News

The conservative government has been defeated. The historic defeat marks the beginning of a battle between parties that will result in elections in May. The votes cited the Harper government for contempt of parliament- a first in any Commonwealth government.

Canadian voters will have five weeks to sort out the rhetoric brought on by different party leaders. Harper claims that opposition coalition is a danger to country. Meanwhile, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says that the real danger is Harper’s contempt for democracy.

Canada’s 40th parliament will formally be dissolved Saturday morning.

A spring election still hasn’t been called, but that didn’t stop parliament from switching into election mode during Thursday’s budget debate. The Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP have all announced that they will reject the budget and bring about a no-confidence vote on Friday.

The vote is expected to topple Stephen Harper’s minority government and schedule the fifth election in the last ten years. The federal parties instead used the first and likely only day of debate to set their blueprints for the seemingly inevitable campaign.

The city of Montreal is taking steps to prevent its bedbug problem from spreading. On Thursday, the public health department released its plan to combat the growing bedbug infestation.

If passed, the plan will force extermination companies to report infestations. It will also create a databank to keep track of infested households. Other measures include a public education campaign about bedbugs and the creation of a regional committee. City council is set to vote on the plan in June.

On March 23rd at 1.45pm Eastern Standard Time, the slates running for CSU Executive office met for a debate in H-110 in the Hall Building of the downtown campus of Concordia University. The debate was moderated by The Link’s News Editor; Christopher Curtis.

Your Concordia
Presidential Candidate: Lex Gill
VP External: Chad Walcott
VP Student Life & Sustainability: Laura Glover

Action
Presidential Candidate: Khalil Haddad
VP Services & Sustainability: Rasim Hafiz
VP University Affairs: Teresa Seminara.

The two slates running for this year’s CSU election duked it out Wednesday in a debate heard live on CJLO. Chosen by Team Action to debate were Presidential candidate Khalil Haddad along with VP hopefuls Teresa Seminara and Rasim Hafiz. Sitting to the right of them was Your Concordia’s Lex Gill, Chad Walcott and Laura Glover. The main issues were discussed to give students a better idea of who they’d like to vote for.

The Conservative government’s budget was rejected immediately after its proposal on Tuesday. Minutes after finance minister Jim Flaherty tabled his budget all the opposition leaders voiced their disapproval. Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff criticized the budget for not including the needs of ordinary Canadians. 

Read by Gareth Sloan

Produced by Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

Stories by Joel Balsam, Dominique Daoust, Sofia Gay and Aisha Samu

Pittsburg Penguin Matt Cooke will keep his skates off the ice for what’s left of the season. Cooke was suspended for the rest of the season after elbowing New York Ranger Ryan McDonagh on Sunday.

McDonagh wasn’t seriously hurt by the hit.

Cooke will miss the next 10 season games and the first round of the playoffs. The NHL vice president says this wasn’t the first time Cooke misbehaved and he deserves the suspension.

Cooke has a history of playing dirty. Last March he hit Boston Bruins player Marc Savard, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

A Quebec coalition wants to permanently close the province’s only nuclear facility due to the crisis in Japan. The coalition of politicians and activists says Quebec’s Gentilly-two power plant is too dangerous to maintain. They met in Montreal to discuss their mutual goal in ending any further investment in the power plant.

Read by Correntine Rivoire

Produced by Gareth Sloan

Stories by Correntine Rivoire, Chris Hanna and Sarah El Fangary

Libya declared a fresh ceasefire on Sunday. This came after a day of bombardment from Western forces, trying to protect civilians from government troops. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been using tanks and artillery to try to crush an uprising against his four-decade rule.

Minutes before the army spokesman made the announcement, heavy anti-aircraft gunfire boomed above central Tripoli, followed by machinegun fire. The Libyan government in Tripoli had already announced a ceasefire last week, but Western powers accused Gaddafi of breaking the truce.