Daily Archives: September 24, 2021

Calls continue to grow for ousted Liberal SpadinaFort York candidate Kevin Vuong to resign and for a byelection to be held after the now-Independent won the ridings seat.

The Liberals announced Vuong would no longer be affiliated with the party on Saturday two days before the election took place following news that came to light regarding a dropped sexual assault charge against him.

In response to Vuongs decision to keep the seat as an Independent, many politicians and constituents have called for him to step down, with some voters saying they cast their ballots before he was removed from the Liberal roster.

Moreover, some who voted on election day found it unclear as to whether they were choosing to elect Vuong or the Liberal Party. (Vuong remained listed as the Liberal candidate on the ballot because he was dropped just under three weeks after the cut-off date for candidate nominations.)

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I feel like people have been cheated of their choice to pick somebody that runs on a platform and runs still on that platform, Gabriela Artiga, a SpadinaFort York resident, told Global News.

What is his plan now as an Independent? Have his views changed? What is he going to do for us?

Artiga said she and her family voted in the riding. She said she thinks Vuong should resign and that she feels its his responsibility to listen to the community as a public servant.

Its taken away our voice, and we voted (not knowing) what was going to happen, Artiga added.

On Wednesday, SpadinaFort York city councillor Joe Cressy implored Vuong to step down, saying he didnt earn the right to represent the community.

If he wants to sit as an independent MP, he should campaign for the job as one, Cressy said.

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SpadinaFort York MPP Chris Glover echoed Cressys comments on Twitter.

Elected representatives are supposed to be leaders, he said. They must act with transparency, integrity and accountability. Kevin Vuong has failed to do any of this.

Moreover, Norm Di Pasquale, SpadinaFort Yorks federal NDP candidate who lost second to Vuong, said people must demand for a byelection in the coming days following his opponents decision to keep the seat.

It has been a very difficult few days for many survivors and women in our community, Di Pasquale said. What we have seen unfold here is unacceptable, and it underscores the importance of supporting and believing survivors.

Kevin Vuong has not earned the right to serve this community. And while I did not win, he forfeited his right to stand as our MP.

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As of Thursday afternoon, more than 3,100 people signed a petition calling for Vuongs resignation.

Despite public outcry, York University politics professor Dennis Pilon said hes not sure whether anything can be done to oust Vuong from his seat, other than moral suasion.

There are a few things that can happen, Pilon said. Parliament itself can decide whether they want to keep him. So there is a rule in the Standing Orders of Parliament that allow Parliament to expel a member.

He pointed to cases where this has been done in the past, though he noted these have been extreme situations. For instance, one case involved Louis Riel, the former Metis leader who led the North-West Resistance, while another involved former communist MP Fred Rose, who was found guilty of trading secrets to the Soviet Union.

Is (Vuongs) case on par with those historic ones? Im not sure there would be agreement within the House about whether or not it would be appropriate to expel this member on this basis, Pilon added.

Given the Liberals dont have a majority, its not like the party could just say, We dont like this guy we want him out. They dont have enough votes to get the job done.

Moreover, byelections have only been historically called when a seat becomes vacant, either because a sitting member has resigned or died, according to Grace Skogstad, a political science professor with the University of Toronto.

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There might be some technical room for debate as to when one becomes an MP, she added in an email, pointing to a document that she said suggests one might only become an MP when the chief electoral officer says so or when the candidate is sworn into the House of Commons.

On Wednesday after getting elected, Vuong released a statement saying he will work hard to earn the trust of those who doubt him as he takes his seat as an Independent.

I appreciate that not everyone is happy with my election, and I very much understand why it is different in my case, he said.

Allegations of sexual assault are a serious matter, deserving of more discussion than this statement can provide. For these reasons, I intend to address them at a later date more wholly in a dedicated forum.

2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Its taken away our voice: Calls grow for ousted Liberal Kevin Vuong to resign - Global News

Russ Sloan| Columnist

I'm no longer bewildered when I read a newspaper article that is full of bias and twisted data. In the Sept. 12 issue of the Daily Commercial there was a rather long article authored by two writers with the Tampa Bay Times. The heading read as follows: Three minimum-wage jobs needed to make rent in Tampa Bay area.

I thought, surely the authors know that the minimum-wage jobs were primarily meant to be entry-level jobs and, at wage level, geared to younger employees entering the workforce for the first time. The minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage.

I know liberals want that to happen, but the economics of that wish simply don't make fiscal sense. The authors want to impress us with the dire situation of rent costs in Tampa Bay using the minimum wage as a focal point of their article. Having lived in St. Petersburg for 11 years, I love the area but recognize that the same appeal that I admired has also been an attraction to those moving from New York and other high-tax states in substantial numbers.

The massive influx of people moving to Florida has created more demand than availability. Even in California, which lost population for the first time in its history, I've seen housing prices jump dramatically. The rising costs of rental properties in Tampa Bay are not unique to Florida. The article cites a renter in Tampa Bay whose studio apartment was costing $1,500. It's crazy, she said. In Austin, Texas, a studio apartment costs $1,996. I guess that translates to four minimum-wage jobs. How crazy is that compared to Tampa Bay?

As I continued to read on, I was waiting for the racial prejudice shoe to drop. Sure enough, just over halfway through the article the authors cite that people of color are more adversely affected. The source of this statement is Dan Threet, a senior research analyst with the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Threet stated that low-wage earners are forced into situations where they have to spend 30% of their income on housing. Using the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Expenditure Survey, ElitePersonalFinance analyzed the latest statistics to present the most accurate depiction of the average household budget and expenses in the United States. They found that the three biggest consumers of the average household budget are housing at 33%, transportation at 16% and food at 13%. I much prefer the Dave Ramsey fiscally responsible budget allocations that he promotes on his national talk show and in his writing. I wish we had 535 Ramseys in Congress.

I see help wanted signs all over our area here in Central Florida at wages much higher than the minimum wage. I doubt that the Tampa Bay area is significantly different. While the age of minimum-wage earners has risen, it was never meant to be a living wage at any age!

The authors of the article got their bias worked neatly into their article: wanting the minimum wage raised, letting us know that structural racism exists in housing and job opportunities (according to Threet), pushing up wages for our lowest wage earners and increasing the number of affordable housing units. No mention of job preparation, work ethic and the expectation of more government welfare programs.

Racism is never mentioned regarding the NFL or the NBA. Here is a total merit-based employment system and no mention of structural racism. Why? In spite of this biased article, there is still a glimmer of hope. In August there was an article written about why highways were often built through Black communities in Florida.

I wrote to the writer, pointing out several key factors why this was often true. She promptly wrote me a thoughtful reply. Her initial reply stated: Thanks for your e-mail. You make some excellent points. She then described why this was her writing assignment. She closed with this statement: Thanks for your thoughtful and informative e-mail. I wish I could have spoken to you before I did any reporting. I might have shifted the story focus if I looked at it from a more global view that you provided.

I admired her prompt reply and her acknowledgement that, had we talked before she wrote, her emphasis might have been broadened. I wish I could have discussed the article regarding rents in Tampa Bay with the two authors. But they most likely had a political agenda and a bias that I can only counter in this column.

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From the Right: Liberal newspaper writers show their bias - Daily Commercial

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The narrowly defeated NDP candidate said Vuong does not deserve to represent the riding and called for a byelection

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In a tightly contested battle, Torontos Spadina-Fort York has been declared for Kevin Vuong, who was on the ballot as a Liberal although hed been disavowed by the party over a revelation two days before the election that hed been charged with sexual assault in 2019.

The charge was later dropped.

Vuong says he now plans to go to Ottawa and sit as an Independent member of Parliament for Spadina-Fort York.

NDP candidate Norm di Pasquale, whom Vuong defeated by 2,158 votes, said Vuong does not deserve to represent the riding and called for a byelection.

The truth is that Kevin Vuong has not earned the right to serve this community. And while I did not win, he forfeited his right to stand as our MP.

In the days ahead we must all demand a by-election to determine a new choice. A better choice. Our community deserves no less.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Vuong to suspend his campaign after he read a Toronto Star article during the week preceding the Sept. 20 election. Trudeaus decision to drop Vuong came too late to remove his name as the Liberal candidate in Spadina-Fort York from the ballot.

In a statement on Wednesday, Vuong acknowledged the growing criticism of his decision to sit as an Independent despite winning the riding as a Liberal on the ballot.

For those who feel this way, I understand the source of your doubts and I will work hard to earn your trust, he wrote.

Almost 3,000 people had signed an online petition by this morning calling on Vuong to resign.

Said one of the petition signatories, C. Larsen of Toronto: Kevin Vuong never should have been allowed to stand as a candidate in this election. The Liberal Party did not vet him properly, and the public was misled about his suitability to represent us. He should resign immediately.

Laura Reinholzsaid she submitted a mail-in ballot for Vuong before news of the dropped charge emerged.

I dont want an independent representing me, especially this one, Reinholz told CBC News. This is where our electoral process fails us.

Vuong, an officer in the naval reserve, is also facing a review by the Canadian Armed Forces, for allegedly not informing them of the dropped 2019 charge.

Spadina-Fort York was previously held by Liberal Adam Vaughan, who did not seek re-election.

With additional reporting from The Canadian Press

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Expelled by Liberals, Kevin Vuong wins Toronto riding and says he will keep the seat - National Post

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Opinion: There is a lot of commitment and a lot to be proud of, said Adrian Dix. But we simply need to raise those vaccination levels.

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VICTORIA Health Minister Adrian Dix is praising the Opposition B.C. Liberals for supporting the drive to promote vaccination in Northern Health, where a soaring COVID-19 case count is overwhelming hospitals and health-care workers alike.

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The north is being overstretched by COVID-19 and overstretched by the fact that we are not meeting our vaccination goals, Dix told reporters at a media briefing where he pointed out that Northern Health has the highest per capita case count and lowest vaccination rate of any region in the province.

The health minister hastened to acknowledge Opposition leader and Prince George MLA Shirley Bond for her leadership in a cross-party effort to reverse the trends. He also cited the efforts of Liberal MLAs Dan Davies and Mike Bernier, whose ridings are in the northeast, and of New Democrats Nathan Cullen and Jennifer Rice, representing the northwest.

There is a lot of commitment and a lot to be proud of, said Dix. But we simply need to raise those vaccination levels.

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The next day, Cullen and Davies made a joint appearance on CBCs Daybreak North to discuss the extent of the problem.

Our hospitals are being absolutely stretched to the limits, Davies, the Liberal MLA for Peace River North, told host Carolina de Ryk. I commend our health professionals, our nurses that are working some of them 40 consecutive shifts working. They cant sustain that. Our system cant sustain that. And its 90 per cent folks that are not vaccinated that are filling up our intensive-care units right now.

Cullen, the NDP MLA for Stikine, voiced a very similar take to that of Davies.

Were shipping people out of Smithers right now because were full of COVID, said Cullen. People who have very serious injuries and need support. Were shipping them out of the north.

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He echoed Davies on the need to boost the vaccination rates across the north, which lags 12-to-15 percentage points behind the provincial average on first and second doses.

Cullen put his faith in the recent announcement of $6.5 million in provincial funding to recruit and retain more health-care workers, especially nurses. Davies welcomed the money but the Liberals have also called for an independent audit of health-care resources in the northeast.

Asked about the challenge of converting vaccine holdouts, Cullen said they werent a monolithic group.

There are some that are just absolutely ideologically opposed to vaccines. Very hard to reach, he said. There are other people that are hesitant. Theyve read things on the internet that have given them worries. There are some that just think its not their responsibility and thats some of the saddest conversations Ive had where they think its for somebody else to do.

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Davies and his Liberal colleague Bernier have both cited mistrust of government as a factor in a part of the province that is distant ideologically as well as geographically from mainstream B.C.

Dix, for his part, convened an electronic briefing with northern MLAs on Wednesday to acknowledge the challenges and discuss solutions. Presiding for the Liberals was Opposition leader Bond, who, as of this week, is also her partys health critic. Bond appointed herself to the role after a showdown with the previous critic, Renee Merrifield, rookie MLA for Kelowna-Mission and also a candidate for the party leadership.

The inexperienced Merrifield was an odd choice for such a senior role mid-pandemic. She proved to be a controversial one as well, witness comments suggesting that the Liberals were wavering on masks, mandatory vaccinations for health-care workers and other aspects of pandemic management.

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The controversy came to a head last week with a posting on social media from Jas Johal, the ex-B.C. Liberal MLA turned CKNW radio host, who called for Merrifields removal as health critic.

She has failed in that role, wrote Johal on his Twitter account. We need an effective Opposition and her performance fails to meet the publics expectations and that of her colleagues.

Johal must have known whereof he spoke about the attitude of Merrifields Liberal colleagues because the next day she was out as health-care critic. MLAs Michael Lee and Ellis Ross, also candidates for the leadership, lost their policy critic roles as well.

All three leadership candidates have agreed to step aside from their critic portfolio roles to focus on the leadership race, declared the Liberals via a media release crafted to provide face-saving cover for Merrifield.

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Bond, having taken the health-critic role for herself, lost no time clarifying where the party stood on vaccination. When word came last Thursday that anti-vaxxing protesters had swarmed three schools in Salmon Arm, Bond was out with a comment well before NDP Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside.

I read this with disbelief and some anger, she wrote on her Twitter account. First there were protests that blocked hospitals, and now people entering schools. There are ways to expressing your views, but not this Stop it! Students and staff deserve better!

Bonds anger was topped by that of Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth, the NDPs bad cop to Dixs good cop.

Covidiot doesnt even begin to describe how inappropriate the action of those whack jobs is, declared Farnworth, adding a new insult to the B.C. political vernacular.

More importantly, Bond and Farnworth confirmed that, on vaccinations at least, the New Democrats and the Liberals had achieved a common front in a troubled time.

vpalmer@postmedia.com

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Vaughn Palmer: New Democrats and Liberals achieve common front in troubled time in B.C. - Vancouver Sun

Update, Sept. 21, 12:46 a.m.: Trudeau won a third term while the Liberals will lead a minority government. Read the full story.

Since the dissolution of the House of Commons on Aug. 15, more than 150 polls have been published by pollsters and media organizations across the country. Although each poll has its share of uncertainty and noise, once taken together, we were able to detect some distinct trends.

On Aug. 15, the Liberal Party (LPC) came out of the gate with a clear lead in voting intentions, but the gap between the LPC and the Conservative Party (CPC) started to narrow as early as day 2 of the campaign. While the Liberals appeared to be on cruise control, Conservative Erin OTooles personal numbers began to improve (see this Abacus Data poll from mid-August). This trend continued until the first debate, held in Montreal for the TVA network. Then the numbers reached a stalemate.

After the Federal Commission debates, the most notable movement was detected in Quebec, where the Bloc Qubcois, running a lukewarm campaign up to that point, saw its numbers climbing to eventually reach the partys 2019 level of support in the province, dashing the hopes of significant CPC and LPC gains in Quebec.

LIVE RESULTS:Election results map and riding-by-riding vote counts

Meanwhile out west, the Liberals appeared to slide to third place in British Columbia, although there isnt a clear consensus on this in the final polls.

So here is where we stand with less than 24 hours to voting day. As of this writing, on Sunday evening, it appears the Liberal Party and Justin Trudeau are the odds-on favourite to win the most seats in Canada, although the gap between the two leading parties remains narrow. Several important variables remain unknown, and while there appears to be a consensus on national voting intentions, regional numberscrucial for seat projectionsdiffer from polling firm to polling firm. (See the full list of polls here.)

Here are the final polls from polling firms that published at least one poll during the campaign:

With few exceptions, most polls show the Liberals and Conservatives within two points of each other, a scenario much similar to the 2019 campaign when the CPC won the popular vote by one point nationallyby running up the score in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but failing to make gains in Central Canada.

The final 338Canada vote projection, unsurprisingly, has the Liberals and Conservative tied at 32 per cent apiece. The NDP takes third place with an average of 19 per cent. Should the NDP get its vote out tomorrow and translate these favourable voting intentions into actual votes, it would represent an increase of three points from 2019, and Jagmeet Singh could definitely hope to increase the size of his caucus.

Using the aforementioned polls with the 338Canada federal model, we calculate the following seat projections:

The Liberal Party wins an average of 146 seats, 11 seats fewer than in 2019, but still well within similar ranges as where the party stood two years ago. Nonetheless, looking at the regional breakdown of the vote projection, this number of seats for the Liberals may feel low. Why? Because the LPC is actually projected leading in 155 seats, but since so many of those are toss ups or too close to call, it brings the partys seat average down.

The seat probability density is therefore asymmetrical: While the average is 146 seats, the most likely scenario is close to 155-160 seats. To reach such a total, the Liberals would have to win pretty much all the toss up districts projected their way. However, should the polls overestimate the Liberals by even one point (especially in Ontario), this optimistic outcome for the LPC would not probably not materialize:

The Conservative Party wins an average of 127 ridings across the country, marginally above its 121-seat total under Andrew Scheer. Even though the confidence intervals between the two parties do overlap, the Conservatives have a much lower ceiling than the Liberals and they, too, would need a high vote efficiency to overcome this. Nevertheless, a modest poll error against the CPC could tip those numbers, especially in Ontario.

The 338Canada federal model grants the LPC at least a plurality of seats in 68 per cent of simulations, against 31 per cent for the Conservatives. We are far from a clear result here. In fact, we could use the analogy of a dice roll: One to three, the Liberals win a minority; Four, the Liberals climb to a majority; Five or six, and it is the Conservatives who win the most seats.

Hence, while one prefers to be the favourite heading to election day, two out of three chances of winning is far from a sure win for the Liberals. By way of comparison, according to some sports betting sites, the Las Vegas Golden Knights had two out of three chances of beating the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-finals of the Stanley Cup last June. Andwe know how that turned out.

In closing, let us remind readers of this column that polls do not vote. The support expressed by respondents in polls is entirely theoretical. Polls do take the pulse of the electorate, but no further.In 2019, the 338Canada federal model correctly identified 299 of the 338 district winners, or nearly 90 per cent of the ridings. If the polls released in the last few days prove to be accurate Monday night and throughout the week (dont forget the mail-in ballots), I am confident that the election results will be generally in line with the numbers of this projection. Nonetheless, humans are complex entities, much more so than electrons or galaxies, so any form of prediction about their behaviour will always contain a significant amount of uncertainty.

The Liberals are expected to win on Monday night. The data tells us that this is the most likely outcome. Additionally, should polls underestimate Liberal support, an LPC majority would even be a plausible scenario (probability of 15 per cent). And if the polls underestimate the Conservatives, especially in Ontario, Erin OTooles CPC could tie or even edge out the seat countbut that is a big if.

Go vote, Canada. Many of you may not have wanted this election, but it is here. Dont let others speak for you.

* * *

Details of this projection are available on the 338Canada page. To find your home district, use this list of all 338 electoral districts, or use the regional links below:

Original post:

338Canada: The final polls are in, and they point to a slim Liberal victory - Maclean's

Senator Rennick said the lack of a clawback provision was a major oversight and Treasury and ATO staff should have known this was required.

Someone should be sacked there for what was, in my view, a shocking bungle, he said.

Liberal MP John Alexander has also called for companies to return the money if they received it unnecessarily.

Common sense should prevail and damn sure they should pay it back, Mr Alexander said.

How dare anyone profit at this time when were really in a war and [take advantage of] things that are put in place to assist those who have real hardship, he said. Thats a long way from what I would call traditional Australian values and fair play.

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Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has previously said including a clawback provision could have delayed the payments and some companies might have chosen not to accept the funds despite the nation staring into the economic abyss. JobKeeper is widely accepted by economists as a critical measure in keeping the nation afloat when COVID-19 hit Australia last year.

Earlier this month, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said profitable companies who took the JobKeeper subsidy should do a bit of soul-searching.

Liberal MP Jason Falinski said companies who had repaid JobKeeper should be congratulated but described Senator Patricks attempt to force the ATO to reveal each business with a turnover above $10 million that received the wage subsidy as dangerous.

It is trampling over the rights of individuals for the sake of 30 pieces of silver. Im not that cheap, Mr Falinski said.

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Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said requesting repayments in hindsight was not necessarily a good idea.

99 per cent of the businesses which had an uptick in turnover [during COVID-19] were small businesses. Taxing small businesses retrospectively is the last thing we should do, he said.

He said many of the companies that legally received the money were now affected again by lockdowns and requiring them to repay JobKeeper now would be the craziest thing.

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Liberal backbenchers want JobKeeper overpayments returned to public coffers - Sydney Morning Herald

To borrow Vietnam War terminology, small l Liberal supporters switching allegiance to proliferating community independent candidates are posing a fundamental question for the Coalition: Are they destroying the party to save the party?

There are two scenarios if the Coalition loses enough liberal Liberal voters to lose government: It would be forced to address its drift to the right or it travels further down the American Republican Party road of reactionary conservativism and divisiveness as moderates desert.

That the community independents have their sights set on seats held by relatively less right-wing members magnifies the matter for the party.

Theres little or no evidence of the present moderate Liberal members having impact on the key Coalition policies that are fuelling the Voices of movement whatever they might occasionally hint at or actually say, they all vote the same way as Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan and George Christensen.

But what happens to the Liberal Party if the moderate rump is further reduced?

The federal Liberal Partys moderate leadership was pretty much wiped out before the 2019 election.

As reported here at the time, eight Liberal ministers or assistant ministers elected in 2016, all from the relatively liberal side of the party, did not stand in 2019.

To that list of can be added Arthur Sinodinos, bundled off to Washington as ambassador.

The North Sydney Independent campaign launch on Wednesday night highlighted the issues driving a wedge between the Liberal Party and moderate supporters: Climate change, integrity, gender and a broader concern perhaps summarised by Biloela family.

I was one of the 440 or so people watching the NSI launch hosted by Julia Zemiro via Zoom and featuring guest appearances by Zali Steggall, Cathy McGowan, Tim Flannery, Nicki Hutley and Kerryn Phelps.

The chosen NSI candidate, Kylea Tink, (her father misspelled Kylie on her birth certificate) hit all the buttons as a small l community Liberal. More importantly, she came across as the sort of candidate any political party would like to have.

Ms Tink is hoping to take the seat of the man she voted for in 2019, Trent Zimmerman.

As the threat from the NSI group has grown, Mr Zimmerman has become more public in advocating something more on climate than his partys present policies.

The city independents are getting plenty of coverage in the mainstream media read and watched by their electorates that tend to be richer and better educated than most.

And the following is a typical response, courtesy of a Sydney Morning Herald article.

Mr Zimmerman said he believed it was vitally important for the government and the Liberal Party to have strong voices inside it arguing for sensible climate change policies.

It seems bizarre to me that any organisation interested in climate policy will try and remove those voices, he said.

The NSI response is that the federal moderates lack what it takes to do more than talk none has the ticker to turn terrorist to get their way, as the ratbag end of the Coalition has from time to time.

And the moderate minority might argue in caucus, the National Party minority plays harder and sets the policy with the Liberal Party leader going on the record at a Business Council dinner saying we will not achieve net zero in the cafes, dinner parties and wine bars of our inner cities.

Mr Zimmerman is not alone in facing a challenge from former Liberal voters in Sydneys blue-ribbon seats. Voters in Bradfield, the Liberal Partys safest metropolitan seat, are reportedly seeking a candidate in the Voices of model to take on Communications Minister Paul Fletcher.

Jason Falinski in Mackellar is also expecting a challenger, and Dave Sharma in Wentworth sounds more than a little defensive when hes quoted saying Im interested in politics as the art of the possible, not meaningless posturing.

The irony is that while Sydney federal Liberals are locked into National Party-dictated climate denialism and delay, the NSW state Liberals are as progressive on climate as any government in Australia.

A Liberal member tells me part of the problem is the nature of the party membership. While some branches are being stacked by the religious right, others are populated by a small number of unrepresentative faithful tending towards the older end of the age spectrum.

You go to a branch meeting and you have to deal with people who watch and take their cues from Alan Jones, the (moderate) member said.

We often forget just how close the last election was and just how slim the governments majority is, along with the likelihood of the next election being just as close.

Losing a seat or two to genuine independents could make all the difference.

Saving the party among the cafes, dinner parties and wine bars means winning back voters like Kylea Tink.

Disclosure: I accepted an invitation to speak on the economy and politics at an NSI virtual town hall meeting. Id do the same for the Liberal or Labor parties.

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Michael Pascoe: Independents v Liberal Party Destroying the village to save it? - The New Daily

The closure of Yale-NUS College is a serious loss for liberal arts within Asia, even raising questions about their very survival in the continent.

The Singaporean institution is one of the continents most prestigious protagonists of the liberal arts model, providing a level of excellence, academic freedom, creativity and energy that will be hard to replace.

But its establishment in 2011 was only one part of a liberal arts wave that has swept across Asia since the turn of the millennium. This has resulted in the creation of stand-alone institutions, such as Indias Ashoka University and Vietnams Fulbright University, and also partnerships between Asian and Western institutions, such as NYU Shanghai, Duke Kunshan University, and, of course, Yale-NUS. Many new liberal arts programmes have also been built within larger universities, such as Yonsei Universitys Underwood International College (South Korea), Waseda University Liberal Arts (Japan) and iCLA at Yamanashi Gakuin University (also Japan).

Acceptance of the liberal arts model among Asian parents and prospective students has been driven by data showing how effective it is at preparing students for careers in business, science and other fields. In his 2011 book Liberal Arts at the Brink, Victor Ferrall notes that 12 of the 53 Nobel prizewinners between 1999 and 2008 who received their undergraduate education at a US college or university received it at a liberal arts college. This is all the more remarkable given that less than 2 per cent of US undergraduates study at a liberal arts college.

Such institutions ability to punch above their weight is underlined by a 2016 article in Nature, which noted that the top10 institutions for producing Nobel Prizesper capita include two US liberal arts colleges, Swarthmore College and Amherst College. And National Science Foundation figures indicate that liberal arts colleges accounted for 27 of the top 50 sources of science and engineering doctorates per capita between 2002 and 2011.

The National University of Singapores own interest in liberal arts dates back to 2001, when the elite, multidisciplinary University Scholars Programme (USP) was established. And the institution discussed establishing a new liberal arts programme with Californias Claremont Colleges in 2007, before approaching Yale University a few years later.

The closure of Yale-NUS is officially described as a merger with the USP. However, it is actually the wilful destruction of two vital and vibrant academic cultures to create an NUS-controlled New College of Humanities and Sciences. The New College should be thought of more as an honours college than an autonomous liberal arts institution, and it is doubtful that it will have the same level of success as either Yale-NUS or NUS USP. These programmes built their reputations for excellence via a decade of planning and refinement; discontinuing them points to a change in direction, which will require programmes to be built anew. This is immensely wasteful, squandering the thoughtful and careful efforts of scholars from Yale, NUS and Yale-NUS.

These scholars deserve much better. They publish in leading journals andproduce numerous books, maintaining a high level of research productivity while teaching at an extremely high level.

The closure seems also to weaken higher education in Singapore strategically. After all, employers praise Yale-NUS graduates for what one called their strong writing and problem-solving skills as well as the ability to take initiative. Five graduating classes have included two Fulbright scholars, two Yengching scholars, two Schwarzman scholars, a Rhodes scholar, and an Ertegun scholar. Numerous start-up companies have also been set up by Yale-NUS graduates, demonstrating the power of liberal arts to catalyse entrepreneurship.

Critics have claimed that the closure of Yale-NUS illustrates how an authoritarian governments very limited tolerance of academic freedom and student activism can create tensions with liberal arts approaches to higher education. This prompts the fear that the move may be threaten other excellent liberal arts programmes in Asia, where such governments abound.

By contrast, NUS president Tan Eng Chyeattributed the closure to cost, while education minister Chan Chun Singdepicted it as an attempt to mainstream flexible pathways and more interdisciplinary learning. Yet even if this is the whole story, we do think that liberal arts programmes in the region could benefit from some peer support. That is why we have developed a new consortium of programmes across the Pacific region, known as the Pacific Alliance of Liberal Arts (Palac).

With members including top liberal arts programmes from the US, Canada, China and with plans to include Japan, Australia and Vietnam Palac aims to develop a new ethos of global liberal arts through a meta-university that pools ideas and expertise on research and education. For instance, Palac plans to sponsor focused dialogues on urgent global issues, such as the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We aim to embody the fact that the liberal arts are becoming less a Western-led phenomenon. And we aim to ensure that the model continues to be co-developed across the world by an ever-growing community of nations.

Singapore may be about to lose its flagship liberal arts provision, but we aim to do all we can to make sure that the closure of Yale-NUS remains an isolated case.

Bryan Penprase is vice-president for sponsored research and external academic relations at Soka University of America and the founding academic director of the Pacific Alliance of Liberal Arts Colleges. He was previously a founding faculty member of Yale-NUS College. Thomas Schneider is professor of Egyptology and Near Eastern studies at the University of British Columbia and founding executive director of the Pacific Alliance of Liberal Arts Colleges.

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After Yale-NUS closure, liberal arts in Asia will benefit from peer support - Times Higher Education (THE)

Kevin Vuong, a former Toronto Liberal candidate who was turfed from the party days before the election, is set to win a tight race in the downtown riding of Spadina-Fort York.

The riding was too close to call last night after long lineups kept many voting locations open past 9:30 p.m., when polls officially closed in Ontario. But with 128 of 129 polls reporting, Vuong is leading with 37.9 per cent of the vote, compared to 35 per cent for Norm di Pasquale, a Toronto Catholic District School Board Trustee and candidate for the NDP.

Just days before the election, the Toronto Star revealed that Vuong, a naval reservist and business owner, had faced a sexual assault charge in 2019, a charge that was later dropped by the Crown.

Following news of the allegations, the Liberal Party asked Vuong to pause his campaign and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau later confirmed that if elected, Vuong would not be part of the Liberal caucus.

Last week, the Liberals said they had no knowledge of the charge and vowed to improve the candidate vetting process in the future.

Vuong, who has denied the allegations against him, still appeared on the ballot as the Liberals said it was too late to remove him.

Spadina-Fort York was last held by former Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, who handily won the riding with 55 per cent of the vote in 2019 but announced last month that he would not be seeking re-election.

Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who at one point campaigned with Vuong, told CTV News Toronto that former Liberal should "examine his conscience" and step aside.

"I don't think Kevin can responsibly serve in the capacity as an MP for that community, given the circumstances of the allegation, so I do hope that he does the right thing," Del Duca said.

Vuong has not spoken publicly since the election results came in but he will need to sit as an independent if he decides to take the job in Ottawa.

-With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Toronto's Colin D'Mello

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Candidate dropped late by Liberals due to sex assault allegation projected to win downtown Toronto riding - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Jackie DeAngelis on Biden, dark money

A dark money group funded by a Swiss billionaire foreign national is spending heavily to lobby moderate Democrats to support voting rights legislation that Republicans have railed against as another election power grab by Democrats, filings show.

Between 2019 and 2021, the Sixteen Thirty Fund paid more than $750,000 to lobby groups working to sway senators on voting rights legislation, documents show.

Sixteen Thirty Fund, which operates as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, is a dark money group that directs money from donors to projects that it sponsors, effectively allowing the funding sources to remain anonymous. It acts as a fiscal sponsor for more than 50 groups that lack tax-exempt status or do not exist as separately incorporated entities.

The nonprofit is closely tied toArabella Advisors, a firm that advises donors and nonprofits about where to give money. It was founded by former Clinton administration appointee Eric Kessler, who serves as the president and chair of Sixteen Thirty Fund.

BIDEN'S WHITE HOUSE VICTORY FUELED BY RECORD-SHATTERING $145M IN DARK MONEY

Arabella Advisors provides "business and administrative services" to the nonprofit, including offering "the systems and services to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations related to charitable solicitation and provides HR, legal, payroll and other administrative functions," according to a recent tax filing.

A majority of the lobbying money $630,000 went to outside firm Keefe Singiser Partners to lobby on a host of issues, including D.C. statehood, the For the People Act (H.R.1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R.4), an amendment to the Voting Rights Act known as HR4.

The act would address a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that made it more difficult for the federal government to block racially discriminatory voting laws and redistricting proposals. The legislation was named in honor of Rep. John Lewis, the longtime Democratic congressman and civil rights leader who died last year. House Democrats passed the bill last month, but it faces an uphill battle in the 50-50 Senate.

A coalition of 23 state attorneys general sent a letter to congressional leaders last week threatening to sue in order to prevent the Democrat-backed legislation from being implemented if it becomes law, calling the legislation "unnecessary but also unconstitutional."

Keefe Singiser Partners is led by Maura Keefe, the former chief of staff for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Dana Singiser, a former special assistant during the Obama administration.

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Sixteen Thirty Fund also paid $150,000 to Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid between 2020 and 2021 to lobby on issues related to democracy reform and election integrity, including H.R.1. One of the lobbyists at Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid is MJ Kenny, who spent nearly a decade working for Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Between 2010 and 2019, Kenny served multiple roles, including legislative correspondent and deputy floor director, according to his LinkedIn profile.

"The Sixteen Thirty Fund is proud to support efforts to reform democracy by protecting voting rights and reducing the influence of money in politics by passing the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Act," Amy Kurtz, president of Sixteen Thirty Fund, said in a statement.

Several of the biggest donors and organizations in Democratic politics have ties to Sixteen Thirty Fund, including Mike Bloomberg, who donated $250,000 to a super PAC linked to SixteenThirty Fund, Change Now, in 2018, according to Politico.

The Democratic donor group Democracy Alliance, which has dozens of members, including billionaire George Soros, suggested that donors invest several million dollars into Sixteen Thirty Fund.

In a confidential memo from spring 2019, the alliance had directed its members to pass cash to initiatives housed at Arabella as part of a $275 million spending plan to prop up progressive efforts and to defeat former President Donald Trump in 2020.

Sixteen Thirty Fund has also received millions from Hansjrg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire whose two organizations donated $208 million from 2016 through early last year to three other nonprofits that doled out the money to groups that backed progressive causes and helped Democrats win the White House, the New York Times reported.

Wyss has not disclosed whether or not he is a U.S. citizen.

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The Berger Action Fund, an arm of the Wyss Foundation, donated more than $135 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund between the spring of 2016 and the spring of 2020, the Times reported.

While the Sixteen Thirty Fund is used to house nonprofits that are backed by secretive donors, it was also used as an avenue to steer $55 million in anonymous cash into super PACs that backed President Biden's 2020 campaign, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Arabella-managed funds, which also include the New Venture Fund, Windward Fund and Hopewell Fund, raked in $715 million in 2019. The funds house projects beneath them that include Demand Justice, Fix Our Senate, Demand Progress and dozens of other groups. It also passed large sums to outside organizations such as the Center for American Progress, America Votes, Center for Popular Democracy and Color of Change.

Critics of dark money, which obscures the source of the funds, argue that voters should know who's funding political advertisements and campaigns. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group, has called it a "serious threat to our democracy," and Issue One, another nonpartisan group that aims to reduce the influenceof money in politics, criticized it as "the most toxic force in politics."

Although Democrats have previously introduced legislation to crack down on dark money donations, it did not stop them from accepting anonymous donations themselves as they fought to defeat Trump. In fact, areportpublished byBloomberg Newsshows that Biden raked in about $145 million in donations from anonymous donors to outside groups backing him, far outstripping the $28.4 million spent on behalf of his rival.

Fox News' Cameron Cawthorne, Joe Schoffstall and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.

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Democrats' HR4 voting rights bill boosted by liberal dark money group financed by foreign national - Fox Business