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Pope Francis said in March he wouldn’t apologize for the Catholic church’s role in Canada’s residential schools, which hurt generations of Indigenous people. But will he reconsider if Canada’s Parliament asks him to? MPs are voting this afternoon on that very motion. A papal apology is one of the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa, –n Toronto and James Keller in Vancouver. If you’re reading this on the web or someone forwarded this e-mail newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Have any feedback? Let us know
CANADIAN HEADLINES
The Liberal government has introduced a new elections bill that proposes new pre-election spending limits and restrictions on advertising by foreign entities. Elections Canada officials warned Parliament last week that time was running short to change elections laws before next year’s vote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has extended Canada’s exemption on steel and aluminum tariffs as North American free-trade agreement talks go on.
A federal government report concludes Ottawa’s carbon-pricing plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 megatonnes by 2022, the equivalent of shutting down more than 20 coal-fired power plants. The report comes as several provinces, notably Saskatchewan, oppose the federal government’s carbon pricing requirements.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pointing to record-high gasoline prices as he tries to sell the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Gasoline in the Vancouver region now exceeds $1.60 per litre, and economists agree the pipeline project could help add supply — and bring down prices.
B.C.’s Finance Minister says she’s open to cracking down on exclusive condo presales after a Globe and Mail investigation about their role in fuelling the Vancouver region’s real estate market. Carole James says the government wants to make housing more affordable and she recognizes there is more work to do. The Globe investigation found select realtors and speculators who buy multiple condos have preferential first access to the most sought-after units in Vancouver.
Documents obtained by CBC show the Canadian government helped France in its efforts to extradite Ottawa professor Hassan Diab as the French terrorism case risked falling apart. Mr. Diab was finally extradited to France in 2014 and was imprisoned – often in solitary confinement – for three years without a trial. The charges against him were dropped in January and he returned to Canada shortly after.
Export Development Canada, an Ottawa-based lender for Canadian companies working overseas, is not managing risk very well, the Auditor-General says.
The Ontario Liberals have forced Hydro One to revisit its “generous” executive compensation.
And the Saskatchewan government is bringing in a consulting firm to examine the intersection where the Humboldt Broncos team bus collided with a semi-trailer, killing 16 people. The intersection, east of Saskatoon, was also the scene of a crash more than two decades ago that killed six people.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on Bill C-76: “The government could have taken bolder steps, such as banning all foreign money from electioneering – that’s what Conservative Senator Linda Frum has proposed. Instead, it tightened the rules, but not all the way. It’s a good step, but the government could have gone further.
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on Bill C-66: “This is so frustrating. Because of a perceived flaw, the Senate may send back to the House a bill that would expunge the criminal records of men who were convicted of committing homosexual acts in the years when such acts were illegal. The Senate may amend the bill and return it to the House of Commons. But with other legislation crowding the agenda, the bill would then be at risk of dying on the order paper. There are no good choices, here. Pass an imperfect bill or gamble on improving it, knowing you might seal its fate.”
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on the need for an Alberta sales tax: “In any case, having a steady stream of money would allow Alberta to have a proper debate about how to run its finances, rather than finding the coffers flush when oil prices are high and barren when they are low.”
nists/2018/04/30/the-safe-third-country-agreement-doesnt-work-just-ask-the-thousands-of-people-walking-across-the-canada-us-border.html" data-original-title="" title="" class="selected-link" style="">Vicky Mochama (Toronto Star) on border crossings: “For migrants, the Safe Third Country Agreement is not working. Thousands of people, so far, have voted on its effectiveness with their feet. Some have paid for it with the loss of their limbs to frostbite. In one case — a woman from Ghana who died of hypothermia trying to cross the border in Manitoba — it has resulted in the loss of life.”
Angela Wright (CBC) on gun violence: “If Canada truly wants to decrease gun violence, we must start by considering all types of gun violence — including suicides, accidents and police shootings — and rely on experts outside of law enforcement who have greater influence in potential victims’ lives.”
Chantal Hébert (Toronto Star) on Bloc Québécois Leader Marine Ouellet : “For Ouellet, there will be no happy ending to this saga. If she loses the upcoming confidence vote, she will be banished to the sidelines of the sovereignty movement. If she wins, she will be left to lead a party that has become little more than an empty shell. After having failed to secure enough seats to be recognized as an official party in the House of Commons in two elections in a row, it is not as if the Bloc was in a robust state to start with.”
Help The Globe monitor political ads on Facebook: During an election campaign, you can expect to see a lot of political ads. But Facebook ads, unlike traditional media, can be targeted to specific users and only be seen by certain subsets of users, making the ads almost impossible to track. The Globe and Mail wants to report on how these ads are used, but we need to see the same ads Facebook users are seeing. Here is how you can help.