Politics Briefing: Threat to Canadian electric vehicle industry dissipates with U.S. Senate deal

Whats up,

A deal struck amongst Democrats within the U.S. Senate seems to have eradicated a risk hanging over the nascent electrical car manufacturing business in Canada.

An settlement introduced late Wednesday between Senate Democratic chief Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia provides the Democrats the votes they should move a key plank of U.S. President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

The deal would amend Mr. Biden’s local weather and well being invoice and alter the phrases of tax credit for electrical automobiles that, as beforehand written, would have solely utilized to autos assembled in the US.

The amended language does away with the made-in-America standards and as a substitute says the tax credit score would apply to electrical automobiles assembled “inside North America,” which implies not solely the US however Canada and Mexico.

Canada’s auto business and the Canadian authorities are celebrating the event. Worldwide Commerce Minister Mary Ng had beforehand warned {that a} Purchase-America-style tax credit score would do “critical and irreparable hurt” to the Canadian automotive sector.

Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase reviews right here.

That is the each day Politics Briefing e-newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It’s obtainable completely to our digital subscribers. In case you’re studying this on the internet, subscribers can join the Politics e-newsletter and greater than 20 others on our e-newsletter sign-up web page. Have any suggestions? Tell us what you assume.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

PAPAL VISIT CONTINUES – Pope Francis is internet hosting a reconciliation-themed mass in Quebec earlier than a congregation made up largely of residential college survivors and different Indigenous individuals, a day after expressing disgrace and sorrow for the function performed by Catholic establishments within the colleges. Story right here. In the meantime, the Vatican isn’t planning to conduct a proper investigation into the abuses at Catholic-run residential colleges that operated throughout Canada for a century, however will study any new proof that emerges. Story right here.

NO PLANS TO RESIGN: HOCKEY CANADA CEO – Hockey Canada’s CEO mentioned he has no plans to resign amid controversy over the group’s dealing with of sexual-assault allegations, regardless of rising requires a management overhaul to handle the troubling tradition within the nation’s nationwide winter sport. Story right here.

PROVINCES WANT MORE IMMIGRATION CONTROL – Citing a nationwide labour scarcity, a number of provincial immigration ministers say they need extra management over the immigration course of, and have despatched a letter to their federal counterpart calling for change. Provincial and territorial ministers concerned with immigration have been Wednesday assembly with federal minister, Sean Fraser. Story here from CBC.

DETAILS ON AR-15 COMPENSATION RELEASED – The federal authorities is proposing $1,337 in compensation for delivering an AR-15 rifle underneath a compulsory buyback program. Story right here.

QUEBEC CONSERVATIVE PARTY GAINING TRACTION – When Éric Duhaime took over as chief of the Quebec Conservatives final yr, the social gathering – which is unaffiliated with the federal Conservatives – had by no means held a seat within the legislature, by no means been invited to a serious debate and by no means raised greater than $60,000 in donations in any given yr. Now, nonetheless, the social gathering has wrangled a seat within the legislature and began polling close to 20 per cent. Story here from CBC.

SMITH FACES CRITICISM AT UCP DEBATE – Danielle Smith, thought of one of many front-runners within the United Conservative Occasion management race, confronted sharp criticism Wednesday from debate rivals over her Alberta sovereignty plan and controversial feedback on most cancers. Story right here.

NEW POSTMEDIA CHAIRMAN NAMED – Jamie Irving, a scion of the rich New Brunswick household, will take over as government chairman of Postmedia Community Canada Corp. on the finish of this yr, as board chair Paul Godfrey prepares to step down after a dozen years within the newspaper writer’s prime ranks. Story right here.

CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE

CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is in Newfoundland. Roman Baber is in Ontario, with stops in Chatham and Windsor. Jean Charest is in B.C. Leslyn Lewis is in Saskatchewan, with stops in Regina and Saskatoon. Pierre Poilievre is in Ottawa.

HARPER DIDN’T ADDRESS `BATTY’ POILIEVRE IDEAS: FORMER CABINET MINISTERS – Two Stephen Harper-era cupboard ministers say his endorsement of Pierre Poilievre for the management of the Conservative social gathering failed to handle the candidate’s “batty” financial insurance policies. Story right here.

THIS AND THAT

The Home of Commons isn’t sitting once more till Sept. 19. The Senate is to renew sitting on Sept. 20.

TIMETABLE FOR ONTARIO LEGISLATURE RETURN – Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed Thursday that the legislature will convene Aug. 8, with a speaker elected that day. Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell will ship a throne speech on Aug. 9. It’s the primary sitting of the legislature for the reason that Ontario election held on June. 2 during which Mr. Ford led the Progressive Conservatives to a second, consecutive majority authorities.

FRASER IN N.B. – Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in Saint John, N.B., joins a media availability held by different provincial and territorial ministers chargeable for immigration, on the finish of the joint assembly of the Discussion board of Ministers Chargeable for Immigration.

KHERA IN P.E.I.- Seniors Minister Kamal Khera, in Prince Edward Island, introduced a $73,486 funding to fund 5 community-based tasks to help seniors within the Rural Municipality of Miltonvale Park, Prince Edward Island.

NG IN HALIFAX – Worldwide Commerce Minister Mary Ng, in RisePEI, makes an announcement in regards to the Girls Entrepreneurship Technique Ecosystem Fund.

THE DECIBEL

Thursday’s version of The Globe and Mail podcast options Senior Author Grant Robertson whose investigation into the Nationwide Fairness Fund uncovered it publicly. Hockey Canada instructed federal hearings Wednesday that it has paid $8.9-million since 1989 to settle 21 circumstances of alleged sexual assault, with the majority of that cash, $7.6-million, coming from a particular fund constructed by way of registration charges that wasn’t disclosed to folks and gamers. Mr. Robertson explains how the fairness fund capabilities and the way it allowed Hockey Canada to maintain quiet allegations of a gaggle sexual assault for years. The Decibel is right here.

PRIME MINISTER’S DAY

The Prime Minister, in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, attends a Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

LEADERS

No schedules launched for social gathering leaders.

OPINION

John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on how Pierre Poilievre will want greater than guarantees of freedom: “Stephen Harper’s public endorsement of Pierre Poilievre as the following chief of the Conservative Occasion means little or no, but in addition so much. Little or no, as a result of Mr. Poilievre most likely had the management sewn up even with out the previous prime minister’s imprimatur. Lots, as a result of Mr. Harper is clearly hoping to protect social gathering unity and win over uncommitted voters in help of a candidate he believes has a transparent shot at changing into prime minister.”

Cathal Kelly (The Globe and Mail) on how defining Hockey Canada’s drawback in plain English continues to be an issue: “Pull again from the speaking factors and the gotcha questions. What message are the individuals who run hockey in Canada attempting to ship? It’s twofold – hockey doesn’t have a scientific drawback (ergo, we’re not the issue); the gamers should be Clockwork Orange’d till they’re functioning residents again. It’s the gamers who’ve misplaced their means. Hockey Canada is the nice man. It’s attempting to assist the victims and make them signal NDAs, however provided that they wish to. Beneath the bureaucratese, you may faintly hear the actual rationalization: ‘We tried, however what are you going to do with these brutes? Each occasionally, they’re going to get free, after which it’s our job to get them again in a field earlier than they panic the locals.’ In case you didn’t consider hockey had a tradition drawback earlier than Wednesday, you need to now.”

Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on why Individuals are extra gullible than Canadians on the subject of falsehoods: “However in latest instances it’s turn into clear that we’ve missed a critically necessary distinction between the 2 international locations, one which helps clarify why American democracy threatens to go off the rails whereas the Canadian system, warts and all, stays comparatively steady. The distinction is within the degree of gullibility of the respective populations. Individuals have turn into remarkably weak and susceptible to myths, conspiracy theories, different information and the charlatans who peddle them. They’ve been imbibing snake oil by the barrel. To the purpose the place, as Kurt Andersen places it in his ebook Fantasyland, “The irrational has turn into respectable and infrequently unstoppable.” To the purpose the place “the reality-based group,” to make use of a time period attributed to an official working with Karl Rove, is imperilled. Whereas Canada is certainly not freed from the issue, there isn’t any comparability when it comes to diploma.”

Winnie Byanyima (Contributed to the Globe and Mail) on how the worldwide AIDS response is faltering, placing tens of millions of lives in peril: “The twenty fourth Worldwide AIDS Convention, happening this week in Montreal and bringing collectively 1000’s of activists, scientists and policy-makers, couldn’t have come at a extra very important time. For over 20 years, this convention has been a second to have fun life-saving advances in opposition to the AIDS pandemic. This yr, nonetheless, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is releasing new knowledge that may sound an alarm: we’re not on observe to finish AIDS, and tens of millions of lives are in danger. We are able to flip this round, however on this specific emergency, the one protected response is to be daring.”

Andrew MacDougall (The Ottawa Citizen) on the way to stop Pierre Poilievre: “As surprises go, Harper’s help for Poilievre shouldn’t register on the Richter scale. In spite of everything, he made Poilievre his parliamentary secretary after the 2008 election and made him a minister in 2013. The information would have been if he hadn’t endorsed his boy Skippy. Most Conservatives I do know took it in stride. After which there’s Jean Charest. Regardless of Harper’s reference to a “robust subject” in his endorsement of Poilievre, there isn’t any means the “robust” in that subject had something to do with the previous Quebec premier. If Charest ever ran to be canine catcher in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, Harper would drive all the best way there within the useless of a pandemic winter – on a skidoo, if he needed to – to poleaxe his probabilities.”

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