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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
P.E.I. pitches 7 'nation-building' projects to Ottawa at first ministers' conference
P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz is pitching seven so-called "nation-building" projects at the first ministers' conference in Saskatoon on Monday. Lantz is meeting with other provincial and territorial leaders and Prime Minister Mark Carney for the first time since the April 28 federal election. Carney told CBC's Power & Politics last week that "major projects" are the top priority of the meeting. He described them as "nation-building projects" that will unite the country, diversify the economy, boost exports and move the economy forward. Each province was asked to bring a list of ideas. At the top of Lantz's list is a regional project to increase electrical capacity on the Island. "This concept that we're bringing forward here in Saskatoon would strengthen the transmission across Atlantic Canada, and connect the region to the national grid, open up regional generation opportunities," Lantz told CBC's Island Morning on Sunday. "It would trigger billions of dollars, not just in infrastructure investment, but also economic development opportunities. We're running up against capacity issues in Prince Edward Island, and it could be difficult to develop any large industrial or agricultural enterprises here in the province, unless we really deal with our energy future and secure our energy future." Power reliability has been a major topic this year on the Island after the City of Summerside, which operates its own utility, faced a series of power disruptions this winter. Summerside Electric generates about 60 per cent of its electricity through renewable sources like solar and wind, but it still relies on Maritime Electric's transmission grid for power that the smaller utility buys from New Brunswick. A failure at Maritime Electric's Sherbrooke substation, located just north of the city, led to significant power challenges in February. As a result, residents were asked to conserve electricity and a mobile transformer had to be brought in from Newfoundland to stabilize the system. Lantz noted P.E.I. depends on New Brunswick for additional electricity, delivered through underwater cables. He said the province may need to look at other solutions, for example another undersea cable to Nova Scotia, as part of the energy pitch. Ahead of the first ministers' meeting, P.E.I. and Ontario signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Sunday to cut down on trade barriers and ease the flow of trade and labour across the two provincial borders. Lantz said it came together as a direct result of P.E.I. Interprovincial Trade and Mobility Act. "We're the second province in the country to pass [an] internal trade and labour mobility act in the legislature this spring, and so we are in a position to start making deals with other provinces. Ontario has been very active in that front," he said. The MOU says the two provinces agree on six points, including encouraging other provinces to join P.E.I. and Ontario in their agreement, looking for ways to align regulated professions and creating a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement, among other priorities. The annual value of trade in goods and services between Ontario and P.E.I. is more than $1.5 billion, the P.E.I. government said in a release. An external analysis by the Montreal Economic Institute suggests a deal like this between P.E.I. and Ontario could contribute $1.1 billion to the Canadian economy. In addition to the energy proposal, Lantz is pitching six other infrastructure projects. One of them is building another road into West Prince. The issue has raised concerns in the past by Liberal MLA for Tignish-Palmer Road Hal Perry, who warned the region relies on a single road in and out, which is a stretch of Route 2 between Portage and New Devon, and what would happen in the event of an emergency or if that road were closed. Other proposed projects include developing a shipping port, expanding air cargo capacity at Charlottetown Airport, and establishing a year-round connection to Nova Scotia, potentially through a bridge or ferry. The premier is also calling for an expansion of three-phased power, improved cell service. "The prime minister has been very vocal that he wants the provinces to be very ambitious on these projects," Lantz said. "So we're pitching everything we can that we can think of that would rise to that threshold of a nation-building project." The regional energy initiative stands out among the seven proposals as it "approaches a nation building-threshold better than those other projects and very much needed in the region," he said. Lantz says he does not know how many — if any — of these projects will be approved or whether the province would have to pay a portion of the cost. The province's financial capacity is already under pressure. A report by the auditor general in November flagged rising debt levels. P.E.I.'s net debt increased by 26 per cent over the past decade, reaching $2.65 billion as of March 31, 2024. The most recent provincial budget projects a $183.9-million deficit, with the debt expected to climb to about $4.2 billion by March 31, 2028. When asked whether P.E.I. can afford to invest in such large infrastructure, Lantz said: "We need to invest in order to grow."
Saudi Gazette
15-03-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Canada reconsiders F-35 purchase, explores alternative fighter jets
OTTAWA — Canada is reassessing its purchase of US-made F-35 stealth fighters and has begun talks with competing aircraft manufacturers, Defense Minister Bill Blair announced late Friday, just hours after being reappointed in Prime Minister Mark Carney's newly established Cabinet. His remarks came after Portugal signaled plans to abandon its purchase of the advanced warplane. The review is taking place amid escalating tensions between Canada and the Trump administration over tariffs and economic pressure, with US President Donald Trump threatening to annex Canada through trade measures. After years of delays, the Liberal government finalized a contract with US defense giant Lockheed Martin in June 2023 to acquire 88 F-35 jets. "It was the fighter jet identified by our air force as the platform that they required, but we are also examining other alternatives — whether we need all of those fighter jets to be F-35s," Blair told CBC's Power & Politics. Canada has already made an initial payment for the first 16 warplanes, set to be delivered early next year. Blair said while the first batch of F-35s might still be accepted, the remainder of the fleet could be sourced from European manufacturers, including Sweden's Saab Gripen, which was the runner-up in the procurement process. "The prime minister has asked me to go and examine those things and have discussions with other sources, particularly where there may be opportunities to assemble those fighter jets in Canada," Blair said. Lockheed Martin responded to the news, emphasizing its long-standing partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force. "Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future," Rebecca Miller, the company's director of global media relations, said in a statement. "Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, so anything further will be best addressed by the US or respective customer governments," she added. — Agencies
CBC
04-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
What's a 'fentanyl czar'? The Canadian government is still figuring that out
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon, he had a new proposition: creating a "fentanyl czar." The role — part of an updated pitch aimed at curbing the illegal flow of the deadly drug — seemed to appease Trump, with the U.S. agreeing to postpone what was shaping up to be a full-blown trade war for at least a month. Who will take on the role and what the job will actually look like is still being determined, said Public Safety Minister David McGuinty. But the minister offered clear marching orders for whoever answers the call: rid Canada of illegal fentanyl. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid sometimes prescribed for pain, but it is also made illegally. According to Health Canada documents, organized crime groups have shifted their efforts away from importing fentanyl and are now producing it primarily on Canadian soil. The federal government estimates that more than 49,000 Canadians died due to opioid drug overdoses between 2016 and June 2024. Of all accidental apparent opioid toxicity deaths during the first half of 2024, 79 per cent involved fentanyl. McGuinty said whoever takes the job will be a co-ordinating player between police, the attorney general and Health Canada's precursor chemical detection labs. "That fentanyl czar role will be involved in having to pull all of this together so we can get over any hurdles and execute on a plan that involves minimizing if not eliminating fentanyl from Canadian soil," he said after touring a fentanyl detection lab near Emerson, Man. Canada pitched fentanyl czar: source According to a senior government source, the post was put on the table by the Canadians. The source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the government is looking for a serving or former police officer for the role — and to fill it as soon as possible. The source was clear the government is still working out the terms of what it will look like. The aim, they said, is to have better information-sharing with the U.S. In a statement on social media, Trudeau said he assured Trump that Canada was moving ahead with its previously announced $1.3-billion border security plan that includes reinforcing the nearly 9,000-kilometre border with new helicopters, technology and personnel. Canada promises to boost border security, gets 30-day reprieve from U.S. tariffs | Power & Politics 21 hours ago Duration 13:50 Canada had also previously announced plans to launch a joint strike force between the two countries to "combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering." There are 10,000 front-line personnel who "are and will be" working on protecting the border, he said, matching the number of troops Mexico has promised to send to bolster its border with the U.S. Trudeau did commit to three new measures on the call: the czar role, a promise to list Mexican cartels as terrorists under Canadian law and a new $200-million intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl. The details of that directive are also vague. Alberta premier wanted a general Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had been publicly pitching the federal government to appoint a retired military general as "border czar" to work with Trump appointee Tom Homan. In an interview with CBC's Power & Politics, the premier said she was glad to see news of a fentanyl point person. "We have one prime minister who is not going to be there in 33 days and then a new prime minister who might only be there for another 33 days and then a new prime minister after that," she said, referring to the upcoming Liberal leadership vote and the election that is expected to soon follow. "We need to have a consistent voice through this period to demonstrate that we're making real progress on it." During a news conference before the tariffs were paused, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the government to send Canadian soldiers to the border. A spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Tuesday that Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members will not be deployed to the border, but added the military has received a request to help support the RCMP's efforts. The spokesperson, Andrew Green, said the CAF is providing planning, liaison, logistics and communications to the RCMP's national border task force and sending 70 drones over the coming weeks "as capacity allows."
