Hello,
Patrick Brown, the former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, has settled a lawsuit with CTV News, and says he is now close to deciding whether to run for the leadership of the federal Conservatives.
At issue is a 2018 story alleging sexual misconduct by Mr. Brown, who quit his post as Progressive Conservative leader amid the resulting controversy.
Mr. Brown is now the Mayor of Brampton, the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area.
At his weekly news conference on Wednesday, he thanked his family for their support following news of a settlement.
“I am looking with optimism towards the future,” he said.
As for seeking the leadership of the federal Conservatives, Mr. Brown said he will quickly decide whether or not to enter the race.
”I’m going to make a decision very soon, and I certainly believe that I need to make a decision in the coming days given that the race has already started,” he said.
The Conservative Party has confirmed that the results of the leadership race will be announced by Sept. 10. Prospective candidates have until April 19 to enter. Voters require party membership, and they have until June 3 to get it.
If Mr. Brown enters the race, he would join a group of competitors that includes MPs Pierre Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest is expected to enter the race on Thursday.
Roman Baber, a former Progressive Conservative member of the Ontario legislature, was expected to announce on Wednesday that he would enter the race.
There’s a Globe and Mail overview here on who’s running for the Conservative leadership, with candidates and dates to watch.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
UKRAINE
TRUDEAU PROMISES MORE AID TO UKRAINE - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday and promised to send more military equipment to Ukraine, including Canadian-made cameras that can be mounted on surveillance drones. Story here.
NO LIMIT TO UKRAINIAN REFUGEES WE WILL TAKE: SASKATCHEWAN - Saskatchewan says it will welcome as many refugees from Ukraine as the federal government is willing to resettle in the province. Story here.
WHERE DOES THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - For nearly a quarter century, the International Space Station has circled the globe un-buffeted by political winds down on Earth. But the orbiting facility has never had to weather a schism as bad as the one that now divides Russia from the rest of the station’s partners, including the United States, Canada, Japan and the 22 member countries of the European Space Agency. Story here.
Please check here for live updates on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
OTHER HEADLINES
NEW MASK MANDATE RULES IN ONTARIO - Ontario is lifting its mask mandate in most public settings, including schools, and ending isolation requirements in most circumstances, even if individuals are unvaccinated, the province’s chief medical officer of health announced on Wednesday. Story here.
ONTARIO PLAN FOR CHILD-CARE DEAL - The federal government says Ontario submitted its spending plan for billions of dollars in proposed child-care funding “late last week.” Story here.
CONCERNS ABOUT MANITOBA DEBATE ON WOMEN IN POLITICS - A Manitoba MLA says some of her colleagues ruined what was supposed to be a respectful discussion about the achievements of women politicians. Story here from CBC.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – The House of Commons is not sitting again until March. 21.
ARMED FORCES READINESS TO MEET THREATS TO CANADA - The Standing Committee on National Defence on Wednesday held a meeting on the threat analysis affecting Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces’ operational readiness to meet those threats. The witnesses are Major-General Paul Prévost, staff director for the strategic joint staff, from the national Defence department; Kevin Hamilton, director-general of international security policy from the Foreign Affairs department; and, from Global Affairs Canada, Heidi Kutz, senior Arctic official and director-general, Arctic, Eurasion, and European Affairs. More details, including webcast information are here for the meeting which begins at 2:30 p.m. ET and runs until 4:30 p.m.
THE DECIBEL - On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Dr. Andrew Boozary - the executive director of social medicine and population health at the University Health Network in Toronto - talks about why homelessness is a failure of policy – not individual choice – and how he’s working to fix it. According to Statistics Canada, more than 235,000 people experience homelessness in any given year, with 25,000-35,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Berlin, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended private meetings and then visited the Platform 17 Memorial. The Prime Minister held a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and then held a media availability with the Chancellor. Mr. Trudeau also delivered remarks and participated in a question-and-answer session with members of Atlantik-Brucke and the Munich Security Conference.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Burnaby, B.C, virtually attended the NDP national caucus meeting, visits local businesses in his Burnaby South riding and meets with B.C. blueberry producers.
No schedules provided for other party leaders.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how the world needs more Canadian oil and gas: “The U.S. was happy enough to keep on buying Russian oil until an invasion of Ukraine forced a turning off of the tap. Now, the U.S. is courting Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela to fill the gap. Hey, America, look up north. In the hypothetical world of what might have been, Keystone XL oil could have been flowing today. The pipeline was first spiked by Barack Obama back in 2015. More than six years later, Europe and the U.S. have suddenly realized why they need to kick their addiction to Russian fuel. As the world’s fifth-largest producer of gas, fourth-largest producer of oil, and repository of the third-largest oil reserves, Canada can help. Or at least it can help, if given years to ramp up. Had Keystone XL opened several years ago, oil companies might have increased production to match the export capacity. But Canada’s industry has no gushing spigot that it can instantly turn on.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how we have already called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bluff: “The better approach might be a strategy of gradualism, neither ruling out a no-fly zone nor ruling it in, but reserving the right to intervene in proportion to the gravity of the situation on the ground. Mr. Putin’s position is weakening by the day. What might not be possible today might be possible a week from now. In a game of nuclear poker, best to keep your cards close to your chest.”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on why Canada should open its doors, without limit, to Ukrainians fleeing war: “Canada is about to face a humanitarian challenge different from any in this country’s history. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, could soon be seeking asylum. They won’t want to be here and they won’t want to stay and God willing they will soon return home. But if the war in Ukraine goes badly, then they could be with us for a long time, perhaps forever. The 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent – the largest Ukrainian diaspora outside Russia – are ready and willing to welcome this latest wave of newcomers. But they will need help from federal and provincial governments and from other Canadians. It’s on all of us to rise to the occasion.”
Fen Hampson and Janice Gross Stein (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the West is feeling pressure to act in Ukraine - but that would make things even more dangerous: “So far there is no evidence that Russian nuclear forces have taken steps to increase their readiness, and skeptics insist that Mr. Putin and his colleagues are bluffing in order to deter NATO. But Russia’s military doctrine sets a lower threshold for the use of tactical weapons than does NATO, in part because Russia’s forces are vastly outnumbered by NATO’s collective military manpower and firepower. Mr. Putin knows that he is outgunned, and is frustrated that the invasion of Ukraine is proving to be a much tougher battle than he was led to believe, due to the extraordinary bravery of Ukrainian fighters and the massive airlift of supplies by the United States and its allies to Ukraine. If Mr. Putin is backed into a corner, it is possible that he may resort to using tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. This would break through a long-standing taboo against the use of nuclear weapons any time, anywhere, for any reason. And no Western leader is willing to take the risk of calling Mr. Putin’s bluff that a war with Russia would be nuclear, because no one has any confidence any longer that they know what he might do next.”
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Ian Bailey