David Akin's Roundup: First contact. Election report. NL election.
TUE SEP 16
Canada
Takeaways from Carney and Poilievre's 1st question period debate
Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off with Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre in question period for the first time since Poilievre's return to the House of Commons. Mackenzie Gray looks at the pair's first debate, the takeaways as the fall session of parliament begins, and what the Liberals need to pass their fall budget.
How long can Canadians expect the minority Liberal government to last?
Prime Minister Mark Carney will have to work with other parties to make sure his minority Liberal government isn't toppled. David Akin explains how long Canadians can expect the Liberals to stay in power, and how the Bloc Québécois and NDP will play a role. | Global National
First Contact
The first exchange 👆 in the House of Commons between Prime Minister Mark Carney and the new MP for Battle River—Crowfoot who is also leading His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. As recorded by House of Commons television. - DA | House of Commons
Carney says U.S. ‘relationship is good,’ texts ‘modern man’ Trump often
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday said “the relationship is good” with the United States and that he is in regular contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, despite an ongoing trade war and no deal in sight to resolve it. Carney made the comments during the first question period of the new fall session of Parliament, where he faced questions from Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet on the status of negotiations with Washington. | Globalnews.ca
Elections Canada: 2025 election went smoothly — with 2 Quebec hiccups
Canada’s 45th general election cost about $570 million, took 230,000 people to administer and saw 1,959 candidates compete in 343 ridings — and it all proceeded relatively smoothly, except for two ridings in Quebec, Elections Canada said in a report tabled in the House of Commons Monday morning. The 77-page report also documents a record-high shift to advance voting, a shift which Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said is putting tremendous pressure on Elections Canada to lease enough polling stations, hire enough polling station workers, and fine-tune its mail-in ballot program. | Globalnews.ca
Report on the 45th General Election of April 28, 2025
“I am pleased to provide the Report on the 45th General Election of April 28, 2025. I have prepared the report in accordance with subsection 534(1) of the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9. Under section 536 of the Act, the Speaker shall submit this report to the House of Commons without delay. The report is referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.” | Elections Canada
Carney heads to Mexico to repair strained ties, boost trade
The Prime Minister’s two-day trip is the latest effort, after three visits to Europe, to diversify trade away from the increasingly protectionist United States under Donald Trump. When Mr. Carney meets with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace in Mexico City, both leaders will likely have in mind several incidents from 2024 that they would prefer to put behind them. | Globe and Mail
Former Toronto councillor tapped to scale up Canada’s affordable housing stock
Bailão has more than a decade of experience with affordable housing files at Toronto City Hall and was first elected to city council in 2010. She served as deputy to former mayor John Tory for five years until 2022 and ran unsuccessfully to replace him after his resignation the following year. | Globalnews.ca
J'ai un message pour les amis de David …
A powerful moment in the House of Commons during the 15-minute period prior to Question Period when any MP may deliver a statement not longer than a minute on any topic they choose. Some choose to take political pot shots with their “Member’s Statement”, some use it to pay tribute to a notable person in their riding. On Monday, Luc Berthold, the Conservative MP for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière, used his time to speak about the suicide of his son David. Some in the Quebec press were aware of this. I (and I suspect many others) were not. My sympathies to MP Berthold and his family and my admiration for speaking out about such an unimaginable loss to help prevent other families from similar suffering. Watch:
MPs from all parties rose in sustained ovation for MP Berthold. The video I’ve posted above is with translation from Berthold’s French to English. If you prefer to watch in the original French, the link for that is here. - DA| House of Commons
The Provinces
N.L. election called for Oct. 14
A provincial election has been called in Newfoundland and Labrador. Heidi Petracek looks at how Liberal Leader John Hogan is trying to win his first mandate as premier and keep his party in power; whom his challengers are; and the issues at the forefront of this campaign. | Global National
Ontario Liberals prepare for another leadership election. Who’s in?
“We are grateful too that Bonnie asked caucus for our input and there was no revolt. This was Bonnie’s decision, and we admire Bonnie’s courage to do the right thing and put her party and her team first.” As the party prepares for a leadership race Crombie had warned would be expensive and divisive, a range of Liberals could throw their hats into the ring. | Globalnews.ca
Alberta accuses ex-UCP MLAs of trying to steal conservative name
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her party will continue to fight to protect the Progressive Conservative Party name, adding they “simply do not want to create confusion” by having two conservative parties on a ballot. | Edmonton Journal
Elsewhere
Why UK’s Reform is surging in popularity
A prominent British Conservative politician has become the first sitting member of the U.K. Parliament to abandon the country's centre-right party for Reform UK. The right-wing, anti-immigrant party is surging in popularity, although an election is still years away. Redmond Shannon looks at Reform UK's widening appeal and its connection to Canada. | Global National
Media
The Gen Z newsroom covering Europe (and ruffling some continental feathers along the way)
What happened next is a journalism Cinderella story. Just three years later, the outlet now boasts 70,000 daily subscribers, €2.16 million in funding from the European Commission, a roster of 140 contributors, and an ambitious vision to transform European journalism and expand to six languages. For this young, scrappy newsroom of recent college graduates, freelancers, and local journalists who’ve never had a byline outside their home country, the funding is a recognition of their arrival onto Europe’s media landscape. | Nieman Journalism Lab
Science and Technology
AI-powered translation to eliminate language barriers at APEC meetings
The translation devices will be set up at 12 designated hotels for national leaders as well as major hubs including Gimhae International Airport, Gyeongju Station and the city’s main bus terminal for the events, set to begin at the end of October, according to city officials Friday. These devices can instantaneously translate conversations between individuals speaking any of the APEC languages. Canada’s PM Carney is expected to attend this summit. | The Korea Times
The Calendar
0800 ET : 135B West Block - Representatives of the Canadian Urban Transit Association speak to reporters.
0830 ET : 135B West Block - Representatives of The Canadian Urological Association speak to reporters.
1000 ET : West Block - PM Carney meets with his cabinet.
1000 ET : NPT - The Transportation Safety Board speaks about an investigation into a 2023 collision between trains near Montreal.
1000 ET : 135B West Block - Representatives of Black People United for Change speak to reporters.
1030 ET : 135B West Block - Asembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse speaks to reporters.
1100 ET : 035-B WB - Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) | Meeting 2 | Briefing with the Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer
1100 ET : 425 Wellington - Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 2 | Committee Business
1130 ET : 135B West Block - Representatives of Electric Mobility Canada speak to reporters.
1200 ET : 135B West Block - CPC MP James Bezan speaks about his private member's bill.
1230 ET : 135B West Block - NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice speaks to reporters.
1245 ET : Parliament Hill - NDP Interim Leader Don Davies speaks to Air Canada workers.
1340 ET : Parliament Hill - PM Carney meets with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.
1340 ET : West Block - PM Carney , Agriculture Min Heath MacDonald, International Trade Min Maninder Sidhu, Secretary of State Buckley Belanger, and LPC MP Kody Blois meet with Premier Scott Moe.
1530 ET : 420 Wellington - National Defence (NDDN) | Meeting 2 | Committee Business
1530 ET : 415 Wellington - Public Accounts (PACP) | Meeting 3 | Committee Business
1530 ET : 225A West Block - Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) | Meeting 2 | Committee Business
Issued this day …
… in 1946. Sc 270 King George VI Peace Issue: Hydroelectric Station, QC. Design: Herman Herbert Schwarz.
As a collector — and a reminder, these are scans you’re seeing from my collection of Canadian stamps — the 7-stamp set that comprised the “Peace Issue” of 1946 is one of my favourites of the last century. I love it because of its focus on Canada, not the Empire, as the Second World War had come to an end with a reminder, through these seven stamps all that was great about the country so many had fought for in WWII. Some of the scenes, designed by the great Herman Herbert Schwarz, may look now, nearly 80 years later, as simple clichés of Canada but, as the country emerged from the Second World War, this is a federal government agency thinking about the symbols of Canada — and that new awareness, that new Canadian consciousness, would lead to, for example, the Massey Commission, the Canada Council for the Arts and, ultimately, the modern Canadian flag. As for this stamp, it depicts, I believe, the La Tuque generating station on Quebec’s St. Maurice River.