The Weekly Roundup - June 5, 2023
It’s been a week since Alberta’s election, and the post mortems are now being released. It’s little surprise that the UCP camp view their TSN turning point as debate day, when Smith’s measured demeanour won over undecided Albertans. The NDP’s proposed corporate tax hike was also an unexpected gift that allowed the UCP to focus on an economic message and point to the NDP’s record from 2015-19.
There’s nothing like a June filibuster in Ottawa as the temperature gets ratcheted up in the House of Commons before the summer break. That’ll be the case this week with the Liberal’s omnibus budget bill back to the House after a testy ride that included 20 hours of clause-by-clause review at committee. The CPC currently have 904 amendments for the House to work their way through before the bill can pass Third Reading. CPC Leader Pierre Poilievre has tied his party’s potential filibuster to two demands; having the governing Liberals present a plan for a balanced budget and canceling any future increases to the carbon price.
Below, you’ll find the other top federal and provincial stories of the week.
Top Federal Stories of the Week
Special Rapporteur David Johnston will testify for three hours tomorrow at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the question of privilege related to the intimidation campaign against CPC MP Michael Chong and other members. His appearance comes after all opposition members of the House of Commons passed a motion last week calling on Johnston to resign from his role. The Prime Minister is standing by his appointment, and Johnston has said through statement that he will continue on with his mandate.
Affordability continues to be top of mind for Canadians. The Bank of Canada is set to announce a decision Wednesday on whether to raise borrowing costs at a time when a survey of economists say Canada’s economy has been surprisingly resilient in the face of higher interest rates.
It could unfortunately be a summer of smoky conditions across Canada, with hundreds of fires continuing to burn across the country and evacuation orders in place in six provinces and territories. Coordination of federal resources spanning the country should thankfully not be an issue. Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault was quoted in the wildfire news release making the connection between increased fires due to climate change and developing a National Adaptation Strategy.
Top Alberta Stories of the Week
Some new details have emerged regarding the Calgary arena deal that was announced just prior to the provincial election period, including who will be on the hook for cost overruns, operating costs, maintenance and major structural repairs. The deal will not contain any revenue generated for the city through a ticket surcharge or naming rights. Negotiations between the City of Calgary and the Calgary Flames ownership group are ongoing, and will continue through the summer. The provincial government will need to officially sign off on their $330-million portion of the project, which Premier Smith has stated would need to be approved by cabinet.
Speaking of cabinet, we will know who is in the UCP’s cabinet and in what portfolios by the end of this week. Premier Smith has a delicate task at hand, with many key portfolios including finance, health and justice set to see some new faces with the incumbents either not seeking reelection or losing on May 29. With a smaller Calgary contingent, representation in the Edmonton area limited to the surrounding bedroom communities and many rural MLAs who feel it’s their time to shine, unity will be top of mind while getting some diverse voices at the table to represent the current UCP.
New West in the News
Monte Solberg joined Brian Lilley on the Full Comment Podcast to discuss the provincial election and where the UCP goes from here.
Christine Myatt weighed in on City News regarding whether upset voters will choose to leave Alberta, the UCP being shut out from Edmonton, and how close the NDP came to winning the election.
Upcoming Events Calendar
June 19, 2023: Byelections will be held in four federal ridings (all seats are considered to be safe for their respective incumbent party)