Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Mark Carney is holding direct talks with Donald Trump to iron out a framework for a trade and security agreement, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada says.
Pete Hoekstra told The Globe and Mail talks between the leaders and top cabinet ministers are being held under a cone of silence to ensure a positive outcome.
Robert Fife and Steven Chase report that the ambassador said the talks include Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The Prime Minister and the President met in the Oval Office on May 6 but there has been no indication until now that they had been holding direct negotiations.
“You have the relationship and the discussions between the President and the Prime Minister,” Hoekstra said, adding “they have had conversations, more than just the Oval Office.”
“The indications that they are talking and in communications regularly is a clear indicator to me that both sides recognize the importance and the urgency of moving this forward.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump at a meeting at the White House in Washington in early May. There had been no indication until now that the two had been holding direct talks.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Ontario fast-tracks process for U.S. doctors, nurses to work in province: Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the move will increase the number of health care professionals working in the province.
Canadians held in Syria pursue human-rights complaints against Ottawa: A dozen Canadian men and children detained in Syria are complaining to the Canadian Human Rights Commission that Ottawa is discriminating against them by not assisting their return to Canada.
Marc Garneau has died: The first Canadian to go to space who later took on a political mission and served as a federal cabinet minister, passed away Wednesday, aged 76, after a short illness.
Quebec will drop permanent immigration targets to as low as 25,000 people per year: Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge says the government will study three scenarios of 25,000, 35,000 and 45,000 immigrants per year.
More than 2,200 Ontarians died from opioids last year as numbers trend downward: “What goes through my head is a small degree of optimism in the fact that we have seen less people die last year, which is very good, but that’s within a context of 2,231 people dying last year,” Dirk Huyer, the chief coroner, told The Canadian Press in an interview.
Facing ‘situation of war,’ Haiti’s de facto president seeks more Canadian help: Fritz Alphonse Jean wants Canada to help reinforce Haiti’s police with arms and training as they grapple with gangs, he said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney spoke today with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto about trade and defence co-operation, according to a statement from Carney’s office. According to a post on X, Carney also met with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to talk about development, making the city safer and reducing the cost of living for Ottawa residents.
Party Leaders: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended a press conference of the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians on the relaunch of the Parliamentary Civility Pledge. Tonight, she is scheduled to host a World Environment Day event with David Suzuki on Parliament Hill.
Quote of the day
“Do you really think I’ll answer that question? I won’t answer that question. We won’t negotiate in public. We’ll let the Prime Minister do his work. And we will let all ministers do their work.” – Industry Minister Mélanie Joly on Parliament Hill today, responding to a journalists’ question about how trade talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump are going.
New parliamentary secretaries: The Prime Minister has announced an updated roster of parliamentary secretaries – MPs who assist ministers and secretaries of state. The positions add $20,200 to the $209,800 base salaries of MPs. Among the new parliamentary secretaries are former cabinet ministers Rachel Bendayan, Ali Ehsassi, Mona Fortier and Jenna Sudds. Former cabinet minister Élisabeth Brière has been named deputy chief government whip and Arielle Kayabaga, briefly government house leader, is the new deputy leader of the government in the House of Commons.
Premiers in Muskoka: Ontario Premier Doug Ford, as chair of the Council of the Federation assembly of premiers and territorial leaders, has invited the leaders to a July 21 to 23 meeting in Huntsville, about 200 kilometres north of Toronto, to discuss nation-building projects. Leaders of National Indigenous Organizations have also been invited.
Ford and Chow: Ford’s office has announced he will be holding a news conference in Toronto on Friday with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. No details were provided on the subject though Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack is also attending.
Question period
Marc Garneau has died this week. He served in federal cabinet, but was best known as a pioneering astronaut – the first Canadian to go into space. What were the names of the two space shuttles Garneau travelled on?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
These wildfires will cost Canada more than you think
Despite the scale of the threat, Canada has no federal wildfire agency, no fleet of large-scale water bombers and no co-ordinated national strategy. Instead, the federal government defers to the provinces – many of which are already overstretched. The result is predictable: chaos, smoke and a rising toll on our health, economy and reputation.
— Dr. Ajay Virmani CM is the chairman and founder of Cargojet.
Sir John A. Macdonald’s statue should stand, but not alone
Honours for the first prime minister must not erase the victims of residential schools. Celebrate Macdonald for the good he achieved but do it beside a memorial showing proper respect for those he harmed. His statue should stand, but it should not stand alone.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Canada should have invited Modi to G7 Leaders’ Summit
Some voices in Canada – particularly activists in the Sikh diaspora – argued New Delhi should be kept at arm’s length until the investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s 2023 murder is complete. That impulse is understandable, but it underestimates what is at stake for Canada’s own interests, for the credibility of the G7 and for a rules-based order now strained by Moscow, Beijing and Washington. Inviting Mr. Modi was not a concession, but a strategic necessity.
— Vina Nadjibulla is vice-president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Go deeper
The Decibel: Today’s episode of The Globe and Mail podcast features Report on Business reporter Jason Kirby explaining why the new round of increased U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum could mean higher prices on nearly everything, and what may have contributed to Trump’s escalation.
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Take a look at the history of immigration reporting and great political scandals from A Nation’s Paper, a book about The Globe and Mail’s role in Canadian history.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
The answer to today’s question: On Oct. 5, 1984, Garneau travelled aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger as a payload specialist. He flew on two further missions aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, travelling in 1996 and 2000.