Weekly Roundup - April 4, 2025
It was a bad week for global free trade, even as Canada avoided the worst-case scenario on Wednesday when the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” didn’t levy new targeted tariffs against Canada. Earlier steel and aluminum tariffs and across-the-board 25 per cent tariffs on all goods from Canada except energy, critical minerals and potash, where the rate is 10 per cent, as well as uncertainty around exemptions all threaten to upend the Canadian economy. U.S. tariffs that threaten the auto sector that had previously been announced were enacted this week. In response, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced matching 25 per cent auto tariffs on American-made vehicles, except for those that comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
Meanwhile, grumblings about Western separatism are heating up again. In the midst of a federal election campaign that could see the re-election of a Liberal government for a fourth consecutive term, former Reform Party leader Preston Manning warned that Carney “poses a threat to national unity,” suggesting that “a vote for the Carney Liberals is a vote for Western secession.” On the campaign trail, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre rejected Manning’s idea of Western separatism, saying “we need to unite the country,” while Liberal leader Mark Carney called Manning’s comments “dramatic” and “unhelpful.” You can read the rest of our twice weekly federal election coverage here.
Below, you’ll find a recap of the other top stories in Alberta and Ontario..
Top Ontario Stories
With the Ontario Legislature set to resume April 14, the Ford government is tooling up for the spring parliamentary session. Secretary of the Cabinet, Michelle DiEmanuele shook up the senior ranks of the public service with a deputy minister shuffle, while on the political side, Premier Ford and his team continue to move around chiefs of staff and other senior officials. Not to forget, a shake up of the Parliamentary Assistants is expected before MPPs return to Queen’s Park.
With Wednesday’s tariff announcement more fizzle than bang, at least for Canada, Ontario premier Doug Ford delayed plans to unveil his government’s tariff response. With no new tariffs on Canada, Ford told reporters, “Where we stand right now is pretty unclear,” though he is deferring to the federal government and working with them to support Ontario’s auto sector and workers, who are in the crosshairs as the U.S. administration attempts to bring manufacturing jobs to America.
Even with tariff response plans off the agenda, the Ford government had its hands full this week responding to a spring storm system that caused major damage and knocked out power for nearly a million people in the province over the weekend. Ford visited Orillia on Friday, one of the hardest hit areas where, in addition to the rest of the province 140,000 homes and businesses were still without power Friday morning. Ontario Corps, the province’s newly launched community emergency volunteer organization activated more than 600 members to conduct wellness checks and provide support following the storm.
Earlier this week the Integrity Commissioner made waves by releasing a report which found a former Progressive Conservative staffer “failed to comply” with lobbying rules when trying to get a client’s land removed from the Greenbelt in 2022. Opposition parties were keen to relitigate the Greenbelt scandal, which caused a major stir in Ford’s last mandate, but didn’t dissuade voters from re-electing a Progressive Conservative majority government earlier this year.
Top Alberta Stories
In response to President Trump’s tariff announcement, Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement Wednesday saying the outcome was precisely what she’d been advocating for from the U.S. administration. Speaking the next day to business leaders at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce event, the Premier noted that Alberta “dodged a bullet” but was cautious in her celebration, mentioning the harmful impact on those invested in steel, aluminum and the auto sector.
With the threat from the U.S. at bay – at least for now – Alberta’s Premier is once again putting focus on a familiar foe, the federal government. Earlier this week, the Premier posted about the Government of Canada’s Impact Assessment Act, which has been hotly contested by Alberta from the outset, with former Premier Jason Kenney dubbing the legislation the “No More Pipelines Act.” It’s clear the Premier is not in favour of Liberal Party of Canada leader Mark Carney carrying on as Prime Minister, especially as CBC’s Poll Tracker shows the Liberals ahead in every region outside the Prairies.
During her Saturday morning radio show, Your Province. Your Premier., Premier Smith said she’s striking a post federal election panel to give Albertans the chance to raise issues they might want put to a referendum. The announcement came in response to a listener question about her support for western separatism and a recent article by columnist Rick Bell. While Premier Smith rejected the premise of the question, she spoke about former Premier Jason Kenney’s ‘Fair Deal Panel’ and said she’s planning to go across the province to hear how people are feeling after the federal election, in what she’s calling the ‘What’s Next Panel.’
While the relationship with the federal government remains tense, the Province made progress this week on public sector bargaining when an agreement was reached between Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the United Nurses of Alberta. President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, Nate Horner, provided an update Thursday on the ratification of a new contract between the two parties. Of interest, the new contract addresses nurses who currently work for AHS but will be transferred as part of the government’s massive restructuring of the health care system. In a news release the United Nurses of Alberta described this round of bargaining as particularly difficult.
The nurses agreement comes just weeks after education support workers ratified new contracts following a strike of thousands of school support staff that started in February and didn’t end until late March.
Upcoming Events Calendar
April 6, 2025: UCP Edmonton-Strathcona nomination meeting
April 14, 2025: Ontario Legislature Returns
April 15, 2025: Ontario speech from the Throne
