Carney's cabinet meets for the first time as it stares down a pile of problems
Prime Minister Mark Carney's newly constituted cabinet met for the first time Wednesday on Parliament Hill as the government grapples with a whole host of challenges it will be charged with fixing.
The last Liberal government's much-touted electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing strategy is on shaky ground after Honda announced it will halt its multi-billion-dollar investments in this country — joining a growing list of indefinitely delayed, stalled or potentially failed Canadian EV projects amid tepid consumer demand for these vehicles and U.S. President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on foreign-made autos.
Mélanie Joly, who moved from foreign affairs to industry in Tuesday's shuffle, said she will be fighting for autoworkers when she speaks to the head of Honda later today. "We'll make sure we're in solution mode," she said.
Carney also faces Western discontent with Alberta's premier Danielle Smith saying there needs to be a "reset" with how Ottawa treats provinces like hers after the perceived hostility of the last government. In the days since the federal election, Smith has said she will lower the threshold for referendums, potentially including one on Alberta sovereignty.
Smith's chief of staff is also raising red flags about Carney's new Toronto-area environment minister Julie Dabrusin, who says on her MP website she has "taken a strong stance against oil sands expansion," something she framed as a virtue.
Guilbeault questions pipeline expansion
One of former prime minister Justin Trudeau's former environment ministers, Steven Guilbeault, also seemed to pour cold water on expanding pipeline capacity Wednesday — although that's not really a decision for him to make now that he's in charge of Canadian culture and identity under Carney.
The prime minister himself has said he's open to approving major infrastructure projects, including conventional energy projects such as pipelines.
"There are no investors, no companies that are saying they want to build an east-west pipeline right now," Guilbeault told reporters ahead of the cabinet meeting, noting it will be industry that builds one, not the government.
"We bought a pipeline and that's only used right now at about 40 per cent capacity. Maybe we should maximize the use of existing infrastructure," the former environmental activist turned politician said.
It's not clear where Guilbeault got that 40 per cent usage figure. As of late last year, the company itself was reporting approximately 692,000 barrels of oil per day moving through its pipeline system — about 77 per cent of its maximum capacity.
The company's CEO also reported that the pipeline moved 790,000 barrels of oil per day in March, which is an even higher percentage.
Smith, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other oil patch boosters have long advocated for a new pipeline through central and eastern Canada to open up new markets for Alberta oil and end the country's reliance on foreign imports. Importers hauled in about 500,000 barrels of oil a day from the U.S., Nigeria and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Poilievre said Tuesday the reappointment to cabinet of Guilbeault, whom he accused of furthering "a radical green agenda," is concerning.
Natural resources minister to head West 'very soon'
Meanwhile, Carney's new natural resources minister Tim Hodgson, a past board member of MEG Energy, a Calgary-based oil sands producer, said he's headed out West "very soon" and is looking to work with industry to "build a more prosperous, secure and safe Canada."
Secretary of State Buckley Belanger of Saskatchewan said Carney is "quite serious about bringing this country together," and there will be Western voices around the cabinet table when the discussion turns to energy, pipelines and the like.
"We're going to keep explaining some of the issues as best we can — what plagues the province," Belanger said.
As for Trump, Carney has identified dealing with the American trade problem as among the most pressing issues for his cabinet.
The Prime Minister's Office released a list of those who will sit on the cabinet's new "secure and sovereign Canada" committee, which will be charged with managing Canada-U.S. relations — a file that Carney has said he will personally take the lead on. That committee will be chaired by Defence Minister David McGuinty, who accompanied Carney to the White House last week.
One person who is not on that 10-member committee is Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, whom Trump called "a terrible person" last week, although not by name.
Freeland said ahead of today's cabinet meeting that she's laser-focused on knocking down domestic trade barriers by Canada Day, one of Carney's major campaign commitments.
She said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) posits Canada could boost GDP by some four per cent if it does away with these internal roadblocks.
"That is a lot. We need it right now," she said. "I really believe at this moment we can get it done. Internal trade has begun to be sexy — it's funny, but it's true."
Carney has appointed three different ministers who all share some responsibility for the trade file, at a time when government data suggests there has already been a sizable decline in exports to the U.S. amid the tariff standoff. The latest Statistics Canada figures peg the drop at about seven per cent.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told reporters Canada is "over-leveraged with the U.S. and we need to diversify trade." He said one of his priorities will be opening up "new markets," but he didn't specify which ones.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Canada's national anthem is 45 years old today
OTTAWA — While the country will celebrate its birthday next week, O Canada got a head start on Friday as Canada marked its 45th year as the official national anthem. O Canada had been used as a de facto national anthem for decades before it was officially adopted through the National Anthem Act on June 27, 1980. A few days later, on Canada Day, the Act was proclaimed by Gov. Gen. Edward Schreyer at a public ceremony on Parliament Hill in front of thousands of Canadians, making O Canada an official national symbol. The song actually has existed for more than a century, though its lyrics have changed several times over the decades. Commissioned to mark St-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations in Québec on June 24, 1880, O Canada's music was composed by Calixa Lavallée and its French lyrics were written by Adolphe-Basile Routhier. While many different English versions of the song emerged as it grew in popularity across the country, the most well-known English lyrics were written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and judge. The Government of Canada website says the lyrics of the official French version have remained unchanged since 1880. Weir's English lyrics underwent several modifications over the decades on their way to becoming the official English version. Previous versions of the song included closing lines like 'Defend our rights, forfend this nation's thrall' and 'Bless our dear land this day and evermore.' Some lines were changed more than once. In 1913, the original line 'True patriot love thou dost in us command' became 'True patriot love in all thy sons command.' In 2018, that line changed again to 'in all of us command.' The Canadian Encyclopedia says discussions about discriminatory aspects of the anthem, including the gender-exclusive use of the word 'sons,' began in the 1950s. The late Liberal member of Parliament Mauril Bélanger, who pushed to drop 'sons' from the lyrics for years while battling ALS, introduced a private member's bill in 2016 to change the line. It was approved in the House of Commons as Bill C-210 a month later by a vote of 225 to 74. It wasn't until 2018 — after several debates in the Senate and after Bélanger had passed away — that the change became official when the bill became law. The new gender-neutral lyric received mixed reviews and Conservative senators abstained from the final vote in 2018. Other changes have been suggested in recent years. In 2023, former prime minister Justin Trudeau said he was open to changing the anthem again after Canadian singer Jully Black rendered the lyrics as 'our home on Native land' instead of 'our home and Native land.' When asked about Black's version, Trudeau said he was willing to consult with Canadians about it. Nothing ever came of that. Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk recently sang an altered version of the anthem during the 4 Nations Face-Off final game between Canada and the United States — a response to tariffs and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. During her Feb. 20 performance, Kreviazuk changed the line 'in all of us command' to 'that only us command.' She wrote on social media that in this 'very peculiar and potentially consequential' moment, it's important to stand up and 'express our outrage in the face of any abuses of power.' While the original manuscript of 'O Canada' no longer exists, there are two copies of the first edition. One is held in the archives of the Séminaire de Québec and the other is at the Université de Montréal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Sault utility warns of text scam about upcoming power disruption
PUC Services Inc. in Sault Ste. Marie is alerting the public, especially those in the real estate industry, about a scam involving text messages falsely claiming to be from a PUC field technician. (File) PUC Services Inc. in Sault Ste. Marie is alerting the public, especially those in the real estate industry, about a scam involving text messages falsely claiming to be from a PUC field technician. 'These messages typically warn of an upcoming service disconnection and may request a response or follow-up call,' PUC said in a news release Friday. Poor grammar, odd area code 'PUC would like to clarify that we do not send text messages regarding service disconnections. Scammers would likely use deceptive tactics to trick recipients into responding.' The messages often have poor spelling or unusual grammar, PUC said, display out-of-province area codes such as 718 and may reference incorrect or mismatched property addresses. Anyone who receives such a message should not respond in any way. Instead, customers are asked to contact PUC to verify a message at 705-759-6500 or email 'PUC urges everyone to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity,' the release said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
First Nations on B.C.'s North Coast say they would not support a new pipeline
The president of an organization representing First Nations along the north coast of B.C. says it would not support any new pipeline projects in northern B.C. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told Bloomberg News Tuesday that she expects a private company will bring forward a proposal to build a new oil pipeline to B.C.'s North Coast within weeks. Smith wants to revive a plan to bring oilsands crude to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia, with the endpoint in Prince Rupert, B.C. "There is no project or proponents that would be acceptable to us on the North Coast," said Marilyn Slett, elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council, about 479 kilometres north of Vancouver, and president of the Coastal First Nations' Great Bear Initiative (CFN)—an alliance of nine First Nations on the north Pacific coast of B.C. to Haida Gwaii. "Anything that proposes to send oil through the coast is a non-starter," said Slett. Many of the CFN First Nations were parties to a B.C. Supreme Court appeal that stopped Northern Gateway pipeline plans to ship crude oil from the port of Kitimat, B.C. The Enbridge project was scrapped because the court ruled Ottawa failed to properly consult with First Nations affected by the pipeline. Slett said that CFN does support reliable energy projects like solar and hydroelectric. "[The] north Pacific coast is one of the richest cold water marine ecosystems on earth and it's a source of our sustenance, tied to our culture and the livelihoods of not just our communities but many British Columbians," said Slett. "We can't have one livelihood at the cost of another," she said. A University of British Columbia Study estimated that a major oil spill cleanup on the North Coast could cost up to $9.6 billion, and cost the region's commercial fisheries, port, ferry transportation and tourism industries more than $300 million. B.C. premier won't take position B.C. Premier David Eby has not given a firm position on whether he would support a pipeline through northern B.C, telling CBC The Early Edition on Thursday, "I won't speculate about a project that doesn't exist." But did say he would not support a publicly funded pipeline to the North Coast. Premier Eby discusses possibility of northern oil pipeline 1 day ago Duration 13:36 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a proposal to build an oil pipeline to B.C.'s North Coast could be just weeks away. For his part, B.C. Premier David Eby has said he opposes a publicly-funded pipeline, but may consider a privately backed project. He joined CBC's Stephen Quinn to respond to Smith and discuss the possible proposal. Eby told CBC that his government is in support of the federal oil tanker ban on the North Coast. The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act prohibits oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil, or persistent oil products, from stopping, loading, or unloading at ports in a restricted area covering nearly the entire North Coast. Slett said she would like Eby's government to take a position on a potential pipeline. "Theoretically or not, these discussions are happening," said Slett. 'Knee-jerk reaction' The B.C. regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, Terry Teegee, said that First Nations have a right to be concerned about Eby's comments, but that these discussions are premature. Teegee said that this is a "knee-jerk reaction" to tariffs from the U.S. administration, which has led the province to diversify its trade relationships. Eby recently returned from a 10-day trade mission to East Asia, where Japanese conglomerates expressed interest in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the province. "We've got partners over there that prefer to buy B.C. LNG because it comes from a politically stable jurisdiction, but also because it is the lowest carbon LNG in the world," Eby told CBC. LNG has started producing liquefied natural gas that is being transported by the Coastal GasLink pipeline to an export facility in Kitimat, B.C. "It is really concerning because some of these projects will have long-lasting impacts to many First Nations that would affect their territories [for] decades, if not hundreds of years," said Teegee. Teegee said First Nations need to be part of the decision-making process when it comes to large energy projects being considered and approved. "This one is, as we've seen previously, it failed," said Teegee. "Perhaps it's a pipe dream."
