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Ottawa Citizen
5 days ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
MacDougall: New nation-building acts must happen in the national capital
Watching the King of Canada hold court at the temporary home of the Senate this week felt like history being made. And like history coming back to life. Article content Article content Yes, the scenes of King Charles and Queen Camilla harkened back to previous visits by other royals, most notably the late Queen Elizabeth when she opened Parliament in 1977. But the history it evoked in me wasn't regal; it was of events a few years later in the same setting — namely, Pierre Trudeau's negotiations over the patriation of the Canadian Constitution, which took place in the same building when it served as the Government Conference Centre. Article content Article content The world, the King read in the throne speech, is now a 'more dangerous and uncertain place,' a coded message meant for Donald Trump and his dismantling of world order. But the same could have been said when the elder Trudeau convened the premiers in the wake of the FLQ crisis and the then-robust campaign for Quebec sovereignty. The West was upset, too, with the National Energy Program. Like now, bold action was needed to strengthen national unity and identity. Article content Trudeau's answer was the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and 'full' Canadian sovereignty. And while the resulting 'Night of the Long Knives' led to René Lévesque's refusal to agree to reform, then to another round of separatism moves (following the failed constitutional wrangling at Meech Lake), the constitutional gambit was a big, bold move when big bold moves were required. Article content Article content If Canada is truly experiencing a 'hinge' moment, then big, bold action is required. And that action will need the agreement of the provinces, especially on domestic trade barriers. All the more reason, then, for the new prime minister to pull a 1981 and get the premiers around the table — in Ottawa — to hammer out a deal. Article content The location matters. A nation has a national capital for a reason. Big events need to happen on big — and symbolic — stages. Minor players can also come to life, or be exposed, on said stages. If Danielle Smith thinks Alberta separation is a goer, she should meet with all of her colleagues to make the case as part of a broader conversation, as Lévesque did generations ago. Article content Our politics and political figures have gotten so small recently, it's hard to remember how enormous some provincial voices of old were. There was Lévesque. But there was also Bill Davis, Peter Lougheed, Bill Bennett and Brian Peckford. Even the ministerial ranks were stuffed with bright minds and big personalities: Jean Chrétien, Roy Romanow and Roy McMurtry. It took the collective action of their minds and the prime minister's to achieve the restructuring of Canada's constitutional order.
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Explainer: What provincial investigation of the ODSCB means
Article content That possibility hasn't disappeared. In 2018, Nova Scotia dissolved elected school boards. School governance is managed by advisory councils appointed by the provincial government instead of school boards. Article content Why was the OCDSB under supervision before? Under Mike Harris' Conservative government, the province and cash-strapped school boards were battling over who had control of education. In 1998, the province took away school boards' taxation powers. Ottawa always had a strong tax base. That led to the expectation that education extras could always be provided for by raising taxes. The school board spent its last $20 million in reserves in 2001-2002. The following year, it faced trimming $26 million and submitted a deficit budget. The province sent forensic auditor Al Rosen to Ottawa to check the books. Rosen's report blamed trustees for the shortfall, saying they had 'self-inflicted' their own financial pain, and recommended the province appoint a supervisor. In August 2002 Merv Beckstead, the pragmatic and plain-spoken former chief administrative officer for the former Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and the City of Nepean, was appointed to supervise the OCDSB. He became a lightning rod for parents and opponents of the Harris government. Junior kindergarten, transportation and special education were on the chopping block, but the most emotional discussions were about closing schools. Failing to close schools had resulted in the school board losing millions in grants, Beckstead reflected in a 2003 op-ed he wrote for the Ottawa Citizen. 'Many trustees apparently refuse to acknowledge the instability and uncertainty they have created by failing to make organization changes, in areas for which they have control, to maximize quality operational effectiveness and efficiency, and to maximize funding eligibility,' Beckstead wrote. There were major cuts to other Ontario school boards under supervision. The supervisor of the Toronto District School Board recommended $90 million in savings in a budget that included no money for teacher salary increases. There were reasons to freak out in Ottawa. One consultant's report recommended that the OCDSB close 58 schools over 15 years. That didn't happen. There were court cases, including one in Ottawa, where education activists tried to get Beckstead's appointment overturned, claiming that appointing a supervisor was unfair, unlawful, discriminatory, arbitrary and 'offends to values of democracy inherent in the Canadian Constitution.' They lost. Did anything good come of it for schools? The process forced the province to acknowledge that underfunding of education was an issue. Beckstead had to borrow $13.9 million. A 2002 report by Mordechai Rozanski, president of the University of Guelph, recommended a $1.8 billion cash infusion over the next three years. The province responded with $250 million for special education over two years. Two days after Rozanski's report landed, another $340 million was announced to settle teachers' contracts. Three days later, there was $20 million more for transportation. The OCDSB received $20 million out of the total cash infusion. Are schools currently underfunded? The Ontario government says it has invested more than $29 billion in total education funding for the 2024-25 school year. However, according to analysis by the Ontario Public School Boards Association released earlier in May, there's a funding gap of more than $1 billion. Actual per-pupil funding from the province is increasing a small amount from $13,584 to $13,834, an increase of $250 or 1.8 per cent compared to last year. In 2018, per pupil funding was $12,282.44. Funding increases do no take inflation into account, the analysis said. 'Funding, when adjusted for inflation, now sits at $11,506.03, a gap of $776.41 per student. This is the lowest level of per pupil funding in more than 10 years.' Article content Article content That's not the stated objective, but it will probably help. However, even if the review produces savings, they would be a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed. The cost-cutting is not over yet. Article content OCDSB director of education Pino Buffone told trustees earlier in May that the education ministry had spoken to school board representatives for years about structural issues, including running multiple tracks at the elementary level being 'an impossible reality.' Article content The board is spreading itself too thin and needs to streamline to two program offerings, English and French immersion, Buffone said. Article content 'We need to get smarter with our resources, mobilize them ore effectively,' he told trustees. 'We're not taking any money from this review and putting it in our back pocket. We are remobilizing what we have to serve students better than when we load schools in multiple tracks.' The school board has been 'distracted by a series of other things,' Buffone said. 'We are an organization that has taken away from our core business, and we have strayed.' Article content Article content Article content Minister of Education Paul Calandra has not minced words, saying the province will be 'relentless' in holding school boards accountable. 'We have been clear: Transparency and accountability from Ontario school boards is mandatory,' he said. 'Further actions will be taken if the situation at these school boards does not improve. As the new Minister of Education, I will be looking at every avenue to bring more transparency, consistency and accountability to all school boards across the province.' Article content What does history have to say about the situation? The investigator's report may not lead to supervision and could lead to vindication of the argument that the board is underfunded, said Rob Campbell, who was chair of the Ottawa Carleton Assembly of School Councils when the OCDSB was last under supervision. He was later a two-term trustee. It may depend on the investigator and how the government responds, Campbell said. 'Do they play tough with the school boards? There are a lot of political questions here,' he said. 'The investigator will report, but it's up to the province to decide what next steps to take.' School closures are not on the table this time. In fact, the opposite is true, and there's a moratorium on closing schools. The report may show that inflation and other new expenses have overwhelmed provincial funding, Campbell said. 'Best-case scenario, the report may recommend more money.'
Toronto Star
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Star
Insider says Mark Carney knows ‘anything can happen' in meeting with Donald Trump
WASHINGTON — A plan beats no plan, as Mark Carney likes to say. But in Donald Trump's White House, plans go out the window. It's going to be a perilous few hours for the newly elected prime minister as he navigates the first handshake, the postures, the unscripted remarks in front of a phalanx of cameras for a series high-stakes meetings in Washington. When his plane landed here Monday, there was a red carpet and a standard greeting by an acting U.S. protocol official and Canada's ambassador in Washington. Nothing fancy. Nothing that attested to a special relationship. As Carney was flying to Joint Base Andrews outside the capital, Trump was already airily dissing their Tuesday tête-à-tête. 'I'm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal,' he said. 'Everybody does.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Washington on Monday ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders will meet Tuesday. (AP Video / May 5, 2025) Carney may emerge from his first face-to-face meeting with Trump with punitive tariffs on Canadian autos, steel and aluminum still in place, new threats in the offing, and nothing more than a promise for how future trade and security talks should unfold. That would be a win in the eyes of key stakeholders and some premiers. Several told the Star Monday that it's unrealistic to expect the tariffs would be immediately lifted. 'I think that's asking a lot,' said Jean Simard, a spokesman for the Aluminum Association of Canada, adding that the economic impact is starting to be felt across U.S. supply chains, and that will soon be apparent to Trump. Flavio Volpe, head of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said 'you don't go into a meeting like this saying you're going to get some concession against these tariff threats' or else. Rather, they and others expect success for Carney is more about framing the path forward, what will be on the agenda in a review next year of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade deal, whether those talks would start earlier (which would be a concession from Canada as it is not up for renegotiation), and what additional things might be now on the table that weren't when it was originally signed in 2018. Trump hailed the deal as a win at the time, saying it 'changes the trade landscape forever.' Yet it didn't account for a broader range of issues now in play, such as artificial intelligence, critical minerals, potash, uranium or energy. 'Does it mean renegotiating? Could it be side agreements that could be annexed to the main agreement in order to avoid reopening the whole thing?' said Simard. 'Because it's like reopening the Canadian Constitution — if you do that, you know where you start, but you don't know where and when it will end.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney headed to Washington on Monday ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump. Carney's visit will be watched closely by Canadians infuriated by Trump — and by an anxious business community looking for tariff relief. (AP Video / May 5, 2025) On Monday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News dismissively that it would be 'complex' to get a new trade deal with Canada 'because they have been basically feeding off of us for decades upon decades upon decades, right? They have their socialist regime, and it's basically feeding off of America. I mean, the president calls it out all the time, why do we make cars in Canada? Why do we do our films in Canada? Come on.' Lutnick predicted that it would be a 'fascinating meeting' between the two leaders, but added, 'I just don't see how it works out so perfect.' Since Trump set out to change the global trading landscape with new tariffs against Canada and Mexico, and with worldwide import duties (briefly on pause), global leaders have travelled to Washington to meet him. A senior Ontario official close to the file said they have not left with a consistent takeaway. 'The biggest challenge the world is facing is no one really knows what the Trump administration wants to achieve and that makes it hard to sort of anchor a strategy' for how respond, said the official, whom the Star agreed not to identify in order talk frankly about sensitive trade talks. For Carney's team, 'the challenge will be understanding' Trump's objective, and then ensuring Trump's 'objectives are maintained because they change often, and they change fast,' said the official. 'I think we should be realistic about what success looks like tomorrow.' Carney may need to 'pivot' quickly, the official added, because a new trilateral free trade deal may be hard to achieve. 'We've heard loud and clear from folks in the Trump administration that (separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico) is not an unlikely outcome out of all of this.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW For the auto and aluminum sector representatives, it makes little sense to pivot away from the trilateral pact to bilateral deals, because their sectors are not only integrated but work across borders to stem threats from cheap Chinese imports. Volpe tempered his expectations. If Carney 'came out with some concessions against current threats, that'd be great,' he said. 'But I don't expect the prime minister to go in hard negotiating on a first meeting.' Instead it will be a 'conversation' in which Trump may come to 'understand the intrinsic value of a Mark Carney-Canada partnership,' in order to show the world it's not just chaos at his White House, Volpe said. 'He surrounded himself with Wall Street guys who are much louder than anything we're all used to, but the Wall Street guys know who Mark Carney is,' said Volpe. Carney landed just after 4 p.m. Monday and was set for a brief meeting organized by the Business Council of Canada with Canadian and American business leaders. On Tuesday, he has about three hours of meetings at the White House, including a working lunch with Trump and other officials, and a meeting with just Trump. Over the weekend, Trump repeated his goal of making Canada his country's 51st state, said he'd raise it with Carney. He also levelled a new threat against the U.S. filmmaking industry, promising tariffs that would directly affect film and television production in Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Carney sought to lower expectations Friday when he said his focus is on 'both immediate trade pressures and the broader future economic and security relationship,' and that he'd 'take all the time necessary, but not more, in order to do so.' Carney has also vowed to reset the defence and security partnership with the U.S. as he tries to strengthen ties with other European and Asian partners. He's said he will increase Canadian defence spending to hit the NATO target of two per cent of gross domestic product by 2030, ahead of Justin Trudeau's previously set schedule. Trump, however, wants NATO allies to spend five per cent of GDP on defence. Premier Doug Ford has urged Carney to hit the two per cent defence spending target faster, to drop the digital services tax which hits U.S.-based tech giants and remains a persistent irritant to Trump, and to work on a broader energy and critical mineral strategy with the Trump administration. The Ontario official said the Americans 'do not have the critical minerals they need to power their economy. I think that's a real opportunity — whether it's critical minerals, potash, oil and gas — to really emphasize Canada's strategic offering,' and finally be heard in a way Canada wasn't before 'because of the baggage of the Trudeau-Trump relationship.' In a letter Monday to Carney, Ford pledged to work with the federal government and other provinces to make Canada more resilient to Trump's threats. He vowed to help Carney build new 'energy corridors for pipelines, rail lines, transmission lines and other critical infrastructure necessary to get Canadian resources and energy to new and established refineries, as well as to new tidewater and, beyond it, new markets.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That will boost the Canadian economy and 'significantly reduce the existential risk and threat' of any intervention by the United States, either at the state or federal level' in a long-running legal dispute over the Line 5 pipeline that carries oil and natural gas liquids from Michigan to Sarnia for refining. Ford said it's critical 'to ensure we're able to power our future no matter what.' And Ford set out a marker that, as the Carney government works toward a 'renewed security and economic partnership, Ontario expects frequent, ongoing and meaningful engagement by the federal government with all provinces and territories at all stages to ensure our core interests are reflected in any outcome.' Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly are accompanying Carney on the Washington trip, but no minister briefed reporters on Carney's goals or strategy for the meeting. That is deliberate, to lower the temperature. Carney's team says it is not going in to renegotiate the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement in this first meeting. Instead, the prime minister is going into the talks with the expectation that 'anything can happen, positive or negative,' said one federal official, whom the Star agreed not to identify, and who declined to discuss the trip further. That, says the Ontario official, is smart. Carney should not go in 'dug in that we are right on all of these things and they are wrong, and then screw themselves,' they said. 'That will only lead to more tension and more conflict.' Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! 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CBC
02-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
What the 'Free the Beer' case can teach us about interprovincial trade
Gerard Comeau thought nothing of his 2012 trip from New Brunswick to Quebec and back again to pick up a carload of beer. He lived close to the border in Tracadie, N.B., and the prices were cheaper in Quebec. It seemed like a no-brainer. He certainly didn't expect a police sting, a five-year legal battle and a Supreme Court of Canada decision saying he didn't have the right to purchase that beer without impediment. "I can go buy any material anywhere in Canada. You can go buy 20 shirts in Quebec, no problem. Why wouldn't you be able to buy beer," said Comeau, over a decade after that fateful beer run. But Comeau's quest to "free the beer" is once again in the spotlight as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada with tariffs and interprovincial trade gets another look. The looming threat of those tariffs has Canadian premiers vowing to remove interprovincial trade barriers, which the federal government says could add an estimated $200 billion to Canada's economy. Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand announced on Feb. 21 that the federal government would remove 20 of the 39 exceptions in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, with most related to government procurement. "One of Canada's strongest trading partners is Canada. We are all hands on deck to promote freer trade here at home," Anand said in a statement. Those who have been pushing for free internal trade say it's about time. Others say it's still not enough, and if Canada is going to make it through Trump's trade war, more needs to be done. But not everyone is convinced. Comeau gets caught Comeau had no idea he was driving his beer into a trap in 2012. Court documents say the RCMP in New Brunswick were concerned about how often people were going to Quebec to buy beer, so they set up a two-day sting to crack down on it. Comeau bought a lot of beer, along with two bottles of whiskey and one bottle of liqueur. The purchase was well over what was allowed. So, on his return trip, the RCMP pulled Comeau over, slapped him with a nearly $300 fine and confiscated his booze. Comeau was determined to fight the fine, as it came with a provincial offence. That's when Toronto lawyer Arnold Schwisberg approached Comeau about taking on his case pro bono, funded by the Canadian Constitution Foundation. "I say this with admiration. Mr. Comeau is Joe Canadian. He is so relatable," said Schwisberg. Schwisberg had long thought the provincial trade laws were unconstitutional, specifically those around buying booze, and he wanted a chance to challenge them in court. He felt Comeau had the perfect case. "I truly believed then, as I believe now, that the interprovincial trade impediments in Canada are compromising our country's economic strength. And this is only now being recognized, even though there was an opportunity before the Supreme Court in 2017," said Schwisberg. Arguing free provincial trade The crux of his argument was Article 121 in the Canadian Constitution, which states: "All articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of any one of the provinces shall, from and after the union, be admitted free into each of the other provinces." Schwisberg emphasized a literal interpretation of the word "free" and argued that the fine on Comeau was unconstitutional. Comeau was acquitted in provincial court by Judge Ronald LeBlanc in 2016. He even got his confiscated beer back. But that turned out to be just the battle, not the war. Bill Richards, who had represented the Crown, appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and it heard the case. "To interpret free as literally would have repercussions for provincial powers. Agriculture schemes and public health and environmental controls are not barriers designed to impede trade but [are] incidental," said Richards, looking back on the case. In April of 2018, the nine-justice panel unanimously agreed with Richards. They stated that provinces have the right to restrict the importation of goods from another province, as long as the primary aim of the restriction is not to impede trade. It found the Constitution's language applied to something like a tariff, but it didn't mean there could be zero restrictions. Schwisberg was disappointed, but not totally surprised, by the decision. "I realized that this had the potential to affect virtually every aspect of the Canadian internal economy. But I also recognized that there would be billions and billions of dollars of interests, that would make it very, very difficult to bring about this change," said Schwisberg. Why do these barriers exist? Part of the reason for these barriers is the difference in standards between different parts of Canada. Provinces and territories often have different rules and regulations around the creation of products such as booze and dairy. This affects a number of different Canadian products. Most Canadian wineries, breweries and distilleries can't sell or ship directly to consumers in other parts of the country. Most provinces have their own liquor retailers that have different rules related to selling, storing and labelling alcohol, though people are still able to buy alcohol from retailers in other provinces. It just comes with some limits, as Comeau found out. But Brian Lee Crowley says it's time for more of those barriers to come down. Crowley is the founder and managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. "If Canadians decide that they're willing to sort of bite the bullet and remove the trade barriers and upset some of the producer groups that are protected by those barriers, I think we will be able to raise our standard of living quite quickly," said Crowley. But there was pushback from industry in 2017, as many interest groups put their concerns to the Supreme Court, and there is pushback now. Removing those barriers would mean big changes for some industries in Canada, including dairy, egg and poultry, which rely on the supply management system to keep prices stable for farmers such as Mark Ricka. "It definitely gives me anxiety, right? It definitely makes you worry that the whole industry across the country would be up on the chopping block," said Ricka, a third-generation dairy farmer in Chilliwack, B.C. He says he understands it on some level. Who wouldn't want cheaper groceries? But he has concerns. He says some provinces would be able to produce milk cheaper, and therefore, sell it at a cheaper price than he may be able to in B.C. And that could put him out of business. Will it change? Crowley says those who support supply management have a lot at stake and are well-organized. And they have political support. Liberal leadership contenders Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland, as well as representatives from the Conservatives and NDP all provided statements to CBC saying they support Canadian farmers and supply management. Those political leaders have also voiced their support for improved internal trade within Canada. But what about those whose livelihoods would be at risk if those trade barriers were knocked down? Crowley says there's a solution for that. Crowley says research into supply management has shown people are paying a premium on products such as dairy and eggs. The competition created by reducing trade barriers would bring down the prices of those goods for consumers, and with more money in people's pockets, government would be able to step in to help the industries affected by those changes. "One of the great things about economic growth is that means governments can take a share of that growth and use it to compensate the losers. That's a part of the role of government," said Crowley. Comeau still buys his beer in Quebec. While plenty of alcohol trade barriers remain, the provinces made a deal in 2018 to raise personal exemption limits on alcohol, letting Canadians carry six cases of beer, two cases of wine and six litres of spirits across borders. So as long as Comeau doesn't go overboard, he can buy his beer worry-free. And even though the barriers didn't come down in 2018, Schwisberg is hopeful they may come down yet. "It is the perfect time to further the Canadian dialogue about how we're going to strengthen our country economically by addressing the fact that it has been more difficult to trade with the Canadian province than it has been to trade with another sovereign nation, and that can't continue," Schwisberg.
