Hello,
The Calgary Stampede begins Friday with politics amidst the agenda of the 10-day Alberta tradition.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are both in town with commitments that combine attending the festival and rodeo and taking care of political business.
Mr. Trudeau was scheduled to meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to discuss issues including emission reductions and the federal government’s goal of having a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. There’s a story here ahead of the meeting.
Calgary-based Alberta Columnist Kelly Cryderman offers a Reporter’s Comment on what to expect:
“The Calgary Stampede is about the midway and rodeo, dressing as a cowpoke, and pancakes and coffee. But for politicians, it’s also a time of fundraising, being seen, and the personal interactions that can help compromise take place, even across party lines.
“Where else than at the First Flip breakfast can you see Alberta Premier Danielle Smith smiling beside federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek? A party on Thursday night hosted by New West Public Affairs saw a mixing of Alberta NDP and United Conservative Party MLAs, lobbyists, and government staffers, past and present. In the spirit of Alberta’s two big cities being led by progressive mayors who often see eye-to-eye in their battles with the conservative provincial government, Edmonton has started hosting an annual Stampede party. Given the rivalry between the two cities, that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
“Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headlining a Laurier Club Stampede Reception on Friday night, where hundreds of dollars in annual dues are a prerequisite for attendance. Federal Conservatives – united by stronger polling numbers – will gather in Heritage Park for a barbeque fundraiser with Leader Pierre Poilievre Saturday evening.
“The true test of whether this Stampede togetherness leads to anything concrete will come Friday afternoon, when Mr. Trudeau will meet with Ms. Smith to hash out their differences on energy and climate policy.”
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
Unemployment rate ticks up - Canada’s unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4 per cent in June – the highest it’s been in over a year. It marked the second month in a row the unemployment rate has risen as economists watch for softening in the labour market amid high interest rates. Story here.
Ontario seeking approval for modular nuclear reactors - Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith announced Friday that the province is formally seeking approvals for three more small modular nuclear reactors at its Darlington power plant, where it had already put plans in place for one unit of the novel technology. Story here.
NAFTA talks pushed U.S-Canada relations to a notable low: former U.S. trade official - The renegotiation of the North American free-trade agreement pushed U.S.-Canada relations to their worst point since the War of 1812, with the countries not even speaking with each other for months, former U.S. president Donald Trump’s top trade official writes in a new book. Story here.
Ontario facing big subsidy bill for battery factories - Ontario will pay a major share of subsidies for battery factories being built in the province, under a new agreement with the federal government that will relieve Ottawa of some of the financial burden of luring these facilities to Canada. Story here.
Two new senators appointed - Two Mi’kmaq lawyers from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have been appointed to the Senate. Story here.
Wildfires to be a danger through summer - Wildfires stoked by drought and scorching temperatures are expected to pose a danger for the rest of the summer, after an early season in which a record-breaking amount of land has already burned, forcing more than 155,000 people to evacuate their homes and necessitating historic levels of international support. Story here.
Archibald seeks independent investigation - RoseAnne Archibald has called for an independent investigation into potential government interference into the Assembly of First Nations a week after she was ousted as national chief. Story here.
Khalistan Freedom rallies planned for weekend - Rallies in support of the Khalistan Freedom movement are being planned for Saturday at India’s consulates in Toronto and Vancouver in the wake of the killing of prominent Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons – The House of Commons is now on a break until Sept. 18. The Senate resumes sitting on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day - Chrystia Freeland, in Vancouver, was scheduled to attend private meetings.
Ministers on the Road - Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, made a funding announcement on supply chains and airport capacity. Justice Minister David Lametti arrived in Japan on Wednesday for a G7 justice ministers meeting and is also attending a G7-ASEAN Justice Ministers meetings in Tokyo. After a series of additional meetings, he returns to Canada on Sunday, a spokesperson said. Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc continued a visit to Japan for a G7 gathering on infrastructure through Sunday in Takamastu City, Kagawa Prefecture, Sport Minister Pascale St Onge, also minister for the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., announced government financial support for aerospace-sector companies in the Montreal area.
Postmedia pausing company advertising on Meta platforms -Postmedia Network Canada, which has 130 properties that include papers in most Canadian cities, has announced it will be pausing all direct company advertising on Meta platforms including Facebook and Instagram. “We hope to work together to ensure that all parties can do what the Online News Act allows for, to bargain fairly, level the playing field and preserve journalism in Canada,” Andrew MacLeod, Postmedia president and CEO said in a statement Friday. There’s a story here on the company that owns the Toronto Star announcing similar measures on Thursday.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Calgary, attended private meetings, then a community event with Calgary-Skyview MP George Chahal. Mr. Trudeau was then scheduled to meet Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and then attend the Calgary Stampede. In the evening, Mr. Trudeau was scheduled to attend a party fundraising event.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended a party fundraiser in Calgary.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is on vacation.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
There’s no new episode of The Globe and Mail podcast on Fridays in July and August, but recent episodes are available here.
TRIBUTE
Denise Bombardier - Veteran Quebec journalist Denise Bombardier died July 4 in Montreal from cancer. She was 82, and had a career in journalism and literature that spanned over 50 years. There’s an obituary here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how reality deflates the NDP’s Big Grocery conspiracy theory: “Every good conspiracy theory needs an easy-to-hate villain with nefarious motives and a malignant grip on power, which explains how the federal NDP found the perfect casting for its take on why inflation has ravaged Canadians’ purchasing power – Big Grocery. Every element was in place: powerful grocery chains that twist the arms of suppliers and elbow aside neighbourhood vendors in a relentless pursuit of profit, all at the expense of hapless Canadian families forced to pay for their rampant corporate greed. As the NDP tells it, grocery chains drove inflation by marking up prices during the pandemic in order to pad their profits. Corporate greed, not a huge imbalance in global supply and demand driven by massive fiscal stimulus, was the culprit. A perfect theory, with just one thing lacking: facts.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how the CRA needs to call in the police over CERB claims by its employees: “Call the cops. When the federal tax agency found employees had claimed CERB benefits meant for those who lost their incomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, it let 20 of them go. That’s what it told Canadians eventually, after dodging questions for months. What it didn’t do, as far as we know, is call the police to ask them to investigate. At least, it won’t say if it has. This was the agency running the CERB program – half of it, anyway – and some of its own people were claiming the benefits. You would think that the Canada Revenue Agency would be itching to tell the public it is rooting out those bad apples and throwing the book at them.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on rule by the second place: the coming crisis of legitimacy in federal politics: “Then again, maybe the Liberals do need to worry. No doubt there were plenty of sighs of relief in government circles after those four by-elections last month, where the party not only held onto the seats it had but increased its share of the popular vote. But since then there have been a spate of opinion polls showing the party continuing to slide in public support. Nanos, Abacus, Ipsos, Mainstreet, Angus Reid: all show the Liberals from five to eight percentage points behind the Conservatives. Liberal support remains mired below 30 points, on average – the lowest it has been since they were first elected, in 2015.”
Tanya Talaga (The Globe and Mail) on how the AFN needs strength in leadership, not mutiny: “Ms. Archibald should have been given the respect of the full, in-person assembly to face this vote. To improve accountability, a forensic audit of the AFN’s governance structure must continue and be presented. What is clear is that we need a visionary leader who is able to pull all the factions together and work to defend the treaty rights of every status Indian and member of a First Nation. That is the purpose of the AFN – to advocate, as a united front, for First Nations’ health care, education, language rights, social development, clean water, infrastructure, and our economies and the environments we call home. Too much is at stake for a leader to not follow this mandate. Our children and our communities deserve better.”
Don Braid (The Calgary Herald) on how the Alberta NDP will falter without major changes, including a new leader: “Notley is considering her future. It would be surprising if she decides to stay on for four years to fight another election. She would face the prospect of losing her third election in a row after winning once. It’s not a retirement record any politician would covet. She’ll probably resign at some point after shepherding her new caucus and preparing the party. And she should. The NDP needs to soften its starkly negative image and build support in rural Alberta. Notley’s leadership is indelibly tied to both weak points.”
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