Carney's Quebec honeymoon could turn into a 'hangover' in a province with high expectations
OTTAWA — Mark Carney didn't even know how many MPs the Liberals would have in Quebec on Tuesday morning when he got a taste of what awaited him.
Article content
Article content
'Mark Carney owes one to Quebecers,' said Quebec Premier François Legault after the Liberal party's resounding results in Quebec.
Article content
A few hours earlier, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls, had not congratulated the federal leader but did predict that the next government would be 'hostile' to Quebec.
Article content
'To say that Mark Carney will not collaborate and will not favour Quebec's interests in the upcoming years… is pretty obvious to me,' said St-Pierre Plamondon, whose nickname in Quebec is PSPP.
Article content
Article content
Then Marc Tanguay, the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, seemed indifferent to Carney's successes and wanted everyone to know that 'the Liberal Party of Canada is not the Liberal Party of Quebec.'
Article content
'The next election campaign will be between the Quebec Liberal Party and a referendum on the sovereignty of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon,' Tanguay added, underlining that the context between the federal election and the 2026 provincial election will be 'completely different'.
Article content
Winning 43 of the province's 78 seats, the party's best result since 1980, could come at a cost. A separatist source pointed out that after the 1980 election, Pierre Trudeau's Liberals 'stuffed a constitution down Quebecers' throats'. The government of Quebec has never signed the 1982 Constitution.
Article content
Another source told us they believed that for the first time, Quebecers would 'really have expectations' of the federal government and predicted that within a year, Carney's honeymoon would be over and would be replaced by a 'hangover.'
Article content
Article content
In an interview with the National Post, Carney's Quebec Lieutenant Steven Guilbeault said that 'the day after an election, you have to roll up your sleeves because the work begins.' He acknowledged that premiers, industries, artists, environmentalists and 'the people' have 'expectations'.
Article content
Article content
'This means that there will be many strong Quebec voices around the cabinet table,' Guilbeault said. 'I wouldn't say it's a debt; in fact, I would say it's an obligation we have to represent them well.'
Article content
'I think that's what we're kind of expecting … a slightly greater weight for Quebec compared to Ontario, not necessarily compared to the whole country. But Carney, yes, he owes one to Quebecers,' said Geneviève Tellier, a political studies professor at the University of Ottawa.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
34 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Carney to announce Canada's defence spending will hit NATO's target of 2% of GDP this fiscal year, sources say
Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce what his government is billing as the largest increase in defence spending since the Second World War, measures that sources say would enable Canada to meet NATO's 2-per-cent military expenditure target this fiscal year, well ahead of any previously announced schedule. Two senior government sources told The Globe and Mail that Mr. Carney will unveil a new security and defence investment plan during a Monday speech at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs. It will commit the government to rapidly procuring the equipment and technology needed to protect Canada, assert the country's sovereignty and meet its obligations to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the sources said. The Globe is not identifying the sources, as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. For years, NATO member countries have agreed they should spend the equivalent of 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence. But Canada has been a persistent laggard, spending an estimated 1.45 per cent in 2024, according to a recent NATO report. Canada's existing level of investment has been criticized as insufficient at a time of increasing global threats. Among the critics is U.S. President Donald Trump, who argues his country has devoted too many of its resources to protecting NATO allies. Mr. Carney's coming plan will allow Canada to meet the 2-per-cent target in the 2025-2026 fiscal year ending next March and exceed it in future years, the sources said. This represents a rapid shift in Canada's commitment to defence – already a significant portion of the federal budget – as it moves up the timeline to reach the 2-per-cent target by several years. The spending increase, worth billions of dollars, is set to be announced ahead of the NATO leaders' June 24-25 summit. At The Hague gathering, member countries are expected to raise the Western alliance's military spending target to 3.5 per cent of GDP, plus another amount equivalent to 1.5 per cent for security-related investments. The sources said the new spending will include higher pay for members of the Canadian Armed Forces; new aircraft, armed vehicles and ammunition; new drones and more sensors to monitor the seafloor and the Arctic; repair and maintenance commitments for existing ships, aircraft and other assets; more health care funding for Forces personnel; and funding to boost the Canadian Coast Guard's reach and capabilities. There will also be commitments to increase Canada's defence industry capacity as well as capabilities in artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum and space technologies, the sources said. The expedited effort to meet the NATO 2-per-cent target this fiscal year represents a marked change from as recently as 12 months ago, when then-prime minister Justin Trudeau announced it would take Canada until 2032. He also publicly criticized the target as a 'crass mathematical calculation' that didn't properly account for a country's contributions to NATO. During the recent federal election campaign, Mr. Carney's Liberals pledged to accelerate efforts and reach the 2-per-cent threshold by 2030. The government will provide dollar figures for the announcement on Monday, the sources said. Canadian experts have previously estimated Ottawa would require $15-billion to $20-billion in additional annual military spending to reach the 2-per-cent target. NATO to back 5% spending target in June, Secretary-General says One persistent problem Canada has faced in acquiring new military equipment is a slow and unwieldy procurement process. Mr. Carney's Liberals in the recent election campaign promised to create a stand-alone defence purchasing agency to speed up military equipment procurement, and to prioritize buying Canadian gear and materials whenever possible. It's also expected that the Canadian Coast Guard, currently a civilian operating agency under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, will be moved under the Department of National Defence. (The move would mirror the U.S. Coast Guard, which is a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.) The Canadian Coast Guard's annual budget is about $2.5-billion, a small fraction of the Department of National Defence's yearly spending, which exceeds $41-billion. It's not clear whether moving the Coast Guard under the Canadian military would change it from a civilian fleet to a military fleet. The defence spending will also support key capabilities, including the Arctic over-the-horizon radar system investment announced in March, a counter-drone program, joint support ships, long-range precision strike weapons, increased domestic ammunition production and additional armoured vehicles, among other priorities, the sources said. U.S. ambassador to NATO says the military alliance must outspend Russia on defence Monday's new commitment may not be enough for allies, including the United States under Mr. Trump. Over the past two decades, an agreement among NATO countries to reach the 2-per-cent target has evolved from a guideline to the minimum acceptable obligation. Moscow's all-out-assault on Ukraine – the first large-scale land war in Europe since the Second World War – has reignited fears of Russian expansionism and driven many NATO countries to make historic increases in defence spending. NATO's top civilian official, Secretary-General Mark Rutte, said recently he expects leaders of member countries at the coming summit to agree to raise military spending and related security expenditures to 5 per cent of GDP. 'Strong defences send a clear message – no one should ever think of attacking us,' Mr. Rutte said in a speech in Brussels on Wednesday. He told reporters later that 'if we think that we can keep ourselves safe sticking with the 2 per cent, forget it.'
Toronto Star
37 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Carney set to make defence announcement in Toronto as NATO eyes spending boost
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says he will be in Toronto today to make an announcement related to 'defence and security priorities.' The announcement is slated for 10 a.m., after which he is set to tour a local military facility before holding a news conference at 1 p.m. Defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels last week to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Canada has never met NATO's existing spending target of two per cent since it was established in 2006, and the topic will loom large when NATO leaders meet later this month in the Netherlands. Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the two per cent threshold from 2032 to 2030 or sooner, but hasn't yet revealed a plan for meeting that figure. The NATO secretary-general's annual report released this past April says Canada's defence spending likely hit 1.45 per cent in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Carney set to make defence announcement in Toronto as NATO eyes spending boost
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says he will be in Toronto today to make an announcement related to 'defence and security priorities.' The announcement is slated for 10 a.m., after which he is set to tour a local military facility before holding a news conference at 1 p.m. Defence ministers from NATO countries met in Brussels last week to discuss raising the member spending target on defence to as much as five per cent of GDP. Canada has never met NATO's existing spending target of two per cent since it was established in 2006, and the topic will loom large when NATO leaders meet later this month in the Netherlands. Carney promised during the recent election campaign to move up Canada's deadline for meeting the two per cent threshold from 2032 to 2030 or sooner, but hasn't yet revealed a plan for meeting that figure. The NATO secretary-general's annual report released this past April says Canada's defence spending likely hit 1.45 per cent in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Canadian Press staff, The Canadian Press
