Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is getting set to convene a virtual first ministers’ meeting on Thursday, his first since announcing an energy-focused memorandum of understanding with Alberta that has drawn sharp criticism from British Columbia.
Bill Curry and Laura Stone report that Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, confirmed the virtual meeting will take place but said an agenda has not yet been finalized.
The most recent virtual meeting took place on Nov. 17.
Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding on Nov. 27. The energy accord saw Ottawa agree to abandon some of its signature climate policies.
It also set conditions for the potential construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.
The Liberal government promoted the deal by saying Alberta made important environmental commitments, including strengthening its industrial carbon price.
But those pledges were not enough to keep Steven Guilbeault, a lifelong environmentalist, from resigning as a member of cabinet over the deal.
In other news, a Liberal MP says she was shoved several times by Israeli border officials as the delegation she was part of was denied entry to the West Bank today. The delegation, sponsored by the group The Canadian-Muslim Vote, had planned to meet with displaced Palestinians in the West Bank.
Ontario MP Iqra Khalid said today she was pushed after trying to check on a member of the roughly 30-person delegation who was pulled aside for additional questioning after the group had been at the Allenby Crossing for several hours.
“An Israeli officer came up to me and he was yelling at my face and said, ’Go away,’ and he pushed me. I took a step back into the wall and I said, ’Don’t touch me, please.’ And he said, ’I’ll touch you as much as I want,’ and he pushed me again. And at that point, another officer came and he pushed me further back,” Khalid said in an interview from Amman, Jordan.
B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan and Quebec Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, who are also part of the delegation, both told The Canadian Press they witnessed the shoving incident.
And today the federal government said oil and gas producers and operators of large landfills will be subject to new methane regulations.
Emma Graney reports that the new rules are more stringent – but more flexible – than those that used to govern emissions reduction.
Reducing methane pollution is seen as something of a low-hanging fruit to help combat climate change. The gas is potent; it is roughly 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. But the technology to abate it is proven to work and is relatively cheap.
The goal is to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 304 megatonnes between 2028, when the regulations come into play, and 2040. Ottawa estimates the new regulations will cost the oil and gas sector roughly $14-billion.
Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill, Dec. 10.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Canadian military intelligence officer allegedly shared classified information with Ukraine: Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar has been charged with offences related to passing highly sensitive government secrets to a foreign entity. But the military has not said publicly which country the foreign entity helped.
Macklem emphasizes need for `good’ money as BoC set to regulate stablecoins: Private digital currencies, known as stablecoins, have begun to proliferate and raise questions about the future of the global money system.
Canada provides $50-million to buy drones and drone parts for Ukraine: Defence Minister David McGuinty announced the funds today during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
Ottawa approves Anglo-Teck merger: The deal will see London-based Anglo American PLC, a global mining company, acquire Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd., which mines copper and zinc.
B.C. Conservative caucus needs more structure: Trevor Halford, interim leader of the Official Opposition party in British Columbia, says its caucus’s self-inflicted wounds were fed by free votes and free speech allowed under former leader John Rustad.
Calls for Jimmy Lai’s release on humanitarian, health grounds: The conviction of Hong Kong newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai for sedition and colluding with foreign forces has drawn wide condemnation in Canada.
Higher import taxes on Canadian softwood driving up construction costs: The National Association of Home Builders in the United States is warning about rising costs it says are squeezing the construction industry after a recent spike in U.S. import taxes on Canadian softwood lumber.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: No public events for Mark Carney today.
Party Leaders: No schedules released for party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: In London, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne met with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and co-hosted a roundtable with her, as part of a trip to Britain and Europe this week that concludes with a stop in Berlin on Wednesday. In Halifax, Immigration Minister Lena Diab, on behalf of Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, made an announcement on greening operations at Sable Island National Park Reserve. In Longueuil, Que., Public Works Minister Joël Lightbound announced new steps under the Buy Canadian Policy to strengthen support for Canadian industry. In Vancouver, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, also the Government House Leader, delivered a presentation to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and toured the city’s port. Defence Minister David McGuinty and Chief of the Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan are to visit armed-forces members stationed in Britain, the United States and the Northwest Territories from today through Saturday.
Dion exit: Stéphane Dion says his diplomatic career is over. In a posting on X, the former federal Liberal leader and cabinet minister under Justin Trudeau wrote that his role as ambassador to France and Monaco and special envoy to the European Union was over.
“After 30 years of public service, I return to Canada enriched by all the encounters I’ve had with our partners and friends in France, Germany, and across Europe,” Dion wrote.
He was foreign affairs minister from 2015 to 2017, then sent to Germany as ambassador – a post he held until 2022. His work overlapped with him being named special envoy in 2017 and holding that post until October. In 2022, he was named ambassador to France and Monaco.
Quote of the Day
“We’re living in a world, probably with more structural change, more supply shocks. It’s a more complicated world than the pre-COVID world and we need to be assured that we’ve got the playbook, how we implement our monetary policy framework is ready and well-prepared for that world.” - Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem during a news conference in Montreal today after speaking to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.
Question period
Which Canadian Prime Minister led the government that created the Supreme Court of Canada?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Condemnations of antisemitism are necessary. But they are simply not enough
At this point, political staffers would be prudent to draft the condemnations in advance of upcoming Jewish holidays: “I condemn the antisemitic attack on [insert Jewish institution or event] on [insert holiday] in [insert location].”
— Irwin Cotler was a minister of justice and attorney-general of Canada and Canada’s first special envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism. Noah Lew is a lawyer, special adviser to Cotler, and a director of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
The betrayal of Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai
The now quaint notion that the Chinese Communist Party would allow Hong Kong to retain its capitalist system, common law, civil liberties and Western way of life for 50 years (and hopefully pull the mainland its way) is now dead.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
For the first time in a decade, Canada’s War Crimes Program shares what it has been up to
While efforts to prevent perpetrators from entering Canada are laudable, suspects who do enter must not get away with their crimes. Canada shouldn’t be exporting war criminals. It should hold them to account. Doing so means using Canadian courts to address the suffering of others – not as a concession to strangers, but as an act of solidarity with those who flee atrocity for the safety and promise of Canada.
— Mark Kersten is an assistant professor in criminal justice at the University of the Fraser Valley and a senior consultant at the Wayamo Foundation.
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: The Liberal government of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie was in power when Parliament passed a bill in April, 1875, to create the Supreme Court of Canada. That said, his predecessor, Sir John A. Macdonald had tried to set up a general court.