A momentum of enthusiasm pushed the Prime Minister of Ontario, Doug Ford on Tuesday evening to declare that the politicians he gathered this week near his chalet in the Muskoka region were among the best in Canadian history.
The same morning, his federal counterpart, Mark Carney, woke up in the friend’s room of his second home. He spent the night there after an evening that ended very late, “having resolved all the problems of the world” around a pleasant campfire.
“The Prime Minister is the most humble person you are never going to meet,” said Doug Ford in front of the journalists by telling the scene. Alongside him, the Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, wink: “He has a very beautiful little chalet. »»
Located very close to the conference center of the Deerhurst tourist complex, in the lake city of Huntsville, where the summer meeting of the Federation of the Federation has been taking place since Monday, the Doug Ford chalet has been immortalized on the social networks of François Legault. We can see the Quebec Prime Minister laughing with good heart with Mark Carney, in front of a glass of red wine, accompanied by the other Prime Ministers of the provinces, nicknamed “the team of champions” by Doug Ford. All were in a good mood, ready to taste a meal cooked on the barbecue.
The Federal Prime Minister left the region on Tuesday afternoon, shortly missing the festive event organized by the office of the Ontario Prime Minister to mark the end of his presidency of the Federation of the Federation, which passes to Rob Lantz, of Prince Edward Island. “One thing [qui ressort du forum]This is our unit, ”summed up Doug Ford, taking stock of the event on Wednesday morning.
Allies against Trump
The Prime Ministers nevertheless agreed to claim from the federal government of health money, more powers in immigration and a reform of the Criminal Code in order to harden the system of release under bail, in particular. However, none of them directly criticized Mark Carney or his government.
The tone was rather congratulations to the Federal Prime Minister, contrary to what usually emerges from this kind of meeting. The Federation Council was created in 2003 by the Quebec Prime Minister of the time, Jean Charest, with the aim of allowing the provinces to speak to each other to “strengthen their common positioning vis-à-vis the federal government”.
“I think that in the current situation, it was necessary. There are discussions underway with the United States for a potential agreement, “said François Legault, the head of government of Quebec on Wednesday.
While certain sectors of the economy, such as steel, aluminum, automotive and timber, are heavily surcharged by the United States government, only ten days left before the taxation of new customs duties of 35 % on rare goods not in accordance with the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (ACEUM).
Several Prime Ministers have been ready to forgive Mark Carney a possible failure of commercial negotiations with the United States. “Donald Trump is very, very hard to manage […]but I place all my confidence in the Prime Minister, “said Doug Ford for example on Tuesday. “I agree with him, I agree,” said Micro François Legault outside. He also put no pressure for Mark Carney to settle the situation by the end of the month. “I’m not even sure that [Donald Trump] knows what he wants himself! »»
Nothing is regulated in health
The Prime Minister of Quebec presented this week’s meeting as a “two for one” combining the Federation Council to a meeting with Mark Carney on projects of national interest which must be accelerated under the new law aimed at building Canada, adopted in June with the help of federal curators. He said that few concrete and funded projects are on the table at the moment.
“I still have colleagues who claim!” “Defended François Legault after leaving the meeting. In particular, the provinces again asked Ottawa to pay more for their health systems, claiming an indexing of the sums of 5 % per year.
During the last mandate of the former Federal Minister Justin Trudeau, Ottawa gradually heard with all the provinces to raise health transfers. Last to sign, Quebec receives an additional $ 900 million per year until 2034; The province claimed six times more.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, François Legault, however, questioned the federal ability to pay the important promised increase in the defense budget. “If you make a quick calculation, there will be a significant increase in the deficit in Ottawa,” he said, as if he were already preparing for a refusal.
The platform presented by the Liberal Party of Mark Carney does not offer change to current transfers, but rather to “protect” them. It also contains promises outside its fields of competence, such as building hospitals and long -term care centers.
