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

Budget Fallout
“Take a few risks.”: One of Michael Sabia’s marching orders.
Heed the signals: Streamline. Simplify. Nod if you understand.
Rule reduction: The internal rulebook is getting a makeover.
Incentive to go: Suddenly, a chance to retire early with no penalty.
From the outside in: 50 private-sector leaders will be brought in.
Pensions: Indexation for all, a mystery fixed, and “25 and out” for the frontline.
The storm quietly brewing: The government wants arbitration changes.
(IRPP) Now it comes down to the public service. The budget’s numbers are big. But the message is bigger.
If the Carney government wants to build more, house more, defend more, and make Canada competitive and productive, it has to become something it hasn’t been in over a decade: smaller, faster, and simpler.
The economic ambitions of the budget will rely on implementation by a public service that has long struggled with delivery. State capacity was the Trudeau-era’s Achilles heel. This government can’t afford the same stumble.
… And public-safety workers get their “25 and out.” Frontline public-safety employees — from border officers to firefighters, search-and-rescue teams, and parliamentary protection officers — will soon be able to retire with full pensions after 25 years of service, the long-awaited “25 and out.” Border officers have led the push for this change for years, and the Liberals promised it more than a year ago.
The sleeper battleground
Unions are already up in arms over 40,000 job cuts, claiming they jeopardize services Canadians rely on. But labour leaders and their lawyers quietly went on full alert over proposed changes to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act.
Those changes would reshape arbitration.
Arbitrators would have to weigh the government’s fiscal position and its ability to recruit and retain talent when deciding labour disputes. Unions say it would stack the deck for the government. Interestingly, this mirrors the very language of the Harper government’s Bill C-4, which the Trudeau government repealed.
Details will be spelled out in the upcoming legislation to implement the budget, and unions are always ready to go to court on any perceived infringement to collective bargaining rights

29 September
With confidence votes coming, it’s important to keep political strategist Pitfield in the PMO, say some top Liberals
In a minority government, it is critical to have a senior strategist with regular, direct access to the prime minister, says Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research.
(Hill Times) Between July and mid-September, the Prime Minister’s Office had two principal secretaries at the same time.
Liberal sources told The Hill Times on Sept. 16 that since Pitfield had no plans to leave his position or was unwilling to provide a definite exit date, Lametti would be leaving the PMO in frustration. On Sept. 18, Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Lametti as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations. Pitfield is staying on in his position as the PMO’s principal Secretary …

17 September
Former justice minister David Lametti abruptly departs PMO
Former justice minister David Lametti is leaving his position as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s principal secretary, less than three months after taking up the top political job, two sources say.
One of the sources said Mr. Lametti lost a turf battle with Tom Pitfield, who shared the dual role of principal secretary.
The two sources said Mr. Lametti is expected to be given a plum diplomatic appointment, likely as ambassador to the United Nations. The UN ambassadorship is currently held by former Liberal MP Bob Rae, 77, who was appointed to the role in 2020.

14 September
Prime Minister Carney launches Build Canada Homes to supercharge homebuilding across the country
Canadians are in a housing crisis. Despite recent improvements in several cities, far too many Canadians – particularly young Canadians – are struggling to find homes they can afford. Canada’s new government is stepping up with a bold new approach and unprecedented investments to increase the housing supply in Canada.
Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched Build Canada Homes – a new federal agency that will build affordable housing at scale. Build Canada Homes will help fight homelessness by building transitional and supportive housing – working with provinces, territories, municipalities, and Indigenous communities. It will build deeply affordable and community housing for low-income households, and partner with private market developers to build affordable homes for the Canadian middle class.

8-11 September
Carney announces five major projects to be reviewed for fast-tracking
(Globe & Mail) Mr. Carney revealed the list Thursday in Edmonton, where Liberal MPs were gathered for a caucus retreat ahead of the return of House of Commons sittings Monday.
The five projects being referred to the new Major Projects Office include LNG Canada Phase 2, which would expand the liquefied natural gas export facility at Kitimat, B.C. Also on the list are modular reactors at Ontario’s existing Darlington Nuclear Generating Station; an expansion by the Port of Montreal in Contrecoeur, Que.; Saskatchewan’s Foran McIlvenna Bay copper mine project; and the Red Chris Copper and Gold Mine expansion in B.C.
Carney Says Major Projects Coming to Combat Trade War ‘Crisis’
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will announce the first wave of major projects to be fast-tracked under a new law on Thursday.
The law aims to speed up regulatory reviews for projects deemed to be in the national interest, with the goal of permitting them within two years.
Carney’s government plans to unveil several initiatives in the coming months, including a government homebuilding agency and a new climate competitiveness strategy.
Opportunity blooms in wild rose country: Federal government plants Major Projects Office in Calgary
(Borden Ladner Gervais) In the wake of the Building Canada Act (BCA), the Prime Minister’s office has announced that it intends to launch a Major Projects Office (MPO) to facilitate the advancement of major infrastructure and energy projects that are of national interest. These projects may include, without limitation, ports, railways, energy corridors, critical mineral developments and clean energy initiatives.
The MPO will be headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with regional offices in other major Canadian cities. The BCA and MPO come largely in response to American tariffs and represent part of Canada’s action plan to promote long-term economic prosperity and independence. Calgary, with its well-known entrepreneurial spirit and long history of resilience in face of shifting global markets, is the perfect base of operations.

22 August
Carney’s 100 days
From tariffs and Trump to housing and health care, here’s what the Liberal cabinet has achieved since the spring – and what remains to be done
(Globe & Mail) Mark Carney changed Canada’s politics, quickly. He won a sudden Liberal leadership race, took power in five days and called a snap election – campaigning on a promise that he would change a lot more, fast.
His was a campaign built on a sense of a country in crisis, under threat from a U.S. president intent on levying punishing tariffs on Canada and undermining its sovereignty.
Mr. Carney argued that this crisis would require swift action. Comprehensive security-and-trade negotiations with Donald Trump. Sweeping away internal trade barriers. Launching major national projects. Redefining relations with the world. Building a stronger, more independent Canada.
One implicit theme ran through nearly everything Mr. Carney’s Liberals promised as a response to the daunting challenges: speed

28 July
Carney, Sabia, and a New Bureaucratic Ethos
By Philippe Lagassé and Patrick Lennox
(Policy) Rhetoric on the campaign trail is one thing. Implementing big promises is altogether another. Pulling it off will require a unity of purpose and tolerance for risk at odds with the current culture of the federal public service.
The public service will need to take on a new ethos inspired by the reality that Canada’s sovereignty and self-sufficiency depend on it. Instilling in the bureaucracy a sense of accountability, renewed focus, and more nimble response time will be priorities for the new Clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Sabia, as he acknowledged in his July 7th open letter to the public service.
Canada has an excellent bureaucracy, despite all the derision it endures. The reality is that Canadian public servants are, on the whole, smart, talented, dedicated people who give effect to the will of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Like any complex organization, however, the federal public service has developed tendencies that undermine its own reason for being.
Put simply, too much of the bureaucracy exists for the sake of the bureaucracy. Too often, process becomes the end rather than a means; announcements have become a stand-in for action.
7 July
Message from Michael Sabia, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
… From the advice we give ministers to the decisions we take in running departments and programs to the services we provide to Canadians – from national defence to issuing a passport – we need to have a sense of personal accountability for what we do. Accountability is about commitment. It is about initiative – it is about taking that extra step that no one may have asked you to take, but that is often needed to make something a success. Successful organizations always have two characteristics. Formal accountabilities have to be clear – it’s the job of senior management to ensure that they are. And people need to feel and act in a personally accountable way. Helping to build those accountabilities and a culture of personal accountability will be key priorities for me. …

26 July
Trudeau radically overhauled the Senate — will Carney keep his reforms?
New government weighing changes to appointment process
John Paul Tasker ·
(CBC Ideas) Former prime minister Justin Trudeau upended 150 years of Canadian parliamentary tradition when he dumped Liberal senators, named Independents to the upper house and generally stripped the place of partisan elements.
The experiment produced mixed reviews, with some old-guard senators — those who were there well before Trudeau — arguing the Senate is now irrelevant, slower, less organized and more expensive.
Some of Trudeau’s appointees say the reforms have helped the Red Chamber turn the page on the near-death experience of the expenses scandal, which they maintain was fuelled by the worst partisan impulses. Defenders of the new regime say partisans are pining for a model that’s best left in the dustbin of history.
The Senate has been more active in amending government bills and those changes are not motivated by party politics or electoral fortunes — they’re about the country’s best interest, reformers say.
As the debate rages internally over whether the last 10 years of change have been worth it, Prime Minister Mark Carney has said almost nothing about his vision for the upper house.
… [Senator Pamela] Wallin is also calling for better regional representation in the Senate, which may be a tricky proposition given the constitutional realities. A change in seat allocation would require cracking open that foundational document, a politically unpalatable idea. …

23 July
What makes supply management so uniquely vile? Let me count the ways
Andrew Coyne
Supply management presents a mystery in multiple dimensions. How is it possible, on the one hand, that every political party could be so fanatically devoted to this policy, for the benefit of such a narrow slice of the economy – roughly 9,000 dairy farms, plus a couple of thousand chicken and egg producers – and at such exorbitant cost to the rest, even going so far as to pass legislation forbidding Canadian trade negotiators to make any concessions on it, no matter what they get in return?
The costs of supply management aren’t just borne by consumers generally, but fall most heavily on the poorest – since groceries absorb a much larger share of their budget than those of the better off. Other anti-consumer policies are regressive, but none are quite so regressive as a policy whose whole purpose is to inflate the price of one of the fundamental necessities of life.
This is what makes supply management unique. Other farm groups get government support, and other countries support theirs, but by means of explicit subsidy, paid for by taxpayers, and particularly (under a progressive income tax system) by upper income taxpayers.
Why we must defend supply management
Andrew Caddell
If supply management were sacrificed to satisfy Donald Trump, life in rural Canada would be turned upside down.
… Trump writes, “Canada charges extraordinary Tariffs to our Dairy Farmers—up to 400%—and that is even assuming our Dairy Farmers have access to sell their products to the people of Canada. The Trade Deficit is a major threat to our Economy, and, indeed, our National Security.”
Of course, all that is nonsense. First, our dairy producers are not creating a trade deficit in the U.S. Second, American farmers already have access to the Canadian market under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). It amounts to 3.6 per cent of Canada’s dairy market, with a 50,000 metric ton quota for fluid milk.
Only after this massive quota is reached do tariffs kick in, but the quota has never been exceeded. In addition, the quota increases each year for 13 years for cheese, cream, skim milk powder, and butter/cream powder from the U.S. As a result, American exports of dairy products have climbed by 67 per cent—US$525-million in 2021 to US$877-million in 2024….

22 July
Canada prepared to hold out for best deal in U.S. trade talks, Carney says
Mr. Carney was invited to join the premiers in Ontario’s cottage country this week as they gathered to discuss eliminating internal trade barriers and U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 35-per-cent tariffs on a wide variety of Canadian goods on Aug. 1.
(Globe & Mail) Prime Minister Mark Carney and several premiers say getting the best deal for Canada is what matters in the latest round of trade talks with the United States, even if that means blowing past the countries’ Aug. 1 deadline.
Mr. Carney updated provincial and territorial leaders on the state of those talks Tuesday at a meeting he called in direct response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on some Canadian goods to 35 per cent at the beginning of next month.
The premiers told Mr. Carney Canada doesn’t need to rush the trade talks.
“We’ve encouraged the Prime Minister to not make a deal at all costs,” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said.
“I think the timeline is of lesser importance than the substance of the deal and the impact of the tariffs and what we agree to and what we hold the line on,” she told reporters.
… The second major piece of Mr. Carney’s talks with the premiers was his government’s One Canadian Economy Act, known as Bill C-5, which gives the federal government the power to fast-track major projects of national interest.
The Prime Minister said a new major projects office will be open by Labour Day, which will provide a single point of contact for governments and project proponents, although the final list of projects has not been revealed.

17 July
First Nations leaders say Carney’s C-5 summit sparks more concerns, questions
‘Definitely it is not consultation,’ says AFN regional chief about summit
Prime Minister Mark Carney promised First Nations rights-holders wealth and prosperity for “generations to come” at a summit Thursday designed to allay leaders’ concerns about the government’s major projects law, which has ignited criticism because it allows for fast-tracked approvals.
Carney’s remarks drew mixed reviews from First Nations leaders in attendance, with some expressing tempered optimism and others panning the entire process.
“I’m leaving Ottawa with more concerns and more questions,” said Gwii Lok’im Gibuu (Jesse Stoeppler) who is Gitxsan and deputy chief of Hagwilget Village Council in northern B.C., as he stood outside the meeting.

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. …