Today: April 27, 2022

Today: April 27, 2022

By Andrew Thomson | UPDATED 4:36pmET

In the House

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in the chamber for question period:

Earlier, Trudeau faced questions about new sanctions that Canada has imposed in response to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine -- and about the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Quebec's Saguenay region that Conservative MP and leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre says he would support. (The federal and provincial governments have both rejected the project.)

Watch the full scrum with reporters on Parliament Hill:

The official opposition, meanwhile, is continuing to highlight new revelations involving Trudeau, the RCMP, and the Aga Khan ethics controversy.

Conservative ethics critic James Bezan announced he has written a letter to the RCMP commissioner requesting the investigation to be re-opened into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family vacation to the Aga Khan's Bahamas island in December 2016.

Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen and MPs Jacques Gourde, Gérard Deltell, Brad Vis, Michael Barrett, and Luc Berthold also spoke with reporters on issues including Trudeau's vacation, Canada's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the "Rolling Thunder" motorcycle convoy that is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa for a multi-day rally.

And here's NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaking with reporters ahead of question period:

Also:

MPs vote on the government’s budget motion: That this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government.

Full Coverage: Budget 2022

Debate begins on a Conservative private member’s bill to ban “the communication of statements, other than in private conversation, that wilfully promote antisemitism by condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust.”

The recent federal budget promised identical legislation.

And the government has a motion on the House of Commons notice paper to allow for late sittings until MPs rise for the summer break in June. 

Census 2021: Canada's Aging Population

The latest 2021 census numbers are out today, with a focus on Canada's changing population and aging demographics.

Some highlights:

  • Canada's average age is 41.9, up nearly one year from the 2016 census.
  • The number of people 85 and older has doubled over the past 20 years
  • Those aged 65 and older now make up nearly 20% of Canada's overall population. The senior population has grown at a pace six times faster than children under 15.
  • The number of people nearing retirement age (55 to 64) has never been so high, and Statistics Canada says this is helping fuel labour shortages across the country.
  • However, for the first time since the mid-1960s, baby boomers comprise less than 25% of Canada's population. Immigration has made the millennial cohort (born 1981 to 1996) Canada's fastest-growing generation over the past five years. 
  • This census also includes gender diversity data for the first time. Nearly 101,000 people 15 and older reported themselves as transgender or non-binary.

PrimeTime Politics: Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and trades union head Sean Strickland on labour shortages and the Census

PrimeTime Politics: CanAge founder reacts to the latest census data on seniors in Canada

Watch: Statistics Canada officials discuss new census data

And here's how each of Canada's 338 federal ridings breaks down by average and median age:

Today in Politics Podcast: Mark Sutcliffe and Dan Leger

Canada's environment commissioner warns that the 2030 emissions target may not be achievable. The Prime Minister says the opposition needs to move on from his family vacation at the Aga Khan's private island. And Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter could face challenges from governments around the world.