Politics Briefing: Trudeau headed to summit that aims to bring peace to Ukraine

Hello,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to Switzerland for a peace summit on the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a posting on social-media platform X today, confirmed Trudeau’s presence at the meeting on June 15 and 16 near the central Switzerland city of Lucerne.
Zelensky said he had spoken with Trudeau today and that the Prime Minister confirmed his participation in the summit, which aims to chart a path toward peace in the war-torn country invaded by Russia two years ago.
The Ukrainian President said the leaders co-ordinated positions prior to the summit and discussed joint efforts to encourage other countries to attend.
“As a leader in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Canada’s attendance at the peace summit is critical to bringing thousands of people home,” Zelensky wrote. “We also discussed the current battlefield situation and ongoing defence assistance.”
While making a child-care announcement in the Ontario city of St. Thomas today, Trudeau had more to say about Ukraine, but did not confirm his summit attendance.
Trudeau confirmed the call with the Ukrainian leader, and reiterated Canada’s support and commitment to delivering a successful first peace summit. “We all need to make sure, everywhere around the world, that we are standing strong for Ukraine, for democracy, and for international law,” he said.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Media experts selected to help modernize CBC/Radio-Canada before next election: Canadian Heritage says the group of experts will provide policy advice mainly on CBC/Radio-Canada’s governance and funding.
Criminal trial of convoy organizer Pat King begins today: King is charged with mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, disobeying a court order and obstructing police for his role in the demonstration, which ultimately ended in a massive police operation.
Three firms tied to ArriveCan app got $1-billion in federal contracts, Ottawa reveals: Until now, the federal government has not been able to provide a clear breakdown of how much contract work the three companies have been awarded.
Historians, First Nations leader question Quebec history museum concept: Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador Chief Ghislain Picard said the museum announcement is another example of how Indigenous people and their realities are an “afterthought” for the Quebec government.
Ottawa prepares bill to reinstate citizenship rights of ‘lost Canadians’: The bill is expected to require a Canadian parent born abroad to demonstrate substantial ties to Canada before they can pass on citizenship to a child born outside Canada.
Toronto mayor calls drug-decriminalization debate a diversion: Olivia Chow says the discussion has distracted from the urgent need for provincial and federal governments to address the overdose crisis and spend more on supportive housing and addiction treatment programs.
Honda Canada picks Port Colborne, Ont., for next plant in EV supply chain: CBC is reporting that the next community set for a massive boost to its local economy as part of Honda Canada’s $15-billion investment to establish a Canadian electric-vehicle supply chain will be Port Colborne, Ont.
Champagne to help lead federal Liberal campaign in Quebec: La Presse reports that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to appoint Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne as co-chair of the Liberals’ next campaign in Quebec.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“I hope that the parents and the family knows that all of us are crying with them, and I’m sure Mother’s Day was an especially difficult day for them. I do also want to say I think that it is really awful to try to score cheap, partisan political points off of a family’s grief.” – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, during a news conference today in St. Thomas, Ont., responding to Conservative criticism of Liberal bail policy in the case of a driver involved in a Toronto-area accident that killed a pair of grandparents and an infant.
“I think submarines are becoming a vital strategic asset and Canada needs to invest. Our current fleet is aging. We bought it second-hand in the late ‘90s. They’re Victoria class. A good submarine in its day, but no longer fit for purpose. I’ve got to replace it.” – Defence Minister Bill Blair on Canada’s need for new submarines, stated during an onstage conversation in Washington, D..C. today, convened by the Atlantic Council.
THIS AND THAT
Ex-commander joins intelligence firm: Paul Maddison, who was a commander of the Royal Canadian Navy during his 38 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, is joining the strategic intelligence firm Strider Technologies Inc as an adviser to help its growth in Canada and Australia, where he also served as a Canadian high commissioner. Announcement here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland visited a child-care centre with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Southwestern Ontario city of St. Thomas, then made a child-care announcement with Trudeau and other ministers and took media questions. They highlighted the budget’s increased spending on child care, which includes creating more spaces.
Ministers on the road: In Regina, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, Diversity Minister Kamal Khera, and Saskatchewan Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill announced measures to support inclusive child care in Saskatchewan. Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, in Quebec City, announced funding for a community project to promote healthy living and physical activity.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, in the B.C. capital of Victoria, were scheduled to make an announcement on home heating and cooling for the province, accompanied by B.C. Energy Minister Josie Osborne and Environment Minister George Heyman. Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, in Whitehorse, participated in an announcement about child care in the Yukon. In Surrey, B.C., Immigration Minister Marc Miller spoke to the Surrey Board of Trade and also welcomed 40 new citizens in a ceremony. Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez made a child-care announcement in Montreal. Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, in Edmonton, announced new funding for the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.
Meanwhile, outside the country: International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen is in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa where he was to visit a health centre run by the Canadian non-government organization Nutrition International, and meet with leaders of the African Union Commission. In Cyprus, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is beginning of a trip through Friday that includes stops in Lebanon, Turkey and Greece. Today she met with her Cyprus counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, for talks on increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza and other topics.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In St. Thomas, Ont., Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland as well as Families Minister Jenna Sudds and Women’s Minister Marci Ien, visited a local child-care centre to announce the increased spending on child care.
LEADERS
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, in her B.C. riding, co-hosted the monthly Saanich Gulf Islands Forum on shared priorities among local and Indigenous governments. She also was scheduled to virtually provide an update to the Green Party of the U.S. on recent meetings in Ottawa to come up with an international treaty on plastics.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Thunder Bay, met with Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon, accompanied by Yuk-Sem Won, the NDP candidate for Thunder Bay-Rainy River.
No schedules released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s podcast, Jeffrey Jones, The Globe’s sustainable finance reporter, explains the ballooning costs of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, which has finally been completed, and why one of Canada’s top exports is creating tension with its future climate targets. The Decibel is here.
TRIBUTE
Arthur Irving: The owner of Irving Oil Ltd. and third-generation scion of New Brunswick’s powerful Irving family, has died. He was 93.
Reid Morden: The former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and president of Atomic Energy Canada has died, at the age of 82.
Jim Peterson: The former federal Liberal cabinet minister and brother of former Ontario premier David Peterson died late last week of a heart attack, at 82.
OPINION
A summer of discontent from Ottawa’s unions is worth the heat
“Federal public-sector unions are moderately miffed by the government’s plan to compel their members to work from an office three days a week. They are promising not a revolution, nor a paralyzing general strike but, in a very Canadian touch, a “summer of discontent.” That discontent is likely to take the form of a flood of grievances from some of the 400,000 or so affected workers who will now have to trudge into the office an additional day.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
A nomination system that’s not worth defending
“When former columnist Sabrina Maddeaux announced last week that she was suspending her campaign for a Conservative Party nomination in the riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill because of a “corrupted” process, a number of Conservatives posted calls for party brass to investigate. Isn’t that cute?” – Campbell Clark
Poilievre’s promise to end deficits sets collision course with boomers
“That’s why I like Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s promise to end deficit spending if elected, which is projected to be around $40-billion this year. I’m keen to hear more about how he plans to achieve this important goal. There are only three realistic paths to eliminate the federal deficit: gut benefits for boomers’ retirement because governments didn’t design adequate revenue plans decades ago; raise taxes to pay for boomers’ benefits; or ramp up immigration well beyond the levels we’ve witnessed recently. Travelling down any of these paths will be challenging. Voters deserve to know which challenges Mr. Poilievre plans to accept.” – Paul Kershaw.
The housing challenges that Black Canadians face will require Ottawa’s focus
“Studies from around the world have found that, at large, people of African descent typically have limited access to quality housing. And while all Canadian homeowners are feeling the pressures of a protracted housing crisis, studies from Statistics Canada echo global findings, indicating that Black Canadians are most affected by housing insecurity.” – Shaquille Morgan
Canada is sleepwalking toward another Quebec sovereignty crisis
“The looming national unity crisis will extend beyond Quebec’s place in the Canadian family, and therein lies the problem. Canadians are in no mood to reopen the Constitution or to accommodate new Quebec demands. Canadians are dealing with pressing and seemingly intractable public policy challenges from inflation, housing supply, poor productivity and the never-ending growth of the federal government.” – Donald J. Savoie
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