The President of the European Parliament says Europe is aiming to become a partner with Canada to fulfill its long-term energy needs and move away from Russian oil and gas. Federal NDP interim leader Don Davies is defending a new party rule which requires that at least half of all leadership nomination signatures come from people other than cisgender men.
00:00:00.000The President of the European Parliament says Europe is aiming to become a partner with Canada to fulfill its long-term energy needs and move away from Russian oil and gas.
00:00:13.600Federal NDP interim leader Don Davies is defending a new party rule which requires that at least half all leadership nomination signatures come from people other than, quote, cisgender men.
00:00:25.220Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre warns of another, quote, liberal housing crisis in Canada as home construction has stalled in major cities.
00:00:33.400Hello Canada, it's Wednesday, September 10th and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:39.760We've got you covered with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:47.380The President of the European Parliament says Europe sees Canada as a potential partner in filling its long-term energy needs as member states move away from Russian oil and gas.
00:00:59.700In an interview on CTV's Question Period that aired Sunday, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, said European countries are, quote,
00:01:08.280almost completely divested from Russian energy since the invasion of Ukraine, but need reliable alternatives.
00:01:14.560When asked directly if there is a customer in Europe for Canadian oil and gas, Metzola said, quote,
00:01:20.240Yes. We have to look across the Atlantic and the discussions are absolutely in that direction.
00:01:25.300Metzola, who was in Ottawa for a G7 speakers' meeting, said that while the European Union continues to pursue energy goals, those plans alone are insufficient.
00:01:34.380She noted European countries have been forced to rely on, quote,
00:01:37.340more unreliable partners because of geography and said the European Union is seeking, quote,
00:01:42.420strategic autonomy and energy supply that includes dependable allies such as Canada.
00:01:47.520So, Waleed, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once said there was no business case for selling Canadian energy abroad.
00:01:53.880But the last few weeks, we've seen this topic get brought up a lot.
00:01:57.180So how many other European leaders and political figures have been saying Europe would love to buy Canadian energy?
00:02:03.140Well, yes, Isaac, you're right. Many European leaders are looking towards opening the Canadian energy market into their needs.
00:02:10.820In terms of Poland, the Polish ambassador to Canada spoke on CBC when he said he would like to see Canadian energy market open to Europe
00:02:19.820and seeing Canadian gas flowing to the East Coast and obviously into the European pipelines.
00:02:25.460He also noted that the current LNG reaching Europe from the U.S. is originally Canadian but routed through American facilities leading to higher prices.
00:02:33.820Now, not only Poland but also Germany has so an interest in Canadian LNG.
00:02:38.740Carney himself pledged to the German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz that he would stockpile critical minerals and liquid natural gas for sale to Germany via new ports,
00:02:48.620perhaps marking a possible departure from Trudeau's previous policy.
00:02:52.220Federal NDP interim leader Don Davies is defending a new party rule requiring that at least half of all leadership nomination signatures come from people other than, quote, cisgender men.
00:03:06.080In an interview with CTV's Vascavellos on Sunday, Davies said that limiting the cis male vote for more than 50% of the required 500 nominations for the new NDP leadership
00:03:16.920is about making sure everyone is included in the democratic process of his party.
00:03:22.280A cis man is defined as a man who identifies as the gender they were born as.
00:03:26.940Capello's press Davies pointing out that the rule appears to contradict his past criticism that the NDP leaned too far into identity politics in the last election.
00:03:36.340She said official rules limiting cisgender men's nomination could send a negative message to the party's base.
00:03:42.180Davies rejected the characterization, claiming there is a difference between identity politics and, quote, inclusion.
00:03:48.120I think inclusion is a very, very vital component of our leadership race, and it's the way that you're going to get diverse policies
00:03:55.320and include as many people from all walks of life in this country in the very important decisions we're going to have to make moving forward.
00:04:01.460Davies compared the requirement to regional quotas in other parties, calling the NDP's approach an expansion to include gender, age, and identity.
00:04:08.300He said, quote, I think it's critically important, and especially, again, if you talk to young people today
00:04:14.200who are having great difficulty finding jobs, homeownership is out of the question for them.
00:04:18.260They're worried about their futures, and I think having leadership candidates have to reach out to those people
00:04:23.200and engage them in discussion and include them in the political process is really important.
00:04:27.500The NDP leadership race began last week on Tuesday and will run until March 28, 2026.
00:04:33.060Voting members will be given a preferential ballot where they rank potential candidates in their preferred order.
00:04:37.840The new leader will be announced during the NDP's national convention in Winnipeg on March 29, 2026.
00:04:43.240So Isaac, what are the actual rules and limitations for nominating candidates for this race?
00:04:47.720Can a party who excludes men still claim to be a party for the working class?
00:04:51.980Well, yeah, Waleed, the NDP for its leadership race has introduced a detailed set of rules that govern how candidates can qualify.
00:05:00.240So each candidate must secure at least 500 signatures from party members in good standing.
00:05:05.400But within that requirement, there are specific quotas.
00:05:08.100At least half of those signatures, so 250, must come, as you mentioned, from members who do not identify as cisgender men.
00:05:14.920And beyond that, at least 100 nominations must come from members of equity-seeking groups.
00:05:20.260The rules define those groups broadly, including what it calls racialized Canadians, Indigenous members, LGBTQ members, and people with disabilities.
00:05:29.060And then there are also age and regional requirements, so at least 10% of the total signatures must come from young members, which is defined as those between 18 and 24 years old.
00:05:39.320And candidates also need to collect at least 50 signatures from each region of the country, so Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia, and the North.
00:05:48.220And on top of these nomination rules, candidates must pay $100,000 in entry fees, split into four installments, with $25,000 due once the initial 500 signatures are submitted, and they must also pay a $1,500 non-refundable vetting fee.
00:06:04.880The NDP said these measures are meant to ensure that leadership hopefuls demonstrate broad support across identities, ages, and regions.
00:06:12.900And the party argues that this actually makes it more inclusive, not less.
00:06:17.260The leadership vote itself will be conducted using a preferential ballot, where members rank candidates in order of choice.
00:06:24.260And voting runs until March 28, 2026, and the winner will be announced the next day at the NDP convention in Winnipeg.
00:06:31.840And in defending the changes, Interim Leader Don Davies compared the requirements to regional quotas in other parties,
00:06:38.300saying the NDP's approach expands those categories to include age, gender, and identity.
00:06:47.360Conservative Leader Pierre Paliyev warned of another, quote, liberal housing crisis as home construction has stalled in major cities, jeopardizing jobs across the building sector.
00:06:56.640Speaking Tuesday in Brampton, Paliyev said federal policies under Prime Minister Mark Carney have left, quote,
00:07:03.460buyers unable to buy, builders unable to build, and sellers unable to sell.
00:07:08.200He noted that housing starts in the greater Toronto area have fallen 49% since 2024,
00:07:13.800with Toronto itself down 65%, equating to roughly 10,000 less homes.
00:07:18.920In Kelowna, starts are down 36%, while Vancouver has seen a 5% decline.
00:07:24.940Pre-construction sales of new homes in the GTA dropped to historic lows, down 48% yearly in July, and 82% below the 10-year average.
00:07:35.600Industry groups, including the Canadian Home Builders Association, report more than a third of builders surveyed have begun layoffs.
00:07:42.780They first inflated the housing bubble, and now Liberals are bursting the housing bubble.
00:07:52.100The bubble is bursting, and it is hemorrhaging jobs and construction right across the country.
00:08:03.340In an emailed statement, Paliyev described the slowdown as the next stage of a housing crisis that began under the Liberals with soaring demand and high prices.
00:08:11.240He said, red tape, taxes, and rising borrowing costs have stalled projects and triggered layoffs, with ripple effects for realtors, mortgage brokers, and trade workers.
00:08:21.160So, Waleed, how are Conservatives suggesting the Liberals reverse course on this housing problem caused by this government boom and bust cycle in the market?
00:08:29.600Well, Isaac, first it's important to note that the Conservatives are framing this issue as a Liberal issue.
00:08:34.020They've said themselves that the Liberals are the ones who've stolen the dream of home ownership from an entire generation of Canadians.
00:08:40.300And their way of fighting to change that are coming down to four key points.
00:08:44.580Number one, accessing the federal sales tax on new homes under $1.3 million, which could save, according to the Conservatives, families up to $65,000 and possibly unleash new building.
00:08:57.320Second one was tying federal infrastructure dollars to home building.
00:09:01.540Municipalities must permit at least 15% or more home building each year.
00:09:06.760Number three was cutting building taxes by 50%.
00:09:10.380The Liberals promised this during the last election campaign, but have thus far refused to deliver.
00:09:15.060And lastly, accessing the capital gains tax on reinvestments in new housing in Canada and unlock billions of dollars of investments potentially in the home building sector in Canada.
00:09:24.120So those are the four points. Obviously, three times of cutting taxes on three formats.
00:09:29.400And lastly, tying city dollars from the federal government into home building quotas.
00:09:37.280That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in.
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