Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
The Liberal government's plans to boost the GST credit will cost taxpayers $12.4 billion over five years, according to an estimate from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Mark Carney, who said he would be judged as prime minister based on grocery prices, last week announced his scheme to increase the GST credit by 25 per cent for eligible Canadians. He also said he planned to send out a one-time payment worth 50 per cent of the credit.
The federal government’s plan to increase the GST credit and offer a one-time payment to Canadians will cost Ottawa an estimated $12.4 billion over five years. https://t.co/IStu4jSrLX
— CityNews Winnipeg (@CityNewsWPG) February 2, 2026
Following the Conservative Party's emphatic endorsement of the leadership of Pierre Poilievre on the weekend – he was backed by 87.4 per cent of members – the Tory chief is now expected to try and take that momentum back to Ottawa. His party has trailed the Liberals in most surveys for months, but the head of polling firm Nanos said a lot of that was down to the struggles of the NDP, whose collapse has benefited the Grits.
Conservatives, Poilievre seek to carry convention momentum back into Parliament https://t.co/cDKW18Fh6c
— CP24 (@CP24) February 2, 2026
Protesters took to the streets of Montreal on Sunday to express their fury about the immigration policy of the United States. The demonstrators railed against Canadian "complicity" in the US government's attempts to deport migrants who are in the country illegally. Protesters chanted: "From Minnesota to Montreal, we won’t stop until ICE falls."
Montreal demonstrators protest Trump immigration crackdown at U.S. Consulate.https://t.co/BlHLlHDXYa
— Global Montreal (@Global_Montreal) February 1, 2026
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has said Canada should attempt to "use morals to destabilize" the United States as trade negotiations between the two countries continue. Referring to the US's immigration policy, Kinew said: “If we are the voice of moral clarity, maybe we can destabilize Trump heading into the negotiations at a moral level ... I guess the advantage of that approach is maybe that will help us with the trade negotiations, but it’s also the right thing to do.”
‘Canada is not Minnesota,’ minister says in reaction to U.S. immigration raids https://t.co/BPudowWJ3H
— CTV National News (@CTVNationalNews) January 31, 2026
Mark Carney is making frequent use of advice provided by former prime minister Stephen Harper, according to a report. The Toronto Star said "sources" told the paper that Carney and Harper "have spoken regularly" since Carney became PM. The two men are set to appear in public together this week for the unveiling of Harper's official portrait.
Mark Carney and Stephen Harper are both ‘the smartest guy in the room’ and that’s not all they have in common. The former CPC PM is now one of the people whose advice the current LPC PM seeks @TondaMacC reports https://t.co/X5zsNbnCRw
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) January 31, 2026
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