Ukrainian Ambassador Yuliya Kovaliv will be heading home this summer. The 40-year-old diplomat has been in Ottawa since 2022.
“Farewell to a friend,” German Ambassador Matthias Lüttenberg posted on X on July 17, noting “Kovaliv will leave Canada over the summer and it was a great honour to say goodbye” at a party for her hosted by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand at Global Affairs Canada. “Yuliya did an outstanding job for Ukraine all over Canada in most difficult times. Dyakuyu!”
Also on social media, Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland thanked Kovaliv for “her exceptional leadership and service. Canada’s support for Ukraine is steadfast and unwavering,” while Japan’s Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi expressed his “deep admiration” for his friend Kovaliv.
Tory MP Jackson boosts petition to curb long ballots
Conservative MP Grant Jackson has backed a petition to help curb activists like the Longest Ballot Committee.
“Long ballots with placeholder names undermine trust,” the rookie MP for Brandon-Souris, Man., posted on X on July 17. “One person should not act as agent for multiple candidates to exploit a loophole. Let’s close it and protect fair elections.”
The upcoming Aug. 18 byelection in Battle River–Crowfoot, Alta., already has 119 candidates listed as running, part of a protest effort organized by the Longest Ballot Committee, which was most recently responsible for the very long ballot—more than 90 candidates—in Carleton, Ont., in the April 28 general election.
“The group says it’s aiming to get ‘somewhere around 200’ candidates on the list,” The Hill Times‘ Eleanor Wand wrote in her July 19 story on the upcoming race in rural Alberta.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to win next month’s byelection, having lost his long-held seat in Carleton, Ont., in April to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. Three-term MP Damien Kurek stepped down from his Battle River–Crowfoot seat so the party leader could have a shot at returning to the House.
“We have to take action because this is a scam. It is unfair, it is unjust, and it must stop,” Poilievre said of the long ballot protests during a town hall in Stettler, Alta., last week, the CBC reported. Jackson’s petition, e-6573 (Democratic process), is open for signatures until Oct. 7. As of July 18, more than 1,120 people had signed it.
Senator Moreau named Red Chamber’s new Govt. Rep
Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped non-affiliated rookie Senator Pierre Moreau as the new government representative in the Senate.
Appointed to the Red Chamber last September, Moreau is a lawyer and experienced politician, having been a Quebec Liberal MNA for 15 years, notably holding cabinet posts in the governments of Jean Charest and later Philippe Couillard (to whom Moreau lost his bid for provincial party leadership in 2013). Moreau’s final cabinet posts included Treasury Board president and energy minister before losing his seat in the 2018 election to CAQ candidate Marie-Chantal Chassé.
Moreau succeeds recently retired Senator Marc Gold as the Government Representative in the Senate.
U.K’s lower voting age inspires hope in Sen. McPhedran
Last week, the United Kingdom lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 years, and a Canadian Senator thinks we should do the same.
Non-affiliated Senator Marilou McPhedran called it a “historic and hopeful step” toward strengthening democratic participation among youth in a July 17 press release.
“The U.K. has acted. The time is now for Canada to follow,” said the Senator from Manitoba. McPhedran has been championing a lower voting age for many years, with her proposed legislation on this issue, S-222, currently sitting at second reading in the Senate.
“We know from the data: when young people vote early, they vote more often, they bring their families and communities with them. It’s how we build a culture of participation,” she said in the release.
“Young people are workers, caregivers, students, and taxpayers. They have a right to a say in the policies that shape their lives,” she added, noting that including younger voters helps to “expand civics education, strengthen democratic resilience, and increase equity in political representation.”
The new voting age will take effect at the U.K.’s next general election, which is scheduled for August 2029.
Four men charged with breaking into MP Hussen’s office in April
Four men were arrested and charged recently for allegedly forcing their way into Liberal MP Ahmed Hussen’s constituency office back in April.
The four Toronto men between the ages of 21 and 41 were separately arrested between July 9 and 11, The Canadian Press reported on July 15.
“The four were part of a demonstration outside an MP’s office in the area of Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue W. on the evening of April 24, Toronto police said. They allege the group made its way into the office and occupied the area, causing staff to fear for their safety,” according to the CP story.
The intersection of Keele and Lawrence Avenue West is within the riding of York South-Weston-Etobicoke, which is held by former cabinet minister Ahmed Hussen.
The four men were “charged with forcible entry, mischief interfering with property, unlawful assembly and unlawful assembly while masked.”
Chrétien honoured by Mount Allison University
Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien has added another feather to his cap as the recent recipient of an honorary degree from New Brunswick’s Mount Allison University.
Chrétien, who served as Canada’s 20th prime minister from 1993 to 2003 and as a Member of Parliament for 18 years overall, was honoured by the school alongside its ex-chancellor, Bea Crawford, at special ceremonies held on July 14 and 15.
“Through public service, philanthropy, and deep personal commitment, they have both demonstrated the values that define Mount Allison University—community, leadership, compassion, and a drive to make a difference,” reads a news release from the university.
Chrétien’s time in Parliament included three years serving as the MP for Beauséjour, N.B.—the riding within which Mount Allison University sits. Canada-United States Trade and One Canadian Economy Minister Dominic LeBlanc, the current MP for Beauséjour and a fellow honorary degree recipient from the school, was in attendance to watch Chrétien get his accolades. LeBlanc previously worked for Chrétien during the former PM’s time representing the New Brunswick riding.
“M. Chrétien has long been—and remains—a strong champion for Canada,” wrote LeBlanc in a July 18 post on X. “I was honoured to attend the ceremony celebrating this well-deserved recognition. Félicitations, M. Chrétien!”
cleadlay@hilltimes.com
The Hill Times