The winner in Monday’s federal election campaign in Toronto Centre says he ran because he was inspired by constituents in his riding. Liberal Bill Morneau, now the MP for Toronto-Centre, celebrated his victory Monday night at the Paint Box Bistro, in Regent Park. About 100 supporters attended the reception. He attracted over 57 per cent of the votes, according to the CBC Canada Votes website, while his nearest competitor, NDP candidate Linda McQuaig captured nearly 27 per cent.
How Canadians actually choose their federal government got a full airing at Tuesday night’s all-candidates meeting in the Toronto-Danforth riding. Candidates contesting the riding offered their views about replacing the traditional “first-past-the-post” election with proportional representation. The latter would see percentage divisions in the electorate represented in the House of Commons.
A Scarborough resident, his wife and their two children have been released from prison in Saudi Arabia after more than a month. Majeed Uddin Ahmed and his wife Zareen were arrested on Sept. 22, 2011 in Jeddah, on unknown charges.
Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe says he will step down as the leader of his party. The party will meet Tuesday to decide what steps it will take after the longtime leader of the separatist party in the House of Commons lost his seat to the NDP and witnessed his party reduced to three seats in Parliament. At dissolution, the Bloc held 47 seats.
Green Party candidates in Scarborough say they welcome a recent court ruling decriminalizing marijuana. Canada’s federal medical marijuana program is “unconstitutional” because it didn’t legally allow access to medicinal marijuana, an Ontario court ruled April 13.