Plans continue for the Pope’s visit to Canada this summer even as the pontiff has cancelled a trip to Africa on doctors’ orders.
Pope Francis is expected to deliver an apology to Indigenous people for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools during the much-anticipated visit. He made an initial apology after First Nations, Métis and Inuit delegations met with him at the Vatican earlier this year.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is in regular contact with Vatican officials about the trip set for next month, said Neil MacCarthy, a spokesman for the papal visit and the archdiocese of Toronto.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
BARTON AMONG MEMBERS ON NEW INDO-PACIFIC COMMITTEE – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has recruited an Indo-Pacific advisory committee that includes several pro-China advocates, among them Dominic Barton, Canada’s former ambassador to Beijing. Story here.
LIBERALS REJECT CONSERVATIVE OFFER ON GUN BILL – The Liberals have dismissed a Conservative offer to quickly pass parts of the federal government’s new gun-crime bill, provided that the legislation is split in a way that sets aside more contentious elements for a thorough review. Story here.
TRUDEAU AT SUMMIT OF AMERICAS – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning a big finish for his last day, on Friday, at the Summit of the Americas in California. Story here.
GOODBYE TO THE B.C. LIBERALS? – B.C. Liberal members will vote Saturday on whether the party should change its name, a key plank of Leader Kevin Falcon’s promise to renew a party criticized as out-of-touch with everyday voters in the 2020 election. Provincial Liberals in B.C. include a mix of federal Conservatives and federal Liberals. B.C. Story here from The Vancouver Sun.
COMMANDER UNDER INVESTIGATION – The Department of National Defence says Commander Dale St. Croix has been temporarily removed from his position as commanding officer of HMCS Halifax and is under investigation. Story here.
MAJORITY OF LIBERAL CAUCUS WANT TRAVEL VACCINATION DROPPED – With provincial and international jurisdictions easing COVID-19 restrictions, some Liberal MPs say the vast majority of their caucus want the federal government to drop travel vaccination requirements, allowing unvaccinated Canadians to board domestic flights. Story here fromThe Hill Times.
QUEBEC MINISTER DEFENDS DELETING TEXT MESSAGES WITH LEBLANC – Quebec’s minister responsible for relations with Canada is defending her decision to erase text messages between herself and her federal counterpart, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Story here. Meanwhile, the Quebec legislature is concluding its session Friday ahead of a fall election. Story here.
NEW HEARING ORDERED IN SENATE DISMISSAL SUIT – A federal court judge has ordered a new hearing into a wrongful dismissal claim made by the first visible minority executive at the Senate. Story here from CBC.
MARRIAGE CERTFICATES IN FRENCH ONLY IN QUEBEC – As of last week, Quebec will only issue marriage certificates in French, according to a letter sent to wedding officiants in the province. The change, the latest to come out of new language law Bill 96, is also one of its first concrete shifts that were rumoured but not well understood by the public, even as the bill was adopted on May 24. Story here from CTV.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADERSHIP
WON’T RUN IF POILIEVRE WINS: BROWN – Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown says he won’t run for the federal Conservatives if his main rival for the leadership, Pierre Poilievre, wins the party’s top job in the September leadership election. Story here from the CBC.
PARTY WILL GET MEMBERSHIP LIST TO CANDIDATES – Despite a record number of potential voters, the Conservative Party of Canada’s National Council President says the party has “a good time-frame” to get a preliminary membership list out to the candidates. Story here from CTV.
CHAREST INTERVIEWED – Jean Charest is interviewed here at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy by Peter Loewen, a professor and director at the school.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 10, accessible here.
NEW SNIPER RIFLES FOR MILITARY – The Canadian Army is getting 229 new multicalibre, bolt action sniper rifles, according to a statement from the defence ministry. A $2.9-million contact was awarded to Stoeger Canada to deliver the new weapon systems, including the 229 C21 sniper rifles and associated accessories such as suppressors and cleaning/maintenance kits. Deliveries of the C21 are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
THE DECIBEL
On Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Decibel producer Sherrill Sutherland, a ballet fan, talks to Siphe November, one of the most talented ballet dancers of his generation. At just 23, he’s the National Ballet of Canada’s youngest principal dancer and only the second Black principal dancer in the company’s 70-year history. With his popularity on Instagram, his move into choreography where he weaves together different genres of dance, his rise in the ballet world signals an art form that’s evolving. Ms. Sutherland’s interview covers his latest role in the National Ballet’s production of Swan Lake, the importance of Black representation in ballet and where he wants to take his career and the art form in the future.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Los Angeles, the Prime Minister participated in the leaders’ second plenary session of the Summit of the Americas, and met with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, then participated in a presentation ceremony for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to participate in the official family photo of the Summit of the Americas, attend a leaders’ retreat and working lunch hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, and participate in the leaders third plenary session. The Prime Minister was also set to meet with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and also meet with Luis Abinader, the Dominican Republic prime minister, and hold a media availability.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet will be in the ridings of Abitibi—Témiscamingue and Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik- Eeyou from Friday to Sunday as part of a trip with an itinerary that includes meeting business people from Rouyn-Noranda, the president and director of the Val-D’Or Native Friendship Centre, and attending the eighth edition of the POW-WOW Abitibi Winni.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on why Marco Mendicino has to go if he misled Parliament: “But the habits of this government are so ingrained, it seems, that they can’t help themselves. Rather than accept responsibility – yes, we made the decision, and we stand by it – their response is in every case the same: deny, deflect, and dissemble. Even when they do the right thing, they do the wrong thing.”
Elizabeth Renzetti (The Globe and Mail)on why women’s rights are worth fighting for, even 30 years later: “This will be my last Globe column. After nearly 30 years, it’s time for a new chapter in my life. I will be eternally gratefully to those who read this column, or spoke with me for stories, or sent me e-mails or letters. Every one of them spurred me on (except for the ones written in all capital letters). I know you’ll continue the fight, and so will I. Don’t make me come back here in 30 years and write this column again.”
Robert Jago (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how RCMP inaction after the Mission, B.C. hit and run shows police are failing Indigenous people once again: “Canadians “allegedly” don’t want this to be a racist country. To show that they need to speak up against institutions like the RCMP when they don’t treat Indigenous people fairly. We’re not asking for the RCMP to lower a flag, or wear a pin. They don’t need to put an orange sticker on their car, or say a land acknowledgment. All we want is for them to do the thing that cops do – arrest bad guys, no matter what colour the victims are.”
Rick Bell (The Calgary Sun)on why the UCP would be unwise to ignore the political challenge presented by Rachel Notley: “Notley says Kenney being out of the picture doesn’t make any difference to her, though he sure did make a wonderful punching bag. The NDP leader says her party can win the next election but, of course, doesn’t say they will win. Notley says in 2019 when the NDP lost in a big way, she walked up and down the street and “there was a smell in the air.” “I walk up and down the street now and it’s different.” She acknowledges in government, the NDP didn’t do everything right. She admits they didn’t always take the time to stop and listen to people enough.”
Sharon Burke (Divergent Options)on Canada as the last superpower amidst climate change:“Again, no country will be immune to the negative effects of climate change, but with a stable, migrant-friendly political culture, Canada has the potential to manage this transition better than any other nation. As a high north country, Russia should enjoy these relative advantages, too, but the rigidity of their authoritarian form of government, the opportunity cost of their bellicosity, proximity to highly affected populations, lack of preparation for climate change, including the disruption to infrastructure built on permafrost, and unwelcoming culture for migrants all suggest a declining power.”
Martine St-Victor (The Montreal Gazette) on feeling as broken as her “beloved” Quebec due to Bill 96: “I’m a francophone and a francophile and, as such, I can’t digest the idea that such a beautiful language and culture are being used as weapons. The content of Bill 96, including its “learn French in six months or else” edict for new arrivals, sends the message that Quebec is looking for a fight. Bill 101 and its requirement that children of immigrants attend school in French, which I continue to support, never came across that way to me. Now, there seems to be a “either you’re with us or you’re not” vibe in the province that makes it seem, to my eyes, broken and almost unrecognizable.”
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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
