Mar 16 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole reversed his predecessor's position on foreign aid spending Tuesday, saying that if elected, a Conservative government wouldn't cut that budget. But he said he would look to mirror previous Conservative foreign aid programs that tied funds to specific, measurable outcomes. "I want to maintain and modernize and make more […]
Mar 11 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A cross-partisan effort by MPs to be united in a call for the Liberal government to increase foreign aid spending on the humanitarian crisis created by the global pandemic devolved quickly into partisan bickering Thursday. But the members of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee insisted they are on the same page […]
Mar 11 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A state-affiliated publication in China says two Canadian men will "soon" receive their first trial after more than two years in detention. But a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada says Canadian diplomats have not been notified of any court hearings and are not aware of any set timelines for trials. Michael Kovrig and […]
Mar 11 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative party members will meet virtually next week for what officials say will be the largest convention in their history. The three-day event is the first since Erin O'Toole was elected leader last summer, and also since the last federal election. Each of the party's conventions since their founding one in 2005 has […]
Mar 10 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative party members will debate a range of policy proposals at next weekend's convention but so far, none will be about abortion. That's despite a flat-out push by anti-abortion groups to get several proposals up for debate, including their Holy Grail: deleting the existing policy that a Conservative government will not regulate abortion. […]
Mar 8 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Members of Parliament zipped through two votes in 30 minutes Monday as they began using new technology allowing them to cast votes with their mobile devices. The voting app is the latest adaptation of the parliamentary process to allow MPs to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes nearly a year since […]
Mar 3 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A Conservative MP has joined the chorus of voices calling for an end to COVID-19 lockdowns. Ontario MP David Sweet says the pandemic-related restrictions are causing huge psychological and economic damage.He says the public health measures should focus on vulnerable communities, not healthy individuals.Sweet took part in non-essential travel earlier this year and […]
Feb 26 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole spent $3.69 million on his campaign to win the leadership of his party last year. But having raised more than $3.7 million, he ended the race with a small surplus, according to a final campaign return submitted to Elections Canada. While all leadership candidates for political parties submit reports […]
Feb 18 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Newly arriving refugees will have the cost of their mandatory hotel quarantines and COVID-19 tests covered by the federal government. Word the cost will be removed from the shoulders of private sponsors comes just days before tougher border measures are set to go into place: as of Monday, most incoming travellers to Canada […]
Feb 18 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — The Conservatives called Thursday for the House of Commons to formally declare crimes against minority Uighur Muslims in China a genocide. The move is the latest by the Tories to ratchet up pressure on the Liberal government to take action in response to the situation in China's Xinjiang province. The motion is non-binding […]
Feb 12 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Tighter border controls will come into effect Feb. 22, the prime minister said Friday, not to punish travellers but to try to keep everyone safe. Forcing most who land at airports into a mandatory three-day hotel quarantine — at their own expense — and requiring multiple COVID-19 tests is meant to help prevent […]
Feb 12 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — The federal government is promising more details on new quarantine rules for incoming travellers today. A mandatory three-day quarantine for air travellers arriving in Canada was announced last month. But details of how the program will work and when it will take effect have yet to be revealed. What's known now is that […]
Feb 11 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Seventy-six LGBTQ projects in Canada have received $15 million in federal money.The money follows up on a promise in the 2019 federal budget to set up a fund to encourage and support the development of LGBTQ organizations.Programs across the country are receiving money, including those working with LGBTQ refugees, Indigenous youth and transgender […]
Feb 10 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole scripted more of his party's electoral strategy Wednesday, creating new critic portfolios to signal where his focus will be when Canadians go to the polls: a plan for economic recovery. His move to shuffle his front benches included punting longtime Tory finance critic Pierre Poilievre out of the marquee […]
Feb 9 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Some of the thousands of Canadians told they'd have to repay federal emergency COVID-19 benefits will get to keep the money after all. Self-employed Canadians who'd applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit based on their gross income, instead of their net, won't have to cut cheques, the government announced Tuesday, an about-face […]