NDP says government needs to be more transparent in trade talks with the U.S.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney should honour the Liberal government's past promises to the NDP and table information about any U.S. trade talks in the House of Commons, the party's interim leader says.
The request from Don Davies comes ahead of this month's gathering of G7 leaders, where Carney will once again meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and the two will continue to work out a new economic and security relationship between the two countries.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
N.B. premier optimistic about inter-provincial free trade following first ministers' meeting
Social Sharing New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is hoping to see plenty of movement toward free trade over the next month, but one business group says the province could be doing more. Following meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other premiers in Saskatoon, Holt said she's optimistic that common ground can be found to allow greater mobility of goods and skilled labour across the country. "New Brunswick's been sort of at the table pushing the group at the federal, provincial and territorial table to move aggressively on this," she told reporters Monday night. Carney has promised federal legislation targeting barriers under Ottawa's jurisdiction by Canada Day, which could target anything from energy efficiency standards to environmental and regulatory assessments on major projects. But he praised provinces for how they've been working to reduce barriers to trade. "I can't keep up with the flurry of announcements of free trade agreements between provinces across the country," he said. WATCH | What has New Brunswick actually done for inter-provincial trade? Holt says N.B. is a leader in removing trade barriers. The truth is more complicated 2 hours ago Duration 2:52 "The federal government will do its part tabling legislation very shortly to eliminate federal barriers to inter-provincial movement of goods and people and also to put in place an ability to advance projects of national interest." So far, New Brunswick has dropped a number of procurement exemptions for provincial agencies and has signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) with Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador to explore greater labour mobility. The province has also passed legislation allowing for greater sales of out-of-province alcohol, but that will require agreement from other provinces to take effect. Another piece of legislation will smooth out licensing requirements for regulated workers who are certified in other provinces, allowing them to work while applying for certification with the corresponding New Brunswick body. However, the Atlantic vice-president with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the province could go further, by recognizing certification in other provinces. "Essentially the province is allowing people to come in to work, but it's in view of getting their certification," said Louis-Philippe Gauthier. "Our contention would be that if somebody is certified by a professional association in one province, they should be allowed to practise in another. That's just a simple reality." Provinces like Nova Scotia and Ontario are at various stages of passing legislation to do just that. A number of MOUs have been signed between individual provinces, as they look to drop restrictions over certain goods and services. Holt has even proposed an Atlantic free trade zone, with no trade restrictions among neighbouring provinces. While Gauthier said the momentum is positive, he warns that a new patchwork of differing agreements may not be much better than the free trade agreement the provinces have now. "Allowing the government to still impose restrictions just creates a Canadian trade agreement 2.0, where we're just going to see 169 different MOUs signed between each and every province and territory and that's not necessarily desirable," he said.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
EDITORIAL: Carney defies calls for a spring budget
Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with all of Canada's premiers during the First Ministers' Meeting at TCU Place on Monday, June 2, 2025. Photo by Michelle Berg / Saskatoon StarPhoenix By failing to produce a spring budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney is defying the will of the House of Commons and raising concerns in financial markets about the government's lack of financial transparency that could raise Canada's borrowing costs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account This comes on the heels of a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released Tuesday that says Canada will be one of the developed world's hardest hit economies this year and next. Predicting 1% economic growth for Canada this year and 1.1% in 2026, compared to global growth of 2.9% in both years, the OECD said 'the slowdown is expected to be most concentrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and China, with smaller downward adjustments in other economies.' It's true, as Carney has said, that Canada can't control the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump whose trade war is contributing to economic uncertainty. But Carney can control the release date of the federal budget. All the opposition parties combined forces on Monday evening to pass a Conservative resolution calling for a federal budget or economic statement before Parliament adjourns for the summer. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The motion passed by 166 votes with 164 Liberal MPs voting against. While it isn't binding on the government it adds to growing concerns about Carney's decision to delay the federal budget until the fall. Reuters news agency has reported that the Canadian government's debt issuance in that budget is expected to surpass the previous record high during the pandemic, which could raise borrowing costs on Canada's debt. Carney has said releasing a budget before Parliament adjourns for the summer would be premature given that the numbers are changing due to the continuing economic impact of Trump's tariffs and what will be Canada's increased commitment to defence spending. But the lack of a spring budget, 'raises questions about transparency and contributes to greater economic and fiscal uncertainty,' said Joshua Grundleger of the Fitch Ratings service, which has warned about Canada's rising debt levels, although it has not yet lowered Canada's credit rating. 'It would be helpful for markets to have a clear sense of which aspects of the (Liberal) party platform will be implemented and what the ultimate impact will be on deficits, debt and the taxpayer,' Grundleger said. Toronto & GTA Ontario Other Sports Toronto & GTA Canada
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Legault praises Carney, but did not discuss immigration with him
Quebec Premier Francois Legault had glowing praise for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after the First Ministers' Conference in Saskatchewan. (Francois Legault/X) Premier François Legault has fallen under the spell of his federal counterpart Mark Carney. Returning from the First Ministers' Conference held Monday in Saskatoon, he praised the economic speech given by the new leader of the federal Liberal government. In a brief news scrum before heading to question period at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Legault said he had never talked so much about the economy with a Canadian prime minister as he did on Monday. Rencontre constructive à Saskatoon, avec le premier ministre @MarkJCarney et mes collègues des provinces. On n'a jamais autant parlé d'économie avec un premier ministre du Canada. Nos projets ont été bien accueillis, et on a senti une réelle volonté du fédéral de réaliser des… — François Legault (@francoislegault) June 2, 2025 The day before, Ontario Premier Doug Ford had literally delivered a declaration of love to Carney at the end of Monday's meeting, which did not, however, result in any firm commitments. Legault did not, however, discuss the sensitive issue of immigration with Carney, a bone of contention between the federal government and Quebec. In the House, he defended himself by arguing that the theme of Monday's meeting was the economy. He also said that Ottawa was aware of Quebec's demand to halve federal immigration from 400,000 to 200,000. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 3, 2025.
