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Justin Trudeau’s office says it has no problem with former prime minister Jean Chrétien’s comments about various issues, including the suggestion that Mr. Trudeau should be consulting party elders.

“The Prime Minister values the advice of former prime ministers, including Mr. Chrétien. The PM enjoyed spending time with him on the campaign trail during the last election,” said a statement issued today by press secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mr. Chrétien has been talking up his views on how Mr. Trudeau should be running the country as he promotes a new collection of essays, My Stories, My Times: Volume 2.

“We wish him all the best with his new book,” said Ms. Vaillancourt’s statement.

Mr. Chrétien, prime minister from 1993 to 2003, told CBC that Mr. Trudeau would have been “better served” to seek guidance from Liberal elder statesmen, but has not done so.

He also said the government should have moved more quickly to resolve China’s detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

The PMO did not directly disagree with that point, but the statement noted, “Welcoming Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor home was incredibly good news for all Canadians, following the hard work of our government and international partners.”

In an interview with CTV, Mr. Chrétien expressed concerns about Canada’s finances, saying he thought the federal government had no choice but to go deep into deficit to deal with the pandemic but that there “will be difficult circumstances coming.” Story here.

But there has been anger and disbelief directed at Mr. Chrétien’s comments during an appearance Sunday on Tout le monde en parle, a popular Radio-Canada TV show. He said that he was unaware of the abuse that took place in residential schools across the country when he was in government – even when he was Indian affairs minister, from 1968 to 1974. Story here

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

APPEAL DEADLINE LOOMS – Ottawa must decide by Friday whether to appeal a ruling upholding two human rights tribunal orders that would result in billions of dollars in compensation for Indigenous children – a litmus test for the government’s commitment to reconciliation.

O’TOOLE PRESSES TRUDEAU – Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging him to reconsider his timeline for parliamentary sittings in order to deal with pressing economic concerns. Story here.

DELAY IN CLIMATE-CHANGE AID – A decade-old goal to raise US$100-billion to help developing countries adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change is unlikely to be met for another two years, according to a new report from Canadian Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Germany’s State Secretary for the Environment.

ALARM RAISED ON B.C. FOI REFORMS – B.C.’s Privacy Commissioner says some changes planned for provincial freedom-of-information legislation – including some of the highest fees in Canada to apply for records – will weaken the province’s democratic infrastructure, depriving journalists, opposition politicians and the general public of a window into how important government decisions get made. Story here.

NEW CABINET COMING – As he prepares to do so Tuesday, Indigenous leaders and New Democrats say naming a new cabinet is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s chance to restore survivors’ confidence in his government’s commitment to reconciliation. Meanwhile, CBC reports here on the “perks and quirks” of being a cabinet minister. The cabinet swearing-in ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. ET at Rideau Hall.

ARMED FORCES ON SENIORS’ DEATHS – The Canadian Armed Forces has dismissed reports from its own staff who said residents at two Ontario nursing homes died of dehydration, suggesting the “unsubstantiated” allegations stemmed from an “emotionally charged” witness statement.

CODERRE FALTERING IN MAYORAL BID? – Former federal cabinet minister Denis Coderre has had a few stumbles as he tries to regain the job of mayor of Montreal. According to the Montreal Gazette, the campaign stumbles have people wondering how much Mr. Coderre has really changed since Montrealers turfed him out four years ago amid criticism of his Formula E car race, showy 375th anniversary celebrations and pit bull ban. Story here.

CPC CAMPAIGN CHIEF WINS DEFAMATION AWARD – Walied Soliman, a Muslim lawyer who chaired Erin O’Toole’s leadership campaign and the recent Conservative Party election campaign, has won a $500,000 defamation award against a self-styled “news commentator” who used YouTube and other online platforms to accuse Soliman of being a terrorism supporter. Story here, from the National Post

THE MANITOBA ROOTS OF NEW CALGARY MAYOR – CBC looks here at the Manitoba roots of Calgary’s new mayor, Jyoti Gondek.

DR. HENRY UNDER THREAT – Security concerns have followed Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s Provincial Health Officer, into a marathon race in Victoria, reflecting what she calls “discouraging” threats linked to the pushback over pandemic mask mandates and immunizations. “It’s a whole new level of concern when people try and dehumanize others and, you know, me, for example,” Dr. Henry, who has a 24-hour security detail at work and home in Victoria, told the Victoria Times-Colonist. Story here.

PRIME MINISTER’S DAY

Private meetings, and the Prime Minister will speak with British Columbia Premier John Horgan.

LEADERS

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke by telephone with newly elected Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek and will participate in a conference hosted by the 2021 Canadian Real Estate Association Political Action Committee.

No schedules released for other party leaders.

PUBLIC OPINION

Philippe J. Fournier of 338Canada on how Alberta’s United Conservative Party would be almost swept out of urban Alberta and even lose some of its rural base if a provincial election were held now. From Maclean’s. Analysis here.

OPINION

The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on whether Premier Doug Ford is repeating Jason Kenney’s mistakes: “Is the Ford government being overly optimistic in expecting the post-COVID era to start in just five months? Is it tying its pandemic response to the political calendar, centred on next spring’s election? There are echoes of the mistakes made by Jason Kenney and Scott Moe. The pandemic has never been milder in Ontario but, in Saskatchewan and Alberta, things have never been worse. Their disastrous fall is the direct result of the pride of just a few months earlier, when the two premiers insisted that COVID-19 could bend to the needs of their timetables.”

Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on how “climate emergency” is a nuts-and-bolts issue for Calgary’s new mayor, who hopes to get a declaration on the issue passed by city council: “This was bound to be a tough issue. This is, after all, a city that has rises and falls largely on the fortunes of the fossil fuel industry. Calgary has faced years of painful job losses and empty office towers as oil prices and new investments in the industry have dropped. And at this exact moment, the city is in the awkward (and seemingly contradictory) position of simultaneously bracing for a painful global energy transition and a huge new wave of dollars from sharply rising crude demand. But the question of whether the mayor’s plan is a smart pivot or not will be answered both in the details of how it’s executed, and in how it’s perceived outside of Calgary city limits.”

Marc Jaccard (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on whether the federal Liberals will walk the talk on their ambitious climate goals: “In the recent federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party promised to reduce Canada’s greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 40 per cent by 2030. But now that the party has been re-elected to office, climate policy experts note that Canadians will know within six months if the Liberals were sincere. A massive GHG reduction in just nine years can only happen if the government immediately implements its key policies.”

Sarath Peiris (CBC Opinion) on how Saskatchewan’s “tone-deaf premier” is embarrassing the province by ignoring doctors during the pandemic: Picking fights with the feds certainly has proven a good political strategy for Saskatchewan leaders facing tough times. However, Premier Scott Moe has taken things to a whole new and dangerous level by refusing stubbornly, until late last week, to accept medical assistance offered by Ottawa to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic that’s killed 817 provincial residents so far – about 154 in the past 30 days alone.”

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