The Weekly Roundup - July 10, 2023
Following a weekend for elected officials of flipping pancakes and hitting the Calgary Stampede reception circuit, Canada’s Premiers are arriving in Winnipeg this week for their Council of the Federation meeting, with a full slate of topics on the agenda including affordability, improving health care and the recent $46 billion federal health funding agreement, Canada’s competitiveness and economic growth. Ontario Premier Doug Ford will also be looking to advance his priority of better coordination with Ottawa on infrastructure projects.
Below, you’ll find the other top federal and provincial stories of the week.
Top Federal Stories of the Week
The NATO summit begins tomorrow in Lithuania where defence spending relative to GDP is sure to be top of mind. According to Reuters, NATO allies have reached an agreement to raise the alliance’s target to 2 per cent of national GDP for military spending, a sore subject as of late for the Canadian delegation. Canada has apparently been lobbying to expand the definition of defence spending to include space, cyber and AI spending (they have not yet been successful in this regard). In a surprise move, news broke in advance of the summit that Turkey has agreed to Sweden's membership in NATO.
On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada will publish its latest rate announcement, with many economists predicting an additional quarter-point hike to continue to quash inflation and bring it back towards the BoC's target of two per cent.
The first round of bargaining since negotiations ended a week ago was held on Saturday between British Columbia port workers and their employer. Employers have estimated the strike is costing between $500 and $775 million a day in trade, while workers have called control over maintenance a line in the sand. Workers held a rally on Sunday in support of the ongoing strike while leaders in various industries including manufacturing, forestry and agriculture as well as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have called for an end to the strike, including consideration of federal back-to-work legislation being imposed.
Top Alberta Stories of the Week
As anticipated, mandate letters for cabinet ministers are now being released at a one-a-day pace. So far, the mandates of the Jobs, Economy and Trade, Agriculture and Irrigation, Environment and Protected Areas and Energy and Minerals ministries have been released.
Cabinet committee membership was released and they are comprised of cabinet members as well as a sizable contingent of backbench MLAs. The cabinet committees are:
Alberta First Cabinet Policy Committee
Public Safety and Wellness Cabinet Policy Committee
Building Communities Cabinet Policy Committee and
Economic Diversification Cabinet Policy Committee
Smith and Trudeau met during Stampede and a key takeaway of the productive meeting was the establishment of a bilateral working group on emissions reduction and other energy policies. Both the Premier and Prime Minister shared their interpretation of the meeting through readouts with Smith focusing exclusively on energy topics while the PM’s also mentioned affordability, wildfires, the B.C. port strike and mental health and substance use issues.
New West in the News
Last week, New West Public Affairs launched a dedicated communications offering designed to help clients across the country tell their stories to audiences that reach beyond the halls of government. From message development and strategic communications planning to media relations and digital communications, New West is now poised to offer clients a full suite of communications services that will raise profiles, capture imaginations and influence decisionmakers. Have a project you’d like to work on together? Feel free to get in touch!
Upcoming Events Calendar
July 24, 2023: Byelection will be held in the former riding of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Calgary Heritage.
September 18, 2023: House of Commons resumes sitting after summer break
October 30, 2023: Alberta Speech from the Throne and start of fall session
November 3-4, 2023: UCP Annual General Meeting