Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. It’s Marie Woolf here standing in for Ian Bailey. Let’s look at what happened today.
New NDP Leader Avi Lewis shuffled his six-person caucus on Friday, naming himself critic for the cost of living and intergovernmental affairs, despite having no seat in the House of Commons.
After Nunavut MP Lori Idlout jumped ship to the Liberals last month, the diminutive NDP team, already juggling multiple portfolios, was down a critic. Lewis handed Idlout’s former roles of speaking on indigenous affairs and arctic sovereignty to MP Leah Gazan. Gazan will also cover women and gender equity; children, families and social development; people with disabilities; post-secondary education, skills and training; and prairies economic development.
Vancouver MP Don Davies, who stoically took the helm after former leader Jagmeet Singh stepped down following the last election, was named the party’s parliamentary leader and whip, as well as the critic for defence, natural resources, and Northern and Atlantic economic development. He remains the NDP’s voice on finance, industry and jobs.
Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, who ran against Mr. Lewis for party leader, will serve as NDP house leader and will stick with foreign affairs and international development, international trade, seniors and heritage.
Vancouver MP Jenny Kwan remains the caucus chair, adding the role of justice critic to her key portfolios of immigration and citizenship, housing, infrastructure, public safety and national security. Kwan is also critic for Pacific economic development.
Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis during a stop in the riding of University-Rosedale, in Toronto, on Wednesday.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Carney says next governor-general will speak French and English: In an interview with Radio-Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney answered “absolutely” when asked whether he would commit to naming a candidate who speaks both of the country’s official languages. Current Governor-General Mary Simon, who is expected to step down in June, speaks English and Inuktitut and has been taking French lessons.
Liberal MP Chris d’Entremont calls himself a “recovering Conservative”: In a speech to the party convention in Montreal, d’Entremont, who crossed the floor last November, told Liberals that he was unsure whether to introduce himself as a “recovering Conservative, or just that I was a Liberal and I didn’t know it.” Former Tory Matt Jeneroux told the convention he has “slept well every night” since joining the Liberals in February.
Bill requiring age-checks to watch online porn poised to reach final Senate stage: A private member’s bill requiring that porn sites take steps to check that users are at least 18 years old is expected to clear the Senate next week. The Senate voted to update the definition of pornography in the bill so films and TV shows streamed on Netflix and other services that show nudity and sex scenes would not be affected.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: Carney is at the Liberal convention in Montreal.
Party Leaders: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is in B.C. today visiting Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical Systems, where he will meet workers and walk through the facility. He will deliver remarks at St. Andrew’s Parish in Vancouver, at a mass to pray for the victims of last year’s Lapu-Lapu festival tragedy. NDP Leader Avi Lewis is holding a meeting with provincial NDP leaders and his leadership team ahead of Monday’s return of Parliament. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has no formal events today. She is preparing to attend a Holocaust Remembrance Day service on Sunday at the Jewish Cemetery of Victoria.
Quote of the Day
“Remember, the Canada we’ve built together didn’t happen by accident and won’t continue without effort. It takes hope and hard work,” – Former prime minister Justin Trudeau, in a video message to the Liberal party convention.
Question period
Which two short-lived British Conservative prime ministers lived in Canada as children?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
A Liberal Party in a triumphal mood finds it easier to accept conflicting values
“There have been Liberals texting each other with consternation about the fact that Ms. Gladu is now one of them, but the overall sentiment at the convention in Montreal is triumphalism. Woohoo! The polls have them way ahead. Ms. Gladu is yet another trophy, the fifth floor-crosser, and Liberals feel good about winning.”
— Campbell Clark, chief political writer
Canada must embrace a culture of ambition and risk-taking
“Canadians overwhelmingly endorse ambition as necessary for the future. More than nine in 10 Canadians agree or somewhat agree that Canada must embrace ambition now to protect quality of life for future generations. We have a broad consensus for bold action."
— Pollster Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research
Has Canada learned nothing from the Grassy Narrows mercury poisoning tragedy?
“If Canada wants to be an economic superpower, it must not sacrifice decades of environmental protection laws, even if they were lax or flawed.”
— Tanya Talaga, Anishinaabe journalist and speaker
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
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
The answer to today’s question: Bonar Law, Britain’s Prime Minister from October, 1922, to May, 1923, was born in New Brunswick in 1858, when it was a British colony. He moved to Britain in 1870, three years after the province became part of Canada.
One hundred years later, Liz Truss became the shortest serving prime minister in British history, serving from Sept. 6 to Oct. 25, 2022. She attended elementary school in Burnaby, B.C., from 1987 to 1988, while her father taught at Simon Fraser University.