National News

Pierre Poilievre woke up Sunday with a list of things to do as he embarks on his first week as the Conservative party's new leader, while his former rivals offered assurances he could count on their support.

The 43-year-old walked out of the convention centre in Ottawa where the party's leadership election results were revealed Saturday night with a massive victory. Poilievre won nearly 70 per cent of members' support on a first-ballot victory against four other candidates. On top of that, a riding-by-riding breakdown shows he won almost all of the country's 338 ridings. 

20:20 Sep 10th, 2022
Conservative-Leadership-Poilievre-Promises
Pierre Poilievre: A look at the new Conservative leader's key campaign promises
Location: Ottawa
Source: The Canadian Press

Pierre Poilievre was elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada on Saturday night, a definitive first-ballot victory after a campaign that focused on securing more "freedom" for Canadians.

Here is a look at some key pledges from his leadership campaign.

Pierre Poilievre, one of the first members of Parliament elected under the Conservative party's banner, won the leadership race Saturday night.

The party veteran and former cabinet minister, known for his combative style, won a resounding first-ballot victory — with 68 per cent of support — that prompted applause to erupt in the room of Conservative faithful at a downtown Ottawa convention centre.

Some Canadians from diaspora communities called for the country's independence from the Crown on Friday, saying the death of the Queen is a chance to rethink its ties to the monarchy.

More than 50 countries with historical links to Britain are part of the Commonwealth, which Queen Elizabeth II was head of throughout her reign. Her death Thursday came as a growing number of nations debate their relationship with the British Crown amid demands that the country apologize for its colonial-era abuses and award its former colonies slavery reparations.

King Charles III will be proclaimed Canada's new head of state at an accession ceremony at Rideau Hall on Saturday morning, while the federal government rolls out a series of events to commemorate the legacy of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The date of Canada’s national commemoration ceremony for the Queen is up in the air as officials eagerly await public confirmation of when her state funeral will be held in London.

As the United Kingdom mourns a beloved queen, the nation is already wondering how King Charles III will reign and whether his monarchy will depart from the traditions of his mother.

If his first full day on the throne is any indication, Charles seemed ready to chart at least a slightly different course.

There were hugs, tears and calls for change Thursday as Indigenous leaders gathered on the James Smith Cree Nation — a Saskatchewan community struck by a deadly mass stabbing.

Darryl Burns, whose sister was killed in the attacks Sunday, hugged Skye Sanderson, the wife of Damien Sanderson, a suspect found dead the day after the killings.

"Our family is here to forgive," Burns said. 

Forgiveness has been important to Indigenous people long before colonization, Burns added.

As momentous as the death of Queen Elizabeth II may be after her 70 years on the throne, it's pretty much business as usual in terms of Canada's governance.

The monarch remains the constitutional head of state in this country, no matter who is filling the role at any given time, says Philippe Lagassé, an associate professor of international affairs at Carleton University and an expert on the role of the Crown in the Westminster system of government.

Canadians are used to seeing Queen Elizabeth II on our money.

But this could change following the death of the longest-serving British monarch and Canadian head of state.

However, the Bank of Canada, which produces Canada's paper bills, says changes likely won't be seen immediately. 

It says the current $20 bank note, which features the Queen, is intended to circulate for years to come.

The central bank says there is no legislative requirement to change the design within a prescribed period when the monarch changes.

As he stood between wind-whipped Canadian flags on a podium in Iqaluit in 2017, Prince Charles recalled his official first visit to Canada's North nearly half a century earlier.

"I have never forgotten the warmth of the welcome from the Inuit people, which made me feel instantly at home, as indeed I have with all Canadians on my subsequent visits," said Charles, who drew applause from the crowd in Nunavut's capital with a halting attempt at an Inuktitut greeting.