Jun 20 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s third official visit to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump got off to a better start than his last disastrous G7 meeting with the unpredictable president. Trump welcomed Trudeau to the Oval Office, calling him a “friend” and saying they would have a “positive day” and in a photo opportunity, Trump […]
Jun 18 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The federal Liberals will not legislate a national handgun ban, but will campaign next fall on allowing municipalities like Toronto to enact additional restrictions on handguns, says Bill Blair, the federal minister in charge of the file. Toronto got another sickening taste of gun violence Monday when four people were injured in a shooting during […]
Jun 14 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Washington next week with a key aim: to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump it is in America’s own interests to stand up for the release of two Canadians jailed on security allegations in China. Trudeau travels to Washington Wednesday evening with a to-do list that includes nailing down the […]
May 31 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The Canadian government is downplaying the latest explosion in U.S.-Mexico relations, calling U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of 5 per cent tariffs on all Mexican imports a “bilateral” border dispute that won’t stall the newly renegotiated three-way free trade pact. The new U.S. action to impose punishing escalating tariffs on Mexican imports to force a […]
May 10 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Vice Admiral Mark Norman’s criminal trial for allegedly leaking cabinet secrets about a delayed navy ship contract is over, but the Navy commander has still not returned to active duty, and the political, legal and operational implications of the ill-fated case are reverberating across official Ottawa. The professional fallout for Norman, who was effectively cleared […]
Apr 20 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau is framing the next election in stark terms. The prime minister told Liberal volunteers and supporters last week the Oct. 21 vote will be “about what kind of country we want to live in, and who we want to be.”
Apr 12 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is portraying Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer as irresponsibly fuelling anger and division in the country in order to score political gains. In remarks Trudeau prepared to deliver to the Ontario wing of the federal Liberal party in Mississauga Friday night, Trudeau made only passing reference […]
Apr 3 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The Liberal government could invoke a “public interest” exception that would allow SNC-Lavalin to avoid a 10-year federal contract ban even if it is criminally convicted, according to a justice department memo. But the justice department advice, which had been requested by the Privy Council Office (PCO) but never delivered, says the reasons to grant […]
Mar 28 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — As former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould debated whether to intervene in the corruption prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, she received legal advice from her department that underscored what an unprecedented move that would be. The legal advice prepared by the department set out her possible options on the SNC-Lavalin prosecution, including the ability to seek outside legal […]
Mar 22 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — With the caucus fate of two Liberal MPs and ex-Cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott on the line, the Liberal government insists it has complied with a parliamentary law on who gets the final call on whether the two MPs get kicked out of caucus. But it won’t tell the public what the Liberal […]
Mar 20 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — ho decides who’s in and who’s out of Liberal caucus? Is it the prime minister? Is it caucus? You can be forgiven for not knowing. As the governing Liberals have tried to figure out what to do about former cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, even they don’t appear to be sure. It should […]
Mar 5 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Attorney General David Lametti has sought an external legal opinion on “issues” raised by the controversial SNC-Lavalin case, which has seen two ministers resign over the PMO’s handling of the affair, the Star has learned. “The minister has sought outside advice on some of the issues raised by the matter, which is typical on high-profile […]
Mar 1 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The Trudeau government has refused an opposition demand to recall Parliament to deal with the SNC-Lavalin affair, and is setting the stage to counter Jody Wilson-Raybould’s allegations of improper political meddling in the company’s criminal trial. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wrote Trudeau jointly Friday to ask him to recall MPs […]
Feb 28 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — A deal to allow SNC-Lavalin to avoid criminal liability could still be on the table amid a furor over whether the Trudeau government tried to meddle in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, the Star has learned. “My understanding is when criminal proceedings are ongoing that that option is always available,” Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla […]
Feb 19 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau faced stunned cabinet ministers and a blistering NDP call for a public inquiry Tuesday, a day after his principal secretary Gerald Butts resigned while vowing to fight allegations of political interference by the Prime Minister’s Office in a criminal case. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who along with Butts and Trudeau’s chief of […]