Top news
- On Tuesday, Anthony Rota announced he would step down as Speaker of the House of Commons in the wake of the controversy over his acknowledgement of a WWII veteran who served in the Waffen SS unit during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Parliament last week. The Houe has agreed the MPs will meet next Tuesday to elect Rota’s successor, with Bloc MP and Dean of the House Louis Plamondon serving as interim Speaker until then. Several MPs have announced their intention to seek the Speaker’s chair, including Conservative Chris d’Entremont and Liberals Greg Ferus, Peter Schiefke, Sean Casey, Alexandra Mendes, NDP MP Carol Hughes and Green MP Elizabeth May.
- Testifying at the House Defence Committee, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre and Deputy Minister of Defence Bill Matthews acknowledged that the federal government is planning to cut $1 billion in funding for the Canadian Armed Forces as part of the 15 billion of savings Treasury Board President has been tasked with delivering across the government.
Government announcements
- Prime Minister Trudeau announced the federal government is, jointly with the province of Quebec, committing up to $4.6 billion in production subsidies and $1.34 billion in capital commitment towards constructing a new EV battery manufacturing facility that Northvolt Batteries plans to build north of Montreal.
- Minister Champagne announced the release of Canada’s Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems. The Code outlines measures meant to ensure that AI development by those who adopt the Code of Conduct is done responsibly.
- Minister Rodriguez announced the government will conduct a public interest review of the proposed merger between Vitera and Bunge. The government will have 250 days to consult stakeholders about the impact of the merger.
- Minister Freeland announced the government is raising the annual limit for Canada Mortgage Bonds from $40 billion to $60 billion. The government estimates this will help build up to 30,000 additional apartments a year.
- Ministers Champagne and MacAulay met with international and domestic food processors to urge them to cooperate with grocers in the push for the stabilization of grocery prices.
- Minister Saks announced the government has opened a call for proposals for the Substance Use and Addictions Program. Groups with proposals to assist people at risk of substance-related harm have until November 22 to submit their applications.
- Minister MacAulay announced the launch of the $333 million Dairy Innovation and Investment Fund, which will fund projects that help deal with the surplus of solids non-fat produced by the dairy industry.
In the House of Commons
- Bill C-33: This bill to introduce changes to the operations of Canada’s port and rail systems passed 2nd reading in the House and was referred to the Transport Committee.
- Bill C-323: This PMB to remove the excise tax on mental health services passed 2nd reading in the House with all party support.
- Bill S-222: The Senate bill, which will give the Minister of Public Works the power to develop a requirement that allows the use of wood or other environmentally beneficial options in the construction of government buildings, passed 3rd Reading in the House and will receive Royal Assent.
Economic numbers of the week
- 0.0%: Canada’s GDP was flat in July, according to Statistics Canada. The preliminary estimate for August is that it saw a 0.1% increase.
- 40,097,761: Statistics Canada reports that it estimates Canada’s population rose by 1,158,705 from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023. This rise of 2.9% is the highest population growth rate Canada has seen since 1957.
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