American liquor will only return to Manitoba store shelves if the U.S. drops all tariffs on Canadian goods, Wab Kinew said Friday. Manitoba has boycotted American booze since February 2025, and the premier said in an interview with CTV Power Play‘s Mike Le Couteur that besides dropping tariffs, the only other thing that could affect negotiations would be the full...
Political advertising, digital strategists weigh in on PM's Forward Guidance video. Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised regular updates on his government's efforts as Canada continues to work through a U.S. trade war while also seeking to strengthen relationships with other trading partners — and his medium of choice appears to be YouTube. "I promise you, I will never sugarcoat...
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed on Friday to closely coordinate their efforts as potentially turbulent talks commence on renewing a trilateral trade pact with the United States. The two leaders spoke Friday about the upcoming review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout. And they pledged “close coordination to...
The only NDP MP from Quebec will be announcing his plan to leave Parliament and run provincially for the Quebec solidaire as early as Sunday. Alexandre Boulerice's planned move was confirmed to La Presse Canadienne today by an internal source from QS, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. When asked for comment, a member of Boulerice's Ottawa...
The Prime Minister keeps his cool in public, but he's said to sometimes lose that cool in private. Doesn't suffer fools well and demands action not foot dragging. This week we saw him come close to bluntly telling the Americans to back off with the demands and get with the program on trade talks. That's just one of the things...
There is no clear favourite when Canadians are asked to pick the best stewards of the federal government, a new Research Co. poll has found. The online survey of a representative national sample asked Canadians to select up to four of Canada’s 24 prime ministers as the best—and worst—the country has ever had. Five men are included as the list...
New Abacus Data polling finds Canadians divided, but leaning positive, in their reaction to the Liberal Party securing a majority of seats in the House of Commons following three recent byelection victories.
With Liberal MPs holding a majority of seats in the House of Commons, government House leader Steven MacKinnon moved a motion on Thursday that would see that majority reflected in the allotment of seats on House committees. This would be an entirely remarkable development — the sort of procedural housekeeping that occurs at the start of each Parliament — except...
Was John Turner right? Is Donald Trump’s weaponization of Canada’s dependence on trade with the United States vindication of the Liberal leader’s dire prophecies during the 1988 election campaign? Is this the bitter fruit of the Mulroney government’s decision, all those years ago, to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States?
Canada trying to resume formal talks with U.S. on sectoral tariff relief. The Trump administration is now offering Canadian and Mexican aluminum and steel companies immediate tariff relief if they commit to moving production to the United States in the future. The U.S published the notice on Thursday during a tense week that saw both American and Canadian officials publicly...
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has been officially nominated by his party to run in the next election. The Saskatchewan Party says Moe is to be the candidate for Rosthern-Shellbrook. Moe says in a statement he's honoured to represent the constituency that includes his hometown of Shellbrook, north of Saskatoon.
Canada is at a crossroads. In the coming days and weeks, the federal government will decide whether the country compromises its climate commitments or embraces a more sustainable path towards a greener future.
Its natural gas reserves have the potential to enrich its people and power the world. Let’s get some shovels in the ground
We’ve been warned for months that Canada faces exceedingly tough talks on renewing the CUSMA/USMCA trade deal. With Donald Trump blowing off the importance of Canada (“we don’t need anything they have”), it was shaping up as a cage match at the negotiating table. As of this week, though, we face the very real possibility of an even more ominous...
In a recent op-ed, Liberal MP and former environment minister Steven Guilbeault wrote that the government's energy ambitions put the country at a climate crossroads. Power & Politics questions Guilbeault on his hopes for the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding, and on his thoughts regarding the current state of the Liberal party.
When Mark Carney skated over to the TV cameras at an ice rink in Ottawa this month, he introduced his hockey buddy Alexander Stubb to Canadians as “the man, the myth, the legend” and the prime minister’s “No. 1 draft choice.” Carney isn’t putting together a beer league, nor is he trying out for the Ottawa Charge, whose practice he...
New NDP Leader Avi Lewis has set his sights on bringing an end to the practice of surveillance pricing, calling it a “crystal clear example of why we desperately need government guardrails to protect us from the triple threat of Big Tech, AI and corporate monopolies that dominate every sector of our economy.” During a press conference in Ottawa flanked...
Among the former politicians and CEOs of a mining giant, a paper company, a steel company, a potash producer, a railway, a bank, and lobby groups for small business and the auto and aluminum sectors, there was a glaring omission: experts from the tech sector. The 24 people on the Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations announced by Prime Minister...
Opinion on Canada’s New! Liberal! Majority! Government! has tended to divide into two camps. On one hand are those, mostly to be found on the Conservative end of things, who denounce the process by which the Liberals attained their majority – five opposition MPs, crossing the floor one after the other, like baby ducks – as illegitimate, even undemocratic. Canadians...
Jim Balsillie said Canada was ‘hijacked’ last time around and is likely to be further disadvantaged in the pending negotiations
For one shining moment in Washington on Wednesday, a Democratic senator stared down Donald Trump’s administration with some words that many Canadians have been wanting to hurl in the president’s direction. It was during a Senate subcommittee hearing when U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the same one who said “they suck” when referring to Canada last week — was...
Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party never mentioned the prospect of an independence referendum in the last election campaign, and voters never gave them a mandate to pursue one. But that hasn’t stopped her from pushing the province into a polarizing separatist debate, one that’s already attracting attention — and almost certainly interference — from foreign powers. Worse, it might all...
The recent defection of longtime Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal caucus — followed swiftly by a string of federal byelection wins that secured a governing majority — has reignited a familiar debate in Canadian politics: the merits and risks of “big tent” political parties.
Prime Minister Mark Carney wants us to believe the rupture with the United States will be long-lasting, maybe here to stay. He suggested it again in his weekend video posted on YouTube. “Some ... believe that we should wait in the hope that the United States will return to normal,” he said. “But hope isn’t a plan and nostalgia is...
While campaigning for the presidency in Portland, in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt told a crowd “my friends, judge me by the enemies I’ve made.”. In a 2015 Presidential debate, Anderson Cooper asked the candidates which enemy they were most proud of making. There’s a deep history of politics about picking your enemies as deliberately as you choose your friends.
“Thank you for your time,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the close of his recent direct-to-you vlog, titled Forward Guidance. “I know it’s precious.” That’s nice. He told Canadians he is going to want to talk with them again, but promised to do so sparingly. “I know you have busy lives and you don’t need busy lives from me,”...
If you’re confused about where Canada stands heading into negotiations with the U.S. on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, it’s likely because Prime Minister Mark Carney keeps moving the goalposts.
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney once levelled the bizarre charge that the first thing then NDP leader Ed Broadbent would do if elected to replace him would be to nationalize high-end menswear retailer Harry Rosen. It was a personal shot at Broadbent, who was renowned for his ill-fitting brown tweed jackets, but also a reminder to voters that elements within...
The “gravy plane” mess lasted only a few days. But it sent a message. If Doug Ford hears that message, the Ontario Premier will soon retire. The public learned last week that the provincial government had acquired a preowned Bombardier Challenger 650 jet aircraft. On Sunday, in the wake of opposition howls, the Premier announced the government would sell the...
It seems odd to even suggest this right now, but … what if the plane was a good idea? Seriously. What if a private jet for the use of the premier and other key officials was actually worth considering?
The recent Liberal policy convention I attended in Montreal was more about convening than policy: the corridors of the Palais des Congrès were packed with 4,500 delegates networking away, while the policy sessions were sparsely attended. One session did impress me for its participants. It was the session on “Building Canada Strong,” featuring Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Industry Minister Mélanie...
Well, the Iranian case is up for debate, but there’s no question your commander in chief effected “regime change” here in Canada. After last week’s special elections, Mark Carney, the prime minister whose elevation Donald Trump helped bring about, has at last secured a parliamentary majority for Canada’s Liberal Party.
When a prime minister takes to YouTube for a 10-minute address to the nation, a perfectly reasonable question is: what’s the emergency? So when Mark Carney released a video on the weekend, titled “Forward Guidance,” there was a natural temptation to look for what alarms he was trying to raise.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Sunday video was a masterclass in crisis communications. He reminded Canadians of his credentials managing tough times. He described the urgent challenges Canada faces. He explained what he is doing to tackle them. He promised not to “sugarcoat” anything. He appealed to Canadians’ patriotism. And he promised to keep us posted: bookmark this YouTube channel for...
In 2016, I appointed three of the five people on the Electoral Boundaries Commission. A year later, their final report hit my desk. I was disappointed. Very disappointed. Two strong NDP seats, held by my finance minister and my attorney-general, were made into one. The urban Medicine Hat seat occupied by the then-NDP speaker of the House was cut in...
It’s a mere six months until Albertans decide whether they want to separate from the rest of Canada. And yet there is no apparent all-inclusive campaign for those of us who want to vote No.
Was the timing of Mark Carney’s feel-good “fireside chat” video released Sunday mere coincidence, landing as it did the day before concerning inflation numbers? Or was it a deliberate calculation to point out that Canadian fur traders were all over the northern plains before the Americans had left St. Louis, a day ahead of confirmation that consumers are now paying...
Mexico has an official start date for trade talks with U.S., but Canada does not. Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday as the two countries are gearing up for the North American trade agreement review this year. The two leaders touched on a number of topics, including the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement...
Facing economic strains and tensions with the US, the prime minister is relying on a tight-knit group of allies to make trade deals and streamline government.
Proposed rule changes intended to increase transparency for federal lobbying may also result in an encroachment on MPs’ individual rights, warned a former MP speaking to the House Ethics Committee during its much-anticipated review of the Lobbying Act. “I think [designated public office holders’] rights are being eroded through stealth, and I think they need to put some light on...
Most employees working at Global Affairs Canada won't have to return to the office four days a week this summer due to a lack of space. Treasury Board announced earlier this year that public service executives will have to work on-site five days per week starting May 4, and all other federal employees must be in the office four days...
The federal government has approved a $4-billion plan by Enbridge Inc. to expand an existing natural gas pipeline in British Columbia, a move one executive says demonstrates a greater "sense of purpose" from Ottawa toward bolstering Canada's status as a global energy exporter. The Sunrise project would add 300 million cubic feet per day of transportation capacity on Enbridge's 3.6-billion-cubic-feet-per-day...
Prime Minister Mark Carney is a 'better political practitioner' than he’s given credit for, and the committee’s makeup could be another 'proof point' of that, says Conservative strategist Cole Hogan. The Liberal government’s new Canada-United States economic advisory council brings in corporate and industry heavy-hitters with “very powerful Rolodexes” who are most impacted by American tariffs, note observers, who add...
Tim Hodgson says federal Indigenous loan guarantee program could finance potential Pacific pipeline. Canada's Energy Minister says public dollars "could be used" for Alberta's proposed bitumen pipeline to the Pacific Coast through the federal government's Indigenous loan guarantee program. "With respect to public money, I want to be clear what we have said is that we would support Indigenous equity...
CRTC chairperson Vicky Eatrides says the regulator would like to move more quickly to modernize Canada's broadcasting system, but implementing the new rules is complex work and the CRTC must consider conflicting opinions. "We would all like to go faster," she said in a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press. "It's balancing getting it done quickly and getting it done...
Ottawa's new program allows federal employees to leave early without being penalized. Front-line security and intelligence workers including Mounties won't be able to access the government's penalty‑free early retirement incentive as federal public safety agencies focus on getting more people in the door — not out. The early retirement incentive (ERI) is part of the government's larger goal to trim...
'We are going to navigate through all of this,' Gen. Jennie Carignan tells CBC News. Canada’s top military commander attempted to deliver a message of reassurance to Ukrainians on Thursday that NATO remains a stable, vital force despite turmoil and criticism — most of it from the Trump administration. Gen. Jennie Carignan spoke on a panel at the Kyiv Security...
Canada’s new ambassador to the United States says Canada is ready, willing and able to start the CUSMA review with partners in Mexico and the U.S. In his first address to parliamentarians, Mark Wiseman told members of the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee that Canada is willing to start the formal review process and reduce uncertainty. Wiseman said Canada...
Former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole believes his successor Pierre Poilievre needs to change his policies in order to compete with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party. “I think they do need to moderate some of the positions to reach out to more Canadians,” O’Toole said in an interview with Global News. “If you look at what the Liberals have...
B.C. MPs Chak Au and Tako van Popta tasked with Asia Pacific strategy, property rights. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has announced two new roles for members of his caucus, aimed at developing a strategic plan for the Asia Pacific and responding to a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that some fear threatens property rights.
Canada is not just sitting back "taking notes" or "instructions" from the Americans on how to go about trade talks after White House officials complained publicly about trade irritants, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday. The prime minister said the United States has raised most of the issues on bilateral trade but he's focused on eliminating the American tariffs gripping...
Housing Minister Gregor Robertson says Ottawa doesn't prioritize infrastructure funding in Liberal ridings. Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu told the Sarnia Observer that shortly after she left the Conservatives for the Liberal caucus she received a call from Robertson to discuss infrastructure priorities in her riding.
As top U.S. trade officials revive talk of Canadian trade irritants — such as provincial booze bans — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has its own issues with the Americans, which he wants to see addressed. “Look, you know what’s an irritant? A 50 per cent tariff on steel, 50 per cent tariff on aluminum, 25 per cent tariff...
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that the U.S. economy is losing out on “tens of billions of dollars” as Canadians continue to boycott the country amid a trade war. Ford made the comment during an interview with CNN on Thursday morning. “The Americans are losing out on tens of billions of dollars no matter if it is going down to...
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian prime ministers should be required to divest their investment portfolios when they assume office, not just put them in a blind trust, the House of Commons ethics committee recommends in a new report.
'We can make progress very quickly on that with progress in other areas,' prime minister says. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the provincial ban on U.S. liquor could end quickly if the Americans bend on the tariffs that have pummeled key sectors in this country like steel, autos and forest products. Carney said the provinces have barred American...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa will restore the position of envoy for women, peace and security in the coming weeks. Anand announced the move at the Ottawa Civic Space Summit today, more than a year after the Liberal government let the role expire. She says the role links Canada's longtime support for sexual rights and combating gender-based violence...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized New Brunswick's plan to set up a highway toll by its boundary with Nova Scotia amid efforts by his government to remove domestic trade barriers. Carney said Thursday he will increase pressure on provinces to do their part after his government adopted legislation to remove all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. "No, I'm not...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is not just sitting back "taking notes" or instructions from the Americans on trade talks after White House officials complained publicly about irritants in the Canada-U.S. relationship. Carney says U.S. tariffs hitting key sectors such as steel, aluminum and forest products are "more than irritants" and violate the current trade agreement. Carney also told...
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in his own riding of Nepean today to announce new federal housing investments. Carney says his new federal housing agency, Build Canada Homes, has approved eight new local housing projects. The prime minister says that will amount to more than a thousand new rental homes in the city.
The Canadian Forces will go to the defence industry sometime this year to gather information on what domestic firms can offer in the building of a new $5 billion fleet of warships. Industry representatives were told at an April 9 briefing in Ottawa that a request for information or RFI will be issued for what is being called the Continental...
Canada is at a crossroads. In the coming days and weeks, the federal government will decide whether the country compromises its climate commitments or embraces a more sustainable path towards a greener future. Last November, Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that promised to “unlock and grow” oil and gas production, renewable...
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab is under fire from immigration lawyers for conducting an interview where she discussed forthcoming policy with a social-media influencer who also runs platforms for foreign nationals hoping to settle or study in Canada. Ms. Metlege Diab earlier this month conducted a 30-minute interview with Max Medyk about immigration policy, including about a soon-to be announced...
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney warned that while he believes the province’s secessionist movement isn’t likely to succeed, national unity could soon face a serious stress test if frustration with Ottawa drives more people to reject federalism. Onstage at The Globe and Mail’s Intersect 2026 conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Mr. Kenney described Quebec’s five-decade-long sovereignty debate as a “sterile...
Our neighbours' benign indifference to Canadian affairs seems to have ended as the MAGAsphere takes notice. New Democrat MP Leah Gazan probably thought she was communicating only with a small and like-minded group of Canadian NDP supporters when she rolled out a lengthy acronym during a news conference in Ottawa earlier this month. In fact, she had wandered into the...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to deliver an update today on a provincewide referendum scheduled for the fall.?? Smith announced in February she will put nine questions to Albertans in October, including proposals to restrict social services from some immigrants. Since last April's federal election, the province has also been embroiled in a heated debate over Alberta separating from...
Kathleen Wynne, Ontario's first female premier, remembers meeting a businessman who shook hands with the male staffer standing next to her and addressed him as "premier." It's hard to shake the notion among the public of what a premier looks like, Wynne, premier between 2013 and 2018, said in a recent interview. "A five-foot-four-woman is not who people think of...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump has made it clear he expects his choice for Federal Reserve chair to quickly cut interest rates once he takes office. Yet Americans shouldn't pencil in lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, or business loans just yet.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the U.S. does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. And, he said, a renewal of the one-time waiver for Iranian oil at sea is totally off the table.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department will adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases, officials said Friday.
Ottawa has announced an increase in the number of direct flights permitted to bring passengers and cargo to and from China. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says there will be "an incremental increase" in flights between the countries in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney's outreach visit to Beijing in January. Canadian and Chinese airlines will be allowed to boost the...
The strait will not be fully reopened “until America allows full freedom of navigation for vessels traveling from Iran,” Iranian military officials indicated. Iranian military officials said Saturday that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz have reverted to "strict control," citing the continued U.S. blockade of its ports, just one day after declaring the waterway “completely open.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney told world leaders today Canada welcomes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. The Prime Minister's Office says Carney took part virtually in a meeting with dozens of world leaders to talk about securing the strait.
Strait will remain completely open for rest of ceasefire, Iran's foreign minister says. Iran's foreign minister announced Friday that passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is completely open following a ceasefire agreement reached in Lebanon yesterday, but President Donald Trump said the U.S. naval blockade on Iran will remain in place until a deal with Tehran...
Canada’s finance minister plans to discuss Anthropic PBC’s Mythos model when he meets with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week.
Canada’s long-standing openness helped build one of the world’s most respected immigration systems. However, the intellectual establishment’s push for ever-expanding “inclusivity” has driven that openness beyond what many Canadians consider reasonable.
A comparison of two separate surveys conducted during the 2021 and 2025 election years shows a misalignment between the positions of election candidates and those of their constituents on the division of powers in Canada. While the views of candidates and voters were relatively close on this issue in 2021, the gap widened in 2025. The percentage of voters who...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
I nearly drove off the road when I heard Pope Leo’s powerful message on the radio this week.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office wants to bust up a monopoly. I think I’m the target. Let me explain. The Privy Council Office (PCO), home of the prime minister and cabinet, has been flooded with complaints about its failures to comply with the Access to Information Act.
Canadian troops may be only days away from deploying to the Middle East to aid the U.S.’s and Israel’s war on Iran. The latest indication is a joint statement expressing concern about Iran’s restriction of oil tankers through the narrow Strait of Hormuz signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and NATO allies late in the week.
The Prime Minister keeps his cool in public, but he's said to sometimes lose that cool in private. Doesn't suffer fools well and demands action not foot dragging. This week we saw him come close to bluntly telling the Americans to back off with the demands and get with the program on trade talks. That's just one of the things...
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with World Wildlife Fund Canada president and former NDP MP Megan Leslie about the government's new plan to conserve land and water, and the sluggish progress towards Canada's target of protecting 30 per cent of both by the year 2030.
At Issue this week: Ottawa responds to the Trump administration demands for trade concessions, including lifting the U.S. liquor ban. Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre release duelling social media videos. And the Liberals move to control House committees with their newly-secured majority.
The Alberta government is drawing controversy over electoral politics. They’re being accused of gerrymandering – the practice of redrawing voting districts to boost prospects in elections. Instead of approving a new electoral map provided by a commission, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith voted to appoint a new commission to appoint a panel that will create a new map.
