Good evening, readers.

Let’s start today with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s big speech in Toronto.

In a speech at the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto, Poilievre laid out his vision for the Canada-U.S. relationship on Thursday, directly denouncing U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Canada while insisting on a stable relationship with our southern neighbour.

“The lesson in this moment is simple: the path to sovereignty is focusing relentlessly on what is within our power,” Poilievre said while calling for the creation of an all-party working group on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade as the two countries begin a review of the deal.

He pledged to work with the Liberal government, while noting the Official Opposition has “a constitutional and patriotic duty to scrutinize the government.”

The Conservative leader did find common ground with the Liberals on Thursday, at least rhetorically.

A central theme of his speech was control. “We must divide the problem into what we control and what we do not control,” he said.

As Poilievre was delivering his speech on Thursday afternoon, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was speaking elsewhere in Toronto.

“We have to control what we can control” when it comes to managing the fallout from U.S. tariffs, LeBlanc told the Canadian Club.

While Poilievre declined to name the Conservative MPs he would select for the proposed all-party group, he said they’d operate “in good faith” and put the country ahead of the party.

Speaking of LeBlanc, he said he will meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer late next week in Washington, D.C.

The discussions comes as both countries are preparing for the mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

The Canadian Press has both of these stories.

The other big news of the day was a liquid natural gas shipment from Australia that arrived in eastern Canada.

The delivery has sparked outrage among Conservatives and industry leaders, who find it absurd that a tanker spent a month traveling the globe to reach a country that sits on some of the world’s largest gas reserves.

“What the f–k? Eastern Canada needs natural gas? Sure wish they had asked Western Canada. Maybe build a pipeline?” said investor W. Brett Wilson.

Bloomberg reports this is the first time East Canada is receiving an LNG shipment from Down Under, as Australia looks outside its usual Asian markets for new clients due to a recent slump in demand in China.

Meanwhile, Canada is achieving record natural gas production, driven by LNG Canada’s large-scale export project in B.C.

In total, there are seven LNG projects in various stages of development across Canada, with two of them having recently been referred to the federal Major Projects Office.

Our Aya Dufour reports.

Back to the Hill, the Liberal government’s landmark affordability bill could fail to receive royal assent this week after senators began debate on removing a section that would exempt federal political parties from privacy laws.

Any changes would likely prevent the House from taking up Bill C-4 until mid-March because it doesn’t sit next week, raising new questions on the Senate’s pace in signing off on government bills.

Only three non-supply government bills have become law in the past year but Senate groups say they’re not to blame for the slow pace in passing bills even though senators decided to wrap up the fall sitting early back in December.

The Office of the Government Representative (GRO) in the Senate defended the work of the Upper Chamber, noting that, C-4, in particular, has “progressed faster” than the average government bill.

But the Senate on Wednesday shot down a motion from a GRO member to extend sitting hours that day past 4 p.m.

Marco Vigliotti explains.

Keeping with the Hill, it really seems like no one is gunning for an election right now.

Well, at least none of the opposition parties.

The federal Liberals’ Budget Implementation Act easily passed a confidence vote in the House of Commons on Thursday, as CP notes.

Bill C-15 carried on division, meaning there was no recorded vote in Parliament.

That’s not to say we’re not going to get a snap election anytime soon. While it’s all just speculation now, the Globe and Mail reports that the Liberals have started the nomination process for candidates.

Speaking of votes, it’s now official — we’ll have a rematch in the upcoming Terrebonne byelection.

Bloc Quebecois’ Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne will once again face off against Liberal Tatiana Auguste in the coming vote, which was prompted by the a recent Supreme Court decision invalidating last year’s result.

And finally, Prime Minister Mark Carney has left Ottawa for a 10-day visit to India, Australia and Japan — his first international trip since his headline-making speech in Davos that called for middle powers to band together.

Carney will land in Mumbai on Feb. 27, then head to New Delhi on March 1, where he will meet Indian President Narendra Modi. He will then fly to Sydney March 3 before stopping in Canberra on March 5 and then Tokyo on March 6.

CP has this preview.

Hill Movers: Marie-Michelle Demers joins Minister Miller’s office, while Peter Wall now deputy chief in AI minister’s office

Comings & Goings: Duncan Gray joins Proof Strategies, Crestview Strategy brings on Heidi Bonnell, Laura Mitchell hired at Sussex Strategy Group

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told U.S. House lawmakers on Thursday that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s or Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes at the start of two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton.

The deposition was paused after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent a photo of Hillary Clinton in the room to a conservative influencer who posted it on social media, violating the committee’s rules for depositions.

The incident prompted the former secretary of state to repeat her longstanding demand that the deposition be made open to reporters.

The Clintons agreed to testify after their offers of sworn statements were rebuffed by the House Oversight panel, whose chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., threatened criminal contempt of Congress charges against them.

Bill Clinton’s Friday testimony will be the first time a former president has been forced to testify before Congress — the latest sign that the demand for a reckoning over Epstein’s abuse of underage girls has become a near-unstoppable force on Capitol Hill and beyond.

AP has more.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, hours before U.S. and Ukrainian envoys held more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year.

The bombardment, which included 11 ballistic missiles, targeted critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight regions of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Dozens of people, including children, were injured, officials said, though authorities did not immediately publish a confirmed total.

Zelenskyy said late Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and thanked him for his “efforts and engagement” in pursuing peace negotiations.

The U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are continuing but are deadlocked on the issue of Ukrainian territory that Russia claims as its own.

AP has this one too.

In Other International Headlines

In Featured Opinion

Michael Bourque: Strengthening Canada’s supply chains to boost productivity

The Kicker

American hockey player Brady Tkachuk said Thursday that he did not appreciate a doctored TikTok video shared by the White House that made it look like he was disparaging Canadians after winning Olympic gold, calling it fake and something he would never say.

The video includes fabricated audio of Tkachuk referring to Canadians as “maple syrup eating f—s,” with the expletive bleeped out. Tkachuk called it “clearly fake,” said the voice and lip movement did not match, and added he would never use that language. The video carries a note that it “contains AI-generated media.”

Tkachuk also denied being the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s celebratory phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump after Sunday’s 2-1 win over Canada to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

Of course, Tkachuk is the captain of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators.

AP has more.

Have a great night!