A group of riding executives and former candidates with the Conservative Party of B.C. have become the latest voices to call for an end to John Rustad's leadership, writing to the party's legislators to urge them to oust him. Corey Brooks, president of the riding association for Burnaby-North, says in an interview the party will "continue bleeding" support and won't...
The second round of major so-called nation-building projects will be announced this Thursday in Prince Rupert, B.C., Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday. Carney confirmed the date during a press conference in Fredericton, following a meeting with New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt. “We’ve got big strategies that then also have implications for provinces across the country,” Carney said, when...
MP says Conservatives felt like ‘part of a frat house rather than a serious political party.’ Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont says pushing and yelling from Conservative Party leadership "sealed the deal" on his choice to cross the floor of the House of Commons to the Liberals this week. After d’Entremont’s musings over a possible defection were reported by Politico...
Foreign Minister Anita Anand has suggested the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting will focus on multilateral geopolitical issues in a departure from the approach taken when her predecessor hosted the gathering in March and keyed in on the Canada-U.S. relationship. Seven months after Canada first hosted top diplomats from the Group of Seven, they will reconvene for two days of meetings...
In a stunning upset that has left the Liberal caucus “kicking ourselves,” the Conservatives have ousted a senior Liberal MP as co-chair of the powerful Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group. At the Oct. 29 meeting held to elect a new co-chair, Conservative MP Richard Bragdon (Tobique-Mactaquac, N.B.) defeated four-term Liberal MP and cabinet minister Terry Duguid (Winnipeg-North, Man.) for the position. The...
Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives continue to hold a strong lead over their political rivals in Ontario. But our latest survey finds that while the Premier remains dominant, there are signs that some voters are beginning to question whether the government is making meaningful progress on key issues.
A new national Liaison Strategies poll taken immediately following the federal budget reveals a mixed public reaction: perceptions of the deficit’s severity have eased, more Canadians think the spending levels are appropriate, and the Liberals have widened their lead to 8 points over the Conservatives. That being said 58% of saying they are worried, pessimistic or frustrated about the Canadian...
Fraternity houses across the nation may have taken offence when they were compared this weekend to the team around Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It came from Chris d’Entremont, who was explaining in a CBC interview how he had grown disaffected enough with Conservative culture to cross the floor and become a Liberal MP.
CPC Leader Pierre Poilievre’s leadership review will go down on the former site of Stampede Wrestling. That may be appropriate. Article content The storied grappler nights rumbled for decades in the old Stampede Corral. It was demolished in 2020-21 to make way for the new BMO Centre. Thousands of Conservative Party of Canada delegates will pour in there Jan. 29-31...
Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says his goal is to help make Canada the NATO partner of choice when it comes to supplying critical minerals. He says refining is the "name of the game" and Canada can do better than just shipping those high-demand materials south in their raw form. Champagne made his remarks to a Calgary business audience while discussing...
OTTAWA -- Montreal-based activist Yves Engler is applying to enter the NDP leadership race months after announcing his intention to make a bid.
There are moments in a city’s history when its resilience is tested — when decisions made in distant boardrooms send shockwaves through our streets, homes, and hearts. Stellantis’ announcement to end production of the Jeep Compass at Brampton’s Assembly Plant is one such moment, threatening the livelihoods of 3,000 workers and shaking our community.
For centuries, alchemists promised and failed to turn lead into gold. What is most astounding is that even after each debunking, these charlatans would repackage their discredited schemes as something new with fresh jargon and different salesmen, luring wave after wave of hopeful dupes eager for golden miracles. Instead of promising to turn lead into gold, today’s alchemist-in-chief, Mark Carney...
The plight of the Conservative Party of Canada, and its beleaguered leader, took another turn for the worse with the defection to the Liberals of Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont on Nov. 4 and the resignation of Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux on Nov. 6. It is one thing for Pierre Poilievre to have lost a federal election that for months...
Reimagining this country is not only possible, it is essential. I present the following thought exercise to you: if some overeager, industrious journalist were to write an obituary for Canada, how would it read? Today, the world marked the passing of Canada, younger than most, older than some. Canada, on her best days was a beacon in the world for...
Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer insisted Friday that no one is interested in palace intrigue. But after his party saw a floor crosser, a resignation, allegations of bullying and threats levied against MPs, and rumours of more Conservative caucus dissenters now too afraid to make a move, who isn’t interested? Ottawa hasn’t seen this kind of daytime soap opera since...
Andy Rooney once said that “numbers are the most certain things we have.” That can absolutely be true, and the one certainty about the numbers of the current Parliament is the baked-in uncertainty given the events of the past week. Some numbers to consider:
This week’s federal Budget sends a signal to Canadians that the government’s thinking on housing has evolved. Instead of trying to increase housing supply, it is placing greater emphasis on reducing housing demand. The promises made in the Liberal platform to build more have been watered down: housing targets are being softened, and the government has adopted a hard line...
MAGA strategist Stephen K. Bannon calls it “flooding the zone.” U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrated it in his first weeks back in office, when he introduced over 100 Executive Orders. Regardless of their legal viability, the sheer volume of policy changes is the point. It is a political strategy to overwhelm institutions, courts and social groups, preventing effective opposition.
Canadian politics has never been for the faint of heart. Every party has its fractures, leadership wars, and moments of chaos. But what’s happening inside the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre isn’t normal turbulence. It’s institutional decay disguised as discipline. Let’s be clear: what’s unfolding inside the halls of Ottawa isn’t strategy — it’s rot. When an MP from Atlantic...
Our 2025 federal budget is 493 pages long. The word ‘youth’ appears only eight times. The term ‘child’ appears only six. More than seven million Canadians under the age of 18 who access government services across multiple sectors such as justice, policing, education, national training initiatives, and health care, have somehow been forgotten about in Ottawa.
So, this is how it ends for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Not with a bang but with a trickle of MPs slinking away from his side of the House — one defecting to the opposing Liberals, the other bailing out of politics altogether. First one to bolt was Chris d’Entremont, a Nova Scotia MP whom the Liberals have been courting...
Mark Carney’s first budget has landed in a House of Commons deeply divided. Now, one of the first wave of post-budget polls shows that Canadians are similarly torn about the fiscal blueprint put before the country this week. Abacus Data went out in the field the day after the budget was unveiled and came back with what it is calling...
Somehow, Mark Carney’s first budget – his grand game plan for the country, written in his economist mother tongue – was maybe the least exciting thing this week in Canadian politics. That could have been a serious problem for the Prime Minister, given how much was riding on his budget delivering in both economic and political credibility terms. But the...
Unfortunately, it can be easy for long stretches to forget about most of the 343 democratically elected members of the House of Commons — or to know next to nothing about them. But then, every so often, someone who is not the prime minister, the finance minister or the leader of the Opposition does something to steal the headlines. So...
The new federal budget was announced earlier this week, heralding many boosts for various arts entities. But one line item amid the hundreds of pages trilled an entire arpeggio’s worth of intrigue: the government “is working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore Canada’s participation in Eurovision.”
The first thing to know about last week’s floor crossing is that everybody likes Chris d’Entremont, an easy-going Acadian from Yarmouth, a fishing town on the southwestern end of Nova Scotia, across the Bay of Fundy from Maine. He’s a natural politician — calm, low key and pleasant — a good MP for Acadie-Annapolis, which he has represented since he...
The Power & Politics panel of party insiders discusses the fallout of two Conservative MPs departing from caucus. Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont crossed the floor over to the Liberal Party earlier this week and Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced Thursday that he will be resigning from federal politics.
Canada's official leader of the opposition has finally come up with an auto industry policy—and it’s a complete dud! Lost in all the fuss that was the Liberals’ “generational” budget this week was that the leader of the official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, finally unveiled something bordering on automotive industry policy. As always — because Mr. Poilievre is nothing if not...
A defection to the Liberals and a controversial resignation from the Conservative caucus in the House of Commons have increased the pressure on party leader Pierre Poilievre as he faces a vote in January on his continued leadership of the party. Unless there is an unlikely crumbling of support for him in the Parliamentary caucus, Poilievre will win his leadership...
In a Budget-Day twist, the member of Parliament for Acadie-Annapolis in Nova Scotia, Chris d’Entremont, announced his decision to leave the Conservative caucus and cross the floor of the House of Commons to join the Liberal government. In the world of zero-sum politics, this was obviously a big win for Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberals — on Budget...
With Canada facing a slew of challenges, the Carney government promised a budget that would “swing for the fences” — one that would make generational investments to build, protect and empower Canada. To do so, the budget outlines an industrial strategy focused largely on infrastructure and boosting business productivity and competitiveness. It hits a lot of the right notes with...
The news junkies who tend to drive political chatter have come away disappointed after Mark Carney’s first budget this week. They (OK, we) were underwhelmed — there were no surprises, the budget was pretty much as advertised, and the previously-touted big sacrifices at the altar of economic overhaul were things we already knew were coming.
Canada’s new environment minister and Environment and Climate Change officials confirmed that the federal government is standing by the national climate targets previously set under Justin Trudeau. On several occasions, Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin was asked about whether the current Liberal government was still committed to working toward the near-term targets set under the previous prime minister...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hasn't repeated President Donald Trump's musings about making Canada the 51st state during their conversations. Anand will welcome Rubio and other foreign ministers from G7 countries to Ontario's Niagara region this week to discuss shared economic and security challenges amid geopolitical uncertainty.
OTTAWA -- Canada Post says it has submitted a plan to the federal government to transform its struggling business model into a financially sustainable postal service.
Conservative House leader denies any pressure on Tory MPs to stay in caucus. B.C. NDP MP Gord Johns says he’s “very confident” none of the seven New Democrats in the House of Commons will cross the floor to the Liberals — even as he admits he’s regularly approached by the Liberals. “Oh, that’s an everyday conversation they have with me...
Expert says event exemplifies worrying overlap between martial arts and extremism. Some of the country’s most prominent white supremacist groups gathered in Vancouver this summer for a secretive neo-Nazi conference that also included martial arts gym owners, coaches and trainers. Held at the Scottish Cultural Centre in the city’s south end, the event was organized by a group called Exiles...
Peterson Spring court filing claims it can’t afford to ship parts below cost to produce them in Woodstock. Stellantis and one of its Canadian auto suppliers are battling in court over the price of brake rotors in a dispute that threatens to shutter multiple auto assembly plants in the U.S. Peterson Spring says in a court filing it can’t afford...
HALIFAX -- The heads of Nova Scotia's supreme and provincial courts are expressing their support for judges who ban court staff from pinning poppies to their robes during proceedings after some Canadian politicians called the practice wrong.
Seven weeks ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney assigned former cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland to be Canada's new special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Canadians haven't heard much about the job since, and nothing at all about how Ukraine can be rebuilt while Russia continues its wide-scale bombing of critical infrastructure. But experts say Canada has a major opportunity now...
Canadian climate negotiators are headed to Brazil for the next two weeks as leaders gather for annual United Nations climate talks. The talks come as Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose credentials as an international climate advocate helped win him support in this year's election, comes under increasing scrutiny for his reversal of some key Trudeau-era climate policies -- and his...
With a looming confidence vote on Mark Carney’s highly anticipated first budget as prime minister, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon says he believes the opposition parties should support the document because it is “squarely in the middle of Canadian politics.” The Liberals, two seats shy of a majority government, have already survived two confidence votes in the House related to...
As Canada looks to recalibrate relations with China amid the ongoing trade war with the U.S., former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig is warning against making China “the core” of its economic diversification strategy. “Making China the core of that strategy (is) not a good idea, because it’s not geopolitically a reliable partner,” Kovrig said in an exclusive interview with CTV’s...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has now climbed into two submarines on two continents - one on a production line in Germany, the other in the water in South Korea - yet the 2025 federal budget, which allocated more than $80 billion toward defence, made no mention of funding towards the much-needed vessels. The Royal Canadian Navy is in the market...
The federal government’s new budget sets a “clear commitment” to the new “Buy Canadian” policy with more than $100-million set aside for implementing the strategy through federal procurement, which observers say could strengthen the economy, but could also add complexity to an already troubled system.
Premier Scott Moe has received more than 80 per cent support from members at his Saskatchewan Party's convention. Organizers of the gathering did not provide Moe's exact approval rating percentage. Ahead of the vote, Moe had told the gathering he plans on running in the next election, but the party needs to do better.
A former national security advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump says it was a mistake for Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for the anti-tariff ad that angered Trump and prompted him to terminate trade talks with Canada. “I think that showed weakness, and I think that will be in Trump’s consciousness as he looks to see what the next...
OTTAWA -- Many Canadian travellers to Europe are being asked to reveal more about themselves as officials begin to usher in new security measures.
Mark Carney’s minority Liberals survived a second budget-related confidence vote on Friday, the day after easily defeating an earlier Conservative attempt to reject the budget as the Pierre Poilievre-led party grappled with another looming caucus departure from their ranks. The House of Commons voted 307 to 30 to defeat a Bloc Québécois motion that called on MPs to reject a...
RCMP in Nova Scotia says it is investigating online threats made against Liberal MP Chris d’Entremont after his floor-crossing from the Opposition Conservatives. A spokeswoman says that Mounties in Yarmouth, located in southwestern Nova Scotia, began investigating after receiving a report of “online threats” on Wednesday.
Opposition was pushed off message during a key week to define the budget narrative. This is not the week Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wanted to have. For the Opposition, budget week is a communications gift. It’s an easy way for the party to call out government spending, shout about what’s been included and decry what’s left out. For a leader...
Dumping embattled leader Pierre Poilievre would not necessarily be an electoral panacea for the opposition Conservatives, a new poll suggests. According to a new Abacus Data survey for the Star, conducted before the defection to the Liberals of one Tory MP and the surprise resignation of another, Poilievre tested better than any other potential leader, including Premier Doug Ford.
It’s safe to say these probably weren’t the headlines Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives were hoping for this week. Two announced departures from the Conservative caucus have overshadowed Poilievre’s criticisms of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s inaugural budget, shifting the focus back to Poilievre’s leadership ahead of his party’s convention in January.
Prime Minister Mark Carney came close to telling a Bay Street audience today that he will secure a new pipeline for Alberta, offering his strongest endorsement yet of the idea. During an address to the Canadian Club Toronto this afternoon Carney told the audience not worry because "we're on the pipeline stuff" without offering any details.
If the Liberals were to gain majority status amid the ongoing floor-crossing speculation, it would spell bad news for Pierre Poilievre’s leadership review, says Keith Beardsley, former deputy chief of staff to then-prime minister Stephen Harper. With one MP already gone to the Liberals, another one resigning, and more rumoured to be leaving the Conservative fold, the rapidly shifting political...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for removing obstacles to homebuilding and promoting market competition in a speech today offering his alternative to the Liberal budget tabled earlier this week. Poilievre delivered his address to a business crowd at the Economic Club of Canada, a few blocks away from the Canadian Club Toronto, where Prime Minister Mark Carney was outlining the...
Scheer says Carney trying 'to cobble together a majority.' Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer held a brief media availability Friday morning in an attempt to redirect attention from the Official Opposition's internal crisis to the Liberal Party. Instead, the senior Conservative was pelted with questions about Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jeneroux’s surprise decision to quit federal politics six months after...
The Conservatives helped the minority Liberal government survive a second confidence vote on the budget this afternoon. The House of Commons recorded a vote of 307 against a Bloc Québécois motion to reject the budget, and 30 in favour. On Thursday, the Bloc and NDP teamed up to vote against a Conservative motion that also called on MPs to reject...
Budgets, especially minority government budgets, always bring a degree of parliamentary drama. But this week, a Conservative member added to the excitement by crossing the floor to join the Liberals. But at the end of the day, does it make a difference? That and a lot more with Chantal Hebert and Bruce Anderson joining Good Talk for their weekly commentary.
Statistics Canada says the economy added 67,000 jobs in October, blowing past economists’ labour market expectations for a second month in a row. Those job gains were concentrated in part-time work while the private sector saw employment grow for the first time since June.
Most Canadians say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has fallen short on its campaign promises, even as his overall satisfaction and approval ratings edge upward, a new Postmedia-Leger poll finds. Article content “There’s a lot of things to like about Mr. Carney’s experience and credentials that people gravitated to during the election and hold true now,” said Leger executive vice-president...
The federal government plans to make 75 legislative changes through the budget process, adopting a practice that has been criticized as a way of curtailing debate by burying contentious measures in omnibus bills.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.The justices turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court's 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis had been trying to avoid paying $360,000 in damages...
President Donald Trump has proclaimed a "full, complete, and unconditional" pardon for his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and others accused in state courts of backing his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- President Donald Trump became the first sitting president in nearly a half-century at a regular-season NFL game, attending the Washington Commanders' contest against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
LONDON (AP) -- The sudden resignation of two top bosses at the BBC over the editing of a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump dealt a huge blow to the broadcaster, which is revered by some in Britain as a national treasure but derided by others as outdated and left-leaning.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft said Monday it will be shipping Nvidia's most advanced artificial intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates as part of a deal approved by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Continued staffing shortages in air traffic control facilities around the country were again causing delays at airports on Friday as the government shutdown neared the one-month mark.
China has agreed to purchase 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans annually as part of an agreement reached by its leaders, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday.
President Donald Trump's meeting Thursday with China's top leader Xi Jinping produced a raft of decisions to help dial back trade tensions, but no agreement on TikTok's ownership.
The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada held its inaugural Indo-Pacific Forum in Ottawa on October 1- 2, 2025, nearly three years after the launch of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). The Forum brought together stakeholders from the Government of Canada, academics, think-tank experts, private-sector leaders, and policy researchers from across the Indo-Pacific to assess progress and offer actionable advice on how...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
Pierre Poilievre’s recent video attacking Mark Carney could have been a strong argument. If not for the air quotes. When he says Carney promised he could “handle Trump” and “negotiate a win,” his fingers twitch into the familiar inverted-comma gesture. It’s a tiny move, but it says everything. Air quotes don’t persuade; they perform. They turn conviction into commentary and...
As Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Donald Trump wants to break us so America can own us.” But what if Trump decides to use military power along with economic tariffs? An Arctic expert writing in The Globe and Mail says we shouldn’t think of tanks or helicopters streaming over the border. Instead, an American show-of-force could begin with a single...
I am very worried that Canada is sleepwalking into potentially the most dangerous military project since the atom bomb. Trump’s Golden Dome will put thousands of weapons in space – one of the few places where there are no weapons today – and lock us into a new Cold War with Russia and China that will rob our children and...
In this episode of Canada’s Food System: Our Food, Our Future, we uncover the diverse careers in agriculture that often go unnoticed. We explore the pathways that can lead to fulfilling jobs in the food industry – just ask Katie, a mom in Guelph, whose inspiring journey will have you thinking about the possibilities in the food
The Conservative party is reeling from a pair of resignations that happened during budget week. First, Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to the Liberals, citing disagreement with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s approach to politics. Two days later, Edmonton MP Matt Jeneroux resigned from his position, citing the need for more time with his family. According to a...
A big part of the federal budget rests on the assumption that its measures will spur the private sector to invest in Canada…a lot. It’s projecting a half-trillion worth of investment. But at a time when Canada is suffering from sluggish productivity and the impact of U.S. tariffs, how realistic is it to expect businesses to invest?
After a crumbling loss in the federal election, coupled with Prime Minister Carney's Liberal shift towards the centre, the NDP is grappling with a political identity crisis. What does it stand for? Who do they represent? And does Canada's population in 2025 even resemble what it's fighting for?
