Articles by Tonda MacCharles

Jan 16 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The Chinese government has rejected the Trudeau government’s appeal for clemency for Robert Lloyd Schellenberg who saw a 15-year jail sentence on drug trafficking converted to the death penalty. In a news conference in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying turned aside Canada’s criticism of a hastily-convened judicial appeal Monday where Schellenberg was sentenced to […]

Jan 15 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned a Chinese court’s decision Monday to sentence a Canadian man to death on drug trafficking charges, but there is new reason to doubt that China will be persuaded to grant clemency. The Star has learned that China has previously dismissed clemency pleas by a former prime minister, Stephen Harper, and […]

Jan 11 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — It was, surprisingly, the first of the evening though Saskatchewan is leading the charge against what Trudeau and the Liberals long ago began calling a “carbon price” or “price on pollution.” At the end of his long answer to Jason LeBlanc, an Estevan farmer who challenged Trudeau, the prime minister declared the ballot box question […]

Jan 7 2019 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office says U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to “continue” to seek the release of two Canadians believed to be arbitrarily detained in China. According to his office, Trudeau spoke to Trump Monday about a handful of bilateral issues including steel and aluminum tariffs, the closure of GM plants in both […]

Dec 20 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Around 200 Canadians are currently detained in China for a variety of reasons, the Star has learned. The staggering number paints a worrying picture of what is at stake for the federal Liberal government — and for many individuals abroad and their families here — when it comes to dealing with Beijing’s newly aggressive posture […]

Dec 18 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer believes he will be prime minister by this time next year, after defeating Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lead his party to a majority government. If he only holds Trudeau to a minority government, Scheer believes Conservatives will be happy for him to stick around as leader and try […]

Dec 14 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits he is worried about the “unintended consequences” of an escalating trade fight between China and the United States, but will give no ground to demands he get involved in an extradition case. With two Canadians now detained in China after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the behest of […]

Dec 14 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Canada’s Liberal government is jammed in the midst of two belligerent superpowers — China and the United States — as it ponders the extraordinary extradition case of Meng Wanzhou. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might be wishing he was in the same position a Liberal predecessor of his, Paul Martin, once was.

Dec 13 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — In the wake of Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a high-profile Chinese business executive wanted by the U.S, China’s foreign ministry says it has detained two Canadians “on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China’s state security.” Both men were arrested two days after China threatened Canada with “grave consequences” if Meng — the […]

Dec 7 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Canada’s stunning arrest of a top executive of China’s telecom giant Huawei on a U.S. extradition request rippled through stock markets and around the world Thursday, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying he had nothing to do with the decision by Canadian justice officials. The arrest on Saturday of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer […]

Dec 6 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The federal government is considering further restrictions on handguns but will stop short of an absolute ban, as the cost to buy back legally owned handguns is pegged as high as $2 billion, the Star has learned. Escalating gun violence across the country, including Toronto, spurred calls for the federal Liberals to act. After public […]

Nov 22 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — MPs across party lines are raising alarms about Interpol’s “credibility and integrity” after the head of the international policing organization disappeared in China and a Russian general was nearly elected this week to replace him in the top job. Liberal MP John McKay, chair of the Commons public safety committee which called a special meeting […]

Nov 14 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — After more than a year of wooing bipartisan support in the United States to ensure cross-border free trade did not collapse in a wave of protectionism and “America First” rhetoric, the Canadian government says it will stand back as the American debate over the new trade pact picks up steam. In Windsor, Foreign Affairs Minister […]

Nov 9 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — On a dreary November day, Ben Whitney made the trek from London to Ottawa with a message for lawmakers and Finance Minister Bill Morneau. While it’s great the government nailed a new North American free trade deal, companies like his are struggling to compete, and are getting hammered by the 25-per-cent steel and 10-per-cent aluminum […]

Sep 13 2018 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Liberal members of Parliament from Toronto unanimously condemned Thursday Premier Doug Ford’s decision to use the constitutional override clause to cut Toronto city council. In a statement obtained by the Star, all 25 federal MPs from the city of Toronto called on all provincial MPPs to defeat Ford’s legislation tabled Wednesday at Queen’s Park, calling […]