Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Alberta must respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and individual freedoms if it wishes to hold an independence referendum, Prime Minister Mark Carney says.
Matthew Scace reports that Carney made the comments today, a day after an Alberta judge struck down a separatist group’s petition.
Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard blocked separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre’s petition, which sought to force a provincewide vote this fall. The judge said the province failed to consult with First Nations about how seceding from Canada would affect treaty rights.
The decision also hinged on recent changes to provincial law by Premier Danielle Smith’s government, which sought to sidestep a prior court ruling. It found residents don’t have the power to initiate an independence referendum under Alberta’s citizen-initiative laws.
Carney referred to Justice Leonard’s decision when asked whether he believed an independence referendum should proceed.
“We have standards and an ability for provinces to hold referenda on a variety of subjects. Obviously, we support that,” Carney said. “That means respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, respecting the rights of people to privacy.”
Carney is expected to be in Calgary on Friday to announce a new deal on industrial carbon pricing. That would fulfill a key element of the memorandum of understanding the Prime Minister and Smith signed last November.
Also, Matthew McClearn reports that the federal government announced today that it has begun consultations with provinces and territories, utilities, unions and Indigenous peoples to develop a national strategy to double the size of Canada’s power grid.
Although dubbed a “national electricity strategy,” the announcement largely reiterated long-standing federal priorities such as increasing interties between provincial electricity grids, accelerating regulatory approvals for large projects and supporting nuclear power initiatives.
The government also said it wants to strengthen domestic manufacturing of components such as transformers and wind turbine towers, and address labour shortages in the electricity sector.
In other news today, Honda Canada confirmed it is shelving its $15-billion plan to build an electric-vehicle complex in Ontario, citing changing customer tastes.
Eric Atkins reports that the automaker said it has “indefinitely suspended” the project, which would have included four new plants, including electric car and battery factories, and created 1,000 jobs.
The carmaker cited “evolving business conditions, a change in external resource strategy and shifting customer demand” for the move to scrap the plan, first reported by Japan’s Nikkei news agency last week.
“Based on our revised strategic objectives, we have determined that an indefinite suspension of the value chain project is appropriate at this stage,” Honda said in a statement.
The federal and Ontario governments committed millions of dollars to the project, but Honda said it has received no public funding for it.
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes his way to Question Period on Parliament Hill.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
What else is going on
Canada could pitch in on Hormuz defence mission with vessel, demining support, satellite imagery: Defence Minister David McGuinty said today a condition of this support would be “a durable cessation” of hostilities in the vital Middle East waterway.
Canada’s cybersecurity agency to get access to OpenAI’s latest model, sources say: Experts at the Communications Security Establishment will be able to use the model to identify flaws in software related to critical infrastructure.
Officials working to contact 26 ‘low-risk’ passengers about hantavirus, top doctor says: Joss Reimer, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, said these individuals are considered low-risk and are not required to isolate.
Signal warns it would pull out of Canada if made to comply with lawful access bill: Udbhav Tiwari, Signal’s vice-president of strategy and global affairs, says the secure-messaging service company has deep concerns about measures in the bill, including its potential to introduce security vulnerabilities.
Hansen returns home with Artemis II crew to talk about humanity: Astronaut Jeremy Hansen came home to Canada, accompanied by the entire Artemis II crew, for his first public event since returning to Earth a month ago.
Indigenous-led group sets sights on new pipeline if Ottawa keeps Trans Mountain: Joe Dion, chief executive officer of Western Indigenous Pipeline Group, said at The Globe and Mail Intersect conference in Calgary that the company may still seek a smaller equity stake in the recently expanded pipeline and vie for ownership of another pipeline that could be built alongside.
On our radar
Commons on a Break: The Commons is on a break until May 25. The Senate is also on a break until May 26.
Prime Minister’s Day: On Parliament Hill, Mark Carney held a news conference on doubling the size of Canada’s power grid.
Party Leaders: On Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May participated in a panel discussion on leadership, challenges and opportunities for women in the 21st century. In Saskatchewan, NDP Leader Avi Lewis made several stops during part of a continuing provincial tour, visiting the Red Eagle Lodge senior-care home on the Pasqua First Nation, the Star Blanket Cree Nation in Lebret, as well as attending a public event in Fort Qu’Appelle and a public meet-and-greet event in Moose Jaw. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road:
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is in Qatar today, on a trip to the Middle East that concludes Friday and has also included stops in Oman.
In Qatar, Defence Minister David McGuinty concluded a two-day visit to the region that featured a previous stop in the United Arab Emirates. He met with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also the minister of state for defence affairs.
At the Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation in New Brunswick, Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller announced more than $120,000 in funding to support commemorative activities in the province to mark the 300th anniversary of the 1726 Peace and Friendship Treaty.
In Longueuil, Que., Industry Minister Mélanie Joly welcomed the Artemis II crew to the headquarters of the Canadian Space Agency and held a fireside chat with them.
In Windsor, Ont., Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon announced support for growth, innovation and manufacturing competitiveness in the region.
In the Manitoba Wasagamack First Nation community, Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand made an announcement.
In Richmond, B.C., Energy Minister Tim Hodgson announced a $12.4-million federal investment in 14 projects to strengthen British Columbia’s forestry sector. And in Vancouver, he made an announcement on liquefied natural gas with Premier David Eby.
Quote of the Day
“As someone who was raised in Alberta, proud Albertan, I view that very much the best place for Alberta is in Canada, and certainly in a Canada that works, which is what we’re pursuing.” – Prime Minister Mark Carney, at a Parliament Hill news conference today, responds to questions about Alberta sovereignty.
Question period
Mark Carney was born in the Northwest Territories, but raised in Edmonton. Which neighbourhood in the Alberta capital did he grow up in?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
America’s role as Canada’s culture-shaper is coming to an end
Ottawa’s cultural-protection measures have had a mixed record in the past. Today’s communications environment – the internet has no borders – makes such measures all the more difficult.
— Lawrence Martin, public affairs columnist
Ottawa, listen to Alberta and stop apologizing for Canada’s energy advantage
It may be difficult to admit in Ottawa that Alberta has been forcing a conversation the country has avoided for an unforgivably long time. The provincial politics are messy; that is a well-known fact. But the substance of the debate – the need for a new pipeline – is foundational to the country’s wealth.
— Dmitriy Frolovskiy is a political analyst and consultant on policy and strategy.
Canada’s not ready for the next viral outbreak. We didn’t even bother with an inquiry on the last one
The first lesson many of us laymen learned from living through the turmoil of the early part of this decade is to be skeptical of these very early assurances from public-health officials.
— Robyn Urback, columnist
Go deeper
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The answer to today’s question: Carney and his family lived in the west-end Edmonton neighbourhood of Laurier Heights.
