Politics This Morning: Feds to table climate accountability bill; Hajdu strikes panel to probe pandemic warning system

Good Thursday morning, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson gave notice yesterday of his intention to table the feds' long-awaited climate accountability bill, which could be out for review as early as today. (A technical briefing for media has been set, so it's likely today's the day.) It's expected to hold future governments responsible for meeting climate targets—something that Canada has consistently failed to achieve since 1992, per Toronto Star—while leaving it to a panel of experts to advise on the path to net zero emissions by 2050. Climate advocates are also likely anxiously awaiting the government's revised Paris target; the prime minister has committed to exceed its pledge to slash emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The NDP drew a lucky straw when House Leader Peter Julian's private member's bill on pharmacare was selected for debate in the lottery system, according to CBC. It's created an opening for NDP NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to challenge Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to put his money where his mouth is after he promised twice in his past two throne speeches the government would work to implementing the program. The Bloc Québécois and Conservatives have already raised concerns about stepping on the jurisdictional toes of provinces, particularly Quebec, which has its own plan. Canada's intelligence agency said state-sponsored actors are "very likely attempting to develop cyber capabilities" to penetrate critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid. At the same time, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security said it's "very unlikely" that they'll be motivated to "cause major damage or loss of life in the absence of international hostilities." That means unless Canada does something to really rile Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran—countries that, by the agency's assessment, pose the biggest threats to it—they won't be quick to engage in cyberwarfare. The report also noted that Canadians remain "lower-priority targets" for those looking to interfere in Canada's politics, even as these "foreign influence activities" are believed to be happening more routinely, outside of an election cycle. Health Minister Patty Hajdu said the government has struck an "independent panel" to conduct a probe into whether the early-warning system responsible for alerting public health officials of a pandemic failed. The government has turned to Margaret Bloodworth, former national security adviser to then-prime minister Stephen Harper to chair the three-member group. The panel will have a hand in developing its terms of reference, and has until next spring to produce a report that will be made public. Opposition parties voted in sync (179-146) to pass a non-binding motion that calls on Ottawa to announce its decision on whether it plans to ban Huawei or allow it to participate in the development of the 5G network within 30 days. The Conservatives' motion also drew the support of five Liberal MPs, including Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, John McKay, and Jennifer O'Connell. It asks the government to show its plan to "combat China's growing foreign operations" in Canada. The pressure has been on the Trudeau government to make a decision since it won re-election, since it had promised to resolve the issue after the federal vote. The Conservatives and NDP have both decided to opt for virtual conventions in the spring, with the official opposition moving up its event to March from August. The NDP set the date for its three-day event for April. There are 14 committee meetings on the books today. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault is scheduled to testify on his agency's spending asks at the House Affairs Committee. Over at the Public Accounts Committee, Auditor General Karen Horgan and defence officials, including deputy minister Jody Thomas, are set to respond to questions related to an audit on DND's ability to provide military personnel with the equipment needed for their assignments. Both are scheduled for their Zoom meeting at 11 a.m. The Board of Internal Economy is also due to convene at the same time. Other notable meetings include an appearance from Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna at the Transport Committee, which is holding a hearing on the main and supplementary estimates at 3:30 p.m. The Finance Committee is also expected to pick up where it left off—debating efforts to probe the WE Charity affair—when it also meets at 3:30 p.m. The NDP's Charlie Angus sent a letter to the ethics commissioner's office asking to expand its probe to determine whether ex-finance minister Bill Morneau may have run afoul of conflict-of-interest rules in allegedly approving a $12-million contract for WE. The trio of ministers who handle the Indigenous file—Marc Miller, Carolyn Bennett, and Dan Vandal—are also scheduled to appear at INAN to talk budgetary requests. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Feds to table climate accountability bill; Hajdu strikes panel to probe pandemic warning system

Plus, the Conservatives and NDP plan virtual conventions for the spring.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Feds to table climate accountability bill; Hajdu strikes panel to probe pandemic warning system

Plus, the Conservatives and NDP plan virtual conventions for the spring.

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