Hello,
Federal cabinet ministers have been given less than two months to find about $15-billion in spending cuts.
New Treasury Board President Anita Anand gave her colleagues an Oct. 2 deadline to find the savings from existing spending plans, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s March budget booked the $15-billion in savings before identifying where all of those cuts would be made.
“I am seeking your support to develop proposals to achieve these targets,” Anand told fellow cabinet ministers in the letter.
“In particular, organizations should review their programming to identify where there might be duplication, programs with lower value for money, or programs that do not address top priorities of the government.”
The federal budget announced a goal of saving $7.1-billion over five years through a 15-per-cent cut to discretionary spending on consulting, professional services and travel. It also announced a planned phase-in of a 3-per-cent spending cut by departments and agencies by 2026-27, with a goal of saving $7-billion over four years.
As well, both plans are expected to produce continuing savings in future years. And Crown corporations are expected to find a combined $1.3-billion in savings over four years.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre reacted to the exclusive story from The Globe’s Bill Curry on Tuesday, saying he had no faith that the government of Justin Trudeau would follow through on the promised cuts because of its record of overspending.
“He won’t achieve the savings because he never does,” Mr. Poilievre said at a press conference in Toronto.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pointed to outsourcing contracts Tuesday as an area where the federal government could find savings. However, Mr. Singh, whose party is supporting the minority Liberals, said he’s concerned by the direction of the spending review.
“I’m concerned that in a time when people are already feeling so squeezed, that these cuts might mean cuts to things that Canadians need,” Mr. Singh told reporters in Edmonton.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Canada’s inflation rate climbs – Canada’s annual inflation rate rose more than expected to 3.3 per cent in July. Core measures eyed by the central bank remained stubbornly high, raising the likelihood of another interest rate increase. Read the latest on the developing story here.
Canada leaves many Afghans in limbo – An Islamabad hotel room has begun to feel more like a jail cell for an Afghan man who once worked as an interpreter for the Canadian military, as his long wait for Canada’s promised help enters another year. Janice Dickson reports on the plight of Afghans who were promised help by the federal government but have yet to see it.
Ralph Lauren Canada faces federal probe into alleged use of forced Uyghur labour — A watchdog created by the federal government to probe corporate wrongdoing abroad says it is opening an investigation into whether Ralph Lauren Canada is selling products made with Uyghur forced labour in China. Steven Chase and Susan Krashinsky Robertson report here.
Federal government lets ethics watchdog post sit empty for more than six months – The federal government has remained without a conflict-of-interest and ethics watchdog for more than six months – a vacancy that the most recent commissioner says is putting investigations on hold and could allow violations to go unnoticed. The Canadian Press has the story.
Northwest Territories issues new evacuation warnings after unprecedented wildfires – The territorial government issued new warnings for residents to evacuate immediately as rapidly spreading wildfires threaten several communities, cutting off highway access and restricting emergency services. Alanna Smith has the latest.
THIS AND THAT
Summer break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate sits again on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day – Chrystia Freeland is going back to her roots, with events Tuesday in Peace Country, Alta., close to where she grew up. She will be touring an energy production facility, a grain production facility and hold a media availability.
Ministers on the road – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal will be in Nunatsiavut, Newfoundland and Labrador, Tuesday for an announcement on Inuit-led conservation and climate adaptation.
THE DECIBEL
Five years after cannabis was legalized in Canada, Globe reporter Jameson Berkow speaks about why we still know very little about health impacts from cannabis smoke and how that information gap can be closed. Listen to the podcast, here.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
The Prime Minister is on vacation with his family in British Columbia.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is in Toronto.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Edmonton for meetings with Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and with Indigenous groups to discuss climate change and the effect of this summer’s wildfires in Alberta. He’ll end Tuesday with a town hall focused on the province’s public health care system.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is on a four-day tour of New Brunswick, and is spending Tuesday in Caraquet.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on why The Prime Minister should go big or go home on housing: “The biggest, loudest, most obvious political issue in Canada is the high cost of housing. Yet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have been slow to see it build. And they still haven’t matched the public’s angst with governing ambition.”
Don Iveson (for The Globe and Mail) on why Ottawa needs to lead on housing: “Canadians don’t need a lesson in constitutional responsibilities, nor do they need scapegoats or lessons in history. What they need are places to live.”
Editorial Board (The Globe and Mail) on the need to act on clean power, now: “Alberta and other provinces need to stop bickering with Ottawa and start figuring out how to move quickly to the goal of clean power. Ottawa can offer some more leeway, but provinces need to get serious about change.”
Fereshta Abbasi (for The Globe and Mail) on the international community’s failed promises to Afghan refugees: “Afghanistan has one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with two-thirds of its population facing hunger and at least three million children suffering acute malnutrition. The country also has one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates, and thousands of women die from pregnancy-related causes, the majority of them preventable.”
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Marieke Walsh