Top Federal Stories
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly served Stellantis with a notice of default on Thursday, days after the automaker agreed to sell its Brampton assembly plant to defence contractor Roshel. Joly says Stellantis broke its 2022 funding agreement by halting production and idling the plant. Stellantis later moved planned Jeep Compass production to Illinois, leaving more than 2,000 workers laid off. The company has 30 days to show it will fix the breaches. If it does not, Ottawa could cancel the 2022 agreement worth up to $529 million, and require Stellantis to repay some or all of the funding with interest.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the Roshel deal a “partial solution” for the plant’s workers and Roshel has said it is willing to rehire some of the laid-off workers. Carney maintains Stellantis is responsible for meeting its obligations to every worker. Stellantis issued a statement Tuesday, saying it would pay the government subsidies back, which amount to at least $220 million so far. The company also said it will work with the union “toward a fair outcome” for the workers.
Carney was in Dublin for the European Political Community summit, where Canada was again the only non-European country at the table. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed him and other leaders on this week’s talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi. Carney also met with his counterpart from Greek and Cyrpus. Neither country has ratified Canada’s trade agreement with the EU, but President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyrpus pledged to see the deal ratified. Carney now heads to Asia for a regional summit in the Philippines, the Francophonie summit in Cambodia, and the APEC summit in China.
Ottawa announced reimposed sanctions on 11 Iranian entities this week, including banks, insurers and a tanker company. Canada accuses them of supporting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile efforts or financing violence abroad. The sanctions bar Canadians from financial dealings with the entities. Global Affairs Canada says the move aligns with G7 efforts to get Iran to co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The federal government will not challenge an Alberta Court of Appeal ruling that found portions of the amended Impact Assessment Act (Bill C-69) unconstitutional. The October decision found the legislation continues to infringe on provincial jurisdiction, despite changes introduced by Ottawa following a 2023 Supreme Court ruling. Instead of challenging the ruling, the federal government has committed to further amendments, with details and timelines yet to be announced. Premier Danielle Smith, who has dubbed the legislation the ‘no new pipelines’ law, welcomed the decision in a joint statement with Justice Minister Mickey Amery. The decision comes as Alberta and Ottawa pursue a more collaborative relationship on energy development.
With the UCP’s annual general meeting just two weeks away, Premier Smith’s efforts to put October’s referendum behind the party are facing resistance from within its own ranks. The UCP has asked all 87 constituency association presidents to sign a revised code of conduct committing them to respect the referendum result.15 constituency association presidents instead signed a November 11 letter refusing to sign the revised code.
The dispute sets the stage for a potential showdown over party unity at the AGM, scheduled for November 27 and 28 in Calgary. As she did ahead of the last AGM, Smith is making the rounds with grassroots members, including at a November 17 Christmas dinner hosted by MLA Glenn van Dijken and the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock constituency association. According to the UCP, more than 7,000 people are registered for the convention, which will feature remarks from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and new BC Premier Lorne Doerkson.
The legislature was in recess this week as MLAs returned to their constituencies for Remembrance Day, but that didn’t stop the flow of major announcements. The government introduced a steady stream of health-care measures including $39 million to increase urgent care capacity, along with nearly $14 million for AI technology aimed at increasing MRI capacity. A $250-million investment in seniors’ housing and continuing care and a new oilsands royalties incentive rounded out the week for government announcement.
Meanwhile, the Alberta NDP unveiled its economic plan, outlining proposals to increase minimum wage, attract more private investment, refocus Invest Alberta on high-growth businesses, strengthen transportation and trade infrastructure, and expand opportunities in sectors such as energy, agriculture, technology, defence and aerospace. Notably, the plan also commits to maintaining the province’s current corporate tax rate, an issue that has been a political vulnerability for the NDP in the past two provincial elections. The party is positioning the plan as an initial framework, with further consultations planned ahead of the 2027 election.
Top Ontario Stories
The Ontario government will introduce legislation next week to tighten oversight of private career colleges in the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The bill would cap OSAP-funded enrolment growth at private institutions, make predominantly online programs ineligible for OSAP, require career colleges to keep a physical campus and restrict their ties to immigration and recruitment firms. It would also make institutions liable for their students’ OSAP loans, require schools to verify class participation and completed coursework, and set new monetary penalties under the Ontario Career Colleges Act.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn said preliminary findings from a KPMG audit of career colleges show problems that are “systematic and widespread,” including allegations that third parties completed coursework for students and that thousands of OSAP applications were filed from the same IP addresses. The pause on OSAP payments at private institutions stays in place for the time being.
S&P Global Ratings moved Ontario’s credit outlook from stable to negative this week. The agency is pointing to deficits and debt that exceeded its expectations as the province spends to support industries hit by U.S. tariffs. The Fall Economic Statement projects a $16.9-billion deficit this year. A downgraded rating could raise the province’s borrowing costs, leaving less for capital investments and program spending.
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) said on November 10 that due to engineering delays, it no longer expects the first small modular reactor at Darlington to be operational by October 2030, or to be built within its $7.7-billion cost estimate. The reactor is the first of four planned at Darlington. The province estimated they would cost $21 billion when it approved construction in 2025.
The province’s power to appoint regional heads of council was expanded by legislative changes that went into effect in May. On Tuesday, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack named the chairs of eight upper-tier municipalities. The appointees include mayors from Vaughan and Pickering, along with former Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca in York and Conservative MP Scott Aitchison in Muskoka, who intends to resign his House of Commons seat. The chairs will have strong-chair powers to hire and fire chief administrative officers, propose the regional budget and veto certain bylaws, which the province says will speed up housing and infrastructure decisions.
Looking ahead, MPPs return to Queen’s Park on November 16 after a constituency week. The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs opens its 2027 pre-budget consultations in Toronto on November 17 with written submissions due February 4. Also on November 17, the Standing Committee on the Interior holds hearings on Bill 140, the government’s fall red tape bill. Hearings on Bill 143, the budget measures bill that accompanies the Fall Economic Statement, will follow on November 18. Ontario Liberal party members finish voting on November 20, and the party will name its new leader on November 21.
New West in the News
Keith McLaughlin on Alberta's upcoming political showdown
New West Partner Keith McLaughlin joined The Hub’s Alberta Edge political panel this week to take stock of Premier Danielle Smith’s record as Alberta enters the final year before the next provincial election.
Michael Solberg on Ottawa's 2026 Budget
New West Partner Michael Solberg joined CBC’s Power & Politics Weekly Wrap panel to discuss Budget 2026. Solberg says he sees some risk in the plan with expectations for the government still sky high.
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