Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened this week.
Rolled coils of steel sit in the yard at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton, Ont., on Thursday. Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press
The prospective trade deal being negotiated by Ottawa and Washington would introduce a quota system for Canadian steel exports, with a 25-per-cent tariff on shipments inside the quota and a 50-per-cent tariff on exports above it, according to three sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
According to a steel industry executive, the proposed deal includes a tariff-rate-quota system for steel that would allow four million tonnes a year of the metal to be shipped to the U.S. at the lower rate.
Mark Rendell, Adrian Morrow, Marieke Walsh and Bill Curry report that after four million tonnes, steel exports will still be subject to a 50-per-cent tariff – the current duty Canadian steel exporters face under the Trump administration’s Section 232 sectoral tariffs.
Two other industry sources confirmed that the proposal on the table is a 25-per-cent tariff inside the quota. The steel executive added that the proposed deal would see Canada remove all of its counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and further restrict imports of the metal from third countries.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the sources as they were not authorized to publicly discuss the negotiations.
Canada is also negotiating the terms of aluminum trade, with the aim of reducing tariffs.
Negotiations are continuing, so things could change. Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, and chief negotiator Janice Charette met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington today, hours before the latest deadline to lock down details of a deal.
LeBlanc, Charette and Marc-André Blanchard, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s chief of staff, arrived at Greer’s office near the White House shortly after noon. The group did not respond to questions about the state of negotiations or when the contents of a deal would be made public.
Earlier this week, JD Vance said Prime Minister Mark Carney tried to “out-tough” U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. Vice-President credited Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, a long-time friend, as a helpful advocate for Canada.
In audio from a fundraiser held in Southampton, N.Y., which was provided to the Canadian Press by a source who attended the private function, Vance also said Carney is a “very sweet guy” who he gets along with quite well.
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Man arrested after two people injured in stabbing at Edmonton Sikh temple**, police say:** The World Sikh Organization of Canada said in a statement that it is deeply troubled by the incident, which involved the desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the central holy scripture of Sikhism.
National monument for LGBTQ+ community opened this week: Victims of state prosecution hope Canada’s new national monument for LGBTQ+ people, opened Thursday in Ottawa, will be a place to learn, grieve and celebrate.
RBC hires Caroline Mulroney as vice-chair: The daughter of late prime minister Brian Mulroney, and formerly one of the highest-profile members of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s inner circle, stepped down from her seat in the Ontario Legislature in June.
Mike Layton, son of late federal NDP leader, seeks return to Toronto city council: The son of Jack Layton (himself a former Toronto city councillor) and step-son of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is looking to reclaim his seat after stepping away from municipal politics four years ago.
PQ delays push to hold sovereignty referendum until after Trump leaves office: Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says the debate over Quebec’s future “must not be hijacked by the ups and downs of American politics, nor by the outbursts of an unpredictable president, nor by fear campaigns.”
Prime Minister’s Week: Prime Minister Mark Carney returned from time off in Italy to be in St. John’s on Monday with the premiers of Quebec and Newfoundland for an announcement of a $70-billion renewable power agreement. On Wednesday, amid trade talks with the United States, Carney virtually chaired a cabinet meeting and a First Ministers’ meeting. On Thursday, he spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on topics including developments affecting North American trade.
Party Leaders: Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet campaigned this week in the Quebec riding of Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, where a by-election will be held on Aug. 31. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference in Charlottetown on Wednesday, and a news conference in Kitchener today. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May campaigned in the Toronto riding of Beaches–East York, also the site of an Aug. 31 by-election, appearing with Green candidate Bruce Livesey.As of Wednesday, May was in North Vancouver, backing the Green candidate in the Vancouver–Capilano by-election, also scheduled for Aug. 31. As of Friday, NDP Leader Avi Lewis was in Toronto, backing his party’s Beaches–East York candidate. Lewis was scheduled to be in the riding until Tuesday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was in Washington on Thursday to discuss continental security and other global priorities with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In Saguenay, Que., on Thursday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced government support for a manufacturing business.
On Wednesday in Whitehorse, Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced more than $6.6-million to strengthen and expand access to integrated mental health and wellness supports for people aged 12 to 30 across the Yukon.
On Thursday, federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson, her B.C. counterpart Randene Neill and B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham announced the British Columbia Fisheries Fund with a joint Canada-British Columbia investment of $106.5-million over five years.
Newly appointed diplomats: André François Giroux is the new ambassador to the Organization of American States. Richard Le Bars is headed to Burkino Faso as its new ambassador. And Jeffrey Senior is the new ambassador for Zimbabwe. Biographies are here.
Minister from India visits: Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will be hosting his counterpart from India next Wednesday and Thursday. Nirmala Sitharaman is India’s Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
Indo-Pacific defence chiefs conference: From Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, senior defence leaders are to gather in Victoria for the 28th annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense conference. The two co-hosts are General Jennie Carignan, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the Commander of United States Pacific Command.
NDP MP Gord Johns “https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/gord-johns(89263)”), the member for the Vancouver Island riding of Courtenay-Alberni, shares his fiction and non-fiction picks for this summer, making him the latest MP to participate in the newsletter’s recreational-reading survey. Johns is a former businessman and municipal councillor from the Vancouver Island district of Tofino. He was first elected an MP in 2015.
Finished this summer:
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Avery Publishing Group, 2018) Important to me because I serve a rural riding that is three time zones away from Ottawa, about 9.5 hours each way (door to door), is seven hours wide and serves 34 communities. The travel alone, on top of the 70 to 90 hours of work and travel a week, takes a huge toll on my mental, physical and spiritual health. It’s hard to get in a routine. This book, since the beginning of the summer, has already helped me develop some good habits that will improve my overall health and well-being.
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins (Hay House LLC, 2014) Johns said he reread this book this summer. Really it’s about conscious behaviour and clarity. The House of Commons and politics often reflect unconscious behavior, and it’s important to see it so you don’t get trapped in it. I’ll reread this every year of my life. I think everyone (but especially politicians), should read this to keep them grounded in compassion.
Two that I’m almost finished:
Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada by Jane Philpott (Signal, 2024) As health critic, I’m trying to finish Jane Philpot’s book on improving our health care system and creating a universal primary care system across Canada. She’s got some great ideas*, I just wish our political leaders would embrace it.*
Home Truths: Fixing Canada’s Housing Crisis by Carolyn Whitzman (On Point Press, 2024) It’s a Canadian author writing about the housing crisis. She explains how we got here, compares us to other countries that have had significant success in building to non-market housing, and highlights eras of success in our own history where we built non-market housing. It’s compelling in how building (or not building) non-market housing impacts our nation’s social and economic prosperity.
A book I was given by a constituent that I will read by the end of the summer:
Five Times Faster: Rethinking the Science, Economics and Diplomacy of Climate Change by Simon Sharpe, (Cambridge University Press, 2023) I have three children, which is motivating enough, but as my riding and the country has burned over the last three years, I’m hoping this book will help give me inspiration and ideas to help push to accelerate climate action in Parliament. Clearly, we need to do things differently and much faster.
Eighty-four years ago this week, the Allies launched a raid on the coastal French port of Dieppe that ended with the deaths of 916 Canadian soldiers in the bloodiest single day for Canada’s military in the entire war. Nearly 5,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the 1942 mission. Among the Canadians was a chaplain who ended up being awarded the Victoria Cross and becoming a cabinet minister in Ontario. Who was he?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
U.S. alcohol may prove hard to swallow
Call it voting with your liver. In the same way that you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink, putting U.S. alcohol back on Canadian shelves can’t make locals partake.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Is it 2026 or 1984? There is no privacy in the digital age
Reader, I am buying the entryway table. I need it. My current one is too large for the space; it’s a hazard! And the internet, somehow, knew this. It did its work to separate me from my cash, while at the same time making me feel good about the purchase. Another bullish day for the stalk market.
— Marsha Lederman, Columnist
Why is Chris Alexander running for mayor of Toronto?
Chris Alexander is either running the strangest campaign for mayor that the City of Toronto has seen in some time, or is actually making a subtle bid for a very different job: to be Toronto’s poet laureate.
— Robyn Urback, Columnist