National Newswatch

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Marie Woolf

Indian students arranged marriages of convenience for spouse work permits to Canada, warned New Delhi migration official

The number of Indian undergraduate students applying to come to Canada has dropped over the past few years, in part because Ottawa ended a program granting the spouses of international students work permits, an internal government communication shows. The communication discloses how marriages of convenience by some Indian students had enabled their spouses to accompany them to this country to...

Jacques Poitras

PC leadership race in New Brunswick turns testy as party divisions re-emerge

Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick are facing an increasingly fractious leadership race this summer that threatens their ability to unite in time for the next provincial election. Some party members are using social media to attack candidate Daniel Allain, a former PC cabinet minister, for what they call a betrayal of party unity in 2023. Allain, meanwhile, is continuing to...

Brock Wilson

75 of these whales remain. A new West Coast pipeline would be 'devastating' for them, experts say

Pipeline to southern B.C. would drive tanker traffic in endangered whale habitat. Environmental groups are voicing concerns about the impact the Alberta government's proposed route for a new oil pipeline could have on an already endangered species of whale. As of July 2025, there were 74 southern resident killer whales in the world, according to the Center for Whale Research...

Dylan Robertson

UN's Gaza water chief says Israeli destruction, restrictions squandering Canadian aid

The United Nations official overseeing water and sanitation in the Gaza Strip is praising Canada's support for Palestinians but warns that some of its aid money is being squandered by Israel's attacks on water facilities and restrictions on aid groups. Jonathan Veitch, the head of UNICEF for the Palestinian territories, said the Israeli military's destruction of facilities like the Canada...

Jim Bronskill

Minister says espionage allegations against Canadian in Belgium are 'quite serious'

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree committed Monday "to get to the bottom" of the arrest of a Canadian in Europe on spying charges. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said Saturday that "a Canadian national of Chinese origin" had been arrested on charges of espionage and participation in a criminal organization. The suspect, who was not named in the office's statement...

Dayne Patterson

Alberta to begin allowing self-referred medical testing as of Friday

Beginning Friday, Albertans will be able to pay out-of-pocket for diagnostic screening tests, including an MRI and an ultrasound, and without a doctor's referral. The new change can help those who pay get a faster cancer diagnosis, and improve their chances of survival, without increasing wait times for others, the government said Monday. Premier Danielle Smith said Albertans can self-refer...

Spencer Van Dyk

LeBlanc heading to Washington this week amid tense Canada-U.S. relations

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is headed to Washington, D.C., this week for meetings, a spokesperson for his office tells CTV News. He’ll be joined by Canada’s chief trade negotiator to the United States, Janice Charette. The trip comes amid new tensions in the nearly 18-month trade war, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening another slate of tariffs last week...

Kelly Geraldine Malone

Trump's constant Canada-bashing may be changing Republican views

No one is shocked these days when U.S. President Donald Trump calls Canada the "51st state" or refers to Prime Minister Mark Carney as a "governor." But Trump's habit of occasionally targeting Canada with crude insults has become much more common among rank-and-file Republicans in recent weeks. As Trump watches his poll numbers sink under the weight of controversial policies...

Erik Hertzberg, Mario Baker Ramirez

Canadians’ Pessimism About Economy Is Fading Despite Trade War, Poll Says

Canadians are shaking off months of economic pessimism as worries about weak growth and higher energy prices fade. The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index rose to 52.55 in the week ended July 24, up from the recent trough of 46.31 at the beginning of April. A reading above 50 indicates net positive views.

Bob Becken

Gordie Howe’s family are the first to cross the bridge

Cars, trucks will make their way back and forth after Canada-only Friday ceremony. Gordie Howe's family were the first passenger vehicle to go across the new international border span on Monday, says the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA). Tecumseh trucking company Onfreight Logistics is poised to be the first commercial vehicle to cross.

Isaac Callan, Colin D'Mello

Ford flew short haul across southern Ontario as jet purchase was finalized

As civil servants raced to finalize the purchase of a private jet for Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford was crisscrossing the province on an OPP plane. Schedules obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws reveal that, in a month and a half, Ford took four short-haul domestic flights on the plane and chartered a jet to travel to Texas...

Codi Wilson

Police discontinued pursuit of U.S. Consulate shooting suspects after pursuit reached 140 km/h

Toronto police say officers investigating a shooting at the U.S. Consulate early Monday morning engaged in a high-speed pursuit of the suspect vehicle on the Don Valley Parkway before suspending the chase amid safety concerns. The incident, which occurred at the University Avenue building at around 4:45 a.m., comes about four months after the building was struck by gunfire in...

Abbas Rana

After PMO shakeup, Carney brings in capable professionals, but some Liberals and pundits say the new hires lack the political organizational experience needed for party’s success

Maia Johnson is emerging as a rising star who is said to have played a key role in the recent staffing changes, and is already 'making her mark by streamlining processes' within the Prime Minister's Office, say Liberal sources. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently reshuffled the senior ranks of his Prime Minister’s Office, bringing in new advisers and promoting others...

Gordie Howe bridge to open to cars today after months of cross-border controversy

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to open to motorists today after months of controversy over financial aspects of the project. In a February social media post, U.S. President Donald Trump insisted the United States would have to be compensated before he would allow the bridge to open. He falsely claimed the $6.4-billion structure connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit...

Meagan Delaurier, Rob Hindi

Former WDBA chair ‘wary’ of Gordie Howe International Bridge opening Monday

The former chair of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) says he’s wary about whether the Gordie Howe International Bridge will open Monday. Dwight Duncan was in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday morning, alongside many other local, provincial, and federal dignitaries. Duncan says it’s unfortunate that officials from the United States were not at the event - the way...

Carney calls August byelections for three seats in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is announcing byelections will be held in August for three electoral districts in Ontario, Quebec and B.C. Constituents in Beaches--East York, Chicoutimi--Le Fjord and North Vancouver--Capilano will head to the polls on Aug. 31. The Beaches--East York seat in Ontario was vacated by Nate Erskine-Smith, a former federal housing minister, who intended to run for leader...

Dylan Robertson

Israel pitches Canada high-tech trade and safer AI as diplomatic tensions persist

Israel is pitching itself to Canada as a technology partner that can offer tangible solutions and safer artificial intelligence, despite the heavy strains on the bilateral relationship over wars in the Middle East. "Canada and Israel are both countries that are very much looking to export technologies, to open new markets and to solve problems that also exist elsewhere," Israeli...

Ryan Tumilty

Looming byelections set to test Carney again

Mark Carney can call the four byelections at any time between now and the end of this year. After years of advising candidates in elections, Braeden Caley is learning one lesson in his own campaign the hard way: wear sensible shoes. Earlier this week, with two door-knocking sessions on either side of a more formal event, the new Liberal candidate...

Evan Dyer

Canada remains anti-nuke, but its potential path to the bomb is getting shorter

For decades, Canada’s official policy on nuclear weapons has been that they shouldn’t exist, and there is no sign that principle is about to be abandoned. But for reasons of history and geography, Canada is also one of the world's non-nuclear countries with the easiest technical path to a nuclear weapon. And because of the particular design of its CANDU...

Jesse Cnockaert

Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada among most active lobbying in June, focused on CUSMA: ‘U.S. administration right now is a little unpredictable’

Canada’s strained trade relationship with the United States was among the major advocacy issues at the federal level in June with the domestic fruit and vegetables sector holding out hope for a renewal of North America’s trilateral free trade pact, despite the deal’s future left in doubt by U.S. President Donald Trump. “[The Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement] still exists. We are advocating...

Kyle Duggan

'Bright' future: RCAF chief says spike in defence spending is boosting flight times

One year into her new job as commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said she could see an immediate effect of the federal government's defence spending boost: RCAF pilots are spending more time in the air. In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Speiser-Blanchet also acknowledged that preparing the entire service for what she described...

Conservatives call for emergency meeting on Trump threats, demand Carney explain plan

The Conservative shadow minister for Canada-U.S. relations is calling on Ottawa to provide its negotiation plan with U.S. President Donald Trump at an emergency meeting. Shuv Majumdar says in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that the Conservatives want an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on International Trade next week, and Ottawa needs to table its written plans...

Bruce Anderson

Are Americans getting fed up and fired up about tariffs and the treatment of Canada?

Up till now, Trump's tariffs and his treatment of Canada produced discomfort but little more than that, in the US. There are signs this may be changing. Americans don’t like tariffs as a general concept. Our research in the US last year found that by a 70-30 margin, Americans think freer trade is more in their interests than tariffs.

Christopher Reynolds

Feds' rejection of island airport plan prevents waterfront 'destruction': advocates

Advocates say the federal government's decision to halt Ontario's plan for a major expansion of Billy Bishop airport will spare Toronto's waterfront from a serious rollback on rehabilitation. Tim Gray, executive director of Environmental Defence, says the project would involve "massive destruction" of the Toronto Islands after billions of dollars invested in waterfront rehabilitation over the past couple of decades.

Canadian NATO intern arrested on suspicions of espionage in Belgium

A Canadian intern at NATO has been arrested on suspicions of espionage. Belgium's federal prosecutor says in a statement the female intern of Chinese origin is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country. She is also suspected of being a member of a criminal organization.

Nick Murray

Feds received more than 21,000 emails on proposed changes to major project reviews

The federal government says it received more than 21,000 emails on proposed changes to how major projects are reviewed and will spend the coming weeks combing over those submissions. A window for public feedback on the proposed changes closed Wednesday. The government said it will publish a report summarizing the submissions by the end of the summer.

Sarah Petz

Interprovincial booze rules may be easing, but other trade barriers still remain

Interprovincial trade barriers were back in the spotlight this week as Canada's premiers mused about how to deal with new tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump at their annual summer meeting. On Tuesday, a new deal was announced that will see nine provinces across Canada introduce direct-to-consumer alcohol sales following an agreement signed by their premiers. It's the latest...

Federal government rejects expansion of Toronto's Billy Bishop airport

The federal government has rejected Ontario's plan to expand Toronto's Billy Bishop airport to accommodate jets on a longer runway. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said public consultations on the future of the island airport got feedback on a range of issues including transportation, noise, environmental impacts and quality of life. The government received more than 87,000 responses, he said. "We...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, Mitch Cormier

Canada's got a grocery competition problem. Are local food hubs the answer?

Federal food strategy pledging $1B to establish up to 40 hubs across Canada/ About 20 years ago, P.E.I. farmer Rose Viaene watched her husband David take their tractor out into their farm fields and destroy their garlic crop — an act of defiance born out of frustration with Canada's large grocery chains. Viaene said before then, their garlic was sold...

Trump vows tariffs to come for Canada over wildfire smoke that has drifted to U.S.

'We're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke,' Trump tells reporters. U.S. President Donald Trump returned to making tariff-related threats against Canada on Friday afternoon, restating his intent to impose tariffs in retaliation for wildfire smoke drifting across the border into the United States. "We're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of...

'Too big to rig': Alberta separation petition succeeds with 223K verified signatures

A citizen-led petition seeking to force a vote on Alberta quitting Canada is officially successful. Elections Alberta announced Friday it verified nearly 223,000 signatures out of almost 280,000 valid names counted. The petition needed almost 178,000 signatures to be successful. Despite the result, the document is largely moot.

Catherine Morrison

Canada, UAE conclude negotiations on a free-trade agreement

The governments of Canada and the United Arab Emirates say they have concluded negotiations on a free-trade agreement. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told a press conference in Toronto on Friday that the next steps include legal review, the signing of the deal and ratification. UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani al-Zeyoudi said the agreement was reached in 47 days...

Trump slams Canada for disinviting them from Gordie Howe Bridge opening ceremony

Officials in Windsor, Ont., are celebrating next week’s planned opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge at a Canada-only ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Canadian side of the structure. Representatives from the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, Bridging North America, and members of the Howe family gathered Friday to officially inaugurate the bridge.

Sean Boynton

Trump says original Gordie Howe bridge deal is dead, contradicting Carney

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the original deal on the disbursement of revenues from the Gordie Howe International Bridge “no longer stands” after his administration struck a new agreement, raising more questions about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s own claims about the arrangement. Trump’s post on Truth Social came during a ribbon-cutting ceremony being held by Canadian officials in...

Catherine Morrison

Deadline for public servants to apply for early retirement arrives

Public servants have just hours left to apply for the federal government's early retirement program. The deadline lands at 2:59 a.m. ET and the Treasury Board website says more than 9,100 applications had been received as of Tuesday, though final numbers aren't expected until at least next week.

Canada-only event held to mark Gordie Howe bridge opening as questions linger on deal

A Canada-only ceremony took place Friday to mark the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, as the Liberal government faces more questions about a new revenue-sharing deal with the U.S. A joint celebration with the U.S. on the bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan was cancelled earlier this week. President Donald Trump said on social media Friday that Canada "disinvited"...

Elmer MacKay, longtime Progressive Conservative MP for Nova Scotia, dead at 89

Elmer MacKay, a Nova Scotia politician who spent more than two decades representing the Central Nova district in the federal government, has died. His son, Peter MacKay, who also represented the Central Nova district in Ottawa, confirmed his father's death in a post to the X social media platform. The younger Mackay said his father died at the age of...

Josh Rubin

Trump’s new tariffs against Canada would likely be shot down in any court challenge, law experts say

Donald Trump’s latest 50 per cent tariffs against Canada would likely be shot down in any court challenge, trade law experts say. Even though he’s theoretically on firmer legal ground than he was with so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs which were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in February, Trump still needs to prove that Canada is “discriminating” against American trade...

Alex Boutilier

Carney aims to reverse $1 trillion in foreign capital flight over 2 days in September

Over two days in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney will try to stanch $1 trillion of foreign investment flight over the last decade. You can’t fault the man for lack of ambition. Carney is presiding over what he’s calling the Canada Investment Summit — a gathering of international business leaders, CEOs and institutional investors aimed at recouping the losses over...

David Thurton

Public funding for fossil fuel industry breaks another Liberal climate promise, advocates say

The Carney government's financial support for the oil and gas industry amounts to breaking a federal commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, according to environmental advocates. They say the measures represent further federal backsliding on climate policy at a time when oil industry earnings are on the rise. After the Trudeau Liberals promised to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel...

Georgie Smyth

Alberta's got a new plan for a southern pipeline to B.C.'s coast — it still won't be easy

An already heavily trafficked B.C. estuary is under pressure to industrialize more for the proposed project. Shahin Dashtgard, a sedimentologist from Simon Fraser University, holds an open palmful of muddied sand from the Fraser Valley in Delta, B.C. This material, known as sub-surface, is weak, loose and water saturated, and it's one of the main challenges of building Alberta's proposed...

Wolfgang Depner

Has rise of the right primed B.C. politics for a party that breaks the binary?

Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark says voters in the province face a choice between the "worst government in B.C. history" and an opposition headed by an unelectable leader. "She cannot win an election," Clark said of Conservative Party of B.C. Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. "She is too kooky." Clark isn't alone in making a calculation that the ascendancy of conservatives...

Catherine Morrison

Canada, Ecuador signing free trade deal in Ottawa

The governments of Canada and Ecuador are signing a free trade deal in Ottawa today. Mujtaba Hussain, a spokesperson for International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, confirmed a signing ceremony is taking place but said there are no public events scheduled. Lucero Gutierrez, a spokesperson for the Embassy of Ecuador to Canada, said in an email that Ecuador's minister of production...