Trudeau names 5 new senators, including long-time Liberal Rodger Cuzner
Trudeau's Senate picks now number 75, with 11 remaining vacancies
"I am confident that, with diverse leadership experience and impressive track records serving their communities, they will be strong voices for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the Upper House," Trudeau said in a statement.
The new faces in the Senate are:
- Joan Kingston, John McNair and Krista Ross, who will be representing New Brunswick.
- Réjean Aucoin and Rodger Cuzner, who will be representing Nova Scotia.
Tuesday's announcement brings the number of independent senators chosen by Trudeau to 75, in the 105-seat Senate, with 11 more vacancies yet to be filled.
Once appointed, senators choose to sit as a non-affiliated senator or to join one of the four groups in the chamber: the Independent Senators Group, which currently has 39 members; the Conservative or Canadian Senators groups, each with 15 members; or the Progressive Senate Group, which has 11 members.
Former Liberal MP Cuzner was first elected to the House of Commons in 2000 and represented two Cape Breton ridings in Nova Scotia during his 19 years.
While in Ottawa, Cuzner held a number of key roles, including chief opposition whip and parliamentary secretary to former prime minister Jean Chrétien.
Cuzner was well-known for his annual Christmas poem in the House of Commons in which he poked fun at all sides of the House with his sharp wit and sense of humour.
WATCH | MP Rodger Cuzner reads his annual Christmas poem:
From 1995 to 1999, Kingston served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly in New Brunswick, representing the provincial riding of New Maryland and holding a number of ministerial positions including Labour, Environment and Human Rights.
A registered nurse and health advocate, Kingston is the chair of her province's Community Action Group on Homelessness and past president of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick.
Another former Liberal being elevated to the Senate is McNair, a lawyer who served as the executive director of the New Brunswick Liberal Association (provincial and federal).
Ross, a business woman and former head of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, also served as a commissioner with the Electoral Boundaries and Representation Commission for New Brunswick.
Réjean Aucoin, a lawyer and former journalist from Chéticamp, N.S., is an accomplished leader from the Acadian community and founder of the Association of French-speaking Jurists of Nova Scotia.
Joan Kingston, a registered nurse, is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. (CBC)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-covid-19-roundup-jan-13-1.6313303
Businesses get their rapid tests back, but under different rules
Rapid tests will only be available to symptomatic employees, those required to get tested
Krista Ross, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said previously that the chambers were giving businesses two tests per employee per week.
But as of Wednesday, according to Public Health directives, tests were only to be given to symptomatic employees and to workers required by the province's emergency order to be tested regularly.
"The numbers are going to decrease significantly," Ross told Shift New Brunswick. "We'll be providing three tests per employee per month for those under 50."
She said those over 50 will be getting PCR tests through the province.
These new rules are in line with the province's overall changes to testing. Last week, the province said people under 50 will not be getting PCR tests unless they're immunocompromised, and should only take a rapid test if symptomatic.
David Duplessis of the Saint John Chamber of Commerce said the chambers are effectively distribution centres for rapid tests, and they follow the province's rules. He said there will be some transitional confusion as people get used to the new rules.
"That's going to cause some confusion because in the past there was a lot of rapid testing going on in the businesses, and they were testing people that didn't have symptoms," he said.
John Wishart with the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce said rapid tests have been "vital" for businesses.
"Business owners and managers were certainly looking for a way to keep their workplaces safe," he said. "I think the tests, especially the twice-a-week, gave them a certain level of confidence that they were doing whatever they could do to make that happen."
John
Wishart, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton, says there
could be some confusion as businesses adjust to the new rules. (Shane Magee/CBC)
All three chambers have seen many email and calls over the last week, asking when they can get more tests.
The province is expecting up to 5,500 cases per day in the coming week, and urging people to stay in as much as possible. However, the province has not mandated businesses to close under Level 2, the current level of the winter plan for managing the pandemic.
Duplessis said rising case numbers are adding to the challenges to businesses, but a full lockdown would be worse.
"We have to keep them open," he said. "We can't go into lockdown again. We can't shut the economy down. We have to do everything we can to keep our small businesses in particular open."
With files from Shift New Brunswick
Former Cape Breton Liberal MP appointed consul general to Boston
Rodger Cuzner served 6 terms as MP for Cape Breton-Canso.
Rodger Cuzner has been appointed Canada's consul general to Boston.
The announcement was made in a release from the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which also listed five other diplomatic appointments.
Cuzner, 64, was born in Glace Bay and attended St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
He entered federal politics in 2000 when he was elected MP for Cape Breton-Canso. He went on to serve five more terms.
He garnered 74 per cent of the popular vote to earn re-election in 2015.
Cuzner served as parliamentary secretary to former prime minister Jean Chrétien in 2003. He has also served as chair of the Nova Scotia caucus and party whip.
In 2019, he announced that he would not seek re-election, telling reporters he was "tired and cranky."
Cuzner worked in the private sector as senior adviser at Rubicon Strategy in Ottawa prior to the new appointment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lawyer promotes creating a new Acadian riding in Inverness County
Réjean Aucoin of Chéticamp says another riding offers chance to have bilingual leader
Aucoin will present his arguments at a public meeting Saturday hosted by the Nova Scotia Electoral Boundaries Commission.
"This would give us an opportunity to have someone who is bilingual, where we can bring our requests whether in French or English, its an advantage to everyone," said Aucoin.
"We would have a very small riding and we would have two MLAs for Inverness County, so it's a plus."
In its interim report released in November, the commission recommended the restoration of protected seats for the Acadian and African-Nova Scotian communities.
It also included an option to create an extra riding for the Chéticamp area.
Aucoin said the riding should cover the area from Meat Cove, at the northern tip of Cape Breton, south to East Margaree.
"Yes, it will split the Margarees if that is accepted," Aucoin said. "But you will have two MLAs to work for the Margaree area. To me, it's still an advantage to everyone."
Aucoin said creating a second riding in the county is better than electing two MLAs, one who is Acadian, for the whole of Inverness County.
"That poses all sorts of problems," he said. "How do you decide what's an Acadian? There are not many advantages."
Aucoin worked with the province's Acadian federation in 2012 when it challenged the decision by the former NDP government to do away with the seats.
There are 2,585 electors within the proposed boundaries of the Chéticamp district, which would make it the smallest riding in Nova Scotia, and perhaps in Canada.
"This is breaking new ground, for sure," he said.
The electoral boundaries commission will hold a public hearing from 2-4 p.m. at Le Club des Retraités at 15108 Cabot Trail in Chéticamp.
Simultaneous interpretation services will be available.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
No comments:
Post a Comment