Weekly Roundup - October 31, 2025
Top Federal Stories
A week that was intended to be focused on diplomacy and trade diversification was derailed by the most recent breakdown in Canada-US trade negotiations, with President Trump seizing on Ontario’s anti-tariff ads, which ran through the first games of the World Series, to threaten a new 10 per cent tariff on Canada. The tariff, for which Trump has yet to signal timing for implementation, would sit on top of tariffs previously imposed on Canadian products.
President Trump also leveraged the ad to derail trade discussions between Canada and the U.S., announcing that negotiations would cease immediately and that the President would not speak to Prime Minister Carney any time soon. However, fate being what it is, Carney and Trump found themselves sitting across the table from one another at a dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung. When pressed on any conversations had over dinner, Carney suggested the two had a “very good” conversation, and Trump called the conversation “very nice.”
And that dinner brings us to the intended focus of this week for Prime Minister Mark Carney. After jaunts to the United States and Europe in search of trade deals and defence pacts, Prime Minister Carney undertook his first trip to Asia for the ASEAN and APEC summits and meetings with several world leaders in search of new submarines, trade diversification, and to reset relations with China after several years of strain (read: a continued reduction of Canada’s reliance on the U.S. for economic and defence purposes).
On submarines, with South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean and Germany’s TKMS competing as the final two bidders for a contract to replace Canada’s aging Victoria-class submarines, Carney toured Hanwha’s KSS-III submarine (he had previously toured TKMS 212CD submarines in August). Prime Minister Carney also announced, alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, the establishment of the Canada-Korea Security and Defence Cooperation Partnership.
On trade diversification, Carney accelerated negotiations on a new Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement to expand trade access in the Indo-Pacific region. Carney also announced that Canada and the Philippines would imminently be launching negotiations on a new free trade agreement, with a goal of concluding the agreement in 2026.
And, on China, Prime Minister Carney met with President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, marking a turning point in the bilateral relationship. Specifically, the two leaders directed their officials to move swiftly to resolve outstanding trade issues and irritants - including those related to agriculture and agri-food products, seafood exports, and electric vehicles. Prime Minister Carney concluded the meeting by accepting President Xi’s invitation to visit China.
Meanwhile, in Parliament, MPs continued debate on the government’s bid to address the sensitive political issue of bail and sentencing reform. At Committee, MPs probed vehicle manufacturers and union leaders as part of the study on the Canadian Auto Industry and the Commitments Made With Stellantis. Next week, Industry Minister Melanie Joly will face the spotlight as MPs grill the government on the struggles of the Canadian auto sector.
Top Alberta Stories
Students across Alberta returned to class this week following a three-week teachers’ strike that brought the province’s public education system to a standstill.
Bill 2, the Back to School Act, was introduced on Monday and passed in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a fast-tracked debate. The legislation forced striking teachers back to work by imposing a collective agreement and invoking the notwithstanding clause to block potential legal challenges for the duration of the four-year term.
The legislation drew sharp criticism from the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), the opposition NDP, and caught the attention of organizations like Amnesty International who issued a statement calling on the Alberta Government to remove the notwithstanding clause from the bill.
Premier Danielle Smith wasn’t in the house for the bill’s passage, as she left Monday for a mission to the Middle East. In a post on social media, the Premier said, “we will continue to work with teachers to find lasting, practical solutions so every educator has the support they need and every student can learn in a safe, supportive environment.” The next day Education and Childcare Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, announced the province will work with school boards to collect yearly data on class sizes. The decision comes six years after the UCP government, under former Premier Jason Kenney, cancelled the public reporting of class sizes.
Friday afternoon, the Education Minister confirmed the government will cancel January’s provincial exams to give students and teachers more time to recover from instructional days lost during the strike. Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests and January diploma exams will be scrapped, with students given the option to write in April or June instead. Those who choose not to will receive their school-awarded marks as final grades, with no impact on graduation or post-secondary admission.
While Education took centre stage this week, the work of government didn’t slow down with two other ministries tabling major legislation. On Thursday, Bill 7, the Water Amendment Act, was introduced to modernize how Alberta manages and allocates its water amid growing drought concerns. The bill proposes major changes to the 25-year-old Water Act, including new rules that would allow “lower-risk” water transfers between neighbouring river basins without requiring legislative approval. Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz said the changes would permit limited transfers of treated or recycled water across basin boundaries to support industrial use, while maintaining strict environmental safeguards. Conservationists have warned the move could carry ecological risks, including the spread of invasive species, but Schulz said protections will remain in place. The bill also includes measures to clarify water reuse, increase transparency in trading, and set the stage for future basin management reforms planned for 2026.
The creation of a provincial police force was one of the topics discussed during the government’s province-wide Alberta Next consultation. This week, the Alberta Government advanced that initiative with Bill 4, the Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, which lays the groundwork for establishing a new independent police agency. The proposed legislation would create a labour relations framework for the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service (ASPS), expand eligibility to allow permanent residents to serve as officers, and enable cross-jurisdictional inmate transfers during emergencies. While government officials maintain the new agency will strengthen community safety and modernize policing, opposition critics continue to question its cost, staffing plans, and whether it signals the quiet creation of a provincial police force in everything but name. Bill 4 also proposes updates to the Disclosure to Protect Against Domestic Violence (Clare’s Law), granting the Integrated Threat and Risk Assessment Centre greater authority to access police databases and share information to protect those at risk of domestic violence. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said the legislation, “builds a strong foundation for the new Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, ensures people at risk of domestic violence can quickly get the information they need to protect themselves and modernizes how our correctional system operates.”
Premier Smith has been rolling out new mandate letters since late September, and this week associate ministers and parliamentary secretaries received their marching orders. The mandate letters were issued to the two associate ministers and eight parliamentary secretaries covering water, multiculturalism, settlement services and Ukrainian evacuees, small business and northern development, affordability and utilities, Indigenous and rural policing, constitutional affairs, rural health and health-workforce engagement.
Top Ontario Stories
Control of timing, messaging, and perception defined Ontario politics this week as the Ford government reshaped rules, faced international scrutiny, and advanced policy changes that tested the boundaries of provincial authority.
Premier Doug Ford’s plan to eliminate fixed election dates and raise donation limits to $5,000 was framed as modernization, a bid to make government “more flexible and responsive.” Supporters call it pragmatic; opposition leaders call it self-serving, warning it could erode transparency. The move reflects a core Ford philosophy: streamline decisions, reduce procedural constraints, and keep control over timing, whether for elections or announcements.
That approach carried across borders with Ontario’s Reagan-themed anti-tariff ad, which drew rebukes from the Reagan Foundation and U.S. president Donald Trump, who responded by suspending Canada-U.S. trade talks. Ford defended the ad as “standing up for Ontario workers,” while critics questioned the wisdom of a province wading into international diplomacy. The episode underscored Ontario’s growing ambition on national and global economic issues, and the risks that come with punching above its traditional provincial weight.
At home, the government focused on oversight and economic collaboration. It confirmed that long-delayed audits of Ontario’s 37 children’s aid societies will be completed within weeks to strengthen accountability and announced a feasibility study with Alberta on a cross-provincial pipeline. The partnership signals a shared interest in national energy development, though opposition critics argue the study lacks environmental rigour. The same tension between efficiency and environmental caution surfaced again as new changes to conservation authority legislation drew criticism from municipalities and environmental groups concerned about weakened protections and flood-management risks.
Elsewhere, Ford’s government turned to tangible, public-facing decisions: a November 14 deadline for municipalities to remove speed cameras, new attention to ticket-resale rules amid surging Blue Jays prices, recruitment of Quebec doctors dissatisfied with pay reforms, and a directive from Education Minister Paul Calandra for a northern school board to fix governance issues. Each underscores a preference for direct, visible action over slow, procedural reform.
The Ford government continues to operate at high speed: acting first, communicating boldly, and handling debate after the fact. Supporters see decisive leadership; critics see concentrated power and limited consultation. Either way, Ontario remains firmly in the national spotlight, setting its own tempo and inviting attention at every turn.
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