Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
The federal government is ramping up support for Canada’s steel and lumber industries, increasing tariffs on steel imports and promising additional money to help lumber mills stay afloat in the face of U.S. protectionism.
The support, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney, included further limiting foreign steel imports to ensure domestic producers have better access to the market. And in an attempt to lower the cost of Canadian products for domestic buyers, Ottawa said it will subsidize the cost of shipping steel and lumber across the country by rail by up to 50 per cent.
It also announced more support for the workers and businesses themselves, including an additional $500-million in loan guarantees to help Canadian producers of softwood lumber with their operations.
The Globe’s Mark Rendell and Brent Jang have the latest details here.
Also today, the Ontario government has granted the final approval for four nuclear reactors at Ontario Power Generation’s Pickering Nuclear Generating Station.
The approved budget for the project is $26.8-billion, which is more than double the cost of refurbishing the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. That cost is $12.8-billion, and the project generates significantly more power.
The Pickering refurbishment is substantially more expensive in part because of the plant’s age. OPG plans to replace steam turbines, steam generators and the station’s water intake.
The Globe’s Matthew McClearn has more here.
Workers load sheets of stainless steel at Magna Stainless and Aluminum in Montreal in Sept., 2025. On Wednesday, Ottawa announces further limits on foreign steel imports.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Ottawa reaches draft agreements with Ontario, Manitoba to streamline reviews for major projects
The co-operation agreements will allow the provinces to take the lead role in environmental assessment and Indigenous consultation for major projects – a significant devolution of authority from Ottawa to the provinces. Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick signed similar draft agreements last month, while British Columbia has had an agreement with Ottawa in place since 2019.
Legal team behind First Nations treaty settlement challenges court decision slashing its fee
The legal team behind a landmark $10-billion treaty compensation settlement is appealing a recent Ontario court decision that found its $510-million legal bill was unreasonable. The court had slashed the lawyers’ fee down to $40-million. The issue involves the team of five Indigenous lawyers for the Robinson Huron Litigation Fund and 21 Anishinaabek signatory nations of the Robinson Huron Treaty.
Canada must fast-track Sudanese fleeing atrocities, Cotler says: Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler said the surge in killings in the Darfur region are “a genocide foretold yet ignored,” and that Canada must focus its attention on Sudan.
Beiser wins Balsille Public Policy Prize: American-Canadian journalist Vince Beiser was honoured for his book Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney met, in Ottawa, with Tony Wakeham, the new Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Carney also attended the Liberal caucus meeting and made an announcement on measures to protect and transform Canadian strategic industries.
Party Leaders: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the House of Commons. Interim-NDP Leader Don Davies attended the NDP caucus meeting and was scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students.
Quote of the Day
“We’re seeing today, again, the cost of Carney’s broken promises. He promised he’d negotiate a win with President Trump with a deal by July 21. No deal, no win, no elbows, no [jobs], and now the Prime Minister is spending billions more to bail himself out,” – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, reacting to the steel and lumber announcement
Question period
The Swedish government and Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB have lately been making the case for the Gripen fighter jet to the Canadian government. How many models of Gripen have been produced since the aircraft first took off in the 1980s?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Even before it’s made public, the Ottawa-Alberta deal is taking it from all sides
If there is to be a landmark deal one day that somehow includes federal approval for a new pipeline and more oil development and also an Alberta government commitment to more stringent industrial carbon pricing − it’s going to have to run through a gauntlet of opposition.
— Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer
Canadians are protecting the mirage of single-tier health care. It doesn’t exist
Canadian health care as an idea, and Canadian health care as an institution, exist in two different universes.
— Robyn Urback, Columnist
Carney brings great solutions, but is he misdiagnosing the problem?
A lack of success often stems from misdiagnosis of the problem, excessive political consideration or incorrect assumptions, and there is evidence Mr. Carney’s plan may suffer from these shortcomings as well.
— Claude Lavoie, Contributing 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: Six models. The latest is the Gripen E and the F two-seater model.