Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street in London today near the end of a tour that has also taken him to Norway to watch a NATO exercise.
Paul Waldie reports that the two leaders discussed the war in Iran and “condemned the Iranian regime’s missile and drone attacks,” according to a summary of the meeting provided by Canadian officials.
Appearing before journalists, Starmer thanked Carney for his support on issues related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We’re old friends, strong history and values between our two countries,” Starmer said.
Carney said that since he became prime minister, he has been committed to working with Britain on international issues, and tightening bilaterial ties in intelligence sharing, trade and several other issues.
He commended Starmer’s leadership on Ukraine. The British Prime Minister helped launch the Coalition of the Willing to support Ukraine as it deals with Russian aggression and has helped lead the organization since it was launched in March, 2025.
The Prime Minister was in Starmer’s office today as Europe reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by Iran.
Carney also met today with King Charles III. In video of the initial part of the meeting, the Prime Minister talked with the King about his trip to Norway. “We’re an honorary Nordic. Don’t worry. We’re still part of the Commonwealth,” Carney quipped, drawing a laugh from the monarch.
In other news, inflation showed signs of easing in February but economists warn price relief will be short-lived as the war in the Middle East fuels surging energy costs, The Canadian Press reports.
Statistics Canada said today that February’s inflation reading came in at 1.8 per cent year-over-year, half a percentage point lower than January’s figures and just under economists’ expectations for the month.
The main factor driving the headline number lower was the end of last year’s tax holiday, which saw the federal sales tax taken off a variety of household staples, gifts and dining out for a two-month period ending mid-February, 2025.
Lower prices from the tax break were only in effect for half of February last year compared with all of January, making the annual inflation calculations somewhat better last month.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Diana Fox Carney, right, pose with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Victoria Starmer on Monday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Ottawa investing $200-million in Nova Scotia spaceport to enable sovereign satellite launches: The federal government has selected three companies to receive funding from its launch grant program as part of its effort to boost Canada’s space and defence capabilities and encourage new investment in the industry.
Ontario Premier says he wants to livestream bail hearings: Doug Ford says his government is looking at the possibility despite federal laws that routinely prohibit the publication of many of the details of these proceedings both to protect victims and to ensure the right of an accused to a fair trial. Also today, Ford defended his government’s decision to exempt him and his cabinet ministers from freedom of information requests, and said he needs to keep his personal cellphone records hidden to protect the privacy of private citizens who contact him.
Deportation hearing begins for alleged Iranian government official: Canada Border Services Agency wants Abbas Omidi to be removed from the country for allegedly having served as a high-ranking official in the Iranian regime.
Podcasters at centre of alleged Alberta health harassment campaign ask for the case to be thrown out: Two podcasters who allegedly harassed a former director at Alberta’s health authority are asking a judge to overturn an extraordinary court order that resulted in their electronic devices being searched.
Company offers use of private deep-water Baffin Island port to Department of National Defence: Baffinland Iron Mines built Milne Port to ship iron ore from its Mary River Mine, which has been operating for more than 10 years.
On our radar
Commons Break: The House of Commons is on a break this week. Members return March 23. The Senate is also on a break, with the next fixed sitting day on March 24.
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney is in London where he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and later met with King Charles III. Today is also Carney’s 61st birthday.
Party Leaders: In Houston, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is meeting with energy executives and visiting an energy facility as part of a tour of several U.S. locations this week. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is in her B.C. riding, meeting with constituents. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: In Hamilton, Rechie Valdez, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and a secretary of state for small business and tourism, announced funding for organizations supporting initiatives that engage men and boys to end gender-based violence.
In Montreal, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree detailed federal efforts to support law-enforcement agencies and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
In Iqaluit, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson visited a new multiunit housing development, part of the Build Canada Homes partnership, with Cecile Nelvana Lyall, minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, and Nunavut MP Lori Idlout.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is in Turkey’s capital of Ankara today as part of a trip this week that will also include a stop in London. Topics along the way, in meetings with government officials, include the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
MPs on the Road: With the Commons and Senate on a break, members of both houses are out around the world this week. Members of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas are at an annual meeting with the Organization of American States in Washington. Meanwhile, members of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, including Liberal MPs Ali Ehsassi and Lisa Hepfner and Conservative Melissa Lantsman, are also in the U.S. capital. Senator Clément Gignac and Liberal MP Zoe Royer, co-chairs of the Canada-China Legislative Association, are visiting Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. And four MPs, members of the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, are on a bilaterial visit to Africa, visiting Maputo, Mozambique, and Gaborone, Botswana.
2026 R. James Travers Fellowship Recipient: Tom Fennario, a senior video journalist with APTN News’s investigative unit, has been awarded this year’s $25,000 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship. The fellowship, administered by Carleton University annually, supports a significant international reporting project by Canadian journalists or journalism students. Fennario will be working on a look at how First Nations in Canada could play a larger role in mitigating severe wildfires, and travelling to Australia, Oregon and Bolivia to study the issue.
Quote of the Day
“I think you’re being too politically correct. We have got to protect ourselves against the Communist Chinese that are infiltrating our country, Canada, the U.S., everything, into our education system, into high-tech companies. That’s who we have to protect from. It’s serious. It’s absolutely serious.” – Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in Brockville, Ont., steps into the exchange during a news conference after Steve Crawford, the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, tries to defend proposed changes by Ford’s government to access to information laws, raising concerns about foreign countries and companies taking advantage of Ontario’s openness through predatory information gathering.
Question period
Prime ministerial vacations have sometimes been a fraught issue. In 1919, prime minister Robert Borden took a break in Florida, Cuba, Trinidad, South Carolina and England. How long was he gone for?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Behind every refugee statistic is a personal and painful moment. Don’t lose sight of that
Most refugees did not imagine their lives unfolding this way. Most are not explicitly political actors or activists. They are teachers, engineers, shopkeepers, students – ordinary people like you or me.
— Hon. Ratna Omidvar is a retired senator from Ontario
Poilievre arrives late to the auto debate with a plan from 1965
There is a nostalgic, almost wistful thread that runs through Pierre Poilievre’s approach to trade with the United States, as if he still can’t believe the happy days of the past are gone and therefore thinks it’s easy to put forward a simple idea that will bring them back.
— Campbell Clark, chief political writer
Canada’s Oscars triumph means nothing if we don’t keep supporting our filmmakers
If Ottawa wants to ensure that there is a steady pipeline of Oscar winners to congratulate for generations to come – filmmakers who are able to showcase Canadian stories and perspectives and values on the world stage, the most appealing and frankly sexiest form of soft power that there is – then they should pause the empty platitudes and start putting money where their mouths are.
— Barry Hertz, film editor/deputy arts editor
Go deeper
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Get the latest insight and analysis from our political opinion writers
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The answer to today’s question: Five months, according to The Prime Ministers: Canada’s Leaders and the Nation They Shaped by J.D.M. Stewart.