Politics This Morning: Kiss your stir sticks goodbye

Good Tuesday morning, With the end of the Montreal biodiversity convention, the world of federal politics is settling into full-fledged, holiday auto-pilot. The MPs are gone, the Senators ditched Ottawa early, the ministerial events are few. Today is the first day of the government’s ban on a handful of products made from single-use plastics—kind of. Starting today, a short list of plastic items can no longer legally be manufactured in, or imported to, Canada. Those are: checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, and “foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics that are hard to recycle.” Those items were selected for interdiction because, according to Environment Canada, they are “commonly found in the environment, are harmful to wildlife and their habitat, are difficult to recycle, and have readily-available alternatives.” However, you may well still see all of the above on store shelves for the next little while. Retailers are being given a year to sell off their existing supplies. Plastic ring carriers, which have become iconic for their tendency to ensnare photogenic animals (and loathsome seagulls), get an extra six months tacked onto each deadline. Some of these plastics will remain legal in one capacity of another until the end of 2025. In a statement issued yesterday, environmental non-profit Environmental Defence called the ban a “significant step," but also urged the government to expand it to other types of single-use plastics. What’s the cabinet up to? Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is meeting with Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT at 9:15 a.m. in Montreal. At 10, an interview he recorded with former Montreal broadcaster TERRY DIMONTE will be posted on DiMonte's Youtube channel. In the afternoon Trudeau is planning to visit a Montreal food bank and assorted "local businesses," according to his official itinerary. Labour Minister SEAMUS O’REGAN is holding a presser in St. John’s, N.L., this morning alongside provincial Industry Minister ANDREW PARSONS to announce funding for mining exploration. Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan has something to announce in St. John's today. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade PASCALE ST-ONGE, the minister responsible for the Quebec economic subsidy agency, is holding a press conference of her own at a youth library in Granby, Que., this morning. She’s there to announce something to do with the Canada Digital Adoption Program, which sends cash to small businesses to boost their online presence. Last but not least, PATTY HAJDU, the minister responsible for northern Ontario’s subsidy agency, will announce funding for “women-led businesses” in the region at a press conference in Thunder Bay today. What else is happening today? Statistics Canada is releasing new batches of data today on several topics. Those include the retail trade, mineral production, urban public transit, and business openings and closures, among other things. A collection of Liberal MPs, ministers, and party apparatchiks are holding holiday parties today. Those include the Liberal Party of Canada's Ontario organizers, Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON, and Emergency Preparedness Minister BILL BLAIR, who is throwing a holiday-themed $150-per-head fundraiser in Scarborough tonight. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair is hosting a fundraiser this evening. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in his home riding of Burnaby South, B.C., today. He's holding a press conference at 11 a.m. local time to put pressure on the federal government to negotiate a transfer of additional cash to the provinces for health care. In case you missed it The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has a new chair and CEO. Heritage Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ announced the appointment of VICKY EATRIDES to the job yesterday. Her five-year term begins on Jan. 5. The CRTC is an arm's-length regulator in charge of managing the broadcast and telecommunications sectors. Eatrides is a veteran of the federal Competition Bureau and Industry Canada, experience that should serve her well in the new gig. Eatrides will lead the CRTC through what could be one of its most challenging periods in recent memory. The government is proposing to leave a heavy burden of responsibility on the regulator through its bills to bring streaming services under the Broadcasting Act, C-11, and its online news bill, C-18. Send your news tips to pmazereeuw@hilltimes.com

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Kiss your stir sticks goodbye

Plus, Trudeau meets Legault.

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