Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau is under heavy criticism once again from the country’s top political leaders over his ability and level of willingness to speak French.
Nicolas Van Praet, Marie Woolf, Eric Atkins and Maura Forrest report that the spotlight comes after Rousseau offered a video message of condolence solely in English to the families of the two pilots who died in a plane crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Sunday night.
Antoine Forest, the pilot in command of the Air Canada Express flight when it collided with a fire truck on the runway during landing, was a francophone from Coteau-du-Lac, Que. His co-pilot was Mackenzie Gunther from Ontario.
In the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Mark Carney took issue with the way Air Canada and its CEO handled the message of condolence.
He said that Canada is a bilingual country and that Air Canada has a responsibility to communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation.
“I’m so disappointed by the video message by Air Canada’s CEO,” Mr. Carney said. “It lacks judgment and compassion.”
The Commons’ official languages committee has summoned Rousseau to explain himself over his decision to say only two words in French in the four-minute video. Those words were “bonjour” and “merci.”
Carney said he would follow Rousseau’s appearance at the committee closely “as well as comments which I expect in due course” from Air Canada’s board of directors.
In other news, voters in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne will use a write-in ballot in the coming by-election, as the Longest Ballot Committee has made the Quebec riding its latest target.
Elections Canada’s advisory committee of political parties says voters will have to write in the first name, or initials, and last name of their chosen candidate, as is done on a special ballot.
It says a list of candidates will be provided to voters at polling stations during advance voting and on election day.
The same write-in ballot plan was used in a by-election in Alberta last summer that elected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. The group recruited nearly 200 people to run against him in protest of Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
And elsewhere, Ontario’s building industry says the province’s plan to rebate the sales tax on newly built homes for more buyers – including some investors – has the potential to be a “game changer” for the preconstruction home market, which is suffering from a prolonged downturn in sales.
Under current federal rules, only first-time buyers who plan to live in their new homes are eligible for a rebate on the 5-per-cent Goods and Services Tax for homes priced up to $1-million, or a partial rebate on units valued up to $1.5-million.
Jeff Gray, Rachelle Younglai and Shane Dingman report that Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced expanded relief today, to be included in Thursday’s provincial budget, that would cover the entire cost of the 13-per-cent federal-provincial Harmonized Sales Tax, for more buyers over the next year.
That includes repeat buyers of preconstruction homes who plan to live in the units, as well as some investors who plan to rent out their units.
The tax rebate would provide up to $130,000 back to a wider swath of buyers. Mr. Ford said the move will be supported by a deal with the federal government that would “approximately” cover Ottawa’s portion of the foregone tax bill.
Aircraft maintenance workers in a boom lift cut away debris hanging from the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet on Tuesday.Yuki Iwamura/The Associated Press
What else is going on
Ottawa and Alberta agree on methane-emissions reduction plan: Under the proposal, Alberta would combine regulations, offset credits and targeted investments with the goal of cutting emissions of the potent greenhouse gas by 75 per cent below 2014 levels by 2035.
Ottawa clashes with Ontario, Alberta over notwithstanding clause at Supreme Court Bill 21 hearing: The federal government called on the Supreme Court to impose, for the first time, limits on repeated use of the notwithstanding clause.
RCMP search the home of former Calgary mayor: The Mounties executed search warrants at the homes of Jyoti Gondek and a sitting city councillor, in an investigation that began in October, the month in which Gondek lost a re-election bid.
Global Affairs laying off dozens of specialized diplomats, union says: As the department sets out its plans to meet budgetary belt-tightening requirements laid out by Prime Minister Mark Carney last year, it is also asking other envoys moving across continents to wait months for their personal items.
Toronto Police plan armed patrols, new anti-terrorism unit after uptick in reported hate crimes: “Global conflicts, extremist ideologies and online radicalization, hostile foreign states, heightened polarization: These are realities that impact our work and that impact the sense of safety in our communities,” says Chief Myron Demkiw.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney attended the national caucus meeting, and, later, Question Period. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister met with the visiting Prince Rahim Aga Khan V and later attended a dinner hosted by Governor-General Mary Simon to welcome the Aga Khan to Canada.
Party Leaders: On Parliament Hill, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a news conference. After Commons matters, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a 90th birthday party for environmentalist David Suzuki held in the dining room of the Commons Speaker and hosted by Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, an assistant deputy speaker of the Commons, and other MPs. Senators and MPs were invited. No schedules released for the other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is in Paris and headed for Vaux-de-Cernay outside the French capital to attend a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting. Today, Anand met with Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary-general of La Francophonie, to present Canada’s candidacy to host the 2028 Francophonie Summit.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will be in the Cameroon capital of Yaoundé from Thursday to Sunday for the14th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference.
Security called on journalist over use of tape recorder at committee hearing: Tessie Sanci, a deputy editor for The Hill Times newspaper, was taken aback this week when the chair of the House science and research committee - Liberal Salma Zahid - took issue with Sanci’s use of a recorder sitting on a table to document the proceedings.
Sanci was approached multiple times by a committee clerk, who told her that Zahid wanted the device turned off. “It was really hard to understand why I was being asked to turn off my recorder when I made it clear to the clerk I had plenty of experience recording other meetings, that I was an accredited journalist,” Sanci said in an interview today.
And then security was summoned. And when Sanci stepped out of the room to deal with the issue, there were four officers from the Parliamentary Protective Service waiting.
The situation has prompted apologies. Today, Zahid issued a statement in which she apologized to Sanci for the disruption the situation caused. She blamed “incorrect advice” on whether audio recording is permitted.
Suzie Cadieux, principal clerk of committee operations at the Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, also called to apologize. Sanci said Cadieux committed to team members being reminded of the rules.
Political Lives, Hugh Winsor: An obituary of the long-time Globe and Mail reporter and columnist who spent most of his working life in Ottawa, where he had connections at every level. Winsor died on March 14.
Quotes of the Day
“We proudly live in a bilingual country, and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation. I’m very disappointed in, as others are, rightly so, in this unilingual message of — of the CEO of Air Canada. It doesn’t matter the circumstances, but particularly in these circumstances — lack of judgment and lack of compassion." - Prime Minister Mark Carney, arriving for today’s Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, speaks to the controversy over Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau.
“This isn’t the first time that he has been told to speak French, and he should know better.” - Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller, on Parliament Hill today, on Rousseau.
“He should recognize the fact that he doesn’t have the requisite respect for Quebec society and all French Quebeckers and French Canadians to keep the job he has presently. The Board of Air Canada should act on it. The government should put all necessary pressure on the board for them to make the only right decision in this situation and it’s to make sure that he leaves.” - Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, during a Parliament Hill news conference today, on Rousseau.
Question period
On this day in 1958, pilot Janusz Zurakowski took off on a flight northwest of Toronto that has become notable in Canadian aviation history. What was it?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The NDP ponders a leap with Avi Lewis
At a time when Prime Minister Mark Carney is moving the governing Liberals rightward, you’d think there would be room for the NDP nearer to the centre of Canadian politics. Yet, Mr. Lewis, the scion of an illustrious NDP family, proposes to leap left. The public is anxious, and Mr. Lewis is a disruptor.
— Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer
The NDP has become a party of puppy dogs
An NDP with teeth, one that has decoupled from the Liberals, has a good chance of recovery, one that is necessary for preventing the country being reduced to a two-party system and the polarization that comes with it.
— Lawrence Martin, Public Affairs Columnist
Air Canada’s CEO once again misses the boat on bilingualism
With a growing global market of francophones, Air Canada could have made bilingualism its calling card. Too bad Mr. Rousseau has once again manqué le bateau.
— Konrad Yakabuski, Columnist
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: Zurakowski took the Avro Arrow RL 25201 on its first flight, a successful exercise aboard the legendary made-in Canada aircraft that lasted 35 minutes. He retired from test flying in 1958 and was among thousands of workers affected in 1959 when the Diefenbaker government cancelled the program that created the supersonic interceptor jet aircraft. Zurakowski and his family moved to the Ontario town of Barry’s Bay where they opened a tourist lodge that they operated for decades. He died at the lodge in 2004.