Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal caucus are meeting in Edmonton this week to map out their plans for the fall sitting before Parliament returns.

The fall sitting is shaping up to be a busy one. The Liberal government has promised to table a budget in October — typically budgets are brought forward in the spring but it was pushed back after April’s election.

Carney has promised the federal government will “spend less and invest more” — and October’s budget is expected to give an indication about how the prime minister will achieve that commitment. Carney and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne have asked ministers and departments to find “ambitious savings” and cut regulations.

The Liberals also introduced a number of bills in the spring that remain before the House.

Speaking during an unrelated news conference on Monday, Carney teased that the Liberals will likely make a housing announcement “in the next few days.”

Carney promised during the election campaign to double the current pace of home construction in Canada — in part by creating a new Crown corporation called Build Canada Homes. That organization has yet to be created.

Outside of the House of Commons, the tariff and trade dispute with the U.S. is ongoing. Carney met with his cabinet last week, after which he announced a series of measures meant to specifically help workers and businesses that have been most impacted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

What do you want politicians to prioritize when the next session of Parliament begins? Let us know by emailing ask@cbc.ca. 

Liberal MPs arriving for the retreat Tuesday struck an optimistic tone.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s tenure came to an end mostly due to pressure from the Liberal caucus to step aside. Jean-Yves Duclos — a former minister under Trudeau who wasn’t given a spot on Carney’s front bench after April’s election — suggested the new Liberal leader so far is having a much better relationship with his MPs.

“[Carney] is a great caucus manager to my surprise, because obviously he didn’t have to manage a caucus of MPs in his former life,” Duclos told reporters in Edmonton.

“He’s very accessible, easygoing. He understands the local realities of individual MPs.”

WATCH | Quebec MP says Carney is ‘a great caucus manager’: 

Quebec MP says Carney is ‘a great caucus manager’

Jean-Yves Duclos, speaking in Edmonton where the Liberal caucus is meeting, says it’s a ‘surprise’ that Prime Minister Mark Carney is managing his caucus so well as someone new to Parliament.

But Carney could be facing pushback from some of his caucus, specifically over environmental issues.

The prime minister has cancelled or paused some key Trudeau environmental policies — most notably dropping the consumer carbon tax on his first day in office.

Last week, Carney announced a pause on the electric vehicle sales mandate, promising a review of the program in the coming months. He has said he plans to strengthen the industrial carbon pricing system but has yet to explain how.

The Trudeau government also introduced legislation to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Part of that plan includes a target of reducing emissions by 40 per cent of 2005 levels by the end of this decade. 

Carney and his ministers appear to be waffling on that 2030 target. 

The prime minister did not directly answer a question about Canada’s climate targets on Monday and instead pivoted to the competitive advantages of a low-carbon economy.

“We see becoming low-carbon in any industry as being a key driver of competitiveness,” Carney said, adding he’d have more to share in the coming weeks.

MPs creating environment caucus

Some MPs are creating a formal environment caucus this week to directly discuss the issue.

While Éric St-Pierre, one of the MPs spearheading the initiative, said he isn’t critical of Carney’s approach, two other MPs told Radio-Canada last week that they think he should be doing more to highlight his past role as UN special envoy on climate action.

MPs on Tuesday downplayed any possible tensions over environmental issues.

“I come from a riding where environmental and climate policy is absolutely critical,” Toronto MP Julie Dzerowicz said.

“[We] continue to be committed to reducing our emissions, to our climate objectives. I think it’s just going to be a different approach.”

When asked if she and her colleagues were concerned about the paused electric vehicle sales mandate, Dzerowicz said she and others were waiting to hear more details.

A man gestures with his hand as he speaks at a podium in front of a crowded room. Canadian flags can be seen drapped in the background.Carney and his caucus return to the House of Commons next week. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

MP Judy Sgro suggested the government’s focus needs to squarely be on the economy at the moment.

A recent Abacus survey found 61 per cent of Canadians point to cost of living as one of their top three concerns and 31 per cent said the economy in general. By comparison, 16 per cent listed climate change and the environment.

Recent data released by Statistics Canada suggests that the country is facing economic headwinds. 

The unemployment rate rose to 7.1 per cent in August while the Canadian economy lost 66,000 jobs, StatsCan reported last week. Canada’s economy also shrank much more than expected in the second quarter — that ended June 30 — as U.S. tariffs squeezed exports.

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to make sure people’s jobs are protected and we can grow the economy,” Sgro told reporters.

“The commitment is to the economy, the economy and the economy.”

MPs return to Parliament on Monday.