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Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Mark Carney, and the return of the progressive conservative
As Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a massive and immediate boost to defence spending earlier this month, he talked about the importance of using those new funds prudently. 'Every taxpayer dollar is precious,' he said in passing, later adding that his government would not be looking for new sources of revenue to pay for the defence buildup. 'We just cut taxes, we're not raising taxes.' It's easy enough to imagine a Conservative prime minister uttering similar sentiments – much easier than, say, envisioning former prime minister Justin Trudeau waxing on about the need to pinch pennies in the federal budget and making a no-new-taxes pledge. That Mr. Carney was going to drag the Liberal Party back to the centre after years of an NDP-lite government under Mr. Trudeau was to be expected. Two months after the election, the extent of that metamorphosis is becoming clearer – and it is remarkable. Part of that change is atmospheric. There are no more breathless lectures from Mr. Trudeau; they have been, mercifully, replaced by Mr. Carney's boardroom staccato. Unlike his predecessor, the current Prime Minister boasts of being 'laser-focused' on economic growth. And Canadians, happily, have no idea what kind of socks Mr. Carney likes to wear. But more than mannerisms have changed. Since April, the Prime Minister has cut personal income taxes, boosted defence spending dramatically, pledged to cut the cost of the federal bureaucracy, tightened immigration rules, eliminated federal barriers to internal trade, created a framework for breaking the stasis on big national projects and signaled that he will dismiss underperforming top bureaucrats. That's an agenda that Brian Mulroney could have endorsed. In fact, it overlaps a good deal with the actual governing record of his Progressive Conservatives. Mr. Carney is a Liberal but, in the early going, he looks to be governing much like a Red Tory – a progressive kind of conservative. Mr. Carney's agenda is one that the Liberals, in their Trudeau-era incarnation, would have most likely loudly denounced. Indeed, some left-leaning Liberals in the current caucus, including former cabinet minister and leadership contender Karina Gould, have already voiced their disquiet on legislation to speed up megaproject approvals. House approves Bill C-5 to fast-track projects, Carney pledges summer consultations with Indigenous leaders That could portend problems not that far down the road for the Liberal coalition that gave Mr. Carney his minority government. The Liberals corralled the progressive vote, with support for the NDP and Greens plummeting from the 2021 campaign. Will those voters stick with the Liberals if Mr. Carney continues his rightward sidestep? And will Mr. Carney stick with his agenda if his progressive supporters bolt? Another (large) caveat is how Mr. Carney's agenda adds up in the fall budget. Broad statements on finding efficiencies in the public service are enough for now. Canadians will see in a couple of months whether the blue-tinged Liberals will actually reduce the bloated head count of civil servants. Similarly, it's encouraging that Michael Sabia, two days before he was appointed Clerk of the Privy Council, mused about the 'pancake' of regulations that were stifling economic growth. But what will he and Mr. Carney do to reduce the height of the pancake stack? Biggest of all, the swirl of mist surrounding Mr. Carney's fiscal plans will be necessarily dissipated once that budget is tabled. How will the defence buildup be paid for? Will the deficit fall or rise from the groaningly high levels that Mr. Trudeau bequeathed to his successor? The answers found in the budget will determine if Mr. Carney has truly broken from the fiscal recklessness of the Trudeau Liberals. Longer term, there is the open question of how aggressively the Carney Liberals will push badly overdue structural reforms of the economy. Broad tax reform, lowering of foreign ownership barriers, radically paring business subsidies and reducing the regulatory burden: all of those changes are needed to reinvigorate Canada's economy. At the moment, Mr. Carney doesn't look to be abandoning the dirigiste propensities of the Trudeau Liberals, who were unable to see that millions of minds in the private sector might do a better job than a government department. In less than four months, Mr. Carney has reinvented and reinvigorated the Liberal brand, delivering a progressive feel to conservative governance. Canadians will find out soon enough if that is a mere marketing exercise.
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Don't know what their values are': Liberal Party has lost its way
Institute of Public Affairs Research Fellow Mia Schlicht says the Liberal Party is having trouble with what they stand for and what their values are, claiming this deters the Australian public from connecting with the party. 'At the end of the day … the Liberal Party just does not know what they stand for,' Ms Schlicht told Sky News host Steve Price. 'They don't know what their values are … and that's not going to attract any of the Australian public.'
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Liberal Party is at a ‘very low point' while considering gender quotas
Shadow Cabinet Secretary Andrew Wallace says the Liberal Party has 'pushed back against' the concept of quotas as it is 'uncharted territory'. 'I think we need to absolutely increase our number of women in the parliament,' Mr Wallace told Sky News Australia. 'We're at a very, very low point right now. 'Everything has to be on the table; we have to examine all options in relation to our policies and our structures. 'Australians expect us as an opposition to be a credible opposition.'
CBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Carney promised big changes by Canada Day. Will he deliver?
Social Sharing During the spring campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a re-elected Liberal government led by him would move fast to solve problems and meet challenges by Canada Day. After his victory, those promises left Carney a little more than 60 days to address issues that have bedevilled previous governments, in some cases, for a long time. Here is a look at the pledges Carney made while he was courting the electorate, how he has done in addressing them and what comes next. Eliminating internal federal trade barriers After becoming prime minister, but before the election, Carney hosted a meeting with the premiers at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The March 21 meeting was focused on one dominant theme: responding to the existential and political threat presented by U.S. President Donald Trump. Carney told reporters he would address that challenge by tackling the long-standing issue of Canada's internal trade barriers — some economists have said removing them could boost Canada's economy by $200 billion annually. "We intend, from a federal level, to have free trade by Canada day," Carney said. WATCH | Carney talks free trade in first meeting with premiers: Carney pushes for free trade in 1st meeting with premiers 3 months ago Duration 2:34 In his first meeting with Canada's premiers, Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed for expanding free trade within Canada and major investment in east-west pipelines to further insulate the economy from reliance on the U.S amid the escalating trade war. The prime minister specified "from a federal level" because most of Canada's internal trade barriers are restrictions that only the provinces can remove. Some have begun that process already, with Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. signing agreements or working with other provinces to remove barriers. Carney's promise to have "free trade by Canada Day" changed slightly by the time the party's platform was released April 19. It said a Carney-led government would simply "unleash free trade in Canada by Canada Day by tabling legislation to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade and labour mobility and to remove all federal exceptions under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement." Bill C-5, which passed Parliament on Thursday, will do just that. Verdict: Promise kept Cutting taxes On the tax front, Carney promised to make Canada more affordable by cancelling the carbon tax, cutting income tax and eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on properties under $1 million. In the first few hours of becoming prime minister March 14, Carney signed a prime ministerial directive removing the consumer price on carbon, a policy change that took effect April 1. The pledge to cut the bottom rate of income tax by one percentage point, a 6.6 per cent cut to the amount of tax paid in that bracket, came with the promise it would take effect by Canada Day. All three measures were included in a ways and means motion that passed the House of Commons on June 5. The motion allows the government to start making changes to the tax code before they are in law — but a bill will still need to be passed. The bill containing the new measures, C-4, was introduced to the House of Commons in May and passed second reading June 12. Verdict: Promise kept Joining ReArm Europe Carney said that since becoming prime minister, his government has been talking to the European Union about joining its rearmament plan, ReArm Europe, in order to change how Canada supplies its military. "Seventy-five cents of every dollar of capital spending for defence goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told CBC's Power & Politics host David Cochrane on May 27. Watch | Carney on European military buildup: Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a one-on-one interview with Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Tuesday that he's been having 'conversations of increasing specificity' with major European partners about Canada being part of a build-out of their defence industrial base. Carney said he wants to see 'something concrete there' by Canada Day. In that same interview Carney also said he wanted to "see something concrete" on that front by Canada Day. After meeting with EU leaders June 23, Carney announced he had signed a strategic defence and security partnership agreement with the union. While it's progress, it's not perfection. The agreement is more of a framework for how Canada will eventually be able to participate in ReArm Europe. The agreement signed June 23 will also help Canada join the SAFE loan program with other allied nations to buy military equipment. Verdict: It's a step toward the door, but not through it. Cutting red tape The Liberal election platform promised to "reduce red tape" by requiring all federal departments to take steps to eliminate "outdated or unnecessary rules, reduce duplication or overlap with provincial rules and streamline the administration of rules and the delivery of regulatory decisions." The platform says departments are supposed to undertake these reviews "within 60 days" and report on what progress has been made. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that process is being overseen by the Treasury Board which told CBC News that it is "preparing to launch the formal 60-day review process" and that there will be details to share "shortly." The platform does not specifically say within 60 days of winning the election, but the term "within 60 days" could be taken to mean exactly that. It could also just mean the PMO wants the reviews to take 60 days once they are eventually launched. Verdict: Ambiguous wording leaves this one in limbo. What comes next The list of challenges and promises Carney must address next are long and varied. Here is a look at some that will continue to make headlines in the months ahead. Striking a deal with Trump on tariffs: During the G7 summit, Carney and Trump agreed to negotiate toward a trade deal "within the coming 30 days." Carney made that announcement June 16. Passing Bill C-2: The Liberal government's Strong Borders Act would give increased powers to Canada's security and intelligence services, expand the ability to open and inspect mail and allow officials to cancel or suspend immigration documents. Critics of the bill say it violates privacy. The Liberals will have to manage those concerns if they want this bill, currently in second reading, to become law. Passing Bill C-8: The Liberals' Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act is a reintroduction of Bill C-26 that died when former prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament. C-8 passed first reading in the House June 18. Passing Bill C-3: Introduced to the House of Commons June 5, the "lost Canadians" bill is also a reintroduction of a previous bill. The legislation responds to a 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling that declared it unconstitutional to deny citizenship to people born outside of Canada before their parents obtained citizenship. It is in second reading in the House.
Sky News AU
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Disgraceful': John Pesutto's bail out money left a ‘bad taste' in some Liberal MP's mouths
Women's Forum Australia Stephanie Bastiaan says the Liberal Party loaning money to bail out former Victorian Opposition leader John Pesutto has 'left a bad taste in many Liberal Party members' mouths'. 'There's a great deal of unrest about how this has unfolded,' Ms Bastiaan told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus. 'There's also a great deal of concern about the fact that he is being bailed out at some sort of forgiveness by the party. 'What he did was frankly disgraceful. 'Had he apologized or settled the matter … there'd be a lot more sympathy.'
