National Newswatch

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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...

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...

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...

Peter Mansbridge, Chantal Hébert, Bruce Anderson

Good Talk -- Do Canadians Care About Alberta?

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the federalist side is dragging its feet in organizing for a likely referendum on separation in Alberta. Are they, and if so, why? There's a lot happening on the Alberta story, and it seems to get messier by the week. Bruce and Chantal have their Good Talk thoughts on this and more.

Polls

Nik Nanos

Canadians who embrace 1.4% or lower threshold for defence spending hits low. Strong majority good with two percent of GDP or greater spending.

The research gauged the opinions among Canadians on military spending and defence cooperation. It explores whether Canada should change its defence budget in response to calls for higher NATO contributions.

David Valentin

Quebec: PQ and Liberals Neck-and-Neck; CAQ Gains Ground

A new Liaison Strategies survey of Quebec shows a close provincial race, with the Parti Québécois narrowly ahead of the Quebec Liberal Party among decided and leaning voters. If a provincial election were held today, the PQ would receive 32% of the decided and leaning vote, followed by the Liberals at 32%, the CAQ at 16%, the PCQ at 11%...

Opinion

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...

News

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...

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

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...

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...

Rick Smith

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

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...

Rick Bell

Carney-Smith showdown in Ottawa but Smith knows nothing about it

Carney says he's meeting Danielle Smith in Ottawa this week but doesn't tell Smith

Gary Mason

B.C.’s New Democrats unconscionable betrayal of seniors

Last summer, B.C.’s seniors advocate issued a report on the state of long-term care in the province. For many, it was a terrifying read. Dan Levitt found that the number of seniors languishing on wait lists for publicly subsidized long-term care had more than tripled in nine years – from 2,381 in 2016 to 7,212 in 2025. Yes, a 200-per-cent...

John Ivison

Carney’s flimsy economic claims get ripped apart by his new parliamentary budget officer

It must have been tempting for Prime Minister Mark Carney to appoint an absolute blockhead as the new parliamentary budget officer. Instead, in Annette Ryan, he has installed a 30-year public service veteran with Finance Department experience who has probably seen it all when it comes to juggling the numbers and concealing errors.

Aaron Wherry

Louise Arbour will become governor general at a delicate moment

When the rare and relatively unfettered opportunity arises, it might be tempting for a prime minister to use the selection of a governor general to do something splashy or exciting or unconventional, like choosing a hockey player or an astronaut. And there is nothing inherently wrong with excitement or novelty. But this is perhaps not a moment for indulging in...

Tasha Kheiriddin

Mark Carney, the European prime minister

If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium . If you’re old enough to remember this 1969 film, where a busload of hapless tourists barrel across Europe on an 18-day tour of nine cities, you probably voted Liberal in the past election, like most of Canada’s baby boomers. And you’re probably happy with the way things are going so far. But...

Don Braid

Extremism and UCP laxity collide in a massive data threat to millions

In this province, there’s a significant group of extremists who don’t believe laws apply to them. The extent of this destructive, dangerous nihilism is revealed with the appalling misuse of data by a separatist-linked group that exposes detailed personal information of 2.9 million Albertans. The separatists continue to ridicule the authorities while Elections Alberta investigates the massive data flip from...

Gillian Steward

Alberta separatists blow up their credibility in an effort to secure votes

The Alberta separatism movement is caught up in yet another controversy and its credibility has been blown to bits. Last week it was revealed that an affiliated group had somehow got its hands on the complete list of registered voters — all 2.9 million of them with their names, addresses, phone numbers and electoral districts — and put them up...

John Ivison

There's blood in the water around the Liberals' immigration minister

Like hungry wolves, opposition MPs look to isolate and target the weakest, the most awkward or the most bumbling in the ministerial herd. The Conservatives are currently launching coordinated attacks on Lena Diab, the immigration minister. In an unsentimental social media post, the party’s immigration critic, Michelle Rempel Garner, called for the minister to be fired , after her department...

News (Continued) More

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...

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.

Feds greenlight $673 million to keep Canada Post afloat this year

The federal government is handing hundreds of millions of dollars to Canada Post to keep the money-bleeding mail service afloat for the current fiscal year. A cabinet order gives the beleaguered Crown corporation up to $673 million so it can "meet its operating and income" demands through next March.

Kate McKenna, David Thurton

Ottawa proposes suite of measures to streamline project approvals, complete review process within 1 year

Government will consult for 30 days before tabling legislation. The federal government is proposing legislative changes to streamline the review process for major projects, including energy projects such as pipelines. The changes are aimed at completing these reviews within a year.

Alex Ballingall

Government documents reveal barrage of threats against Mark Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney faced near-daily threats over his first 100 days in office, according to newly released government documents that show how a wave of threats against top political leaders carried over from the Justin Trudeau era. Obtained under the federal Access to Information system, the documents list hundreds of “direct” and “indirect” threats recorded against the prime minister...

Annie Bergeron-Oliver, Rachel Aiello

Danielle Smith feeling ‘more confident’ MOU will get signed after meeting with PM

After a private meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is more confident that an energy memorandum of understanding (MOU) will soon be finalized. Smith and Carney met in Ottawa on Friday morning ahead of the premier’s keynote address to the 2026 Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference. Going into that meeting, Smith told the...

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,”...

Eleanor Wand

Alberta MPs, Senators call for stricter privacy laws in wake of ‘egregious, horrific’ Alberta data breach

'It’s a security concern for people like me who are in the public eye and who deal with angry constituents all the time,' says Alberta Senator Paula Simons of an Elections Alberta data leak that exposed the personal details of nearly three million people.

Uday Rana

Youth unemployment rises as Canada sheds 18k jobs

Canada’s unemployment rate rose 0.2 per cent in April as the country lost around 18,000 jobs and more people looked for work. Younger Canadians, though, saw unemployment rise by a larger margin than the overall rate, Statistics Canada shows as the rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24, rose by half a percentage point to 14.3 per cent.

Marieke Walsh

Carney not planning to allow senators in Liberal caucus, senior government official says

Mark Carney will not allow senators to return to the Liberal caucus, a senior government official said Thursday, ending speculation on how the Prime Minister will handle the second chamber. His predecessor, Justin Trudeau, unilaterally expelled Liberal senators from the party’s caucus in 2014 in response to the Senate expense scandal. Once in government, Mr. Trudeau set up an arms-length...

Christopher Nardi

New House of Commons design proposes benches, cinema-style seats and desks for the front bench

Government ministers and opposition critics can add a new perk to their frontbench roles when the House of Commons moves back to Centre Block: desks. A mock-up of the proposed future House of Commons seating in Centre Block is on display in the Parliamentary precinct to allow Members of Parliament to comment on the design before it’s finalized.

Allison Jones

Ontario Liberals set to pick byelection candidate amid jabs in nomination race

An Ontario Liberal nomination race that has seen some candidates trade jabs and question others' community bona fides is set to culminate Saturday with members selecting their pick for an upcoming byelection. The riding of Scarborough Southwest is vacant provincially, after the former representative successfully made the jump to federal politics. A byelection has not yet been called, but the...

Ashley Burke

Liberals restore bill containing incoming GG's recommendation for Canada's military

Louise Arbour recommended in 2022 stripping military of power to prosecute sexual offences. On the same day the prime minister named Louise Arbour as Canada's next governor general, the Liberals voted to restore proposed legislation to move ahead with Arbour's key recommendation for the country’s military. The bill before parliament would put into law Arbour's 2022 recommendation to strip the...

Ian Bailey

Carney says plan in the works for 24 Sussex Drive

Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will soon move forward with a plan to deal with 24 Sussex Dr., the long-standing residence of Canadian prime ministers that has essentially been shuttered for more than a decade because of its physical decline. The public-works department and the National Capital Commission, which manages official residences in the Ottawa region, are going...

Murray Brewster

Ottawa to expand defence buying powers when national, economic security at stake

New legislation will allow 14 exceptions, allowing greater flexibility to bypass cumbersome procurement system. The Liberal government is signalling its plans to give the newly created Defence Investment Agency (DIA) broad powers to ditch the routine process for the procurement of military equipment, and new authority that will extend into other areas of the economy. The details are contained in...

Murray Brewster

'We are not at war, but we’re not at peace either,' warns German cyber chief

Not even the head of the German military’s Cyber and Information Domain Service (CIR) is immune to getting those irritating phishing emails that tell you the anti-virus protection you never signed up for is about to expire. You would think hackers would be a little more sophisticated — given the potential target. Vice-Admiral Thomas Daum said he deleted three of...

David Thurton, Kate McKenna

Environmental law changes 'possible' to expedite resource projects: government House leader

Government considers changes to the Impact Assessment Act and the Fisheries Act, sources say. The government House leader confirmed on Thursday plans to change regulations and legislation in order to speed up the approvals of major resource projects. The confirmation comes following a report from CBC News, in which federal sources said the government plans to present proposals aimed at...

McGuinty vows update on Snowbirds this month, as Tories warn about fleet's future

Defence Minister David McGuinty said he will unveil the Liberal government's plans for the military's Snowbirds aerobatics fleet later this month, and Canadians can "rest assured" its future is secure. That follows accusations from the Opposition Conservatives that the Liberals are concealing plans to halt Snowbird aerial performances starting next year. "On May 19, I will be in Moose Jaw...

John Paul Tasker

Poilievre tells Conservatives he will stay on and 'keep fighting' after Carney secures majority

Conservative leader says he won't listen to 'the club of liberal elites' in Ottawa who say he needs to change. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made the case for his continuing leadership to party faithful Thursday, saying he will keep fighting the Liberals even after party turbulence on his watch helped deliver Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government. Speaking at...

Jack Farrell

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith granted security clearance for CSIS briefings

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office says she has been granted security clearance to receive briefings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Smith's office is providing few details but says the clearance allows her to be briefed on national security issues.

Bill Graveland

Former Alberta premier Kenney changing security over privacy breach by separatists

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says reports that Alberta separatists are targeting and spreading his personal information has prompted him to alter his security but won't stop him from speaking out. "I'm not someone to live in fear," Kenney said Thursday in a phone interview from Ottawa. "In fact, it only encourages me to double down on however I can...

Devin Stevens

N.S. premier says Mark Carney's leadership is a boon to N.S. oil and gas exploration

Nova Scotia's premier is crediting a change in federal leadership for renewed traction in the province's pursuit of offshore oil and gas development. Tim Houston said Thursday morning that former prime minister Justin Trudeau essentially forced the province to shelve an offshore oil and gas exploration project a few years ago, but current Prime Minister Mark Carney is supporting the...

Jack Farrell, Lisa Johnson

More than 550 people accessed renegade voter list database: Elections Alberta

Alberta's elections agency said Thursday it believes 568 people accessed a voter list at the heart of a massive privacy breach involving a separatist group. The group, called the Centurion Project, had made a publicly accessible database featuring the names and addresses of nearly three million Alberta voters. The website was shut down last week after Elections Alberta secured a...

Irem Koca

Feds’ communication over permanent residency plans gave temporary workers ‘false hope,’ says NDP MP Kwan

The federal government’s plans to fast-track permanent residence applications for temporary workers in limbo failed to meet the expectations created by what one opposition MP and immigration experts called “misleading” messaging from the minister. On May 4, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it would fast-track permanent residence applications for up to 33,000 temporary workers already living in...

Graham Richardson

Snowbirds could be grounded for years, Conservatives warn

The summer of 2026 could be Canadians’ last chance to see the Royal Canadian Air Force’s iconic Snowbirds aerobatic team for years, a Conservative MP says. Conservatives warn the federal government is preparing to pause or cancel the Snowbirds program in 2027, despite spending tens of millions of dollars in recent years to keep the aging aircraft flying into the...

Pierre Poilievre urges conservatives to keep fighting in networking conference speech

Pierre Poilievre urged conservatives to keep fighting for the country in a speech at a conference in Ottawa this afternoon. The Tory leader spoke at the Canada Strong and Free Network, an event that's billed as the country's largest gathering of the conservative movement. Poilievre told the crowd of about 500 people that the Conservatives have won the debate on...

Jim Bronskill

Privacy watchdog finds thousands of tax account breaches, urges stronger protections

OTTAWA -- The federal privacy watchdog says there have been more than 42,000 breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency since 2020 as a result of people gaining unauthorized access to, or modifying, taxpayer information.

US Poli

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.

Todd Richmond, The Associated Press

Trump is lifting restrictions on hunting in national parks, refuges and wilderness areas

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- President Donald Trump's administration is quietly pushing national park, refuge and wilderness area managers to dramatically scale back hunting restrictions, raising questions about visitor safety and the impact on wildlife.

Andrew Coyne

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

Annie Bergeron-Oliver

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

International

Annie Bergeron-Oliver

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

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...

Alessia Passafiume

Canada commits $270M to Ukraine as Carney addresses European summit in Armenia

Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will contribute $270 million to help Ukraine secure critical military capabilities in its defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Carney made the announcement in Armenia on Monday, where he is meeting with world leaders during the European Political Community summit, a gathering focused on strategic co-operation in politics, security and infrastructure. The money will...

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

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.

What the heck is going on in Alberta?

Alberta is experiencing a political earthquake after the provincial NDP claimed they had a video showing a separatist organizer showing people how to use a database that included leaked voter information. The House Party podcast team — Catherine Cullen, Daniel Thibeault and Jason Markusoff — reunite to discuss the fallout and how seriously Carney needs to take the separatist movement.

Do Canadians Care About Alberta?

From Phoenix to Dayforce: Auditor General Karen Hogan on the public service pay saga

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Auditor General Karen Hogan about the costs, risks and rewards of the government's move to scrap the disastrous Phoenix pay system for public servants and adopt an even more ambitious new system in its place.