Catharine Tunney

Catharine Tunney

Spy agency says it 'improperly' shared Canadians' data with international partners

One of Canada's intelligence agencies says it "improperly" shared information about Canadians that it had obtained "incidentally" with international partners. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) shared some details about the incident after the intelligence commissioner — the quasi-judicial position that reviews the cyber spy agency's activities — flagged the case in his annual report tabled in Parliament earlier this week.

Catharine Tunney, John Paul Tasker

Carney's office retracts claim U.S. wanted to water down language on Ukraine at G7

Prime minister was peppered with questions at closing newser. Officials in Prime Minister Mark Carney's office are retracting comments that the U.S. wanted to water down a statement about Russia's war in Ukraine on the final day of the G7 summit in Alberta. Tuesday afternoon, an official from the Prime Minister's Office told reporters from multiple outlets that a joint...

Catharine Tunney, David Cochrane

Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman invited to G7 summit in Alberta: sources

Crown prince was invited to last year's G7 summit, but did not attend. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been invited to attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, two government sources told CBC News. Bin Salman, known as MBS, is a powerful figure in the Middle East and his...

Catharine Tunney

Carney and Trump are holding private talks to drop tariffs

Ottawa hoping to reach agreement with Trump administration before G7 summit. Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump are having discussions out of the spotlight to reach a trade deal and lift tariffs. Sources with knowledge of the conversations first confirmed the calls with CBC/Radio-Canada and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly later told reporters that Carney and Trump are...

Catharine Tunney

Carney says Canada is preparing reprisals if tariff talks with Trump fail

Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government is readying further retaliation measures if negotiations with the United States to end the recently doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum fail. "We are in intensive negotiations with the Americans and in parallel preparing reprisals if those negotiations do not succeed," he told the House of Commons during question period Wednesday afternoon.

Catharine Tunney

RCMP's 911 dispatcher shortage is putting Mounties and public at risk: audit+69

A recently released RCMP audit says its 911 dispatch centres across the country are struggling with severe staff shortages and burnout, putting front-line Mounties and the public at risk. Described as the lifeline for officers in the field, the RCMP is responsible for 17 operational communications centres, where dispatchers field calls in almost every province and all three territories. They...

Catharine Tunney

Carney tells MPs to brace for 'very, very busy' few weeks as Parliament reopens

Prime Minister Mark Carney told his caucus to brace for a "very, very" busy few weeks and months as Parliament reopens, promising to implement his vision for the country with "urgency and determination." In an address to caucus — which media cameras were invited in to shoot — Carney teased that his Liberal minority government will introduce several pieces of...

Catharine Tunney, Ashley Burke

Carney meets with caucus ahead of jam-packed spring sitting

Liberal MPs will vote on whether they want the power to oust the new leader if he loses their trust. Liberal caucus members are meeting today ahead of the return of Parliament, this time under the direction of a leader known for his high expectations and ambitious agenda. Sunday's gathering will likely touch on the big-ticket items Prime Minister Mark...

Catharine Tunney

Canadians were promised a foreign agent registry — so where is it?

The government's foreign interference law passed last June. When Parliament passed a sweeping national security bill last June, the Liberal government promised to establish a foreign influence transparency registry to convict proxies trying to meddle in Canadian politics. But nearly a year later, it remains unclear how soon the office will be up and running "I think it's a huge...

Catharine Tunney, Darren Major

'Totally unacceptable' that IDF fired shots near Canadians, Carney says

Ottawa expects 'full investigation,' prime minister says. Prime Minister Mark Carney says it's "totally unacceptable" that members of the Israeli army fired shots near a diplomatic delegation, which included Canadians, in the West Bank on Wednesday. The federal government confirmed Wednesday that four Canadian personnel were part of a tour in the city of Jenin when members of the Israel...

Catharine Tunney

Canada now has a minister of artificial intelligence. What will he do?

AI appears in PM Mark Carney's campaign platform in many key areas. Canada has its first-ever minister of artificial intelligence in veteran broadcaster and newly elected Toronto Centre MP Evan Solomon. So what does that job exactly entail? When asked what Solomon's mandate and responsibilities will be, a spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) pointed to the Liberal platform...

Catharine Tunney

Conservative fundraising email suggests Liberals trying to 'tip the scales' in recounts

Canada Elections Act sets out when recounts happen and how they can proceed. A Conservative Party fundraising email alleges the Liberals are trying to "tip the scales" in riding recounts, language some political watchers say is concerning as some Canadians say they don't trust the results of last week's election. The email, sent to the Conservatives' mailing list on Wednesday...

Catharine Tunney

Conservative Damien Kurek says he'll step aside for Poilievre — but by law he has to wait

MPs can't resign their seat until 30 days after election result is officially published. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has already taken a trip out to the Alberta riding he hopes to represent, after losing the Ottawa-area seat he held for more than two decades in last week's general election. On Friday, Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek announced he'll step aside...

Catharine Tunney

With 24 Sussex still sitting in a sorry state, Carney to move into Rideau Cottage

With 24 Sussex Drive sitting desolate and in need of millions of dollars in renovations, the government says Prime Minister Mark Carney will soon take up official residence at Rideau Cottage. The crumbling Ottawa home on Sussex Drive had long been the official residence for Canada's prime ministers, but has sat empty since 2015 as workers dealt with mould, asbestos...

Catharine Tunney

Canadians vote today after fierce campaign shaped by Trump

1st results will trickle in from Newfoundland and Labrador just after 7 p.m. ET. Millions of Canadians are expected to cast their ballots today in a pivotal election that will decide who will lead the country through a trade battle with the United States. The 36-day campaign has been nothing short of remarkable for the leading contenders: Liberal Leader Mark...

Catharine Tunney

Vancouver tragedy casts a pall on final day of election campaign

Singh was at Lapu Lapu Day festival and left moments before driver rammed into crowd. The final day of the federal election campaign took on a sombre tone as the leaders reacted to the deaths of nine people at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver Saturday night. Vancouver police said a driver of a black SUV slammed into a crowd...

Catharine Tunney

Calls to reform the RCMP have been mounting for years. What are the parties proposing?

When it was time for former prime minister Justin Trudeau to vacate his office, he left at least one thing behind for his successor: blueprints to overhaul one of Canada's most iconic institutions: the RCMP. Calling the nearly 152-year-old agency "strained," Trudeau urged the winner of the next election to start the process of getting the Mounties out of boots-on-the-ground...

Catharine Tunney

Carney calls Preston Manning's Western independence comments 'dramatic'

Reform founder wrote Carney will be 'the last prime minister of a united Canada' if Liberals wins. Liberal Leader Mark Carney says he governs for all of Canada and called prominent conservative Preston Manning's comments on Western independence "dramatic" during a campaign stop in Montreal on Friday. In a recent op-ed for the Globe and Mail, the Reform Party founder...

Catharine Tunney

Poilievre disagrees with conservative dean Preston Manning that a Carney win will fuel Western secession

Former Reform leader wrote that a Liberal vote is 'a vote for the breakup of Canada as we know it.' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promoted national unity and downplayed former Reform leader Preston Manning's argument that a vote for Mark Carney's Liberals is a vote for Western secession during a campaign stop Thursday.

Catharine Tunney

Carney standing by candidate Paul Chiang, who suggested Conservative be turned over to China for bounty

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says Paul Chiang will remain a candidate under his banner, despite calls to ouster the Markham-Unionville incumbent for suggesting people turn in a Conservative candidate to the Chinese consulate and collect a bounty.

Catharine Tunney

Carney announces $2B fund to protect tariff-threatened auto industry

Liberal leader says he wants to build an 'all-in-Canada' manufacturing network. Homing in once again on the fractured Canada-U.S. relationship, Liberal Leader Mark Carney unveiled a $2-billion proposal to protect Canada's auto industry while in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday — one of the front lines of the tariff war. Calling it a "strategic response fund," Carney said the money would...

Catharine Tunney, Louis Blouin, Laurence Martin

Carney slams Poilievre's 'irresponsible' lack of security clearance after reports India meddled in leadership

Conservative leader has long rejected calls to go through the process, claiming it would muzzle him. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's refusal to get his security clearance is back in the spotlight on the campaign trail following reports the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) learned that India helped organize support for his leadership bid. The Globe and Mail reported Tuesday that...

Catharine Tunney

Federal leaders' debates scheduled for April 16-17 in Montreal

TVO journalist Steve Paikin will host the English-language debate. The leaders of the main federal political parties will be invited to a face off in mid-April — if they meet certain criteria, announced the Leaders' Debates Commission Monday. The commission, a government agency created in 2018 to organize federal leaders' debates, said the French debate will take place April 1...

Catharine Tunney

The federal election campaign is expected to kick off today. Here's what you need to know

The table is set for a consequential and close federal election this spring, which is largely expected to focus on how the leaders will take on U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and his taunting of Canadian sovereignty. Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to ask Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament today, triggering a weeks-long election campaign.

Catharine Tunney

New PM Carney anticipating conflict-of-interest screen around Brookfield dealings

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he expects the government's ethics commissioner will recommend he set up a screen around his previous business dealings to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. The newly sworn-in leader has faced repeated questions, which have led to some testy exchanges, about whether his assets, now in a blind trust, open him up to controversy.

Catharine Tunney

The Mark Carney era begins with prime minister and new cabinet sworn in today

Liberal Leader Mark Carney will officially become Canada's next prime minister within a few hours, taking the reins as the country barrels toward a general election and continues to fend off verbal and economic attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump. The former central banker will become Canada's 24th prime minister after Governor General Mary Simon swears him in at Rideau...

Louis Blouin, Catharine Tunney

Freeland to be transport minister, Guilbeault Quebec lieutenant in Carney cabinet: sources

Prime minister-designate Carney aiming for leaner cabinet of 15 to 20 members. Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and former Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould will not be in Mark Carney's cabinet, sources tell CBC News. But a source with knowledge of the decision told CBC News that Carney has invited another former leadership rival, Chrystia Freeland, to become...

Catharine Tunney

In one of his final moves as prime minister, Trudeau argues for bold RCMP reform

Outgoing leader pitching an RCMP solely focused on federal policing, like national security and terrorism. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is using some of his final hours in office to call for a drastic and controversial shakeup to one of the country's most emblematic institutions: the RCMP. In an exclusive interview, Trudeau laid out why he believes the Mounties should get...

Catharine Tunney

Liberals choose their leader today, after campaign defined by chaos of Trump administration

Campaign largely a referendum on who is best to take on U.S. president. Tonight the Liberal Party will announce its next leader and the person who will soon become prime minister — a job they'll inherit amid economic turbulence and a deeply wounded relationship with the country's once closest ally. The party's choice — who would become prime minister only...

Catharine Tunney

PM's intelligence adviser says it's time for Canada to be 'selfish' and protect itself

The prime minister's intelligence and security adviser says it's time for Canada to be less dependent on its partners, comments that come a day after the U.S. launched a trade war against its northern neighbour. "We need to be a little bit more selfish now," said Nathalie Drouin, while speaking on a panel Wednesday morning to a room of international...

Catharine Tunney

Liberal leadership: Here's where the candidates stand on key issues

As the Liberal leadership race heads into its final stretch, the four candidates jockeying to become the next prime minister continue to roll out campaign promises. The race was triggered when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in early January he'd be stepping down, after nine years in office.

Catharine Tunney, David Cochrane

Ruby Dhalla kicked out of Liberal leadership race after 'extremely serious' violations: party

A Liberal Party of Canada committee voted unanimously on Friday to disqualify former MP Ruby Dhalla from the race to be the next leader. Azam Ishmael, the party's national director, said in a statement that the Liberal leadership vote committee determined she made 10 violations, some involving the party's leadership and expense rules. "The decision followed an extensive process and...

Catharine Tunney

Liberals will soon pick the next prime minister. Here's what candidates are promising

In just under a month, Liberal Party members will choose their next leader, who will automatically become Canada's next prime minister. At least until the next election. Candidates vying to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 9 are starting to flesh out their visions for the country. This unusual leadership race has seen the main challengers pivot to confront...

Catharine Tunney

Chrystia Freeland promises tax cut, plan for cheaper groceries if elected Liberal leader

Liberal leadership hopeful Chrystia Freeland outlined a suite of policies Tuesday aimed at improving the cost of living for Canadians, including an income tax cut for millions of people and policies she says will lower the price of groceries and reduce credit card debt. In a news release, the former finance minister outlined five policy planks directed at Canadians feeling...

Catharine Tunney

Freeland targeted by 'malicious' WeChat campaign with alleged ties to China: Threat task force

Chrystia Freeland's Liberal leadership campaign has been targeted by "co-ordinated and malicious activity" traced back to a WeChat account accused of having ties to the Chinese government, according to the task force set up to monitor foreign election interference. According to the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force (SITE), which is made up of senior intelligence and security...

Catharine Tunney, Holly Cabrera

Karina Gould raises $125K needed to pay latest Liberal leadership race fee

Former House leader Karina Gould says she raised the $125,000 required of Liberal leadership candidates before Friday's deadline, allowing her to stay in the running. In a post on X, Gould thanked her supporters. "I can officially report that, after another record-breaking day yesterday, we've reached today's fee deadline," she wrote.

Catharine Tunney

7 Liberal leadership candidates say they've submitted nomination papers as deadline passes

Several candidates vying to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau say they've submitted their paperwork and met the first financial hurdle to enter the race, although it could still take a few days to see who's made the cut. Candidates Karina Gould, Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney, Jaime Battiste, Chandra Arya, Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla all said they've sent in their...

Catharine Tunney

Final report on foreign election meddling coming next week

After reviewing hundreds of documents and listening to hours of testimony, the inquiry probing foreign interference in Canada's past two federal elections will release its final report on Jan. 28. Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue's findings, and any potential recommendations, come as parliamentarians ready for an increasingly inevitable spring election.

Catharine Tunney

Guilbeault, cabinet's staunch environmentalist, backs Mark Carney as next Liberal leader

Former central banker Mark Carney picked up a handful of endorsements on Tuesday, including from the government's most vocal climate champion, as the Liberal leadership race whizzes ahead on a tight timeline. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he will back Carney during the March 9 vote. Carney has been a longtime supporter of carbon pricing to combat climate change, although...

Catharine Tunney

Canada spared Trump tariffs on Day 1, but Trudeau government continues to hold its breath

Canada evaded steep tariffs on the first day of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, but senior Canadian government officials weren't celebrating as they gathered for a cabinet retreat. "We're very cautious," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters on Monday after Trump's swearing-in. "This is important news and at the same time we'll be working on preventing tariffs and...

Catharine Tunney

Gould says Trump won't listen to journalists and central bankers in swipe at Liberal leadership rivals

Launching her campaign, Gould says 'Canadians don't trust the Liberal Party of Canada.' Fresh out of the gate from launching her Liberal leadership bid, Karina Gould suggested her two main opponents' backgrounds would do little to gain the favour of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. "I'm not sure that journalists and central bankers are the kind of people that Donald Trump...

Catharine Tunney, Catherine Cullen

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani attending inauguration as 'good friend' J.D. Vance sworn in as VP

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani says he'll work to improve the "toxic" Canada-U.S. relationship when he travels to Washington to watch his friend J.D. Vance take the oath of office as U.S. vice-president on Monday. In a note to constituents obtained by CBC News, Jivani said Vance's inauguration "is a special moment for me personally."

Catharine Tunney, David Cochrane

Mark Carney expected to launch Liberal leadership bid next week, backed by 30 MPs: source

Longtime Liberal organizer says Freeland also readying campaign. Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is expected to formally announce his bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late next week, a source close to his campaign told CBC News. The source, who spoke on the condition they not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said...

Catharine Tunney

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly not running for Liberal leadership

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she won't seek the Liberal leadership. Joly announced the decision on her way into a Canada-U.S. cabinet meeting on Friday. She pointed to Canada's fraught relationship with the U.S. as the main reason she's bowing out of the race.

Catharine Tunney, Darren Major

Liberal MP vying to be next prime minister dismisses importance of French language

Ottawa MP Chandra Arya — who announced on Thursday that he would be running to replace Justin Trudeau as the next Liberal leader and prime minister — says he doesn't speak French and doesn't believe it will matter to French-speaking Canadians. During an interview on CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Thursday, host David Cochrane asked Arya about his French ability.

Catharine Tunney

Liberal MPs urge party to buttress upcoming leadership race against foreign interference

A growing chorus of Liberal MPs are calling on their party's executive to guard the upcoming leadership race — whose winner will automatically become Canada's next prime minister — from foreign interference. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who said she's considering a leadership bid, said last year's foreign interference inquiry laid bare that Canadian political parties are vulnerable. "I think...

Catharine Tunney, David Cochrane

Trudeau says he's not the right choice to lead party in next election, promises to resign as PM

PM asked to prorogue Parliament until March 24. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor, bringing his time leading the country to a tumultuous end. Trudeau, who became Liberal leader in 2013 and prime minister in the fall of 2015, announced his long-awaited decision outside his official residence, Rideau...

Catharine Tunney

RCMP asks for help handling troubling number of kids radicalizing online

Canadians as young as 12 being drawn to extremist views, Mountie warns. When RCMP Supt. Jean-Guy Isaya first started as a police officer 20 years ago, school outreach involved drug safety programs. Now the Mountie says there's a growing need to talk to kids about violent extremism. "We believe that young people and minors pose the same threat as adults,"...

Catharine Tunney

LeBlanc says he's meeting with Trump's border czar after Christmas to present $1.3B plan

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he's meeting U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's border czar after Christmas to present Canada's proposed $1.3 billion plan to secure the shared border. Earlier this week, the minister — who for now serves as both finance minister and public safety minister following Chrystia Freeland's bombshell resignation on Monday — introduced a suite of measures meant to...

Catharine Tunney

Ex-minister says CSIS's national security fears were key to his decision to deny Canadian a passport

Abousfian Abdelrazik is suing Ottawa for $27M, accusing it of contributing to his mistreatment abroad. Former foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon says that while he received conflicting advice about whether to issue an emergency passport to a Canadian citizen living in exile in Sudan, he was swayed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's claim that Abousfian Abdelrazik was a national...

Catharine Tunney

Senators amend error in cybersecurity bill that could have cancelled half of it

Bill C-26 is meant to protect vital infrastructure from cyberattacks, ban telecoms from partnering with Huawei. It could take a while yet for the federal government's cybersecurity bill to become law after the Senate caught an error that essentially would have nullified half of what the legislation sets out to do. The Senate voted Thursday to amend the bill to...

Catharine Tunney

Patrick Brown says Indian consulate made an 'angry' call to his Conservative campaign chair

Former Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown said someone from the Indian consulate general made an "angry phone call" to his campaign co-chair — Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner — during his 2022 bid to lead the party. Testifying before the House of Commons public safety committee, Brown said the Indian consul general expressed concerned over Brown's use of the term...

Catharine Tunney

Former Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown to testify on Indian interference allegations

Former Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown will testify later today before a parliamentary committee investigating claims that India has meddled in Canadian politics. His appearance comes just a few days after Radio-Canada reported, based on confidential sources, that agents of the Indian government attempted to derail Brown's 2022 Conservative Party leadership run.

Catharine Tunney

RCMP commissioner open to deploying cadets to harden the border

The RCMP says it's considering deploying Mounties-in-training to help police the Canada-U.S. border as political anxiety over border control mounts in the face of tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the RCMP is looking first at sending uniformed officers from its federal policing department to shore up border patrols. He also said the idea...

Catharine Tunney

Fate of cybersecurity bill targeting Huawei uncertain after senator finds 'drafting error'

Bill C-26 meant to protect vital infrastructure from cyberattacks, ban telecoms from partnering with Huawei. The future of a Liberal government bill meant to protect vital infrastructure from cyberattacks and enable Ottawa to ban telecommunications providers from partnering with what it considers risky vendors — including Huawei — is in doubt after senators studying the bill found what one senator...

Catharine Tunney

Parole board to hear serial killer Paul Bernardo's latest bid for release

The Parole Board of Canada is being asked again to consider whether Paul Bernardo — the serial rapist and murderer behind some of the most shocking and grisly killings in modern Canadian history — should be released. Bernardo is serving a life sentence for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering southern Ontario teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy with the help...

Catharine Tunney

Conservatives question decision to stop victims' families from confronting Bernardo in person

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is questioning the Parole Board of Canada's rationale for preventing the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy — who were tortured and killed by Paul Bernardo — from addressing their daughters' murderer in person next week.

Catharine Tunney

RCMP prepares to deploy body cameras to thousands of officers nationwide

The RCMP is set to deliver an update today on its plan to get frontline officers wearing body cameras later this month. Officials are expected to report Thursday afternoon on the national rollout plan and how its data storage system will work.

Catharine Tunney

Poilievre accuses Trudeau of sowing 'divisions' that led to Brampton's violent temple clash

In a testy exchange in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of sowing the "divisions" that led to the violent clash between Sikh separatists and Hindu worshippers outside a Hindu temple in Brampton on the weekend. The question period exchange kicked off with Trudeau calling Poilievre's silence on the violence in...

Catharine Tunney

Canadian linked to Russian influence campaign refuses to answer MPs' questions

The House of Commons is being asked to consider whether Lauren Chen — a Canadian influencer accused of aiding a Russian propaganda campaign — should be found in contempt of Parliament after she refused to answer MPs' questions during a parliamentary committee hearing Tuesday. Chen was summoned to appear before the House of Commons public safety and national security committee...