Latest news with #PaulMartin
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Wexford FC boss Stephen Elliott trying to deal with mounting absentee list ahead of Longford Town clash
It's a familiar tale of woe for Wexford FC manager Stephen Elliott as he grapples with an ever-growing absentee list ahead of the visit of Longford Town to Ferrycarrig Park for their SSE Airtricity League First Division clash on Friday (7.45 p.m.). Paul Martin and Conor Levingston will sit out their final games of a three-match suspension and, while Robbie McCourt is nearing a return, he is likely to remain sidelined for the visit of the midlanders.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Why The Future Of Canadian Energy Investments Hangs In The Balance
MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 23: A janitor picks up Liberal Party "thunder sticks" at outgoing Prime ... More Minister Paul Martin's riding headquarters after his government was defeated by Stephen Harper's opposition Conservatives on Monday, January 23, 2006. Martin will stay on as an MP but will step down as leader of the Liberal Party. (Photo by) Over a month after Canada's federal elections, the country is still trying to sort out exactly who won and by how much. If this sounds eerily familiar to Bush vs. Gore in 2000, there is a good reason for this. Much like a quarter century ago in the United States, the recent Canadian election, basically a series of over 330 separate elections in each legislative 'riding' (equivalent to an American legislative district), has produced numerous results that were so close to call that a number have already been overturned in recounts and others simply remain unsettled. The situation is so fluid that Canada's Governor General, Mary Simon, has had to state that no official transfer of power shall occur until after the recounts are completed. Canada uses a parliamentary system, so that whichever party has gained a majority of seats in the House of Commons has, therefore, the right to name a Prime Minister and form a new national government. Unfortunately, no party won a majority in April, with the Liberals coming very close. That meant that they had to negotiate with smaller parties to form a government, but each small party had to be wary of not overplaying its hand as it could easily be replaced. The recounts, however, have now shrunken the Liberal total, resulting in that party needing more seats from any coalition partner to form a government. There have been no 'butterfly ballots' or 'hanging chads,' which famously affected the 2000 American elections, but there have been elections so close in Canada that in one case in Quebec a single vote seems to have determined the winner. (Source). The impact of the shrinking Liberal total is to mostly freeze out the smallest of the coalition parties, such as the Greens with their one seat in Parliament, but to energize others, such as the New Democratic Party, to drive a harder bargain with the Liberals in order to work together. All of this puts the Liberal presumptive Prime Minister Mark Carney in a bind. Canada has become very regionalized, with the Liberals winning mostly in Ontario, the largest province, and the Conservatives sweeping much of the West, especially in oil rich Alberta and Saskatchewan, the wheat basket of Canada. Canada has a system of 'equalization payments', in which richer provinces pay to subsidize poorer ones, and that flow has gone mostly West to East. (Source). But the East, featuring liberal Ontario and Francophone Quebec, has taken a strong stand against fossil fuels, which generates so much of Canada's economic growth, and which allows those equalization payments to be paid largely from the West to the East in the first place. (Source). In fact, things have now gotten so tense that it is even conceivable Canada may split, with the four Western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba attempting to separate from the rest of the nation. (Source). Prime Minister Carney, who was born in Saskatchewan but has spent much of his life abroad, now is seen as being a driver of the Liberal ideal of net zero and no further fossil fuel infrastructure development. Already he has had to establish a crisis working group to try to head off western separation. Meanwhile, the uncertainty about finally forming a government is causing a drag on foreign investment into Canada, as nobody really knows what the status of the country will be in one or two years. It also is raising immense constitutional issues, as much of western Canadian land is subject to treaties between the federal government and indigenous tribes known in Canada as 'First Nations.' The First Nation people already are making noises about what would or should happen in the event any provinces really do try to separate from the rest of the country. In the end, the bad feelings engendered by the energy arguments occurring elsewhere around the world are now being magnified tenfold in Canada. The continuing presence of these unresolved issues have already brought famine to nations like Sri Lanka, rural strife to France, and massive price shocks to many countries in Europe and to California. It is Canada, however, that truly bears the brunt of these arguments now. Energy, which historically has been seen as a way to stitch the nation together, now is driving it apart. The entire future of the nation may depend on the still ongoing recounts and how they affect the ability of whatever government finally develops to mesh the interests of the disparate geographic parts of the second largest nation on earth by land mass.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Canada's Hanging Chads
MONTREAL, CANADA - JANUARY 23: A janitor picks up Liberal Party "thunder sticks" at outgoing Prime ... More Minister Paul Martin's riding headquarters after his government was defeated by Stephen Harper's opposition Conservatives on Monday, January 23, 2006. Martin will stay on as an MP but will step down as leader of the Liberal Party. (Photo by) Over a month after Canada's federal elections, the country is still trying to sort out exactly who won and by how much. If this sounds eerily familiar to Bush vs. Gore in 2000, there is a good reason for this. Much like a quarter century ago in the United States, the recent Canadian election, basically a series of over 330 separate elections in each legislative 'riding' (equivalent to an American legislative district), has produced numerous results that were so close to call that a number have already been overturned in recounts and others simply remain unsettled. The situation is so fluid that Canada's Governor General, Mary Simon, has had to state that no official transfer of power shall occur until after the recounts are completed. Canada uses a parliamentary system, so that whichever party has gained a majority of seats in the House of Commons has, therefore, the right to name a Prime Minister and form a new national government. Unfortunately, no party won a majority in April, with the Liberals coming very close. That meant that they had to negotiate with smaller parties to form a government, but each small party had to be wary of not overplaying its hand as it could easily be replaced. The recounts, however, have now shrunken the Liberal total, resulting in that party needing more seats from any coalition partner to form a government. There have been no 'butterfly ballots' or 'hanging chads,' which famously affected the 2000 American elections, but there have been elections so close in Canada that in one case in Quebec a single vote seems to have determined the winner. (Source). The impact of the shrinking Liberal total is to mostly freeze out the smallest of the coalition parties, such as the Greens with their one seat in Parliament, but to energize others, such as the New Democratic Party, to drive a harder bargain with the Liberals in order to work together. All of this puts the Liberal presumptive Prime Minister Mark Carney in a bind. Canada has become very regionalized, with the Liberals winning mostly in Ontario, the largest province, and the Conservatives sweeping much of the West, especially in oil rich Alberta and Saskatchewan, the wheat basket of Canada. Canada has a system of 'equalization payments', in which richer provinces pay to subsidize poorer ones, and that flow has gone mostly West to East. (Source). But the East, featuring liberal Ontario and Francophone Quebec, has taken a strong stand against fossil fuels, which generates so much of Canada's economic growth, and which allows those equalization payments to be paid largely from the West to the East in the first place. (Source). In fact, things have now gotten so tense that it is even conceivable Canada may split, with the four Western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba attempting to separate from the rest of the nation. (Source). Prime Minister Carney, who was born in Saskatchewan but has spent much of his life abroad, now is seen as being a driver of the Liberal ideal of net zero and no further fossil fuel infrastructure development. Already he has had to establish a crisis working group to try to head off western separation. Meanwhile, the uncertainty about finally forming a government is causing a drag on foreign investment into Canada, as nobody really knows what the status of the country will be in one or two years. It also is raising immense constitutional issues, as much of western Canadian land is subject to treaties between the federal government and indigenous tribes known in Canada as 'First Nations.' The First Nation people already are making noises about what would or should happen in the event any provinces really do try to separate from the rest of the country. (Source). In the end, the bad feelings engendered by the energy arguments occurring elsewhere around the world are now being magnified tenfold in Canada. The continuing presence of these unresolved issues have already brought famine to nations like Sri Lanka, rural strife to France, and massive price shocks to many countries in Europe and to California. It is Canada, however, that truly bears the brunt of these arguments now. Energy, which historically has been seen as a way to stitch the nation together, now is driving it apart. The entire future of the nation may depend on the still ongoing recounts and how they affect the ability of whatever government finally develops to mesh the interests of the disparate geographic parts of the second largest nation on earth by land mass.
CBC
13-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.B. legal aid commission to review eligibility criteria in wake of auditor general report
The New Brunswick legal aid commission says it is proud of the service it provides, despite the auditor general's recent finding that some people might not be getting the help they need under eight-year-old eligibility criteria. In the last fiscal year, the Legal Aid Services Commission provided services in family and criminal law to more than 31,000 clients — 4,000 more than in the previous year, said Chantal Landry, the commission executive director. But Landry doesn't disagree with concerns raised by Auditor General Paul Martin about eligibility requirements. "We do recognize that, given the economic realities and the inflation observed in the last few years, it would be appropriate for a review of the financial eligibility grids, and we take no exception to the recommendation made by Mr. Martin on this." Martin reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the commission in providing legal aid across the province between April 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024. His report was released earlier this week. Martin commended the commission for a number of things, including the timely processing of applications and the consistent application of financial eligibility criteria. But he found the "lack of timely review of the eligibility grid may contribute to the risk that [the commission] may not be fulfilling its mandate to serve low-income individuals as intended." Landry said an "appropriate analysis" is to be done, but if it determines an increased need for legal aid, the commission needs to be "properly resourced" to meet it. Before the current eligibility grid for legal aid was adopted, eligibility was decided based on a means test that looked at the amount of disposable income an applicant had left at the end of each month. "It was a very convoluted and very, honestly, inequitable system, because for clients who were financially responsible, they typically didn't qualify," Landry said. The income grid used now is based on gross household income. For example, according to the grid posted in 2017, a single-person household making more than $2,600 per month is not eligible for legal aid. Landry said the reason the criteria haven't been reviewed in eight years is that there were other priorities and an increase in clients coming through the door. In Martin's report, he also found no formalized financial appeals process, and people who did appeal were not treated consistently. The audit found that of the 140 appeals, 14 applicants were approved with an income of more than 10 per cent above the threshold, while 15 were denied despite their income being within 10 per cent of the threshold. Landry said that in recent years, the commission looked at accepting people who were just above the eligibility cut-off and appealed being denied aid. "We developed kind of a discretionary standard of accepting a client if their income was within 10 per cent over the top of the grid," said Landry. "So to address the recommendation of Mr. Martin, we've already put in place some directives to staff, and we will further develop processes to provide more transparency for clients who will want to appeal under this guideline." Landry said she understands why there needs to be more process in that particular system, and hopes it will be achieved in the near future. Landry said she was pleased with the positive comments that came out of the auditor general's report, but said there's always room for improvement in any program.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Judge rejects auditor general's bid to access Vitalité's internal audits on travel nurses
A New Brunswick judge has rejected the auditor general's bid to access Vitalité Health Network's internal audits of its controversial travel-nurse contracts. Auditor General Paul Martin sought a court order to compel the regional health authority to disclose the documents as part of his investigation into the management and use of private agency nurses by Vitalité, Horizon and the Department of Social Development between Jan. 1, 2022, and Feb. 29, 2024. But Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare dismissed his application, saying she's not satisfied the Auditor General Act provides an explicit waiver of Vitalité's claims of litigation privilege or solicitor-client privilege. These privileges are "foundational to our legal system," DeWare wrote in her decision, dated June 2. "The Court can only endorse a legislative interpretation which abrogates these privileges in circumstances where the intention of the Legislature can be clearly discerned to have contemplated the scope of such an exceptional authority." Vitalité is entitled to costs of $2,000, she ruled. CBC News requested an interview with Martin, including whether he intends to appeal. In response, his office sent an emailed statement, saying he received notice of the dismissal last week and is "currently assessing the next steps." Vitalité did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a scathing report last June, Martin concluded Vitalité spent $123 million in travel-nurse contracts dating back to 2022, when the regional health authority signed its first deal with Canadian Health Labs. The Ontario-based agency charged about $300 an hour per nurse — roughly six times what a local staff nurse earns. "The contracts with private nursing agencies were not reflective of best practices and did not demonstrate value for money," Martin said at the time. As part of that audit, launched in March 2024, Martin requested "various information and documents" from Vitalité, including internal audit reports on the use of agency nurses. Internal audits were to probe 'irregularities' Vitalité refused to provide the internal audit reports. It had commissioned the audits after it "noticed irregularities in some of the services rendered by the agency nurses which were not in conformity with the terms set out in the governing contracts," according to DeWare's decision. No details are provided, but "in order to investigate potential deficiencies in the services rendered by the nursing agencies, [Vitalité] commissioned an internal audit of the performance of one of the contracts spanning the period between August 2022 and June 2023." Vitalité alleges these audits "confirmed the existence of deficiencies in the performance of the agency nurses' contract with one of the agencies — Canadian Health Labs," DeWare wrote. The company has since launched three lawsuits against Vitalité for allegedly breaching three of its contracts — two expired and one still in force. It's seeking compensation, including punitive, aggravated and special damages. Vitalité has filed statements of defence, as well as counterclaims in all three cases. Martin argued act covers privileged information Martin applied to the court for an injunction on Oct. 9. "Under the Auditor General Act, I have rights of access to any information relating to the performance of my duties," he wrote in a sworn affidavit. This includes privileged information, he argued. Section 13 (a) of the act says the auditor general is entitled to "free access at all convenient times to information, including files, documents, records, agreements and contracts, despite that they may be confidential or private, that relates to the fulfilment of his or her responsibilities." According to Martin, changes the legislature made to that section in 2014, including the auditor general's ability to obtain "private and confidential" information, were specifically made to address this type of situation, DeWare wrote. Discussions surrounding the amendments demonstrate there was a clear desire to enhance the auditor general's authority to obtain necessary information, Martin argued. Vitalité says disclosure would prejudice litigation Vitalité countered that disclosure of the internal audit reports "would prejudice its ability to prosecute" the action against Canadian Health Labs, according to Deware, and that Section 13 (a) of the act "does not explicitly displace or supersede otherwise valid claims of litigation or solicitor-client privilege." If the New Brunswick Legislature had intended for the section to override litigation or solicitor-client privilege, it would have explicitly stated so in the statute, as it does in the Ombudsman Act, Vitalité argued. DeWare noted the Ontario Court of Appeal recently upheld a trial court decision that the Auditor General Act of that province, which, similar to New Brunswick's, does not contain a specific waiver of a valid privilege, "did not authorize access nor compel disclosure of privileged information." The Supreme Court of Canada also considered a similar issue when interpreting a section of Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in 2016, said DeWare. The country's highest court ruled legislative language must be interpreted restrictively when determining if solicitor-client privilege may be set aside. Act not explicit, judge rules "While I appreciate the [auditor general's] argument, the addition of the words 'confidential and private' to section 13 indicates an expanded scope to the information which could be sought, it falls short of explicitly stating an intention to have access to 'privileged' documents," DeWare said. She pointed out that with the 2014 amendments, the legislature didn't adopt the "explicit" language of Nova Scotia's Auditor General Act — "solicitor-client privilege, litigation privilege, settlement privilege and public interest immunity." "The language of the Nova Scotia statute could not be any clearer." Section 13 (a) of the New Brunswick act "does not grant the Auditor General the authority to require production of documents or information which are properly subject to a solicitor-client or litigation privilege," DeWare ruled.
