Elizabeth Thompson

Elizabeth Thompson

Government abruptly suspends citizenship certificates issued under 'lost Canadians' law

Thousands granted citizenship certificates after change late last year. The federal government has suddenly suspended a number of Canadian citizenship certificates issued to people around the world who became eligible for citizenship late last year. In a notice emailed Saturday to an unknown number of people who successfully applied for and obtained citizenship certificates based on having a Canadian ancestor...

Elizabeth Thompson

Thousands are now Canadians under new citizenship law. Half of them are Americans

Sharp increase in applications after court required Ottawa to change rules. Thousands of people around the world have received Canadian citizenship certificates as a result of a change late last year to federal law. Half of them Americans, CBC News has learned. In the first three months since the change, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued proof of citizenship...

Elizabeth Thompson

Despite change to lobbying rules, foreign governments and groups still funding MP travel

A small change to Canada’s lobbying rules has led to a big drop in free trips for members of Parliament, a CBC News analysis found — however many MPs continue to head to destinations like Taiwan, China and India courtesy of foreign governments and groups not registered to lobby. Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, praised the change but said...

Elizabeth Thompson

Prime minister should be required to divest investments, says committee

Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian prime ministers should be required to divest their investment portfolios when they assume office, not just put them in a blind trust, the House of Commons ethics committee recommends in a new report.

Elizabeth Thompson

Is it Mark Carney or is it AI? Government contemplating artificial intelligence to help handle letters, e-mails to the PM

Was it Prime Minister Mark Carney or was it AI? That’s a question thousands of Canadians who receive a letter back from Canada’s prime minister may be asking in the not-too-distant future as the government contemplates a plan to replace some of the people who handle his correspondence with new technology like artificial intelligence. In its most recent departmental planning...

Elizabeth Thompson

Conservatives call for ethics probe of Champagne as questions raised over high-speed rail

Finance minister's partner is a VP of company running government-funded project. The Conservative Party is calling on the House of Commons ethics watchdog to launch an investigation into whether Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne breached ethics rules regarding his partner's involvement in a federal government-funded high speed rail project. In a letter to Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von...

Sponsored international travel by MPs drops to 15-year low outside of COVID-19 pandemic

Elizabeth Thompson

U.S. customs searched a record number of electronic devices last year

Recently revised directive adds flash drives, smart watches to searchable devices. United States customs officers conducted a record number of searches of electronic devices last year of people travelling to the U.S., and a recent update to its directives adds new devices such as smart watches, SIM cards and flash drives to the list of things subject to search. Officers...

Elizabeth Thompson

Foreign influence commissioner could monitor an Alberta referendum on separation

Canada's new foreign influence watchdog says his mandate will include attempts by foreign agents to interfere at the provincial and municipal level across Canada, including any attempt on behalf of a foreign government to influence a referendum on Alberta separation.

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada should do more to screen visitors from China: former CSIS analyst

As Canada opens up to China, it should do more to ensure that the country doesn't use the opportunity to increase transnational repression against members of the Chinese diaspora living here, warns a veteran national security expert.

Dave Seglins, Elizabeth Thompson

Amid 'Buy Canadian' fervour, Canada's top pension funds still heavily invested in U.S.

CPP announces record $780B in assets — 47% in the U.S. For all the fear over the U.S. trade war and President Donald Trump's threats to Canadian sovereignty, this country's biggest pension funds remain heavily invested in the U.S. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP), the largest pension fund in the country, announced this week that it has grown to a...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada's next election likely to face AI-assisted interference, watchdogs say

Bad actors will likely use artificial intelligence to try to disrupt Canada's next federal election, warn two of the country's top election watchdogs.

Elizabeth Thompson

How is Carney's government filling high-level jobs? Some recent appointments have bypassed Trudeau's reforms

Some recent appointments have bypassed Trudeau's reforms. It's a landmark appointment that could shed new light on the inner workings of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. If all goes as planned, Anton Boegman will soon become Canada's first-ever foreign influence transparency commissioner, charged with protecting the country from foreign interference. However, the process that led to his appointment appears to...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada poised to name its first foreign interference commissioner

Canada is set to name its first foreign interference commissioner. Speaking to CBC News on his way out of question period, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he sent a letter to opposition parties on Monday to advise them of the government's choice for commissioner. "As of an hour ago, we have written to the opposition party leaders with a...

Elizabeth Thompson

Former MP Charlie Angus planned a quiet retirement. Now, he'd rather 'kick at the darkness'

Longtime NDP MP takes 'shit disturber' ethos across the country — and to YouTube. Sitting in Ottawa's Rainbow Bistro, preparing for his band to play a gig, former MP Charlie Angus was reflecting on the past year. His plan to quietly retire and write a book turned into creating viral videos viewed around the world and a cross-Canada tour to...

Elizabeth Thompson

New study finds AI chatbots can influence some Canadians to change their vote

Study found Canadians were more likely to be swayed than Americans. Talking with an AI chatbot can successfully convince people to change their votes and could affect the outcome of future elections, according to a new study. The study, which included 1,530 Canadians, also found that the chatbots had more success convincing Canadians to switch their votes than it did...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canadian boycott of U.S. hitting border states hard: Congressional report

Democrats point to Trump's policies hurting American businesses. The drop in Canadian tourism to the United States in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's actions is hurting American businesses in several states, a new report by a congressional committee has found. The report, prepared by the Democrat minority of the U.S. Congress's joint economic committee, warns that states along the...

Elizabeth Thompson

Cost of Carney's Egypt summit flight ballooned to $736K with no air force plane available

Prime Minister Mark Carney's last-minute trip to October's Gaza peace summit in Egypt cost Canadian taxpayers more than $736,466 — more than three times higher than it would have been if the Royal Canadian Air Force had been able to supply a plane. While the government chartered a Bombardier Global 5000 jet from the Chartright Air Group, in an answer...

Elizabeth Thompson

Alberta energy deal was 'the last straw,' says Guilbeault after cabinet resignation

Trudeau-era environment minister left Carney cabinet last week. Canada will not be able to achieve the climate change targets it has set given recent decisions by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, warns former Liberal minister Steven Guilbeault. Speaking on Radio-Canada's Tout le monde en parle, Guilbeault said recent decisions by Carney’s government, such as last week’s memorandum of understanding with...

Elizabeth Thompson

New location feature on X sheds light on accounts — but also has errors

Tool could help spot fraudsters, interference but should be examined critically: expert. Canadian researchers who track online misinformation and foreign interference are welcoming a new feature that reveals the location of an X account but warn that it still has glitches and its results should be taken with a grain of salt.

Elizabeth Thompson

MPs urge Carney government to release special agency governing documents

Government says documents once considered public are now secret. Opposition MPs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to make public the documents that govern three special agencies it has created to manage billions of dollars for major projects, defence procurement and the construction of affordable homes.

Elizabeth Thompson

How do Carney's special agencies work? Governing documents are out of public view

PM turns to an old model to create agencies for housing, defence and major projects. It’s an old model getting a new lease on life. They started in 1989 under Brian Mulroney’s government — an experiment by a government facing economic pressures to innovate and deliver results more efficiently. Over the next few years, the federal government created more than...

Elizabeth Thompson

Ontario's anti-tariff ad is clever, effective and legally sound, experts say

'The bottom line is, the ad was getting attention.'An Ontario government ad that attracted the wrath of U.S. President Donald Trump was successful — even if it didn’t produce the outcome provincial officials might have anticipated, say experts in political communication. And, they expect, it will not face any serious legal challenges in the U.S., which allows a lot of...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada issues warning for citizens with gender-neutral passports travelling to U.S.

The Canadian government is warning citizens who list "X" as their gender on their passports could have problems entering the U.S. In a change made earlier this week, the Department of Global Affairs added an advisory to its United States travel advice page for 2SLGBTQ+ Canadian passport holders.

Elizabeth Thompson

Federal government adopts new strategy to reduce animal testing

The federal government has launched a new strategy to reduce the number of animals used in regulatory laboratory testing across Canada — a strategy that some experts estimate could result in thousands fewer animals each year being subjected to painful or toxic tests. The strategy, published online in mid-July, calls for the government to identify and promote the use of...

Elizabeth Thompson, Aloysius Wong

Foreign interference watchdog to be named next month, public safety minister says

Canada's first foreign interference watchdog will be named next month and a new foreign agent registry will be launched later this fall, said Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree. In an interview with CBC News, Anandasangaree said fighting transnational repression and foreign interference in Canada "is an utmost priority of the prime minister." He said Prime Minister Mark Carney has tasked...

Elizabeth Thompson

Who controls the food supply? Proposed changes to seed reuse reopens debate

It's a small change that risks cultivating a big debate. On one side is the principle of farmer's privilege — the traditional right of Canadian farmers to save seeds at the end of a growing season and reuse them the next year. On the other is the principle of plant breeders' rights — the right of those who develop new...

Elizabeth Thompson

Trump's 'revenge tax' on other countries could hit U.S.

Tax that could hit Canadians comes with risk to U.S. revenue, investments. A controversial tax being proposed by President Donald Trump's administration that could cost Canadians and Canadian businesses billions is also likely to cost the U.S. government, according to an assessment by a non-partisan U.S. congressional office. It is also likely to cost American companies by prompting investors from...

Elizabeth Thompson

Sexual orientation question to appear on census for first time in 2026

Canadian residents will be asked about their sexual orientation in next year's national census, CBC News has learned. While Statistics Canada has asked about sexual orientation in past surveys, next year will mark the first time the question will appear on the long-form census questionnaire that will go out to 25 per cent of Canadian residents in May 2026.

Elizabeth Thompson

How could Canada's pension fund invest more at home? Finance committee chair wants to know

Canada Pension Plan managers face the prospect of hearings by the House of Commons finance committee after MPs learned that only a small fraction of the public pension plan's billions of dollars of assets are invested in Canada. Liberal MP Karina Gould, the newly elected chair of the committee, said it is important for the CPP to be managed effectively...

Elizabeth Thompson

Nearly half of national public pension plan is invested in U.S. — and only 12% in Canada

As a former top Finance Department official, Susan Peterson played a key role years ago in creating the stable Canada Pension Plan that we see today. But even she was surprised by the numbers. A few weeks ago, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) revealed that 12 per cent of the CPP's assets are invested in Canada — its...

Elizabeth Thompson

Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax reform bill could cost Canadians billions

Section of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill could hit Canadian investors with new tax. A small, obscure section buried in U.S. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act could cost Canadians and Canadian companies billions of dollars, CBC News has learned. Moreover, it could hand Prime Minister Mark Carney's government yet another political hot potato from south of the...

Elizabeth Thompson

It's time to act on foreign interference, attacks on dissidents, say opposition MPs

Critics call for Carney government to implement foreign agents registry, commissioner. Opposition parties are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to quickly implement key provisions of the law adopted last year to counter foreign interference following new revelations that attacks on Chinese dissidents living in Canada and around the world are on the rise. Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael...

Elizabeth Thompson

Followed, threatened and smeared — attacks by China against its critics in Canada are on the rise

CBC/ICIJ investigations reveal increasing transnational repression here and around the world. For Yao Zhang, the news came as a shock. Sexually explicit, deepfake images of her were circulating widely online — an attack that Ottawa blamed on the Chinese government. It wasn't the first time Zhang had been targeted by China. Shortly after the Quebec-based accountant-turned-influencer travelled to Taiwan in...

Elizabeth Thompson

The economy, housing, pipelines: Not all claims in the federal election campaign were true

In an election campaign plagued by misinformation, exaggerated claims and even lies, how can voters tell what's true? CBC's Election Fact Check Unit has looked into dozens of statements made by the leaders of the four largest federal parties. It found that each of the leaders — some more than others — has at times made statements or cited facts...

Elizabeth Thompson

5 things federal party leaders keep getting wrong

In the cut and thrust of an election debate, it's not uncommon for a political party leader to get a number or a fact wrong. But sometimes they repeat those erroneous statements — both on the campaign trail and the debate stage. The CBC News fact-checking team looked into some of the inaccurate claims that leaders have made more than...

Elizabeth Thompson

These are the assets disclosed by Canada's party leaders, and the rules that govern them

It's an election centred on U.S. President Donald Trump's threats, Canada's sovereignty and the cost of living. From the start, however, Liberal Leader Mark Carney's past work in the private sector and the rules that govern the assets of political leaders have also been in the spotlight.

Elizabeth Thompson

Non-sufficient funds fee will be limited to $10 in Canada starting next year

In one of its last acts in office, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government decided to give Canadians a break at the bank. According to an order-in-council dated March 12, two days before Trudeau resigned, banks won't be allowed to charge more than $10 if someone doesn't have enough money in their personal accounts to cover a cheque or a...

Elizabeth Thompson

Opposition parties slam Trudeau cabinet's future appointments to government agencies

88 appointments take effect after former prime minister stepped down. Prime Minister Mark Carney should review a series of future appointments made by his predecessor's government and shouldn't automatically accept them, Green Party Co-Leader Elizabeth May said Friday. In an interview with CBC News, May said appointments have to be filled but it was "a huge mistake" to make so...

Elizabeth Thompson

Trudeau government made dozens of appointments after announcing he'd resign

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has stacked agencies and Crown corporations with dozens of "future appointments" and early appointment renewals, many of which would only go into effect weeks and months after the next election. A CBC News analysis of order-in-council appointments made since Jan. 6, when Trudeau announced he would step down as prime minister, found 88 future appointments...

Elizabeth Thompson

Transition process to replace Justin Trudeau is quietly underway

Swearing-in date unclear, but work done now will speed up the timeline. Far from the political spotlight and prying eyes, the process has already begun. When the next Liberal leader is announced on March 9, it will mark the end of the leadership campaign triggered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to resign.

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada on Capitol Hill: Inside the fight against Trump's tariffs

Ambassador Kirsten Hillman leading campaign to persuade Trump, U.S. lawmakers. Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds has said some unkind things about Canada. But when the Trump ally welcomed Canadian Ambassador Kirsten Hillman into his Capitol Hill office, it started out all smiles. "I hear that you have just announced that you're running for governor," Hillman enthused. "Congratulations!"

Elizabeth Thompson

Why Canada can't strip Elon Musk of Canadian citizenship

An online petition calling on the Canadian government to revoke Elon Musk's citizenship is on track to become one of the most popular in the history of the House of Commons. There's just one problem — Canada can't revoke Musk's citizenship.

Elizabeth Thompson

Violent extremists are using antisemitism to recruit in Canada: CSIS report

Report says antisemitic commentary is used to gain both support and new members. Ideologically motivated violent extremist groups are using antisemitism in a bid to recruit followers and inspire violence, according to a report from Canada's spy agency. The report dated May 2024, released under the access to information law by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said the extremist...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canadian residents are racing to save the data in Trump's crosshairs

The call to Angela Rasmussen came out of the blue and posed a troubling question. Had she heard the rumour that key data sets would be removed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website the next day? It's something Rasmussen had thought could never happen. "It had never really been thought of before that CDC would actually...

Elizabeth Thompson

Trump's tariffs could make sending a package or crossing the border costlier — and more complicated

It could get more complicated — and potentially more expensive — for Canadians to cross the border or send packages to the United States, if President Donald Trump's executive order on tariffs goes into effect. Businesses that export products to the U.S. have warned that Trump's plan for 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods could lead to losses...

Elizabeth Thompson

Green Party leader wants Parliament to adopt foreign interference changes before election

Federal political parties should work together to quickly adopt recommendations made by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue's inquiry into foreign interference before the next election, says Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. In her report made public Tuesday, Hogue made 51 recommendations — 24 of which she said should be adopted before the next federal election.

Elizabeth Thompson

NDP MP Angus calls for investigation into Elon Musk over potential election interference

MP says Musk has the power to 'easily impact our electoral integrity.' New Democrat MP Charlie Angus is calling on Elections Canada to launch an investigation into Elon Musk and his social media platform X, saying he is concerned about potential interference by the tech billionaire in the next federal election. In a two-page letter to Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane...

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada bracing for possible influx of asylum claimants after Trump immigration orders

Canadian refugee advocates, federal government departments and immigration lawyers are bracing for a potential influx of asylum claimants following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive orders this week.

Elizabeth Thompson

Chrystia Freeland — the minister with the mile-wide mandate — leaves a massive hole in cabinet

Speaking to journalists in Toronto on Friday, Chrystia Freeland didn't want to talk about the whispers around Parliament Hill that tensions between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were running high. "I'm proud and grateful to be able to serve in the cabinet of the prime minister," Freeland said. "I really don't spend a lot of time focusing on Ottawa...

Elizabeth Thompson

Did Justin Trudeau's meeting with Donald Trump break a 225-year-old U.S law?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump last week likely violated a 225-year-old U.S. law, but experts say it's highly unlikely that Trump will face any consequences. On Friday, Trudeau surprised Canadians by making an unannounced trip to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. Over dinner, Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and the prime...

Elizabeth Thompson

MPs call on owner of pulp and paper firm to testify on links to controversial company

Parliament's Natural Resources committee voted unanimously Monday to call on Paper Excellence owner Jackson Wijaya to testify, following news that he is assuming sole control of controversial pulp and paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper from his father. New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said he wants the committee to hear from Wijaya as well as Canadian government officials who said...

Elizabeth Thompson, Zach Dubinsky,

Canadian government will monitor pulp and paper giant's promises, minister says

The Canadian government will monitor Canada's largest pulp and paper company to ensure it respects the promises it made the federal government as the company's owner takes over his family's controversial Indonesian-Chinese pulp and paper conglomerate, Natural Resource Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told a parliamentary committee Wednesday.

Elizabeth Thompson

Canadian MPs among social media users pivoting from X to Bluesky in the wake of U.S. vote

New Democrat MP Charlie Angus decided he had enough. "I have tried three times to get off X because it is a dismal, toxic, hole of disinformation," said Angus, who used to regularly post to his 47,200 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. "After seeing what went down with the Trump election, the belligerent role of Elon Musk in...

Zach Dubinsky,, Elizabeth Thompson

'We got completely played for suckers,' MP says of recent takeovers in Canadian forestry

Opposition MPs are expressing concern that after buying up two major Canadian companies, the foreign owner of one of Canada's biggest forestry businesses is now also formally taking over an Indonesian-Chinese pulp and paper conglomerate from his family — a company he has long denied operating in tandem with. A half-page notice quietly published by the European Union on Monday...

Elizabeth Thompson

RCMP plans to go undercover online to trap violent extremists

Internal document says Mounties will use fake online profiles to pursue extremist activity. The RCMP is planning to conduct undercover surveillance online using fake personas to investigate ideological extremists in Canada, says an internal strategy document. Experts in ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE) in Canada say the strategy is overdue at a time when online extremism threatens to spill over...

Elizabeth Thompson

Staffing at Canada's embassy in Moscow falls to 'bare bones' level

Staffing at Canada's embassy in Moscow has dropped to a level so low that if Canada were to expel any Russian diplomats from this country, it could result in the Moscow embassy's closure. Documents made public by the inquiry into foreign interference in Canada reveal that, as of July, Canada had only 17 diplomats left at its embassy in Russia...

Elizabeth Thompson

Trudeau tells inquiry some Conservative parliamentarians are involved in foreign interference

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has the names of Conservative parliamentarians who are involved in foreign interference. In explosive testimony before the foreign interference inquiry today, Trudeau said he has instructed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to warn Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and protect the party's integrity.

Elizabeth Thompson

All party leaders should get security clearances to fight foreign interference: Trudeau's chief of staff

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre still has not obtained clearance. One of the best ways to fight foreign interference in Canadian politics is for all party leaders to be security-screened so that intelligence that could affect their parties or candidates can be shared with them, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff said Tuesday. Testifying before the inquiry into foreign interference...

Elizabeth Thompson

China's foreign interference goes beyond elections, intelligence expert says

China's foreign interference extends beyond elections to other key areas of Canadian society, the public inquiry on foreign interference was told Monday.