Jul 3 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Manitoba Canadian Forces reservist who was arrested following an armed break-in on the grounds of Rideau Hall appears to have posted on social media about the “Q” conspiracy movement and its theories about the COVID-19 pandemic. An Instagram account connected to Corey Hurren featured a post about “going down the rabbit hole” into Q […]
Jun 30 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Whoever becomes Conservative leader in August will face a tough job holding the party together after what has been an extraordinarily vitriolic and fractious campaign, Conservative MPs and party insiders tell the Star. The party’s 2020 leadership race has included disqualifications and legal challenges, a failed attempt to kick one candidate out of caucus, public […]
Jun 18 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Long-shot Conservative leadership candidate Derek Sloan is doubling down on anti-immigrant rhetoric in advance of the party’s English-language debate in Toronto this evening. The rookie Ontario MP has been trying to consolidate the party’s hardline social conservatives behind his campaign, releasing a detailed “pro life” plan and arguing against “political correctness.”
Jun 18 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Erin O’Toole began with an apology over any mistakes. Peter MacKay with a request to excuse his accent. And Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis read their opening statements, eyes down on their notes. So began the Conservative leadership contest’s first and only French-language debate Wednesday night, where the four candidates attempted — with varying degrees […]
Jun 16 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — As the UN prepares to vote on Canada’s candidacy for a coveted two-year term on the organization’s Security Council, the federal government is making a last-minute push to secure its place at the table. Ottawa announced Monday it would commit a Canadian Armed Forces transport plane to ferry humanitarian and medical supplies from hubs in […]
Jun 12 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — “Tout le monde en parle” … this won’t be. But next week’s French-language debate has high stakes for Conservative leadership hopefuls, as they try to convince party members in vote-rich Quebec that they can speak for them — or at least to them — in their mother tongue. The four candidates — Peter MacKay, Erin […]
Jun 12 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Conservative leadership candidate Erin O’Toole called subsidies for fossil fuel a “form of corporate welfare” and vowed to end them on Wednesday. But by Thursday, O’Toole said he had received “a lot of questions” about his commitments to combat climate change, and had removed that promise from his platform. Instead of ending the subsidies, the […]
Jun 6 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The federal government says it has no “positive obligation” to help at least 25 Canadian children stranded in a Syrian detention camp amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria houses thousands of suspected ISIS fighters and their families, including an estimated 40,000 children. There is growing concern about safety in the camp […]
May 28 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — If you’re a Conservative voter who believes in balancing the budget above all else, you might want to avert your eyes for the next few years. Leadership front-runners Peter MacKay and Erin O’Toole both released their ideas for Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery this week. And while both candidates stressed the need to stabilize federal finances, […]
May 25 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Liberals upcoming gun control legislation will allow municipalities to effectively ban handguns within their boundaries while setting national standards on how the weapons can be stored and used. While stopping short of a national handgun ban, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the Star that new rules will allow municipalities to rule that handguns […]
May 20 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Canada’s domestic intelligence agency is changing how it talks about extremist threats, adopting a broader vocabulary to include violence inspired by “incels,” ethno-nationalists and other fringe groups. The move comes just a day after authorities laid Canada’s first incel-related terrorism charge against a 17-year old accused of fatally stabbing a woman at a North York […]
May 16 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Peter MacKay’s campaign claims to have signed up the most new members eligible to vote in the Conservatives’ upcoming leadership contest in the party’s history. But strategists and party insiders say it’s not how many members a campaign signs up, it’s where those members live in the Conservatives’ riding-weighted leadership contest. If MacKay’s boast is […]
May 14 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Canadian health researchers and organizations working on the national response to COVID-19 are facing a heightened risk of state-sponsored hacking and espionage, the country’s intelligence agencies tell the Star. In a rare joint statement, Canada’s two main intelligence agencies — the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment — said state-sponsored actors have […]
May 7 2020 — Alex Boutilier — The Record — As Canada’s closest allies call for a probe into China’s early handling of the coronavirus outbreak, Ottawa is steering clear of the issue — and for good reasons, experts say. The federal government is calling for a comprehensive “postcrisis review” into the COVID-19 pandemic, including the virus’s origins and how countries and the World Health […]
Apr 29 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Conservative Party is eyeing Aug. 21 as a possible date to select their next leader, the Star has learned. The party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) suspended the race to replace Andrew Scheer indefinitely on March 26. At the time, the committee said the vote, originally scheduled for June 27, was made impossible by […]