Jan 18 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he wants Ontario MP Derek Sloan kicked out of the party caucus over a donation to his leadership campaign from a white supremacist. In a statement Monday evening, O'Toole said accepting the contribution is "far worse than a gross error of judgment or failure of due diligence" by […]
Jan 14 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Black Conservatives energized by the rising star of Leslyn Lewis hope to use her unexpectedly robust leadership bid to bolster Black representation in the party's ranks. The relaunch of one formal group of Black Conservatives and the ramped-up efforts of another come as the Conservative Party of Canada faces pressure to more firmly […]
Jan 12 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Liberal MP Navdeep Bains has announced he's stepping down from his role as innovation, science and industry minister and won't run again in the next election in the riding of Mississauga-Malton. Here is a list of other MPs who've also publicly stated they won't seek re-election: — Diane Finley, who has been a […]
Jan 8 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — International students are being offered a new work permit by the federal government in a bid to convince more to settle here permanently. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says former students who hold post-graduation work permits that have expired or will soon expire can now apply for open work permits. He says that will […]
Jan 5 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his frustration Tuesday as signs pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic taking a dark turn in Canada. In London, Ont., the morgue was at capacity, a field hospital was opened in Burlington, Ont., Quebec officials were mulling a near-total lockdown and New Brunswick decided to tighten up as well […]
Jan 5 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A new survey suggests nearly half of Canadians visited with family or friends over the winter holiday period. The Léger/Association for Canadian Studies poll found 48 per cent of those surveyed visited with people outside their households, compared to 52 per cent who said they did not. Public health officials had pleaded with […]
Dec 28 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — For all the bluster among federal political leaders about not wanting an election any time soon, the political truth is as cold as a winter's wind: the potential for one is a reality in 2021. For now, political parties say getting through the long dark winter without the health-care system collapsing due to […]
Dec 21 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted the federal government Monday for not moving faster on COVID-19 testing for incoming international travellers as a new variant prompted more border closures. Late Sunday, the federal government announced it was banning all incoming passenger flights from the U.K. for 72 hours due to a new manifestation of […]
Dec 14 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — The year 2020 will go down as the worst for refugee resettlement in recent history, says the UN refugee agency's Canadian representative. With nearly 168 countries implementing border and travel restrictions, millions of displaced people around the globe were stuck, unable to either return to their home countries or move to others. Canada, […]
Dec 12 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Ali Mansour spent his first two weeks in Canada watching through a window as winter give way to spring and squirrels ran across the lawn. As one of the last refugees to arrive in Canada before the border closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it still felt like freedom. "It felt like I […]
Dec 9 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Some asylum-seekers who toiled on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis earlier this year will be able to apply for permanent residency in Canada beginning Dec. 14. The federal government announced the program for the "guardian angels" working in health care back in August and has spent the last several months hammering […]
Dec 7 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Opposition political leaders blasted the Liberal government for its piecemeal approach to a plan to get COVID-19 vaccines to Canadians, saying it risks people's confidence in the science and their ability to have hope for their own futures. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole blamed people's fear of the safety of the vaccine — embodied […]
Dec 3 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole blamed the Liberal government Thursday for the fact some Canadians are casting doubt on the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 24,000 Canadians have signed a petition headed for the House of Commons that raises doubts about the safety of vaccines, suggesting among other things that they are being […]
Nov 28 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Canadian egg and poultry farmers who've lost domestic market share due to two recent free trade agreements will soon have access to $691 million in federal cash, Canada's agriculture minister announced Saturday.Marie-Claude Bibeau shared details of the long-awaited funds in a virtual news conference. "Today we position our young farmers for growth and […]
Nov 26 2020 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Eric Duncan, the first openly gay Conservative MP, laced into the federal health minister Thursday over the Liberals failure to end a ban on gay men donating blood. In a heated and emotional exchange during a late-night committee hearing in the House of Commons, Duncan pressed Patty Hajdu repeatedly, including a direct question […]