Good evening, readers.

The federal government is in talks with the provinces on a pan-Canada electricity strategy.

It comes as many provinces are plotting out plans to expand their generation capacity to keep pace with rising demand, as well as provide power necessary for several prospective major projects.

Before Thursday’s meeting with the premiers, Prime Minister Mark Carney said they would discuss the upcoming electricity strategy, calling for collaboration in “doubling the size of our grid, lowering costs for Canadians and Canadian business, and extending our energy advantage in the world.”

In a statement after the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said the first ministers agreed to “actively work to build and modernize electricity systems to make them more sustainable, affordable, and interconnected, for Canadians in all regions — including in the North, the Arctic and in remote Indigenous communities.”

Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told reporters on Friday the strategy would be released in the “coming weeks” and it would focus on “taking down barriers between markets.”

“We have today, 13 provincial and territorial grids that are somewhat disconnected from one another. They’re actually much more connected with the neighbouring states going north, south than they are east, west,” he said in response to a question from iPolitics.

“Connecting up our grids and strengthening our grids will help us have more efficient power, have cleaner power, and create more jobs in Canada. So you should expect to hear more about that in the coming weeks.”

Marco Vigliotti has more.

The federal government scored a win at the Federal Court of Appeal on Friday, which upheld its 2021 decision to list “plastic manufactured items” as toxic, and ultimately led to a ban on several types of single-use plastics.

Friday’s ruling means Canada can keep its single-use plastics ban in place, which currently affects six items including straws, grocery bags, stir sticks and the six-pack rings used to hold soda and beer cans.

The government said at the time it chose those items because they were among the most commonly found litter and had known and accessible alternatives.

Observers say Friday’s decision from the Federal Court of Appeal now paves the way for the Liberal government to expand the prohibition to other types of single-use plastic items.

The Canadian Press explains.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to address the party faithful at the Ontario PCs convention today in Toronto.

While media were initially banned, the party appears to have reversed course, allowing coverage of the speech itself, but not the rest of the convention.

Queen’s Park Briefing has obtained a copy of Ford’s speech, though changes or edits might be made before it’s delivered on Friday.

Read it all here.

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a busy few weeks receiving Western allies seeking warmer ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a trade deal slashing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and Canadian canola oil.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer landed in Beijing this week to repair ties that have been strained for years, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected there next month. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also was among the latest leaders from Europe to shake hands with Xi.

In a major shift to the world order since President Donald Trump took office again, America’s closest partners are exploring opportunities with China following clashes with Trump over tariffs and his demands to take over Greenland from NATO ally Denmark. Despite the risk of irking Trump, they are resetting relations with a country long seen as a top adversary to many Western allies and the top economic rival to the U.S.

AP reports.

Meanwhile, student organizers called for walkouts and protests across the United States on Friday to demand that federal immigration agents withdraw from Minnesota, where the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens have sparked public outrage.

The planned national day of protest, which saw students and teachers walking ​out of schools from Arizona to Georgia, came amid mixed messages from the Trump administration on the future of Operation Metro Surge, which has sent some 3,000 federal agents to ‌the Minneapolis area in an immigration crackdown.

Reuters has this one.

On that same vein, the U.S. Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed Saturday by Border Patrol officers, according to federal officials.

“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on what happened that day and in the days and weeks leading up to what happened,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday.

AP has this one too.

In Other International Headlines

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The Kicker

We close today’s brief with some sad news.

Catherine O’Hara, the gifted Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum who starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek,” died Friday.

She was 71.

We’ll see you on Monday.