Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
A senior federal cabinet minister is urging both sides in the Canada Post strike to reach a deal but defending the government’s changes to the postal service, which include an end to door-to-door delivery.
That delivery policy, part of an overhaul to drastically cut costs at the money-losing Crown corporation, sparked the strike, which entered its second day today.
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon was responding in the House of Commons to sustained questioning from members of the Bloc Québécois.
“I encourage both parties to reach an agreement, but the government needs to move forward. We can’t continue to have millions, billions of dollars of losses from Canada Post,” MacKinnon said.
“Taxpayers cannot pay over a billion a year in Canada Post deficits.”
Vanmala Subramaniam reports that on Thursday the union representing Canada Post workers said its members would immediately go on strike over the federal announcement.
Earlier yesterday, Public Works Minister Joël Lightbound introduced sweeping changes to the postal service, saying it was “effectively insolvent” and that bailing it out repeatedly was not a long-term solution.
In other news, Prime Minister Mark Carney joined British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the leaders of several other centre-left governments at a conference in London today.
Much of the discussion revolved around how to tackle the rise of the far right and how to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Paul Waldie reports that the day-long Global Progress Action Summit focused on a number of issues, including immigration, how to regulate artificial intelligence and election strategies for progressive parties.
The summit has been organized by a collection of left-leaning groups, including the Center for American Progress, which has ties to Democratic administrations, and Labour Together, a British think tank that is largely associated with the Labour Party.
A member of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers pickets outside of a Canada Post Centre in Richmond B.C. on Friday.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Ottawa reviewing China EV tariffs: But Finance officials say the review is “informal,” with no specific deadline.
Economy grows by more than expected in July: The growth, which was the first in four months, was slightly more than economists expected.
Lower-than-expected Ontario deficit: According to the province’s public accounts, the deficit for the fiscal year that ended in March was just $1.1-billion, much lower than the $6-billion shortfall projected earlier this year.
Carney rolls back countertariffs on U.S. goods by more than originally announced: A smaller portion of the retaliatory regime that former prime minister Justin Trudeau implemented earlier this year remains in place.
Too few judges for Ontario’s top court, says Chief Justice: Michael Tulloch, who heads the Ontario Court of Appeal, is calling on Ottawa to fix the problem at the province’s top court, which is under severe strain because it has far fewer judges than the comparable courts of other provinces.
Record volumes for Port of Vancouver: Cargo volumes set a record level of activity for the first six months this year, with data showing a trend toward more trade with Asia and less reliance on the United States.
Taoiseach says Ireland will ratify CETA by year’s end: The Irish Prime Minister was referring to the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s day: In London, Mark Carney met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and participated in a moderated discussion at the Global Progress Action Summit alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir. Carney also met with Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, and attended a summit reception and a subsequent reception hosted by Starmer.
Party leaders: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples annual general assembly and was later present for the sitting of the House of Commons, where she was scheduled to get to ask a question in Question Period.
Quote of the Day:
“The most effective conversations are when you sit down in the same room together and talk to each other eyeball to eyeball.” Ralph Goodale, the High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom, responding in London today to a reporter’s question about Carney’s frequent travels.
Question period
Ahead of a meeting in London today, Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir reminded Prime Minister Mark Carney of the population of expatriate Icelanders in Canada. Which Prairie town is home to the largest Icelandic community outside Iceland?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
Can Mark Carney deliver retail politics on the mail?
Still, the Liberal government won’t be immune to discontent now. Previous governments sure felt headaches when they messed with the mail. Stephen Harper’s Conservative government planned to phase out home delivery, but Justin Trudeau’s Liberals beat them in 2015 on a platform that included a promise to save it.
— Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer
Carney’s cop-out on Bill 21 aims to give the Quebec Liberals a fighting chance against PQ
By depriving the PQ of the fight with Ottawa that it had been relishing, Mr. Carney has provided a helping hand to Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez in the run-up to that vote. And the PLQ desperately needs to pick up support among francophone Quebeckers if it has any hope of challenging the PQ for government.
— Konrad Yakabuski, Columnist
Photo radar does not belong in a free society
Photo radar, in short, is not just like posting a police officer at an intersection. It is qualitatively different. It fundamentally alters the relationship between the police and the policed, in ways that are hard to justify. As in my case, there is no chance for explanation, no room for discretion, no immediate connection between the offence and the charge – and no chance to cross-examine the officer in court.
— Andrew Coyne, Columnist
Go deeper
- The Decibel: Today’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast features Globe reporters Emma Graney and Jeffrey Jones on the subject of Dawn Farrell, who is leading Canada’s new Major Projects Office.
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Get the latest insight and analysis from our political opinion writers
- 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
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The answer to today’s question: Gimli, Man.