Federal Government: 1) First Nations chiefs demand apology after PM said he could ‘outlast’ demonstrator; 2)Ottawa extending 2% alcohol tax hike cap for another 2 years; 3)’Good day to be a polar bear’: Carney unveils nature strategy, new conservation areas; 4) Liberals dismiss call for law to ensure political fibs and flubs don’t eclipse facts

1) First Nations chiefs demand apology after PM said he could ‘outlast’ demonstrator

Source Canadian Press
By Alessia Passafiume, April 1, 2026

Two First Nations chiefs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for saying he could “outlast” a First Nations woman who was protesting over mercury poisoning in her community.

Chrissy Isaacs, a Grassy Narrows woman suffering from mercury poisoning, was in Toronto on Monday to demand compensation from the provincial government for mercury contamination.

The Dryden Paper Mill released thousands of kilograms of mercury into the community’s river system from the 1960s to 1970s, and community members are still dealing with the fallout today.

During a news conference Carney held on Monday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce new funding for housing, Isaacs and a group of community members and their supporters were chanting and shouting about the harms they are facing.

Carney responded by saying, “I can outlast her,” and then laughed, with Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow doing the same.

“I am disgusted with the prime minister for saying ‘I can outlast her’ because our people are dying prematurely. Shame on him for laughing at people who are sick and bullying a woman, and shame on those who laughed along with him,” Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Sherry Ackabee said in a media statement.
“Making fun of people is unprofessional.”

Chief Roland Fisher of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations said governments should not dismiss the concerns of his community members, and called on Carney to meet with them.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a media statement Carney could not hear what the demonstrators were saying and that members of his staff spoke to the demonstrators to hear their concerns.

Spokesperson Audrey Champoux said Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty is “in contact with Grassy Narrows leadership to continue progress on critical projects ranging from a new health centre, housing, and a mercury care home that will help ensure those suffering from mercury poisoning have the care they need, close to home.”

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau made similar remarks after a protester who supported Grassy Narrows disrupted a 2019 Liberal party fundraiser.

When the woman interrupted the fundraiser to raise concerns about the “mercury crisis” and the suffering of community members, Trudeau thanked her for her “donation.”
He later apologized, saying he “lacked respect towards them.”

2)Ottawa extending 2% alcohol tax hike cap for another 2 years

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Craig Lord, March 31, 2026

The federal government is set to extend its cap on an annual alcohol tax increase for another two years in a bid to rein in costs facing Canada’s brewers, wineries and distilleries.

Excise taxes on booze had faced annual increases pegged to inflation on April 1 each year, but the Liberal government has temporarily capped those hikes at two per cent since 2023.

This was supposed to be the final year for that cap, but a government official who was not authorized to speak about the announcement before it’s made public told The Canadian Press that Ottawa is set to renew the cap through to 2028.

The federal government is also offering a two-year extension to an agreement that supports craft brewers by cutting excise taxes in half for the first 15,000 hectolitres of beer brewed in Canada.

The official says the extensions aim to provide predictability to Canadian brewers, wineries, and distilleries amid global trade and supply chain disruptions, and ahead of what could be a busy drinking season with the FIFA World Cup coming to Canada this summer.

The federal Conservative Party and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation have both been calling on the Liberals to scrap the planned tax hike on alcohol completely ahead of the April 1 deadline.

3)‘Good day to be a polar bear’: Carney unveils nature strategy, new conservation areas

Source Canadian Press

By Nick Murray, March 31, 2026

The Liberal government’s $3.8 billion nature protection strategy will put Canada’s 2030 nature conservation goals within reach, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday.

Announcing the new plan at an event in Wakefield, Que., Carney said the federal government will create new national parks, urban parks and marine conservation areas.

Carney said his government is taking an “ambitious” approach to conservation spaces and urban parks. He said the plan will require “significant” federal funding and includes aspirations to spur private-sector investments.

The new conservation areas will include the Wiinipaawk Indigenous protected area and national marine conservation area in Eastern James Bay, and the Seal River watershed national park in Manitoba.

Carney said the Seal River park will help protect the world’s largest intact watershed.

“Think about that — the world’s largest intact watershed, providing natural carbon storage, water filtration and flood protection, while preserving the habitat of polar bears, caribou and other iconic Canadian wildlife,” Carney said.

“It’s a good day to be a polar bear in Canada.”

The federal government committed four years ago to protecting 30 per cent of the country’s land and waters by 2030.

The new plan comes just a few weeks after conservation groups warned that federal funding was running out.

— With files from Kyle Duggan

4)Liberals dismiss call for law to ensure political fibs and flubs don’t eclipse facts

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Jim Bronskill, March 30, 2026

The Liberal government has dismissed a Toronto man’s proposal to keep politicians honest in an age of misinformation, saying there are already several ways to fight falsehoods.

Federico Sanchez initiated an electronic petition to the House of Commons to propose legislation that would help correct the record when members of Parliament stray from the truth intentionally or simply because they are ill-informed.

Sanchez said he was “very upset” by the lack of federal interest in his pitch.

“It made me feel like they didn’t take it seriously,” he said in an interview. “If they don’t think that there’s a problem, then I think we’re going to have a lot worse days ahead.”

The e-petition urged federal politicians to put forward a bill “to address the issue of perceived and actual misinformation being presented by MPs to the public.”

Sanchez, a physician, feared Canada could follow the path of the United States, where he saw an erosion of public trust due to the spread of political misinformation, amplified by artificial intelligence.

The petition called misinformation a growing threat to the democratic process and said a mechanism was needed to verify MPs’ public statements to maintain trust in Canada’s governing body.

It suggested Canada emulate an approach floated in Wales in 2024. Under the model, if a court found a politician made a false or misleading statement of fact, it could issue a notice directing the individual to make a public correction.

If the politician refused to comply with the notice within seven days, without a reasonable excuse, the court could issue an order preventing that politician from holding office in the Welsh Parliament for a set period of time.

A Canadian e-petition must have 500 or more signatures to receive certification for presentation to the House, which opens the door to a formal government response. Sanchez’s petition garnered almost 45,000 signatures from across Canada over a four-month period last year.

In a March 23 response, government House leader Steven MacKinnon said general elections are the “fundamental mechanism” by which voters hold elected representatives accountable.

Beyond elections, Canadians can make their voices heard in other ways, MacKinnon wrote.

Constituents can write to MPs directly on issues of concern or matters of interest, such as real or perceived misinformation, start or sign petitions and attend live parliamentary debates and proceedings, he said. “Committees also seek input from the public on many ongoing studies that are posted publicly.”

Parliament has a duty to hold the government to account, while the executive is responsible to Parliament and remains in power as long as it commands the confidence of the House, MacKinnon added. “Together they are ultimately accountable to electors.”

MacKinnon also noted the House has the right to discipline members who abuse or breach privileges, such as freedom of speech, and to find members in contempt of Parliament.

Sanchez characterized the federal suggestions for ensuring accuracy and truth in politics as glib, offhand and ultimately unworkable.

He said it is unrealistic for voters to wait years until a general election to hold politicians accountable for misstatements of fact.

When politicians lie without recourse, “you’re not making election decisions based on what’s actually happening,” he said. “It’s based on who lies the best.”

Sanchez also scoffed at MacKinnon’s suggestion that concerned voters could voice their concerns through a petition.

“Well, this is clearly what I’m doing,” he said. “But if you’re going to get a response like this for your petition, it really kind of makes me question whether petitions actually are taken seriously by Parliament at all.”