Hydro-Québec president Michael Sabia resigns to join federal politics
Canadian Politics
Hydro-Québec President and CEO Michael Sabia announced that he will end his term on July 4, following his appointment as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Canada.
'Prime Minister Carney has asked me to take on this role at a time when the country is facing unprecedented challenges. In this context, I join the federal government in meeting these challenges head on,' Sabia wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Over the coming weeks, Hydro-Québec's board of directors will choose a potential successor to recommend to Quebec's cabinet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
25 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Canada's wildfire season on track to be the second worst on record
OTTAWA—The 2025 wildfire season is on track to be Canada's second-worst on record, federal officials said Thursday, as hundreds of fires burn across Ontario and Western Canada and smoke blankets some urban centres. Approximately 3.7 million hectares of land have burned so far in Canada, only second at this point of the wildfire season to the devastating 2023 fires during which 15 million hectares were ravaged and more than 200,000 Canadians were forced to flee. Current forecasts expect higher-than-normal temperatures across the country and a 'hot and dry' summer. The highest wildfire risk remains in Western and Northern Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We are clearly experiencing and maybe in store for a challenging year, but I would hesitate drawing too many comparisons to 2023 at this point,' Michael Norton, director general at Natural Resources Canada's northern forestry centre, told reporters. That's because a 'slight downturn' in fire activity is expected this month, and drought conditions were worse and several large fires happened at the same time that year. Ottawa has so far received three requests for federal assistance, two in Manitoba and one in Ontario, as Prime Minister Mark Carney last Sunday deployed Canadian Armed Forces aircraft and personnel to help emergency personnel in the northwest of the province. Around 500 international forest firefighters have come from the U.S. and Australia, and more than 100 more are coming from Costa Rica. Still, long-debated plans for a national emergency response agency or wildfire firefighting service do not appear to be in sight, with federal officials saying Thursday the matter was still being considered. 'One of the things that we want to make sure is that we don't end up spending a lot of time and effort duplicating services that are already available and that already work very well,' Emergency Preparedness Minister Eleanor Olszewski told reporters during a news conference on the wildfire situation. The update comes as Canada prepares to host international leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. this weekend. Wildfires are expected to be one of several subjects discussed at the summit. Olszewski told reporters that G7 countries have already agreed in principle to a 'wildfire charter' that would include an international agreement on how wildfires should be dealt with globally. Federal cabinet ministers also faced several questions about the Carney government's decision to try to cut short debate and pass Bill C-5, its legislation that would give the government new powers to evade existing laws and regulations to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects, through the House of Commons by the end of next week. The Carney government on Thursday put forward a motion that would only give one day of hearings from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts next week, many of which have raised concerns about Indigenous consultation and environmental protections. 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
41 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: former PM Chrétien
CALGARY – Former prime minister Jean Chrétien says dignitaries attending the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Alberta should avoid engaging the 'crazy' from U.S. President Donald Trump. Chrétien, speaking Thursday at a conference in Calgary, said leaders can't predict what Trump might do. He said the president can be a bully and it would be best if the rest of the G7 leaders ignored any outbursts. 'If he has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy,' Chrétien said. 'Let him do it, and keep talking normally.' Chrétien said leaders should follow the example set by Prime Minister Mark Carney when he visited Trump at the White House last month. 'When Trump talked about Canada to be part of the United States, (Carney) just said, 'Canada is not for sale, the White House is not for sale, Buckingham Palace is not for sale,'' Chrétien said. 'Trump said, 'Never say never,' (but Carney) didn't even reply. He just moved on with the discussion. It's the way to handle that.' Carney is hosting Trump and world leaders from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union for the three-day summit starting Sunday in Kananaskis, located in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary. Chrétien, speaking alongside his former deputy prime minister and finance minister John Manley, also said he supported Carney's decision to invite India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit. Carney has been criticized for the invitation, including by a member of his own Liberal caucus, due to ongoing tensions between Canada and India over foreign interference and the 2023 killing of Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. The RCMP has said it has evidence linking members of the Indian government to Singh's death. 'It's always good to talk,' Chrétien said of the Modi invite. 'They will be able to talk, and they will see there are other problems. 'You have to navigate. You cannot always go on your high horse for every little problem you're confronted with.' Chrétien was one of two former Canadian prime ministers speaking at the conference, hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and the G7 Research Group. The university says the conference is meant to bring experts and officials together to explain key issues G7 leaders are facing heading into the summit. Former prime minister Joe Clark, born in High River, Alta., closed out the conference by urging greater ties with the U.K. and France. He also offered similar advice not to entertain any public theatre Trump may engage in during the summit. 'I don't think there's any point in throwing up our hands or criticizing (Trump),' Clark said. 'I think it would be wise to have more private dealings and fewer public dealings until the proclivities of the U.S. president change.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also spoke at the conference. She said the possibility of an economic and security deal between Canada and the United States being signed at the G7 would be an extraordinary step. She urged Canada to continue finding new trading partners, even if the relationship between the two countries begins to smooth over. 'Let's not take our foot off the gas,' Smith said. David Angell, current foreign and defence policy adviser to Carney, said on a separate panel that the world leaders are meeting 'at a moment of enormous flux globally, when tensions among G7 members are especially pronounced.' Carney announced Monday he's planning for Canada to meet NATO's spending guideline by early next year. Angell, a former Canadian ambassador to NATO, said the country made a mistake in allowing the defence industry to 'shift onto a kind of assumption of peacetime footing.' He said the G7 can be exceptionally consequential and no other process allows for discussion about the 'wicked issues' core to defence issues. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
The Province
an hour ago
- The Province
'War is coming': Canadian, other G7 leaders need to grapple with imminent threats, say experts
'If you're not prepared for conflict, conflict will find you and you won't have the time or resources to catch up,' said retired vice-admiral Mark Norman University of Calgary Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies political science professors Ian Brodie, left, and Rob Huebert, centre, and retired Royal Canadian Navy vice-admiral Mark Norman, right, take part in a conference on prospects for the upcoming G7 Kananaskis summit. The conference was presented by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia G7 countries face an existential threat and their gathering at Kananaskis could be decisive in facing up to those, a University of Calgary conference on the upcoming summit heard Thursday. 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. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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 Prime Minister Mark Carney's vow to increase military spending to two per cent of Canada's GDP will certainly fall short of what's needed, said a panel of experts that included a retired Canadian vice-admiral. 'The G7 has the potential of being transformational in the context of security,' said U of C political scientist Rob Huebert. 'War is coming, the question is what kind of shape is Canada in? We do need to think the unthinkable because things are changing.' Much of that pessimism comes from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its threats to use nuclear weapons against Kyiv's allies, said those on a panel discussion — but it's not confined to Russia and the threat is not solely confronted by Ukraine, they said. 'Our entire global wealth and well-being, our values that make us Canadian, is under attack from a number of different vectors,' said retired vice-admiral Mark Norman. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This is not an academic problem, we must plan in the world we're in, not the one want to be in . . . If you're not prepared for conflict, conflict will find you and you won't have the time or resources to catch up.' Retired Royal Canadian Navy vice-admiral Mark Norman takes part in a conference on prospects for the upcoming G7 Kananaskis summit. The conference was presented by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia The threat of nuclear war is currently at its highest since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, said Huebert, but he said deterrence now includes the possession of hypersonic missiles that have been used against Ukraine. 'It's about convincing your enemies you have those, too, and that you're willing to fight,' he said. Read More 'We do need much more robust capabilities' When G7 leaders meet June 15-17 at Kananaskis, their agenda will include global security and the war in Ukraine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The panelists didn't address the dramatic shift in U.S. sympathies toward Russia, but Norman said the threat has been evolving and growing for decades, well before the Trump administration. Russia has said they consider themselves at war with NATO, given the West's support of Ukraine that only falls short of sending troops. University of Calgary Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies political science professor Rob Huebert takes part in a conference on prospects for the upcoming G7 Kananaskis summit. The conference was presented by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia While the panelists didn't expect Canada to adopt nuclear weapons, it does have to considerably step up its investment in conventional forces. 'We naively assumed we could become consumers of other people's (military capability) but we have to take much more interest in the resilience of our national industries and defence is part of that,' said Norman. That two per cent number for military spending isn't definitive or entirely essential, said Dave Angell, prime ministerial foreign and defence policy advisor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'But we do need much more robust capabilities than we've had for some period of time,' said Angell. 'We do need to have a much greater and sustained investment.' Angell said the upcoming G7 will be 'exceptionally timely' in discussing developments in Gaza, Iran, Haiti and Ukraine, adding he's heartened by strong, united wording in final communiques coming from G7 finance and foreign affairs meetings in the past few months. 'It's going to be incredibly costly' But the panelists said a political willingness to boost military spending is required and making those investments won't be without a price. 'It's going to come at a cost to the rest of the Canadian economy, it's going to be incredibly costly,' said Ian Brodie, a political science professor at the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. University of Calgary Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies political science professor Ian Brodie takes part in a conference on prospects for the upcoming G7 Kananaskis summit. The conference was presented by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia The U of C's Huebert said Canada has proven a reliable NATO member and has answered many calls for troops, noting the country is currently deploying a battle group in Latvia to deter Russian aggression in the Baltic states. One of the targets for protesters who will gather in Calgary for the G7 is military spending, which they contend invites more conflict and detracts from investment on social needs. They also criticize the G7 and other Western nations of immorally arming countries they say commit war crimes, such as Israel. BKaufmann@ X: @BillKaufmannjrn News Vancouver Canucks Soccer Vancouver Canucks Local News
