The Canadian government has selected Lockheed Martin Corp., the American manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jet, as its preferred bidder in a $19-billion search for a new warplane.
Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the decision at a news conference Monday afternoon.
This development means Canada starts negotiating solely with Lockheed Martin on a contract to supply 88 combat aircraft, they said.
If negotiations are successful, Canada could start taking delivery of new fighters as early as 2025.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed he will release government’s new climate-change targets in Vancouver on Tuesday. At a news conference in Brampton, Ont., Mr. Trudeau suggested the turmoil around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has morphed into a heightened urgency for the transformation of the energy mix toward lower carbon emissions in coming years “Canadians will see a plan that remains extremely ambitious when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time will ensure a proper transition for workers,” Mr. Trudeau said. Globe climate-change columnist Adam Radwanski looks here at the fragile sense of co-operation between Ottawa and the oil patch to reduce emissions.
The Williams Lake First Nation in British Columbia also announced that Mr. Trudeau will be visiting this week. The visit follows a January announcement that 93 potential graves have been found at a former residential school. “This trip has been a long time in the making, and we have much to discuss about the St. Joseph’s Mission investigation, the Government of Canada’s role in residential school investigations and Canada’s commitment to the goals of Reconciliation,” said a statement from Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars released Monday.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
ONTARIO AND OTTAWA HAVE A CHILD-CARE DEAL – Ontario families will start reaping the benefits of a new child care deal with Ottawa next month, Premier Doug Ford announced Monday. At a joint news conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Brampton, Ont., the two leaders released the details of the long-delayed deal to make Ontario’s sky-high daycare costs more affordable for families. Story here.
JOLY PRESSED TO ACT ON CASE OF CANADIAN JAILED IN CHINA – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is facing calls from members of her own Liberal caucus to appoint a special envoy to China who could pursue the release of a Canadian citizen jailed by Beijing in controversial circumstances for more than 15 years. Story here.
MÉTIS DELEGATION OPTIMISTIC AFTER MEETING WITH POPE – The Métis delegation to the Vatican emerged from an hour-long meeting with Pope Francis convinced that he was becoming more fully aware of Indigenous peoples’ suffering in the long, dark era of Catholic-run residential schools. But he did not apologize to them for their suffering. Story here.
ONTARIO LIBERAL LEADER PROMISES $16/HOUR MINIMUM WAGE – Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca is promising that his party will increase the minimum wage to $16, work to set regional living wages and compensate businesses for legislating 10 paid sick days if they win the June election. Story here.
HILLIER FACING CHARGES IN OTTAWA PROTEST – Randy Hillier, an independent member of Ontario’s legislature, surrendered to Ottawa police on Monday to face nine charges related to his involvement in the protest that seized the core of the national capital last month. Story here.
ELECTIONS BODY SURPRISED BY GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITMENTS – The body in charge of administering Canada’s elections was taken by surprise by this week’s announcement that there could be major reforms coming to the way people vote, including a three-day-long polling day. Story here.
MENG WANZHOU DELIVERS PUBLIC ADDRESS – Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou has delivered her first public address since resuming her duties last fall at the Chinese technology giant. Story here.
GYMNASTS CALL FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF TOXIC CULTURE IN THEIR SPORT – A group of more than 70 current and former elite Canadian gymnasts are calling on the federal government to investigate what they say are abusive practices and a toxic culture inside their sport. Story here.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
SEEBACK BACKS BROWN – Ontario MP Kyle Seeback has announced his support for Patrick Brown.
POILIEVRE CAMPAIGNS – Pierre Poilievre is campaigning Monday in London, Ont., where he will buy lunch using Bitcoin and deliver remarks on Bitcoin and the blockchain economy. He is later holding a rally in the Southwestern Ontario community of Oldcastle.
PATZER BACKS LEWIS – Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills-Grasslands) has announced his support for Leslyn Lewis. In a statement, he cites four reasons for backing her, including “She was one of the very few who joined me in challenging the central COVID narrative from the very beginning, demonstrating courageous leadership in a time when our country is in desperate need of it.”
CHAREST POSITIONED TO WIN ELECTION: POLL – A plurality of Canadians surveyed see former Quebec premier Jean Charest as the Conservative leadership candidate best able to win the next general election, a new poll suggests. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, March 28, accessible here.
THE DECIBEL
Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast looks at issues around Canada removing mask mandates in public schools as some question whether now is the right time for the move and some even challenge the shift. Sophia Alexanian, a 16-year-old high school student from Toronto, who co-founded a group called Ontario Students for COVID Safety talks on the podcast. She organized a province-wide school walkout to protest the end of the mask mandate in schools. Also on The Decibel is Caroline Alphonso, an education reporter for The Globe and Mail. She talks about how the conversation about removing the mask mandate in schools is playing out across Canada. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In the Greater Toronto Area, the Prime Minister held private meetings, then spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, participated in an early-learning and childcare announcement with Premier Doug Ford, and travelled to Vancouver to attend a local Nowruz celebration.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
TRIBUTE
Former Liberal MP Claudette Bradshaw, a labour minister who championed for the underprivileged and represented the New Brunswick riding of Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe for 10 years, has died at the age of 72. Story here.
PUBLIC OPINION
PUBLIC VIEWS ON LIBERAL-NDP DEAL – The Angus Reid Institute checks out public opinion on the recently announced NDP-Liberal confidence-and-supply agreement, and finds on one side overwhelming majorities of past Liberal and NDP voters either support or strongly support the agreement. On the other, a near-unanimous number of past CPC voters and half of past Bloc Québécois voters oppose it. The details are here.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail)on how, with Budget 2022 coming, it’s time to distinguish between spend and invest: “A federal budget is coming, so it is time to contemplate the meaning of the word “invest.” In last year’s budget book, variations of that word – invest, investing, or investment – were used 675 times. The major English-language dictionaries all provide primary definitions of the word invest similar to the one in Merriam-Webster: “To commit (money) in order to earn a financial return.” But the 2021 budget tabled by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland repeatedly confused the word with another verb, “spend.” Merriam-Webster defines that as: “To use up or pay out: expend.” The question for the coming budget, expected in April, will be whether Ms. Freeland continues to conflate the two concepts.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail)on Bob Rae enjoying his finest hour taking on Russia at the United Nations: “With each new report of babies being killed and doctors performing surgeries with kitchen knives because their hospital was destroyed by bombs, Bob Rae becomes more determined to see Russia held accountable for its crimes against the Ukrainian people. Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, often using very undiplomatic language on social media platforms such as Twitter to convey the rage he feels over what is taking place. “I don’t know how anyone can be diplomatic when it comes to describing what Putin is doing in Ukraine,” Mr. Rae told me in an interview.”
David Parkinson (The Globe and Mail)on how postponing the federal carbon tax hike is an inflation break that Ottawa could and should deliver:“Recent calls for Ottawa to scrap its planned April 1 carbon price hike could easily be viewed as opportunistic attempts from opponents to turn back the clock on government fossil-fuel measures. Or cynical appeals to segments of the electorate who question the value of carbon taxation. Or self-serving lobbying from business interests who have a knee-jerk objection to any tax increase. Which all could be true. But delaying the increase could also be a very good, very practical idea – one that even the supporters of the federal carbon tax should embrace.”
Thomas Juneau and Bessma Momani (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on how Canada should renew its mission to help stabilize Iraq: “As the war in Ukraine reminds us, the international political system continues to be volatile and Canada must play an active role, where it can, to support our broader alliances. One arena of conflict that continues to simmer is Iraq. Our mission there, Operation Impact, expires at the end of March. We ought to renew it, but we must do this with our eyes open to new risks and the evolution of our mission. To defeat the Islamic State, the Canadian Armed Forces have been in the region to assist in training the Iraqi security forces and to support NATO’s mission in Iraq.”
Daniel Veniez and Rick Peterson (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada can do great things, but the sensible centre mustn’t be distracted by the fringes: “We are, to borrow a hockey analogy, in the centre-ice zone of Canadian politics. And we’re not alone. This middle ground – or sensible centre – is where most Canadians live. It’s where majority governments are formed and where big ideas that build the foundation for Canada’s future growth can find support. We, in this vast and rich middle ground, agree on many things: The importance of the rule of law; fairness; social justice; equal opportunity; tolerance and inclusiveness; and respect for our differences. These are our core beliefs. Our political parties, however, spend almost no time paying attention to this centre-ice zone. Instead, they patrol the edges of the political rink, the Liberals targeting support on the left while the Conservatives flirt with the right.”
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EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government’s $8.6-billion plan to fast-track building new schools will include a pilot project to incentivize private ones.
Smith said the ultimate goal is to create thousands of new spaces for an exploding number of new students at a reduced cost to taxpayers.
“We want to put all of the different school options on the same level playing field,” Smith told a news conference in Calgary Wednesday.
Smith did not offer details about how much private school construction costs might be incentivized, but said she wants to see what independent schools might pitch.
“We’re putting it out there as a pilot to see if there is any interest in partnering on the same basis that we’ll be building the other schools with the different (public) school boards,” she said.
Smith made the announcement a day after she announced the multibillion-dollar school build to address soaring numbers of new students.
By quadrupling the current school construction budget to $8.6 billion, the province aims to offer up 30 new schools each year, adding 50,000 new student spaces within three years.
The government also wants to build or expand five charter school buildings per year, starting in next year’s budget, adding 12,500 spaces within four years.
Currently, non-profit independent schools can get some grants worth about 70 per cent of what students in public schools receive per student from the province.
However, those grants don’t cover major construction costs.
John Jagersma, executive director of the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges of Alberta, said he’s interested in having conversations with the government about incentives.
He said the province has never directly funded major capital costs for their facilities before, and said he doesn’t think the association has ever asked for full capital funding.
He said community or religious groups traditionally cover those costs, but they can help take the pressure off the public or separate systems.
“We think we can do our part,” Jagersma said.
Dennis MacNeil, head of the Public School Boards Association of Alberta, said they welcome the new funding, but said money for private school builds would set a precedent that could ultimately hurt the public system.
“We believe that the first school in any community should be a public school, because only public schools accept all kids that come through their doors and provide programming for them,” he said.
Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said if public dollars are going to be spent on building private schools, then students in the public system should be able to equitably access those schools.
“No other province spends as much money on private schools as Alberta does, and it’s at the detriment of public schools, where over 90 per cent of students go to school,” he said.
Schilling also said the province needs about 5,000 teachers now, but the government announcement didn’t offer a plan to train and hire thousands more over the next few years.
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi on Tuesday praised the $8.6 billion as a “generational investment” in education, but said private schools have different mandates and the result could be schools not being built where they are needed most.
“Using that money to build public schools is more efficient, it’s smarter, it’s faster, and it will serve students better,” Nenshi said.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides’ office declined to answer specific questions about the pilot project Wednesday, saying it’s still under development.
“Options and considerations for making capital more affordable for independent schools are being explored,” a spokesperson said. “Further information on this program will be forthcoming in the near future.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
OTTAWA – Health Minister Mark Holland urged a committee of senators Wednesday not to tweak the pharmacare bill he carefully negotiated with the NDP earlier this year.
The bill would underpin a potential national, single-payer pharmacare program and allow the health minister to negotiate with provinces and territories to cover some diabetes and contraceptive medications.
It was the result of weeks of political negotiations with the New Democrats, who early this year threatened to pull out of their supply-and-confidence deal with the Liberals unless they could agree on the wording.
“Academics and experts have suggested amendments to this bill to most of us here, I think,” Independent Senator Rosemary Moodie told Holland at a meeting of the Senate’s social affairs committee.
Holland appeared before the committee as it considers the bill. He said he respects the role of the Senate, but that the pharmacare legislation is, in his view, “a little bit different.”
“It was balanced on a pinhead,” he told the committee.
“This is by far — and I’ve been involved in a lot of complex things — the most difficult bit of business I’ve ever been in. Every syllable, every word in this bill was debated and argued over.”
Holland also asked the senators to move quickly to pass the legislation, to avoid lending credence to Conservative critiques that the program is a fantasy.
When asked about the Liberals’ proposed pharmacare program for diabetes and birth control, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has often responded that the program isn’t real. Once the legislation is passed, the minister must negotiate with every provincial government to actually administer the program, which could take many months.
“If we spend a long time wordsmithing and trying to make the legislation perfect, then the criticism that it’s not real starts to feel real for people, because they don’t actually get drugs, they don’t get an improvement in their life,” Holland told the committee.
He told the committee that one of the reasons he signed a preliminary deal with his counterpart in British Columbia was to help answer some of the Senate’s questions about how the program would work in practice.
The memorandum of understanding between Ottawa and B.C. lays out how to province will use funds from the pharmacare bill to expand on its existing public coverage of contraceptives to include hormone replacement therapy to treat menopausal symptoms.
The agreement isn’t binding, and Holland would still need to formalize talks with the province when and if the Senate passes the bill based on any changes the senators decide to make.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s NDP are accusing the government of prioritizing landlords over residents who need an affordable place to live, as the opposition party tables a bill aimed at addressing the housing crisis.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender took aim at the Progressive Conservatives Wednesday ahead of introducing two new housing bills, saying the government “seems to be more focused on helping wealthy developers than everyday families.”
The Minister of Service Nova Scotia has said the government’s own housing legislation will “balance” the needs of tenants and landlords by extending the five per cent cap on rent until the end of 2027. But critics have called the cap extension useless because it allows landlords to raise rents past five per cent on fixed-term leases as long as property owners sign with a new renter.
Chender said the rules around fixed-term leases give landlords the “financial incentive to evict,” resulting in more people pushed into homelessness. She also criticized the part of the government bill that will permit landlords to issue eviction notices after three days of unpaid rent instead of 15.
The Tories’ housing bill, she said, represents a “shocking admission from this government that they are more concerned with conversations around landlord profits … than they are about Nova Scotians who are trying to find a home they can afford.”
The premier’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also included in the government’s new housing legislation are clearer conditions for landlords to end a tenancy, such as criminal behaviour, disturbing fellow tenants, repeated late rental payments and extraordinary damage to a unit. It will also prohibit tenants from subletting units for more than they are paying.
The first NDP bill tabled Wednesday would create a “homelessness task force” to gather data to try to prevent homelessness, and the second would set limits on evictions during the winter and for seniors who meet income eligibility requirements for social housing and have lived in the same home for more than 10 years.
The NDP has previously tabled legislation that would create a $500 tax credit for renters and tie rent control to housing units instead of the individual.
Earlier this week landlords defended the use of the contentious fixed-term leases, saying they need to have the option to raise rent higher than five per cent to maintain their properties and recoup costs. Landlord Yarviv Gadish, who manages three properties in the Halifax area, called the use of fixed-term leases “absolutely essential” in order to keep his apartments presentable and to get a return on his investment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
