Day eighteen, and the parties were trying to get their messages out while we were treated to yet another day of market turmoil as Trump “paused” his global tariffs, but actually kept them at ten percent across the board, except for China, for whom he raised them to 125 percent, and then applied the ten percent to Canada and Mexico, but then didn’t, and the other tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum still apply, and it was a headache the whole gods damned day.
Mark Carney was in Calgary, and he proclaimed his desire to make Canada an energy superpower (stop me if you’ve heard this before), but wait—he wants it to be with both clean and conventional energy. Some of the details were mighty similar to what the Conservatives proposed, but I will grant that there was more of an emphasis on working with provinces and First Nations around Projects of National Interest, but again, I suspect their timelines are incredibly optimistic. Carney then headed to Saskatoon for a rally. He’ll start the day in Brampton, and head to Hamilton from there.
NEW: At a campaign rally in Calgary today Liberal leader Mark Carney spoke publically about queer and trans issues for the first time in this campaign, saying that these rights are “fundamental.” #cdnpoli
Pierre Poilievre was in Sault Ste. Marie, and vowed to crack down on repeat crime with a “three-strikes” law which is a) unconstitutional, and b) failed spectacularly in the States, where it actually increased the murder rate. They also put out a press release stating that they would end “Carney’s crime wave,” which is so stupid that we all lost IQ points reading that. During the same stop, Poilievre also claimed that the industrial carbon price will drive steel production to the US, which simply isn’t true. Poilievre will start the day in Milton, Ontario, and then head to Woolwich, Ontario.
Jagmeet Singh was in Vancouver, where he promised to finish the job of universal pharmacare within four years, and good luck to him on that with both getting provinces to sign on, and to negotiate a national formulary in that timeframe. I suspect this is another job for that Green Lantern Ring that Singh thinks is hiding in the PMO. Singh then headed to Saskatoon in the evening. Singh remains in Saskatoon for the day.
In other campaign news, here is a look at how Poilievre is shifting his attacks against Carney. Here’s a look at how climate change has been taken off the agenda as a front-of-mind issue.
Abso-fucking-lutely
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-04-10T00:47:25.276Z
Ukraine Dispatch
Russian drones attacked Kyiv in the early morning, and one person was trapped in a collapsed house. Ukraine’s military chief says that Russia has launched a new offensive in the country’s northeast. Ukraine’s state railway suffered a major cyber-attack and has only restored about half of its IT services. President Zelenskyy says that their intelligence shows some 155 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military.
Good reads:
- The two men who filed the prorogation court challenge are appealing the decision.
- Carney is clarifying that he didn’t hear the word “genocide” with regard to Gaza when shouted to him in Calgary, and says there are arms restrictions to Israel.
- The Conservatives won’t have a candidate in Quebec City because their nominee didn’t properly submit her paperwork to Elections Canada.
- Here is some pushback against Poilievre’s claims about the opioid crisis.
- Jagmeet Singh says he worries about his kids after a Saskatchewan MLA called him a “terrorist” (and later apologised for it).
- Here’s a deep-dive into how a group of Indo-Canadians connected to Modi were collectively donating to Poilievre’s leadership campaign.
- Matt Gurney is skeptical of Carney’s ambitions for Canada to be a world-leader in the absence of the US, given the historical record.
- Susan Delacourt remarks on the polls showing more Canadians crediting Carney for ending the carbon levy than Poilievre, even though he poisoned that well.
- In the first of a series, Paul Wells gives an excoriation of what is ailing politics these days, and the truth is absolutely scalding. Do yourselves a favour and read it.
Odds and ends:
Want more Routine Proceedings? Become a patron and get exclusive new content.