Hello,
Canada’s largest federal public-sector union has a new national president.
Sharon DeSousa has replaced Chris Aylward, and is promising to keep up the fight over federal policies on bringing its members back to the office.
DeSousa was elected today to the leadership role at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents 245,000 workers across Canada, including federal public service workers, as well as provincial territorial and municipal workers.
Ottawa wants federal public servants back in the office for a minimum three days a week, up from two. It’s a demand that has prompted PSAC and other public-sector unions to promise a fight over a measure they deem unfair.
In an interview, DeSousa declined to get into details over union strategies under her leadership to counter the hybrid-work approach of the federal government, but said PSAC will carry on its campaign against the policies.
“I am definitely going to keep that fight up,” DeSousa said. “I want to create a new frontier of remote work and that’s something that our members want to see. We do not want to go back to the whole ‘butts in a chair’ thinking that’s productive because it’s not.”
Earlier this month, Aylward – PSAC’s national president since 2018 – was among leaders of the union movement promising to challenge the federal government over its hybrid-work policies.
DeSousa is PSAC’s first racialized national president. She was born in the Pakistani city of Karachi, and came to Canada when she was five years old, with her family. She grew up in Toronto. Most recently, she has been a PSAC national executive vice-president.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Donald Trump found guilty: A New York jury found former president Donald Trump guilty on all counts in a hush-money case related to the 2016 election. It’s the first criminal conviction of a former president in U.S. history, and comes as he’s seeking a return to the White House.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defends withholding cabinet documents from foreign interference inquiry: The Foreign Interference Commission disagrees and has said it is in discussions with the government about the application of redactions covering about nine per cent of the cabinet documents provided to the inquiry and an undisclosed number of other secret cabinet documents have been completely withheld.
Doug Ford faces criticism for suggesting immigrants behind Toronto Jewish school shooting: The Ontario Premier’s comments come despite police saying they have little information on the suspects. Opposition parties quickly denounced Ford’s comments and demanded an apology. Meanwhile, Montreal police are investigating after a Jewish school was hit by at least one bullet.
Newfoundland and Labrador launching court case against federal equalization program: Provincial Finance Minister Siobhan Coady and Attorney-General John Hogan told reporters that they intend to file the constitutional challenge in the coming weeks.
Federal Court rejects bid by two suspended public servants who worked on ArriveCan to have investigation shelved: Justice Russel Zinn ruled this week that the request to the court was premature given that the two men have yet to exhaust existing avenues for filing internal complaints.
Toronto Liberal MP says politicians need more protection after office vandalized: Julie Dzerowicz, who represents the riding of Davenport, says vandalism that defaced the outside of her constituency office is an “attack on democracy.”
Ottawa issues ‘sunset clauses’ for historical records access: The Treasury Board has announced it will be establishing dates at which sensitive federal records can be released, often 20, 25 or 30 years after their creation. These clauses are common in democracies around the world, but will be new in Canada.
Alberta supports industrial carbon pricing, Premier says: Alberta has no plans to cancel its carbon pricing on large emitters, which Premier Danielle Smith says is key to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from its oil and gas sector.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“Let’s cut traffic, commute times, tailpipe pollution and costs for gas, roads and buildings – with more work from home. For all tasks that are doable remotely, Treasury Board rules should allow public servants the option to work more from home. Private sector labour laws should also allow more work-from-home, when both employer and employee agree. It doesn’t make sense for every job or worker, but let’s offer the choice.” - Pierre Poilievre federal Conservative leader, to The Ottawa Citizen on Sept. 7, 2021 when many people were working from home because of the pandemic. Poilievre was seeking re-election in an Ottawa-area riding at the time.
In his new biography, Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life, journalist Andrew Lawton took note of the comment. The Official Opposition Leader has declined to say recently, whether he supports hybrid work for federal public servants. His office has not responded to a query on whether he stands now by his 2021 comments.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, May. 30 accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day: Private meetings in Halifax and Chrystia Freeland met with students and researchers, toured an advanced incubator space, made an announcement and took media questions.
Ministers on the Road: Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is in Madrid where he met with that country’s Industry Minister as well as representatives of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations and attended the 2024 Bilderberg meeting. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in the Montreal-area city of Longueuil, made an announcement on wildlife habitat protection and restoration. Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, in the Nova Scotia community of Sydney, announced federal budget investments in the Canadian Coast Guard.
Commons Committee Highlights: Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, appeared, by videoconference, before the health committee earlier today on the opioid and toxic drug crisis in Canada. Unifor National President Lana Payne is among the witnesses appearing before the international trade committee on a 2026 review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Senate Committee Highlights: Among the witnesses appearing before the foreign affairs committee on the subject of foreign relations and international trade is Melita Gabric, European Union ambassador to Canada.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Toronto, Justin Trudeau visited a biomanufacturing facility and made an announcement with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled to attend a party fundraising event in the Toronto-area city of Vaughan.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, attending the House of Commons in person, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal from Governor-General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall and later held a news conference, with other MPs, on stopping Ecocide.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa with a representative of the airline division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, held a news conference on unpaid work for flight attendants and airline staff.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s podcast, The Globe’s education reporter, Caroline Alphonso, explains how cellphones and social-media use are affecting student learning, the details of lawsuits filed by school boards and schools, and what schools are doing to refocus student attention in classrooms. The Decibel is here.
NEWSLETTER BOOKS
Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life
By Andrew Lawton (Sutherland House)
With his new biography of Pierre Poilievre, journalist Andrew Lawton says he wanted to provide readers a sense of who the federal Conservative Leader is beyond efforts by rival parties and even Conservatives to brand him.
But he said things took a bit of a twist as he began writing. “The book also became, in part, a history of the modern conservative movement – a story that I found to be difficult to separate from Mr. Poilievre’s life and career,” he said.
The result is the newly published Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life. Lawton, a journalist with the conservative True North media site, responded to questions from the politics-briefing newsletter about his experiences writing the book.
Mr. Poilievre did not make himself available to you for an interview for this book. What would you have asked him had you had the opportunity to do such an interview?
I had a lot of access to many people around Pierre Poilievre. I did multiple interviews with him during his leadership race and have spoken to him since. There’s also a substantial public record going back to his teenage years. While an interview would have been nice to have, I’m not convinced he’d have said any more about his life than what he’s already put on record.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about Mr. Poilievre from your research?
There are some funny anecdotes about practical jokes he’s played that I quite enjoyed learning about. Generally though, I was struck by the consistency he’s exhibited in most of his political values over the last two-and-a-half decades. Beyond that, the circle around him has also remained largely unchanged. People he interned with 25 years ago are still in his life as staff and caucus colleagues in many cases.
You ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in Ontario in the 2018 election, and are associated with True North, which is a conservative media outlet. Did such credentials help with the work required for this book? Did you have any concern that they might lead some readers to conclude you might have gone easy on Mr. Poilievre?
I don’t hide my outlook and history, but I was very careful to keep the book focused on facts and not opinion. The reason I wanted to write this book was because of the absence of a deep set of facts about his life. My political orientation undeniably opened doors that other journalists would have had trouble penetrating, however. I know for a fact that several people I spoke to – including members of Parliament and some senior political staffers – would have been far less likely to take similar requests from others. As for concerns about the book going easy on him, I would urge people to read it.
If Mr. Poilievre leads the Conservatives to power in the next election, how do you think his political approach will be different from that of Stephen Harper?
This was a question that fascinated me, and forms a good chunk of the book’s final chapter. If current polling holds, Mr. Poilievre is set to enter office with a majority government – something Stephen Harper didn’t get until his third mandate. People I interviewed expect an ambitious agenda out of the gate, perhaps akin to Mike Harris’s first term as premier of Ontario. This is in stark contrast to the more incremental approach taken by Mr. Harper, a necessity given the precarious nature of minority parliaments.
Edited for clarity and length.
PUBLIC OPINION
NDP ahead in B.C.: The BC NDP, now governing the province, have an 11-point lead over their nearest rivals, the B.C. Conservatives ahead of an election this fall, according to new research from the Angus Reid Institute. The Official Opposition BC United party is in third place with 16 per cent.
OPINION
A Liberal position on housing that defies gravity
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to believe he can amend a heretofore inviolate law of economics: that of supply and demand. He said as much in a recent appearance on The Globe and Mail podcast City Space in which he talked about housing affordability. He was asked whether current homeowners will have to accept some sacrifices so aspiring homeowners – who are presently priced out – can enter the market.” - The Globe and Mail Editorial Board.
It’s time for the Liberal Party to force Justin Trudeau’s hand
“One important thing I learned in politics,” said Herb Dhaliwal, the British Columbia Liberal who served in the cabinets of Jean Chrétien, “is that once people have made up their minds, they’re not about to change.” He was talking about Justin Trudeau’s situation.” - Lawrence Martin.
Nicaragua better than Canada? Try again, Mr. Poilievre
“I guess the question a person needs to ask is whether that bargain they’re getting on a Nicaraguan home is worth everything else that comes with it. Regardless, it’s pretty poor form for a federal political leader in this country to put out a video suggesting thousands are fleeing Canada for the many wonders of Nicaragua..” - Gary Mason.
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Ian Bailey