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...
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...
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.
The deal to have Conservative MP Michael Ma cross the floor to become a Liberal MP was brokered by Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.
“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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Opposition parties are warning Prime Minister Mark Carney against appointing a long-time friend and wealthy financier as Canada’s ambassador to Washington. The U.S. envoy post opened after Ambassador Kirsten Hillman announced Tuesday that she will leave Canada’s most important diplomatic position in the new year. A source has told The Globe and Mail that Canadian financier Mark Wiseman, a close...
The House of Commons could rise as early as Thursday for the winter break -- without the Liberals passing their lengthy budget implementation bill. The House calendar officially has MPs in their seats until Friday but they could agree to break for Christmas before the end of the day. They are scheduled to return to the House on January 26...
The minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade says he has no reason to believe the Trump administration is preparing to tear up the free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, even though the U.S. president and some of his associates have suggested they may consider withdrawing from the pact. “We believe, based on our conversations with the Americans, that for...
The Canada Revenue Agency is looking to hire or rehire about 1,700 call centre workers over the next few months to manage an influx of calls during the upcoming tax season. Melanie Serjak, an assistant commissioner at the CRA, told reporters Wednesday the agency is aiming to reach a total of about 4,500 agents to handle a "very high forecast"...
Danielle Smith has become the second Alberta premier - and the first in almost 90 years - to face a citizen-led petition drive to get her removed from her seat in the legislature. Smith and two more of her United Conservative Party caucus members saw recall campaigns officially approved and launched Wednesday by Elections Alberta. In total, 20 in the...
'Our economic relationship with Canada is very, very different,' says U.S. trade rep Jamieson Greer. U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead trade negotiator says the administration is considering breaking up the three-way free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, moving toward separate deals instead. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that the Trump administration is keeping all options on the...
As this instalment of Process Nerd goes to virtual press, there’s still time for a last-minute burst of cross-aisle collegiality that could change the numbers, but barring a sudden dramatic shift in the current dynamics, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s just-three-seats-shy-of-a-majority government is about to wrap up its first full-length sitting in office with a grand total of one bill reaching...
Quebec's anti-corruption police have launched a criminal investigation of the provincial Liberal party, prompting some Liberals to voice doubts about the continued leadership of former federal cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez. The Liberals are facing allegations of possible vote-buying during a leadership race earlier this year that saw Rodriguez take the reins of the party. On Wednesday, a defiant Rodriguez told...
Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark says "nobody wants to elect a government that is kooky" as the B.C. Conservatives embark on a leadership contest, urging them to focus on economic issues. Clark posted on social media on Tuesday that she would "always be grateful for the chance to serve," in a message marking the 15th anniversary of her running...