Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have discussed the possibility of an early federal election in casual conversations about the importance of a majority mandate to deal with uncertain economic times, according to three sources.
Laura Stone and Robert Fife report that the sources said the Progressive Conservative Premier, who has forged a close relationship with the Liberal Leader, offered his opinion that the country needs economic stability.
One of the sources familiar with the discussions said Ford told Carney that an election is an opportunity to win a clear majority mandate.
But the source stressed that Ford’s comments should not be seen as an endorsement of the federal Liberals, who are currently two seats shy of a majority.
Carney has previously said publicly that he is not considering a snap election, and his office repeated that assertion on Sunday.
“We are not going to the polls, as the Prime Minister has clearly said in his media availability,” his spokesperson Audrey Champoux told The Globe and Mail, referring to Jan. 26 comments from Carney in which he said he was “focused on results for Canadians.”
Ford’s office declined to comment.
In other news, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is disappointed by the sentencing of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison on Monday and is calling for his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
Marie Woolf reports that Anand joined MPs and press freedom advocates in condemning the sentence imposed on the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily.
Lai was arrested in 2020 and accused of sedition and colluding with foreign forces to undermine Chinese rule in the territory.
He has close family in Ontario, including a twin sister, and extensive business investments in the Niagara region, among them a string of hotels.
Human-rights advocates and MPs from across the political spectrum have argued that he deserves to be granted honorary Canadian citizenship.
In a social-media post on Monday, Anand said, “Canada is disappointed with the sentencing of pro-democracy media figure Jimmy Lai today in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai is 78 years old and in poor health and we call for his immediate humanitarian release. Canada will continue to support free and independent media worldwide.”
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney shake hands after a meeting in Toronto on Jan. 26.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
What else is going on
Ontario inspector-general launches provincewide review of corruption in policing: After the arrests last week of seven Toronto officers in a sweeping probe of corruption and links to organized crime, Ryan Teschner told reporters today he would appoint an external, independent inspector to examine the ability of all of Ontario’s police forces to combat internal corruption.
Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba amid fuel shortage: Montreal-based Air Canada said today that it will fly home the 3,000 customers on the island but has ceased all southbound passenger flights.
New submarines will require extra gear to operate under ice, navy head says: Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee says the submarines will require modifications after delivery.
Ottawa offers Canada Post another $1-billion lifeline as it pushes for reform: This is effectively a top-up to a $1-billion loan facility Ottawa provided to Canada Post in January, 2025.
Schellenberg won’t face death penalty at China retrial, lawyer says: Mo Shaoping says Canadian Robert Schellenberg’s 2019 drug-smuggling conviction has been overturned and the case sent back to another court for a retrial in which the death penalty will not be imposed.
Conservatives call on Ottawa to offer tax relief to laid-off GM workers: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre penned a letter, addressed to Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, calling for an exemption to the withholding taxes that ding severance pay.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney met with Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden and hosted him for lunch.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a press conference at the House of Commons on a Bloc bill to raise the Old Age Security pension for those aged 65 to 74. No schedules were provided for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: In the Quebec city of Shawinigan, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne opened a building to accommodate about 2,000 federal public-service employees. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is in Singapore today and tomorrow to attend the Canada-in-Asia Conference then scheduled to visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday. At an event in Toronto, Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism, announced federal support for the sustainability of national women’s organizations across Canada.
Political lives: Elly Alboim, the former CBC journalist and a journalism professor at Carleton University, died of heart failure on Saturday at the age of 78. In a statement, Carleton University noted that he taught for 45 years, spent 23 years at CBC Television News, largely as the network’s parliamentary bureau chief in Ottawa, and another 32 years at Earnscliffe Strategies.
Strong and Free in May: The high-profile Ottawa conference of the conservative Canada Strong and Free Network, formerly the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, will be held May 6-9, the organization says.
Quote of the Day
“Self determination is a right that belongs to those who claim it and nobody is entitled to refuse it or make an odious law that would go against it.” – Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, at a news conference on Parliament Hill, talks about issues of separation
Question period
Air Canada has suspended flights to Cuba after the Caribbean country warned it will run out of fuel because of a U.S. oil blockade. When did Canada first establish a diplomatic mission in Cuba?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The Liberals’ incomplete lane change on EVs
The Liberals have shifted gears on their electric-vehicle policy, largely abandoning the rigid regulations of the Trudeau government in favour of a more flexible, and practical, approach.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Where’s Mark Carney? Sadly, not where he should be: the Olympics
Carney should be here. He should be everywhere here. He should be seen palling around with other leaders, and being modest and self-effacing with Canadian athletes. He should be seen yukking it up with Vance and slapping him so hard on the back that he coughs.
— Cathal Kelly, columnist
Beyond self-interest, Poilievre and Carney aren’t interested in co-operation
The whole co-operation initiative was obviously a distasteful task to Pierre Poilievre, one that circumstances and strategists have foisted upon him. When he went to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday to talk about it, his opposite number appeared equally sincere.
— Campbell Clark, chief political writer
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: It was 1945. In 1959, the government of prime minister John Diefenbaker recognized the government of Cuba that came about after rebels led by Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Castro went on to rule Cuba until 2008.