Politics This Morning: Trudeau says no election mandate needed with pandemic budget, Liberals still have one

Good Thursday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he already has a mandate from Canadians and doesn’t need a new one following the April federal budget. In an interview, former CBC host Peter Mansbridge asked the PM whether he needs a fresh mandate tied to the budget, per CBC. "We got elected in 2019 with a mandate to keep working on reconciliation, keep working on the vulnerable, keep working on the economy and this pandemic happened," he said. "And yes, we've had to do all sorts of things that weren't talked about in that election campaign, but they're also things that are true to the leadership and the values and the frame that I've put forward. Canadians already “know the values we're going to have,” he said, as the Liberals approach pandemic recovery. His deputy prime minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday that the first federal budget in two years will be on April 19. Today, there’s a big ruling coming out of Canada’s top court. The Supreme Court will rule on whether the federal carbon tax is constitutional, or if it constitutes an overstep into provincial jurisdiction, per The Canadian Press. Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta have all challenged the law. Following the Conservative policy convention, party leader Erin O’Toole is facing questions about his party’s approach to climate change after members voted down a resolution to acknowledge it’s real. Mr. O’Toole addressed it right away, in a speech Friday asserting the party would have a “comprehensive” and “serious” plan to address climate change. “I will not allow 338 candidates to defend against the lie from the Liberals that we are a party of climate change deniers,” Mr. O’Toole said on Friday, while new party president, Rob Batherson, on Wednesday echoed the sentiment. He told Global News that Mr. O’Toole’s position matters more than how delegates voted, which was 54 per cent against recognizing climate change is real. Also today, Auditor General Karen Hogan is tabling four reports in the House, including three related to Canada's COVID-19 response. Several in cabinet will be on hand to address her findings, including Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, Health Minister Patty Hajdu, National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna, and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough. Mr. Trudeau‘s former national security adviser Daniel Jean says he was not informed of the sexual misconduct allegation raised in 2018 against Gen. Jonathan Vance, and brought to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who passed the matter onto the Privy Council Office. That’s according to a copy of an email obtained by Global News that was sent to the Defence Committee, which is probing allegations into the former chief of defence staff and sexual misconduct in the military. The outlet reported Mr. Jean’s correspondence comes in response to a committee query following Monday’s appearance of a former top aide to former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. Ray Novak told the committee that Mr. Harper’s national security adviser played a central role in following up allegations that came to light against Gen. Vance. After Global News reported the navy shut down an internal probe into alleged inappropriate comments by senior officers, Mr. Sajjan has said he’s concerned about the move. It’s alleged senior officers joked on a Zoom call that a female participant wanted to show off her “red room,” but an investigation determined there was no wrongdoing. Mr. Sajjan said during a presser he’s asked acting chief of defence staff, Wayne Eyre, to review how it was handled. And, a day after his first parliamentary committee appearance, Lt.-Gen. Eyre sent a letter to the Canadian Armed Forces promising to “re-establish trust where it has been broken.” The Conservative Party’s policy convention last week was broadcast to more than 5,500 registrants entirely by Zoom. The new approach, made necessary by the pandemic, was a “missed opportunity” for the party, which appeared to opt for a visual presentation that seemed “stale,” one observer told The Hill Times. There may be some observers across the aisle taking note, with the NDP and Liberal overlapping conventions around the corner. They’ll be held from April 9 to 11, and April 8 to 10, respectively. The House has 11 committees meeting today. The Status of Women Committee is continuing its study on sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces. Military ombudsman Gregory Lick is scheduled to appear, as is former Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is answering the Transport Committee’s questions on the main estimates. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is set to make his second committee appearance this week, this time before the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee is continuing hearings on Bill C-3, to require sensitivity training on sexual-assault cases for judges. Senior counsels at the Department of Justice Canada will appear before Senators move to clause-by-clause consideration. And, five months after the Senate created the Audit and Oversight Committee, it’s considering a report “on issues relating to the nomination of its external members.” The presence of the external members was presented as a key part of the oversight committee’s work and independence by the format’s proponents. Critics, however, said the fact that they’re non-voting, and selected, ultimately still gives Senators a final say on the review of their expenses. Mr. Trudeau is set to speak today with David Malpass, the president of the World Bank Group, and hold a virtual meeting with community leaders. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau says no election mandate needed with pandemic budget, Liberals still have one

Plus, today the Supreme Court will rule on whether the federal carbon tax is constitutional.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Trudeau says no election mandate needed with pandemic budget, Liberals still have one

Plus, today the Supreme Court will rule on whether the federal carbon tax is constitutional.

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