Legislative Bloom

Your Look Ahead from Summa Strategies

May 21, 2024
8 minute read

The Latest – Top stories driving the news this week.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is travelling to Philadelphia to participate in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Quadrennial North American convention to promote Canada-US relations, including cross-border trade.
New Democrats are rolling out new lines against the Conservatives in an attempt to reframe the narrative and push for the adoption of pharmacare legislation before Parliament rises for the summer recess next month.
Minister Champagne said he is considering all measures after the U.S. announced it would be hiking tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other related goods. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland indicated that Canada will not become a backdoor for Chinese steel and aluminum.
As of yesterday, 95 active fires were burning across Canada, including 17 out-of-control blazes. The rain helped firefighters contain the flames and some residents in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and Cranberry Portage, Manitoba, were able to return home.
The by-election in Toronto—St. Paul’s to replace the former minister of mental health Carolyn Bennett will take place on June 24. The Liberals have nominated former staffer Leslie Church.

In the House – Key Green Chamber business set to play out.

Thursday will be an allotted day.
Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1, is currently at second reading and debate will resume today.
Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, is currently at second reading, with the report expected in the next few days.
Bill C-52, the Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in the Transportation System Act, is currently at second reading.

Committee Updates

TRAN will meet today to discuss Main Estimates 24-25. Minister Fraser will attend the meeting.
SRSR will meet today and Thursday to discuss science and research in Canada’s Arctic in relation to climate change.
ENVI will meet today for a briefing session with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, who will attend the meeting.
NDDN will meet tomorrow to review the impact of Canada’s procurement process on the Canadian Armed Forces.
INDU will meet tomorrow to discuss Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022.
INAN will meet tomorrow to discuss Main Estimates 24-25. Ministers Hadju, Anandasangaree, and Vandal will attend the meeting.
SECU will meet on Thursday to discuss the growing problem of car thefts in Canada. Ministers LeBlanc and Rodriguez will attend the meeting.

In the Senate – Stay informed on events in the Upper Chamber.

Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, is in pre-study prior to first reading.
Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1, is in pre-study prior to first reading.

Committee Updates

BANC will meet tomorrow and Thursday to study Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024.
AEFA will meet tomorrow to study Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024.
SOCI will meet tomorrow and Thursday to study Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024.
NFFN will meet tomorrow to study Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024. Yves Giroux, the parliamentary budget officer, will attend the meeting.
AEFA will meet on Thursday to examine and report on Canada’s interests and engagement in Africa.

In Case You Missed It – Your crib notes for last week’s top stories.

In an effort to dismantle organized crime groups involved in auto theft, the federal government unveiled the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft, which includes legislative changes, enhanced intelligence sharing, and increased intervention from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The Competition Bureau will launch a market study into the airline sector, which will look into the state of competition in the airline industry and how governments can make improvements.
Cloverdale-Langley City MP John Aldag announced that he will resign from his seat as of May 27 and plans to seek the NDP nomination to run provincially in the Langley-Abbotsford riding.
A human resources committee report raised concerns about how AI technology can be used to monitor workers and asked the government to assess whether federal labour legislation has the capacity to protect workers’ rights.
Statistics Canada reported that extreme weather events are driving homeowner insurance increases at a rate higher than inflation, and the annual payouts for the last four years now rank among the ten largest on record.
The CRTC has delayed implementing the Online Streaming Act until the end of 2025, noting that consultations will continue into 2026. Nineteen members of Congress signed a joint letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai arguing that the act discriminates against American citizens.
Natural Resources Canada and the U.S. Department of Defense are co-investing over $32 million into Fortune Minerals Ltd. to secure supplies of critical minerals required for the green and digital economy.
Loblaw has agreed to sign the grocery code of conduct after months of negotiations. Minister Champagne said it marks a significant step toward curbing supply chain abuses and stabilizing food prices, with major grocers now committed to fairer practices.

Provincial Updates

A look at the top news across the country.

A recent Abacus Data poll indicates that the BC Conservatives only trail the NDP by 6 points, leading to merger speculation between the BC Conservatives and BC United. BC Conservative Party Leader John Rustad has since dismissed these rumors.
The federal government has boosted B.C.’s heat pump rebate program by more than $100 million. The funding will increase the province’s existing heat pump rebate from a maximum of $9,500 to $16,000 of the cost.
The British Columbia government and social media giants agreed to make it easier for British Colombians to get non-consensual intimate images taken down quickly before a protection order is issued.

Saskatchewan Speaker Randy Weekes claims that he was harassed and threatened by government MLAs, accusing members of Premier Scott Moe’s caucus of intimidating him to the point that he feared the Government House Leader was carrying a gun.
Workers at Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. have both voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action which could greatly impact Western Canada’s agriculture and natural resource sectors.
The majority of members in the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) voted in favour of further job action in the next school year. Among the STF’s 13,500 teachers, 83% cast a vote and 95% supported further sanctions.
Manitoba is replacing the former education property tax system with a new credit of up to $1500 in an effort to help homeowners. The Opposition claims that this will have a detrimental effect on middle-income Manitobans.

In an effort to address car thefts, Ontario’s Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria announced that first-time car thieves will be subject to a 10-year driver’s license suspension. A second offence would result in an additional 15-year ban, and a third offence would result in a lifetime license ban.
The federal government has rejected a request from Toronto to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use. Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones and provincial Solicitor General Michael Kerzner wrote a letter to Toronto’s medical officer of health indicating that the province would not support Toronto’s bid for decriminalization.
Health groups are asking Ontario to develop an alcohol strategy to prepare for the province’s upcoming loosening of alcohol rules since the sale of beer, wine, cider, and ready-to-drink cocktails will be allowed in convenience stores and all grocery stores in Ontario by 2026.
Japanese chemical manufacturer Asahi Kasei announced that they will be opening a Lithium-ion battery separator plant in Port Colborne, investing roughly $1.6 billion into the new plant.

Quebec Solidaire (QS) will host its National Council May 24-26, amidst internal party turmoil. A recent poll from Leger indicated that QS is now neck-and-neck with the Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) at 12 per cent of voting intentions.
The federal government reached a deal with the Canadian National Railway Company to acquire the historic Quebec Bridge for one dollar. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Ottawa will spend $1 billion over the next 25 years to repair, repaint and maintain the bridge, extending its life for decades.
The Quebec government said it would end the floor price on fuel and create a platform that will track fuel prices across all gas stations. During the same announcement, Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said gasoline taxes should be raised and had to later retract his comment.
McGill University will seek an interlocutory injunction after the university sought an emergency injunction on May 10 to remove the encampment due to safety concerns, which a Quebec court rejected last week.

A service celebrating the life of Arthur L. Irving was held Saturday at the late Irving Oil businessman’s home in Saint John, N.B. Irving, the second-born son of New Brunswick industrialist K.C. Irving, died on Monday at the age of 93 after a life spent growing the oil business his father founded.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government announced that it will subsidize power rates until 2030, at an anticipated cost of $740 million annually, costing Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro $2 billion.
Trudeau called the New Brunswick Conservative government a disgrace on women’s rights at a news conference in Caraquet last week. He went on to criticize Premier Higgs’s calls to remove the federal price on carbon and the province’s policy on gender identity in schools.

What We're Watching

Find out what issues Summa consultants are tracking and why they matter.

Full Speed Ahead on BIA 1 – The coming weeks will be hectic, with the Trudeau government signalling their intention to move quickly to pass its first set of budget measures included in Bill C-69.

The hot-button capital gains tax increase may have been (strategically) exempted from BIA 1 in favour of a separate, dedicated piece of legislation to be introduced at a later date, but there’s still plenty for MPs to scrutinize in Bill C-69. Between a long-awaited framework for Consumer-Driven Banking and significant authority changes for the Minister of Health, there’s a lot of ground for parliamentarians to cover.

All eyes will be on the House and Senate as we count down to the summer recess.

Cross-border traffic – On the heels of a recent trip south of the border by Ministers Champagne, Duclos and Blair, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Philadelphia today to emphasize the value of cross-border trade for workers. With the recent resurgence of the ‘Team Canada’ approach, we are closely monitoring cross-border engagements and political communications in advance of this fall’s presidential election.

The diplomatic full court press is time well spent, regardless of the outcome of the US election. In the past, protectionist policies have been adopted and implemented by both the Democrats and Republicans, and there is a mutual benefit to strengthening the shared economic relationship between Canada and the US at a time of geopolitical uncertainty.

Of course, Canadian officials are determined to avoid becoming a target of any potential tariffs or other measures. But for the Liberals, that prospective fight could also be a political opportunity. Team Trudeau is positioning as Team Canada – the trusted, tried and true best bet for US trade advocacy – and a fight with Trump 2.0 could rally a much-needed boost in support.

The Kiss of Death from the Downtown Set – The BC election is set for October 19th and election-season hijinks are already in full swing. The latest Abacus Data poll shows that the BC NDP is currently positioned to win another majority, although the gap between the BC NDP and the Conservative Party of BC has narrowed to just six points.

Eby has condemned the prospect of a merger between B.C. United and the Conservative Party of BC as one “brokered by downtown lobbyists working for the wealthiest British Columbians.” While John Rustad denied that there have been recent merger talks, in a since-deleted post, he contended that he is not the person who “Downtown Victoria and Vancouver consultants want to be Premier.”

While party leaders are busy pointing fingers at each other, British Columbians head into the summer with core pocketbook issues like cost-of-living and housing affordability on their minds. So far, the appetite for change hasn’t reached a boiling point, but with the fledgling Conservative Party of BC nipping at their heels, the BC NDP can’t afford to take their lead for granted.

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