Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened this week.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien speaks during a ceremony in Gander, N.L. to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
Jean Chrétien, speaking in the Newfoundland town of Gander today to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, warned the United States not to underestimate Canada’s toughness.
Chrétien’s remarks come amid unprecedented tensions between Canada and the United States after the collapse of trade talks between the two countries and constant remarks by President Donald Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state.
“I have a message for our American friends. Yes, Canada is generous, open country, and Canadians are tolerant and kind, but never mistake our generosity for weakness,” the prime minister, when the events of Sept. 11 occurred, told a ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries, including Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.
“Never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination. And never, never mistake our kindness for softness.”
Chrétien said Canada’s tradition of welcoming people from all over the world, and caring for each other is a sign of strength.
Thirty-eight planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers were grounded in Gander after hijackers took command of four aircraft and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Pennsylvania.
Chrétien’s comments not only drew standing ovations from an audience that including Premier Tony Wakeham, but an embrace from the U.S. ambassador.
“We embrace our friends and we help them in their moment of need, but we bow to no one. And the more we are insulted or threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourself and stand united. I say that, not in anger, but as one friend to another.”
Earlier, Hoekstra said those who welcomed Americans during 9/11 were extraordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Meanwhile, in Banff, Marieke Walsh reports that Prime Minister Mark Carney honoured the thousands of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in a sombre statement, paying tribute to the everyday heroes who met hatred with humanity.
What else is going on
Carney suggests Ottawa won’t bankroll federalist groups in Alberta separation referendum: Provincial rules strictly limit Ottawa’s spending in the lead-up to Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum on separation. But local federalist groups working to identify pro-Canada voters and get them out to the polls are struggling to raise the cash needed to run a full-scale campaign.
Ottawa weighs response to Trump’s latest trade blow: The Prime Minister said his government is still studying whether to retaliate against the latest countermeasures from the United States in its trade war with Canada but played down the severity of the most recent salvo from Washington.
Canadian business travel to the U.S. still going strong even as trade war intensifies: Air bookings by Canadian business travellers to the United States increased by 16.5 per cent year over year in August, according to one analysis, as corporate travel continues to run counter to the overall national trend of avoiding leisure trips south of the border.
Justin Trudeau to launch production company at TIFF: The former prime minister is launching a production company with his long-time chief of staff, Katie Telford, called Hope & Hard Work, with the venture being announced at the Toronto International Film Festival today.
Sovereignty referendum would cost at least $130-million, Parti Québécois leader says: Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says the figures will be included in the financial framework he plans to make public on Sept. 15, in the midst of a provincial election campaign.
Mike Morrice is last candidate standing in Green leadership race: The former MP says he is awaiting word from the party on the next steps in the process to choose a new federal leader after the only other candidate in the race dropped out.
Bob Rae edits book on Canadian sovereignty: The former Canadian ambassador to the UN is editor of Reclaiming Canadian Sovereignty in a Ruptured World, which features contributions from Margaret Atwood and Michael Kovrig among many others.
Political lives, Otto Jelinek: The former world-champion figure skater and federal cabinet minister under prime minister Brian Mulroney, has died at the age of 86.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Week: Mark Carney is in Banff for a two-day cabinet planning forum that wraps up today. The Prime Minister’s Office said Thursday speakers at the forum included political scientist Ian Bremmer, pollster Janet Brown, Red Deer Mayor Cindy Jeffries, and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, Bruce Anderson of Spark Advocacy, and Sébastien Dallaire of Leger.
Speakers at the forum today are researcher and author Jonathan Haidt, who made a virtual appearance, as well as Mark Podlasly, the CEO and co-founder of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, Clint Davis, who is the chief executive officer of Cedar Leaf Capital Inc. and Dawn Madahbee Leach, the Chairperson of the National Indigenous Economic Development Board.
Earlier in the week, Carney convened a group of Quebec business leaders to discuss recent developments with respect to the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. Participants included representatives of Power Corporation of Canada, Desjardins Group and Coveo. On Thursday, in Calgary, Carney welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the pair signed a 100-year partnership to further co-operation in several areas, including defence, energy, technology and trade. Carney then attended the first day of a cabinet planning forum in Banff.
Next week, Carney will be holding a long-awaited Canada Investment Summit in Toronto . Ahead of the summit, Carney will headline a Liberal fundraiser. His office also announced that he will welcome Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, to Ottawa, from Sept. 20 to 21.
Party Leaders: With fellow members of the Bloc Québécois caucus, party Leader Yves-François Blanchet was in Taiwan for a visit that, on Tuesday, included a meeting with President Lai Ching-te. In an account of the meeting posted on a government website, the President thanked the Bloc for taking parliamentary action in support of cross-strait peace and Taiwan’s international participation, and said he appreciated the visit. Earlier this summer, Blanchet told this newsletter that he was reading Rebel Island: The Incredible History of Taiwan by Jonathan Clements, published in 2024, in preparation for this visit.
On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a press conference in Regina. Poilievre’s office said the Official Opposition Leader would be travelling to New York City to advocate for tariff-free trade between the United States and Canada and also honour the victims of 9/11.
On Wednesday, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a community meeting in the Victoria, B.C. neighborhood of Gordon Head. On Thursday, she was at a community meeting in the B.C. village of Brentwood Bay. Today, she met, in Surrey, B.C., with Liberal MP Ernie Klassen for a roundtable discussion on environmental protection, conservation, sustainability and climate action.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis met, in Toronto, with members of the party’s federal caucus from Tuesday to Thursday.
Ministers on the Road:
On Tuesday, Defence Minister David McGuinty concluded a visit to the Polish city of Kielce where he attended the 34th International Defence Industry Exhibition and met with Poland’s deputy prime minister and Minister of National Defence, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
On Tuesday, in St. John’s, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, with provincial Social Supports Minister Chris Tibbs co signed an agreement to accelerate project assessments with a “one-project, one-review” approach.
On Tuesday, in Calgary, Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald announced funding of up to $894,673 for SmartGRO Bioengineering Inc. to develop and test new clean-lighting technology for year-round indoor agriculture.
On Wednesday, in Edmonton, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon announced Canada’s National AI Literacy Initiative, a partnership with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute to help Canadians understand and responsibly use AI.
On Wednesday, in Edmonton, Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced $2.2-million in federal funding to support youth crime prevention.
On Wednesday, in the Alberta village of Clive, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, with Alberta’s Energy Minister Brian Jean, attended the groundbreaking of Canada’s largest carbon-capture project.
On Wednesday, in Calgary, Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller made a funding announcement about the Digital Citizen Program and online safety for kids.
On Tuesday, in Winnipeg, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson and Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand announced a partnership of Build Canada Homes, the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation and City of Winnipeg to provide at least 820 housing units including at least 740 affordable homes.
In Toronto, on Wednesday, Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin announced the launch of public engagement to develop Canada’s first National Water Security Strategy.
Diana Fox Carney interview
The wife of Prime Minister Mark Carney has appeared on the Honest Talk podcast for an interview on her life, career and being in the spotlight. There’s a transcript here.
Governor-General to attend the 41st Gémeaux Awards gala
Louise Arbour will be attending the 41st edition of the Gémeaux Awards gala, celebrating the best of Quebec television, in Montreal on Sunday.
Summer books
Dan Albas, a Conservative MP from British Columbia, offers his fiction and non-fiction reading list for the summer. It’s the latest in our series canvassing MPs on their recreational reading.
Trading Fate: How a Little-Known Company Stopped British Columbia from Becoming an American State by Graeme Menzies (Heritage House, 2025)
“Trading Fate offers a fascinating look at a little-known chapter in British Columbia’s history and how a series of pivotal decisions helped shape the province we know today. As a British Columbia MP, I appreciated its reminder that leadership and timing can have lasting consequences for our country.”
Anti-Civilization: The Collapse of Society and The Case for the Common Good by Étienne-Alexandre Beauregard (Sutherland House, 2026)
“Beauregard argues that the West is experiencing a civilizational crisis as many of the cultural, moral and social norms that long sustained it are being deconstructed. As an MP, I appreciated how the book challenges readers, regardless of their political views, to reflect on what strengthens communities and fosters a shared sense of responsibility to one another.”
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee (WW Norton, 2016)
“Long before today’s debate over artificial intelligence reached the mainstream, Brynjolfsson and McAfee explored how these emerging technologies could reshape work, productivity and prosperity. It remains a useful reminder that the challenge is not whether technology will change society, but how we adapt to that change.”
Question period
Who said the following: “I view the relationship with Canada as a vital relationship for the United States. The relationship, of course, is defined government-to-government. It’s also defined people-to-people, and there’s a lot of people in my country who respect Canada and have great relations with Canadians, and we intend to keep it that way.”
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Canada needs a leap of imagination to understand, and survive, Donald Trump
The United States may one day regain itself. It’s possible to imagine and hope for. It may come sooner than we think.
— Tony Keller, Columnist
Parliament should be sitting if Canada is at war
As political studies professor C.E.S. Franks wrote in his seminal work, The Parliament of Canada, “Parliament is not just a background for an agenda of reforms. It is a lively and vital part of the living constitution.”
— Robyn Urback, Columnist
Unlike Via, high-speed rail would be a money saver, not a sinkhole
Investing in a self-sustaining publicly owned, but privately operated, high-speed rail network could save Canadian taxpayers money. Ottawa could eventually recoup its capital costs by selling part of the line to investors, such as pension funds.
— 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: Former U.S. president George W. Bush during a meeting with then-prime minister Stephen Harper on March 30, 2006, in Cancun, Mexico.