Here are five developments shaping Ottawa and the National Capital Region today, with context on why they matter.
Ottawa breaks Nov. 4 heat record as mild spell lingers
Ottawa reached 22 C on Wednesday afternoon, a record high for the date that beat the previous mark set in 2022, according to CTV News Ottawa. CTV called it the warmest Nov. 4 in the city’s history, as people crowded patios and headed out to Westboro Beach and for bike rides. The summer-like temperatures are expected to continue Thursday, though with rain for much of the day. The warm stretch comes as Ottawa snow removal companies raise their prices ahead of winter, citing surging diesel costs that some are now passing on to customers. For residents, the mild weather is a welcome reprieve, but winter may cost more once it arrives. Sources: CTV News Ottawa, CTV News Ottawa (forecast) and CTV News Ottawa (snow removal).
Champagne to table Budget 2026 this afternoon
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is scheduled to table Budget 2026 in the House of Commons on Thursday afternoon, the second budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney, The Canadian Press reports. Titled “Maîtres chez nous,” the budget is framed around economic sovereignty in response to U.S. trade actions and global volatility, and is expected to include an updated immigration levels plan. Analysts expect continued, relatively deep deficits, though most fiscal experts anticipate them being slightly smaller than projected in April’s spring economic update, partly because higher oil prices from the war in Iran have boosted federal revenues. Champagne has signalled tax relief for small and medium-sized businesses and says running deficits to support workers hit by U.S. trade measures is “the right thing to do.” With a Liberal majority, the budget is in a strong position to pass, and the government has also committed to reducing day-to-day operating spending. Those spending choices matter in a region where so many residents work for the federal government. Sources: The Canadian Press via Lethbridge Herald, The Canadian Press via CP24 and Finance Canada.
Ottawa publicly cautious, privately relieved after U.S. midterms
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is publicly cautious about Tuesday’s U.S. midterm results but privately relieved, three senior sources told CTV News. Two of them believe the results materially improve Canada’s position in talks to lift U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber, though they do not expect help from Democrats, and sources said Carney’s team is glad it did not reach a deal with President Donald Trump sooner. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the results change nothing in Canada’s approach, noting the new Congress will not be seated until January. Carney said the U.S. has shifted some red lines, no longer pressing on culture, language or a veto over future trade deals, adding, “They’re asking less and they’re offering more.” For Canadian industries hit by those tariffs, the question is whether that leverage turns into relief at the negotiating table. Source: CTV News via CP24.
Canada and China extend canola and seafood tariff relief to 2028
Canada and China agreed Wednesday in Beijing to extend preferential market access for Canadian canola meal, peas, lobster and crab by two years, to the end of 2028, according to Global Affairs Canada. The deal came at the first ministerial-level meeting of the Canada-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission, co-led by Minister Maninder Sidhu and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. Canada, for its part, will extend remission measures for certain Chinese steel and aluminum products not made in Canada, also to the end of 2028. The measures stem from an arrangement reached during Carney’s January visit to Beijing and had been set to expire at the end of this year, The Canadian Press reports. China is Canada’s second-largest single-country merchandise trading partner, with $125.7 billion in two-way trade in 2025, and Ottawa aims to raise exports there by 50 per cent by 2030. The extension gives Canadian farmers and fish harvesters more predictable access to one of their largest markets. Sources: Global Affairs Canada and The Canadian Press via CP24.
Carney to visit Europe and Asia next week, including APEC in China
Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Ireland, the Philippines, Cambodia and China from Nov. 11 to 19, his office announced Wednesday. In Dublin, he will attend the European Political Community summit and push Canada’s bid to become the European Union’s first Associate Member, while in Manila he aims to finalize an ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement and conclude a Canada-Philippines deal. He will then attend the Sommet de la Francophonie in Phnom Penh, his first, before the APEC leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen. The Prime Minister’s Office notes that Canada has bid to host the 2028 Francophonie summit in the National Capital Region, which would be its first time hosting in 20 years. The trip is the latest step in the government’s push to diversify trade beyond the United States, and could bring a major international summit to Ottawa-Gatineau. Source: Prime Minister’s Office.
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