National Newswatch

Topics

David Thurton, Ashley Burke

Government expected to announce it's scrapping EV mandate in favour of new fuel efficiency system: source

Incentives for consumers buying EVs also expected to resume. The federal government is expected to announce its national automotive strategy on Thursday that includes scrapping Canada's electric vehicle mandate and replacing it with a new system of fuel efficiency standards and credits, CBC News has learned. Two sources say Ottawa is also expected to bring back popular electric vehicle incentives...

Kelly Geraldine Malone

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani's Washington trip faces skepticism in Ottawa

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani's mission to Washington met with some skepticism in Ottawa Wednesday after he said he wanted to help Prime Minister Mark Carney negotiate a trade deal with the United States. When asked about the Bowmanville-Oshawa North MP's trip to the U.S. capital to meet with political and business figures, Carney pointed out that Jivani is neither the...

Salma Ibrahim

As Conservative MP Jivani heads to Washington, Carney says he was given briefing

Jivani is longtime friends with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance. As Conservative MP Jamil Jivani travels to Washington this week on an independent effort to improve trade relations between the two countries by leveraging his contacts there, Prime Minister Mark Carney says Jivani was briefed by Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Speaking on his way into Parliament for the Liberal caucus...

David Thurton

Nenshi's 'blunt' message to federal NDP: Don't mess this up for Alberta

Alberta NDP leader says province doesn't have 'luxury' of getting stuck in internal ideological battles. Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has a blunt message for federal NDP leadership candidates. Nenshi said he has spoken with the three front-runners — Avi Lewis, Heather McPherson and Rob Ashton — and suggested to CBC News that he asked candidates not to stand in...

Rukhsar Ali

ICE has offices in 5 Canadian cities. Here’s what it can — and can’t — do

Alberta MP calls on Canada to shut down U.S. immigration and customs operations north of border. As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to draw widespread criticism for its deportation crackdown in the States, there’s concern brewing about the agency's presence north of the border. The U.S. government’s website lists ICE offices in five Canadian cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary...

Polls

Nik Nanos

Canadians are split on what should happen if an MP decides to change political parties.

This research gauged the opinion of Canadians on what should happen if a member of parliament (MP) decides to change political parties.

Nik Nanos

Importance of the rising cost of living as the top priority for 2026 Parliamentary Agenda up since the Fall. Other top priorities for Canadians include jobs/the economy and trade negotiations with the US.

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,077 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between between December 27th and December 29th, 2025 as part of an omnibus survey.

Opinion

Michael Sangster

Canada Needs Choice, Flexibility, and Investment to Build Its Workforce

Sean Boyd, Ammar Al-Joundi

You Can’t Sustain a Nation on an Empty Stomach

News

David Baxter

NDP wants Carney to kill U.S. fighter jet contract in favour of Swedish aircraft

The NDP says it wants Prime Minister Mark Carney to cancel contracts for U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets -- including the 16 Canada already has committed to buying. Citing Carney's call for middle powers to work together in his World Economic Forum speech last month, Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says Canada should instead purchase Gripen fighter jets from the Swedish...

Kyle Duggan

Labour groups call on Carney to adopt a 'true Team Canada approach' to trade war

Canadian labour leaders say Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government is not being transparent enough with them on how trade talks are advancing with U.S. President Donald Trump's White House. The heads of private and public labour groups are huddling in Ottawa in advance of this year's review of Canada's free trade deal with the United States and Mexico. Union...

Politician's Pen

Pierre Poilievre

Carney's Davos speech highlights that it is Liberal rhetoric that doesn't match reality

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s well-crafted and eloquently delivered speech at Davos has been widely noted, and I want to start by offering some praise of my own. The Prime Minister is right to restate what many have said for years: Canada must become more self-reliant, less dependent and work with like-minded countries to advance our interests. Conservatives are, as always...

Dominic Cardy

Diversification or Dependence? Ottawa Is Getting China Wrong

Opinion (Continued) More

Peter MacKay

Stephen Harper helped save the conservative movement — and the country

I first crossed paths with Stephen Harper in the late 1990s, but only briefly. I had just been elected as a Progressive Conservative, and he had by then moved on from a term in Parliament as a Reform MP to lead the National Citizens Coalition. He remained visible on the Hill due to his significant role in building the Reform...

Andrew Coyne

Separatism isn’t treason. Helping Trump take over Canada? That’s another matter

Suppose there were a country, let’s call it Outlandia, that declared its intent to annex Canada – to take over its territory and subject its people to its rule – if not by military means, certainly by economic. Now suppose a group of fellow travellers within Canada offered to assist Outlandia with its hostile takeover. Nothing violent, mind you, but...

Shannon Proudfoot

In Harper’s homecoming, a mood of celebration and caution

Just before the ceremony in downtown Ottawa in which Stephen Harper’s official portrait as Prime Minister would be unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, huge screens all around the room displayed a more ephemeral photo record of his time in office. The images highlighted what must have been most meaningful to him about that 2006-2015 chapter: the far north, the Canadian military...

Matt Gurney

I can’t believe this still needs to be said about Poilievre and Trump, but apparently it does

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had a pretty good convention. It seems to have been a well-organized affair, competently pulled off. Poilievre’s speech was well received, and he certainly has nothing to complain about regarding the 87-plus per cent support he got from party members for his continued leadership. So yeah. It’s mostly good news. But the man is facing some...

Tim Powers

What happens after the convention dust settles?

Credit to Pierre Poilievre: he worked hard to retain the leadership of the Conservative Party, and was rewarded with more than 87-per-cent support of those who attended the Calgary convention last weekend. Like the political opponent he long battled against—former prime minister Justin Trudeau—Poilievre has shown he is a political fighter. True, there were no current challengers for his job...

Andrew MacDougall

I worked for Stephen Harper and I believe Carney would not be PM without him

Without Stephen Harper, Mark Carney wouldn’t be Canada’s prime minister. As ironic as that sounds to say on the 20th anniversary of the first Harper government, I also believe it to be true, even if it might be impossible to prove. Where would Mark Carney be if Stephen Harper hadn’t appointed him to be the next governor of the Bank...

Peter Donolo, David Herle

Do Canadians really need to be hearing from Pete Hoekstra this much?

The official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Canada is truly magnificent. Ringed by 10 acres of private, park-like grounds, the rambling mansion sits in splendid isolation from the surrounding Rockcliffe Park neighbourhood in Ottawa. This winter, Canadians should give its current inhabitant, Pete Hoekstra, more time to discover its many charms. Much, much more time. Since arriving in Canada...

Susan Delacourt

The Jean Chrétien-Stephen Harper show has lessons for Mark Carney

It was perhaps fitting that former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien came out of the shadows to share the spotlight on Groundhog Day. While neither offered any clue on how long this winter will last, their 30-minute, convivial chat at the Royal Canadian Geographic Society on Monday offered some insights into how Mark Carney could aspire to stay...

John Ivison

Poilievre finally tackles the Trump test and looks more statesmanlike for it

The main criticism of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s convention speech on Friday was that in 40 minutes or so, he didn’t mention the words “Donald Trump” — or how he would respond to the president’s intimidation.

Jen Gerson

Poilievre will be proven right, eventually - Just ask him.

It’s hard to know what to make of Pierre Poilievre’s speech at the Conservative convention this weekend except to note that there is more information to be gleaned from that which was not said than that which was. On the one hand, it should be noted, the leader’s address to the faithful was conventionally conservative, tonally appropriate, and entirely safe...

Tasha Kheiriddin

Poilievre better figure out how to talk about Trump or it's over for him

The U.S. president is a preeminent concern for most Canadians. Pierre Poilievre did a lot right at the CPC convention last weekend. He got an 87.4 per cent approval rating, higher than most pundits predicted. He revealed a human side when he spoke about his autistic daughter and the family time he has sacrificed for politics. And he pledged to...

Lloyd Axworthy, Allan Rock

Why are Canadian arms fuelling foreign conflicts?

Canadians take pride in our country’s role as a principled voice for international law, arms control and responsible multilateralism. In 2019, when Canada acceded to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), there was strong public support for our government’s pledge that Canadian arms exports would never contribute to human-rights abuses.

James Moore

20 years of lessons learned from Stephen Harper

“I think this is it,” I said to my dad. “No, this can’t possibly be it,” he said in response. “No, this is actually it,” I said again. The “it” was our destination: a tiny tavern in the village of Quyon, Que. — about 45 minutes northwest of downtown Ottawa. That night at that tavern, the former member of Parliament...

David Coletto

Harper’s Legacy Still Resonates With Canadians Twenty After His First Election Win

This week in Ottawa, Conservatives will gather to mark a milestone that still shapes Canadian politics: Stephen Harper’s election victory twenty years ago in 2006, ending more than a decade of Liberal rule. The unveiling of Mr. Harper’s official portrait is a reminder that his legacy will sit, quite literally, in the halls of Parliament. Our latest Abacus Data survey...

Éric Blais

Carney has Poilievre cornered, forcing the question: can the Conservatives reclaim their conservative ideas?

Predictably, the headline from the Conservative convention over the weekend is Pierre Poilievre’s 87.4 per cent approval score among party faithful, and 34 per cent among Canadians polled by the Angus Reid Institute. No news here. Time will tell if the buzz over the first data point will help increase the second. What’s more revealing is what Jenni Byrne, the...

Supriya Dwivedi

Why do we regulate vacuum cleaners more strictly than social media?

The federal government is reportedly considering a social media ban for kids under the age of 14. This move, as first reported by the Globe and Mail, isn’t entirely surprising given that in the wake of Australia’s social media ban for kids under the age of 16, many other countries such as Denmark, Spain and France have been considering their...

Bruce Campbell

After Venezuela and Greenland, is Canada on the U.S. target list?

Just weeks into 2026, the United States has sent shockwaves around the world by attacking and threatening a wide variety of countries. The U.S. government has repeated threats towards Canada, threatened military action against Europe in order to seize Greenland, and threatened the governments of Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba. It may be moving towards military confrontation with Iran.

Aaron Wherry

Conservatives confirmed Poilievre's leadership. Can he regain the moment?

To understand the rise and stall of Pierre Poilievre, consider two polls conducted roughly three-and-a-half years apart.

Bruce Anderson

Poilievre's speech revealed how Mark Carney has repriced the political market.

Red Tories and blue Liberals have found someone they like better, and trust more. Poilievre’s speech reflected a recognition that he had to change to be competitive. Whether you liked it or didn’t, the speech Pierre Poilievre gave at the Conservative convention was, in a way, the speech Mark Carney made him give. In Calgary, at the convention of Conservatives...

John Ivison

Carney’s diversification plan will turn to disaster if China attacks Taiwan

In his speech at his party’s convention in Calgary on Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre expressed his wariness about the “strategic partnership” the Carney government has struck with China. Cognizant that many western Conservatives welcomed Beijing’s tariff relief on canola provided by an agreement to allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into Canada, he did not expand on his misgivings.

Althia Raj

There are many reasons why Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want a spring election. There’s one surprising way he could buy more time

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s team feared the surprise of another floor crossing MP last Friday, but losing a member to the Liberals now might be a blessing in disguise. Handing Prime minister Mark Carney’s Liberals a working majority would give the Conservative leader some much needed breathing room.

Max Fawcett

Yes, Danielle Smith is a separatist

David Eby had clearly seen enough. Ahead of a meeting in Ottawa between the premiers and the prime minister, Eby decided to call out the leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement and their widely documented meetings with Trump administration officials. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that...

Campbell Clark

A warmer Poilievre but frozen in time

Pierre Poilievre garnered rousing applause Friday night when he told delegates to the Conservative convention in Calgary the party won’t change its principles. “We won the debate in the last election on every single one of the big issues, on carbon taxes, inflation, housing, resources, crime, drugs, and soon we will be proven right once again on the wasteful and...

Michael Harris

Americans unwittingly elected their first anti-Canadian president in history

But it should be remembered that U.S. President Donald Trump is an aberration. With a change at the White House, Canada and the United States could be besties again. History will eventually win out over histrionics.

News (Continued) More

Catherine Morrison

Conservatives to celebrate Harper at 20th anniversary gala dinner

OTTAWA -- Conservatives are set to gather in downtown Ottawa tonight for a gala dinner marking the 20th anniversary of former prime minister Stephen Harper's government.

Jim Bronskill

Feds to fold envoys on Islamophobia, antisemitism into new national unity council

Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller says there will no longer be stand-alone federal envoys to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism. Miller says the two positions will be folded into a new advisory council on rights, equity and inclusion. He told reporters today the government is creating a broader group of experts who recognize Islamophobia and antisemitism but focus on...

David Baxter

Liberal MP wants longer answers, fewer sound bites from question period

A Liberal MP says he wants to see question period in the House of Commons offer longer, and more detailed answers and fewer social media-friendly clips. Alberta MP Corey Hogan says he plans to push for question period reform when MPs debate the rules of the House of Commons on Friday.

Washington Post to lay off a third of staff in newsroom and other departments

The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff in the newsroom and other departments, a brutal blow to one of journalism's legendary brands. The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom...

Mike Le Couteur

‘It’s like the Avengers’: Former Conservative MPs reunite in Ottawa for Harper portrait

Twenty years after he was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd prime minister, Stephen Harper was once again the reason Conservatives descended on Ottawa, but this time for the unveiling of his official portrait. The event brought together a number of former ministers and staffers who served with Harper on Parliament Hill between 2006 and 2015. Prior to the ceremony, many...

Spencer Van Dyk

Canadians evenly split on whether floor-crossers should resign seat: Nanos poll

Canadians are virtually evenly split on how they believe MPs hoping to cross the floor should handle it, new data from Nanos Research finds. According to the numbers, a third of Canadians — 33 per cent — believe MPs planning to cross the floor should resign their seat and trigger a byelection, running on the mandate of the party they...

Stuart Benson

Despite early ‘spirit of co-operation’ on some bills, Liberal agenda still failing to launch in Parliament, say politicos

The opening weeks of the winter sitting have offered tentative signs of co-operation from the Conservative Party—rather than blanket opposition—after MPs agreed to pause a log-jammed study of the Liberals’ contentious anti-hate legislation. But with the government only willing to bend so far to secure support for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s (Nepean, Ont.) agenda in a nearly “tie-game” minority Parliament...

Catherine Morrison

Harper calls for national unity, independence at portrait unveiling

ormer prime minister Stephen Harper's official portrait was unveiled in Ottawa Tuesday, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the election of his first Conservative government. Speaking to a crowd of ministers, premiers, current and former MPs and other dignitaries, Harper stressed that parties must work together to preserve Canada's national unity and independence. "I sincerely hope that mine is just...

Dylan Robertson

Canada to focus foreign aid on building 'mutual prosperity' with trading partners: MP

The MP overseeing foreign aid says Ottawa wants to focus its international assistance efforts on countries that can generate economic spinoffs for Canadians. "The first priority is focusing our development dollars in a trade and development nexus," Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, told The Canadian Press. "Due to the new trade realities that the world is facing...

Kelly Geraldine Malone

Anand in DC as Trump administration makes the case for critical mineral trade zone

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was in Washington on Wednesday as the Trump administration made a case for international partners to join a preferential trade zone for critical minerals with forced price floors. Vice-President JD Vance told a room filled with foreign ministers and officials at the U.S. State Department the goal was "diversifying global supply in the critical minerals...

Jim Bronskill

Canadians support arrival of more Chinese electric vehicles, poll suggests

Most Canadians support allowing more Chinese electric vehicles to be sold in Canada despite some nagging concerns, a new poll suggests. Canada recently pledged to reduce its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 6.1 per cent, with an annual cap of 49,000 vehicles. In turn, China is expected to lower retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products. The...

Alex Boutilier

Canada expects U.S. to stay out of domestic affairs: national security official

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s top security official says Ottawa expects the United States administration to stay out of Canada’s domestic politics. When asked Tuesday if she viewed the U.S. as a potential threat to Canadian democracy, National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie Drouin said the federal government is on guard against any threat to Canadian democracy, including the U.S. “Canada...

Brent Jang

First Nation withdraws support for B.C. energy export project

The Metlakatla First Nation has withdrawn its support for an energy export project under construction on Ridley Island in British Columbia, escalating tensions after the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s decision to block the Indigenous group’s diversification plans.

Alex Binkley

Seven federal agriculture research facilities to be closed

Raisa Patel

Pierre Poilievre shifts strategy and requests ‘urgent meeting’ with Mark Carney

Fresh off a decisive leadership victory, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are seeking to present themselves as doers — not obstructors. “It’s with hope and humility that I accept the endorsement of grassroots Conservatives at our party convention,” Poilievre said in a social media video Monday.

Elizabeth Thompson

Canada's next election likely to face AI-assisted interference, watchdogs say

Bad actors will likely use artificial intelligence to try to disrupt Canada's next federal election, warn two of the country's top election watchdogs.

Jamil Jivani

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani announces he’s travelling to Washington, D.C., to help Prime Minister Mark Carney succeed in negotiating a trade deal.

Peter Zimonjic

Federal NDP torches Ontario NDP's Doly Begum for joining Carney's Liberals

Interim federal NDP Leader Don Davies is accusing Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum of undermining democracy after announcing she will run federally as a Liberal for the seat vacated by former MP Bill Blair. "When Canadians see politicians betray the values and policies that they claim to believe in, I think it damages our democracy and it breeds cynicism...

Allison Jones, Alessia Passafiume

NDP MPP jumps to federal Liberals as Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith eyes provincial seat and leadership

The resignation of longtime MP Bill Blair has triggered a potential round of political musical chairs, as the federal Liberals poach a provincial NDP representative to run for his seat and a Liberal MP looks to fill that provincial void. The Liberals named Ontario NDP member of provincial parliament Doly Begum as their candidate Tuesday for Scarborough Southwest following Blair's...

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith

Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith to seek Ontario Liberal nomination to run in the provincial Scarborough Southwest byelection

When it comes to Ontario, I’m all in. To that end, I’ll seek the Ontario Liberal Party’s nomination to run in the Scarborough Southwest by-election. I’ve communicated this to interim leader John Fraser, and I will continue to support Prime Minister Carney as an active member of our federal caucus in the meantime.

Erik Hertzberg

Import Costs Driving Canada Food Inflation, BOC Research Says

Bank of Canada research suggests the acceleration in food inflation last year was almost entirely due to rising import costs, not domestic factors. The total annual change in food costs, excluding fruits and vegetables, was 3.1% in 2025, and 2.7 percentage points of that increase was due to direct imports, imported inputs and international shipping costs, according to research released...

Catherine Morrison

Executive public servants received more than $146 million in performance pay

Executives in the core federal public service received more than $146 million in performance pay last year. Data from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat shows 7,987 executives earned performance pay, which is awarded for achieving specific performance objectives. It says there were 8,140 executives at the time in the core public service -- departments and agencies under the purview...

Neil Moss

Feds prioritize speed in trade agenda as MPs raise alarm over transparency

Unlike the U.S. consultations for the CUSMA review, Canadian submissions have remained secret, and House International Trade Committee members are pushing for more information.

Ryan Tumilty, Moira Welsh

Mark Carney’s Liberals recruit Ontario NDP deputy leader to run in Scarborough byelection

Mark Carney’s Liberals will be running a member of the provincial NDP in an upcoming byelection in Scarborough Southwest. The federal Liberals announced Tuesday morning that Doly Begum, the New Democrat MPP for the riding and the provincial NDP’s deputy leader, will be their candidate in the byelection to replace Bill Blair, who stepped down yesterday.

Kyle Duggan

Ottawa remains opposed to acquiring nuclear weapons, minister says

Canada has "absolutely no intention" of acquiring nuclear weapons, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Tuesday -- rejecting the suggestion from former chief of the defence staff Wayne Eyre that Ottawa should not rule it out. McGuinty said Canada has signed international treaties explicitly opposed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. "Canada is a signatory to international treaties which preclude us...

Ben Andrews, Matteo Cimellaro

Five charts to help visualize public service job cuts

The federal government is targeting more than 8,000 job cuts through workforce adjustment. The federal government has released its clearest picture to date of efforts to cut back the size of the public service. Budget 2025 laid out a plan to reduce the public service by nearly 40,000 positions from a peak of around 368,000 in 2023-2024.

Mike Crawley

Why was Jeffrey Epstein allowed into Canada in 2014?

Sex offender travelled to Vancouver despite inadmissibility, federal officials offer no explanation. Nearly six years after pleading guilty to a crime that should have made him inadmissible, Jeffrey Epstein visited Canada, and federal government officials are providing no answers about why he was allowed into the country.

Rahim Mohamed

NDP leadership hopefuls say workers shouldn't be fooled by Poilievre's blue-collar message

Conservatives hold a commanding lead with self-identified blue-collar voters, pollster Dan Arnold noted. Three contenders to be the federal NDP’s next leader say they’re not giving up on the party’s traditional blue-collar base, after multiple speakers at the recent Conservative national convention touted the party’s electoral gains on their turf. The Conservatives fell short of winning last year’s election but...

Catherine Morrison

Stephen Harper's official portrait to be unveiled today

Former prime minister Stephen Harper's official portrait is set to be unveiled today, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the election of his first Conservative government. Harper's portrait will be presented during a ceremony at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in downtown Ottawa this afternoon. The portrait was painted by Canadian artist Phil Richards, who is known for the...

Ashley Burke, David Thurton

Ottawa considers reviving EV incentives as it finalizes its auto strategy: sources

No decision yet on future of the EV sales mandate, sources say. The federal government is considering bringing back consumer incentives for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids as it finalizes its national automotive strategy, CBC News has learned. Sources with knowledge of the plans, whom CBC News has agreed not to name because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, say...

US Poli

Kate Brumback And Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press

Legal fight escalates over Georgia voting records as Trump says he wants to 'take over' elections

ATLANTA (AP) -- Officials in Georgia's Fulton County said Wednesday they have asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other documents from the 2020 election that it seized last week, escalating a voting battle as President Donald Trump says he wants to "take over" elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon.

Mark Sherman, The Associated Press

Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year's elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration.

Nicholas Riccardi And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press

Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, new Gallup polling shows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, according to new international polling from Gallup, a situation that sets the country apart from other rich and powerful nations.

Kevin Freking, The Associated Press

House passes bill to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House on Tuesday passed a roughly $1.2 trillion spending package to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.

International

Washington Post to lay off a third of staff in newsroom and other departments

Catherine Morrison

Former minister Baird says he wasn't consulted about Epstein's invite to 2014 seminar

The office of former foreign affairs minister John Baird says neither he nor the Canadian government were consulted on a 2014 seminar invitation list that included convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Baird's name appears in documents related to Epstein recently released by the U.S. Justice Department, including work-related guest lists and a document inviting Epstein to a one-week seminar in...

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

United Nations faces 'imminent financial collapse' without urgent action, UN chief says

The United Nations chief is warning that the world body faces "imminent financial collapse" unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues -- a message likely directed at the United States and the billions it owes.

Nojoud Al Mallees

Top Canada CEOs' group questions Carney's strategy with Trump

The head of an organization that represents Canadian chief executives questioned Mark Carney’s handling of the relationship with the White House, calling on the prime minister to focus on salvaging the North American trade pact. Article content Carney captured global attention — and annoyed President Donald Trump — with a speech at the World Economic Forum last week. The prime...

British PM Starmer says 'really good progress' made in China talks on trade, travel issues

The leaders of Britain and China on Thursday called for a "strategic partnership" to deepen ties between their nations at a time of growing global turbulence as they sought to thaw relations after years of chill. Neither Prime Minister Keir Starmer nor President Xi Jinping publicly mentioned Donald Trump, but the U.S. president's challenge to the global order was clearly...

Think Tank

Dana Kleniewski

Investing in wetlands is an investment in our shared prosperity

Zach Paikin

Canada is not interested in White House boot licking. So what?

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s widely praised speech last week in Davos was most notable for its frankness in admitting the hypocrisy behind Western support for a selectively enforced “rules-based international order.” But it also pulled no punches in calling out the coercive measures that great powers — including the United States — are increasingly employing to advance their interests.

Kenneth Green

Even the Globe and Mail (finally) gets it—build the pipeline now

Substacks

A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

Dean Beeby

Horns locked over dismal state of access to info

The head of Ottawa’s public service got an earful from the federal information commissioner about the dismal state of access to information – the sign of a growing rift between the Liberal government and Parliament’s watchdog on transparency. At a Nov. 12 meeting, Caroline Maynard presented Michael Sabia, clerk of the Privy Council, with statistics detailing the deterioration of the...

Dean Beeby

RCMP quietly gave awards to officers in N.S. mass murders

The RCMP has handed out 23 awards for excellence to officers and employees in Nova Scotia for their performance during the April 2020 mass murders, in which a gunman impersonating a Mountie murdered 22 people in cold blood.

Dean Beeby

Library and Archives waives access-to-info fee

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) gets a lot of flak for its processing of Access to Information Act (ATIA) requests, especially for its long delays to respond. But lately they’ve been doing a few things right.

Podcasts

Jason Kenney on MAGA, Conservatives, Separatists and Canada

Our guest today is Jason Kenney, the 18th Premier of Alberta, and a multi-portfolio Cabinet Minister for Stephen Harper’s Conservatives from 2006-2015.

What happened to $10-a-day child care?

The federal government’s Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program was meant to bring child care fees down to $10 per day and create 284,000 new daycare spaces by the end of March this year. A recent report found the program is expected to miss that goal by 90,000 spaces – and many places haven’t reached the initial $10 a...

Epstein’s orbit: will justice come?

Jeffrey Epstein’s vast connections with the rich and powerful, the world over, are on full display in the over 3 million files and documents released by the U.S. Justice department late last week. There’s mounting evidence of Epstein’s relationships with people like President Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and tech titan Peter Thiel...

Moore Butts -- Can Political Makeovers Work?

What does and what should Pierre Poilievre do now after receiving a ringing endorsement from his party? Was the Poilievre we saw on the weekend the same Poilievre we will see in the future? James Moore and Gerald Butts have another one of their very popular conversations, now also available on our YouTube channel.