Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let\u2019s look at what happened today.<\/p>\n
Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau is under heavy criticism once again from the country\u2019s top political leaders over his ability and level of willingness to speak French.<\/p>\n
Nicolas Van Praet, Marie Woolf, Eric Atkins and Maura Forrest report that the spotlight comes after Rousseau offered a video message of condolence solely in English<\/a> to the families of the two pilots who died in a plane crash at New York\u2019s LaGuardia Airport Sunday night.<\/p>\n Antoine Forest, the pilot in command of the Air Canada Express flight when it collided with a fire truck on the runway during landing, was a francophone from Coteau-du-Lac, Que. His co-pilot was Mackenzie Gunther from Ontario.<\/p>\n In the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Mark Carney took issue with the way Air Canada and its CEO handled the message of condolence. <\/p>\n He said that Canada is a bilingual country and that Air Canada has a responsibility to communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so disappointed by the video message by Air Canada\u2019s CEO,\u201d Mr. Carney said. \u201cIt lacks judgment and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n The Commons\u2019 official languages committee has summoned Rousseau to explain himself over his decision to say only two words in French in the four-minute video. Those words were \u201cbonjour\u201d and \u201cmerci.\u201d<\/p>\n Carney said he would follow Rousseau\u2019s appearance at the committee closely \u201cas well as comments which I expect in due course\u201d from Air Canada\u2019s board of directors.<\/p>\n In other news, voters in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne will use a write-in ballot in the coming by-election, as the Longest Ballot Committee has made the Quebec riding its latest target.<\/p>\n Elections Canada\u2019s advisory committee of political parties says voters will have to write in the first name, or initials, and last name of their chosen candidate,<\/a> as is done on a special ballot.<\/p>\n It says a list of candidates will be provided to voters at polling stations during advance voting and on election day.<\/p>\n The same write-in ballot plan was used in a by-election in Alberta last summer that elected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The group recruited nearly 200 people to run against him in protest of Canada\u2019s first-past-the-post electoral system.<\/p>\n And elsewhere, Ontario\u2019s building industry says the province\u2019s plan to rebate the sales tax on newly built homes for more buyers \u2013 including some investors \u2013 has the potential to be a \u201cgame changer\u201d for the preconstruction home market, which is suffering from a prolonged downturn in sales.<\/p>\n Under current federal rules, only first-time buyers who plan to live in their new homes are eligible for a rebate on the 5-per-cent Goods and Services Tax for homes priced up to $1-million, or a partial rebate on units valued up to $1.5-million.<\/p>\n Jeff Gray, Rachelle Younglai and Shane Dingman report that Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced expanded relief today, to be included in Thursday\u2019s provincial budget<\/a>, that would cover the entire cost of the 13-per-cent federal-provincial Harmonized Sales Tax, for more buyers over the next year. <\/p>\n That includes repeat buyers of preconstruction homes who plan to live in the units, as well as some investors who plan to rent out their units.<\/p>\n The tax rebate would provide up to $130,000 back to a wider swath of buyers. Mr. Ford said the move will be supported by a deal with the federal government that would \u201capproximately\u201d cover Ottawa\u2019s portion of the foregone tax bill.<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Aircraft maintenance workers in a boom lift cut away debris hanging from the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet on Tuesday.Yuki Iwamura\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n This is the daily Politics Insider newsletter, curated by Ian Bailey<\/a>. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. You can sign up for more than 20 other newsletters on our signup page<\/a>.What else is going on<\/p>\n Ottawa and Alberta agree on methane-emissions reduction plan: <\/a>Under the proposal, Alberta would combine regulations, offset credits and targeted investments with the goal of cutting emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by 75 per cent below 2014 levels by 2035.<\/p>\n Ottawa clashes with Ontario, Alberta <\/a>over notwithstanding clause at Supreme Court Bill 21 hearing: The federal government called on the Supreme Court to impose, for the first time, limits on repeated use of the notwithstanding clause.<\/p>\n RCMP search the home <\/a>of former Calgary mayor: The Mounties executed search warrants at the homes of Jyoti Gondek and a sitting city councillor, in an investigation that began in October, the month in which Gondek lost a re-election bid.<\/p>\n Global Affairs laying off dozens of specialized diplomats,<\/a> union says: As the department sets out its plans to meet budgetary belt-tightening requirements laid out by Prime Minister Mark Carney last year, it is also asking other envoys moving across continents to wait months for their personal items.<\/p>\n Toronto Police plan armed patrols, new anti-terrorism unit after uptick in reported hate crimes:<\/a> \u201cGlobal conflicts, extremist ideologies and online radicalization, hostile foreign states, heightened polarization: These are realities that impact our work and that impact the sense of safety in our communities,\u201d says Chief Myron Demkiw.<\/p>\n On our radar<\/p>\n Prime Minister\u2019s Day: Mark Carney attended the national caucus meeting, and, later, Question Period. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister met with the visiting Prince Rahim Aga Khan V and later attended a dinner hosted by Governor-General Mary Simon to welcome the Aga Khan to Canada.<\/p>\n Party Leaders: On Parliament Hill, Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois Leader Yves-Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet held a news conference. After Commons matters, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a 90th birthday party for environmentalist David Suzuki held in the dining room of the Commons Speaker and hosted by Liberal MP Alexandra Mend\u00e8s, an assistant deputy speaker of the Commons, and other MPs. Senators and MPs were invited. No schedules released for the other party leaders.<\/p>\n Ministers on the Road: Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is in Paris and headed for Vaux-de-Cernay outside the French capital to attend a G7 foreign ministers\u2019 meeting. Today, Anand met with Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary-general of La Francophonie, to present Canada\u2019s candidacy to host the 2028 Francophonie Summit.<\/p>\n International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will be in the Cameroon capital of Yaound\u00e9 from Thursday to Sunday for the14th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference.<\/a><\/p>\n Security called on journalist over use of tape recorder at committee hearing: Tessie Sanci, a deputy editor for The Hill Times newspaper, was taken aback this week when the chair of the House science and research committee – Liberal Salma Zahid<\/a> – took issue with Sanci\u2019s use of a recorder sitting on a table to document the proceedings.<\/p>\n Sanci was approached multiple times by a committee clerk, who told her that Zahid wanted the device turned off. \u201cIt was really hard to understand why I was being asked to turn off my recorder when I made it clear to the clerk I had plenty of experience recording other meetings, that I was an accredited journalist,\u201d Sanci said in an interview today.<\/p>\n And then security was summoned. And when Sanci stepped out of the room to deal with the issue, there were four officers from the Parliamentary Protective Service waiting.<\/p>\n The situation has prompted apologies. Today, Zahid issued a statement in which she apologized to Sanci for the disruption the situation caused. She blamed \u201cincorrect advice\u201d on whether audio recording is permitted.<\/p>\n Suzie Cadieux, principal clerk of committee operations at the Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, also called to apologize. Sanci said Cadieux committed to team members being reminded of the rules.<\/p>\n Political Lives, Hugh Winsor: An obituary<\/a> of the long-time Globe and Mail reporter and columnist who spent most of his working life in Ottawa, where he had connections at every level. Winsor died on March 14.<\/p>\n Quotes of the Day<\/p>\n \u201cWe proudly live in a bilingual country, and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation. I\u2019m very disappointed in, as others are, rightly so, in this unilingual message of \u2014 of the CEO of Air Canada. It doesn\u2019t matter the circumstances, but particularly in these circumstances \u2014 lack of judgment and lack of compassion.” – Prime Minister Mark Carney, arriving for today\u2019s Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, speaks to the controversy over Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t the first time that he has been told to speak French, and he should know better.\u201d – Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller, on Parliament Hill today, on Rousseau. <\/p>\n \u201cHe should recognize the fact that he doesn\u2019t have the requisite respect for Quebec society and all French Quebeckers and French Canadians to keep the job he has presently. The Board of Air Canada should act on it. The government should put all necessary pressure on the board for them to make the only right decision in this situation and it\u2019s to make sure that he leaves.\u201d – Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois Leader Yves-Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet, during a Parliament Hill news conference today, on Rousseau.<\/p>\n Question period<\/p>\n On this day in 1958, pilot Janusz Zurakowski took off on a flight northwest of Toronto that has become notable in Canadian aviation history. What was it?<\/p>\n Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.<\/p>\n PerspectivesThe NDP ponders a leap<\/a> with Avi Lewis<\/p>\n At a time when Prime Minister Mark Carney is moving the governing Liberals rightward, you\u2019d think there would be room for the NDP nearer to the centre of Canadian politics. Yet, Mr. Lewis, the scion of an illustrious NDP family, proposes to leap left. The public is anxious, and Mr. Lewis is a disruptor.<\/p>\n \u2014 Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer<\/p>\n The NDP has become a party of puppy dogs<\/a><\/p>\n An NDP with teeth, one that has decoupled from the Liberals, has a good chance of recovery, one that is necessary for preventing the country being reduced to a two-party system and the polarization that comes with it.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lawrence Martin, Public Affairs Columnist <\/p>\n Air Canada\u2019s CEO once again misses the boat<\/a> on bilingualism<\/p>\n With a growing global market of francophones, Air Canada could have made bilingualism its calling card. Too bad Mr. Rousseau has once again manqu\u00e9 le bateau.<\/p>\n \u2014 Konrad Yakabuski, Columnist Go deeper<\/p>\n Got a news tip that you\u2019d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com<\/a>. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop<\/a>. <\/p>\n