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John Baird vacationed for free at historic Macdonald House in England

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and six of his friends stayed at the official residence of Canada’s High Commissioner to Great Britain for eight days, free of charge, while on vacation in England, CTV News has learned.

Tory MP questions Ottawa’s decision to sole source multi-million-dollar contract for 21 coast guard helicopters

A Conservative MP has questioned his own government’s decision to sole source a multi-million-dollar contract for 21 new coast guard helicopters from a Montreal company over safety concerns and fears that the process was rigged so that the Quebec firm would win.

Rae’s exit puts Trudeau to the test

Liberal supporters are gearing up for the party nomination in the traditional stronghold of Toronto Centre – with the focus turning to the possible candidacy of former CTV Canada AM co-host Seamus O’Regan.

Who will succeed Rae in riding that includes Toronto’s gaybourhood?

George Smitherman, journalist and former MuchMusic VJ, Jennifer Hollett among rumoured Liberal and NDP candidates for Toronto Centre. “I look forward to the opportunity to chase Stephen Harper out of Ottawa,” says George Smitherman.

Rae, Coderre resignations pave way for great reckoning

Pundits’ Guide: The dual resignations of Liberal MPs Denis Coderre and Bob Rae from the House of Commons will, luckily for the Prime Minister, put the focus back on the battle between the NDP and Liberals for the next few months.

Horgan: Canada-EU trade deal makes Nenshi ‘nervous’

Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi says some parts of Canada’s pending free-trade deal with the European Union make him “nervous.”

Horgan: Nenshi on Crockatt: ‘I mean, whatever’

“I mean, whatever. Not like backbench MPs have any ability to do anything…. It’s worth noting that in the heartland of the Conservative party, that Ms. Crockatt was elected with the smallest plurality of a Conservative candidate that anybody can remember…”

Feds spend nearly $700K to acquire trove of documents from War of 1812

A massive trove of books, maps and manuscripts from the War of 1812 now belong to Canada. The federal government has paid nearly $700,000 at an auction in England to acquire what’s know as the Sherbrooke Collection.

Beardsley: Parliament Wraps Up Another Session

Finally our MPs are taking a break and they have departed from the Hill for the summer break. That must be a great relief for the taxpayers and voters of this country who through the media had front row seats every day to the acrimony in the House.

Christy Clark rescinds post-election pay raises for top staffers

Premier Christy Clark says she made a mistake and has rescinded post-election pay increases for the government’s top political staff.

House passes same-sex divorce bill in one night – after 1.5 years of waiting

The NDP is claiming a “little victory” after a government bill addressing same-sex divorce passed in the House of Commons Tuesday night.

Theft of F-35 design data is helping U.S. adversaries -Pentagon

The theft of sensitive design data by hackers targeting programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter takes away a big U.S. advantage by allowing rivals to speed up development of their own stealth aircraft, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

Nasty session of Parliament shows ‘tired’ government: Mulcair

Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair says the acrimonious spring session in the House of Commons has exposed a “tired, used” Conservative government, after weeks of controversy over Senate spending.

Tories stumble and bumble without Nigel Wright

Delacourt: Exactly one month since Prime Minister Stephen Harper was forced to accept the resignation of his chief of staff in the Senate expenses scandal, the effects of Nigel Wright’s loss are becoming evident within the Conservative government.

Speaking fees: A guide to the dos and don’ts

Andrew Coyne — All of your questions about the Justin Trudeau speaking fees imbroglio, answered in one place: Is it wrong, in general, to take money for speaking? Of course not. It’s a lawful service that does no harm and that people…

A charity that should be out of business

Brett Wilson — I have been watching, with increasing irritation, the flurry of criticism over Justin Trudeau’s decision to accept a $20,000 speaking engagement for a charitable organization while he was a sitting MP.

Justin Trudeau for PM? ‘Ptooie’

Colby Cosh — Justin Trudeau for prime minister? Really? He’s got no executive experience, no experience of any kind that is remotely adjacent to being leader of a G8 country. There are parts of Canada in which his last name is…

Bob Rae can move on in peace

Lawrence Martin — In his years in Ottawa, which ended with his retirement announcement Wednesday, Bob Rae was a combination of erudition, eloquence, experience and sophistication. Anyone trying to find those qualities in such…

PM should make Rae an ambassador

Lorrie Goldstein — If Bob Rae had entered political life as a Liberal instead of a New Democrat, he would have been a slam dunk to become prime minister. That’s because he would have hit his political prime back when the Liberals…

Bob Rae rescued the Liberals

Toronto Star — Bob Rae accomplished a lot for Ontarians and Canadians over a controversial political career that spanned 35 years and two parties. But when he finally called it a day on Wednesday it was as the man who could justifiably…

Politics attracting the wrong people

Anthony Furey — If people entered politics for the right reasons, several bad news stories unfolding this week wouldn’t have come to be. Justin Trudeau’s speaking fees, the Montreal mayoral meltdown and the whole Dalton McGuinty…

McGuinty and Rae: Tale of two former Ontario premiers

Christina Blizzard — Two former Ontario premiers have resigned their parliamentary seats within the space of a week. What a difference in circumstances, though. Last week, Dalton McGuinty stepped down from his Ottawa…

Summer break, bummer session

Sun Media — With Parliament breaking for the summer after one of the ugliest sessions ever, do not be surprised if Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogues it altogether to distance the electorate’s memory from its uncouthness and inelegance.

Who the heck is minding the public purse in Quebec

Eric Duhaime — Every time a political scandal hits La Belle Province, many English-Canadian political commentators wonder whether it is in Quebecers’ genes to be more prone to corruption.

Spring Commons session rough on Tories

Chronicle Herald — As the often nasty, scandal-plagued spring session of Parliament wrapped up Wednesday in Ottawa, Stephen Harper’s majority Conservative government marked the midway point of its mandate before an expected election in the fall of 2015.