After making a quick stop in Halifax to officially announce what had, over the course of the day, gone from being one of the best to the worst-kept secrets in Ottawa — namely, his government’s decision to designate German-Norwegian consortium TKMS as the preferred bidder to replace Canada’s next fleet of submarines — Prime Minister Mark Carney was set to hit the NATO summit circuit in Ankara, Turkey, this morning.

As Canadian Press reports, he’s booked in for one-on-one chats with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the main event gets underway later today.

Also on his agenda, according to his office: A “panel discussion on defence capability” at the one-day Summit Defence Industry Forum, which bills itself as “NATO’s premier high-level event on transatlantic defence production, investment and innovation” and the traditional “family photo” before joining other allies at a closed-door dinner hosted by Erdoğan.

Back in Canada, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson will deliver what his office is billing as a “significant” announcement related to critical minerals during a midday appearance in Trail, B.C., which is also home to what Vancouver-based Teck Resources describes as “one of the world’s largest fully integrated zinc and lead smelting and refining complexes.” (12 p.m. PT)

Meanwhile, his fellow front bencher, Justice Minister Sean Fraser, teams up with his B.C. counterpart Niki Sharma, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, Surrey Police Service Deputy Chief Mike LeSage, Delta Police Chief Constable Harj Sidhu and RCMP officials, as well as local Liberal MPs Ernie Klassen and Sukh Dhaliwal, to promote the three criminal justice bills signed into law last month, including measures aimed at “strengthening bail and sentencing laws, addressing court delays and protecting children from predators,” as the advisory notes. (12 p.m. PT)

Later this afternoon, Minister of State (Sport) Adam van Koeverden, who has also been serving as “Canada’s FIFA Sherpa,” will be in the stands at B.C. Place for the “historic” match between Switzerland and Columbia, “highlighting Canada’s role as a host country and showcasing Canada on the world stage.” (1 p.m. PT)

Elsewhere on the ministerial circuit:

• Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald clocks in another day in Calgary, where, according to his office, he’ll “visit local farms and ranches to hear directly from producers about their operations,” tour an “agricultural innovation hub to learn more about the grassroots, farm-focused innovation happening in the region” and “engage with stakeholders in the forage, grasslands and beef sector.”
• Secretary of State (Nature) Nathalie Provost heads to Regina to “highlight” her government’s plan to “protect Canada’s natural environment,” as laid out in the strategy unveiled by the prime minister earlier this year, which aims to “protect and restore critical habitats, ensure industrial strategies complement our conservation efforts, and mobilize new capital for nature.” (9:30 a.m. CST)
• Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will unveil new federal support for “innovative Manitoba businesses expanding their use of AI and digital technology” during an “exclusive conversation” hosted by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. (10:30 a.m. CT)
• Industry Minister Mélanie Joly drops by the University of Guelph’s Summerlee Science Complex to reveal the results of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Discovery Research Program, with NSERC vice-president Manal Bahubeshi and Joly’s parliamentary secretary, Karim Bardeesy, also expected to be in attendance. (9:30 a.m.)

Also on the radar: ACCESS TO INFORMATION, PRIVACY AND ETHICS members are set to assemble for a special session convened by Conservative committee chair John Brassard to consider a written request submitted by his party leader, Pierre Poilievre, to “launch an investigation” into what Poilievre has dubbed “Carney’s Condo Bailout” — and, more specifically, what the party alleges are potential “conflicts of interest arising from (his) plan to bail out developers, bankers and investors by using taxpayer dollars to purchase unsold condominium units in British Columbia.” (11 a.m.)

In his response to Poilievre, Brassard confirmed that he was “prepared to use (his) prerogative as chair” to schedule the meeting “to allow a fulsome discussion on this matter,” but acknowledged that, “ultimately, it will be the decision of a majority of committee members whether they will … investigate this further,” which, under the new committee structure, would require the support of at least two Liberal MPs for any such proposal to succeed.

 IN THE CHAMBER

Both the House of Commons and the Senate have shut down for the summer, with regular parliamentary proceedings set to resume in September.

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Committee highlights courtesy of our friends at iPoliticsINTEL.