Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Canada is calling for its continental trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico to be renewed for another 16 years. Currently, talks with the U.S. remain frozen, and President Donald Trump has restarted his annexation threats.
Adrian Morrow and Mark Rendell report that, in a letter today to his U.S. and Mexican counterparts, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said “Canada recommends renewal” of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of a July 1 deadline, by which the countries must decide whether to re-up the deal or renegotiate it.
LeBlanc was scheduled to meet today in Washington with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who has made clear that the U.S. intends to renegotiate key aspects of the agreement.
“The Agreement is highly beneficial to each of our countries and to the integrated North American economy,” LeBlanc wrote.
He added, however, that Canada recognizes that the other countries can demand changes and that it will be “essential” to negotiate over Trump’s tariffs on Canadian autos, steel, aluminum and lumber.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said today that the U.S. has about 30 different trade issues with Canada and nearly 60 with Mexico.
“We’re trying to find a new partnership with the U.S. in strategic areas,” he told reporters before heading into a cabinet meeting in Ottawa.
In other news, Carney responded to a report showing the Canadian economy has contracted for two consecutive quarters, saying part of the “weakness” is linked to the government’s decision to scale back immigration.
Bill Curry and Mark Rendell reported Carney said the government’s plans to boost investment will ultimately produce a “stronger, more resilient economy” but economic data will be “uneven” in the interim.
“You have these cross currents as the economy is being fundamentally transformed. We’re going to continue to work. We’re making progress, but there’s more to be done,” he said.
Carney’s comments are his first response to Friday’s Statistics Canada report that said the Canadian economy contracted by 0.1 per cent on an annualized basis in the first quarter of the year.
That follows a 1-per-cent annualized decline in gross domestic product in the previous quarter.
Minister Dominic LeBlanc appears as a witness at the Standing Committee on International Trade on free trade within Canada in Ottawa on Apr. 16.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Solomon confirms Canada now part of Anthropic’s Mythos AI preview program: Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon disclosed today that the Canadian government is partnering with AI giant Anthropic to access its powerful new Claude Mythos model, which is skilled at detecting cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Alberta and Quebec premiers to discuss economic collaboration between provinces this week: Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette says the planned encounter is “an exploratory meeting” intended to identify economic sectors in which the two provinces can collaborate.
New Brunswick scores lowest among provinces in poverty report cards: Food Banks Canada gave New Brunswick an F – the worst grade among provinces – for food security and affordability in general.
Former prime minister Harper to make the case for united Canada ahead of Alberta referendum: “PMSH will indicate his support for Canada and Alberta during the campaign,” spokesperson Anna Tomala said in an e-mail.
Why Ottawa’s $298-million `axe the fax’ program failed: Independent pharmacist Kathleen Leach had high hopes that a federally funded e-prescribing tool would help axe the fax in Canadian health care. But it didn’t take long for her hopes to be dashed.
University of Victoria names new president: Rhonda McEwen, a pioneering researcher and academic leader who was the first Black woman to lead a Canadian university, has been chosen as the next president of the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: In Ottawa, Mark Carney chaired a cabinet meeting and later met with the Professional Women’s Hockey League 2026 Walter Cup champions, the Montréal Victoire. Later, Carney travelled to the Montreal-area city of Longueuil to make an infrastructure announcement with Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette. He also met with local health care professionals.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a news conference on Parliament Hill concerning the tabling of a bill entitled An Act to repeal the Clarity Act. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a meeting, in Ottawa, of the All-Party Climate Caucus and members of the Canadian Youth Climate Assembly, and then was in the House of Commons. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road:
In St. John’s, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne participated in a fireside chat at the Energy NL Annual Conference & Exhibition 2026, announcing $4.5-million in funding for four energy projects in Newfoundland and Labrador. Champagne also visited various sites in the city, including PAL Aerospace and Oceanex, a provider of intermodal transportation services. As well, He met with Premier Tony Wakeham.
Quote of the Day
“The president is an exceptionally active user of social media. You can probably chart his usage of it. It’s only gone up in recent months. We’re not going to respond or react to everything that he posts.” – Prime Minister Mark Carney, during a news conference in Longueuil, Que., today, responds to U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra sharing a 51st state posting by U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney rejected the idea, raised in a media question, about Hoekstra being asked to leave Canada. “The short answer is no,” he said.
Question period
The federal election held on this day in 1997 offered good news for New Democrats. What happened?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Canada’s Arctic sovereignty depends on the communities that give it life
Canada can’t fly sovereignty into the Arctic. It must sustain it – year after year – by ensuring northern communities are safe, stable and thriving. That begins with the basics: housing that protects people from the cold, and the municipal capacity to keep communities running.
— Solomon Awa is president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities. Kandis Jameson is president of the Northwest Territories Association of Communities. Lauren Hanchar is president of the Association of Yukon Communities.
The Prime Minister addressed Canada’s antisemitism problem. Almost nobody was satisfied
Canada’s Jewish community, like any community, is not homogenous. There are always going to be differences of opinion. Some of the criticism is fair, but the knee-jerk sneering at the Prime Minister’s acknowledgment of Jewish Canadian pain – and his call for the rest of the country to step up – is disappointing and unproductive. The speech was not a hollow gesture, but a meaningful promise to act.
— Marsha Lederman, Columnist
Will the B.C. Conservatives now become MAGA North?
Someone tuning in to the victory address by new B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay could have been forgiven if they thought they’d somehow stumbled across a speech being given by a U.S. Republican from Texas.
— Gary Mason, National Affairs 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: The NDP, led by Alexa McDonough, regained the official party status they had lost in the 1993 election. The party went into the campaign with nine seats, held them, and gained 12 seats for a total of 21. McDonough had been elected party leader in 1995. The Liberals, under Jean Chrétien, lost 19 seats, but continued to hold a majority in the House of Commons.