Canada: government & governance January 2025-

2025 Canada Federal Election & PM Carney
Canada Federal Liberals 17 April 2024-
Canada – U.S. November 2024-
Speech from the Throne May 2025

28 June
How Michael Sabia can make Ottawa move fast and build things
Adam Radwanski
(Globe & Mail) …while much of the chatter following Mr. Sabia’s June 11 appointment has been about personnel changes to the bureaucracy’s highest ranks – through an expansive shuffle of deputy ministers, the most senior civil servants in each ministry, expected this summer – that only scratches the surface of what’s needed to get things rolling.
Hanging in the balance is an agenda, put forward by Mr. Carney to assert Canada’s economic sovereignty, that’s at odds with the government’s implementation capacity to date. It includes fast-tracking energy and infrastructure projects, scaling homegrown technologies, diversifying exports, building housing, reorienting immigration, developing self-reliant supply chains and leveraging industrial gains from increased defence spending.
… While a small number of top priorities will inevitably have heavy involvement from the PMO – and the Privy Council Office, the (also enlarged) bureaucratic department that supports it – the rest could be delegated to ministries with minimal central interference. And deputies there could be pushed to identify a small number of their top performers to push things through, bruised egos be damned.
As with other possible quick fixes, it could be inelegant.
But Mr. Carney has been elected, and Mr. Sabia appointed, with promised focus on results.

25 June
Carney says world is at ‘turning points’ as he touts defence spending boost
“The investments we’re making in defence and security, broader security, given the new threats that Canada faces, we’re not at a trade-off, we’re not at sacrifices in order to do those, these will be net additive,” he said.
Carney said he recognizes that the federal government needs to establish political and “social licence” for that kind of increase in spending. “First and foremost, we are protecting Canadians, we are protecting Canadians against new threats,” he said. “I wish we didn’t have to, but that is what we have to and it is our core responsibility as government.”

24 June
Opinion: Will Hydro-Québec’s Michael Sabia really ‘kick ass’ in his new Ottawa post?
Carney has already demonstrated a confident willingness to depart from expectations, and Sabia seems similarly unwedded to the status quo. Perhaps each will be a one-man show in his respective sphere, but it’s also possible that both will be open to genuinely innovative ideas from the people who advise them. However, I wouldn’t anticipate an abundance of patience from either. Translation: They may well kick ass.
By Karl Salgo, Postmedia News
Like the prime minister he will support, Canada’s soon-to-be clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Sabia — who ends his term as Hydro-Québec’s president and CEO on July 4 — can boast an awe-inspiring CV of senior public and private sector jobs. Sabia’s appointment from outside the ranks of the senior public service has been perceived as a bold departure for a system that typically turns to the usual suspects. In the words of one supporter, the new clerk’s mission in Ottawa will be to push the public service to advance Mark Carney’s priorities and “kick its ass.” Not every commentator has been as gleeful. Journalist Paul Wells declared himself a “rare Cassandra” on Sabia, suggesting his big-bang beginnings have sometimes ended in a fizzle. Sabia’s private sector work is beyond my ken, though I will note that perhaps his most celebrated success, the turnaround of the Caisse de dépôt’s fortunes following the financial debacle of 2008, was arguably consistent with the broad trends of the market, though he did steer that fund toward more international investment.
11 June
Hydro-Québec president Michael Sabia resigns to join federal government

20 June
Tom Mulcair: Carney can take on Trump, but he’s got big challenges at home, too
This is a unique time in Canadian political history. An unparalleled threat to our very existence being handled by a brilliant, energetic and refreshingly engaged new team. Canadians are onside. Now it’s time to deliver the results.
House approves Bill C-5 to fast-track projects, Carney pledges summer consultations with Indigenous leaders
Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out a plan for formal summits with Indigenous leaders over the summer to work out the details.
(Globe & Mail) The House of Commons approved the government’s legislation to fast-track big projects Friday before breaking for summer, wrapping up a brief but hectic four-week sitting.
Prime Minister Mark Carney marked the event with an evening news conference alongside Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and other MPs, where he vowed to address Indigenous concerns that the bill would allow Ottawa to override their rights.
Mr. Carney laid out a plan for formal summits with Indigenous leaders over the summer to work out the details of how the new project regime will work. He also acknowledged that his government could have done a better job of explaining how the process will ensure Indigenous rights are protected.
“Being a reliable partner to Indigenous peoples is not just about upholding the duty to consult. It’s about enabling the creation of long-term wealth and prosperity for Indigenous peoples through full equity ownership,” he said.
Liberals, Conservatives pass major projects legislation in House of Commons
The bill was introduced on June 6 and was pushed through the House after about eight hours of committee study on Tuesday and Wednesday.
(CTV) Conservative members of Parliament voted with the minority Liberal government to pass its marquee major projects legislation Friday evening, setting it up to become law before Canada Day.
The legislation, also known as Bill C-5 or the one Canadian economy act, would allow the government to green-light a list of projects that have been deemed to be in the national interest, fast-tracking their approvals.
The Liberals have called it the core of the government’s domestic economic response to U.S. tariffs.
“This is what makes us different from the United States, this is what makes us more independent from the United States, this is what’s going to move us forward,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told a press conference Friday evening.
He defended the speed with which his government pushed the bill through the House, saying it needed to pass quickly “because we are in a crisis.”
‘The word nation carries a much greater meaning’: PM Carney on passing of Bill C-5
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the passage of Bill C5, also known as the ‘One Canadian Economy’ act, through the House of Commons.

11 June
Carney hires Hydro‑Québec CEO Michael Sabia to head federal bureaucracy
Mark Carney has recruited Hydro‑Québec CEO Michael Sabia to take over as the country’s top bureaucrat, installing a seasoned executive and former Trudeau government official in a role that will be key to delivering on the Prime Minister’s ambitious pledge to remake the Canadian economy.
In Mr. Sabia, Mr. Carney now has a PCO clerk with government and business experience who can push through his agenda, which includes significant nation-building projects, a revamped military, major housing initiatives and cost-cutting expenditures for the public service.
The recruitment of Mr. Sabia, who takes over on July 7, adds to a team of people around the Prime Minister, including former UN ambassador Marc-André Blanchard as Mr. Carney’s new chief of staff and onetime justice minister David Lametti as his principal secretary.

6 June
Carney prepared to sit over the summer to pass new bill to fast-track major projects
Carney and the premiers agreed on the criteria for what constitutes a project to be in the ‘national interest’
(National Post) Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government will “do everything” to pass its “One Canadian Economy” legislation before the start of the summer break. If it fails, he said MPs might have to sit over the summer to get it adopted.
On Friday, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc introduced “An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act,” which would remove federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility and accelerate the approval of “nation-building projects.”
Carney said his intention is to see the bill passed before June 20, when the House of Commons rises and MPs return to their ridings for the summer.
“Yes, it is a top priority for this government, and we will do everything to get it passed before the summer. And if Parliament needs to sit longer, it should sit longer in order to get it passed. That’s what Canadians expect,” he said.
The bill seeks to get projects deemed in the national interest built by focusing on a small number of proposals. Those could mean highways, railways, ports, airports, oil and gas pipelines, critical minerals, mines, nuclear facilities and electricity transmission systems.
Liberals to remove federal trade barriers, fast-track major projects in new bill
Carney and the premiers agreed on the criteria for what constitutes a project to be in the ‘national interest’
(National Post) Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government plans to remove federal trade barriers by recognizing the rules provinces have in place, National Post has learned.
The measures are set to be introduced in a “One Canadian Economy” bill aimed at knocking down federal trade barriers and fast-tracking the approvals process for major energy and infrastructure projects to be introduced Friday.
The full title of the bill is “An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act.”

5 June
Prime Minister Carney announces new parliamentary secretary team
Secretaries assist ministers and often support them in the House.
Canadians elected this new government with a mandate to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build a stronger economy, to bring down costs, and to keep our communities safe. Parliamentary secretaries will support their respective cabinet ministers and secretaries of state to deliver on this mandate. Carney fills out team with 39 parliamentary secretaries includes Rachel Bendayan and Kody Blois as parliamentary secretaries to the PM; Anthony Housefather, parliamentary secretary to the minister of emergency management and community resilience; and Quebec MP and former provincial cabinet minister Carlos Leitão parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry.

2 June
Premiers heap praise on meeting with Carney, but no specific projects identified
(Canadian Press) Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday’s gathering of the country’s premiers to talk over nation-building projects with Prime Minister Mark Carney was the “best” they have had in the last decade.
… Provincial and territorial leaders sat down with Carney in Saskatoon on Monday (2 June) and each premier came armed with wish lists of major projects they hope the federal government will deem to be in the national interest, then fast track for approval.
When he was pressed on the lack of specifics after the meeting, Carney told reporters he could name lots of examples of contenders.
He then rattled off a list that included the Grays Bay Road and Port, which would connect southern Canada to the Arctic by road, along with the Ring of Fire mining project in northern Ontario. Notably, he name dropped the Pathways Alliance oilsands project, though he did not commit to any.
Carney said the group would refine what should count as priority projects over the summer months and touted that as “private proponents become aware of the opportunity here, we’re going to see more projects coming forward.”
He said the upcoming federal legislation will also mandate meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples, including in which projects get picked and how they are developed.
Carney selects former UN ambassador Marc-André Blanchard as chief of staff
Prime Minister Mark Carney has selected former United Nations ambassador Marc-André Blanchard as his chief of staff, filling a key role in his office as his fledgling government gears up to deliver what it has described as the most significant economic reform in decades.
“Marc-André has a long and distinguished career as one of Canada’s most accomplished builders, legal experts, executives, public servants, and diplomats including serving as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations,” Mr. Carney wrote.
Meanwhile, a source said former justice minister David Lametti will take over as Mr. Carney’s principal secretary, handling much of the prime minister’s political and policy agenda. He will replace Tom Pitfield, who helped run the Liberal election campaign and was filling in on an interim basis.

27 May
‘The true north is indeed strong and free,’ King Charles III says as he delivers throne speech
(CTV) King Charles III affirmed Canada’s strength on the world stage during a rare appearance in the Senate today, where he delivered the speech from the throne.
It was the first time in nearly half a century that a monarch delivered Canada’s speech from the throne from the Senate chambers, effectively laying out Prime Minister Mark Carney’s goals for the upcoming parliamentary session.
In his speech, the King touched on Canada’s relationship with the U.S., saying the two “have begun defining a new economic and security relationship … to deliver transformational benefits for both sovereign nations.”He also said Canada can build “new alliances and a new economy.”
King Charles hails ‘strong and free’ Canada in speech to open parliament
Monarch makes no direct mention of Trump amid US president’s threats to make Canada ‘51st state’
(The Guardian) In a speech attended by lawmakers, Indigenous leaders and dignitaries, Charles, on his 20th visit, praised a country he said he loved “so much”.
“The True North is indeed strong and free,” he said – a reference to both the Canadian national anthem and recent threats from Trump to make Canada the 51st state.
The speech is written by the prime minister’s office in consultation with staff at the king’s office.
The king made no direct reference to Trump but his language was closely watched for implicit criticisms of the US president and his dramatic recasting of the US relationship with Canada.

26 May
Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected as new Speaker of the House of Commons
MPs have chosen a veteran Liberal MP from Quebec as the new Speaker of the House of Commons, a job with the challenge of refereeing conduct and proceedings as the Liberals try to govern with a minority of seats.
Francis Scarpaleggia, the member for Lac-Saint-Louis in Quebec since 2004, was elected by MPs after he and five other Liberal candidates delivered five-minute speeches to members assembled for the first time since December.

25 May
Will Carney’s to-do list be hindered by parliamentary tactics?
Prime Minister Mark Carney declared last week that his government will fulfill its mandate “with purpose and force.”
But with the Liberals a few seats sort of a majority, Mr. Carney’s ability to keep his pledge – including bringing down costs and returning immigration to sustainable levels – may hinge in large part on whether Parliament descends into the prolonged stand-off that stopped the last government’s agenda.

22 May
Mandate Letter
Prime Minister Mark Carney has published on the government’s website a single mandate letter for his cabinet (including himself), breaking away from his predecessor’s penchant for detailed letters to individual ministers. In it, he outlines seven priorities for the new government and concludes in part by saying, “In addressing the tasks before us, we must remain true to Canadian values. Canada is a dynamic country that celebrates our diversity, cares for the most vulnerable among us, and strives for a better future for all. The new federal Government will continue the vital work of advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. We will fight climate change. We will uphold the rule of law, protect our democratic institutions, and reinforce the unity of our country.”
Executive Orders
(Politico Playbook) The running joke on Parliament Hill? Mark Carney didn’t just become prime minister — he’s taken over like a new CEO. Even his mandate letter reads like a corporate mission statement.
As the PM wrapped a two-day Cabinet retreat in Gatineau Park on Wednesday, he handed out a single streamlined mandate letter to his ministry — another tone shift from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had detailed thoughts for each of his ministers.
“This one letter outlines the core priorities,” Carney told reporters Wednesday evening. “The government is charged to build the strongest economy in the G7. An economy that works for everyone.”
Out: Climate, diversity, social justice, sunny ways, idealism.
In: New allies, trade, technocracy, AI, infrastructure, productivity, defense.

27 February
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives cruise to rare 3rd-straight majority
Premier Doug Ford is first Ontario party leader since 1959 to win 3 majorities

26 February
Chantal Hébert: Poilievre, un futur Joe Clark ?
« Le contexte canado-américain actuel est plus susceptible d’avantager les libéraux que les conservateurs dans l’esprit des électeurs. La donne qui, hier encore, permettait de prévoir l’arrivée à court terme de Pierre Poilievre au pouvoir est chose du passé. »
Les dernières semaines ont été la preuve suprême que rien n’est acquis en politique : il a suffi d’une décision prise au sud de la frontière canadienne pour faire basculer le destin du chef conservateur.
D’un sondage à l’autre, la grosse avance du Parti conservateur du Canada sur le Parti libéral du Canada dans les intentions de vote ne se démentait pas. Le gouvernement de Justin Trudeau se préparait à tenter de sauver les meubles devant un vent de face alimenté notamment par un désir cyclique de changement.
Mais voilà que depuis la démission du chef libéral et surtout le retour de Donald Trump à la Maison-Blanche, on assiste à une modification du rapport de force entre libéraux et conservateurs. L’écart entre les appuis à chacun des deux partis a fondu

7 February
Andrew Coyne: Reduce our dependence on the U.S.? Sure, but it’s a lot harder than it sounds
The kinds of adjustments that are required of us, the things we’ve been papering over, hoping they would solve themselves – the issues we could get away with avoiding, until now – are massive and intractable.
Recognizing both the gravity of the Trumpian threat and the opportunity in the public passions it has unleashed, a bevy of commentators, left and right, have emerged with prescriptions for what Canada can or must or will do in response.
Thus, if you are on the left, the current crisis just proves the need for an industrial strategy, with subsidies for targeted industries and tighter restrictions on foreign takeovers and forced repatriation of pension funds’ overseas investments, and so on. And if you are on the right, it clearly confirms the need to slash taxes, cut red tape, speed up approval of energy projects etc., etc.
Now we have had our wake-up call. So: Diversify our trade! Build pipelines to the east and west! Meet our NATO defence commitments! Boost national productivity! Abolish interprovincial trade barriers!
Okay. These are lovely ideas, all of them. But they are a lot easier said than done. If they weren’t they’d have been done already. I understand the urge not to “let a crisis go to waste.” But it will take a lot more than fear of the American colossus or a rush of patriotic sentiment to make them a reality.
Trump’s pursuit of a ‘golden age’ jolts Canada to confront its growth problem
Although it’s still unclear whether tariffs will ever be imposed on Canada, federal and provincial leaders say the trade spat is an opportunity to pursue economic growth opportunities beyond the United States.
Canada’s competitive concerns became a flashpoint of conversation Friday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hosted an economic summit with business, labour and public-policy leaders in Toronto on 48 hours notice.
Businesses have long lamented regulatory hurdles, project approval delays and an uncompetitive tax structure that they say make Canada a less attractive place to set up shop than the United States. Promises to fix these fundamental problems are rarely kept.
“The difference that Donald Trump and his tariff threats have made is that we are now, as people often are, quite a bit more energized at the prospect of losing something compared to the prospect of not gaining something,” said William Robson, the chief executive of the C.D. Howe Institute.

6-8 January
Justin Trudeau’s resignation: What happens now that Parliament is prorogued and other questions, answered
(Globe & Mail) On Monday morning outside Rideau Cottage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will resign from his role as Liberal Leader after just over nine years leading the country.
Mr. Trudeau, 53, said he will remain as Prime Minister until the Liberal Party elects a new leader and that Governor-General Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
For months Mr. Trudeau had been adamant in public and in private conversations that he would lead the Liberals into the next election against Pierre Poilievre’s front-running Conservatives. But he capitulated after what began as a few sparks of internal revolt six months ago mushroomed into a full-scale crisis for his minority government by the end of 2024.
The final push for his exit was spurred by Chrystia Freeland’s public rebuke in mid-December of the Prime Minister’s policies and politics.
“I intend to resign as party leader and as Prime Minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process. Last night, I asked the president of the Liberal Party to begin that process,” Mr. Trudeau said in his announcement.
Prorogation is a regular function of how Parliament works. A Parliament is defined as the period between elections and each Parliament is divided into sessions. There are no rules on how many sessions there must be or how long a session can last, according to the Senate of Canada website.
The prime minister has to ask the governor-general to prorogue Parliament, and typically the prime minister will make this request when an election begins. Proroguing Parliament effectively puts a stop to all activity. The current government remains in power but there are no Question Periods nor new bills put forth. Any voting, committee work and investigations are halted. Bills that hadn’t yet received royal assent die on the Order Paper. In other words, those laws cannot be passed but when a new session begins, similar bills can be put forth.
Prorogation ends with the beginning of a new session, after which there needs to be a new Throne Speech. It also differs from dissolution, because after a prorogation, the current government returns. Dissolution terminates all parliamentary functions and paves the way for the next general election.
Opposition MPs cannot topple the government when Parliament is prorogued because all government business comes to a halt, including non-confidence votes that would bring down Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

11 January
‘An embarrassment to the country,’ critic says as prorogued House leaves bills at risk of abandonment
The Online Harms Act and First Nations Clean Water Act are among dozens of bills likely to fizzle
(CBC Radio The Current) The government will continue to operate in the meantime. But all parliamentary activity, including existing bills, comes to a halt. That means some key pieces of legislation, like the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) could be abandoned.
The act (which was split into two separate bills in December) intends to better protect children from online predators. It completed its first reading and is now awaiting its second reading in the House of Commons. …
The First Nations Clean Water Act, Bill C-61, is awaiting its third reading in the House of Commons.
It proposes new measures to protect freshwater sources, establish minimum national drinking water and wastewater standards in First Nations, create a new First Nations-led water institution to support communities and provide sustainable funding for maintaining water quality.
3 January
Andrew Coyne: The coming chaos in federal politics and how we got here
We are about to receive one hell of a civics lesson. It will be a particularly painful one for the Liberals, who are staring at political oblivion and have many agonizing weeks and months to go before then. But the country will suffer along with them.
We have been scraping by for decades, narrowly avoiding one disaster after another, with a political and constitutional order that is cracked in several places. A number of those cracks are about to open at the same time.
… The Liberals began losing altitude in the polls in early 2017, and for the last year and a half they have been in freefall. The leader who was their prize asset in 2015 is now their biggest liability.
But he won’t go – or at least, has been unwilling to go, to date – and they have no way to force him out. Even in his present weakened state, his powers, as party leader and as Prime Minister, are so immense that few Liberal MPs to this day are willing to put their names to demands for him to go. It’s all “a consensus of the Ontario caucus” this and “a majority of the Atlantic caucus” that.
Worse, if he were to go, no one can agree on how to replace him. Years of centralized, top-down, leader-driven government, with cabinet ministers as little more than props, has left a field of second-raters as possible successors.
But what even would be the process? Another elephantine, months-long, one-supporter-one-vote race like the last one, as prescribed by the party constitution? But that is unthinkable, with the country under economic attack by our erstwhile American allies. …