Politics This Morning: Wilkinson talks nuclear power in Washington

Good Wednesday morning, If people drive the news, as most journalists will tell you they do, then numbers often give them something to talk about. Today, people in Ottawa will have a fresh batch of numbers to latch onto. First and foremost, the Bank of Canada is revealing its latest decision on the key interest rate today. The Bank is expected to once again raise that rate, the only question is, by how much? The Bank, and those in the government who are bound to defend it, are in a particularly unpleasant situation at the moment. Inflation has begun to decline in Canada following a series of severe rate hikes by the central bank, but it remains high, and the cost of groceries may continue to climb. Economists and even Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND have warned that the economy is going to slow, and while Freeland didn’t use the “r” word, economists have been saying for months that it will probably fall into a recession, though perhaps a mild one. For Canadians, that adds up to punishment now, in the form of higher interest rates, and punishment later, in the form of economic stagnation and maybe even layoffs. Freeland defended the Bank to reporters yesterday. That’s a part of her job; a loss of public trust in the central bank could spook the markets, and have other ramifications that would likely leave many of us poorer. Governor TIFF MACKLEM will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. to discuss his decision on the interest rate, and to release the Bank’s most recent report on monetary policy. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem have helmed their institutions amid a period of serious financial instability. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade If that doesn’t give number-crunchers enough to chew on, Statistics Canada’s press conference this morning certainly will. The agency is releasing information gathered from the 2021 Census about immigration, diversity, and mobility. StatsCan officials will begin taking questions on that data from reporters in Ottawa’s John A Macdonald Building shortly after 9 a.m. Under the Trudeau government, Canada has ramped up its immigrant admittance target. The government aims to accept more than 430,000 permanent residents this year alone, well over one per cent of Canada’s existing population. What’s the cabinet up to? Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will meet today with MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT, the former Chadian politician who now serves as chair of the African Union Commission. Mahamat is beginning an official two-day visit to Canada’s capital. Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON is in Washington today for a meeting of his international peers to discuss nuclear power. The meeting is being organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN organization, the first to be held since 2017. Wilkinson will deliver his statement on behalf of Canada at 10:30 a.m. This is a big summit, with a lot of speakers. Today, those include a range of high-ranking U.S. officials (the United States being the host country for the meeting), executives with international atomic organizations, and national ministers such as Wilkinson. Also on the schedule, a video statement from BILL GATES, who (apparently) founded and now serves as chair of a “nuclear innovation company.” If Wilkinson so desires, he may also take in the 2:30 p.m. panel discussion on “achieving net zero with low carbon nuclear energy.” The Liberal government has not made nuclear power—or at least new nuclear power generation—a significant part of its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, apart from its support for the deployment of small-scale, untested “small modular reactors.” Speaking of “SMRs”, Wilkinson does have some recent progress on that front to brag about at today’s meeting. The much-maligned Canada Infrastructure Bank announced yesterday (fabulous timing, really, for an “arm’s-length” Crown corp.) that it will be ploughing $970-million into the construction of a small modular reactor planned by Ontario Power Generation. That new SMR would sit next to the existing Darlington nuclear plant, just east of Oshawa, Ont., and produce 300 megawatts of electricity. How much is 300 megawatts? According to Ontario Power Generation, it’s enough to power roughly 300,000 homes. According to the Canada Infrastructure Bank, that would displace about 740,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually—about 0.001 per cent of Canada’s total annual emissions. The conventional Darlington nuclear plant, for comparison, pumps out 3,500 megawatts of electricity. If those figures make the Darlington SMR appear unimpressive, it’s worth noting that Ontario already produces more than 90 per cent of its electricity emissions-free through nuclear, hydro and wind power, and the provincial government has committed to repairing and refurbishing its existing nuclear plants. The growing province needs more power, however—far more than what this SMR will provide—and Premier DOUG FORD’s government appears to be planning to turn to fossil fuel generation to fill the void, instead of emissions-free hydro from Quebec, per this report from the CBC. In Parliament MPs will hold their weekly caucus meetings this morning. They will also spend part of their day debating a motion brought by Liberal MP SAMEER ZUBERI that calls on the government to resettle 10,000 Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims who have fled the persecution of the Chinese government within the next two years. The motion also calls on the government to table in the House a plan for doing so within 120 days. Plenty of MPs bring forward motions calling on the government to do all sorts of things. This one stands out because it has been “seconded” in the House by MPs from all parties, including by former foreign affairs minister MARC GARNEAU, and by current parliamentary secretary for international development ANITA VANDENBELD. Sameer Zuberi represents Pierrefonds-Dollard, Que. for the Liberal Party. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Zuberi will hold a press conference in the House of Commons at 1 p.m. to field questions on his motion, which labels the Chinese government’s oppression of China’s Uyghurs as a genocide. In committee Officials from the RCMP, CBSA, and Global Affairs Canada will testify before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee at 4 p.m. as part of its study of Canada’s Magnitsky law. The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 6:45 p.m. to study the government’s bill to create a temporary dental care program and one-time rental housing payout. Senators will hear testimony from representatives of the Canadian Dental Association and Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. Senate committees will also meet today to continue studies of the government’s criminal sentencing reform bill, C-5, and online streaming bill, C-11, among other subjects. Six House of Commons committees are also meeting today. The House Finance Committee is scheduled to continue its pre-budget consultation. ESDC officials will provide the Human Resources Committee with a “technical briefing” on the government’s disability benefit bill, C-22. The other committees will study flooding in Pakistan, a labour shortage in the transportation sector, global food insecurity, and the federal access to information and privacy system. What else is happening today? The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society will be on the Hill just after noon to “unveil large-scale art installations of iconic wildlife” that are intended to serve as a reminder of the importance of conserving Canada’s land and ocean. The Canadian Medical Association is holding a virtual panel discussion this evening on the subject of “how to pay for better health care in the short and long term, and how to ensure accountability for the results.” They’ve managed to secure former B.C. premier CHRISTY CLARK, former Nova Scotia premier STEPHEN MCNEIL, and Toronto Star columnist CHANTAL HÉBERT as panelists. The discussion is scheduled to run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can sign up here. Also today, Oceana Canada is holding a day-long symposium on how to rebuild Canada’s ailing fisheries at the Westin Hotel. Scheduled speakers include a collection of academic experts, fishery executives, labour leaders, and, That Guy From Law and Order, SAM WATERSON, who happens to be the chair of Oceana Canada’s board of directors. (Who knew?) In the news STUART BENSON surveyed political strategists on how the battle over the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act is likely to play out once federal ministers begin testifying at the Public Order Emergency Commission. Benson also unpacked upcoming investigations into rising prices at grocery stores. NEIL MOSS dove into Chrystia Freeland’s recent forays into foreign policy. He also interviewed Haiti-born MP EMMANUEL DUBOURG about the recent call from Haiti’s government for foreign intervention to help it manage the multiple crises besetting the country. Finally, Senators are at odds over whether to bring back “hybrid,” semi-virtual proceedings. LAURA RYCKEWAERT has that story here. Send your news tips to pmazereeuw@hilltimes.com

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Wilkinson talks nuclear power in Washington

Plus, MPs will debate a motion to bring thousands of Uyghurs to Canada.

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