Politics Briefing: Liberals announce change in defence policy

Share

Good morning,

Today is the second hit in the Liberals' one-two policy punch.

Yesterday, Chrystia Freeland laid out the government's post-Trump vision for foreign relations. You can read the full half-hour speech here. The tl;dr version is: because the United States has shrugged off "the burden of world leadership," Canada and other countries must step up to defend the global order against threats as disparate as terrorism and climate change.

Now, with the government's reasoning established, it will unveil what it plans to do about it. The defence policy review (more here), released at midday local time, will explain the military's plans for overseas deployments and what the government plans to spend in procurement over the next 20 years.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay in Ottawa, Mayaz Alam in Toronto and James Keller in Vancouver. If you're reading this on the web or someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, you can sign up for Politics Briefing and all Globe newsletters here. Let us know what you think.

CANADIAN HEADLINES

Former U.S. president Barack Obama echoed some of Ms. Freeland's sentiment in a speech in Montreal last night. "In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history to fight climate change. An agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership will still give our children a fighting chance," he said. Afterwards, he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got a bite to eat.

In the House of Commons, MPs voted last night on a motion stating that climate change is still a problem and that Canada remains committed to the Paris Accord on reducing emissions, despite the United States' withdrawal. The motion passed 277 to 1. The lone holdout was Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant of Eastern Ontario.

The Liberals also backed a Conservative motion in support of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project even as B.C. remains uncertain over its political future. The motion passed 252-51 with support from the entire Tory caucus and almost all Liberals. The NDP and Greens, whose provincial alliance in B.C. threatens the project, all voted against supporting the project.

The Liberals are cleaning up some provisions in the Criminal Code, including the introduction of some measures meant to protect victims of sexual assault.

A showdown between senators and the Liberal government over a bill to end sexual discrimination in the Indian Act continues, with a Quebec chief saying the Liberals are raising unnecessary concerns about the number of new people who would be eligible for status.

Kevin O'Leary wants a recount.

And as Ontario businesses and residents begin to start preparing for a $15 minimum wage a dichotomy has emerged: small business owners are saying they'll be squeezed by the hike while low-income workers say the increase has the potential to be life-changing.

John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on the Liberals' new foreign policy: "Welcome to the Trudeau Doctrine: Canadian foreign policy seeks to preserve multilateral institutions and the Western alliance in the wake of America First. This will not go down well with the prickly – and, it seems, at times paranoid – American President. And it contradicts earlier efforts to preserve good relations with the Trump administration in the lead-up to renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement."

Stephanie Carvin (The Globe and Mail) on turning vision into reality: "It is important for Ms. Freeland to articulate an understanding of where she believes Canada to be in a fast-changing world. On Tuesday, she did so convincingly. But the true test of her skills as a minister will be putting this vision into practice and successfully navigating Canada through Mr. Trump's choppy waters."

David Bercuson (The Globe and Mail) on mixed signals: "There is a massive inconsistency between what Minister Freeland declared and the signals the government has been putting out through Prime Minister Justin Trudeau."

Susan Delacourt (iPolitics) on the importance of trade: "Provocatively, the speech also put the crisis in world trade in the same category as Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory and world terrorism itself — as a breakdown in rules, order and the sanctity of borders."

Nik Nanos (The Globe and Mail) on opportunity for the NDP: "With many of their progressive policies co-opted by the Liberals, the NDP presenting themselves as another moderate social democratic movement could lead them to political oblivion in the short term. One option for the NDP is to veer left of the Liberals, reclaim the New Democrat populist heritage and attack U.S. President Donald Trump."

B.C. UPDATE

As B.C. prepares for a possible referendum on electoral reform, it  could look to the experience of New Zealand, which switched from the traditional first-past-the-post system to proportional representation 25 years ago. The NDP and the Greens, which are preparing to take down Premier Christy Clark's minority government, have promised a referendum  next year. It would be B.C.'s third – the province held two failed referendums in 2005 and 2009 on a system called single-transferable vote. In the 1990s, New Zealand adopted a mixed-member system, in which voters choose a local representative and also pick from a separate list that's used to ensure the final seat breakdown match the popular vote. Experts there say it's been a success and has resulted in a stable government, despite concerns about fragile coalitions, and it has increased the representation of minorities in New Zealand's Parliament. In B.C., the New Democrats and Greens haven't said which system they'll propose.

And B.C. Premier Christy Clark, whose government will likely be defeated in a confidence vote later this month, is warning the New Democrats it would be disastrous to delay construction on the Site C hydroelectric dam. Ms. Clark has written the leaders of the NDP and Greens, who want a fresh review. NDP Leader John Horgan says evictions related to the dam and other decisions should stop during the transition. But Ms. Clark says that could cost the province $600-million.

David Moscrop (Maclean's) on redoing the B.C. election: "In our democracy, the people are the ultimate arbiters of who gets to govern insofar as they elect the members of the legislature who get to determine who the premier will be. But it's unclear where the popular will lies."

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

Some of the largest business lobbies in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are banding together to champion the North American free trade agreement. The groups are pushing for as little to change in the deal as possible when negotiations begin later this year.

Two assailants with rifles -- one of whom detonated a bomb he was carrying on himself -- have struck the Iranian parliament in Tehran. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, marking the first time the group has launched a major assault in Iran.

Qatar has long punched above its weight on the international scene. The small nation of 2.5 million people has the third-highest amount of natural gas reserves and is in the top 15 for oil reserves, hosts a large U.S. air base and owns and operates the Al Jazeera media network. Now, after a diplomatic blacklisting orchestrated by Saudi Arabia the country is left in a difficult position. It didn't help that U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to support several Arab states' decision to cut ties with Qatar over its alleged support for terrorism.

British voters head to the polls tomorrow for the 2017 general election. Although national security issues have been the major talking point in the past few days much of the election has been focused on domestic issues such as healthcare funding. The BBC has broken down where the parties stand on major issues ranging from social services to Brexit.

When Mr. Trump refused to reaffirm America's commitment to NATO's principle of mutual defence last month he omitted 27 words from his speech: "We face many threats, but I stand here before you with a clear message: the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance and to Article 5 is unwavering." The omission was not planned and took his senior staff by surprise. Allies took the speech as a sign that the U.S. was retreating from its position in the world and prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to say that Europe could no longer rely on America, much like Ms. Freeland told the House yesterday.

Today, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats testifies in the Senate on ties between the Trump team and Russia. Last night a report emerged that in March Mr. Trump asked Mr. Coats to stay behind after a cross-departmental national security meeting. Mr. Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo were the only people as Mr. Trump complained about FBI Director James Comey's handling of the Russia investigation. Mr. Coats told associates that Mr. Trump asked if he could intervene in the investigation.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions offered to resign in recent weeks but Mr. Trump refused to accept his offer. In his daily press briefing Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused to say whether or not Mr. Trump still has confidence in Mr. Sessions.

And in Mr. Trump's world, everything seems to be two weeks away. Bloomberg takes note of the number of times the President has promised action on a particular file in two weeks' time, and how those self-imposed deadlines are often missed.

Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on James Comey: "Playing the role that John Dean did in the Richard Nixon Watergate drama wouldn't bother James Comey. He's become the architect of White House fate. He torpedoed Hillary Clinton's bid to become president. He could now torpedo Mr. Trump as President. Or help save him."

Sarah Mason-Case (Policy Options) on how Paris is not Kyoto: "Perhaps the most notable sign that the world is on a different path this time around is the shift in attitudes and actions in the private sector and subnational jurisdictions. These advances are well publicized: the proliferation of renewable energy (and the impending demise of coal), disclosure of climate risks in corporate reporting, mass litigation compelling states to act, municipal partnerships to reduce emissions, subnational carbon pricing and more. Innovative approaches to address climate change are proliferating. Since controlling climate change was always going to require transformations across national boundaries, in jurisdictions down to the local level and by all public and private actors, some might say these burgeoning initiatives are what's needed or what persuaded countries to reach the Paris Agreement in the first place."

Jeffrey Jones (The Globe and Mail) on electoral uncertainty: "A hot trend is sweeping the worlds of energy, environment and politics. That is, an agreement is valid only as long as the government in the jurisdiction that signs it does not get voted out in an election. This is very troubling. Or it's reason to cheer. Maybe it's both, depending on which side of an issue one supports. One thing's for sure: This fad heaps huge risks on investors as they try to guess which deal will hold up and which ones will fall apart for political reasons." (for subscribers)