Abigail Bimman

Abigail Bimman

Auditor general report finds reforms to international student program ‘fell short’

A new report from Canada’s auditor general found reforms to the international student program “fell short” on improving integrity, including only investigating a small number of potentially problematic cases flagged by post secondary institutions. The report, tabled in the House of Commons Monday morning, found that out of 153,324 potentially non-compliant students reported by schools to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship...

Abigail Bimman

Foreign minister calls for ‘no weaponization’ of Strait of Hormuz, offers no specifics on Canada’s support

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand spoke out against the “weaponization” of the Strait of Hormuz in the face of an ongoing blockade but offered no specifics on what kind of support Canada is prepared to offer. “There should be no weaponization of international shipping lanes and prevention from countries around the world having the resources that they need,” Anand told...

Abigail Bimman

‘Not on the radar:’ 2 in 5 Canadians less likely to travel to U.S., Nanos survey finds

A new survey from Nanos Research for CTV News found 43 per cent of Canadians are less likely to travel to the United States in 2026, compared to the previous year. Thirty-eight per cent said they don’t vacation in the United States in general, while just four per cent said they are likely to spend more leisure time south of...

Abigail Bimman

Prime Minister Carney drops f-word and dishes on dealing with world leaders at Sydney stop

In a more relaxed mode than usual, Prime Minister Mark Carney used the f-word at a fireside chat in Sydney while telling a story from his time as a central banker and shared his observations about a number of world leaders. “You don’t want to say anything in public that you can’t back up,” he said about learning how to...

Abigail Bimman

‘We are one family’: PM Carney invites Modi to Canada as Anand pushes back on foreign interference assessment

“We are one family,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney, standing beside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, in a major development to reset relations that included an invitation for Modi to come to Canada. Carney’s office said Modi accepted the invitation, but there is no timeline for a visit. Shortly after, and for the first time after being asked...

Abigail Bimman

Carney rules out Canadian military participation in Middle East conflict

Prime Minister Mark Carney said while he has had discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump about the possibility of strikes in Iran over “recent weeks,” he does not expect Canada to take a military role in any continued escalation, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, Saturday. Carney made the comments in Mumbai as part of a fireside...

Abigail Bimman

‘There never was a problem’: India’s High Commissioner to Canada on foreign interference

As some Sikh Canadians, intelligence community members and Liberal MPs push back on the government official’s claim that India is no longer actively carrying out foreign interference, India’s High Commissioner to Canada insists it was “never” a problem in the first place. “It never happened,” Dinesh K. Patnaik told journalists about accusations of foreign interference multiple times on the sidelines...

Abigail Bimman

Canada tells some diplomatic staff in Tel Aviv to leave as Israel, U.S. launch attack on Iran

Canada is asking some of its staff in Tel Aviv to relocate as Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran early Saturday. “We have asked non-essential staff to relocate from Tel Aviv because of the heightened security situation,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who made the comments from Mumbai, India, just before news broke that Israel launched...

Abigail Bimman

‘We are not out of the crisis’: Danish FM on U.S. tensions over Greenland

While both Danish and Greenlandic leaders cite progress in diplomatic talks with the United States, they also suggest there is a long road ahead. “We are not out of the crisis, and we do not have a solution yet,” Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Saturday. Rasmussen said initial diplomatic meetings with the U.S. have taken place and...

Abigail Bimman

Canada’s Governor General says nobody is ‘immune’ to the comments made by Trump on Greenland

“Inuit are one people” is a message heard from Canadian and Greenlandic Inuit in and around the opening of the new Canadian consulate in Nuuk, and it’s amplified coming from Governor General Mary Simon. Simon says Canadian Inuit are in Nuuk to show their support to the Greenlandic Inuit. She says as an Inuit person herself, her personal relationship with...

Abigail Bimman, Stephanie Ha

Anand says ‘broader trade relationship’ not the focus of conversations with U.S. Secretary of State

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she did not discuss the “broader trade relationship” between Canada and the U.S. when she recently met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. “Both he and I are cognizant of the fact that the trade file rests with other ministers in our respective governments,” Anand said in an interview with CTV...

Abigail Bimman

B.C. premier cracks MOU Christmas joke ahead of premiers meeting with PM

B.C.’s premier cracked a Christmas joke aimed at the federal government’s MOU with Alberta, the day before all premiers are set to meet with the prime minister virtually. David Eby opened a news conference Wednesday by referring to an “exciting time” at the Eby household, just days ahead of Christmas. “The kids have all these ideas about really expensive and...

Abigail Bimman

No, the CRA will ‘never’ answer 100% of your calls, administrator says

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is “proud” after its “100-day Service Improvement Plan” doubled the number of unique calls answered from just 35 per cent to more than 70 per cent, but officials say they “will never be in a position to answer 100 per cent” of calls. While committing to maintain that 70 per cent, Melanie Serjak, the CRA’s...

Abigail Bimman

Federal government tables bill on femicide, deepfakes

New federal legislation would deem murders motivated by hate or femicide first-degree offences, as well as make it illegal to distribute deepfake sexual images without someone’s consent. The wide-ranging 158-page bill called the “Protecting Victims Act” aims to tackle both intimate partner violence and protect kids. It attempts to follow through on some 2025 Liberal campaign promises as well as...

Abigail Bimman

U.S. ‘very interested in energy security:’ Hodgson on Keystone XL pipeline White House conversation

Canada’s natural resources minister says the United States is “very interested in energy security,” when asked by CTV News about discussions around a potential revival of the Keystone XL pipeline during the Prime Minister’s White House visit. “To the extent that they want to talk about a shared North American energy security in conjunction with shared North American views in...

Abigail Bimman

Could take ‘four to five months’ to determine if Alta. pipeline makes list: CEO of Major Projects Office

The CEO of the Major Projects Office (MPO) told a House of Commons committee her “aspiration” is for it to take “four to five months” to determine if a proposed Alberta pipeline could make the major project list, after Alberta’s premier said she’s expecting “some kind of agreement” from the prime minister by next month. Initially, Dawn Farrell, testifying virtually...

Abigail Bimman

Government backtracks on new Remembrance Day wreath policy

The federal government is backtracking on a decision to limit the number of Remembrance Day wreaths provided to MPs to display at Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Week events. On Wednesday, CTV News reported on the policy change based on an email from the Veterans Affairs Minister referring to a “revised format” for the Wreaths for Parliamentarians program. The email noted...

Abigail Bimman

‘That’s sad’: Carney government limits provided Remembrance Day wreaths for MPs

The federal government is limiting the number of Remembrance Day wreaths for MPs to display at cenotaphs to just two, while the Veterans Affairs Minister’s office tells CTV News the move is not part of the government’s spending review and potential cuts. CTV News obtained an email sent to MP offices by Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight, saying “Veterans Affairs...

Charlie Buckley, Abigail Bimman

PM Carney visits Ukraine, Canada ‘not excluding boots on the ground’ in possible security guarantee, official says

Canada is not excluding the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine in the event it reaches a ceasefire with Russia, a senior Canadian government official said ahead of Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv where Prime Minister Mark Carney was to be recognized as the guest of honour on Sunday. “We are not excluding boots on the ground,” the official told...

Abigail Bimman

PM talks trade, defence spending on trip to Poland, Germany and Latvia

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to make defence spending announcements as well as focus on deepening trade ties during the course of his trip to Poland, Germany and Latvia, according to Canadian government officials. The officials, briefing reporters ahead of Carney’s European trip, said the defence announcements would not be detailed in terms of specific contracts or companies. Canada...

Abigail Bimman

Canadians favour infrastructure projects over regional or Indigenous objections: Nanos

A majority of Canadians support or somewhat support national infrastructure projects, even if there is opposition from provinces, Indigenous peoples or environmental concerns, according to new survey results from Nanos Research, conducted for CTV News. Seventy per cent of Canadians surveyed support or somewhat support national projects even in the face of potential Indigenous opposition, while more than half —...

Abigail Bimman, Stephanie Ha

‘A very surprising number’: Federal government aims to find $25B in savings over three years

As the federal government undergoes a spending review, Prime Minister Mark Carney is aiming to find $25 billion in savings over the next three years, according to a senior government source who spoke to CTV News. News of the target figure comes after Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, along with Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, issued letters to Carney’s cabinet on...

Abigail Bimman

Liberals introduce sweeping border reform bill affecting warrants, large cash transfers

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has unveiled the Strong Borders Act, promising to strengthen Canada’s borders against organized crime. Department officials providing information on a not-for-attribution basis say Bill C-2 has three main themes - fighting organized crime and fentanyl, securing the border and offering more tools to fight financial crime. The legislation also proposes changes to what law enforcement...