Politics This Morning: Bloc mulls separatism in Drummondville

Good Friday morning, It’s a quiet day in Canadian politics, even for a Friday. Neither the House nor its committees will sit today. All caucuses agreed to skip sitting today to make it easier for Bloc Québécois MPs to attend their party’s policy convention in Drummondville, as the House did for the Liberals when they held their convention two weeks ago. Next week is a break week for MPs and Senators. Members of the Bloc will have a chance this weekend to discuss a “proposition principale” endorsed by Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET, which, among other things, calls for Quebec to separate from Canada and become its own country. Blanchet will deliver his speech to the convention tomorrow morning. What’s the cabinet up to? Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Japan for the G7 leaders' summit. Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Trade Minister MARY NG remain in Washington, D.C., where they came to meet with their American counterparts and promote Canada as a place to build semiconductors. Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY is still in the Philippines, where she has come to promote Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly is in the Philippines as part of an effort to rally Pacific nations to Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Immigration Minister SEAN FRASER will announce funding for a community group in River John, N.S. Finally, Northern Affairs Minister DAN VANDAL will announce something to do with gun crime and gang violence in Winnipeg. What else is happening today? Unnamed officials from Environment and Climate Change Canada will deliver a technical briefing for the press at 10 a.m. The topic? A draft report on the “state of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” a.k.a “forever chemicals.” These chemicals are man-made, and used in products ranging from firefighting foam to clothing and cosmetics, according to the government. Some have been found to harm the environment, so the government has been studying them. We’ll find out what it has determined today. In the news MPs squared off with a former top public servant at a committee meeting devoted to scrutinizing the central role McKinsey and Company played in the early days of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. KEVIN PHILIPUPILLAI reports. Housing Minister AHMED HUSSEN and other ministers have some new staff members. LAURA RYCKEWAERT has the details. In case you missed it? Canada-China committee backs foreign agent registry, real estate scrutiny The House Canada-China Relations Committee issued an interim report to the House of Commons earlier this week. It included 34 recommendations to the government. Among them: That the government conduct a comprehensive national security review, and publish a national security policy; That the government expand its beneficial ownership registry to include real estate, and businesses under provincial jurisdiction; Liberal MP Ken Hardie chairs the Canada-China Relationship Committee. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade That the feds explore how to require social media companies “connected to” the Chinese government to disclose their practices around the collection and use of data, and the restriction of content, to Canadian users; That “authoritarian state-controlled broadcasters” be banned from broadcasting in Canada; That the government launch a foreign agent registry; and That the government provide political parties with specific details about any attempts from foreign states to interfere with candidates or donors, “rather than just information of a general nature.” You can read the report yourself here. PBO calls clean fuel standard ‘regressive’ The Officer of the Parliamentary Budget Officer issued a report yesterday that poured cold water on the government’s “clean fuel regulations.” Those regulations require that gasoline and diesel fuel sold in Canada create fewer and fewer greenhouse gas emissions as time goes on, including through the purchase of pollution credits. The PBO found that the regulations would increase the cost of gasoline by about 17 cents per litre by the year 2030, and take a $9-billion bite out of the economy. The study did not account for any costs imposed by greenhouse gas pollution. Lower-income households spend a greater portion of their disposable income on fuel and “other energy-intensive goods and services,” according to the PBO. As a result, the PBO declared that the fuel regulations are a “regressive” policy, meaning that they disproportionately harm low-income individuals. You can read the report yourself here. Send your news tips to pmazereeuw@hilltimes.com. The Hill Times

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Politics This Morning: Bloc mulls separatism in Drummondville

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Politics This Morning: Bloc mulls separatism in Drummondville

Plus, the Canada-China Committee issues its wish list.

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