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Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Politics Insider: Indigenous interests will be considered in major infrastructure projects, Carney says
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let's look at what happened today. Mark Carney came out of a meeting with premiers and territorial leaders today, saying Indigenous interests will be considered in the development of major infrastructure projects deemed a national priority. 'All first ministers agree that Indigenous partnerships and equity will be central to success,' the Prime Minister said at news conference held to mark the end of the meeting in Saskatoon today. 'Upcoming federal legislation will mandate both meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples, both during the process of determining which projects are in the national interest and developing the conditions for each project.' Carney said discussions about nation-building projects and the federal approach to supporting such initiatives took up much of the talks behind closed doors today. The litmus test for designating projects as being in the national interest is whether they strengthen the Canadian economy, autonomy, resilience and security; provide undeniable benefits to Canada; and have a likelihood of successful execution. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has been critical of the policies of the Liberal government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, said the meeting was very positive, but further talks are required. 'There's much discussion – and work - that is going to happen post today's meeting,' he told a concluding news conference. Please check The Globe and Mail for updates on today's meeting. Elsewhere, former prime minister Stephen Harper says Canada needs to mend relations with India because the democracy of 1.4 billion is a necessary partner in an increasingly chaotic world. Steven Chase also reports that the Conservative prime minister between 2006 and 2015 urged all Canadian political parties to shun the Khalistan movement, which seeks to carve a separate state for Sikhs out of India. Relations between Canada and India went into a deep freeze in September, 2023 when then-prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused New Delhi of playing a role in the gangland slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan advocate. Harper made his comments Saturday in Toronto after receiving an award from a group that promotes trade with India. Algoma Steel CEO says 50% tariffs threaten viability in the U.S: Michael Garcia says the existing tariff has already caused the percentage of Algoma's revenue coming from the U.S. to fall to 50 per cent from as high as 65 per cent, and a doubled tariff may grind U.S. business to a halt entirely. PM selects former UN ambassador as chief of staff: Marc-André Blanchard, a prominent Quebec lawyer widely respected for his competence and level-headed judgment served as Canada's ambassador to the UN from 2016 to 2020. Bank of Canada expected to remain on pause after strong economic data: Financial market odds of a rate cut to the bank's key interest rate dipped slightly after Statistics Canada's gross domestic product report showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.2 per cent in the first quarter. Ottawa's countertariffs see $617-million boost for import duties in March: The federal government's latest fiscal monitor report shows revenues from customs import duties topped $1-billion in March, more than double the figure from a year earlier. Poilievre could face leadership review as early as March: The Conservative Party's executive director is proposing national council sign off on a March leadership review, which would give party members the chance to vote on whether Pierre Poilievre should remain as leader. Prime Minister's Day: Mark Carney is hosting a first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, and was scheduled to hold a news conference in midafternoon. Party Leaders: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May met with British Columbia mayors in Ottawa for the 2025 Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting and attended the House of Commons. No schedules released for other leaders. No Eby at First Ministers' meeting: B.C. Premier David Eby is not at today's first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon. Eby is leading a trade mission to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia through June 10. His office said the trip was planned before today's meeting was announced. In his stead, the province has sent Deputy Premier Niki Sharma, also the attorney-general. 'I've got to work where I think we're going to have the most success and where I think we'll have the most success right now is working on a corridor between Hudson Bay and the port of Prince Rupert and I hope we can get some common ground on that.' – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, at today's first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, on her pipeline ambitions. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is welcoming the first ministers to the first such gathering in the province in about 40 years. Who was the premier when a first ministers' gathering was last held in the province? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. It's easy to announce the end of internal trade barriers. Eliminating them is harder. America's talented foreign students could find a home in Canada. Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@ Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop. The answer to today's question: Grant Devine, who was Saskatchewan's Progressive Conservative premier between 1982 and 1991, represented the province at the first ministers' table during a gathering on the economy held in Regina on Feb. 14 and 15.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Ottawa planning 'up-front' approval for projects deemed in the national interest
Social Sharing The Liberal government will introduce legislation to assist in identifying projects in the national interest and provide "up-front regulatory approvals" to major projects, according to a federal document obtained by CBC News. "Once a project is determined to be in the national interest, federal reviews will shift from 'whether' to build these projects to 'how' to best advance them," the document reads. "It will streamline multiple decision points for federal approval and minimize the risk of not securing project approval following extensive project work." The document was prepared by the Privy Council Office (PCO) and shared with Indigenous groups to outline the aims of proposed legislation. The PCO is the lead branch of the civil service, providing support to the prime minister and the cabinet. The document states the legislation is likely to be introduced in early June. The Globe and Mail first reported this Thursday. The legislation aims to create "a more flexible" regulatory framework for project approvals. Rather than a number of departments involved in the approval process, only one designated minister and department would be responsible for issuing a "conditions document" that would act as a project permit, the PCO document says. In an exclusive interview with CBC's Power & Politics this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized that approving "major projects" will be a priority for his government. "We need to move on these nation-building projects. So projects that bring Canada together, projects that diversify our economy, projects that help us export to new markets and really move this economy forward," Carney told host David Cochrane. "The ask of provinces, the ask of the private sector is: Which projects do you have that reach those criteria? What we're going to do is fast-track the approval." WATCH | Carney says 'more will be done' on energy: Carney says 'more will be done' on energy, but conversation isn't all about pipelines 2 days ago Duration 3:52 Asked by CBC's Power & Politics host David Cochrane about the separatist sentiment in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is 'committed' to working with Canadians across the country. The PCO document indicated that the government will consider a project within the national interest if it makes "an exceptional contribution to Canada's prosperity, advances economic security, defence security and national autonomy through improved movement of goods, services and people." Project approval was a significant part of last week's throne speech read by King Charles. The speech promised to "unleash a new era of growth" by creating a federal project review office and reducing regulatory reviews "from five years to two." Despite the proposed changes, the PCO document said fast-tracking project approvals will still respect the government's legal obligations to Indigenous communities, specifically the duty to consult. Environmental group concerned Reacting to the document, which makes no mention of climate change or protecting nature, Greenpeace Canada issued a statement saying it raises concerns. "Moving quickly shouldn't mean moving in the wrong direction," said the environmental group's senior energy strategist, Keith Stewart. "To truly honour the government's commitment to uphold world-leading environmental standards and respect Indigenous rights, it should be focusing on projects that address climate change and the affordability crisis, rather than fast-tracking the expansion of harmful fossil fuels." "We need green grids and affordable homes, not new pipelines." The document mentions the need for "mines, nuclear facilities, ports," but does not refer to low-carbon energy projects, such as a national electricity grid. Carney told Power & Politics that "more needs to be done" to support Canada's energy sector, but said the conversation should go beyond pipelines. "Canadians, yes, they want energy pipelines that make sense. They also want connections between our clean grids. They want actually less carbon, so they want carbon capture and storage … they want broader [mineral exporting] corridors, for example ... that open up whole swaths of the country to new trade so that we are sovereign in the most important components of the future," the prime minister said. "All of those things are possible."
