Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 22, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM C HRYSTIA Freeland says she is the only po- tential Liberal party leader who can stand up to President Donald Trump and his pro- posed tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. “Donald Trump doesn’t like me… I consider that to be the highest accolade,” she told a room of about 75 people in Winnipeg Tuesday, who re- sponded with cheers and applause. Freeland, who is a top contender in the race to replace Justin Trudeau, along with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, billed herself as the party’s best option to head off Trump’s threat of imposing 25 per cent tariffs, which he sug- gested after his swearing-in Monday would take effect Feb. 1. The former finance minister and deputy prime minister pitched herself as the governing party’s best option, at an event at a south Winnipeg hotel Tuesday afternoon, where she met with support- ers and members of the public. Freeland entered the room to boisterous ap- plause and greeted her supporters with hugs and handshakes. Attendees held small Canadian flags as she delivered her remarks. A red-and-white sign with the words “Free Land” were projected on the wall behind her. Winnipeg Liberal MPs Ben Carr and Dan Van- dal introduced Freeland to the gathering. Vandal praised her for the ability to go head-to-head with the new president, while Carr referred to her as a political leader with courage. “What we need right now is someone who will not back down from a fight,” Carr said. Carr, Vandal and Winnipeg MP Kevin Lamou- reux have thrown their support behind Freeland. Manitoba’s only other Liberal MP, Terry Duguid, has not publicly endorsed a leadership candidate and was not at the rally. Freeland officially launched her bid for leader in Toronto on Sunday where she warned about the “existential risk” Trump poses to Canada. In Winnipeg, Freeland reiterated comments about the devastation the Trump government will wreak on Canada. “It’s transformational for the United States. It’s transformational for the world,” she said. “What we need to do is have a plan to survive and thrive in this reality and we can do it.” Freeland shared a story with the crowd about the president calling her a “killer” during NAFTA negotiations in 2020 and, while she didn’t appreci- ate the nickname, she accepts it when it comes to fighting for Canadians. During her 10-minute speech, Freeland did not discuss policies she would implement to respond to Trump’s tariffs or anything else she would do if chosen to run the party and be prime minister until the next election, which must happen before Oct. 20. Freeland spent the day touring The Forks and meeting with business owners and the public. At the event, Freeland, who is from Alberta, said western Liberals are often forgotten about by the party at large, and she promised to be their voice if she’s voted in as party leader. Ian MacIntyre, who ran as a Liberal in Elm- wood-Transcona in last fall’s byelection, attended the meet-and-greet to discuss the security of so- cial programs should the Liberals lose the election. “We need to look at seniors housing and how we can support the provinces to make sure that up- grades in seniors housing are being done, because I know that that’s not happening right now,” he said. MacIntyre said he admires Freeland for being candid and willing to stand up against Trump. “She inspires people to be strong with her,” he said. Freeland resigned as finance minister on Dec. 16, the same day she was to deliver an economic statement. On Jan. 6, Prime Minister Justin Tru- deau announced his intention to step down as party leader and prime minister once a replace- ment is voted in. Freeland, who has represented Ontario’s Uni- versity—Rosedale riding since 2015, is also run- ning against House leader Karina Gould, Ottawa MP Chandra Arya, former Quebec MP Frank Bay- lis and Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste. Candidates have until Thursday to enter the contest. Lamoureux closed the event with his own words of support for Freeland and encouraged attendees to recruit people they know to sign up for Liberal party memberships and vote for her to be leader on March 9. nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca NEWS I LOCAL / CANADA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025 Cutting provincial nominee numbers disastrous for Manitoba M ANITOBA will feel the pinch more than most provinces from the federal government’s ill-advised plan to slash immigration numbers in 2025. Ottawa announced in October it planned to cut the number of skilled workers who enter Canada under the provincial nominee program by 50 per cent. The federal Liberals claim they are doing so to relieve pressure on the housing market, a misguided and wrongheaded decision that will do far more harm to the housing industry than good. The move will hurt all provinces, which rely on immigration for popu- lation growth and skilled workers to fill labour shortages in a wide variety of industries. But it will most hurt a province such as Manitoba, which loses more people to other provinces than it gains. Manitoba was told last week by Otta- wa its allocation of skilled workers un- der the program will be chopped in half to 4,750 this year from 9,540 in 2024. Nationally, the federal government is cutting the number to 55,000 spots this year, down from 110,000 in 2024. While Manitoba Immigration and Labour Minister Malaya Marcelino said she is negotiating with the federal government for more, it doesn’t look good. The shortage of skilled workers has been one of the top concerns of Manitoba businesses for years. With- out more people to fill key positions, companies can’t grow and new ones have difficulty getting off the ground. Manitoba’s economy suffers as a result and the government has less tax reve- nue to pay for front-line services and expensive infrastructure. That’s why the business community has joined forces with the province to lobby Ottawa to consider Manitoba’s unique circumstances. Manitoba loses more people to other provinces than it gains every year and has for decades. Many people choose to move — particularly to Alberta and British Columbia — for a variety of reasons, including job opportunities. As a result, Manitoba relies on international immigration more than most provinces, not only for popula- tion growth but also to fill gaps in the labour market. The provincial nominee program, created in the late 1990s, is especial- ly important in that regard because it brings people into Manitoba with work experience who have ties to the province. Marcelino calls it the province’s “bread and butter.” She’s right. Manitoba posted a net loss 4,540 peo- ple to other provinces from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024. That’s down from a net loss of 9,928 for the previous 12-month period, the largest net outflow for Manitoba in at least 20 years, as per Manitoba Bureau of Statistics data. The biggest net losses were to Alber- ta (3,628), followed by British Colum- bia (612) and Quebec (314). Manitoba recorded small gains from Ontario and the territories in 2023-24. Per capita, Manitoba regularly has the highest, or among the highest, interprovincial migration losses in the country. Manitoba posted a net loss of 3.12 residents per thousand to other provinces in 2023-24, the second highest among the provinces behind only Saskatchewan (-4.33). Manitoba had the highest per capita net interpro- vincial losses among the provinces in 2022-23 at 7.03 residents per thousand. Fortunately, those annual losses are offset by net gains in international mi- gration. Manitoba recorded an overall net migration gain of 37,042 people in 2023-24, down slightly from 38,851 in 2022-23. It’s easy to see why international migration is so important to Manitoba, especially through the nominee pro- gram, which targets skilled workers and people who are more likely to remain here. Cutting that back, as the federal government is doing, will cause more harm to Manitoba than to most other provinces. The stated reason for the move is ludicrous. Slashing immigration num- bers to ease Canada’s housing shortage is utter nonsense. Canada needs skilled workers from around the world not only to fill labour shortages in the con- struction industry, but also in sectors that produce material and other inputs that go into home building. The federal Liberals’ decision to cut immigration is nothing more than a political reaction to misleading pop- ulist sentiment that immigration has fuelled Canada’s housing shortage and is putting undue pressure on provinces to provide front-line services. It’s nonsense. The very immigrants who move into homes in Canada, particularly those who come here through the nominee program, and who use front-line services are the same ones who help build homes (or work in industries that support home building), who are consumers of goods and services that help boost economic growth and who pay taxes to help pay for front-line services. The nominee program allows prov- inces to essentially hand-pick people who can fill shortages of skilled labour in their jurisdictions. Cutting those numbers in half will hurt Manitoba immensely. tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca TOM BRODBECK OPINION Attorney general asks for dismissal of injunction filed over Métis treaty BRANDON — The federal attorney general has asked a Winnipeg judge to dismiss an injunction filed by two Dakota First Nations that seeks to have the treaty signed by Ottawa and the Manitoba Métis Federation declared invalid. A statement of defence demands the Dakota “put to proof all assertions contained in the statement of claim” made by the Dakota Tipi First Nation and the Canupawakpa Dakota Nation in western Manitoba. Canada denies that — in the circumstances of this case — Canada owes or owed any fiduciary duties, con- stitutional or otherwise, to the Dakota Nations. In addition, if Ottawa does owe fiduciary duties to the two nations, it denies the treaty with the Métis is a breach, the filing says. The Dec. 2 motion claims the federal attorney gener- al, the Manitoba government and the Métis federation breached their constitutional duties by failing to con- sult with First Nations, and that they “unjustifiably in- fringed” on the Dakota’s rights to the land by the sign- ing of the Red River Métis Self Government Treaty. The treaty, which was signed on Nov. 30 at a ceremony in Winnipeg with much fanfare, recognizes the federa- tion as the official government of the Red River Métis people. A government statement issued in December said the treaty doesn’t include land or address harvesting or land rights. The Dakota claim the government had a duty to con- sult with them and other First Nations before taking the step to enter into a treaty with the Métis. “We never had a chance to really review the treaty and what the implications are,” Dakota Tipi Chief Den- nis Pashe said in December. “The federal government refused to give us the resources to do that.” The injunction claims the Dakota are the “original inhabitants of the lands both south and north of the 49th parallel, within the province of Manitoba, as well as land extending to cover large areas of present-day southern Manitoba, eastern Saskatchewan, and west- ern Ontario.” The federal government’s statement of defence chal- lenges the Dakota’s claim to the land and title, which is already the subject of treaties with Indigenous communities in the region, specifically Treaty 1 and Treaty 2. “Canada states that the Dakota Nations have not pro- vided evidence to meet the criteria for Aboriginal title, and the claim for Aboriginal title to the land must fail,” the statement reads. It further asserts that as of 1818, the Dakota Nations “did not have sufficient or exclusive occupation of the land,” did not have the “intention and capacity to retain exclusive control over the land,” and “have not held continuity of occupation or a contemporary and sub- stantial connection with the land.” The government further argues that there has been no breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, no conspiracy to cause harm to the Dakota Nations, and no abrogation of the Dakota Nations’ rights within Can- ada. “Canada denies any conduct, which could be con- strued as abrogation of the Dakota Nations’ rights or an intention to negotiate with a given Indigenous group, to the exclusion of the Dakota Nations,” reads the state- ment of defence. It seeks to have the claim dismissed and “reserves the right to seek costs.” On Tuesday, Canupawakpa Chief Raymond Brown rejected the government’s argument. “That’s just their opinion,” he said. “That means that under section 35 of (The Constitution Act), they should come make a treaty with the Dakota then. … They can go make a treaty with everybody else, but they don’t want to make treaty with the Dakota.” Pashe couldn’t be reached for comment. Last July, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree delivered a formal statement of recognition and apology on behalf of the federal gov- ernment to the nine Dakota and Lakota First Nations in Canada that were treated as refugees in Canada. That statement acknowledged that for more than 150 years, the Dakota were denied recognition of their rights. Since then, both Dakota Tipi and Canupawakpa have claimed the federal government has been slow to dis- cuss their Aboriginal title and specific claims. — Brandon Sun Carney secures four more key cabinet endorsements OTTAWA — Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney has secured the endorsements of four more current and former cabinet ministers. On Tuesday, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree and for- mer housing minister Sean Fraser all threw their support behind Carney on social media. “He’s literally one of the most respected voices on the economy worldwide, and he’s a fundamen- tally decent person who cares an awful lot about the country that we all love,” Fraser said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter. The Liberals will choose a new leader on March 9 to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced this month he will resign following immense pressure from his caucus. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault also endorsed Carney Tuesday while speaking to re- porters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Monte- bello, Que. “I’ve known Mark for many years. We’ve worked together on issues of green energy, tran- sition, fighting climate change and the role of the financial sector in fighting climate change,” Guil- beault told reporters, adding he’s had no discus- sions with Carney about a potential cabinet post. While Carney hasn’t said explicitly he’d drop consumer carbon pricing if he wins the leader- ship, he has hinted at a policy shift by saying that if the carbon price is going to go, it must be replaced “with something that is at least, if not more, effective.” His stance on industrial carbon pricing is less clear. “If we don’t move ahead with consumer carbon pricing, one obvious answer would be to tighten a system that we already have … for large polluters in the country,” Guilbeault said. Asked how Carney’s stance on carbon pricing compares to that of his leadership rival Chryst- ia Freeland — the former finance minister has indicated she would abandon consumer carbon pricing because it’s unpopular with Canadians — Guilbeault said he wasn’t aware of Freeland’s plan and couldn’t comment on it. “What I can say is the person, in my view, by far the best placed to articulate a concrete plan on the question of the role of carbon pricing and the role of financial markets in the fight against climate change is Mark Carney,” Guilbeault said in French. — The Canadian Press NICK MURRAY Liberal leadership contender makes stop in Winnipeg Freeland calls Trump’s disdain for her an asset NICOLE BUFFIE JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Liberal party leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland speaks with supporters in Winnipeg on Tuesday. ;