Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. I’m Shannon Proudfoot, your guest host this week.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Brampton today to officially launch the Build Communities Strong Fund that his government announced in the fall budget. Specifically, he was in the fast-growing Ontario city to announce $64-million in federal money for the new Embleton Community Centre, which broke ground in December and is slated to open late in 2028.
In his press conference, Carney referenced the Edmonton community centre where he played hockey as a kid, and where he announced his bid for the Liberal leadership.
“When I launched at that time in the community centre, my core message was, it’s time to build,” he said. “And today we’re beginning to deliver on that promise for communities right across Canada.” He riffed through the various types of building that would be going on: hospital renewal, rapid transit, water and sewage, climate resilience – along with gleaming new community hubs like Embleton.
In the year or so since Carney became Prime Minister, his government has been busy setting up a host of programs and entities that promise to tackle Canada’s economic and structural weaknesses, but those plans will take a long time to pay off, if they work at all. Meanwhile, the bigger economic picture is grim and unchanged as far as tariffs go, and the pre-existing affordability crisis just got much worse, owing to President Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
Carney’s broader promise is that community infrastructure projects – along with housing, resource development and all the other things that fall under his “Build, baby, build” banner – will spur demand for homegrown industries and skilled trades, and then private investment will want a piece of it all once various levels of government get the ball rolling.
That sounds great – so great it almost feels too good to be true. Either way, it will take some time to see if Carney is right and if this can be made to happen in reality, as well as on paper.
Meanwhile, each day provides fresh reasons to feel nervous about what’s coming next, and announcements like the one in Brampton are meant as tangible show-and-tell: Here is what this federal government is getting done, while everyone waits to see about the rest.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown on Tuesday before making an announcement at the new Embleton Community Centre and Park.Carlos Osorio/Reuters
What else is going on
Alberta Justice Minister set new limits for election regulator when his friend, Sam Mraiche, was under investigation: Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery shortened the amount of time Elections Alberta has to penalize political finance violations while his friend and relative Sam Mraiche was under investigation by the regulator, a Globe and Mail investigation has found.
China seeks Canada’s help in joining Indo-Pacific trade pact, Senator says: Beijing is pushing Ottawa to back its bid to join a major free-trade agreement between Indo-Pacific countries, including Canada, Japan and Australia, according to a Canadian senator who just returned from a diplomatic mission to China.
United Arab Emirates refuses to be drawn into the war, even as Iranian missiles rain down: By day, you might not notice that Dubai is a city at war. Neon-coloured supercars still race around the streets, construction workers scramble to complete wild-looking high-rises and well-dressed people relax on restaurant patios. Overnight, there’s a different mood. Residents are jolted awake with emergency alerts telling them to “immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building” as missiles and drones are detected heading across the Persian Gulf toward the city.
On our radar
Quote of the Day
“I think that we aren’t probably going to be able to resolve all issues by July 1, but I think we are on track to resolve many of them and to move as quickly as we can.” – U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at an event in Washington on Tuesday about negotiations over the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Question period
What happened on this day in 1868, just steps from Parliament Hill?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Artemis II mission offers a live view of planetary science in action
What it really looks like is like a lampshade with tiny pinprick holes and the light shining through. They are so bright compared to the rest of the moon.
— Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch poetically describing moon craters in real time
Trump says ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ unless Tehran reaches a deal
A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.
— Donald Trump, lobbing violent threats at Iran on social media
Carney chooses his words carefully when asked about Trump’s threats
That means not targeting certainly civilians, or civilian infrastructure. And we urge all parties in this war to follow those responsibilities.
— Mark Carney, in that same Brampton press conference, in response to a question about how Trump's threats should be interpreted
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: On April 7, 1868, Thomas D’Arcy McGee was assassinated outside his home on Sparks Street.