Hello,
Political parties in Ottawa are negotiating a tentative plan for the House of Commons to rise late Wednesday – two days earlier than scheduled – for a summer recess that is increasingly expected to include a federal cabinet shuffle.
Government House Leader Mark Holland and Chief Government Whip Steve MacKinnon both said Wednesday that the House could rise by the end of the day, but cautioned that the timeline could change.
“We are having conversations about how we can wind down this session of Parliament,” Mr. Holland told reporters Wednesday after a closed-door meeting of the Liberal caucus. He said he could not provide a definitive timeline because negotiations among parties in the House can involve last-minute changes.
“I can say very clearly that those conversations are very positive,” he said.
In recent days, the Liberals have shut down debate on several government bills through procedural motions supported by the NDP. That has included debate on Senate amendments related to C-18, the Online News Bill, which will wrap up Wednesday. The bill will be sent back to the Senate for final approval.
Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Bill Curry, Senior Political Writer Marieke Walsh and Queen’s Park Reporter Laura Stone report here.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
TWO MISSING RCAF MEMBERS FOUND DEAD IN HELICOPTER CRASH - The Department of National Defence says two Royal Canadian Air Force members who had been missing since a Chinook helicopter crashed in eastern Ontario have been found dead. Story here.
UNITED OPPOSITION MPS CALL FOR OVERHAUL OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION - A united group of opposition MPs from three parties is calling for an overhaul of the federal access to information system – a move being resisted by the governing Liberals. Story here.
EXPLAINER ON NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY - Wednesday is National Indigenous Peoples Day, and there’s an explainer here on the occasion, which honours the culture and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
GROWING MOMENTUM IN BID TO OUST N.B. PREMIER - A movement to push Premier Blaine Higgs out as Leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party is gathering momentum. Story here from CBC.
CANADA URGED TO SET UP TRUST FUND TO DISTRIBUTE SEIZED RUSSIAN ASSETS TO UKRAINE - A refugee advocacy group chaired by former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy is proposing a trust fund be created to redistribute seized Russian assets to Ukrainians as allies of Kyiv make plans for rebuilding the war-damaged country. Story here. Meanwhile, International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan told a conference in London on Wednesday that Canada will commit an additional $20-million to support climate adaptation and mitigation projects in Ukraine. Story here.
FIRST NATIONS CHALLENGING MÉTIS GROUPS OVER ALLEGED INFRINGEMENT OF RIGHTS - First Nations in B.C. and Ontario have embarked on a campaign to discredit Métis groups in their respective provinces, warning that government efforts to empower the organizations could lead to infringement on First Nations rights and territory. Story here.
CONSERVATIVE MPS FURIOUS AFTER E-MAILS SHOW FEDERAL OFFICIALS WORKED ON WAYS TO NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS - Federal public servants worked on ways not to provide direct answers to opposition MPs’ parliamentary questions, admitting that doing so raised a communication risk, internal government documents obtained under access to information show. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June. 21, accessible here.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER’S DAY - Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, held private meetings, attended the national Liberal caucus meeting, and was scheduled to host a roundtable discussion with Indigenous leaders in finance, technology, and energy.
IN OTTAWA - Justice Minister David Lametti, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, joined by Indigenous leadership, held a press conference on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Mr. Miller and survivors of residential schools were also scheduled to hold a media availability at the “Raising of the Survivors’ Flag Ceremony” on Parliament Hill.
MINISTERS ON THE ROAD - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, in Washington, D.C., was scheduled to participate in the 53rd Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on Wednesday and Thursday. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Domenic LeBlanc, in Whistler, B.C., with B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming, held a news conference after a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial infrastructure ministers.
MURRAY ON MISSING SUBMERSIBLE - Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, also the minister in charge of the Coast Guard, says the cost of Canada’s efforts to help find a missing submersible near the sunken wreck of the Titanic doesn’t matter. “I don’t have information about the cost, but from my perspective at this point that is irrelevant. We are going to do everything that we can,” Ms. Murray told journalists on Parliament Hill. As a result, she said Canada’s assets on the scene include three Coast Guard ships as well as naval vessels and aircraft. (Michael Byers of the University of British Columbia writes on this issue in the Opinion section of the newsletter.)
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, delivered remarks at the Survivors’ Flag Raising ceremony for National Indigenous Peoples Day and to mark the summer solstice. Mr. Trudeau also attended the national Liberal caucus meeting, Question Period and met with the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages and the Directors. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to speak with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, at the House of Commons and accompanied by the Bloc caucus, held a news conference on the session of the Commons.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Thunder Bay, Ont., virtually attended the NDP caucus meeting, attended opening ceremonies for National Indigenous Peoples Day, and was scheduled to meet with Fort William First Nation’s Chief Michele Solomon.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast deals with My Voice My Choice, a group of women fighting automatic publication bans in sexual-assault cases, enacted to protect survivors who have come forward. The group argues that these bans prevent survivors who want to speak openly about their experiences. Globe and Mail national news reporters Molly Hayes and Zosia Bielski explain the limits of these publication bans and the group fighting to make voices heard. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how, on the road to Whistler, politicians can learn a lesson on how to make Canada more resilient: “Dominic LeBlanc is set to meet with provincial and territorial infrastructure ministers in Whistler, B.C., with funding talks on the agenda. Hopefully, the Prime Minister and premiers will pay attention to the road on the way up to the mountain resort town. That road is the Sea to Sky Highway. It was upgraded ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics to improve traffic safety – and to better withstand the risks from extreme weather such as severe rainstorms, which are increasing as the climate warms. Canada needs much more of that kind of climate-resilient infrastructure.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how the Conservatives have protected their right flank, at the cost of losing the centre: “Yes, they were only by-elections, and no, none of the four seats changed hands: the Liberals held the affluent urban ridings of Winnipeg South Centre and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount in Montreal, while the Conservatives held the small-town ridings of Portage-Lisgar in Manitoba and Oxford in southern Ontario, much as would be expected. But look a little deeper, and there are larger portents in these results, most of which should make Conservatives, in particular, distinctly queasy.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on Alberta and Ottawa looking to `reset’ their relationship after a heated provincial election campaign: “The first federal-provincial meeting on energy and climate following Danielle Smith’s election as Alberta Premier has gone off in cordial fashion, with thorny policy differences still in the picture but both levels of government professing a constructive gathering. The lack of combativeness feels like a much-needed respite – however temporary – following a cantankerous provincial election campaign, and in the midst a highly politicized atmosphere in Ottawa.”
Michael Byers (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada must do all it can to rescue the missing submersible – no matter the cost: “Canada’s Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force are spending millions of dollars as they search for five foreign nationals whose submersible went missing in the North Atlantic Ocean. None of the costs for things such as fuel and wear-and-tear on equipment will ever be recovered, even if the men in the missing OceanGate Expeditions vessel are rescued alive. It would be easy to take a cynical view of the effort put into rescuing wealthy people who deliberately placed themselves at risk. But Canada is doing the right thing. Countries around the world have long agreed to assist each other with maritime search and rescue. This week, Canada is attempting to rescue British, French, American and Pakistani citizens; next week, those or other countries might be rescuing some of us.”
Fred DeLorey (Substack) on Red Flags Rising as Conservatives lose ground in three of four by-elections: “Following a formidable performance this spring, wherein Conservatives challenged the Liberals at every turn, forced David Johnston to step down from the foreign interference probe, and cornered their ministers on a myriad of issues, it was anticipated that the wind was finally in our sails. We had successfully positioned ourselves as the champions of key public concerns such as inflation and the cost of living, resonating with the pulse of the nation. Yet, as the House of Commons rises for the summer break, the anticipated sweet taste of victory has turned bitter. In these by-elections, the Conservatives fell short.”
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