Hello,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be pushing for the return of prisoners of war, unlawfully detained civilians and illegally deported children as he attends a summit on peace in Ukraine next month.
Trudeau’s office confirmed his participation in the summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, from June 15 to 16, echoing comments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, earlier this month, that the Prime Minister would attend.
Trudeau’s participation will come after he attends a G7 summit in the Italian region of Apulia from June 13 to 15.
“The Summit will provide a platform for dialogue among nations from different regions of the world on ways to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
It also said Trudeau will reaffirm Canada’s support for Zelensky’s continued efforts toward a just and sustainable peace.
“This includes Canada’s co-leadership of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, as well as its co-chairing of the Peace Formula Working Group Four on the return of prisoners of war, unlawfully detained civilians and illegally deported children. “
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Canada’s residential mortgage debt hits $2.16-trillion amid slowest growth in 23 years, CMHC says: The federal housing agency said in a new report that higher mortgage costs and uncertainty around the Bank of Canada lowering its key interest rate led to softer home sales and prices across many regions in the second half of 2023.
Defence minister announces billions in training, equipment deals at military trade show: Bill Blair detailed the spending while speaking to defence industry representatives at CANSEC, a conference put on by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries.
Murray Sinclair on his life’s new rhythm, same clear purpose: After decades in the public eye, the Indigenous advocate and former commissioner is pivoting to a new chapter.
Trudeau says housing needs to retain its value: “Housing needs to retain its value,” Trudeau told The Globe and Mail’s City Space podcast. “It’s a huge part of people’s potential for retirement and future nest egg.”
St. John’s city councillor wins Canadian First Book Prize: Maggie Burton received the $10,000 award for her poetry collection “Chores,” with judges describing it as both “traditional and inventive.”
New Brunswick Premier says he hasn’t seen sex education presentation he banned from schools: Blaine Higgs says he saw only one slide of the sex education presentation that he banned from New Brunswick schools. Story here.
Access to Information plan includes administrative steps but no legislative changes: Any changes to federal law, as a result of a newly announced federal government plan, will have to wait until after the next formal review, set to begin a year from now.
Conservatives offer to work with Liberals to fast-track foreign interference bill: Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong extended the offer in a letter to the government and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he’s open to working with the Official Opposition to see the bill passed quickly into law.
Threats and harassment of MPs have risen drastically in past five years, security head says: Liberal MP Pam Damoff, who earlier this month announced she will not run in the next federal election after experiencing misogyny and threats to her life, told the committee that her office had set up a “whole subfolder in our inbox called misogyny.”
House Speaker survives latest attempt by Tories to force resignation: It was the third time in less than eight months that the Conservatives have called on Greg Fergus to step down, but their effort failed by a vote of 142-168 after the NDP sided with the Liberals.
Five more Canadian school boards sue social media giants, alleging harm to students’ mental health: The boards and two private schools have filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms Inc., which is responsible for Facebook and Instagram, Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, and ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok. The school boards and private schools are advancing claims of $2.6-billion.
B.C. Coroners Service report shows 126 children and youth died from toxic drugs in five years: The situation makes unregulated drug toxicity the leading cause of unnatural death for the age group over those five years. Meanwhile, Toronto had 523 opioid overdose deaths reported in 2023, according to the city’s public health department.
Ottawa village declared a national historic site: The federal government has declared Rockcliffe Park a national historic site, making it one of 33 districts in the country with such a designation. The Ottawa Citizen reports.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“Absolutely not” – Ontario Premier Doug Ford, appearing today on Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll, on the possibility of a provincial election this summer or early fall, before the expected June 2026 date.
“Every day that goes by in Canada we seem to have a new example where people think that some of the loopiest, craziest ideas that come out of the fringes of the right wing of the United-States are a good thing to import to Canada,” Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, ahead of today’s Liberal caucus meeting at the House of Commons. MacKinnon was talking about the controversy in Saskatchewan that saw a provincial cabinet minister bring a long gun to the legislature.
“Well, I’d invite them back to Cape Breton. This is a growing economy and we’ve got all kinds of growth happening in Cape Breton and we’d love to have Cape Bretoners back.” – Nova Scotia MP Jaime Battiste, following today’s Liberal caucus meeting, on a Pierre Poilievre video in which a woman says she moved from Cape Breton to Nicaragua in order to better afford housing.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, May. 29, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day: Private meetings in Ottawa, and Chrystia Freeland also attended the national caucus meeting. In the afternoon, Freeland was scheduled to appear before the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance to discuss Bill C-69, the Budget Implementation Act, 2024 and Bill C-59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023.
Ministers on the Road: In Quebec City, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault made an announcement on investments to encourage more people to pursue a career in the skilled trades in Quebec. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Stockholm to meet with her Swedish counterpart, and meet with government officials ahead of a trip to Prague on Thursday for a meeting with NATO foreign ministers. In Montreal, Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier announced funding to protect and better detect the presence of marine mammals.
Commons Committee Highlights: The indigenous and northern affairs committee heard from witnesses including Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal on government spending. Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos appears before the government operations committee on government spending.
Senate Committee Highlights: Yuliya Kovaliv, Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, was scheduled to appear at 4:15 p.m. ET before the foreign-affairs committee, on foreign relations and international trade. Justice Minister Arif Virani appeared before the legal and constitutional affairs committee on Bill C-69.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau attended the weekly Liberal caucus meeting and also attended Question Period. In the evening, Trudeau was scheduled to attend an evening Liberal fundraising event at the Chateau Royal in the Montreal area city of Laval.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet attended Question Period.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, attended the NDP caucus meeting and participated in Question Period.
No schedules released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre or Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s edition of the podcast, the Globe’s Marcus Gee – a columnist focusing on cities and the opioid crisis – talks about the time he recently spent with Marshall Smit, who is overhauling Alberta’s drug policy with a new plan facing a lot of criticism. The Decibel is here.
CITY SPACE
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks on the Globe’s urban-living podcast about challenges facing Canadian cities. City Space is here.
TRIBUTE
Joe Day: The former senator, from New Brunswick who served from 2001 to 2020, has died, aged 79, according to the Telegraph -Journal.
PUBLIC OPINION
Feeling better: The proportion of Canadians who report that their mental health is better or somewhat better now compared to before the pandemic has remained steady since last yea, according to Nanos Research.
5% of women at military colleges report being sexually attacked: CBC reported today on the data from a report the Canadian Defence Academy, which represents military colleges, shared with CBC News.
OPINION
A test for the new Senate awaits
“When the Senate voted this month to change some of its rules, Conservative members decried it as a Liberal plot to undermine what they fully expect will be a Conservative government after the next election. Their theory was a tad conspiratorial. Look! The elites are already rigging the system against Pierre Poilievre! But overblown rhetoric aside, the Conservatives have grounds to raise the issue.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board.
National-security intelligence is bogged down in an amateur-hour paper chase
“If you want your government officials to be on the ball when it comes to foreign interference, it might help if they could make a list, within a matter of months, of who should get a report drafted specifically for the prime minister.” – Campbell Clark
Free trade with our friends, absolutely. With our enemies? Not so much
“Trade was not an issue with the Soviet Union. Western leaders did not have to take into account the effects of their security policies on trade with the USSR, or of trade policy on security. Because there was no trade with the USSR, or none to speak of: Soviet leaders were not only at the helm of a totalitarian dictatorship, but practitioners of communism, including a closed economy, at least to the capitalist world. Trade with the USSR never accounted for more than 1 per cent of U.S. trade, or 4 per cent of European countries’.” – Andrew Coyne.
Ottawa wants the power to create secret backdoors in our networks to allow for surveillance
“A federal cybersecurity bill, slated to advance through Parliament soon, contains secretive, encryption-breaking powers that the government has been loath to talk about. And they threaten the online security of everyone in Canada.” – Kate Robertson and Ron Deibert.
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