Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
The federal government says it will not allow Washington to dictate the terms of talks on renewing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement as sources say the U.S. is demanding upfront concessions as a precondition of negotiations.
Steven Chase and Robert Fife report that two sources familiar with the talks say U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Canada to unilaterally change or scrap domestic policies, from dairy to provincial bans on American liquor, or the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, before it will sit down to negotiate.
The Globe is not identifying the sources as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Prime Minister Mark Carney today pushed back on the suggestion that the U.S. is setting conditions as a prerequisite for the talks.
“It’s not a case of the United States dictates the terms. We have a negotiation,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa.
He was answering questions about the dynamics of early talks as the three parties prepare to undertake a scheduled review of the USMCA, which includes deciding whether to extend the agreement beyond 2036.
During these same talks, Ottawa is trying to resolve protectionist U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, including steel, aluminum and autos.
One of the sources said the United States is content with the current state of affairs – as it collects revenue from hefty U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods such as aluminum, autos and steel – and wants to see what else it can extract from Ottawa before negotiating.
Meanwhile, Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister responsible for trade talks with Washington, said there are red lines Ottawa won’t cross to reach a successful renewal of the continental free-trade agreement, but he remains optimistic a comprehensive deal can be reached with the United States.
In an interview today at The Globe’s second-annual Intersect conference in Toronto, Mark Rendell reports that LeBlanc said Canada won’t give ground to U.S. demands around French-language labelling rules and dairy supply management.
“We’ve been very clear with them. We’re not going to limit, reduce, negotiate those language requirements, the cultural exemption. We’re not going to reopen supply management and have a discussion around quotas in the supply managed sector,” LeBlanc said in his most candid comments to date about the state of the trade talks.
Also today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that his government has sold a recently purchased used private jet for the same $28.9-million price it paid.
Ford’s office announced the purchase of the used 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 jet on Friday and by Sunday, the Premier had agreed to sell it after blowback from the public.
“We gave it back to Bombardier for the exact same price, no one lost any money,” Ford said at the Intersect conference Intersect conference.
Jeff Gray reports that Ford’s office confirmed the sale price of $28.9-million later today.
The province took possession of the plane last week, news that the Toronto Star broke on Friday, which was then confirmed by the Premier’s Office.
The office said Ford needed the plane because Ontario is vast, and he also needed something more secure in order to travel to the United States in his continuing fight against the U.S. President’s trade war.
Ford apologized for how the transaction went down, saying he should have told taxpayers in advance and made the case as to why he needed the plane.
The Premier also said it’s very difficult to travel in northern Ontario while flying in single-propeller planes.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw.Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
What else is going on
Intersect Conference: The Globe is holding its second-annual Intersect conference in Toronto today with a roster of speakers including Ford, former Alberta premier Jason Kenney and former Donald Trump adviser John Bolton. There’s a Liveblog here on what’s been up at the gathering.
Tories, Bloc denounce government’s `heavy-handed’ plan to change Commons committees: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Wednesday that it was a revealing move for the Liberals to move quickly to adjust committees so soon after achieving majority status.
Ottawa won’t commit to launching national flood-insurance program in near future: The program was first promised by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2019 as an affordability measure to help households in flood-prone areas.
CPAC nixes politics shows as cable contributions drop, wait for Online Streaming Act stretches on: The Cable Public Affairs Channel cancelled two shows this week citing “accelerating revenue decline” caused by fewer households subscribing to cable and long delays in implementing the Online Streaming Act.
North or south? How potential pipeline routes to the West Coast would differ: While Canada and Alberta are pondering both a southern and northern route for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast to help get crude to Asia, either one would face steep challenges when it comes to engineering, cost and public buy-in.
Alberta’s UCP government votes to restart process of overhauling provincial electoral map: Premier Danielle Smith’s government has officially restarted the effort after she rejected the advice of an independent redistricting commission last week, triggering accusations of gerrymandering.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Mark Carney attended the national Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill and later met with students to mark Earth Day.
During the Earth Day event, Carney said he would be meeting with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on Thursday.
Party Leaders: On Parliament Hill, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a news conference on a Bloc bill on forced labor and child labor. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended Parliament virtually. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: Oslo is Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s second country on a trip that has previously included a stop in the German city of Hanover for the HANNOVER MESSE 2026 industrial technology trade fair. She is back on Friday.
In Iqaluit, Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand announced funding to strengthen Nunavut’s economy, infrastructure and Arctic security.
Quote of the Day
“What’s he ever negotiated?” - Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking to reporters after today’s Liberal caucus meeting, refers to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in response to a question about Poilievre’s criticism of the government’s approach to trade talks with the United States.
Question period
Who was the first female Governor-General of Canada?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
B.C.’s UNDRIP law was doomed from the start
As the political and legal controversy rages over DRIPA, the UNDRIP legislation that passed in B.C. in 2019, it is not too late to heed earlier warnings. Principled and pragmatic pathways forward remain available.
— Jody Wilson-Raybould is the former minister of justice and attorney- general of Canada.
The `gravy plane’ mess has sent a message: Doug Ford should retire
The debacle of purchasing a government jet helped do in one Progressive Conservative dynasty. Mr. Ford may want to consider his future, lest it happen again.
— John Ibbitson is a writer and journalist.
Less forward guidance, Mr. Carney, and more accountability
Perhaps Mr. Carney should borrow from an idea that his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, once embraced but never delivered: Deliverology.
— 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: Jeanne Sauvé, who served as governor-general from 1984 to 1990. Sauvé, who was born in Saskatchewan, was an MP from Quebec, a cabinet minister under then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and a Speaker of the House of Commons before going to Rideau Hall. She died in 1993.