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Carrie Tait, Matthew Scace

Separatist leader accused of misusing Alberta electors list refuses to co-operate with investigators

The leader of the separatist organization accused of misusing Alberta’s list of electors by providing hundreds of supporters with access to private information belonging to 2.9 million residents is refusing to co-operate with investigators. David Parker, the political organizer behind the Centurion Project, is stonewalling Elections Alberta, according to a statement from the head of the agency. “I can confirm...

Bill Graveland

'Kicking it into gear': Jason Kenney says pro-Canada forces must counter separatism

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says it's high time federal MPs take a stand and fight against those who wish to see Canada torn apart. Kenney, also a former federal cabinet minister, shared a stage at the University of Calgary on Monday with an unlikely ally -- Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan. "We may just be 150 days away from...

Rachel Aiello

Untapped growth potential in Canada’s wine sector hindered by trade barriers, taxes: report

Canadian wineries could be adding billions more to this country’s GDP in the years ahead if the barriers they are facing were to be addressed, new analysis finds. At a time where Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing to strengthen domestic industries, there’s significant untapped growth potential in the wine sector, according to a new Deloitte report commissioned by Wine...

Allison Jones

If Erskine-Smith says nomination was unfair, prove it: Interim Ontario Liberal leader

The interim leader of the Ontario Liberal Party says a nomination race this weekend to select a byelection candidate was fair, and if the unsuccessful contestant -- Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith -- wants to call that into question, he should "prove it." Erskine-Smith was vying to represent the provincial party in the upcoming Scarborough Southwest byelection ahead of an intended...

Smith says caucus executive director didn't report voter list meeting to higher-ups

Premier Danielle Smith says the buck stops with her caucus when it comes to questions over why Smith didn't know sooner about a massive breach of private information on Albertans. Smith's caucus has confirmed one of their staffers was at an April 16 meeting in which private information on Albertans was shown on an app. Smith says the caucus staffer...

Polls

Mario Canseco

Little Movement in Canada’s Federal Political Scene

Public support for the governing Liberal Party is still high in Canada, a new Research Co. poll has found. In the online survey of a representative national sample, 46% of decided voters across Canada would back the Liberal candidate in their riding in a federal election, up one point since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in February 2026.

Pipeline Politics: Majority back Westcoast LNG project; half say Ottawa should be pushing harder on the file

The federal approval of Enbridge's Westcoast LNG pipeline expansion is being met with little public opinion opposition in what is further evidence of the changed landscape on pipelines in British Columbia. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds majority support for the Westcoast LNG pipeline expansion across the country (55%) and in B.C. (61%), where support outnumbers opposition...

Opinion

Angus Frame

We Must Confront Our Dependence on US Tech to Protect Canadian Sovereignty

Scott Stinson

Nate Erskine-Smith's race to challenge Doug Ford crashes at the first hurdle. Will he stay on as an MP?

On Friday evening, just before he had hoped to secure the Liberal nomination for a provincial byelection in Scarborough Southwest, Nate Erskine-Smith posted a video to his social media feeds that did not leave a lot of room for interpretation of his future plans. It was an endorsement, of sorts, from Prime Minister Mark Carney. Erskine-Smith, the MP for the...

News

Richard Woodbury

'It has been devastating,' U.S. spirits group says about Canadian alcohol boycotts

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States says global exports decreased in 2025 partly because of Canada. Whether at the grocery store or the NSLC, Martha Reynolds pays attention to where products are from. "I'm doing my very best to not buy American," she said outside a Halifax location of the province's Crown-run alcohol retailer. For alcohol, this means bourbon...

Judy Trinh

Advocates demand release of RCMP-China co-operation agreement at William Majcher trial

Security experts and human rights advocates are sounding the alarm about the renewal of a co-operation agreement between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and China’s Ministry of Public Security as troubling details surface at a foreign interference trial. Court documents filed at the trial of alleged double agent William Majcher reveals that at least 25 Canadian residents were targeted by...

Politician's Pen

Adam van Koeverden

Building Canada Strong Through Sport

Senator David Wells

Net zero, infinite damage—how policy is undermining Canada

Is Canada on track to meet its climate goals? The honest answer is “no,” and the really honest answer is that Canada’s climate goals will never be reached. They are folly and were designed by climate idealogues who had no concept of consequence, economic reality, or un...

Opinion (Continued) More

Andrew Phillips

Why Alberta’s independence movement is bad news, even if — maybe especially — if they lose

If you haven’t seen Richard Warnica’s reports over the weekend in the Star on the leadership of the Alberta separatist movement, do yourself a favour: read them. Warnica spent time among people pushing the cause of Alberta independence and specifically with Mitch Sylvestre, the man he describes as the “architect” of the movement.

John Ivison

Carney may finally be unhitching Liberals from Guilbeault’s hardcore eco-activism

Building at speeds not seen in generations, as per Mark Carney’s oft-repeated election pledge, has been less hypersonic than the prime minister might have wished. As the new parliamentary budget officer pointed out last week in an analysis of the spring fiscal update, only two of 15 projects being overseen by Carney’s Major Projects Office are actually under construction, and...

Susan Delacourt

Census day is a harder sell in an age of data insecurity

It’s been a rollicking week in the nerdy world of data collection in Canada — the massive privacy breach of Alberta voter information, the disturbing revelations about how AI chatbots are mining personal details, and now on the heels of all that, national census day. Tuesday is the deadline for all Canadians to complete either a long-form or short-form census...

Michael Harris

Acid test for Carney: if he’s faced with a bad deal from Trump, is he prepared to say no?

Something odd is happening in Canada’s national politics. Governing is usually a recipe for a short honeymoon followed eventually by a bitter divorce. Today’s man on the top of the wedding cake has a way of becoming tomorrow’s villain.

Éric Blais

It’s time for Pierre Poilievre to finally quit Justin Trudeau

“I wish I knew how to quit you.” The line that defined the movie “Brokeback Mountain” is also, it turns out, a problem for the Leader of the Official Opposition. Pierre Poilievre cannot quit Justin Trudeau.

Colin Robertson

Carney’s Tilt Toward Europe is not Nostalgia, it’s Foresight

For generations, Canada’s foreign policy rested on a comfortable assumption: geography tied us to the United States, while values linked us to Europe. We never had to choose between the two because the Atlantic alliance functioned as one strategic community. That world has changed. This week, the European Delegation in Ottawa celebrated its 50th anniversary at a moment when the...

Shannon Proudfoot

Pierre Poilievre encounters nothing but jerks, all day long

There’s an expression I heard years ago that I try to keep in mind for perspective on days when it feels like everyone in the world has been sent specifically to annoy and oppose me. The original version used naughty language, but I’ll clean it up for the sake of this venerable newspaper. It goes like this: If you wake...

Conrad Black

Last chance for Carney's foreign policy

Last week I reviewed mainly the domestic record of the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney over the past 13 months, although, as was mentioned, the principal point that Canadians seem to hold in his favour is the foreign policy perception of his ability ”to stand up to Trump.” Few could forget how Carney, with the connivance of the anti-conservative...

Althia Raj

Mark Carney runs roughshod over the environment: ‘It’s worse than what Harper did’

Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to make it easier to kill off endangered species, pollute waterways and risk human health, all in the name of fast-tracking private-sector development projects. For a prime minister who dismissed progressive Liberal MPs’ concerns over spending on child care, health care and pharmacare during a caucus meeting this week, Friday’s announcement on streamlining infrastructure project...

Andrew Coyne

The accidental statesman: How Donald Trump saved free trade, European democracy and the free world

I feel perhaps I have been unfair to Donald Trump. Regular readers will know that he has been the subject of the occasional reproof in these corners. Among other things, it has been suggested that he is insane, incompetent, corrupt, treasonous, bottomlessly ignorant, easily manipulated, a Batman villain, and a modern-day Nero: possessed of every vice, devoid of every virtue...

Political Pulse Panel

Political Pulse: Premier Smith says she had a ‘meeting of the minds’ with Carney

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’s ‘much more confident’ about progress on a pipeline deal after what she describes as a ‘meeting of the minds’ with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa on Friday. The Political Pulse panel weighs in.

Adam Zivo

Desperately seeking an energized Conservative revival

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had an opportunity to reinvigorate his party this week at one of Canada’s most important political networking conferences. Unfortunately for the part, he delivered an underwhelming speech that lacked vision, energy and real answers to the challenges facing Canada’s conservative movement.

John Ivison

The buzz in Conservative circles this week isn’t about Pierre Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre’s speech to the conservative Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa on Thursday was a perfectly acceptable Opposition leader’s address. Modestly delivered and modestly received, it had much to be modest about. The problem was, it sounded like a reheated version of one of his speeches from last year’s election, a campaign in which he was rejected...

Max Fawcett

How Ottawa can fight back in a separatist referendum

There is still a chance, however remote, that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith comes to her senses and realizes the risks associated with a separatist referendum aren’t worth the rewards they offer to her political career. But I certainly wouldn’t bet on it, and I doubt Prime Minister Mark Carney will either. And while overt federal involvement in any separatist referendum...

Sandy Sehdev

Ontario FAST shows what’s possible: Now make speed the standard for all priority cancer meds

Lloyd Axworthy

Carney has two energy strategies — and there’s not enough room for both

The first international conference devoted to moving the world off of oil, gas and coal closed last week in Santa Marta, Colombia, where more than 50 nations agreed to hold a follow-up summit and strike a new global panel to draft a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels. It was co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, both middle powers, working...

Robin V. Sears

Whatever his flaws, this is the reason we should be grateful for Mark Carney

The world is wracked by rising military and economic conflict. Yet we have few leaders competent to lead their nations through this maelstrom. Emmanuel Macron may be one but he is months away from retirement. New Japanese Prime Minster Sanae Takaichi may be another but has yet to be tested. Americans may soon be left in the hands of J.D...

Rick Bell

Carney-Smith showdown is now on — Alberta premier needs a win

Oh, goody. We now find out there WILL BE a meeting scheduled between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney bright and early Friday morning in Ottawa. The news comes to your scribbler Wednesday afternoon.

Susan Delacourt

Mark Carney got a good lawyer when he picked his governor general

Mark Carney was doing a fireside chat last fall in Toronto and the conversation rolled around to Canada’s advantages over the United States. “We have rule of law. That’s one of the big things,” Carney quipped, and his audience rewarded him with a huge laugh.

Daniel Béland

A Governor-General with a Global CV

While experience has taught Canadians that Governors-General can only be assessed once they have a record in office, Mark Carney’s choice of former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour has prompted an overwhelmingly positive response. Carney only formally entered the political arena in January of last year but, overall, his political judgment has proved remarkably sound since he has become prime...

Andrew Coyne

Here’s the real scandal at the heart of the Alberta data breach

The scandal isn’t what’s illegal. The scandal is what’s legal. – Michael Kinsley What is so scandalous about a separatist group getting its hands on the Alberta voter list, including the names, addresses and phone numbers of nearly three million of the province’s citizens? Is it that the list appears to have been illegally obtained, and passed on to the...

Rick Smith

Fact vs fiction when it comes to industrial carbon pricing and Canadian oil and gas

Max Fawcett

Alberta's voter data scandal demands a public inquiry

The leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement spent years organizing their way into de-facto control over Alberta’s governing party, and with it the ability to direct the terms of their own referendum petition. They collected many tens of thousands of signatures, raised untold (and unknown) amounts of money and were preparing for a public vote this fall. And now, thanks to...

Supriya Dwivedi

Alberta separatism is the latest niche for disinformation merchants

A network of inauthentic YouTube accounts that were portraying themselves as homegrown Albertans have spent months pushing for Alberta secession and American annexation, an incident report from the Canadian Digital Media Research Network and the Media Ecosystem Observatory found. The network has racked up nearly 40 million views by "exploiting genuinely-held grievances and repurposing them to advance narratives that normalize...

News (Continued) More

Catherine Morrison

MP calls on Canadians to fill out census as some express privacy concerns

As some Canadians claim that the federal government's national census violates their privacy, a Liberal member of Parliament is calling on them to fill out their 2026 census forms for the good of their communities. Canadians have been asked to fill out the census form by May 12, though Statistics Canada says that's a "reference date" rather than a deadline...

Sarah J. Harb

Environment Canada disbands radar research team amid cuts to weather services

Environment and Climate Change Canada has quietly disbanded the team behind the country’s upgraded weather radar network and disconnected some radio programming, changes that critics say could affect storm forecasting and emergency communications. Experts and advocates are warning that the ECCC’s reductions to weather-related services could hamper Canada’s ability to track, forecast and warn the public about severe weather events...

Charlotte Glorieux

'Unwanted wherever you go': New Canadian asylum law leaves some migrants in limbo

When a 26-year-old Haitian mother and her young daughter crossed into Quebec from the United States through forest trails on a freezing night in January, she had dreams of a fresh start in Canada. The woman was leaving behind a country she felt no longer wanted her and thought Canada would be different. But soon after she arrived, a new...

Lyndsay Armstrong

Former Progressive Conservative justice minister joins the Nova Scotia Liberal Party

Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia's former justice minister and Independent member of the legislature, has joined the provincial Liberals and plans to run for party leadership. Druhan represents the Lunenburg West riding in Nova Scotia's South Shore and was elected twice as a member of Premier Tim Houston's Progressive Conservatives. She left the party in the fall citing differences with the...

Catherine Lévesque

Steven Guilbeault evasive about political future after criticizing major projects reform

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault, a former federal environment minister, remained evasive about his political future after starkly criticizing his government’s new proposal to speed up Canada’s regulatory process for major projects. Guilbeault has been the talk of the town in Ottawa ever since he said in media interviews on Friday and over the weekend that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proposed...

Dylan Robertson

MPs, senators set to cut back U.S. exchange travel, despite pressure on trade file

MPs and senators are set to drastically reduce interparliamentary exchanges with the U.S. Senate and Congress, despite multi-party efforts to save a crucial trade deal with the United States. Parliamentary funding for intergovernmental legislative exchanges has been flat for years, yet fees have been rising for participation in interparliamentary groups such as those linked to the Commonwealth and NATO.

Stewart Bell, Jeff Semple

Canada gave citizenship to a terrorist. Revoking it has been ‘ridiculously’ slow

On May 31, 2001, a former Pakistan army captain named Tahawwur Hussain Rana swore the oath of citizenship in front of an Ottawa judge, who anointed him a Canadian.

Economic growth now tops environment as priority in energy policy, poll suggests

More Canadians now say economic growth should be a bigger priority in Canada's energy policy than protecting the environment, a new Angus Reid Institute report suggests. The pollster released a report Monday indicating 61 per cent of Canadians now see economic growth as the biggest priority in energy policy. The question offered two options on the top priority shaping federal...

David Pugliese

More public servants needed to administer military mobilization plan: documents

The Defence department will need more money to hire additional public servants and military personnel to handle the influx of 300,000 Canadians into a new mobilization force, according to federal government documents. The mobilization plan now being developed is an initiative being pushed by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan.

David Valentin

Liberals Lead But Carney Approval Continues Slide

The latest Weekly Federal Tracker from Liaison Strategies shows the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, holding an 11-point lead over Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives but the Prime Minister's approval rating has fallen to 58%. If a federal election were held today among decided and leaning voters, the Liberals would receive 44% of the vote, followed by the Conservatives...

Tracy Moran

Trump goes and a Democrat occupies the White House? Carney still leads, poll says

Many Canadians and Americans have at least one thing in common: They’d like to see someone other than Donald Trump in the White House. In the United States, this bias largely falls along partisan lines, but in Canada, resentment over the president’s “51st state” rhetoric and punishing trade tariffs is held by a majority of people. Polls show that majorities...

Steven Chase

Senate bill proposes giving Ottawa the power to confiscate Russian state assets

A Senate bill headed for the House of Commons proposes to give the federal government explicit power to confiscate the assets of foreign states that are held in Canada, a measure that could help repurpose Russian funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Analysts say, however, that Prime Minister Mark Carney, with his majority in the Commons, will have to weigh the risks...

Kyle Bakx

Farmers confront rising cost of fertilizer and fuel as spring seeding underway

Farmers 'holding tight' and confronting 'tough decision' of when to buy fertilizer for next year. Spring seeding is underway, and as farmers spend long hours in the tractor planting crops, they're facing hefty increases to the cost of diesel and fertilizer. They're also already concerned about the 2027 crop year, since many will be making large fuel and fertilizer purchases...

Allison Jones

Liberal MP Erskine-Smith loses nomination battle for Ontario provincial byelection

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith lost a provincial nomination race Saturday, failing to clear the first of several hurdles toward the leadership of the Ontario Liberals. Ontario Liberal members in the riding of Scarborough Southwest selected business owner Ahsanul Hafiz as their candidate for an upcoming byelection. Erskine-Smith, who represents the neighbouring federal riding of Beaches-East York, had indicated he was...

Catherine Lévesque

Éric Duhaime is hoping to make 'history' with Quebec Conservatives. Will he?

Quebec’s Conservative Party Leader Éric Duhaime says he is hoping to make history in this fall’s provincial election. Article content More than five years after taking the helm of the party, Duhaime, 57, now sees an opportunity to elect not one, not two, but at least 12 members of the National Assembly (MNAs), which would guarantee that the provincial Conservatives...

Jesse Cnockaert

Carney can maintain lead by avoiding scandals, doesn’t need to ‘win’ in CUSMA review, but needs movement on trade, a major project by 2027, say top pollsters

Mark Carney is currently in a 'sweet spot' because it's still relatively early in his government. The time when Canadians could start getting hungry to see results from the prime minister on major projects, such as oil pipelines, might not be until next year, says Nik Nanos. The Liberals’ double-digit lead in the polls is likely to hold in the...

Dylan Robertson

Baltic, Nordic officials urge Canadians to learn from the Russian threats they face

European officials are warning that Russia's meddling in the Baltic Sea is likely a preview of tactics Moscow could someday deploy in Canada's High North. A recent panel discussion in Ottawa hosted by the Polish embassy touched on how Estonia, Poland and Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark are responding to Russian threats that emerge from the sky...

Stephanie Ha

Outgoing Governor General Mary Simon insists she took learning French ‘seriously’

Governor General Mary Simon, who is set to end her term next month, insists she did take the task of learning French “seriously,” despite criticism she faced during her tenure. “I just want Canadians to know I did take (learning French) seriously,” Simon said in an interview with CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday. “As much as French has been an...

Final debate held for B.C. Conservative leadership hopefuls

The five candidates running for the leadership of the Opposition B.C. Conservatives have faced off for their final debate, capping off a campaign dominated by disputes over their ideological credentials. The 90-minute debate between candidates Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Peter Milobar and Yuri Fulmer saw all candidates broadly agree on the main issues.

Marina von Stackelberg

5 years after promising to restrict vaping flavours, its unclear whether Canada will

Liberals vowed in 2021 to ban sweet flavours nationwide to curb youth vaping. Five years after the federal government announced it would restrict vaping flavours nationwide, Canada's health minister won't say when or even if it will still happen — despite widespread expert advice that a ban could help curb the country's staggering youth vaping rate. "I'm committed to keep...

Kathryn Mannie

Prime Minister Mark Carney touts Canadian values in speech at global progress summit

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada needs to build new institutions and reimagine old ones as an antidote to the anxieties that people and governments are grappling with in the modern age. Carney made the remarks in a speech that closed out the 2026 Global Progress Action Summit in Toronto, attended by ministers Anita Anand, Melanie Joly and Francois-Philippe Champagne...

Jeremie Charron

Canada open to deeper integration with U.S. in some sectors, Carney says

Speaking to a room of progressive policy experts in Toronto Saturday, Prime Minister Mark Carney offered some insight into what Canada has offered up ahead of an official review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) this summer. “Canada remains open to deeper integration,” said Carney, whose government has so far signaled it is in no rush to negotiate a new deal...

Ian Bailey

Former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell back in the political game

By the time Gordon Campbell began his 10-year run as premier of B.C. in 2001, he had already been a mayor of Vancouver and a member of the legislature as leader of the BC Liberals. But the former premier said Friday that he does not think a lack of elected experience should be an impediment to Caroline Elliott, a former...

Allison Jones

Ontario Liberals to pick byelection candidate in heated race

Ontario Liberal members in the riding of Scarborough Southwest are set to select their candidate today for an upcoming byelection. Nomination races don't often generate a lot of attention outside the party, but today's vote marks a clear first test for one leadership hopeful. Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who currently represents the neighbouring riding of Beaches-East York, has made no...

Dylan Robertson

Canada doubling down on work to reunite Ukrainian children 'stolen' by Russia: Anand

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada's ongoing work to secure the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russian officials shows how Ottawa is trying to work with a range of countries to advance practical, humanitarian goals. In an interview ahead of a Monday conference in Brussels, Anand said Ottawa is focused on what it can achieve for Ukrainians, rather...

Stephanie Taylor

Carney expressed concern to Smith over leak of Alberta voter data, PMO says

Prime Minister Mark Carney raised concerns about the leak of a provincial electors list in a meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Ottawa on Friday, according to his office. The pair met to discus outstanding issues regarding the energy deal that was signed in November, with Smith in the city to speak at annual conservative networking conference.

Catharine Tunney

CSIS director says Alberta referendum vulnerable to foreign interference

Canadians would be 'wise to be mindful' of Russia's tactics, says Dan Rogers. The head of Canada's intelligence agency says Alberta's potential secession vote is susceptible to disinformation and foreign interference from players like Russia. In an interview with CBC's The House, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director Dan Rogers said it's his agency's job to "understand and investigate" foreign...

Spencer Van Dyk

‘I’m tired of being a punching bag for that crowd’: Jason Kenney on Alberta voter data leak

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says he believes he should pursue legal options to hit back at the members of a separatist group who shared his personal information online. “Personally, I’m tired of being a punching bag for that crowd, and I think there needs to be consequences,” Kenney told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing...

Alex Binkley

Avian influenza could mutate into a threat to humans and wildlife

Laura Stone

In Scarborough Southwest, an Ontario Liberal nomination with big political consequences

Nate Erskine-Smith approaches a small grey house and introduces himself to two men who appear at the door. They are on his list as members of the Ontario Liberal Party. “There’s a vote on Saturday. Are you guys aware of the vote?” Mr. Erskine-Smith asks. They stare at him blankly.

US Poli

Ben Finley, The Associated Press

Hegseth is facing a new round of questioning from Congress on the Iran war and more

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face a new round of questioning from lawmakers over the Iran war Tuesday, including some Republicans who have expressed concerns over the length of the conflict and its lack of congressional approval.

Gabriela Aoun Angueira, The Associated Press

Trump nominates Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, a year after he was fired from the role

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) -- President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton Monday to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a surprising comeback for the former Navy SEAL who was fired from his role as FEMA's temporary leader last year after he defended its existence.

John Hanna And Jack Brook, The Associated Press

Voter confusion and headaches for election officials follow hasty GOP push to redraw US House seats

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Thousands of Louisiana voters have already cast early ballots for congressional candidates in what soon could be the wrong districts. Alabama's primaries are a week away, but the state could force a do-over for voting on U.S. House races. A new congressional map in Tennessee upended races that had been underway for months.

Peter Smith, The Associated Press

Rejecting church and state separation is on the wish list for Trump's religious liberty commission

One member calls for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

International

Steven Chase

Senate bill proposes giving Ottawa the power to confiscate Russian state assets

Annie Bergeron-Oliver

U.S. ambassador cancels speaking appearance in Ottawa due to ‘important’ meetings with White House officials

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has cancelled a planned speaking engagement in Ottawa. Just over one hour before Hoekstra was scheduled to be a featured speaker at the 2026 Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference in Ottawa, organizers announced the ambassador’s fireside chat had been cancelled. “Today’s programming has been adjusted as Ambassador Hoekstra was called to D.C. for urgent meetings,”...

Catherine Morrison

Senior diplomat skeptical of Carney's middle powers pitch

Malaysia's high commissioner in Canada says she is skeptical about Prime Minister Mark Carney's push to have middle powers band together against the great power of the world's dominant nations. Shazelina Abidin told the Canadian Global Affairs Institute's annual trade conference in Ottawa on Tuesday that Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum was profound, not because of its content...

Abigail Bimman

World doesn’t grasp implications of ‘largest energy crisis in history’: IEA executive director

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said the world “has not yet completely understood” the major economic and political implications of the war in Iran, as Fatih Birol repeated earlier comments that the war and ongoing closure of the Straight of Hormuz represents the “largest energy crisis in history.” Speaking in Ottawa at a fireside chat with Tim...

Spencer Van Dyk

Trump pipeline approval shows U.S., Canada ‘still can get things done’: Wyoming governor

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says the potential pipeline expansion project U.S. President Donald Trump approved last week is a positive sign of “cross-border communication” and co-operation, after more than a year of tension stemming from the trade war. Last week, Trump signed an order authorizing the Bridger Pipeline Expansion, a proposed project that would revive portions of the cancelled Keystone...

Think Tank

Shawn Whatley

Layers of Medicare dysfunction

Ryan Manucha, Joe Noss

Invisible internal trade barriers: How Canada’s fragmented, opaque procurement systems limit competition and drive up spending

Canada’s declining productivity and weak competitiveness are increasingly tied to structural barriers that limit competition in domestic markets. One of the most consequential – and overlooked – of these barriers lies in public procurement. Accounting for 13.4 per cent of GDP, or roughly $350 billion annually – government purchasing should exert strong downward pressure on costs and expand opportunities for...

Austin Thompson, Jake Fuss

‘Build Canada Homes’ remains clear as mud despite Carney government claims

Substacks

A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

John Milloy

How Polarized is Canada... And Should We Worry?

If you want to sound wise these days, just blame the crazy state of the world on polarization. If you want to sound really wise, say that fighting polarization needs to be part of the political agenda and be sure to blame social media and Donald Trump (although not necessarily in that order) for the current chaos. Despite it being...

Steven Staples

This bizarre F-35 crash is a red flag for Canada

An F-35 crash in Alaska should give shivers to Canada’s military. The pilot survived thankfully, but the $200 million plane was completely destroyed.

Seth Klein

Carney’s sovereign wealth fund gets it backwards

By now, most of you reading this column are aware of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement earlier this week that the government is launching a sovereign wealth fund (entitled the Canada Strong Fund). There is, in theory, nothing wrong with such an idea. Indeed, the logic behind such a fund is quite sound.

Podcasts

What the Alberta data leak can teach us about separatists

Experts are calling it the largest data breach in Canadian history, sparking fears for the safety of all Canadians - everyone from public figures to victims of domestic abuse.

Should Canadian airports be privatized?

As part of its Spring economic update, the federal government revealed that it’s considering privatizing the country’s airports. The Prime Minister says it could free up money to fund other major projects and improve air travel for Canadians.

Who To Believe -- Iran or the United States?

The question above seems almost ridiculous, that we would even consider believing the world's worst terrorist government before believing the country we once thought of as the leader of the free world. But that's where we are with the latest news from the Iran War.

Does the Trump-Xi Summit Signal a G2 World?

Just days before Donald Trump is set to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing, Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo welcome back Howard Balloch, Canada's former ambassador to China, to discuss the state of play heading into the summit and various scenarios that may emerge from it.