Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Canada’s ambassador to the United States is resigning her post amidst trade tensions between the two countries.
Kirsten Hillman, who was appointed to the job in 2020, announced her exit in a posting on X this afternoon.
She is leaving in the new year.
“While there will never be a perfect time to leave, this is the right time to put a team in place that will see the CUSMA review through to its conclusion,” Hillman wrote, referring to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on free trade.
Hillman said she was grateful for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s strong leadership and the confidence he had placed in her.
In a statement, Carney noted that Hillman had been one of the longest-serving ambassadors to the United States in Canadian history.
“As she prepares to step down from her role in the New Year, I am grateful to Ambassador Hillman for her invaluable counsel and thank her for her long record of dedicated service to all Canadians,” Carney wrote.
In other news, David Ebner reports that the federal government has tabled its second bill this fall to toughen the Criminal Code, taking aim at violence against women and children and attempting to reduce how many serious cases are derailed each year by court delays.
Ottawa billed the changes as among the most consequential to the Criminal Code in a generation.
Bill C-16, called the Protecting Victims Act, directly responds to a range of trends in recent years, from concerns about violence against women to challenges in the courts such as delays and mandatory sentences that had been ruled unconstitutional.
Tuesday’s bill follows a raft of measures to toughen bail and sentencing laws tabled by the federal Liberals in October.
The back-to-back bills to toughen the Criminal Code represent a distinct shift by Carney’s government compared with a decade of Liberal governance under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada's ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Liberals to vote against Tory pipeline motion: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s effort to get the House of Commons to vote in support of a new oil pipeline appeared unlikely to pass after Liberals criticized his motion as a political stunt designed to divide.
Liberals to accept Bloc amendment to remove religious exemption from hate-speech laws: A senior government source said the Liberals plan to support an amendment to the bill tabled by the Bloc to remove the exemption, which has long been part of the country’s criminal code.
Ottawa aims to improve Arctic communications with new defence agency’s first procurement: It has awarded a contract to two Canadian companies to improve communications for troops stationed in the North.
U.S. and Canada discussed tariff-rate quota for steel: Details of the talks, which were called off in late October after U.S. President Donald Trump became angry about a Government of Ontario TV advertisement, have not been reported before.
B.C. to amend Indigenous rights act after court ruling on mineral claims: It is the second time in recent months that Premier David Eby’s government has had to respond to a court decision that redefines his reconciliation agenda, and threatens to undermine his government’s economic development plans.
Indigenous artifacts from Vatican unveiled at history museum: Inuit leaders showed some of the returned items, including a kayak, soup ladle and ulu knife, to a small group of Indigenous representatives and journalists today at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.
New CEO of National Arts Centre: Annabelle Cloutier, a communications executive with 25 years of service in the public and cultural sectors, is the new president and chief executive of the Ottawa institution.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s day: Mark Carney attended Question Period and, in the evening, was scheduled to be at a reception in honour of diplomatic heads of mission.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a news conference in the foyer of the House of Commons. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a briefing from United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, was in the Commons for the day’s proceedings and attended the holiday reception for diplomatic heads of mission. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies attended Question Period. No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Ministers on the road: In Montreal, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced new investments and programs to attract top international research talent.
Finance Ministers’ meeting: On Friday, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will host a meeting of provincial and territorial finance ministers in Ottawa, according to an advisory from his office.
Quote of the Day
“You said in 50 years the MPs who are here might not be here. Mr. Plamondon is proof that we never know. It’s very possible that some MPs will be here in 50 years and will be able to see the trajectory of the construction of the House as well.” MP Tom Kmiec, appearing today at the Commons committee on procedure and house affairs on the renovation of Centre Block, makes a wry reference to Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon, first elected in 1984. Kmiec is the chair of the working group on the Long-Term Vision and Plan and the Centre Block Rehabilitation.
Question period
When was the Canadian Security Intelligence Service launched?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
B.C. and Ottawa need to shift gears on EVs
B.C. and Ottawa can help risk-averse consumers make the switch by doing more to make EV ownership attractive. Distorting the market through limiting choice is the wrong strategy. Both Ottawa and the province need to shift gears.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Will Quebec’s childcare model work in New York?
Almost three decades after it was launched, Quebec’s low-cost, universal child-care plan is back in the news.
— André Picard, Health Columnist
The inescapable economic logic of a bigger Canadian oil patch
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s aim is to author a sequel to the oil boom that Canada experienced between the start of the century and 2014. He’s never put it so plainly, but it’s clearly the target.
— Tony Keller, 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: CSIS was created in June, 1984 by an Act of Parliament. Prior to its launch, the RCMP handled security-intelligence issues.