Latest news with #KathleenWynne
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Premiers need to ‘put up or shut up' on internal trade at first ministers' meeting: Jason Kenney
Former premiers Jason Kenney and Kathleen Wynne weigh in on trade with the U.S. and what Canada should be focusing on. Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says the provinces and territories need to maintain the momentum spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and make quicker progress on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers. Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with all of Canada's premiers on Monday, with interprovincial trade — and his promise to eliminate barriers to that trade by Canada Day — on the agenda. During a panel interview with former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne for CTV's Question Period, Kenney said while he has 'a bit of skepticism' based on his previous experience trying to negotiate internal trade, he's hopeful. 'It's time for the premiers to put up or shut up,' Kenney told host Vassy Kapelos. 'This is, again, the time to be bold.' 'We had a sense of real urgency about 10 weeks ago because of the Trump threats,' Kenney added. 'Let's not lose that. Let's grasp this opportunity. Let's not waste a good crisis.' Repeatedly stating the longstanding Canada-U.S. relationship is 'over,' in the face of Trump's sweeping global tariffs, Carney vowed during the election campaign to diversify Canada's trading partners and 'create one Canadian economy out of 13.' Kenney said Monday's meeting has the potential to be 'hugely' significant, especially considering Carney 'has inflated expectations to sky-high levels.' He said while he's hopeful progress could come from the gathering, he also worries the prime minister could be 'setting himself up for great disappointment.' The former premier pointed to his previous efforts to 'create some momentum' on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers, but adding 'virtually no one followed suit.' 'Every premier is going to come with their own shopping list,' Kenney said, adding meetings between the prime minister and the premiers 'often devolve into what I call, derisively, begging-bowl federalism.' 'I hope they think in the national interest, they see the big strategic imperative to expand our economy, turn around the decline in productivity, expand our export markets,' Kenney said. 'This isn't an opportunity to go in front of the prime minister and just pitch for that highway you've been trying to finance or that new hospital you want to build.' Wynne said she thinks much of the provincial jockeying in service of regional self-interests will be put on pause for the sake of the national interest. The former Ontario premier added she doesn't think Carney will put up with the 'begging-bowl scenario,' which she called 'kind of a harsh version of it.' 'I think that he is going to be extremely clear about what the agenda has to be,' Wynne said. 'All the premiers have got their priorities, they've laid out their priorities. They're not going to get everything.' 'So, my hope is that there will be some clarity around at least what the plan is going forward,' she added. Some provinces have been taking action to remove some internal trade barriers, including New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pushing for an Atlantic Canada free-trade zone. Ontario and Prince Edward Island are also working with Nova Scotia to introduce reciprocal legislation with the aim of eliminating internal trade barriers. And, on Friday, the Quebec government tabled what the province's economy minister called an 'ambitious' bill, which would help open the province's borders to products from other regions. Despite this, several sticking points remain in place and many interprovincial trade barriers continue to exist, such as geographic restrictions on the sale of certain goods, regulatory and policy differences across jurisdictions, and hurdles to labour mobility.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
CTV QP: What to expect when premiers meet with PM Carney
Watch Former premiers Jason Kenney and Kathleen Wynne weigh in on trade with the U.S. and what Canada should be focusing on.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Premiers need to ‘put up or shut up' on internal trade at first ministers' meeting: Jason Kenney
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says the provinces and territories need to maintain the momentum spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and make quicker progress on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers. Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with all of Canada's premiers on Monday, with interprovincial trade — and his promise to eliminate barriers to that trade by Canada Day — on the agenda. During a panel interview with former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne for CTV's Question Period, Kenney said while he has 'a bit of skepticism' based on his previous experience trying to negotiate internal trade, he's hopeful. 'It's time for the premiers to put up or shut up,' Kenney told host Vassy Kapelos. 'This is, again, the time to be bold.' 'We had a sense of real urgency about 10 weeks ago because of the Trump threats,' Kenney added. 'Let's not lose that. Let's grasp this opportunity. Let's not waste a good crisis.' Repeatedly stating the longstanding Canada-U.S. relationship is 'over,' in the face of Trump's sweeping global tariffs, Carney vowed during the election campaign to diversify Canada's trading partners and 'create one Canadian economy out of 13.' Kenney said Monday's meeting has the potential to be 'hugely' significant, especially considering Carney 'has inflated expectations to sky-high levels.' He said while he's hopeful progress could come from the gathering, he also worries the prime minister could be 'setting himself up for great disappointment.' The former premier pointed to his previous efforts to 'create some momentum' on eliminating interprovincial trade barriers, but adding 'virtually no one followed suit.' 'Every premier is going to come with their own shopping list,' Kenney said, adding meetings between the prime minister and the premiers 'often devolve into what I call, derisively, begging-bowl federalism.' 'I hope they think in the national interest, they see the big strategic imperative to expand our economy, turn around the decline in productivity, expand our export markets,' Kenney said. 'This isn't an opportunity to go in front of the prime minister and just pitch for that highway you've been trying to finance or that new hospital you want to build.' Wynne said she thinks much of the provincial jockeying in service of regional self-interests will be put on pause for the sake of the national interest. The former Ontario premier added she doesn't think Carney will put up with the 'begging-bowl scenario,' which she called 'kind of a harsh version of it.' 'I think that he is going to be extremely clear about what the agenda has to be,' Wynne said. 'All the premiers have got their priorities, they've laid out their priorities. They're not going to get everything.' 'So, my hope is that there will be some clarity around at least what the plan is going forward,' she added. Some provinces have been taking action to remove some internal trade barriers, including New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt pushing for an Atlantic Canada free-trade zone. Ontario and Prince Edward Island are also working with Nova Scotia to introduce reciprocal legislation with the aim of eliminating internal trade barriers. And, on Friday, the Quebec government tabled what the province's economy minister called an 'ambitious' bill, which would help open the province's borders to products from other regions. Despite this, several sticking points remain in place and many interprovincial trade barriers continue to exist, such as geographic restrictions on the sale of certain goods, regulatory and policy differences across jurisdictions, and hurdles to labour mobility.
Global News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Ontario cabinet ministers, premiers to be called ‘honourable' for life
When former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne left government in 2018, the once-prominent politician encountered a persistent question from constituents: How, exactly, should they address her? Premiers and cabinet ministers who served their time at the highest levels of the provincial government often returned to non-political life with few official signs of their contributions in office. The 'honourable' title given to the members of the executive council while in office, is checked at the door once a politician or premier leaves their position at Queen's Park – a long-standing provincial rule that, Wynne said, regularly created confusion. 'The reality is that people often use it anyway,' Wyne told Global News. 'I will be called the Honorable Kathleen Wynne, and I usually have to correct people and say you actually can't… that's not a formal designation that I have now that I'm not in office.' Story continues below advertisement To add to the awkward encounters, former federal cabinet ministers, who retain their honorific once they leave office, would often receive a more formal introduction at events than Ontario's first female premier would – a discrepancy that Wynne said always 'felt strange.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Premier Doug Ford is set to change that provincial law, paving the way for former members of cabinet to permanently retain the title 'honourable' for life, with no exceptions. The change was spelled out in the government's recently tabled budget, and defended by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy when he faced questions about its necessity. 'They work hard, they believe in what they're doing for their constituents, and I think it's a measure to show that we respect public service and we respect our public servants,' Bethlenfalvy said of the Members of the Executive Council Recognition Act. Once the new law is passed, every politician who has served in cabinet in the past would officially be called 'The Honourable' and would be allowed to include the initials of the Executive Council of Ontario (E.C.O.) after their name. 'I'm very proud to put it in my legislation,' the finance minister said. Wynne said while the life-long title is not 'inherently necessary' she's generally supportive of formalizing reality. 'It does signal a role that those of us who have been in cabinet, at the provincial level, that we played and that we all play honorably,' Wynne said.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Outside of COVID shock, Ontario's unemployment is now at its highest since late 2013
Ontario's unemployment rate ticked up again last month, according to Statistics Canada, reaching its highest level in more than a decade, with the exception of the initial economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest Labour Force Survey data shows unemployment in Ontario hit 7.8 per cent in April, up 0.3 percentage points from March and marking three consecutive months of overall job losses in the province. Outside of the initial months of the pandemic, when unemployment peaked at 14.2 per cent in May 2020, last month's unemployment figure is the highest in Ontario since October 2013. Only Newfoundland and Labrador had a higher unemployment rate, at 9.6 per cent. The latest data also shows that in three out of the first four months of 2025, the province's unemployment rate was above the long-term moving average of 7.37 per cent. Moreover, the unemployment rate in Ontario has now exceeded seven per cent for nine consecutive months. Apart from the worst of the pandemic, the last time that happened in this province was 2014 under former premier Kathleen Wynne. The overwhelming majority of the 35,000 total jobs lost were in the manufacturing sector, Statistics Canada says. Ontario lost more manufacturing jobs last month than any other province in Canada. In the Windsor area — the province's auto manufacturing heartland and a region that has already been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing global trade war — the unemployment rate increased 1.4 percentage points, up to 10.7 per cent. Wholesale and retail trade in Ontario also saw a notable decline in jobs, Statistics Canada says. The latest Labour Force Survey results suggest, as CBC Toronto reported earlier this week, a struggling provincial economy that was showing signs of fragility even before Trump's tariffs began to bite. Other indicators include: Meanwhile, the province's independent Financial Accountability Office predicted last week that further U.S. tariffs and Canada's retaliation could result in some 119,000 fewer jobs in Ontario by next year, pushing unemployment upward by another 1.1 percentage points. The numbers come as Premier Doug Ford is set to table his annual budget next Thursday. The big-ticket tariff response measures announced so far include a six-month deferral of about $9 billion in provincially administered business taxes and rebating $2 billion of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board premiums to employers. The Ford government has also tabled legislation to cut down interprovincial trade barriers and speed up approvals of mines and other resource projects.
