Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she told off a bipartisan group of U.S. senators cracking jokes about Canada becoming the 51st state.
Joly met with a group of U.S. senators, led by Republican Lindsey Graham, at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend to discuss possible U.S. tariffs against Canada, as well as the war in Ukraine and international security issues.
During the course of the conversation, some senators – whom Joly did not name – joked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of Canada becoming the 51st state.
“What I said to the American delegation, when some senators were making jokes about it, I said it’s not funny. This is a question of respect of our country, respect of our leaders and respect of our people,” she told reporters in a video conference call today.
Meanwhile, financial data published by Elections Canada shows Mark Carney raised $1.9-million for his bid to lead the federal Liberals – more than eight times the amount collected by his nearest competitor.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly at a luncheon in Montreal on Feb. 4, 2025.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
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What else is going on
Ottawa spent record amount on outsourcing despite vow to rein in practice: The record high of $17.8-billion last year is an increase of 13.5 per cent over the previous fiscal year.
Pipelines would not be first priority for NDP energy policy, Jagmeet Singh says: The federal NDP Leader says he sees an east-west clean electricity network as his top priority for expanding the Canadian energy market, not new pipelines.
Five takeaways from the final Ontario election debate: Sunday’s second – and final – debate of the campaign was a chance for the candidates to hammer home their points and take each other on before the Feb. 27 vote. Also, the campaigns are digging up dirt and slinging mud in the final stretch of the campaign.
Nova Scotia budget includes reserve fund amid U.S. tariff threats: “The threat of U.S. tariffs continues to loom over us. We don’t know what will come, but we are ready to respond,” Finance Minister John Lohr said in his budget speech today.
Liberal MP fears Ottawa will soon release a cash-poor Africa strategy: Arielle Kayabaga has helped the government craft its Africa strategy since it announced a plan was in the works in early 2022. She says the plan could come as soon as this week.
Perspectives
Political leaders need to be challenged on the notwithstanding clause
One distinctly Canadian issue that should be front and centre of the Ontario election is the notwithstanding clause, and in particular, its pre-emptive use.
— Sheema Khan is the author of Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman.
Canada needs a plan to help struggling caregivers
While we often associate caregiving with the care of elders, a significant number of caregivers take care of children, teens and younger adults with physical, developmental and psychiatric disabilities, and do so for a lifetime.
— André Picard, a health reporter and columnist for The Globe and Mail
Mark Carney has a different idea of budget discipline
The Wall Street Journal headline put it in black and white: It said Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney “pledges return to balanced budget in Canada within three years.”
— Campbell Clark, chief political writer for The Globe and Mail
On our radar
- Prime Minister’s Day: Justin Trudeau is in Montreal today with no events scheduled.
- Pierre Poilievre: The federal Conservative Leader will participate in a party fundraising event in Thornhill, near Toronto, tonight.
- Jagmeet Singh: The federal NDP Leader was in Hamilton for the day, meeting with area members of the United Steelworkers and holding a news conference.
- Liberal leadership debate moderators: The federal Liberals have announced that former TVA anchor Pierre Jobin will moderate the Feb. 24 French-language party leadership debate and that Hannah Thibedeau, a former CBC journalist, will moderate the Feb. 25 English-language debate. Both events are in Montreal.
Question period
Visiting Ottawa on May 16, 1961, John F. Kennedy participated in a ceremonial tree-planting ceremony at Rideau Hall. While shovelling dirt, Kennedy threw out his back, forcing him to wear a back brace. What kind of tree was planted? Bonus point: Which Russian leader planted a sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in December, 2000?
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Go deeper
- Keep track of who’s in the Liberal leadership race to replace Justin Trudeau
- Follow along for our stories on Canada-U.S. relations as news develops
- Like a long read? Check out the fall of Justin Trudeau and the making of Pierre Poilievre
- Take a look at the history of immigration reporting and great political scandals from A Nation’s Paper, a book about The Globe and Mail’s role in Canadian history
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
The answer to today’s question: A red oak (Quercus rubra), according to the Rideau Hall ceremonial tree plantings web page. As for the bonus question: Russian President Vladimir Putin.