cloverdale—Langley City
• B.C. ports lockout: Union says it will challenge Ottawa’s intervention | Vancouver Sun
• Canada Post workers give 72-hour notice to strike as company warns of financial impact | CBC News
• Canada Post to launch chequing and savings account with Koho – BNN Bloomberg
• Singh’s NDP commits to lower monthly costs by taking the taxes off life’s essentials
• Conservative MPs frustrated after Poilievre bars them from promoting housing fund: sources | CBC News
• Ottawa to require oil, gas companies to cut carbon emissions by one-third – National | Globalnews.ca
• ‘I’m pissed’: Alberta premier, oil and gas industry slam Ottawa’s new emissions cap | Globalnews.ca
• Oil and gas sector greenhouse gas pollution cap – Canada.ca

Image credit: flickr BC Gov Photos

Elections BC is under scrutiny after announcing a missed ballot box and a number of ballots. Not enough to make a difference (as confirmed by the judicial recounts that concluded post-recording). A shakeup in the Premier’s Office. Fundraising shows the Conservatives overtook the NDP in Q3 fundraising.

Federally, Trudeau pivots to address a second Trump presidency and bans TikTok from employing Canadians.

Links

• Statement from the Chief Electoral Officer: Judicial Recount of One Ballot Box in Prince George-Mackenzie, Corrections to Results Reported at Final Count | Elections BC
• Premier pitches all-party election committee after ‘human error’ in B.C. vote count | Globalnews.ca
• Eby, Elections BC promise review after officials nearly left 1,000 ballots uncounted – The Globe and Mail
• Judicial recounts underway in tightly contested B.C. election ridings | CBC News
• Chief of staff to transition out of role, supporting new leadership transition
• Premier’s new cabinet will be sworn in Nov. 18
• 2024 Third Quarter Interim Financial Reports Available | Elections BC
• Prime Minister re-establishes the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations
• As PBO says NATO target plan is off, here’s why it matters to the military – National | Globalnews.ca
• The Fiscal Implications of Meeting the NATO Military Spending Target
• Government of Canada orders the wind up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act
• Trudeau government bans TikTok from operating in Canada — but Canadians can still use it | CBC News
• List of 900 alleged Nazi war criminals won’t be released by Ottawa – The Globe and Mail
• Trump is back. It won’t help Trudeau. | Canada’s National Observer

Pending two judicial recounts, the NDP clinched Surrey-Guildford in the closest BC election in recent history. Now all eyes turn to who will be speaker and how functional a one seat majority really is. New Brunswick proves the strength of anti-incumbency vibes, while Saskatchewan proves the polls can still fail. Trudeau fights off an internal coup and dissatisfaction from the Bloc.

Links

• Feds spent nearly $2M to produce podcasts: documents | Toronto Sun
• David Eby and BC NDP set to form majority government in B.C.
• Who will be speaker of the legislature amid razor-thin BC NDP majority government? – BC | Globalnews.ca
• The counting still isn’t done in B.C.’s election. Here’s what happens next | CBC News
• B.C. will keep its commitment to scrap consumer carbon tax, provide involuntary care: Eby | Globalnews.ca
• BC Conservative Leader John Rustad to speak following final election results
• Liberals win majority in N.B., Holt becomes first female premier
• NDP picks up 4 new projected seats, Sask. Party gets 1, after early mail-in vote count | CBC News
• Trudeau hits date set by Liberal MPs to respond to caucus letter – National | Globalnews.ca
• Some Liberal MPs issue a deadline to Trudeau: make up your mind to stay or go by Oct. 28 | CBC News
• Bloc Québécois drops support of minority Liberal government, but NDP quiet on its future plans – The Globe and Mail
• Singh won’t bring down government
• More than half of Canadians unaware of Parliament gridlock: poll – National | Globalnews.ca
• Poilievre pledges to remove GST from purchase of new homes sold for under $1M | CBC News
• Federal government going ahead with high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto | CBC News
• How high-speed rail would change Ontario and Quebec — if it actually happens | CBC News
• 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan – Canada.ca

Well, we’re waiting on the results again. Ian and Scott break down what we know so far, what went right and more what went wrong with each campaign.

Links

• Preliminary Results | Elections BC
• Update on Recounts, Final Count | Elections BC
• Meet the Extreme, Far-Right BC Conservative Candidates Who Are Now Legislators Following BC’s Wild Election
• BC’s Legislature Hits Gender Parity | The Tyee 

and the stuff we didn’t really have time for

• Susan Holt leads Liberals to majority, Blaine Higgs loses seat | CBC News
• Early voting starts in provincial election – SwiftCurrentOnline.com
• Saskatchewan polling
• Mainstreet predictions re Saskatchewan
• Some Liberal MPs issue a deadline to Trudeau: make up your mind to stay or go by Oct. 28 | CBC News
• Voting to topple the government not out of the question, says Liberal MP Ken McDonald | CBC News
• Foreign interference hearing closes with partisan jabs and policy points | CBC News
• Trudeau accuses India of supporting violent crimes in Canada | CBC News
• Trudeau tells inquiry some Conservative parliamentarians are involved in foreign interference | CBC News
• New immigration plan aims to stabilize population growth, housing market: minister | CBC News
• Government of Canada reduces immigration

Record-setting advance voting but who knows what that means for final turnout. The NDP last-ditch lawsuit flops. BC United rises from the dead, the Conservatives have a platform – and so do the Greens. Go vote on Saturday if you haven’t yet.

Links

• Advance vote numbers
• Judge denies NDP hearing to force Conservative Party to use ‘B.C.’ | Vancouver Sun
• BC United hosts a party
• BC Conservative platform
• BC Conservative costing document
• Draft education policy mix up
• Chip Wilson: B.C. NDP is killing ‘incentive’ by giving voters handouts | Vancouver Sun
• David Eby responds to Chip Wilson’s criticisms: John Rustad would ‘side with’ billionaires
•  2024 BC Green Party Platform – Putting People First 
• Karin Kirkpatrick endorsements
• RCMP investigate ‘disturbing’ vandalism of NDP candidate’s sign | CBC News

The big televised debate has come and we break down how it went, who did well (Furstenau) and who did bad (Rustad). Following that, we’ve had another dump of opposition research, almost entirely targeted South Surrey Conservative candidate Brent Chapman. It hasn’t moved the polls yet, but maybe things are shifting (if we squint)? And a roundup of announcements that do not include a costed Conservative platform (just a few more days, they promise).

Links

• Go to Elections BC and find out where to vote!
• Jen St Denis gets shut down by BC Conservatives
• Conservatives censor reporter questions
• Opinion: In the B.C. leaders’ debate, Rustad failed to reverse the NDP’s momentum – The Globe and Mail (Gary Mason)
• Rob Shaw: Rustad’s cadaverous debate performance may be enough to stall surging Conservatives (Rob Shaw) 
• John Rustad failed to deliver in leaders’ debate, faces uphill battle | Vancouver Sun (Vaughan Palmer)
• Rustad changes story on fatal overdose coroner had no record of | CBC News
• Jas Johal oppo dump on Brent Chapman
• Brent Chapman is sorry
• BC Conservative Candidate Called For ‘Boycott’ of Air Canada to Stop Airlifts Rescuing Syrian Refugees
• BC Conservative Candidate’s Campaign Shared Graphic Comparing Public Health Policies to Nazi Holocaust (this one came out after recording
• BC Conservatives Under Fire Over Spokesperson Known for Insults, Slurs and Online Abuse
• Kareem Allam joins the BCNDP
• Mark Marissen on the NDP
• Diamond Isinger votes NDP
• Gordon Campbell: In this election, your vote will make a difference – Victoria Times Colonist
• Mario Canseco: British Columbians rank B.C.’s best and worst premiers – Business in Vancouver
• Second anti-Eby sign defaced outside billionaire Chip Wilson’s mansion | CTV News
• John Rustad throws Chip Wilson under the bus
• Mark Ruffalo praises the Greens
• Hundreds of B.C. ‘where to vote’ cards sent out with wrong address, Elections BC says
• BC NDP trying to get ‘BC’ added to Conservative – Victoria Times Colonist

NDP announcements

• Emphasizing the education plan with mental health counsellors in every school and EAs in every K-3 class
• Public safety announcement

Conservative announcements

• Tech – Announcement /backgrounder
• Ferries – Announcement / Backgrounder
• Overdose and Mental Health – Announcement / Backgrounder 1 / Backgrounder
• Public Safety – Announcement / Backgrounder

Green announcements

• Expanding ‘The Village’ model of transition housing