Liberals table first fiscal document in seven years that won't need opposition votes
OTTAWA -- The Liberal government released a spring economic update Tuesday closely focused on boosting investment and job training.
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OTTAWA -- The Liberal government released a spring economic update Tuesday closely focused on boosting investment and job training.
OTTAWA -- The federal government tabled its spring economic update on Tuesday, projecting a $66.9 billion deficit for the fiscal year which ended on March 31.
OTTAWA -- NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice.
Canadian wood manufacturers are welcoming a trade inquiry into wood imports but say the investigation needs to be followed by immediate provisional tariffs on foreign-made goods entering the country. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the government had directed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to launch an inquiry into global imports of wood cabinets and vanities, hardwood flooring...
OTTAWA -- Canadian wood manufacturers are welcoming a trade inquiry into wood imports but say the investigation needs to be followed by immediate provisional tariffs on foreign-made goods entering the country.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice. Boulerice officially announced Monday he is leaving Parliament to run provincially for the Quebec solidaire after spending 15 years as an MP. He will sit as an Independent until he formally resigns his seat in the...
OTTAWA -- NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice.
OTTAWA -- A union representing Canadian Food Inspection Agency employees says the federal government is delaying a plan to shutter a food allergy testing lab in Quebec by two years.
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...
OTTAWA -- 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.
OTTAWA -- The RCMP says it has charged a consultant with fraudulently overbilling the federal government.
The Liberals are moving to take control of House of Commons committees now that they've secured a majority government. House leader Steven MacKinnon says in a social media post that the Liberals will seek to change the standing orders, the rules that govern the Commons, to ensure they have the most votes on committees. Majority governments traditionally hold a majority...
OTTAWA -- Members of Parliament voted today to approve the appointment of Annette Ryan as Canada's next Parliamentary Budget Officer.
Members of Parliament voted today to approve the appointment of Annette Ryan as Canada's next Parliamentary Budget Officer. MPs approved her appointment in a 164 to 153 vote, with Bloc Quebecois and Conservatives voting against her nomination. Ryan, a longtime public servant and the current deputy director at Canada's financial intelligence agency, Fintrac, was named as cabinet's pick to lead...
Canada Post has released its annual report, detailing a $1.57-billion loss before tax for 2025. The Crown corporation said in a news release the record loss highlights the need to transform and move away from cash injections. The report said the company’s annual loss widened by $728 million, or 86.7 per cent, compared to a loss of $841 million the...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney was "pushing fear" in a recent address to Canadians on the relationship with the U.S. In a 10-minute video posted to social media on Sunday, Carney said Canada's deep economic ties with the U.S. used to be a major strength, but are now a source of weakness. The prime minister said...
OTTAWA -- Canada Post has released its annual report, detailing a $1.57-billion loss before tax for 2025.
OTTAWA -- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of "pushing fear" in a recent address to Canadians on the relationship with the U.S.
Eight years after Canada launched free trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc of nations, a Brazilian official says an agreement is on track to be signed by the end of the year. Paula Barboza, director for extra-regional negotiations and economic governance at Brazil's ministry of foreign affairs, told The Canadian Press the talks have been propelled by a "political push"...
OTTAWA -- Eight years after Canada launched free trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc of nations, a Brazilian official says an agreement is on track to be signed by the end of the year.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attacked Canada's trade strategy today, adding, "They suck." Lutnick was responding to a report in the Financial Post quoting Canada's former chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul saying time is on Canada's side in trade talks because the pressures on the U.S. will only increase. Lutnick said that is "the worst strategy" and the U.S. is...
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attacked Canada's trade strategy on Friday, adding, "They suck."
OTTAWA -- In less than three months, the federal government's order requiring most public servants to attend the office four days a week -- up from the current benchmark of three days -- takes effect.
OTTAWA -- Elections Canada says there were fewer rejected ballots in the recent Terrebonne byelection than during the last general election, despite the use of an adapted ballot.
OTTAWA -- Finland's President Alexander Stubb is in Ottawa this week.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government is on the verge of securing a majority government ahead of three byelections next week. Here's what a majority government would mean for him and for Canada. What is a majority government? A majority government is formed when a political party has more than half of the seats in the House of Commons. Currently...
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government is on the verge of securing a majority government ahead of three byelections next week.
Pierre Poilievre was defiant on Thursday in the face of questions about his leadership of the Conservative party after a fourth member of his caucus defected to the Liberals this week. He reminded reporters that a "record-smashing 8.3 million Canadians" voted Conservative last year. "Our mandate, and my leadership, does not come from dirty backroom deals. It comes from the...
A former top aide to Stephen Harper says Marilyn Gladu's decision to leave the Conservative party for the Liberals is raising questions about Pierre Poilievre's leadership. "I think this floor crosser, more than the previous ones, weakens his leadership," said Dimitri Soudas, who was former prime minister Stephen Harper's director of communications. "Not just because of the fact that it's...
Thousands of federal public servants have applied for early retirement since the program was launched late last month. Mohammad Kamal, spokesperson for the Office of the President of the Treasury Board, says 3,700 federal workers have applied for the program. The program, which was announced in the fall, is part of the government's efforts to reduce the number of public...
OTTAWA -- Thousands of federal public servants have applied for early retirement since the program was launched late last month.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government is looking at how to support Canadians as oil prices rise amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government is looking at how to support Canadians as oil prices rise amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Oil prices have surged since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, averaging more than $1.80 per litre across Canada today, compared with about $1.32 a year ago. Carney says his...
Provincial rules around alcohol and the federal government's "Buy Canadian" policy have been flagged in a new report citing several trade irritants between Canada and the U.S. The annual document prepared by the Office of the United States Trade Representative said market access barriers imposed by provincial liquor control boards "greatly hamper" exports of U.S. wine, beer and spirits to...
OTTAWA -- Provincial rules around alcohol and the federal government's "Buy Canadian" policy have been flagged in a new report citing several trade irritants between Canada and the U.S.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to cancel a proposed high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City. Speaking to reporters in Peterborough, Ont., on Tuesday, Poilievre called the project a "boondoggle" that would waste taxpayer dollars. "Carney Liberals will confiscate farmland and private property, disrupting communities and harming the quality of life of local residents...
OTTAWA -- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to cancel a proposed high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he isn't worried Mexico will sign a trade agreement with the Americans that excludes Canada. LeBlanc says the Mexicans are also committed to a trilateral deal as the countries work to renew the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Mexico and the U.S. have started formal talks ahead of a July deadline, and earlier this month...
OTTAWA -- The federal government has launched a trade inquiry on global imports of frozen and canned vegetables.
Public servants who are eligible for the federal government's early retirement incentive can now apply for it after waiting months for the program's launch. The program -- part of the government's efforts to cut the number of public servants -- is meant to allow some federal workers to retire early without a pension penalty. It was announced in the fall...
OTTAWA -- Public servants who are eligible for the federal government's early retirement incentive can now apply for it after waiting months for the program's launch.
OTTAWA -- Public servants who are eligible for the federal government's early retirement incentive can now officially apply for it after delays in launching the program.
OTTAWA -- Voters in Terrebonne will use a write-in ballot in the upcoming byelection, as the Longest Ballot Committee has made the Quebec riding its latest target.
OTTAWA -- A federal union is warning the Canada Revenue Agency's decision to get rid of drop boxes as a method to file taxes will reduce access to services for hundreds of thousands of Canadians.
Members of Parliament continued debate on the government's contentious hate crimes bill Monday after they returned to Ottawa following a break week that saw both the Liberal and Conservative leaders on international trips. The Liberals have passed a motion to impose a time limit on debate for Bill C-9, which would define hatred in criminal law for the first time...
Canada's auditor general says the federal government is running out of time to clear the backlog of public service pay transactions under the old Phoenix system to avoid infecting the new system with errors. The federal government is working to replace the error-prone Phoenix with a new system, Dayforce, and all departments and agencies are expected to move to the...
OTTAWA -- Canada's auditor general says the federal government is running out of time to clear the backlog of public service pay transactions under the old Phoenix system to avoid infecting the new system with errors.
OTTAWA -- Canada's auditor general says the federal government is running out of time to clear the backlog of public service pay transactions under the old Phoenix system to avoid infecting the new system with errors.
OTTAWA -- Members of Parliament are back in the House of Commons today, where the government is expected to face tough questions about new auditor general reports and the ongoing war in Iran.
A federal public servant says she's "scared" to take up the government's early retirement offer after being told that she owes the government about $10,500 because of a mistake in her pay file. Jennifer MacDougall got the letter from the pay centre in February but said the situation itself stems back to between 2014 and 2018. MacDougall was working in...
OTTAWA -- A federal public servant says she's "scared" to take up the government's early retirement offer after being told that she owes the government about $10,500 because of a mistake in her pay file.
Canadians living abroad are calling for increased turnout among overseas voters and arguing that barriers to casting a ballot could be affecting election results. Timothy Veale, the director of Grits Abroad -- an organization aimed at connecting Canadian Liberal voters living worldwide -- said nearly five million Canadians live outside the country and roughly 3.5 million of them are eligible...
OTTAWA -- Canadians living abroad are calling for increased turnout among overseas voters and arguing that barriers to casting a ballot could be affecting election results.
Federal departments and agencies are looking to cut more than 12,000 full-time equivalent jobs over the next three years as part of the Carney government's spending review. That figure comes from plans released by federal departments and agencies for 2026-27 outlining how they'll shed billions of dollars to meet the government's cost-cutting targets. Multiple part-time positions can make up one...
OTTAWA -- Federal departments and agencies are looking to cut more than 12,000 full-time equivalent jobs over the next three years as part of the Carney government's spending review.
OTTAWA -- The federal government is appealing to the Supreme Court a lower court decision that found its use of the Emergencies Act four years ago during "Freedom Convoy" protests was unreasonable and led to the infringement of constitutional rights.
OTTAWA -- Unions and MPs say a bureau at Veterans Affairs Canada which provides free legal advice to veterans who have been denied disability benefits is about to have its workforce cut almost in half.
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to meet with King Charles while he's in the United Kingdom next week.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to meet with King Charles while he's in the United Kingdom next week. Carney is set to arrive in London on Sunday after visiting Norway to observe the NATO Cold Response exercises and participate in a Nordic-Canada Council summit. The prime minister is scheduled to meet with the King on Monday, close to a...
OTTAWA -- The federal government has tabled legislation in the House of Commons it says would help law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigate threats.
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