Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet with King Abdullah II; Countdown to cabinet reveal

Good Monday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is just a couple of days away from unveiling his new expanded cabinet that's expected to put greater emphasis on regional representation in the face of simmering tensions between Ottawa and the Western provinces. He's also expected to broaden the environment portfolio, assigning two ministers to the file. The Globe reported last week that Steven Guilbeault, formerly of Greenpeace Quebec and Equiterre and a rookie MP, is expected to be brought into the fold, though his role remains unclear. The Greens' parliamentary leader, Elizabeth May, favours Mr. Guilbeault, seeing him as an obvious choice to be the face of the feds' environmental efforts, but the PM may either want to leave Catherine McKenna or a more senior minister in charge of the main file. Former cabinet minister Ralph Goodale, and formerly the lone Liberal MP in Saskatchewan, has some advice for the government in working with the Prairie provinces. In a op-ed in the Leader-Post, Mr. Goodale offered an itemized to-do list of issues that the Trudeau government should grapple with, including exploring whether "federal pollution pricing exemptions" can be adjusted "to better accommodate key prairie sectors like agriculture, junior oil and gas, and small business." Before Wednesday's cabinet shuffle, Mr. Trudeau is sitting down for a bilateral meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at West Block. The two are likely to discuss the crisis in Syria and the refugee situation in the wake of the U.S.' decision to abruptly withdraw its troops from Jordan's neighbour, with "peace and regional security" in the Middle East listed on the agenda. The king's visit marks his fifth since 1999. Over the weekend, People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier, who vowed that his upstart party is here to stay, was in Red Deer, Alta., called on Albertans to drop their appeals for separation, saying fixing Canada should be the first move. “You will likely find yourself in a very negative political dynamic. One based on failed attempts to blackmail Ottawa, internal divisions, and resentment against the rest of the country,” Mr. Bernier told his crowd. “Just like in Quebec.” He argued that they should shift their tactics to push for more autonomy from Ottawa. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet with King Abdullah II; Countdown to cabinet reveal

'Peace and regional security' in the Middle East and efforts to 'counter violent extremism' are listed on the agenda.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet with King Abdullah II; Countdown to cabinet reveal

'Peace and regional security' in the Middle East and efforts to 'counter violent extremism' are listed on the agenda.

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