Last straight for Doug Ford at the head of the Federation Council

The prime ministers from all over the country are gathered for three days in the Muskoka region, Ontario, from Monday, in order to advance the interprorvincial trade file and major projects. This summer meeting is a final opportunity for Doug Ford to illustrate as president of the Federation Council before passing the torch.

For months now, the Prime Minister of Ontario has only had these words in their mouths: critical minerals, pipelines and interprovincial trade.

This week, he will try to rally his counterparts from the rest of the country to advance these files.

The Federation Council brings together the 13 provincial and territorial ministers in the country.

This time, meetings are planned with leaders of national indigenous organizations. The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carneymust also make an appearance.

Consolidate progress towards free trade between the provinces

The trade war with the United States has led to national momentum to tackle barriers to trade inside Canadian borders.

Doug Ford Even made a promise during his most recent election campaign in the spring. In the past months, he has signed bilateral understanding protocols with several provinces, including New Brunswick and Alberta.

If we can transform some of these bilateral agreements into multi -meter agreements, it would certainly be a great victory for Doug Fordestimates the professor in political science at the University of Windsor Lydia Milja.

Despite the apparent consensus of the provinces on the need to facilitate domestic trade, obtaining a national agreement will not be an easy task.

According to the political scientist, it is largely because the provinces do not want to compromise the autonomy and the power they have.

I can easily imagine provinces say: “Wait a second, we don’t want to sign something or accept something that will only benefit a region that is not necessarily ours”she explains.

It would be an excellent heritage for Doug Ford if he managed to obtain an agreement. It would consolidate him as someone who made a difference for Ontario, but also for the Federation.

Find a path in the middle of the tensions aroused by the major projects

M. Ford Sharing with M. Carney A craze to stimulate the economy with major construction and resource extraction projects.

This week’s meeting will be an opportunity for all the Prime Ministers to obtain support for their respective favorite projects, especially if they require the consent of another province.

For M. Fordit is the exploitation of minerals in the fire circle that prevails, followed by highway projects, sea port and public transport. It is also resolutely stored behind Alberta’s requests for the construction of a trans -Canadian oil pipeline.

However, Ontario’s efforts – and those of Ottawa – to facilitate the setting in motion of such projects are starting to run up on obstacles.

The two governments have adopted laws which grant them the power to exempt certain projects from the usual laws and regulations. In both cases, these laws were adopted under gag and caused a wave of protest.

Nine Ontario First Nations have just started a constitutional challenge against two sections of the federal law and the entire Ontario law.

Government relations Ford With the First Nations have been spectacularly deteriorated since the adoption of the 2025 law to protect Ontario by releasing its economy, formerly called Bill 5.

I think there was a certain lack of politeness and a certain lack of vision on the part of the Canadian political class by going forward with these laws in such a direct and so fast way,, that Peter Graefe, a university political scientist McMaster.

They will pay the price at a certain level, in the need to find solutions.

In its press release regarding Reunion, the government Ford underlines that indigenous leaders will be present to speak, in particular, of economic reconciliation.

We will see a little how much there will be an operation to repair broken pots between Mr. Ford and [les organisations autochtones] Following law 5.

Negotiations with Aboriginal communities will not lead in a week, but it will be an opportunity to see if governments take a step in the right direction.

Finish his mandate in style

The Prime Ministers assure the presidency of the Federation Council in turn. Doug Ford should normally give way to his counterpart from Prince Edward Island at the end of the week.

Whatever the results of the meeting in the DEA regular region, the Ontario Prime Minister will have taken advantage of his year in office.

His title helped him position himself as a figurehead in the response to customs prices, in particular by leading a diplomatic mission to Washington In the middle of an electoral campaign.

He had an excellent year. Everything is a question of timing. The crisis arrived towards the end of last year and especially at the beginning of this year, and therefore it was able to present itself as a unifier, almost as a Captain CanadaObserve Lydia Milja.

She underlines that it was particularly true this spring, when the reorganization of the Liberal Party created a certain political emptiness on the federal side.

With Mark Carney Now firmly at the controls in Ottawa, the role of president of the Federation Council no longer has the same shine. It remains to be seen if there will be so much love in the airto use the words of Doug Fordthat there had been some during the meeting of the Prime Ministers to Saskatoon Last month.

If he can strengthen a few alliances and obtain a joint declaration on interprovincial trade by the end of the week, Doug Ford will have completed his mandate in style.