Apr 19 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Pierre Poilievre’s camp is claiming to have sold memberships in all 338 federal ridings, hinting at broader appeal across the Conservative base than the former cabinet minister might be expected to pull. The Poilievre campaign refused to give specific numbers, but said on Tuesday they had managed to sell memberships — which means eligible voters […]
Apr 12 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Pierre Poilievre is raising concerns over potential “fraud” in the Conservative leadership race, demanding the ban of pre-paid credit cards to purchase memberships. In a letter sent to the party Tuesday, obtained by Global News, a lawyer for the Poilievre campaign suggested the use of pre-paid credit cards to purchase memberships violated party rules.
Apr 8 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Liberals’ proposal to set up a new law enforcement body to tackle financial crime is raising questions about the RCMP’s role in investigating money laundering and organized crime. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2022 budget, released Thursday, included a passing mention of plans to set up a Canada Financial Crimes Agency. The new law enforcement […]
Apr 7 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Canada’s cyber security agency and government efforts to curb state-backed misinformation are poised to receive an influx of cash as part of the Liberals’ 2022 budget. The spending program laid out plans to significantly boost spending at the Communications Security Establishment – Canada’s cyber security and espionage agency – while also spending millions on combatting […]
Apr 4 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Conservative party is moving to restrict their national councilors’ interactions with reporters and posts on social media after a high-profile permanent suspension of one of their members. But party president Rob Batherson said the new policy pre-dated former national councilor Bert Chen’s departure from the board, and is not meant as a veto over […]
Mar 24 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — The Parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing the emergency powers used to address last month’s convoy protests is divided on the scope of their study. The Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency is scheduled to hold its second meeting Thursday evening, and sources with knowledge of the deliberations tell Global News the biggest sticking […]
Mar 24 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — And then there were 10? Former Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leona Alleslev appears to have launched a Conservative leadership webpage, suggesting the party’s former deputy leader is poised to join the increasingly crowded race.
Mar 22 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen called the Liberals’ deal with the NDP “backdoor socialism.” Leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre suggested it was a “coalition attack on our freedom and our country.” Patrick Brown referred to it as a “nightmare.” But away from the podiums and the social media indignation, some Conservatives were quietly thanking Prime Minister […]
Mar 21 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Canada’s intelligence agencies have held back information from parliamentary oversight, leading a key watchdog committee to warn its work could be “compromised” if the situation continues. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a joint House of Commons and Senate body that reviews the country’s intelligence apparatus, warned that “some organizations” have delayed […]
Mar 20 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Conservative leadership hopeful Scott Aitchison says both his party and the governing Liberals have been guilty of trying to divide Canadians for personal gain. And if his longshot candidacy to lead the party into the next election succeeds, he’s promising a “new approach.”
Mar 15 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Chinese company Huawei says Conservative leadership hopeful Jean Charest focused predominantly on the company’s participation in Canada’s 5G networks during in his work for the telecom. He involvement did not centre on the extradition case involving Meng Wanzhou. Further, the company will not be wading into the Conservative leadership contest, says Alykhan Velshi, a former […]
Mar 12 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Jean Charest is building his Conservative leadership bid around a promise that he knows how to bring the party back to power. But after Conservative MPs just defenestrated the last leader for making the same promise and falling short, it’s not clear that’s the message the party wants to hear right now. Speaking at a […]
Mar 10 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Canadians have lived in a “splendid, naïve sort of superiority” that domestic extremism is not an issue in the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor says. Not only is that “simply not true,” Jody Thomas told an Ottawa security conference Thursday, the issue is also “here, and it is here to stay.”
Mar 10 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Jean Charest says the Conservative Party of Canada is “divided” and must provide a “national vision” to defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the next election. In an interview with Global News Thursday, Charest said the Conservative Party has a “responsibility to the country and to Canadians to be a national political party.”
Mar 9 2022 — Alex Boutilier — Global News — Moscow will “fail” in achieving its objectives in its deadly invasion of Ukraine, NATO’s secretary-general says. But Jens Stoltenberg told the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence that the Russian invasion has “shattered” peace in Europe and the transatlantic alliance must prepare for a “dark time” ahead.