Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Mark Carney has recruited Hydro‑Québec CEO Michael Sabia to take over as the country’s top bureaucrat to help advance the Prime Minister’s ambitious agenda.
Sabia had served as deputy minister of finance before he left government to serve as head of the Quebec pension plan and later Hydro‑Québec.
The current Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford announced today that he will leaving the government as the head of the public service and top adviser to the Prime Minister.
Robert Fife reports that Carney had sought out Sabia because he needed a Privy Council clerk with business experience, who can push through his agenda, which includes major nation-building projects, a revamped military, major housing initiatives and cost-cutting expenditures for the public service.
As Privy Council clerk, Sabia’s roles include providing non-partisan advice to the Prime Minister and elected officials.
Also, Steven Chase reports that Canada and the United States are exchanging potential terms of agreement in closely held talks on an economic and security deal.
But these terms do not represent the draft text of an actual pact.
These exchanges are an effort to spell out what both sides might be able to agree upon as Ottawa and Washington try to find enough common ground to end their damaging trade war, sources said.
The Globe and Mail is not naming the sources because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Michael Sabia speaks at the Intersect 2025 conference on June 9, 2025 in Toronto.Jenna Muirhead/The Globe and Mail
What else is going on
Alberta working with oil companies on pipeline proposal, Alberta Premier says: Danielle Smith also says she expects Prime Minister Mark Carney to “operate in good faith” on the pipeline issue.
Proposed GST rebate for first-time homebuyers could offer average $27,000 relief, says PBO: The Parliamentary Budget Officer says tax relief is expected to cost the government $1.9-billion, although its estimates do not take into account how the cut would affect market behaviour.
Saskatchewan Premier vows $500 per person for wildfire evacuees: Scott Moe said that money is on top of existing supports for the more than 10,000 people forced out of their homes owing to a string of wildfires in Saskatchewan’s northern region.
B.C. Transport Minister raises concerns over BC Ferries construction deal with Chinese state-owned shipyard: The winning bidder on the contract to build four new passenger ferries is Chinese state-owned China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards.
What’s in Kananaskis? Explore the outdoor escape where G7 leaders will gather: The G7 Leaders’ Summit descends on Alberta’s Kananaskis Country from June 15 to 17. Kananaskis – just an hour’s drive from Calgary – isn’t a national park. Rather, K-Country, as locals call it, is a 4,000-square-kilometre network of connected provincial parks, reserves and recreational zones encompassing mountains and foothills.
On our radar
Prime Minister’s Day: In Ottawa, Mark Carney attended the weekly Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill and also attended Question Period. Carney also spoke with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and invited him to next week’s G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
Party Leaders: At the House of Commons, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet participated in Question Period. In British Columbia, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended Parliament virtually and, in person she attended the blessing of new solar panels at the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Sidney, B.C. NDP Interim Leader Don Davies, with other caucus members, held a news conference on NDP defence policy. No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Starmer in Ottawa: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is to visit Mark Carney in Ottawa on Saturday and Sunday ahead of next week’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis.
Quote of the Day:
“That’s the thing about us New Democrats. We’re like goddamned dandelions. It’s like once we’re on your lawn, you can’t seem to get rid of us so the dandelions are coming up again.” - Former NDP MP Charlie Angus, at a Parliament Hill news conference today, on his party’s resilience after a federal election result he described as an “unmitigated disaster.” Angus said he will not seek the party leadership.
Question period
Which Russian leader attended the last G7 summit (then known as the G8summit) held in Kananaskis in 2002?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Perspectives
The politics of paying for politicians.
The proper amount to pay politicians is a difficult question. A starting point is that politics must pay enough that it is not a job that can be done only by people who are otherwise wealthy. That would skew representation and leave most of the population unable, practically speaking, to run for office.
— The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Twenty years late, Canada hits the old NATO target, just in time to fall short of the new one.
Twenty-three of 32 NATO states already meet or exceed the 2-per-cent threshold, some by wide margins. At the NATO summit in The Hague later this month, discussion will focus on a proposal to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, plus another 1.5 percentage points in defence-related spending. Had Mr. Carney not announced, prior to the meeting, that Canada would at least make good on its past pledges, it’s doubtful they would have let him in the door.
— Andrew Coyne, Columnist
Post Mulroney, the Conservatives’ brand is ‘loser.’ It’s time for an overhaul.
In the election campaign, many of Mr. Poilievre’s economic policies were welcome enough, so much so that they were copied by the Liberals. Policy was less his problem than personality, likeability and his concocted look. Having been an MP for 20-plus years and party leader for almost three, that image is ingrained, hard to change.
— Lawrence Martin, Public Affairs Columnist
Go deeper
- The Decibel: The latest episode of The Globe and Mail podcast looks at Bill C-2, which proposes enhanced powers for law enforcement and changes to how the government processes some asylum claims and immigration applications.
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Take a look at the history of immigration reporting and great political scandals from A Nation’s Paper, a book about The Globe and Mail’s role in Canadian history
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The answer to today’s question: Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the summit and appeared in a photo that included Canada’s Jean Chrétien, France’s Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair from Britain and U.S. President George W. Bush.