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Benjamin Lopez Steven

Poilievre says Conservatives' affordability focus unites party as Tories manage latest defection

Liberals 1 seat away from majority after Markham-Unionville MP crossed floor. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party's focus on affordability "is what unites all Conservatives," as the Tories grapple with another MP crossing the floor to join the Liberals — bringing them one seat shy of forming a majority government. "Affordability, affordability, affordability. Canadians cannot afford grocery prices because...

Gunmen kill at least 11 people during a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach

Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday at a Jewish event being held at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian authorities said, declaring it a terrorist attack. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested. The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said Mal...

Stephanie Ha

Interim NDP leader says party ‘open’ to Speaker of the House role in exchange for resources

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says his party is open to taking on the Speaker of the House position in exchange for resources, but insists the scenario is “hypothetical” and no such discussion has taken place with the Liberals. “I think you have to be fluid. You have to be open. We haven’t had that proposal put to us, so...

Lauren Krugel, Lauren Krugel

Alberta-Ottawa agreement on methane targets stokes dismay for some, relief for others

CALGARY -- The prospect of building a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast has garnered most of the attention since Ottawa and Alberta announced their sweeping energy accord late last month, but another item has left environmentalists dismayed and energy industry players pleasantly surprised.

Campbell MacDiarmid

Ottawa medical manufacturer giving up nuclear licence after defying regulator

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ordered Best Theratronics to comply over a year ago. A storied Kanata medical manufacturer is in the process of relinquishing its nuclear licence, more than a year after Canada's nuclear regulator placed it under orders for violating the terms of that certificate. On Friday, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) confirmed that Best Theratronics is in...

Mark Gollom

Want to recall a Canadian politician? It's not easy — if it's even allowed where you live

Premier Danielle Smith is among 22 members of Alberta's legislature facing a recall petition from constituents. It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada. That's due, in part, to the fact there are few jurisdictions in the country where laws to recall an elected representative are in place. And even where recalls are an...

Peter Mansbridge, Chantal Hébert, Bruce Anderson

Good Talk -- The Conservative Bleeding Continues As The Year Ends

For the third time in a month a Conservative jumps ship, with two of them joining the Liberals. Will there be more? The Liberals need at least one more to form a majority. All this is happening while the government struggles to pass new legislation. Ottawa starts to close down for the holidays and Good Talk assesses where things stand...

Jason Markusoff

How a UCP bill renewed Alberta separatist bid to force referendum, after court shot it down

Alberta separatist leaders expect to start canvassing in January to get their independence referendum question on the ballot, thanks to the provincial government’s latest legislation to make it easier for them to succeed. Were it not for the United Conservatives’ speedy passage of Bill 14 this week, the Alberta Prosperity Project’s citizens initiative would have been in peril, thanks to...

Neil Moss

India eyes speedy, year-long negotiation to finalize trade pact with Canada

Trade observers say trade shocks brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump and recent pacts struck by India with other nations have re-awakened hopes for a deal between Ottawa and New Delhi.

Stephanie Ha

Microsoft president insists company will ‘stand up to defend’ Canadian digital sovereignty

Microsoft vice-chair and president Brad Smith insists his company can protect digital sovereignty in Canada, regardless of who is leading the U.S. government. This week, Microsoft announced it will invest $7.5 billion in Canada over the next two years as part of a data-centre expansion, bringing its total investment in this country to $19 billion between 2023 and 2027. But...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Health minister says she worries about U.S. public health decisions harming Canadians

U.S. panel voted to remove universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. Health Minister Marjorie Michel says she worries about how recent actions by U.S. public health agencies, like removing a universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for American infants, could hurt Canadians’ health. "It’s a big worry for me," Michel said in an interview on CBC’s The House that airs...

Darren Major, Kate McKenna

Conservative MP laughs off missing Secret Santa gift from floor-crosser Michael Ma

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani might have the most personal reason to have a blue Christmas after Michael Ma's surprise defection to the Liberals on Thursday: he was left without a Secret Santa gift. Ma was apparently Jivani's Secret Santa for the Conservative caucus gift exchange. But it appears the Ontario MP isn't letting the incident ruin his holiday spirit and...

Christopher Nardi

As the floor-crossing dust settles, Conservatives are bracing for more defections - 'I expect two more, at least,' one Conservative caucus member told National Post

If there’s one person who won’t be receiving any Conservative MP Christmas cards, it’s Markham–Unionville MP Michael Ma. Article content In fact, if anything, Conservatives want the floor-crossing new Liberal MP to return a Christmas gift he already received.

Brian Lilley

Liberals flipping MP Michael Ma in secret deal a major blow to Poilievre

The deal to have Conservative MP Michael Ma cross the floor to become a Liberal MP was brokered by Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.

Alex Boutilier

Ex-Tory MP’s departure caught Poilievre flat-footed on eve of holiday break

“The timing (of Ma’s decision) was catastrophically bad for Conservatives, because you can’t bring everyone in and (say), rah, rah, everything is OK,” said one senior Conservative source, granted anonymity to discuss internal party politics. The source predicted that Carney will have a majority by spring 2026 “one way or another,” meaning they expect at least one more Conservative MP...

David Baxter, Sarah Ritchie

Poilievre says Carney trying to manipulate his way to majority with floor-crossings

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney needs to stop trying to manipulate his way to the majority government Canadians denied him in the spring election by courting floor-crossers. On Thursday, Ontario MP Michael Ma became the second person to leave the Conservative benches and join the Liberals in as many months, following Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont...

Robert Fife

Carney to name Mark Wiseman as Canada’s ambassador to U.S., sources say

Canadian financier Mark Wiseman has officially been selected by Prime Minister Mark Carney to take up Canada’s most important diplomatic role as ambassador to the United States as the country prepares for tough USMCA trade talks, two sources say. The appointment was approved by cabinet on Thursday, the sources said. The Prime Minister is to make the announcement in the...

Rahim Mohamed

Ex-Tory MP Rahim Jaffer mulling federal Edmonton byelection run

Former four-term MP Rahim Jaffer says he’s thinking about running for the Edmonton area seat currently held by departing Conservative Matt Jeneroux. Jaffer told National Post that he saw the stars aligning for a possible comeback when Jeneroux announced last month he’d be resigning from Parliament, noting the news eerily dovetailed with a development in his personal life.

Stephanie Ha

Energy minister helped recruit former Conservative MP to Liberals: sources

After the Liberals convinced another Conservative MP to cross the floor, Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says there are more Conservative members who are “extremely frustrated” with the leadership of the party. “All of my colleagues here have the same experience of speaking to Conservative members, unfortunately a group which is in the minority in their group, who are extremely...

Peter Zimonjic, Chris Rands

Government inks $753M deal for 6 Bombardier Global 6500 jets to replace Challengers

The federal government announced Friday that it's buying six new Global 6500 jets from Bombardier to replace its existing fleet of four CC-144 Challengers. A government statement said the $753-million contract includes production, training for aircrew, maintenance personnel and any military modifications that will be required. The jets will be built and maintained in Canada, where the government said it...

David Baxter, Sarah Ritchie

Small group of Conservatives frustrated with Poilievre: Liberal House leader

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Friday there are other MPs in the Conservative caucus who are "extremely frustrated" with the political direction being taken by their party. Questioned by reporters the morning after MP Michael Ma left the Conservatives to join the Liberal caucus, MacKinnon said a handful of Conservatives have shared their frustrations with Liberals privately. Several Conservatives...

Chris Varcoe

Making of a 'grand bargain' — how Alberta and Ottawa forged an unlikely energy deal - The inside story

From Stampede sit-down to key Grey Cup call: The inside story of how two governments came to an agreement on pipelines, carbon capture, emissions reduction and more The stark white room looked like an ultra-clean kitchen. Article content On one side of a long table, inside a conference room overlooking the South Saskatchewan River, sat Alberta’s premier and two senior...

Rachel Aiello

Carney touts ‘growing’ Liberal tent, as he poaches another Poilievre MP after House rises

Prime Minister Mark Carney touted his “big, broad, and growing Liberal tent” on Thursday night, buoyed by another MP jumping ship from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s caucus to join his, a year after the party appeared to be in dire straits. “Some of you – and I salute you – have been Liberals your whole life. Some of you apparently...

Luca Caruso-Moro

New high-speed rail to connect Montreal, Ottawa first

The first segment of the proposed Alto high-speed rail project will run between Montreal and Ottawa. That’s according to Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, who spoke at a press conference in Gatineau, Que., on Friday. The full project, if built, would move passengers between Montreal and Toronto in just three hours on trains travelling up to 300 kilometres per hour. MacKinnon...

Stephanie Ha

Another Conservative MP crosses floor to Liberals, brings party closer to majority

Conservative MP Michael Ma, who represents the Ontario riding of Markham-Unionville, is crossing the floor to the Liberal Party, according to a statement released Thursday night. Ma, who was first elected in this year’s federal election, now brings the Liberals one seat shy of a majority with 171 seats. “After listening carefully to the people of Markham–Unionville in recent weeks...

Ryan Tumilty

Mark Carney’s popularity takes a hit and Liberals and Conservatives in dead heat, poll suggests

The polling done exclusively for the Toronto Star shows the Liberals and the Conservatives tied at 41 per cent. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s personal popularity took its first major hit in Abacus Data’s most recent polling, while the overall numbers still show a neck-and-neck race between the Liberals and Conservatives. The polling done exclusively for the Toronto Star shows the...

Future of the CPC: A (declining) majority of Conservative voters would keep Poilievre as leader in January

Like snow blanketing the country, a quieting has settled upon caucus rumblings over the leadership of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. But as the days count down until the January Conservative convention, and his leadership review, is Poilievre standing on solid ground or skating on thin ice? New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a majority (58%) of recent...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canadian boycott of U.S. hitting border states hard: Congressional report

Democrats point to Trump's policies hurting American businesses. The drop in Canadian tourism to the United States in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's actions is hurting American businesses in several states, a new report by a congressional committee has found. The report, prepared by the Democrat minority of the U.S. Congress's joint economic committee, warns that states along the...

Bill Curry

First segment of high-speed rail plan will link Montreal and Ottawa, sources say

Canada’s first high-speed rail line, between Quebec City and Toronto, will start with a shorter segment linking Montreal and Ottawa, sources say. Two senior government officials told The Globe and Mail that the plan will be announced Friday by Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon and Martin Imbleau, the CEO of Alto, the Crown Corporation responsible for overseeing the project. The Globe...

Catherine Morrison

Canadian Armed Forces member charged in foreign interference investigation

A member of the Canadian Armed Forces has been arrested and charged in a joint police operation looking into foreign interference and security of information. Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar, a member of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, has been charged with multiple offences under the National Defence Act and others.

Ian Baily

Rookie MP Aaron Gunn considers bid to lead BC Conservatives

Aaron Gunn, a Conservative MP first elected in April, says he is “seriously considering” a bid to seek the leadership of the British Columbia Conservatives. The job opened up last week when John Rustad, a former provincial cabinet minister, stepped down amidst intense pressure from members of his caucus. Mr. Gunn, who represents North Island-Powell River, said Wednesday he will...

Alessia Passafiume

House of Commons rises for six-week holiday break

The House of Commons has started its winter break -- without the government's lengthy budget implementation bill becoming law. House leader Steven MacKinnon says the past 11 weeks of the fall sitting have seen "very hard work" by the government to protect jobs and reduce the cost of living. He accuses the opposition Conservatives of trying to prevent further progress...

Michael MacDonald

Accused of bullying staff, CEO of Canadian Museum of Immigration steps down

The CEO of the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax has stepped down after a federal investigation led to allegations Marie Chapman had bullied staff and created an environment of fear that left many employees emotionally damaged. The museum's board of trustees issued a statement confirming Chapman had decided to retire earlier this month and then chose to leave her...

Jack Farrell

Landmark Alberta legislature sitting raises questions on politicians and rule of law

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government has wrapped up a fall legislature sitting featuring landmark legislation that raised questions on where political authority should end and the rule of law begin. Smith's government invoked the Charter's notwithstanding clause four times in two separate bills, overriding citizen rights to shield the legislation from successful court challenges. The government first used the clause...

Mike Crawley, Katie Simpson

Trump administration won't tear up CUSMA, says Canada's ambassador to U.S.

Kirsten Hillman's comments come after top U.S. negotiator floated separate deals with Canada, Mexico. Canada's ambassador to the U.S. is downplaying signals from the Trump administration that it's considering breaking up the three-way North American free trade agreement into separate deals with Mexico and Canada. Kirsten Hillman, who also serves as Canada's lead negotiator in trade talks with the U.S....

Pressure mounts on Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez to resign amid crisis

Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez says he's not going anywhere and he can still win the next election despite an ongoing crisis within the party. But several prominent Liberals are now calling for the leader to step down or to reconsider his future. They say the crisis has damaged the party with less than a year to go until the...

Jeremy Simes

Saskatchewan Premier Moe shuffles cabinet, brings in new faces, drops three ministers

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced a big shakeup of his cabinet, introducing new faces, dropping veterans, while mixing and matching job titles. "Nearly half of our government caucus was first elected in 2024, but I didn't want to bring too many brand-new members into cabinet right after the election," Moe said in a statement Thursday as the new cabinet was...

Kyle Duggan, David Baxter

'Not what they're saying': Carney rejects suggestion U.S. may exit trade pact

Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing back on the suggestion that the U.S. may be considering pulling out of North America's trilateral free-trade pact. When The Canadian Press asked the prime minister if he was open to separate bilateral trade pacts if the U.S. withdraws, Carney replied, "That's not what they're saying." U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said in a...

Abigail Bimman

No, the CRA will ‘never’ answer 100% of your calls, administrator says

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is “proud” after its “100-day Service Improvement Plan” doubled the number of unique calls answered from just 35 per cent to more than 70 per cent, but officials say they “will never be in a position to answer 100 per cent” of calls. While committing to maintain that 70 per cent, Melanie Serjak, the CRA’s...

Stephanie Taylor

'Canada can do what it wants on the F-35,' says U.S. ambassador, who says debate does 'irritate' him

While U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is free to do as it wants with its review of purchasing the F-35, he says the debate is nevertheless irritating. Carney ordered a review of its F-35 purchase back in March, shortly after becoming prime minister, with his then-defence minister saying Carney had done so to...

Jon Woodward

Millions flowed to PC Party from some King Charles III Coronation Medal recipients: data

Recipients of a prestigious medal who were nominated by Ontario MPPs gave about five times more in political donations to the governing PC party than they did to the opposition NDP, according to records analyzed by CTV News. And for that subset of recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal – which include a dentist and PC donor whose...

Murray Brewster

New rifles on the way for Canada's soldiers as defence spending ramps up

Army commander suggests rifles expected to be sourced from domestic supplier. A program intended to replace the entire stock of the Canadian military’s aging assault rifles is being sped up, CBC News has learned. An internal Department of National Defence presentation references a move to quickly order the first tranche of weapons under the Canadian Modular Assault Rifle program. The...

Mark Ramzy

New Democrats say Mark Carney should give them official party status ‘if he wants this Parliament to work’

The NDP wants the Carney government to change the law to give it more resources, arguing that would make Parliament work better as the Liberals struggle to advance their agenda through a divided House of Commons. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, interim NDP leader Don Davies urged the Liberals to rethink proposing legislation that would lower the 12-seat threshold for official...