Good morning. The federal budget faces its final confidence test today. More on that below, plus a UN vote on stabilizing Gaza and funding cuts for B.C. long-term care staffing. Let’s get to it.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals are working to shore up support for the federal budget.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
TOP STORY
Carney’s first budget faces final confidence vote
The latest: The federal budget is expected to narrowly pass its third confidence vote today. Mark Carney’s Liberals are two seats shy of a majority after gaining an MP when Nova Scotia Conservative Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor. At least four opposition MPs need to either abstain or not show up to vote for the budget to pass, assuming none vote in favour. (The Speaker, a Liberal, can’t vote unless there’s a tie, which four abstentions and no opposition MPs in favour would create.)
The players: Up to five of the seven NDP MPs are expected to vote against the budget, while two are expected to abstain, two NDP sources told The Globe. Meanwhile, the Greens’ Elizabeth May said she’s in talks with the government about helping to pass the budget and avoid an election. As for the Conservatives and the Bloc, their leaders say their parties will vote against it – but it remains to be seen whether all their MPs will fall in line.
Behind the scenes: A senior Liberal source told The Globe that though the budget does not currently have enough confirmed votes to pass, the party is confident some members of the opposition parties can be swayed. That’s because a failed vote would mean a second federal election this year – and nobody wants that.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem on Nov. 10.Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
World
UN Security Council set to vote on Gaza resolution
The latest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to oppose any attempts to establish a Palestinian state. He made the remarks Sunday ahead of a Monday vote by the United Nations Security Council on a U.S. proposal for an international stabilization force in Gaza. The United States revised the resolution to bring in stronger language about a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood.
What’s next: More countries in recent months have declared their recognition of a Palestinian state, including Canada. But Netanyahu has long ruled out Palestinian independence, calling it a “prize” for Hamas.
Zevon Ketchabaw, left, and Carmel Ketchabaw perform as Lego Money at Penny's in Toronto on Oct. 19.Christie Vuong/The Globe and Mail
How We Live
Kids are getting back into garage bands
The latest: At a west Toronto dive bar, a band called Lego Money takes the stage monthly, playing covers of hits by AC/DC, Green Day and Survivor, plus some original tunes. Nine-year-old Carmel Ketchabaw (on drums) and his 12-year-old brother Zevon (guitars and vocals) are part of a wider trend: The so-called “COVID generation” is getting the band back together.
Rebels with a cause: Some young rockers started their musical projects during pandemic lockdowns as a way to pass time, while for others the bands are an outlet to deal with stress and escape from the world. For at least one, it’s a rebellion against smartphones. Maybe the kids are all right.
Long-term care
B.C. long-term care home residents suffer after COVID-era money runs out
The latest: After British Columbia ended COVID-era pay supplements for overtime and contract workers, residents in some long-term care homes are facing worsening care. Some are eating alone or missing medications, and the number of LTC beds available is also in jeopardy.
What’s next: B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says a solution is in the works, but operators say they have heard nothing. The province began work several years ago on a new funding model for LTC employees, meant to begin its first phase in summer 2024, but it was put on pause ahead of that year’s election. Osborne says she has since directed staff to resume.
Lost Canadians
Bill C-3 to go before Senate committee Monday
The latest: A Senate committee will be looking at Ottawa’s “Lost Canadians” bill Monday. Bill C-3 would change citizenship law so that Canadians born outside the country can pass their citizenship on to future generations. But Canadian parents of children adopted from abroad say the law would give their children fewer rights than those adopted from within the country. Lawyers and politicians warn this could prompt a legal challenge.
What’s next: The Senate committee is being urged to change the bill so that all children adopted by Canadian parents have the same citizenship rights, regardless of their country of origin.
Bookmarked
- A preventable plateau: Cancer mortality rates are falling across Canada, but progress has stalled on cervical cancer.
- Postsecondary struggles to adapt: Canada’s international student cap has devastated many colleges and universities.
- Women’s soccer: The first-ever Northern Super League champions were crowned Saturday in Toronto, with the Vancouver Rise winning 2-1 over AFC Toronto.
- For your finances: Looking to sell your home? You could be waiting a while.
- Conversation starter: Consumers are moving beyond the Beyond Burger, looking for veggie burgers that don’t mimic beef – and South Asian cuisine is taking the spotlight.
The Quote
The West, having helped create the dysfunctional Africa we know, must also summon the will to help Africa reinvent itself.
In 2022, West Africa’s core Sahelian countries – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – embarked on their true journey toward independence, writes Howard W. French, a journalism professor at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for West and Central Africa.
The Shot
Demonstrators wave a Mexican flag, a black-and-white version of a Mexican flag and a One Piece flag amid clouds of gas during a protest in Mexico City on Nov. 15.Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters
Thousands took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to protest crime, corruption and impunity. Similar “Gen Z” protests have taken place recently in Nepal, Madagascar and the Philippines.