
Stage set for Ontario to host major summit of Canada's leaders
Carney arrived in Muskoka on Monday evening and headed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford's Muskoka cottage, where the premier hosted the country's most senior leaders for an intimate dinner.
'There's going to be a great conversation round the dinner table tonight — everyone kind of lets their hair down,' Ford said, previewing the meal on Monday afternoon. 'That's one great thing about all the premiers, they're all political different stripes, but we all just tell each other what's on our mind.'
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Carney is set to meet with the premiers officially at Deerhurst Resort around mid-morning on July 22.
During that meeting, he will brief the provincial leaders on how talks are going with the United States and the plan if Trump follows through with a promise to add 35 per cent tariffs on Aug. 1.
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After an approximately two-hour meeting, Carney will depart, and a premiers-only meeting will follow.
The country's first ministers will take part in a working lunch where they'll hear from former ambassadors and then launch into a full meeting of the Council of the Federation.
That is expected to be dominated by trade discussions and questions about the United States, although it may also include a wildfire update.
In the evening, Ford will host a reception for premiers and various stakeholders, where the lieutenant governor will also deliver remarks.

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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Can Mark Carney move fast and not break things?
It's easy to move fast if you're not worried about breaking things. The greater challenge is moving fast while fixing, improving and building things. On the day, two months ago, that his new cabinet was appointed, Carney boasted that it was "among the fastest" swearings-in after an election and that the return of Parliament would be "one of the most rapid" in Canadian history. The government, he said, was "starting as we aim to go on." "Our government will deliver its mandate for change with urgency and determination," he said. "We've been elected to do a job. We intend to do it quickly and forcefully." That followed from Carney's earlier insistence that Canada needed "big changes" and that responding to the threat posed by Donald Trump would require doing "things that we haven't imagined before, at speeds we didn't think possible." On a number of fronts, Carney's government is moving quickly toward those goals. The government's first major legislation — Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which allows for the expedited approval of large infrastructure projects — was tabled in the House of Commons just 19 days after the cabinet was sworn in. Twenty days after that the bill had passed both the House and Senate — a breathtakingly quick passage for legislation of such potential significance. A few days after that bill was tabled, Carney announced the federal government would significantly accelerate its plan to spend more on national defence. During the campaign, the Liberals promised to exceed the NATO target of two per cent of GDP "before" 2030. In June, Carney said the government would hit that mark in the current fiscal year. WATCH | What critics are saying about Carney's 'move fast' approach: Prime Minister Mark Carney's need for speed 16 days ago With the defence budget now slated to rapidly grow — and with Carney having promised to impose new discipline on overall federal spending — the prime minister has given ministers until the end of the summer to complete a federal program review aimed at finding billions of dollars in cuts or savings. Federal departments have also been given 60 days to identify federal regulations that can be eliminated. Meanwhile, Carney has appointed a new clerk of the Privy Council and seemingly given him a mandate to make government itself move faster. "Our internal processes have become quite complicated. When that happens, there is always the risk that following the process is so time-consuming that everything slows down — at a time when we need to speed up because the world is moving as fast as it is," Michael Sabia wrote in a note to public servants soon after his appointment. "Windows of opportunity open and close. The world waits for no one." The case for moving fast Beyond the world's general state of impatience, there are a number of reasons why Carney might want or need to move fast. The first and most obvious — the overarching challenge that Carney has framed his government within — is the economic and political crisis posed by Donald Trump. And to that one could add a housing crisis and a climate crisis. As a newly elected prime minister — and one whose initial actions seem to be impressing a sizable number of voters — Carney will likely never have more political capital than he has right now. But having fallen short of winning a majority in the House, he also can't be sure of exactly how much time he'll have before facing voters again. Moving fast might also be one way to demonstrate change — both in substance and style. The Trudeau Liberals came to office promising a more active government, but also a more consultative government — a reaction to the idea that the previous Conservative government had been too heavy handed. And while Justin Trudeau has an incautious streak, his government could be methodical and tentative. The government was also dogged by criticism that its ambitions exceeded its execution. And by the end of Trudeau's time in office, there was a new desire for action — particularly on housing. Even without the crisis posed by Trump, Carney might have come to office with a need to get things built and improve state capacity. WATCH | First Nations leaders meet with PM: Chiefs voice unhappiness with Carney's First Nations summit | Power & Politics 8 days ago The Power Panel discusses Prime Minister Mark Carney's summit on the new major projects law with First Nations leaders. Some chiefs are calling it a 'disaster.' "Focus, change, action" is apparently something of a mantra in Carney's office. Purportedly a demanding boss, Carney comes to the job having spent significant time working in both the private sector and in and around government (the latter of which may have left him with a view about how governments work and how they don't). But for the sake of both making the case for active government and rebutting the populist challenge, Liberals — and progressives in general — might also have a special interest in wanting to see government moving and acting as quickly and efficiently as possible. In the American context, consider the regrets expressed by some of former president Joe Biden's advisers and the calls for an " abundance agenda." The challenges of moving fast While officials in Ottawa are scrambling this summer to complete a spending review and stand up a new major projects office, there might be at least one noticeable gap in the government's rush to action. If there was one way for the government to show that it was making a tangible difference in the lives of Canadians, it would be by attacking the housing crisis. And during the campaign Carney promised his government would help build new homes at "a pace not seen since the Second World War." But while the government has been demonstrably busy negotiating with Washington and pushing C-5, tangible movement on housing is so far less obvious. There are also signs of potential danger ahead. Policy analysts and public sector unions are already expressing concern about the potential consequences of the program review — and how quickly the government is moving to find cuts. However necessary it might be to increase spending on national defence or other areas, and whatever the public's general desire for greater fiscal discipline in Ottawa, the results of this spending review could expose some painful trade-offs — or at least compel Carney and his cabinet to defend some significant sacrifices. C-5 may have also shown that there are real risks governments run when they try to move fast — at least when the rights of Indigenous Peoples are involved. The sheer speed of the bill's passage seemed to feed suspicions. "I think the main issue I'm hearing about this bill is that it's being rammed through without consultation or first nations' free, prior and informed consent," Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, told a House of Commons committee in June. The summits convened with First Nations leaders since C-5 received royal assent might have helped to address some concerns — and much will really depend on how the government makes use of C-5. But the lesson of C-5's initial reception might be that moving fast requires even greater effort than moving slow.


Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Updating the way governments work together
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Charest called it 'internal diplomacy to build alliances.' For other premiers, the imperative was 'strength in unity.' They would have a better shot at influencing the federal government if they stood and acted as one. Consensus was in, 'asterisks' denoting dissent were out. Unilateral federal cutbacks to health-care transfers and equalization payments by the Chrétien/Martin governments had angered all premiers. They pointed to a growing fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and among the provinces. NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Mark Carney greets Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew as Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston looks on, during the first ministers meeting in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday. While CoF created a 'table of equals,' one government was primus intra pares, or first among equals — the federal government. No matter that CoF's founding agreement stated that 'Canada's two orders of government are of equal status, neither subordinate to the other,' they could not force the federal government to act that way. While premiers and prime ministers are all styled 'first ministers,' it is always the prime minister intent on preserving his prerogatives that calls and hosts first minister meetings, inviting premiers, not the other way around. This is what makes Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to show up for a CoF meeting in Huntsville, Ont., so notable. No matter that it formally reverted to a First Ministers Meeting chaired by the PM for the time he was there, it was to CoF he decamped. This was a first. To date, Canada's CoF has been more influential as a governing institution outside of Canada. Australia too is a federal state. Three years after ours came into being, the Council for the Australian Federation consisting of chief ministers of all states and territories formed. It emulates fully the purpose and operations of Canada's council, even borrowing some of the same wording in its founding agreement. The catalyst for its formation was the same too, frustration with the central Commonwealth government's approach to federalism, where it was accused of 'dictating the agenda' of what governments discussed. Sound familiar? One glaring difference stands out. Australia had a formal central/state/territorial intergovernmental mechanism for more than a decade before, called the Council of Australian Governments or COAG. Whatever benefits accrued from having all governments at the table for some matters were seen as inadequate by others. Canada's example seemed better to increasingly frustrated sub-national governments. But then COVID hit COAG. The pandemic reordered federalism mechanisms in Australia. Intergovernmental co-ordination and co-operation imperatives led to the creation of a national cabinet of chief ministers, supplanting COAG. Today, that new structure is the governing institution for federalism in Australia. This proves the flexible nature of federalism. It can change to meet the moment without changing the constitution to do so. Canada should take note. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. To his credit, Carney is investing serious time and effort in working with premiers and Indigenous leaders. He needs to if he is to succeed in rallying the country to meet this moment of economic consequence and change facing the country. Trouble is, we've all seen the movie. An initial 'era of good feelings' is followed by episodes of intergovernmental fratricide. Why? Because there is no established institution of federalism involving all constitutional orders of government in running the country. A place to conciliate. We are already seeing the limits to two orders of government — Ottawa and the provinces and territories — wanting to advance on infrastructure projects faster and more purposefully than some Indigenous governments. Demanding a seat at the table will continue until there is one. Disruptive presences outside can often become ameliorating presences inside. Canada is setting itself an historic agenda for economic and political change in response to the American tariff and trade threats. For this to succeed, we need to update how we govern ourselves as one country. The CoF founding agreement calls itself an 'enduring and evolving institution.' No question it has endured as a regular forum to demand more money and powers from the federal government. The question now is whether it can evolve into a true Council of the Federation involving representatives of all orders of government: federal, provincial, territorial and, yes, Indigenous. For the first time, Canada can imagine so. David McLaughlin is a former clerk of the executive council and cabinet secretary in the Manitoba government.


Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
U.S. Christian musician's West Kelowna tour date remains, amid backlash
He mixes faith with music and politics, but this American, Christian rocker's Canadian tour is striking the wrong chord for some. Sean Feucht, a MAGA-aligned missionary and musician, has been dropped by six venues across Canada amid growing concerns. 'We have had venues cancelled, we have been threatened,' Feucht said in a Twitter video. Despite this backlash, West Kelowna remains one of the few cities still hosting Feucht's tour, along with Abbotsford. The city is closely monitoring the situation ahead of his Aug. 23 performance at the Memorial Park Amphitheatre. 2:04 Venues pulling permits for controversial MAGA musician set to perform in Edmonton In a statement, West Kelowna officials said they are listening to public concerns and reviewing safety and security plans in collaboration with the RCMP. Story continues below advertisement Due to limited information provided by the event organizer and raised public worries, the city expressed increased concerns about public safety and emphasized the need for the organizer to meet all necessary security requirements. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city also noted it is limited in its ability to restrict access to public spaces but is using this opportunity to review booking procedures and consider new policies for future rentals. They stressed that private events held in city facilities do not reflect West Kelowna's values, which are rooted in respect, kindness, and inclusivity. Advocacy Canada President Wilbur Turner described Feucht's presence as problematic. 'The city has certain values of inclusivity and being welcoming,' he said. Sean Feucht has made headlines for opposing abortion rights, COVID restrictions, and the LGBTQ2 community — positions critics say go against the spirit of the city. 'It's actually very harmful; it doesn't match with the values of most Canadians,' said Turner. 'The majority of Canadians don't have a problem with the queer community, and so this is just trying to drive a wedge into causing more division.' Feucht, however, defended his Let Us Worship tour on Twitter, saying, 'If I had shown up with purple hair and a dress claiming to be a woman, the government wouldn't have said a word.' Story continues below advertisement As venues continue to cancel, Feucht is fundraising to finish his tour, urging supporters to help him 'worship Jesus.' Locations, including Parks Canada in Nova Scotia and the National Capital Commission in Quebec, have withdrawn permitting for the event, citing safety concerns, risk of protest and support for the LGBTQ2 community.