Emissions, First Nations and the IMF: three ways politics touched us this week
OTTAWA — Federal politicians were scarce on Parliament Hill this week, taking advantage of the last few days before Parliament returns to kick up their heels and work the barbecue circuit one last time in other parts of the country.
The Conservatives decamped to Halifax for a caucus retreat, while the NDP went whitewater rafting on the St. Lawrence before a similar retreat in Montreal. The Liberals rubbed elbows with Bay Street types and some global economy thinkers in Toronto, and then moved on to Montreal to shmooz and brainstorm with other so-called progressives from around the world.
Beyond all that socializing, however, divisions deepened over how the country’s economy should be run; the Liberals’ approach to Aboriginal Peoples drew newfound scrutiny; and questions about how to wrestle climate change to the ground intensified.
Here’s how federal political developments affected Canadians’ lives this week.