Accelerating Through the Homestretch

Your Look Ahead from Summa Strategies

The Latest – Top stories driving the news this week.
  • The government plans to vote on the capital gains tax regime this week. Senior government sources indicated that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to table a ways and means motion today.
  • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be travelling to Italy this Thursday to attend the G7 Summit. He will then head to Switzerland to participate in the Summit on Peace in Ukraine. 
  • Negotiations with the Canada Border Services Agency are expected to continue until Wednesday. This comes after a potential strike on Friday was put on hold by the union. 
  • The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security is set to wrap up its review of Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act. Amendments will be considered in the House on Wednesday, as parties move to fast-track its adoption.
  • Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez is participating in the inaugural panel discussion at the International Economic Forum of the Americas’ Conference today at 9:00 am.
  • Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson will make two funding announcements today at Laurentian University.
In the House – Key Green Chamber business set to play out.

Committee Updates

  • NDDN will meet today to review the impact of Canada’s procurement process on the Canadian Armed Forces. 
  • SECU will meet today to discuss Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act. 
  • HUMA will meet today to discuss federal housing investments.
  • INAN will meet today to discuss tax revenues from businesses in First Nations Territories. 
  • INDU will meet today to discuss Bill C-352, the Lowering Prices for Canadians Act.
  • CITT will meet tomorrow to discuss the 2026 Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Review.
  • CHPC will meet tomorrow to discuss the harms caused by online viewing of illegal sexually explicit material. 
  • FINA will meet tomorrow to discuss policy decisions and market forces that have led to increases in the cost of buying or renting a home in Canada.
  • SRSR will meet tomorrow to discuss science and research in Canada’s Arctic in relation to climate change. 
  • TRAN will meet tomorrow and Thursday to discuss the Competition Act and Air Travel in Northern, Rural, and Remote Communities of Canada. 
In the Senate – Stay informed on events in the Upper Chamber.
  • Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023 is currently under consideration in committee. 
  • Bill C-58, an Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012 is currently at committee.
  • Bill C-49, an Act to amend the Canada—Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act, is at committee. 
  • Bill C-252, the Child Health Protection Act, is currently in committee. 
  • Bill C-321, an Act to amend the Criminal Code (assaults against persons who provide health services and first responders), is currently in committee. 

Committee Updates

  • NFFN will meet tomorrow to discuss Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act. 
  • NFFN will meet tomorrow to examine the subject matter of Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024. 
  • SOCI will meet tomorrow and Wednesday to discuss Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012.
In Case You Missed It – Your crib notes for last week’s top stories.
  • The Bank of Canada reduced its interest rate by 25 basis points from 5 per cent to 4.75 per cent. The Canadian central bank is the G7 to cut its interest rate.
  • Last Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford shuffled his cabinet. Some notable changes include former Minister of Housing Steve Clark being named as Government House Leader, and former Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Energy Minister Todd Smith swapping portfolios. 
  • Last Tuesday, senior federal cabinet ministers did not commit to releasing the names of parliamentarians who are accused of conspiring with foreign governments. This comes after the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released their report last Monday indicating that some unnamed parliamentarians were accused of conspiring with foreign governments.
  • The federal government decided to abolish $1 billion green fund last week after an Auditor General report revealed that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) awarded $59 million to 10 projects that were ineligible for funding. 
  • The federal NDP called for a price cap on grocery store staples such as flour and sugar. The NDP tabled a non-binding motion last week, but it failed to pass in the House. 
  • The Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said the government has its own economic analysis on the economic impacts of carbon pricing, which he has seen but has not been released. In April, the PBO indicated that there was an error in their March 2022 analysis which incorrectly included the government’s output-based pricing system.
  • A report released by the National Security Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleges that China and India interfered in the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership races.
  • Last week, an auditor general report revealed that federal Canadian agencies are not equipped to police cybercrime. The report found that there were breakdowns in coordination, tracking, and information sharing among agencies tasked with policing cybercrime.
  • Foreign online streaming services operating in Canada will be required to contribute five per cent of their Canadian revenues to support local and Indigenous broadcasting.
  • Last Thursday, Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced the launch of a $1.5 billion co-operative housing development program which was promised in the 2022 budget. The program will offer $1 billion in loans and $500 million in grants. 
  • Canada’s unemployment rate rose by 6.2 per cent in May, and 27,000 jobs were added to the economy.
  • Google announced that it selected the Canadian Journalism Collective to distribute $100 million to Canadian news companies. 

Provincial Updates

A look at the top news across the country.

  • B.C. United MLAs Lorne Doerkson and Elenore Sturko announced that they would be joining the BC Conservatives. B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Murray Rankin, also announced that he will not be seeking re-election.
  • B.C. Hydro is now offering customers the option to pay more for electricity during the daytime and less overnight. Those who opt-in will receive a five-cent discount on every kilowatt hour of electricity used between 11:00 p.m to 7:00 a.m. 
  • Certn Inc, a company who conducts background checks for landlords, is now under scrutiny by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and their provincial counterpart. 
  • Three B.C. mayors were denied federal funding for flood damage to their communities. They claim the $2 billion Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund is set up to disadvantage small communities. 
  • Mike Fanrworth, B.C.’s Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister, announced that April’s cyberattacks on provincial systems compromised 22 Public Service Agency email inboxes and the personal information of 19 government employees.
  • Alberta passed new legislation moving the fixed election date from May to October. Premier Danielle Smith claimed that this measure was taken to reduce the risk of natural disasters at the same time as an election. 
  • Manitoba’s legislature passed legislation to target individuals who either create or share AI-produced pornography without consent. 
  • The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) indicated they are at an impasse with the government last week and will begin work-to-rule province-wide. This comes just months prior to a fall election. 
  • Alberta health-care workers filed a $125 million lawsuit against Alberta Health Services (AHS), alleging that AHS is violating the Employment Standards Code by overworking and underpaying them.
  • A potential TTC strike was averted after the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 reached a deal with management last Thursday.
  • Last Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford shuffled his cabinet. Notable changes include former Minister of Housing Steve Clark being named as Government House Leader, and former Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Energy Minister Todd Smith swapping portfolios. 
  • Ontario, along with its federal and municipal counterparts, signed a $4.7 billion funding deal with the federal government to boost housing construction in Ontario. Last week’s announcement indicated that the “Canada Community-Building Fund” would be renewed for another five years. 
  • Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative (PC) Party indicated it has a $9 million surplus in party coffers. The PC party’s fundraising efforts have outpaced its rivals with the Ontario Liberal Party raising $2.58 million, the Ontario NDP raising $2.18 million, and the Green Party of Ontario raising just $525,000.
  • Last Friday, Premier François Legault announced the creation of a committee tasked with examining how Quebec can obtain more autonomy in the federation. The announcement was made ahead of the Premier’s meeting with Justin Trudeau today in Quebec City, where immigration and jurisdictions are expected to be the main topics. 
  • Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon tabled an ambitious new bill which will give Hydro-Québec more power to sole-source contracts and speed up green energy projects.
  • A recent Leger poll indicates that the Conservative Party of Canada is now tied with the Bloc Québécois at 29%.

What We're Watching

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

New Climate Crisis Unlocked – The Liberal government’s own internal climate crisis continues. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux suggested the government is preventing him from sharing the government’s economic analysis on the impacts of carbon pricing. He claims to have seen the analysis, but it has not yet been publicly released.

The government’s green fund was also on the chopping block last week after an Auditor General report revealed that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) awarded $59 million to 10 projects that were ineligible for funding.

This one-two punch is just the latest in a string of setbacks for the prime minister on the environment. And while the Liberals spin their wheels, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre continues to score points with voters unopposed and pushes for a ‘carbon tax election.’

Mr. World Traveller –This week, the prime minister is in Europe attending the G7 Summit in Italy, and the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Switzerland.

At the G7 Summit, the prime minister will speak to the need to strengthen international collaboration on global challenges, including the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars. Canada will also champion its leadership in the clean energy space and promote advancing responsible AI. The government hopes this speech enhances economic growth opportunities at home. 

In Switzerland, Trudeau will reaffirm Canada’s ongoing support for Ukraine, including initiatives for the return of Ukrainian children, prisoners and detained civilians. 

With domestic politics top-of-mind for the prime minister, this is only his third time outside the country this year. The PMO hopes that getting Justin Trudeau back onto the world stage will result in a much needed boost in public opinion polling for the Liberals.

Redacted Revelations –Last week, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) dropped a damning report revealing serious allegations of foreign interference. The report implicates a number of unnamed MPs who allegedly received personal benefits and even knowingly engaged in relationships with foreign intelligence officers. Their party affiliations were also not revealed.

While these public revelations are concerning, what happened to them behind the scenes is even more critical. These allegations were provided to the PMO in late March and its not clear what action, if any, was taken. 

With the Liberals already being criticized for their slow and less than forceful response to foreign interference, this report could further erode public trust in their ability to manage this issue. This, despite the fact that the goverment’s foreign interference bill (C-70) is currently at committee stage in the House. 

The report is also no gift for the Conservatives. It contained revelations that their own leadership race faced similar interference and meddling. Nonetheless, this did not stop Pierre Poilievre from demanding details of the NSICOP report be made public. 

The implications of this report should alarm all Canadians, as it calls into question the integrity and legitimacy of our democratic institutions at the highest levels.

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