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politics briefing

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the Nova Scotia Liberal Party annual general meeting in Halifax on April 2, 2016.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

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POLITICS BRIEFING

By Chris Hannay (@channay)

> A massive leak of confidential documents has exposed billions of dollars of money stashed in international tax havens by world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

> Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he wants the Liberal Party to become more open to Canadians – and free to get involved with. Over the weekend, the party proposed doing away with a long-standing policy that only card-carrying members could get involved with party activities.

> Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has agreed to meet with the opposition NDP and Progressive Conservatives to work on new campaign finance rules. The provincial Liberals plan to unveil legislation today to give municipalities to ban corporate and union donations if they choose.

> As for when that money is spent – a Canadian Press review of spending and results in the 2015 election found those candidates with the most money did not usually win.

> Time is running down for the Liberals' electoral reform. The Prime Minister has said he would introduce legislation a year from now, but the all-party committee to study options has yet to be struck.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

> Voters in Saskatchewan will decide today whether or not they'll give Brad Wall a third term. (Read this first to find out how key economic issues in the province are playing out on the campaign trail.)

> NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has finally received an endorsement from the head of the largest private-sector union, ahead of a confidence vote from the party this weekend.

> Read Erin Anderssen 's in-depth profile of Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

> The Liberals have not yet moved on a plan initiated under the previous Conservative government to compensate farmers for the impacts of Pacific and European trade deals.

> Deputy ministers will now have some of their performance pay dedicated to how healthy and "respectful" their departments' workplaces are.

> And Michael Wernick, Ottawa's top public servant, says he's in no rush to fulfill the part of his mandate concerning a new process to pick his eventual successor. "I don't think the prime minister is going to need that advice for a while," he said.

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WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

"What's the word on Tom Mulcair's leadership review? Meh. There's no large zealous movement to oust the NDP Leader this weekend, but little enthusiasm for keeping him, either. If they're looking for political excitement, many New Democrats cast their eyes south of the border to see Bernie Sanders electrifying the Democratic primaries with a social-democratic campaign, and they #FeeltheBern. But with Mr. Mulcair, they've got more of a Hillary Clinton, a competent, middle-of-the-road pro." – Campbell Clark (for subscribers).

Dan Leger (Halifax Chronicle Herald): "Perhaps it's not surprising that the party's trusted insiders declined to put too much blame on Mulcair. They seemed perfectly fine with the decision to pursue moderate voters and to muffle the party's more radical tendencies."

David Shribman (Globe and Mail): "Wisconsin provides both [Ted] Cruz and [Bernie] Sanders the chance to slow down the front-runners' march toward their respective presidential nominations. Amid the custard, the cheese and the brats for which the state is known, these two challengers hope that Wisconsin will provide the nation with food for thought – and perhaps second thoughts." (for subscribers)

Barrie McKenna (Globe and Mail): "This isn't just an inside-Ottawa tale of serial bungling. There are disturbing real-world consequences of the government's failure to fix chronic information technology (IT) problems."

David Akin (Sun): "Three cheers for federal climate change minister Catherine McKenna who, on Friday, in front of a progressive, left-leaning crowd here in Ottawa, refused to yield to the mob's desire for unilateral drastic action on climate change."

Robert MacDermid (Globe and Mail): "Who funds politics matters in our lives, every day. If we accept a political finance system that permits large contributions from corporations and wealthy individuals, then we will have political policies and solutions that favour those groups more than ever."

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