Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 22, 2021, Winnipeg, Manitoba oC MHK PAGE A1WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 M M MB FOUNDED IN 1872 ■Winnip^ tree Press► CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: MAINLY SUNNY. HIGH 24 — LOW 14 Leaders face cold reality after disappointing result Liberals, Tories, NDP deal with underperformance LEE BERTHIAUME OTTAWA — Federal leaders woke up Tuesday facing post-election hangovers characterized by uncertainty about their respective futures following a vote that produced no clear winners. While final results in some ridings might not be known for days, Monday’s election gave the Liberals headed by Justin Trudeau another minority government, the Conservatives under Leader Erin O’Toole continuing as official Opposition, and the Bloc Quebecois and NDP holding the balance of power. The political landscape is virtually unchanged from mid-August, when Trudeau pulled the plug only two years into his minority mandate and sent Canadians to the polls in the hopes of riding a post-vaccine campaign high to secure a majority. Yet that status quo in the House of Commons is unlikely to extend to the majority of leaders involved in this campaign, with a number facing new challenges to their leadership over the failure to dramatically improve theirV®' CANADA party’s fortunes. Trudeau was the first to appear in public on Tuesday, making his traditional post-election day appearance at a Montreal metro station to greet voters on their morning commute. Some commuters congratulated the prime minister, others posed for self-ies, and one woman threw her arms around him before security could intervene. While the prime minister glad-handed and Elections Canada prepared to start counting about 800,000 mail-in ballots, questions swirled about the wisdom of having called an election and what the result of the vote would mean for Trudeau’s government — and his own future as Liberal leader. “Mr. Trudeau has obviously been Liberal Justin Trudeau, Tory Erin O'Toole and New Democrat Jagmeet Singh all have some explaining to do to their respective parties. humbled a bit,’’ said Jonathan Malloy, a political scientist at Carleton University in Ottawa. “I think his party is still with them, even though they’re maybe not very happy about this.’’ Trudeau is not in danger of being ousted from what was formerly known as Langevin Block despite little to show for the election. Yet Malloy believes the blind faith that has characterized the Liberal party under Trudeau will wane. “The party has really followed Trudeau very loyally,’’ he said. “I think they still will, but there’s going to be a little less trust in the leader’s judgment and a little more reluctance to just go along with what he has to say.’’ Trudeau is also facing the reality that the clock is officially ticking on his leadership, said Elizabeth Good-year-Grant, a political scientist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. That could spark talk about “legacy projects’’ that will leave a lasting effect on Canada, while potential successors start jockeying for position. “I’m not suggesting there’s any major factionalism or anything in the party,’’ Goodyear-Grant said. “But there are people who are waiting in the wings for their turn. They will become more critical of the leader and less willing to defer to his vision.’’• LEADERS, CONTINUED ON A2 <§> Western alienation alive and kicking DYLAN ROBERTSON LANGLEY, B.C. — In the lead-up to Monday’s election, Kevin Potschka was concerned the People’s Party would limit Western Canada’s voice on the federal stage. “The PPC seems like it was made by Trudeau, to take away votes from the Conservatives,” said Potschka, who was concerned about COVID-19 vaccination mandates but even more worried about the Liberals getting re-elected. “If the Conservatives had those votes, they’d totally win.” Potschka’s worst fears were realized Monday, when the Liberals picked up his Cloverdale—Langley City riding with a 2.3 percentage point win over the Conservative incumbent. The People’s Party of Canada candidate drew roughly five per cent of the votes cast in the riding, placing it among a dozen that might have otherwise elected Tories. Votes were still being counted Tuesday, and it’s not clear how many PPC voters would have actually cast a ballot for the Conservatives. Yet the Liberals are returning to power with a minority government and a limited number of western seats, just as the PPC made gains in the region, which is coping with a historic drought, dire COVID-19 numbers and an uncertain future for the oil and gas sectors. “There are some regional issues that are percolating that Trudeau’s got to address,” said University of Manitoba political scientist Christopher Adams. The 2019 election followed so-called “yellow vest” protests over regulations that thwarted oil-sector expansion. The Liberals ended up with no MPs representing Alberta and Saskatchewan to appoint as a cabinet minister, just as a separatist Wexit movement took hold. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tasked Manitoba cabinet minister Jim Carr (Winnipeg South Centre) with taking the pulse of the West for the past two years. • WEST, CONTINUED ON A2 JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Fans take in the Electric Circus concert Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre. Nineties Europop group Aqua, of Barbie Girl fame, headlined the show. Paramedic calls 911 on city's ambulance service GABRIELLE PICHÉ WHEN Ryan Woiden begins his shift as a paramedic, he expects a long, hectic day thanks to a staffing shortage and overwhelmed hospitals. “You come into work knowing there’s going to be (ambulances) shut down because there’s just people that need a break mentally or physically,” said the 21-year veteran of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. Woiden is a spare paramedic and the president of MGEU Local 911, the Winnipeg paramedics union. “I’ve worked when there are six ambulances shut down, which is absolutely dangerous,” he said. Before the pandemic, Woiden would use the first 20 minutes of his shift to check his truck and equipment. Now, there’s little time for that because “that call is coming right away,” he said. Another problem is the incidence in which calls are redirected. Every shift, one hospital or another may not be able to accept ambulance patients to its emergency room because it’s full, Woiden said. “(Then), we have to take our patients to hospitals that may be inappropriate for their care,” he said. “We feel like we’re chasing our tails... I take a patient to an ER that I know is going to be moved later on, possibly within a few hours.” Dispatchers usually tell paramedics which hospitals are closed before they leave a scene with a patient. However, there are times when they arrive at a hospital, only to be diverted to another one. “That has increased during the pandemic,” Woiden said. “That’s very scary as a paramedic, because you’ve got a patient who needs to be in that ER, and they’re getting turned away at the door.” The lack of front-line staff means paramedics don’t have time to attend anti-violence training — which they had pushed for. They rarely have time for a break during 12-hour shifts, which can be extended for hours, Woiden said. “Our people are getting beat up, and they’re taking time off work. We can’t even get them the training that would help them in those situations,” he said. There are 667 front-line paramedics, according to the WFPS. Sixty-four ambulance paramedics joined during the pandemic. “During July and August, (the) WFPS saw a higher number of unfilled shifts than ever before, resulting in ambulances being placed off-duty,” said Erin Madden, the WFPS spokesperson, in a written statement. She added it’s a result of many factors, including paramedics working elsewhere and stress injuries. • PARAMEDIC, CONTINUED ON A2 A_01_Sep-22-21_FP_01.indd A1 0 2021-09-21 10:51 PM ;