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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to visit Governor-General Julie Payette on Wednesday morning to kick off the election campaign, Liberal sources said.

Liberal campaign workers told The Globe that they have been told that Mr. Trudeau will visit Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday morning to seek a dissolution of Parliament. Mr. Trudeau is expected to hold a rally shortly after the campaign launch and then take off on the Liberal plane.

According to Canada's fixed-date elections law, the vote is scheduled to be held on Oct. 21.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer will have a rally-style event in Trois-Rivières, Que. Wednesday morning, and then make his way to the Ontario riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge.

The NDP soft-launched its campaign on Sunday with a rally in Toronto. Leader Jagmeet Singh will be in London, Ont., Wednesday and then spend the week criss-crossing the Greater Toronto Area and Southwestern Ontario in his newly revealed campaign bus.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will launch her campaign from her home province of British Columbia. Both Green Members of Parliament represent ridings on Vancouver Island.

The writ is dropping one day before the first leaders' debate in Toronto, where every major party leader will be except Mr. Trudeau. Maclean's/CityTV are holding a televised debate Thursday night with Mr. Scheer, Mr. Singh and Ms. May.

The Liberals currently have 177 MPs in the 338-seat House of Commons, followed by the Conservatives with 95 MPs and the NDP with 39 MPs. As well, there are 10 Bloc Québécois MPs, 2 Green MPs, 1 People's Party of Canada MP, 1 Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MP, eight independents and five vacant seats.

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Federal election campaign set to begin Wednesday

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to visit Governor-General Julie Payette on Wednesday morning to kick off the election campaign, Liberal sources said. Liberal campaign workers told The Globe that they have been told that Mr. Trudeau will visit Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday morning to seek a dissolution of Parliament.

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Hey! It's Samantha and Jack, the editors of Well-Versed. We're happy that you're joining us for the next six weeks. We'll be with you right up until the federal election. Each week, we'll break down a new political topic. This week, we're getting you well-versed on carbon policies.

The realities of climate change will be a key issue during this election as it has become a national conversation. We're seeing political moves like a partnership between former Ontario NDP leader and diplomat Stephen Lewis and long-time environmentalist David Suzuki, who have committed to persuading young Canadians that they have the power to make the environment the central election issue.
Well-Versed is The Globe and Mail's twice-weekly newsletter that aims to jump-start your conversations about the 2019 federal election. Write to us about which issues you want to hear about and express your opinion on the policies and people we've examined. Go here to subscribe.
The four main parties - the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and Green Party - aren't disputing the fact of climate change but differ wildly on how deeply we need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, how those emissions should be cut and at what cost.

Let's start with the basics: carbon taxes (also referred to generally as carbon pricing) are fees imposed on each tonne of emissions from fossil fuels. They're meant to discourage Canadians from using an abundance of these fuels − think gasoline, diesel, coal-fired electricity and natural gases − in an attempt to lower greenhouse-gas emissions that affect the environment. Justin Trudeau has dubbed federal carbon pricing a critical part of Canada's commitment to combating worldwide climate change. He introduced the pricing plan in 2018 with the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, fulfilling a campaign promise he made in 2015. Ottawa's goal is to reduce emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

There are social implications to carbon emissions. In the Act, the federal government writes that the effects of climate change "are already being felt throughout Canada and are impacting Canadians, in particular the Indigenous peoples of Canada, low-income citizens and northern, coastal and remote communities."

Our colleagues in Ottawa have written a great primer on climate policies going into the election if you want to read further. Are you more of a visual learner? Check out The Globe's two-minute video breakdown of carbon pricing and how it differs from other policies like cap-and-trade.

The concept of federally mandated carbon pricing doesn't mean one across-the-board rule. Rather, Ottawa imposes regulations on provinces that do not have plans for carbon pricing that meet federal standards. The federal tax prices carbon at $20 a tonne, to rise to $50 in 2020. Ottawa has already taken the reins in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, and will do so in Alberta starting in January, 2020.

Carbon pricing has by no means been smooth sailing, and political battles are being fought on both provincial and federal stages.

Canada's resource economy is incredibly regional, and the conservative provinces against carbon taxes haven't hesitated to bring their argument − that the federal imposition of carbon pricing is unconstitutional − to court. Though they're all at different stages in the process to do so, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta are now co-ordinating their legal challenges.

Once we officially begin the campaign, you can expect the parties to release comprehensive platforms with more details on carbon pricing and emissions, but here's some of what we know so far:
We want to hear what you have to say about this. E-mail Samantha and Jack at wellversed@globeandmail.com with your feedback - we'll showcase a selection of responses in our newsletter this Thursday. No need to be long-winded, we just want your thoughts. Responses may be edited for length and clarity.

If re-elected, the Liberals pledge to consult provinces, territories and interest groups to determine a carbon-pricing trajectory after 2022. They've set a target for 30 per cent of light-duty vehicles (read: cars and most trucks) sold in Canada to be zero-emissions by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2040, and have pledged to protect 17 per cent of land and freshwater and 10 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2020. Coal-fired electricity - still relied upon by Alberta, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick as of 2018 - would be phased out by 2030 to ensure 90 per cent of Canadian electricity comes from sources that don't emit greenhouse gases.

Andrew Scheer's Conservatives have vowed to repeal the federal carbon tax and the planned Clean Fuel Standard (which would force fuel providers to lower greenhouse-gas emissions associated with their products), instead replacing it with standards for major industries that would prescribe yet-undefined emissions limits. The Conservative plan involves tax incentives and spending to support the development of technology that would allow consumers and industry to improve their energy efficiency as well reduce the carbon content of the fuels industry produces.

The NDP pledges to bring greenhouse-gas emissions 38 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 by first maintaining the pricing set by the Liberals from 2019 to 2022. However, the party will nix exemptions on trade-exposed industries, meaning that all industrial heavy-emitters will have to pay a carbon tax once their emissions exceed 70 per cent of the industry average. In addition, the NDP will limit tax rebates currently sent to all households to exclude millionaires. The party is also committing to a suite of aggressive timelines to disentangle society from fossil fuels. This includes ensuring that only zero-emissions vehicles are sold as new cars by 2040, that every new building built in Canada is net-zero energy ready by 2030, and setting a 2050 goal for the country to be powered exclusively by zero-emissions electricity. The NDP says it will establish a Canadian Climate Bank with a $3-billion fund for investments in the low-carbon economy and protect 30 per cent of land, freshwater and oceans by 2030.

The Green Party pledges to double Canada's emissions reduction targets with a view to cutting greenhouse gases by 60 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. They say they'll do this by maintaining a price on carbon and continue to raise it $10 per tonne annually. The party also says it will eliminate all fossil-fuel subsidies and ban fracking. Leader Elizabeth May also proposes dramatically changing the building, electricity and transportation sectors, much like the NDP, but on even tighter timelines. Pledges without a timeline include mandating a switch to bio-diesel for agricultural, fishing and forestry equipment; promoting the development of local, small-scale bio-diesel production; stopping the import of foreign oil; and investing in refineries in Canada so bitumen can be upgraded into gas, diesel and propane for the Canadian market. By 2050, the party says all Canadian bitumen would be used for the petrochemical industry, rather than for fuel.

Reporters Shawn McCarthy and Marieke Walsh describe the crux of the conflict like this: "Heading into the election campaign, the Liberals are defending their climate-change policies against those on the right who say the government is imposing too much of a cost burden, and those on the left who complain it is doing too little to ensure Canada does its part."
On Thursday, we'll spotlight opinions from coast to coast. Have something to say, have a question or just want to chat? Drop us a line at If you're a Globe subscriber, be sure to also sign up for our regular Politics Briefing newsletter, written every weekday by Ottawa assignment editor Chris Hannay. He will be ramping up his election coverage of all the big headlines and campaign trail news to keep you informed. wellversed@globeandmail.com.
This is only the shallow end: carbon policies are an introduction to a complex web of political and economic policy issues. Alberta's oil industry, which makes up nearly 10 per cent of Canadian emissions, is demonstrably important to the Canadian economy, and thousands of present and potential jobs are at stake in the debate over whether to wind down or double down on Canada's petroleum production. Some of the pipelines that could carry crude oil to export markets would wind through unceded Indigenous territory, bringing issues of land rights and reconciliation to the fore. Leaders of some Indigenous communities say Trudeau did not fulfill the government's legal "duty to consult" them on the Trans Mountain pipeline, for example, and the issue is now in court.

So when leaders talk about carbon pricing and jobs in the oil patch, you need to know that it's about so much more.

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

The continuing debate over plastic use and its impact on the environment is playing out federally, provincially and locally - and certainly not without conflicts. Victoria created a local bylaw in early 2018 that would fine businesses $100 if they distributed single-use plastic bags. However, the B.C. Court of Appeal struck it down in July of this year as being outside the city's jurisdiction. The judges concluded that B.C.'s Environment Minister needs to sign off on bylaws that deal with environmental protection, whereas the mayor of Victoria has argued that waste management is a municipal responsibility. The ruling underscored the industry's willingness to challenge plastic-bag bans, which are becoming increasingly common across the country.

HEADLINERS

The federal New Democrats say it's not true that 14 former provincial NDP candidates in New Brunswick switched their political allegiance to the Green Party this week.

Former cabinet minister Jane Philpott is standing by the pledge she made as a Liberal to support access to abortion, but accuses her former party of playing politics with a deeply personal issue.

Andrew Scheer says he won't bar his MPs from raising the issue of abortion but will oppose any attempt to reopen the debate.

Jagmeet Singh addressed wearing a turban in a new party advertisement in Quebec − the province that made headlines earlier this summer for passing Bill 21, a law barring public-sector employees from wearing religious symbols (like turbans) in the workplace.

Justin Trudeau has decided to switch his senior campaign team around for the coming election, bringing chief of staff Katie Telford on the campaign plane while long-time adviser Gerald Butts will be stationed at party headquarters in Ottawa. In the past election, Telford oversaw party operations out of the Liberal war room, while Butts travelled for the duration of the campaign on the Liberal plane as the party's top strategist

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Well-Versed: The battle over taxing carbon and the war for the environment

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Hey! It's Samantha and Jack, the editors of Well-Versed. We're happy that you're joining us for the next six weeks. We'll be with you right up until the federal election. Each week, we'll break down a new political topic. This week, we're getting you well-versed on carbon policies.

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And they're off - starting tomorrow.

The federal election campaign is set to begin tomorrow morning when Justin Trudeau, in his role as Prime Minister, visits Governor-General Julie Payette to officially dissolve Parliament and have writs issued for the election.

As Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau will kick off his party's campaign with a speech outside Rideau Hall.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer will start Wednesday in Trois-Rivières, Que., and end the day in Woodbridge, Ont., near Toronto.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Southwestern Ontario and will be in London, Ont., tomorrow when the writ drops.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will be on Vancouver Island.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Chris Hannay. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can TODAY'S HEADLINES sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
Voters in Manitoba head to the polls today to decide whether to re-elect Brian Pallister's Progressive Conservatives or return the NDP to power under new leader Wab Kinew. The provincial campaign has been fought on the usual ideological lines: the PCs say they will cut taxes and balance the province's budget, whereas the New Democrats say they want to invest in social services, particularly in hospitals.

A Nanos Research survey conducted for The Globe and Mail asked a number of leadership questions, including: "Which federal party leader, if any, would be best at leading an ethical government?" The answer: A tight race between Ms. May and Mr. Scheer, with Mr. Trudeau just behind. "It doesn't matter who's in power, no one has a big advantage on the ethics front and it speaks to the cynicism that people have about any politician being ethical," founder Nik Nanos said. (You can read all the details of the poll, including methodology, here.)

Ms. May was forced to clarify the Green Party's policy on abortion access. After initially telling the CBC that she could not "silence" an MP who wanted to reopen the abortion issue in Parliament, she later on Monday told The Globe that she would push to get an MP who did so ousted from the Green Party. The party said it also prescreens its candidates for their position on the issue and that all Green candidates are pro-choice.

The Assembly of First Nations says the federal parties need to make climate change the No. 1 issue in the election this year, as well as addressing other concerns for those living on reserves, such as housing and justice reforms.

The Alberta government has begun its inquiry into environmental groups. Premier Jason Kenney says the inquiry is to root out any foreign funding the groups receive.

A Libertarian group called the Runnymede Society is seeking influence in Canada's law schools, where it is pushing skepticism to what it says is too much liberalism on Canada's courts. A favourite among the group is Federal Court of Appeal Justice Marc Nadon, whose appointment to the Supreme Court by Stephen Harper was blocked because he was judged to not have the right credentials for the seat.

Canada is at odds with China in wanting Taiwan included in an international meeting of civil-aviation authorities in Montreal later this month.

And today in Brexit: the British Parliament has been prorogued until Oct. 14. MPs in the House of Commons shot down another attempt by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to call an election and passed a law that requires him to have a deal with the European Union in place before Britain leaves. "I will go to Brussels ... and negotiate our departure on the 31st of October, hopefully with a deal but without one if necessary," Mr. Johnson said - although not having a deal would see the Prime Minister break the law.

Globe and Mail editorial board on the length of the campaign: "It's fair to conclude that the Trudeau Liberals want to limit their leader's exposure to political peril by curtailing the length of the campaign and depriving the other party leaders of too many occasions to share the stage. That's a decision made by a one-term incumbent government that sits astride a strong economy and sees itself as a front-runner, but whose leader is vulnerable to attacks related to ethical lapses."
Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop
Andrew Coyne (National Post) on the leaders' debates: "What we are left with is a position that is every bit as cynical and self-serving as the one that preceded it, only with the added pretence of high principle. If the 2015 debates were a dubious advance over the consortium model, the current approach looks to be a significant step backwards. Harper ended up participating in five debates; Trudeau seems determined to limit his exposure to three."

Rosemarie Fike (The Globe and Mail) on promoting economic freedom in foreign aid: "Moreover, allowing women the same level of economic freedom as men does not just benefit the female portion of any country's population, it benefits everyone. A 2014 study by Cuberes and Teiniger estimated that a country loses out on 14 per cent to 15.5 per cent of GDP by not granting women the same levels of economic freedom as men."

Timothy Garton Ash (The Globe and Mail) on Brexit and democracy: "The Conservative party, a centre-right broad church for at least a century, has become the Revolutionary Conservative Party. Last week, it purged 21 MPs, including Winston Churchill's grandson and two former chancellors of the exchequer, all of them more entitled to call themselves Conservatives than Mr. Johnson - let alone Dominic Cummings, his Mephistophelean adviser who is not even a member of the party."

Lise Ravary (Montreal Gazette) on protecting the French language: "I would also like to see measures to solidify the quality of our French. Francophones no longer say 'tires' or 'hood,' but franglais is creeping back. At the moment, a well-known truck dealership runs radio ads in French in which the word camion is never heard, but rather, 'les trucks,' 'nos trucks,' 'vot' truck,' and so on. My ears bleed."

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Politics Briefing: Election campaign to begin Wednesday

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And they're off - starting tomorrow. The federal election campaign is set to begin tomorrow morning when Justin Trudeau, in his role as Prime Minister, visits Governor-General Julie Payette to officially dissolve Parliament and have writs issued for the election. As Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau will kick off his party's campaign with a speech outside Rideau Hall.

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The Canadian government is backing Taiwan's effort to gain an invitation to a major gathering of civil-aviation authorities from around the world that is taking place in Montreal later this month.

Canada's support for Taiwan's inclusion is at odds with China, which experts say has thwarted Taiwanese efforts to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency that helps co-ordinate safe and secure air traffic. Canada-China relations are extremely strained following Canada's arrest in December of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request. Beijing subsequently seized two Canadian citizens and ended purchases of canola seed and soybeans and banned Canadian imports of pork and beef.

Taiwan, which helped found the ICAO, has been shut out of the body since the early 1970s when the UN voted to recognize the People's Republic of China as the representatives of China to the United Nations.

But Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers a wayward province, says it needs to attend the ICAO's 40th triennial assembly that begins in Montreal on Sept. 24 in order to properly administer the airspace above its territory. Authorities in Taiwan responsible for the Taipei Flight Information Region provide air-traffic control services to nearly 70 million passengers each year.

Scott Simon, holder of the co-chair in Taiwan studies at the University of Ottawa, said China has successfully campaigned to have Taiwan excluded from the ICAO. The island was officially invited to attend the 2013 assembly, but this was not renewed after Tsai Ing-wen took office as president of Taiwan in 2016. Ms. Tsai has had a more strained relationship with Beijing than her predecessor.

The Canadian government, responding to a question from The Globe and Mail, said it supports inviting Taiwan to the Montreal assembly.

"Canada supports Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations where there is a practical imperative and where Taiwan's absence is detrimental to global interests," John Babcock, a spokesman for the department of Global Affairs, said. The department's language was careful not to suggest it supports full membership in the ICAO.

Professor Wenran Jiang with the University of British Columbia's School of Public Policy and Global Affairs said he is not familiar with the details of the ICAO dispute, but urged Ottawa to be careful that it doesn't further exacerbate tensions with Beijing.

The risk Canada runs is that China perceives the Trudeau government move as negative toward China, he said - as happened when Ottawa voiced support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters.

"We need to make fairly accurate calls ... and not to further deteriorate [relations] or be perceived that we are supporting Hong Kong protests or supporting Taiwan's broader role," Prof. Jiang said. "If Canada's move is perceived as hostile ... than I think our relationship would be further worsened."

China's embassy in Ottawa said when it comes to international organizations only the People's Republic of China speaks for China.

"On the issue of the participation of China's Taiwan region in the activities of international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), China's position is consistent and clear. The issue must be handled in accordance with the One-China principle," the embassy said in an e-mail.

Winston Wen-yi Chen, the Taiwanese government's representative in Ottawa, said the One-China policy doesn't mean ignoring Taiwan. "We're talking about technical meetings. This isn't talking about recognizing China."

Mr. Chen said "it goes without saying" that China's behaviour amounts to bullying. "In this context, we are not part of them. They cannot control the Taipei Flight Information Region. All the air passengers rely on us."

Global Affairs' statement builds on what Group of Seven foreign ministers said. In an April communiqué, ministers said they "support the substantive participation of all active members of the international aviation community in ICAO forums [and that] excluding some of its members for political purposes compromises aviation safety and security."

John McKenna, president of the Air Transport Association of Canada, said it makes sense to have Taiwan at the ICAO event given the number of international flights over the island. "It's about safety in aviation so from a strictly operational and non-political point of view, I believe Taiwan should be there."

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Canada backing Taiwan's effort to gain invitation to International Civil Aviation Organization

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The Canadian government is backing Taiwan's effort to gain an invitation to a major gathering of civil-aviation authorities from around the world that is taking place in Montreal later this month. Canada's support for Taiwan's inclusion is at odds with China, which experts say has thwarted Taiwanese efforts to participate in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency that helps co-ordinate safe and secure air traffic.

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The House of Commons has passed a non-binding motion to declare a national climate emergency in Canada, kicking off a week that will test the Liberals' promise to balance environmental protection with economic development.

The motion, put forward by Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, calls on the House to recognize that "climate change is a real and urgent crisis, driven by human activity" and to "declare that Canada is in a national climate emergency which requires, as a response, that Canada commit to meeting its national emissions target under the Paris Agreement and to making deeper reductions in line with the Agreement's objective of holding global warming below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius."

It passed Monday night with 186 votes to 63. According to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice guide, a resolution of the House "is a declaration of opinion or purpose; it does not require that any action be taken, nor is it binding."

Liberal, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green MPs all voted in favour of the motion, pitting themselves against the Conservatives and People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier.

"If it is such an emergency, why is the prime minister jetting back and forth today from the Raptors parade, creating a big carbon footprint?" asked Conservative MP Michelle Rempel during debate.

Despite voting in favour of the motion, NDP MP Peter Julian rose in the House to call it "meaningless."

"The Liberals are slapping each other on the back because they passed a motion that is meaningless. [On Tuesday] they are going to rubber-stamp the Trans Mountain pipeline, which will dramatically increase greenhouse gas production in the country. The hypocrisy is beyond belief," he said.

3 leaders missing from vote

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took to Twitter to express her disappointment that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh were not in the House Monday for the vote.

"This is a national security issue, it is time we started treating it as one," she wrote.

The Conservative opposition to the motion likely will be raised by their opponents when the unveil their climate plan on Wednesday.

This week, the last scheduled week on the parliamentary calendar, will be heavy with debate over environmental protections and natural resources.

Later today, the federal cabinet will decide whether to approve the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion for a second time.

The Liberal government, which bought the pipeline last year for $4.5 billion, was forced to put the project through a new consultation process after the Federal Court of Appeal quashed past cabinet approvals for the long-delayed project and halted construction last summer.

The Senate also will be asked this week to decide whether it accepts Bill C-69, the controversial legislation overhauling the national assessment system for major resource and transportation projects, after the House rejected more than half their proposed amendments.

Cities across Canada, including Ottawa, Montreal, Hamilton, Kingston and Vancouver, already have moved to declare climate change an emergency.

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House passes non-binding motion declaring a national climate emergency | CBC News

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The House of Commons has passed a non-binding motion to declare a national climate emergency in Canada, kicking off a week that will test the Liberals' promise to balance environmental protection with economic development.