Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
About 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deployed in the Middle East on six different operations, but some are being moved to other areas or brought back to Canada as a result of the outbreak of war in the region.
Six others are being deployed abroad to act as liaison officers in the event that the military is asked to assist in civilian evacuations in the region, said Lieutenant-General Steve Boivin, who leads the Canadian Joint Operations Command.
Senior reporter Stephanie Levitz writes that Lt.-Gen. Boivin, who spoke at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, told reporters that the Forces are not involved in the war.
“We have not been involved in the planning of it, and we’re not involved as we speak,” he said. “Therefore, I can’t speculate on what will be coming up or the future Canadian involvement.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney left the door open to military deployment as part of the growing conflict in the Middle East, if the circumstances warrant it.
While abroad in Australia, he was asked if he could categorically rule out deploying military assets to the region.
“You’ve asked a fundamental hypothetical in a conflict that can spread very broadly. Today’s events, recent events point to that,” Mr. Carney said during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.
“So, one can never categorically rule out participation,” he said.
“We will stand by our allies if it makes sense.”
Senior parliamentary reporter Steven Chase, who is travelling with Mr. Carney, has written on those comments here.
Back in Ottawa, Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, said today that Ottawa is still planning to select a single bidder to replace Canada’s aging fleet of submarines.
However, Mr. Fuhr said it’s possible that the government could split the contract once it has an opportunity to evaluate the bids from a German-Norwegian consortium and South Korea’s shipbuilding giant.
The Globe’s Robert Fife reported Monday that Ottawa is considering splitting the multibillion-dollar contract for 12 diesel-electric submarines by buying an equal number from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, in partnership with its Norwegian partner Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, and Seoul-based Hanwha Oceans.
“Right now, our position is we’re buying 12 subs, and we’ve got two companies, really good companies,” Mr. Fuhr told the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. “We’re going to evaluate those and based on the evaluation that the public service does on those, we’ll make a decision on how we move forward.”
Mr. Fuhr added that “things can change,” but “right now, I’m aware of one partner [getting the contract].”
About 200 Canadian Armed Forces members deployed across six Middle East operation are being repositioned or returned to Canada amid the war.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Ontario takes control of eighth school board as Education Minister cites mismanagement: Paul Calandra put York Catholic District School Board under supervision Thursday, because of what he calls significant governance issues.
Tanker attack in the northern Persian Gulf boosts oil and gas prices, signals Iran war is widening: European bureau chief Eric Reguly reports on the latest concerning Iran’s decision to attack an oil tanker in the northern Gulf, which sent oil and natural-gas prices higher on Thursday after a respite the day before.
Musqueam deal will challenge overlapping Indigenous claims across Canada: British Columbia politics reporter Justine Hunter writes that the agreement will force Canada to grapple with overlapping Indigenous claims, the boundaries of civic governance, and the principles of co-operative federalism.
Liquor in Ontario corner stores hasn’t led to an explosion in alcohol sales, as some feared: The Globe’s Jason Kirby explores Statistics Canada’s first round of data covering the period of more open liquor sales in this week’s edition of Decoder.
On our radar
Commons Break: The House of Commons is on a break this week. MPs will return on Monday. The Senate is also off for the week.
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney is travelling to Japan after visiting Canberra, Australia, where he met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as well as members of cabinet, and delivered an address to both Houses of Australia’s Parliament and invited dignitaries. Carney subsequently held a news conference with Albanese, met with Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and attended a Defence Science and Technology Showcase.
Party Leaders: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on a trip to Britain and Germany this week, is in Berlin today to meet with officials and business leaders. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is in her B.C. riding, meeting with constituents. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty was in Nova Scotia’s Eskasoni First Nation to make an announcement on the band’s reserve lands, economic development and the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the 1726 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
In Toronto, Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality, was scheduled to announce funding for community-based initiatives to support women and their families experiencing violence.
Also in Toronto, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu welcomed Maroš Šefčovič, European Union Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security for a joint signing ceremony and news conference.
In Windsor, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Ontario Premier Doug Ford participated in the grand opening of NextStar Energy’s new lithium-ion electric-vehicle battery facility.
In Victoria, B.C., Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced funding to support B.C. workers affected by tariffs and global market shifts at a news conference with B.C. Social Development Minister Sheila Malcolmson.
Quote of the Day
Gas prices will “drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit.” - U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to Reuters about gas prices and the U.S. military operation in Iran.
Question period
Who was selected as the first premier of Nunavut on this day in 1999?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Mark Carney ties his own foreign policy in knots
This has been a week when the Prime Minister has found it hard to reconcile the hard-nosed foreign policy he is trying to implement with the principles many Canadians want to see him espouse.
— Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer
The Liberals have muzzled the federal fiscal watchdog
The decision to leave the office vacant, for however brief a period, is deliberate. And it sends a clear message to any future PBO, that the Carney government is not enamoured of opinions that undermine its – how shall we say – innovative view of public finances.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Canada’s rhetorical support for the war on Iran has an audience of one: Donald Trump
Precedent shows that the easily irritated Mr. Trump will not hesitate to penalize those who criticize or oppose him while rarely rewarding those who support him. Critics are therefore not wrong to say that Canada has nothing to gain from endorsing his war, even if only partly, but they miss the reality that Canada has much to lose.
— Thomas Juneau, University of Ottawa professor
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: Paul Okalik was selected as Nunavut’s first premier on March 5, 1999. Nunavut’s MLAs choose the territory’s premier in a process known as a leadership forum.