In the aftermath of U.S. strikes on Iran Saturday night, Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for parties to “return immediately to the negotiating table,” and for de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. “Iran’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security, and Canada has been consistently clear that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear...
As the federal government passes its contentious bill to streamline approvals of so-called nation-building projects, B.C. Premier David Eby says he’s doubtful he can be convinced of the need to build a new pipeline through his province. The Liberals’ Bill C-5 — dubbed the Building Canada Act — passed 306 to 31 on Friday, just minutes before the House rose...
Interest has spiked in the Canadian military, with recruitment levels hitting their highest point in a decade. But as more people walk in the door, thousands of enrolled members are deciding to walk out.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will depart for Europe on Sunday for back-to-back summits where he is expected to make major commitments for Canada on security and defence. Carney will be joined by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Defence Minister David McGuinty and secretary of state for defence procurement Stephen Fuhr at the EU and NATO summits, where military procurement and...
The U.S. military struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, directly joining Israel ‘s war aimed at decapitating the country’s nuclear program in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe amid Tehran’s threat of reprisals that could spark a wider regional conflict. Addressing the nation from the White House, President Donald Trump said Iran’s key nuclear sites were “completely...
There’s a new coalition in town. If the last Parliament was dominated by the Conservatives’ insistence that the Liberal-NDP alliance had spun the country into an irreversible state of disarray, the opening weeks of the latest session has put a new pact on the map.
First Nations youth leaders are warning Canadians can expect a long, tense summer of protests as governments push forward with plans to fast-track major projects -- and young people will be leading the charge. "You will see us in your cities, your city's hubs," said Ramon Kataquapit, a youth councillor with the Chiefs of Ontario and Nishnawbe Aski Nation and...
Defence Minister David McGuinty's office says it's considering a "combination of approaches" to boosting pay for armed service members, including introducing retention bonuses for "stress trades." "This investment represents an almost 20 per cent increase to the overall CAF compensation envelope," McGuinty's spokesperson Laurent de Casanove said in an email statement to The Canadian Press. "The Department of National Defence...
One of Canada's intelligence agencies says it "improperly" shared information about Canadians that it had obtained "incidentally" with international partners. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) shared some details about the incident after the intelligence commissioner — the quasi-judicial position that reviews the cyber spy agency's activities — flagged the case in his annual report tabled in Parliament earlier this week.
Members of the Conservative party will hold a national convention in late January, where they'll vote on Pierre Poilievre's leadership. The party's national council has scheduled the convention for Jan. 29 and 31 in Calgary. Poilievre, who lost his seat in the House of Commons in the April election, will face a secret ballot vote on his continued leadership.
Canada's transport minister says she is "dismayed" BC Ferries contracted a Chinese state-owned shipyard to build four new vessels in the current geopolitical context that includes "unjustified" tariffs on Canada. Chrystia Freeland, in a letter to her B.C. counterpart Mike Farnworth, said she expects BC Ferries to inform her of all measures it plans to take to "mitigate any security...
Canada’s first indigenous Governor General, born to an Inuk mother and an English father who managed the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) outpost in Nunavik, located in northern Quebec, insists any indigenous artifacts the company has in its possession need to be returned. “These are things that belong to the people,” Mary Simon told CTV News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor...
A security and defence partnership pact Prime Minister Mark Carney will sign with European leaders in Brussels on Monday will be among the most wide-ranging agreements with a third country Europe has ever reached, a senior EU official said on Friday. Carney is flying to Europe Sunday for a Canada -- EU Summit, planned for Monday evening with European Council...
Conservative members of Parliament voted with the minority Liberal government to pass its marquee major projects legislation Friday evening, setting it up to become law before Canada Day. The legislation, also known as the one Canadian economy act, would allow the government to green-light a list of projects that have been deemed to be in the national interest, fast-tracking their...
The rush to get to nation-building projects has seen at least two governments, Ottawa and Queen's Park in Ontario, push for legislation that will speed the process along. That has caused some concern by those who feel the push may be too fast. Chantal Hebert and Rob Russo are here to talk about that and much more.
The Liberal government is reviewing a series of changes to add oversight and restrain some — but not all — of the extraordinary powers created under its controversial legislation to fast-track major development projects. The proposed law, Bill C-5, has sparked warnings of Indigenous resistance in the coming weeks, along with condemnation from environmental groups, and some reservations within the...
Prime Minister Mark Carney's major projects and internal trade bill will be voted on today before the House of Commons rises until September. A closure motion the government passed to limit debate says the House won't adjourn today until debate wraps up on Bill C-5 and it clears the chamber. The Liberal government’s controversial legislation, which would let cabinet quickly...
Businesses push for Ottawa to find ways to expand exports to China to fortify the domestic economy. As Prime Minister Mark Carney's government works to reshape its economic policies amid an unpredictable administration south of the border, Canadian businesses that trade with China say Ottawa needs to find ways to expand exports there — and fast. While the Canada-China relationship...
Mike Pemberton has been named the new leader of the Yukon Liberal Party and will be the territory's 11th premier. A local businessman and longtime party insider, Pemberton won the leadership race by 13 votes over former Kwanlin Dun First Nations Chief Doris Bill.
Faced with escalating conflict in the Middle East, a collapsing global trade system and a department struggling to reform itself, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she relishes the job of helping Canada navigate a turbulent world. In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with The Canadian Press, Anand said her experiences in both politics and academia can help her streamline Canada's...
U.S. physicians are lining up to serve, but Canada’s licensing logjam is holding them back. In February, I was among the first to alert Canadians that a historic wave of physician migration was coming. I had recently moved to Canada due to the rapid decline of medical ethics in America which, alarmingly, has gone largely unopposed by American medical professional...
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...
Public Services and Procurement Canada has referred two new cases of suspected procurement fraud to the RCMP for criminal investigation. And in an unrelated case, the federal government is also turning to the courts to claw back funds paid to the contractor best known for its ties to the controversial ArriveCan App.
Bill to fast-track development has 'massive support among Canadians,' minister says. Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during the election campaign to "build big, build bold" and the legislation that would enable federal fast-tracking of major projects appears poised to clear the House of Commons despite some Indigenous opposition. The legislation, Bill C-5, essentially gives cabinet the ability to pick certain...
The Canadian Steel Producers Association and United Steelworkers Union are panning Prime Minister Mark Carney's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs. Their response came hours after Carney announced a tariff countermeasure plan Thursday that includes retaliation against Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs a month from now -- depending on how much progress the two world leaders make in...
Reinstating key diplomats in Canada and India is a "foundational" step toward restoring the relationship between the two countries, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday. But Carney still refused to say whether he raised the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta on Tuesday.
Canada is taking steps to protect the steel and aluminum industries with new counter-tariffs and protectionist policies, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday. At a press conference, Carney pointed out that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to pursue a trade deal to end tariffs within the next 30 days. "In parallel, we must reinforce our strength at...
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has apologized for saying First Nations should not keep coming "hat in hand" to the government if they say no to mining projects, a comment many First Nation leaders called racist. Ford delivered that apology in a meeting at Queen's Park to several dozen chiefs who are part of the Anishinabek Nation. Ford's government recently passed...
The chair of British Columbia's NDP caucus has written to the RCMP requesting an investigation into allegations that former members of the Opposition tried to blackmail ex-colleagues. The letter from Stephanie Higginson to Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald comes after B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad confirmed the authenticity of a letter to his caucus warning about the alleged blackmail by three...
The parliamentary budget officer said Thursday he expects the federal government's deficit will balloon this year thanks to ramped-up defence spending -- but without a spring budget or more clarity from Ottawa, he can't say for sure. Yves Giroux, the government's fiscal watchdog, issued a new economic and fiscal update Thursday that omits the usual deficit projections for future years...
The finance minister says Canada won't put a hold on its digital services tax on big tech companies, set to take effect on June 30. Pressure has mounted on Ottawa to pause the tax ahead of trade discussions with the U.S. Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters the legislation was passed by Parliament and Canada is "going ahead" with the...
The parliamentary budget officer said Thursday he can't properly assess whether the federal government is on track to meet its fiscal targets because the Liberals' new budget benchmarks haven't been defined. Without a spring budget, that means Ottawa's budgetary watchdog is in the dark on how recently announced plans to boost Canada's defence spending and cut income taxes will affect...
Canada should allow 100 per cent foreign ownership of domestic-only airlines, the Competition Bureau says in a new report highlighting the country's "highly concentrated" aviation industry.
Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux has requested specific details about the funding increase but has so far received little data. Parliament’s spending watchdog can’t get specific information about the recently announced military spending boost to verify whether the Liberal government’s new initiative will meet NATO targets. Article content The office of Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux has requested specific details...
In December 2023, Jagmeet Singh posted pictures of his wife holding their newborn baby. Singh, then the leader of the federal New Democrats, gazed lovingly at the baby girl as his wife, Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, cradled her. Not pictured in Singh’s social media accounts was the retinue of armed RCMP officers stationed outside the hospital room, there to ensure the...
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...
Running roughshod over the environment. Spawning the next Idle No More movement. Picking economic winners and losers. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Building Canada Act is anything if not a magnet for criticism. The Liberal government’s controversial legislation that would let cabinet quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines sailed through committee in the early...
Almost one in four Canadians were directly affected by extreme weather events over the past year, a new poll suggests. The Leger poll -- released as Canada copes with its second-worst wildfire season on record -- says 23 per cent of Canadians who responded said they were personally affected by extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, fires and tornadoes...
Most of the minority Liberal government’s legislative agenda is unlikely to pass before the House of Commons breaks for summer on Friday, as bills on affordability and border security face strong criticism over privacy-related elements. Prime Minister Mark Carney clearly prioritized Bill C-5, which pledges to eliminate federal barriers to interprovincial trade and sets up a system to fast-track major...
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says Ottawa continues to have “difficult conversations” with New Delhi about the 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, but the Prime Minister’s Office has declined to say if the matter was raised earlier this week in talks between Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. Mr. Carney ducked a question Tuesday about whether...
Newly former Conservative MP Damien Kurek says he’s “feeling good” after resigning his seat in the House of Commons, and insists the move was a way to “practically serve” not just the riding, “but also our country.” Kurek officially resigned his seat on Tuesday — the first day he was able to do so, according to parliamentary procedure — to...
