Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada wants to lessen its dependence on the United States so it doesn’t have to monitor Donald Trump’s social media to determine what new U.S. policy might affect this country.
Steve Chase reports that in comments to a U.S. think tank, in New York City today, Carney talked about his efforts to build more economic opportunities for Canada outside the increasingly protectionist U.S.
“Canadians understand the need to, as we put it, to be masters in our own house,” Carney told members of the Council on Foreign Relations in a fireside chat.
“The country does not want to wake up and look on, with due respect, on Truth Social or X.com to see what the latest change is in U.S. policy, but wants to get on with what we can control, and that’s a big part of the government strategy.”
Carney is in New York this week for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Canada recognized the state of Palestine Sunday as part of a push by Western countries to put pressure on Israel as it wages war in Gaza and to revive the chances of a two-state solution.
Also today, Robert Fife reports that Carney’s national security and intelligence adviser has travelled to New Delhi for a one-on-one with her Indian counterpart.
The two countries are seeking to heal their fractured relations after India was accused of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian citizen.
Nathalie Drouin said in a statement that she held talks Thursday with national security adviser Ajit Doval, a former spymaster in India’s intelligence service.
The high-level discussions took place three weeks after Ottawa and New Delhi restored envoys to each other’s capitals.
Bilateral relations hit rock bottom in September, 2023, when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rose in the House of Commons to accuse the government of India of involvement in the June, 2023, fatal shooting of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.
Drouin provided few details of her discussions with Doval. She did not say whether New Delhi had made any progress in determining which Indian officials allegedly played a role in Nijjar’s killing.
In June, Carney invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Monday, where he talked about his efforts to build more economic opportunities for Canada outside the U.S.Jeenah Moon/Reuters
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Ontario PC member booted from caucus: Chris Scott, who represents Sault Ste. Marie in the legislature, has been arrested by Toronto police after an investigation by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service.
Ontario NDP leader wins leadership review: But Marit Stiles, who earned 68 per cent of the votes cast at a party convention, says the Ontario NDP will learn from the last election and make needed changes.
Priority of environmental protections weakening in B.C., polls shows: British Columbians are now as likely as Albertans to prioritize jobs over the environment, according to a new national survey.
Manitoba’s Premier talks tariffs, Trump and trade: Wab Kinew covered a number of subjects in an interview conducted as he travelled from Winnipeg to the Manitoba community of Rivers.
Restaurants under pressure as Canadians dine out less, report: Three in four Canadians are eating out less, often because of the high cost of living, a report published today found.
When this hospital couldn’t staff its ER, doctors were asked to name their price: But the territorial medical director for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority won’t reveal the highest bid she accepted to fill a shift.
Tech founders leaving Canada at accelerating rate, survey finds: Much of the decline has occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a result, Canada is producing relatively fewer of the world’s high-potential startups, says the study.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney is in New York City today for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He participated in a conversation with the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was scheduled to deliver remarks at a conference on the implementation of a two-state solution in the Middle East. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to meet with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and, later, Kenya’s President William Ruto.
Party Leaders: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended Question Period. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended Parliament in person. NDP Interim Leader Don Davies met with the Canadian Health Coalition to discuss universal pharmacare, and then attended Question Period. No schedule was released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet.
Quote of the Day: “I can understand if you were distracted by events down here and you haven’t followed exactly everything we have been doing in the last four months.” – Carney to the audience at a fireside chat held by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City.
Gerard’s passing: The United Steelworkers’ union has announced the death, on Sunday, of Leo Gerard, its international president for more than 18 years.
Buttigieg in Ottawa: Pete Buttigieg, who ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2020, is speaking in Ottawa this evening at a public-policy conference held by the Canada2020 think tank. He’s not the only U.S. Democrat on hand. Senator Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate in the 2016 U.S. election, is also on the schedule for the conference. Others set to attend include former Alberta premier Jason Kenney, federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt.
Eby in New York: B.C. Premier David Eby is in New York City today through Wednesday, to promote B.C. as a leading destination for investment in clean energy and critical minerals.
Question period
Earnscliffe is the Ottawa house where Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, lived in the last years of his life. Who lives there now?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Who should speak for Canada on the world stage?
Earlier and better integration of provincial perspectives and legislative pathways for purposes of a unified federal position abroad would be a good thing. More standing federal-provincial collaboration on high-risk foreign relations issues such as trade remedies, supply chains and climate compliance is another. While difficult to achieve in the rapidly evolving atmosphere of international chaos that Canada faces now, a single, federally led posture abroad predicated on federal responsiveness to provinces raising legitimate international concerns is nonetheless within Ottawa’s grasp at both the executive and legislative levels.
— Scott Fairley is a senior partner in Cambridge LLP in Toronto and the author of Foreign Affairs in the Canadian Constitution.
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program needs deep reform
Over the years, a program that was supposed to about dealing with the exceptions ended up as one that made exceptions the rule. That has to be fixed.
— Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer
Canada’s recognition of Palestinian statehood is a small but necessary step
Recognition will have no impact on the conflict in the short-term. Hamas will remain entrenched in Gaza, and Palestinians will not achieve self-determination because of mere declarations. This does not, however, make the decision irrelevant or purely theatrical.
— Thomas Juneau is a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and an associate fellow with Chatham House.Go deeper
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The answer to today’s question: Britain’s high commissioner to Canada, currently Robert Tinline. Britain purchased Earnscliffe in 1930, and it has since been the residence for whoever serves as high commissioner.