Jumping for Fanjoy – iPolitics

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A week after his historic win made headlines, MP-elect Bruce Fanjoy says he’s ready to get to work on representing the people of Carleton, who on election night chose not to re-elect Pierre Poilievre for the first time since 2004.

Fanjoy won in the early hours of the morning following election night as Elections Canada counted the ballots in Carleton, which had the highest voter turnout in the country.

He had been campaigning for about two years, before the election was called, after he said he saw a need for better leadership in Carleton.

Poilievre had held the seat for two decades, but on the night the Conservatives lost the election under his leadership, he also lost his own seat.

Liberal strategist John O’Leary said Fanjoy’s is a story of faith and possibility, and serves of a reminder of the power of voter.

“Very often in a race like this, where you’re running against the leader of the party or against a well-known incumbent, and you’re clearly the underdog, very often, you will pick up on something locally that has happened and that has perhaps leading to some, some discontent, and could give you an opening,” he told Ottawa Compass.

“In a case like in Carleton, Pierre Poilievre was the leader, and had been the leader for some time now,” he continued. “He would have responsibilities that could take him out of the riding very often, and there may have been a sense that he wasn’t there enough.”

On April 28, Fanjoy spent the day meeting with various supporters and volunteers before watching the results with close friends and family.

“I wanted to make sure they knew how proud I was of each and every one of them because it had been a remarkable campaign,” Fanjoy told Ottawa Compass. “Regardless of how the vote would have turned out, winning is a process.”

Sarah MacFarlane has that story for the Ottawa Compass.

Meanwhile, experts say U.S. President Donald Trump’s preliminary trade agreement with the United Kingdom could offer hints about how his administration might negotiate with Canada.

The agreement announced today is not finalized and many details remain unclear, but it sent a signal to nations around the world rattled by Trump’s attempt to deploy tariffs to upend global trade.

Under the deal, baseline 10 per cent tariffs on most U.K. imports to the United States would stay in place, while duties on steel and aluminum would be lifted.

Trump’s tariffs on U.K. automobile imports would be reduced to 10 per cent on a quota of 100,000 vehicles.

Carleton University international affairs professor Fen Osler Hampson says the deal shows the Trump administration is amenable to negotiation — a positive sign for Ottawa as it awaits the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

Hampson says the U.K deal indicates Trump is open to lower tariffs but likely won’t eliminate them altogether.

CP has that story.

Turning to provincial politics, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) says it’s ready to begin building Canada’s first grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR) at Darlington, Ontario.

The Darlington New Nuclear Project, based on GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 design, is now scheduled to begin construction in 2025 with completion expected by the end of 2029.

The construction completion is scheduled for the end of 2029, with power to the grid in 2030.

According to the technical briefing, the SMR will produce approximately 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity—enough to power 300,000 homes.

It is also expected to eliminate nearly 740,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared to natural gas generation.

Barbara Patrocino has those details for QP Briefing.

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Cardinal Robert Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. The Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops was elected the first pope from the United States in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

In his first words as Pope Francis’ successor, uttered from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo, 69, said, “Peace be with you,” and emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy — a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English.

As for the Canadian reaction, no word yet from Prime Minister Mark Carney, but Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted a statement to social media congratulating the new pope.

“I join with Catholics in Canada and around the world in expressing our best wishes and prayers for Pope Leo XIV as he takes his place as the 266th successor of St. Peter,” said Poilievre. “As the first Pope from North America, I am hopeful that his tenure will be particularly meaningful for Canadian Catholics. May his tenure as Supreme Pontiff help lead the Catholic Church to renew the faith of its members, and help promote peace, justice and truth throughout the world.”

AP has the latest from the Vatican.

Elsewhere, Israel permanently closed six UN schools in east Jerusalem on Thursday, forcing Palestinian students to leave early and throwing the education of more than 800 others into question.

Last month, heavily armed Israeli police and Education Ministry officials ordered six schools in east Jerusalem to close within 30 days, which ended on Wednesday. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, runs the six schools. UNRWA also runs schools in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which continue to operate.

The closure orders come after Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its soil earlier this year, the culmination of a long campaign against the agency that intensified following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. Israel claims that UNRWA schools teach antisemitic content and anti-Israel sentiment, which UNRWA denies.

AP also has more on that.

In Other International Headlines

The Kicker

As mentioned, Pope Leo XIV is now the first pontiff in the Catholic Church’s history, and AP has a series of photos recapping the historic day in Rome.

And with that, we’ll see you tomorrow…