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Federal Conservatives want Mark Carney, seen as a possible successor to Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, to appear before the Commons finance committee.
“It’s clear that Carney is positioning for Trudeau’s job, and since he’s attempting to get as much media attention as possible, he should welcome the Conservative invitation to appear at committee,” said a statement from the office of the Leader of the Official Opposition.
The Conservatives say they want to question Carney on various policies around carbon pricing, public debt and the energy sector. They plan to invite him next Tuesday to the committee.
Carney, former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has lately been speaking out on Canada’s economy, delivering closely watched speeches on public policy.
But a Liberal committee member was dismissive of the Conservative effort to snag Carney.
“Conservatives are playing political games at finance committee to delay our work on behalf of Canadians,” Yvan Baker said in a statement today.
Baker referred to such matters as the passage of Bill C-59 to implement provisions of the fall economic statement. “Canadian workers and businesses are relying on MPs to do our jobs, pass this and other legislation and get support to workers and growing industries. That’s our priority.”
Earlier this week, Carney said the federal government did not put an adequate focus on fostering economic growth in its recent budget.
He also warned of the risks of “constant spending” and too much government subsidies, but he also congratulated the governing Liberals for their investments in housing and artificial intelligence.
Carney was speaking at an event in Toronto held by Canada 2020, a progressive think tank with ties to the Liberal Party, and for which Mr. Carney is an advisory board chair.
- Opinion: “Mark Carney might be setting the stage to run for the Liberal leadership after the next election. Or he might be auditioning for a role as the new blood in Justin Trudeau’s embattled government. Certainly, the former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England is making it clear that he wants to be the next leader of the Liberal Party, and he has started giving the sort of speeches about his political vision that candidates use to brand their leadership campaigns.” – Campbell Clark
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Federal, Quebec governments commit close to $100-million to boost semiconductor capacity: At a news conference today in Bromont, Que., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Ottawa will invest $59.9-million to help fund IBM Canada’s semiconductor packaging facility in the town southeast of Montreal. Quebec is also contributing, $38.9-million in loans.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled: “It must have been a generic response,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview, calling the entire experience humiliating and unbelievable.
OPP reviewing actions of officer who provided protester with security info of PM: In a video that has surfaced online, an officer tells a protester which route Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s motorcade is taking to an event this week and agrees with the protester’s comments describing the federal government’s bail policies as “catch and release.” CityNews reports.
CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her: The woman said she believed the investigation was reprisal for her rape complaint, and she only found out about the probe this year, 10 months after its conclusion, when she made an access-to-information request for her personal information held by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
New NORAD commander praises Canada’s defence policy update: U.S. General Gregory Guillot, who has taken over command of the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command, said he’s “very encouraged” by the recently released Canadian defence policy update.
B.C. asks Ottawa for help on decriminalization fallout: Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s Minister for Mental Health and Addictions, is meeting with her federal counterpart Ya’ara Saks to ask the federal government to review its current exemptions to the B.C. decriminalization pilot that limits drug use in some spaces.
Naheed Nenshi shrugs off criticism at Alberta NDP leadership debate: The former Calgary mayor acknowledged not everyone is happy he’s an outsider to the party he hopes to lead, but adds, “Sometimes a newcomer to the dinner table can help identify what some of the issues in the family are. I want to be very clear. This party does not need a saviour. This is not a takeover.”
Princess Anne to visit British Columbia, sail to Esquimalt: The princess and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will attend a series of events during the three-day trip starting on May 3, including the commissioning ceremony for the HMCS Max Bernays.
Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson leaving politics: The first woman to have held the province’s top office is resigning her legislature seat, ending a 23-year career in politics.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“I feel like the sixth husband of Elizabeth Taylor” – Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, in an apparent reference to coming to the podium after remarks from several other speakers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at the semiconductor announcement today in the Quebec community of Bromont.
“Relative to TikTok, the federal government has already made the choice of saying that because of its security concerns, no electronic device in the hands of an employee of the federal government can have TikTok installed on it. It’s not because people are wasting their time, but I can tell you as a parent that, `Yes it is.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Bromont, responding to a media question about TikTok.
THIS AND THAT
Commons Speaker on the road: Ahead of a Saturday departure to return to Canada, Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is in Algiers, the seat of government in the North African nation of Algeria, as part of a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians comprised of Viviane Lapointe and Peter Julian.
Lametti joins IRRP: Former federal justice minister David Lametti, now working as a lawyer in Montreal, has joined the board of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, according to a statement from the organization.
Commons, Senate: The House of Commons is on a break until April 29. The Senate sits again April 30.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: In Mississauga, Chrystia Freeland toured a clean-energy manufacturer and discussed the budget.
Ministers on the road: Cabinet efforts to sell the budget continue. Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is in Winnipeg highlighting budget measures on innovation and productivity. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Regina to highlight federal budget economic investment tax credits. Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan is in St. John’s to emphasize budget investments in innovation and productivity. Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Small-Business Minister Rechie Valdez are in Coquitlam, B.C., to underline budget commitments.
Meanwhile, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is in Washington tomorrow and Sunday to meet with key Republican and Democratic U.S. senators and think tanks. He is also to attend the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association..
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
In Bromont, Que., Justin Trudeau announced support for the production of semiconductors, accompanied by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, and National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
LEADERS
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is in Ottawa for the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee gathering on plastic pollution.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Toronto, held a news conference and later spoke at the Toronto Day of Mourning event to honour workers injured or killed while at work before attending the 2024 convention of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
No schedule released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre.
PUBLIC OPINION
Increasing grocery costs: Eight in 10 Canadians say their weekly grocery bill has increased in the past six months, by $78.90 on average, according to newly released polling by Ipsos.
OPINION
Truth be told, our politics is going downhill
“To accuse your political opponent of being a liar is so serious a charge that the word is banned in legislatures. And so when federal Health Minister Mark Holland last week told a reporter that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was lying about pharmacare, he levelled a grave accusation. But was that accusation of lying itself true?” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
The Trans Mountain expansion is cause for celebration: Canada got a big project done
“In 2018, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made what was then his government’s largest-ever intervention in the economy by buying the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion, it was a much different time. The project cost was expected to be less than $10-billion and the government hoped for a near-term flip to a private buyer. Critics cast doubts about whether future demand for the oil would exist, and both opponents and supporters expressed the view – for much different reasons – that the pipeline would never actually be built.” – Kelly Cryderman
The Trudeau government’s promise of 3.87 million new homes is next to impossible
“The centrepiece of last week’s federal budget was the Trudeau government’s plan to build 3.87 million homes by 2031. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. estimates that 1.87 million homes are already going to be built – and Ottawa aims to more than double that pace. How likely is that? Not very. There are two extremely large obstacles: labour and capital.” – Tony Keller
Trans youth deserve better
“As recently as 15 years ago, it would have been unheard of to ask for a child’s – never mind a preschooler’s – preferred pronouns in a casual social setting. But the social climate in Canada started changing in the early 2010s, when school boards across the country began adopting guidelines recommending schools use students’ preferred gender pronouns. The idea was to affirm students’ gender identities without reservation, so that children experiencing dysphoria – that is, an incongruence between their biological sex and gender identities – would feel seen, accepted and welcomed.” – Robyn Urback
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Ian Bailey