Canada
Did Mark Carney use Blue Rodeo to hint at Canada's election date?
Federal election candidates are set to launch their campaigns across Canada this weekend as the country anticipates its 45th general election to formally get underway on Sunday. Prime Minister Mark Carney is yet to settle on the day but his recent social media post referencing a song by Blue Rodeo may offer a hint.
Liberals vow to cut GST for first-time homebuyers purchasing homes for $1M or less
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will scrap the GST for first-time homebuyers who purchase a home with a sale price at or below $1 million. Carney promised the measure during his leadership campaign and it also matches a similar promise made by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre last fall.
Carney will maintain oil and gas emissions cap, environment minister says
The Liberals introduced draft regulations back in November that require producers to cut emissions by about one-third over the next eight years.
Poilievre meets Legault
Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife Ana met Thursday with Québec Premier François Legault and, during a stop in Jonquiere, QC ahead of that meeting, was asked about the purpose of the meeting. "Today's meeting with Mr. Legault is because we have some shared challenges for Canada and Quebec that we need to discuss. One is how we break the over dependence on the American economy by developing resources, doing more interprovincial trade, unleashing our economy, cutting red tape, and really unleashing the potential of Canada. Second, he wants to talk about the broken Liberal immigration system and how we can fix those problems. Third, of course, will be talking about protecting the French language, and we'll talk about any shared priorities or plans that we both have in common. The Conservatives posted photos of the meeting on Poilievre's Facebook page. " -DA
Evan Solomon to run for Liberals in federal election
Solomon hosted CBC’s “Power and Politics” and CTV’s “Power Play.” CBC fired Solomon after a Star investigation revealed he received commissions for art sales he facilitated using contacts from his journalism. Those included sales to Carney, who was then governor of the Bank of Canada, and BlackBerry co-founder Jim Balsillie. In emails obtained by the Star, Solomon used code-names to discuss those buyers, including calling Carney “the Guv.”
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi seeks federal Liberal seat in Edmonton: sources
“I have been asked if I would consider putting my name forward to run with the Liberal Party of Canada in the upcoming federal election,” the mayor stated. “I will continue to stand up for Edmonton and serve my city, and I will have more to say about my political future in the coming days.”
Beauport-Limoilou will be a BQ-CPC dogfight. There are new boundaries to the riding for 2025 and after you do the transposition of 2021 votes to those new boundaries, BQ incumbent Julie Vignola was a winner by just 303 votes over former Conservative MP Alupa Clarke. In the actual 2021 contest, Vignola won by 982 votes. The 2021 fight was a rematch from 2019 when Vignola beat Clarke by 1985 votes.
So no re-match this time. The CPC candidate is a political novice with a solid business background as a former Bombardier and Bell Textron executive. But Vignola must overcome wilting BQ numbers province-wide versus steady CPC numbers. For that reason: I have the CPC with a 2200 vote lead here right now in my model. But watch out for the Liberals. They got 25 per cent of the vote in the last two elections here and have yet to announce their candidate here. A National Capital region riding to watch. -DA
Federal Budgets
An April election will come right in the middle of what is traditinally Federal Budget season. For this interested, here is a helpful resource for all budgets going back to 1968. The table at this link notes the day the budget was tabled, the PM and Finance Minister of the day and a link to the budget docs. Note: No budget was tabled in 2020 because of rapidly changing financial situation brought on by the pandemic. I do draw attention to the example of 2011 when the Harper government presented a budget in March, subsquently lost a confidence vote, won the election, and presented a second budget in June. -DA
The Provinces
Ford turned down Poilievre for election campaign help: Insiders
Federal and provincial Tory sources said Poilievre phoned the premier on Monday to belatedly offer his congratulations for the Progressive Conservatives’ Feb. 27 re-election. The conversation — 18 days after Ford’s victory, which then-prime minister Justin Trudeau had saluted moments after it was official — lasted almost half an hour. But those privy to the chat said it was at times stilted and awkward because the two leaders have little personal rapport. Far from a rapprochement, sources said it was an opportunity for Ford to flex as the most powerful Tory politician in Canada after his high-profile stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It was also a chance for him to express his displeasure to Poilievre at how some federal Tories disparage his three-term government as “not conservative enough.”
Mark Carney meets with Danielle Smith in Alberta, hears about oil policy concerns
Smith told reporters she is skeptical that Carney can deliver. “I can tell you I’m not encouraged by what I’ve seen so far,” Smith said. “I think there’s a real danger that the new prime minister is worse than the old prime minister.”
Manitoba tables budget with more capital spending, $794-million deficit
The NDP government said the potential threat from tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump cannot be ignored, and new spending and tax changes will protect jobs. “We didn’t start this fight, but we are not backing down,” Finance Minister Adrien Sala told reporters.
Saskatchewan lawmakers spar over Trump tariff response in legislature
The NDP say the Saskatchewan government has gone soft in their response to the U.S. trade war.
Attacks and apologies mark tense times at Alberta legislative assembly
"I would encourage us to be much more civil in our actions or it’s likely to continue to lead to a lack of order," said Speaker Cooper
Elsewhere
Ex-PM Stephen Harper says he's perplexed, heartbroken by Canada-India tensions
Former prime minister Stephen Harper told a conference in India last month that he doesn't "entirely understand" why Canada has such a poor relationship with India, and suggested the Liberal party has become infiltrated by Sikh activists who want to carve a separate state out of India. "Frankly, I have been heartbroken to watch the steady deterioration of this relationship under my successor. I don't think I entirely understand why that is," Harper said in his remarks to a Feb. 28 conference in New Delhi called the NXT Conclave.
Media
‘No, you’ll take that as a very comprehensive answer to your question' | PM responds to reporters
Watch the video linked here but here's an partial transcript:
Reporter: (Identified himself as "James from the Western Standard") You have not been elected in a federal election yet. And you recently flew to Europe on a government wide-body chat. The expense of at least half-a-million. So the question I have for you today ... will you commit to refunding these taxpayers for that flight?
Mark Carney: Well, it's interesting question ... way to frame it ...
(Carney tries to reply, is interrupted by James, and continues his reply which James does not find satisfying)
James from the Western Standard: I'll take that as a no.
Mark Carney: No, you'll take that as a very comprehensive answer to your question.
Elbows up, indeed. -DA
Poilievre defends decision to block reporters from campaign plane
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre defended his campaign's decision to block journalists from travelling on the party's campaign plane during the election, saying it's an opportunity to hear from more local reporters instead of the political ones that cover him full time.
The Calendar
- 0900 ET: Toronto - LPC MP Adam van Koeverden makes a funding announcement
- 0930 ET: Nepean, ON - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
- 1000 ET: Laval, QC - Labour Min Steven MacKinnon , Innovation, Science and Industry Min Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announce supports for workers.
- 1000 ET: Brampton, ON - Housing and Infrastructure Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and Health Min Kamal Khera make an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1100 ET: Edmonton - LPC Min Randy Boissonnault makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1130 ET: Winnipeg - Environment Min Terry Duguid makes a funding announcement
- 1140 ET: Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet speaks to the chamber of commerce.
- 1200 ET: Ottawa - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh attends the Ontario School Board Council of Unions convention.
- 1215 ET: St Catharines, ON - Public Services and Procurement Min Ali Ehsassi speaks about shipbuilding sector.
- 1300 ET: teleconference - NDP MP Niki Ashton speaks to reporters.
- 1330 ET: Ottawa - PM Carney meets with national Indigenous organizations.
- 1400 ET: Torbay, NL - Fisheries Min Joanne Thompson makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1430 ET: Montreal - Finance Min François-Philippe Champagne meets with territorial and provincial finance ministers.
- 1530 ET: Ottawa - PM Carney meets with Canada's premiers.
