Kevin O'Leary stops for a tea at a Second Cup shop in Burlington, Ont., on April 26, 2017.
CANADIAN POLITICS
Justice ministers from across Canada will meet in Ottawa today to go over possible solutions to the country's delay-plagued courts.
The Globe's Laura Stone, who was with Kevin O'Leary the day he quit, gives the inside account of what happened and how he shocked his own campaign staff. "I'll never again work on a campaign for someone who has no political experience and doesn't know what he is getting into," one strategist said.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has apologized for taking credit as the "architect" of a major 2006 operation in Afghanistan.
The Quebec Liberals have been thrown into another corruption crisis after allegations were levelled by the head of Montreal's police union.
In Ontario, the governing Liberals tabled a balanced budget that included major new spending such as free pharmacare for residents under 25 years of age. Ontario goes to the polls next year.
Out east, the Nova Scotia Liberals tabled a surplus budget highlighted by a tax cut for lower and middle-class Nova Scotians. The province doesn't have a fixed election date, but an election call may come as soon as this weekend.
And out west, the Yukon Liberals, who had been out of power since 2002, tabled the largest budget in the territory's history. Seventy-seven per cent of the $1.44-billion fiscal plan, up from $1.39-billion the year before, is expected to be financed through federal transfers.
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on the Conservative leadership: "If Conservatives elect a caretaker leader, they will get their death-wish. But if they choose someone able to forge a true government-in-waiting, then anything is possible."
Don Martin (CTV) on Kevin O'Leary: "Sure his campaign was half-hearted, often run by remote control from his U.S. abodes, and his history of bombastic comments gave the Liberals binders full of ridiculous quotes they were holding back for media leakage if he won. But his motives don't matter; his impact does. And on balance, he gave this palliative race a pulse."
Donald Savoie (The Globe and Mail) on transparency in government: "Cabinet secrecy goes hand in hand with our Westminster system of government, as it is tied to the collective responsibility of ministers to the House of Commons. Doing away with cabinet secrecy could well compromise our ability to make responsible government work. In the incessant calls for greater transparency, we all too often forget this important constitutional convention."
Colin Robertson (The Globe and Mail) on Canada's approach to the U.S.: "Traditional diplomacy won't work. Instead, we have to engage in the U.S. legislative system. This means appearances before congressional committees, submitting briefs and continued active advocacy on behalf of Canada. If we want to succeed in their system then we need to play by their rules."
Kady O'Malley (iPolitics) on the Trudeau government's legislative record: "While the Liberals have managed to keep the money flowing through supply bills and other fiscal measures, and did make it under the wire (only just) with a response to the Supreme Court ruling on physician-assisted dying, most of the substantive legislation brought forward in the 17 months that they've been in office is still cluttering up the Order Paper – some stalled in the Senate, but even more still way back at the starting line, awaiting second reading approval from the House. "
B.C. ELECTION
B.C. Liberal Leader Christy Clark, facing criticism for not doing more to inoculate the province's softwood lumber industry from growing protectionism in the United States, is promising to travel to Washington if elected. It's a promise already made by her opponent, NDP Leader John Horgan, who said he would be headed to the U.S. capitol within a month if he wins the May 9 vote. Mr. Horgan has said Ms. Clark's government did not do enough to press the province's interest in Washington, noting that the premiers of Alberta and Manitoba visited in person. But there's some debate about how much influence a premier can have in a dispute that, at least officially, is squarely in the jurisdiction of the federal government.
The operator of a B.C. coal-shipping facility is urging the federal government to resist calls from Ms. Clark to ban the export of U.S. coal through B.C. ports. The premier made the request earlier this week as an apparent way of retaliating against the Americans for imposing tariffs on Canadian softwood. Westshore Terminals Investment Corp., whose largest shareholder is B.C. billionaire Jim Pattison, wrote Prime Minister Trudeau a letter that said the company is "deeply disappointed" with Ms. Clark's actions on the file.
With the debate out of the way, B.C.'s main party leaders are turning their attention to areas where they expect to be able to pick up seats as they campaign for the final week and a half of the campaign. Mr. Horgan ventured into Interior B.C. yesterday, after facing criticism for sticking too closely to the Vancouver region, but the reality is that ridings in the Lower Mainland represent the party's best hopes for victory. Ms. Clark, whose leader's tour has cut a broader path through the province, says she'll be "going everywhere," though her campaign isn't being more specific. Expect Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver to keep his focus on Vancouver Island, where he's campaigning to hold on to his own seat and where Green support appears to be strongest.
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on Christy Clark's call for softwood retaliation: "What is that old expression? You don't bring a knife to a gunfight? Sure, we could do some damage ourselves to the much larger American economy, but ultimately we'd become a bug on a windshield in any trade war with the United States."
Mike Smyth (The Province) on the debate: "Did you notice Clark was smiling through a lot of it? She may not have liked it when Horgan criticized her record in office, but she sure liked it when the Green leader crossed swords with their mutual NDP enemy."
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U.S. POLITICS
Donald Trump has given a series of candid interviews with media outlets in recent days, with one theme emerging: Being the president of the United States is not an easy job. "Making business decisions and buying buildings don't involve heart. This involves heart. These are heavy decisions," Mr. Trump told Politico. "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going. This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier," he told Reuters.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Mr. Trump admits he was very close to pulling the trigger on leaving NAFTA, but was persuaded against it by his aides and the leaders of Canada and Mexico.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's legal troubles continue.
Republicans have tried to brand themselves in modern U.S. history as fiscally responsible, eschewing deficit spending at all costs and attempting to balance the books. That modus operandi will be put to the test by Mr. Trump's tax plan, which may leave federal coffers with as much as $7-trillion less over the next decade. Wall Street has mixed feelings about the proposal, with many frustrated at the lack of details in the plan.
The U.S. State Department has been short around 200 staffers since the start of the Trump presidency. But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says that it's all part of a plan to restructure how America's foreign service operates.
And today is day 99 of the Trump era. In the weeks before his victory Mr. Trump laid out an ambitious plan for his first 100 days. On core legislative promises he's set to bat 0-4, according to The Washington Post. NBC News identified 10 major promises for the first 100 days and said he made progress on two, failed on four and did little to nothing on the remaining four legislative promises that require help from a Republican Congress. One thousand three hundred and sixty three days remain until the next scheduled inauguration.
David Shribman (The Globe and Mail) on the next 100 days: "the first hundred days have a special allure, and what might be regarded as an impressive haul of achievements sometime in 2018 or 2019 falls short for the first hundred days in 2017, an assessment that the President's last-days frenzy seemed to confirm. Mr. Trump likes to do things in a big way. Maybe he'll embrace that two-hundred-day standard and end the American preoccupation with the first hundred. That would change how Washington works and how Washington thinks. The second hundred days begin Sunday. Start counting."
SECUREDROP
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PLAYOFFS
The good news? The Toronto Raptors are headed to the second round of the NBA Playoffs after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 92-89. The bad news? They're set to play the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. In hockey, meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators won their opening game against the New York Rangers.
Written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa, Mayaz Alam in Toronto and James Keller in Vancouver.