Weekly Roundup - May 8, 2026
Top Federal Stories
In his ongoing effort to deepen economic and diplomatic ties in Europe, Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the Euopean Political Community summit as the only non-European head of government invited. European Council president Antonio Costa pointed to Carney's Davos speech as part of why Canada was at the table, framing the invitation as recognition that like-minded countries need to work together. In his speech to the gathered leaders, PM Carney argued the international order will be rebuilt out of Europe, urging nations to take on the world as it is, and not through the lens of nostalgia. On the CUSMA renegotiation, Prime Minister Carney rejected the idea of using energy or critical minerals as leverage in its negotiations with the Trump administration, arguing that Canada is not proposing to halt any existing trade. This was in direct response to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who had warned Canada against trying to use its resource wealth as a bargaining tool in the CUSMA renewal.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced a $1.5 billion tariff relief package on Monday in response to the United States expanding its metal tariffs. The package includes a new $1 billion program through Business Development Bank of Canada, offering loans of up to $50 million for the aluminum, steel, and copper sectors, along with a $500 million top-up to the regional tariff response fund.
On project approvals, the government released a discussion paper on Friday proposing an overhaul to the federal review process for major projects. The proposals would shift authority over interprovincial pipelines, transmission lines, and offshore renewable energy projects from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to the Canada Energy Regulator, undoing the process the Liberals introduced eight years ago when they created the agency. With this move, Cabinet will gain the ability to decide whether a pipeline project is in the public interest before the review process is complete. The package also includes a Crown consultation hub within the Impact Assessment Agency to better coordinate engagement with Indigenous communities and provinces, and legislative changes intended to bring review times down to one year. A 30-day consultation period will precede legislation. The government already moved to compress reviews from five years to two years last spring.
In other news, the Senate drew criticism from Premier Doug Ford this week as he expressed frustration over the pace of Bill C-14, the federal bail reform legislation. He reminded the chamber that all 13 premiers had signed off on the push for tighter bail rules. The bill is unlikely to return to the Senate floor until May 26, raising the prospect that final approval slips to late May or June as Parliament heads toward the start of the summer recess on June 19.
Prime Minister Carney also announced that retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour will be sworn in as Canada's next governor general on June 8.
Top Alberta Stories
The data breach that exposed the information of nearly three million Albertans is now under investigation by the Information and Privacy Commission. Commissioner Diane McLeod came forward to announce that her office will be conducting an investigation under the Privacy Information Protection Act. This came as Elections Alberta issued cease-and-desist letters to 23 people they allege had the list, after announcing that over 500 people accessed the elector list published by the Centurion Project.
NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi revealed that a UCP caucus staffer and the party’s president, Rob Smith, allegedly attended a Centurion Project Zoom meeting where the database was demonstrated using former Premier Jason Kenney’s personal information. The UCP confirmed the staffer’s attendance, explaining they believed the data had been legally obtained at the time, but say Rob Smith was not present. The government has maintained it is waiting on findings from the RCMP and Elections Alberta before considering any legislative response.
Meanwhile, Stay Free Alberta claims to have delivered over 300,000 signatures to Elections Alberta this week, well above the roughly 178,000 needed to trigger a referendum. The problem? Elections Alberta can’t verify them. A stay order issued in April by Justice Shaina Leonard has paused the process pending a judicial review launched by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy.
While the NDP continues to raise concerns about the UCP’s connections to Alberta’s separatist movement, the separatists are publicly discussing their dissatisfaction with Alberta’s governing party. Jeffrey Rath, co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, took to social media to denounce Premier Smith for her lack of response about the signature collection and publicly urged separatist supporters to purchase UCP memberships in order to push for a Special General Meeting, a mechanism that could trigger a leadership review of Premier Smith.
Discussions around the Ottawa-Alberta MOU continue to be closely watched for any signs of progress. Premier Smith was in Ottawa Friday to meet with Prime Minister Carney as both the Governments of Canada and Alberta seek to finalize a deal that would that could create the conditions for new pipeline construction. Premier Smith was upbeat following the meeting, both on social media and when speaking at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference, where she told the crowd she was “much more” optimistic about a deal.
Top Ontario Stories
The Ontario legislature returned from constituency break on Monday to tensions higher than when it left. NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters that if she becomes premier, she would call a public inquiry into the Greenbelt that could expose “dirty deals” and that Premier Doug Ford could end up “in prison.” The Progressive Conservatives countered with Premier Ford saying that Stiles had “stepped over a line.” The exchange, which some commentators noted mirrored Ford’s own 2018 suggestion that Kathleen Wynne and Liberal officials might belong in jail, underscores how the ongoing RCMP investigation into Greenbelt land deals continues to be a useful point of attack for the opposition parties.
A series of distractions has taken the Ford government off message over the past couple of weeks. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy told reporters the government has “moved on” from its short-lived $28.9-million private jet purchase. Meanwhile, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa indicated that long-delayed child welfare audits – originally due spring 2025 – have been pushed again to summer 2026.
Working to get back on message, Premier Ford hosted a roundtable where he pitched Ontario as a potential trade-diversification partner for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and MERCOSUR markets.
On the post-secondary file, the Ford government fired the Board of Governors at Conestoga College on Thursday and appointed Linda Franklin, former president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, as administrator. A provincial audit uncovered what Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn called “egregious financial decisions,” including a 55 per cent salary increase for former president John Tibbits, a termination payout reportedly exceeding $3 million, and a $23,000 trip to Italy for senior leaders. The college had already laid off more than 500 employees, one of the largest layoffs in Ontario’s college sector. Meanwhile, the nomination race to represent the Ontario Liberal Party in the upcoming Scarborough Southwest byelection is underway, with a nomination meeting set for May 9. Federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who represents neighbouring Beaches–East York, is competing against the party’s candidate in the 2025 general election, local lawyer Qadira Jackson, and two other contenders. Erskine-Smith has drawn criticism from rivals who accuse him of using the riding as a springboard for the provincial Liberal leadership race. On the leadership front, Etobicoke–Lakeshore MPP Lee Fairclough entered the race this week, while former federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains has departed Rogers Communications and is expected to make an announcement about his leadership intentions soon.
The New West Team is ready to guide clients through this uncertain time in Canadian politics.
