Prime Minister Mark Carney’s chief of staff Marco Mendicino will soon be leaving his position in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), according to a statement released Thursday. “As we prepare for the Throne Speech, I have asked Mr. Mendicino to stay into the summer in order to support the launch of the government’s mandate in Parliament and to lead the...
Conservative MP Jamil Jivani has launched a petition to end the temporary foreign worker program. The petition says the temporary foreign worker program is a "large contributor" to an unsustainable level of immigration and claims the program is taking jobs away from Canadians and suppressing wages.
Sources say caucus will lose patience if campaign manager stays. Pressure is mounting on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to fire Jenni Byrne, his national campaign manager, whom critics hold responsible for the party's election defeat last month, sources told Radio-Canada. "After a loss, heads have to roll," said one Conservative. "If Jenni Byrne stays, we won't be able to support...
Canada should ‘move on’ from Trump’s 51st state remarks, says Pete Hoekstra. The new U.S. ambassador to Canada says he knows the implication of King Charles III's upcoming trip to Ottawa is to push back on U.S. President Donald Trump's 51st state threats — and he says there are "easier ways to send messages" to the American government. "We're thrilled...
'You could almost run a straw bale in our riding under the Conservative flag and that would get elected.'
Below is a retrospective of the 45th Canadian federal election, the forces that shaped it, and the challenges Canada faces. Please click here for a PDF version of this report.
Close to a quarter of culture-goers (22%) say it is now much more or somewhat more important for them to attend art and cultural events and performances or visit museums and galleries that include or promote Canadian artists or content, compared to just over one in ten who say it is much less or somewhat less important (11%). Over fifty...
Information manipulation poses the single biggest threat to Canadian democracy, concluded commissioner Marie Josée Hogue, in her final report on foreign interference in federal elections, earlier this year.
With the minority Liberals now settling into governing and Conservatives trying to make sense of their improbable loss, we can look back at how political pundits called the election so early and so wrong for Pierre Poilievre, and learn what we can from their mistaken call. There’s no question 2024 was a banner year for Conservatives. The party had such...
The size of the federal public service shrank by nearly 10,000 jobs between the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, marking the first time the civil service population hasn’t grown since 2015, according to newly published data by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The drop in 9,807 jobs marks a 2.7 per cent dip in number of civil cervants, with...
If Prime Minister Mark Carney signs on to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence shield, he could be committing Canada to a project with a ballooning price tag, an anti-weapons proliferation groups said on Thursday. Jessica West -- a senior researcher at Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace research institute based in Waterloo, Ont. -- warned during an...
Since U.S. President Donald Trump began threatening Canada with tariffs, I’ve heard from many people and businesses about the intense anxiety they’re feeling. Ontarians are already struggling in the face of an ongoing affordability crisis and are now facing potential layoffs and staring down the face of an impending recession. But instead of uniting people to push back against Trump...
In a less partisan, more conciliatory political environment, there would be cross-partisan consensus about the need for a by-election in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne. It’s not simply that the margin of victory was razor-thin, with the Liberals’ Tatiana Auguste winning the riding by a single vote. Nor is it about the flip-flopping of the result: Terrebonne was first won...
You have to be kidding – Canada considering involvement in Donald Trump‘s Golden Dome space defence initiative? Is this for real? Is Canada seriously contemplating joining Mr. Trump’s latest cockamamie idea? After winning an election on a clear promise to assert a more independent foreign and defence policy – including a move away from reliance on U.S. weaponry, military strategy...
Speeches from the Throne are often tedious affairs. They track the government’s agenda but in a boring, laundry-list kind of way. There’s not the raucous atmosphere seen at State of the Union addresses, with the president’s partisans cheering like banshees at their every word. But our upcoming Throne Speech will be highly significant. After 10 years of Liberal rule, the...
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS in Rome on Sunday, where he was attending the inaugural mass for Pope Leo XIV, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about housing prices. The question from reporter Mackenzie Gray was simple: “Do you want house prices to go down in Canada?” The answer was less simple.
What a Trudeauesque beginning to the Liberals’ fourth consecutive term — theatre, false starts, evasion and unaccountability, but absent the sunny ways! The technocrat’s prologue risks rivalling the drama teacher’s denouement.
In the rush to grow Canada’s economy by exploiting more of our natural resources, moves are afoot to pare back environmental impact assessments that slow or sometimes even block resource and industrial development. During the election campaign, the now-ruling Liberals promised to cut the decision time on projects from five years to a maximum of two. Similarly, BC is about...
Politics can be a blood sport, which is why most politicians learn to roll with the punches. Not Nate Erskine-Smith, who has become a punchline in the halls of power.
Mark Carney isn’t getting much of a honeymoon as a new prime minister. It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride since Carney swore in his new cabinet just a week ago, which featured some surprising new ministers, as well as some conspicuous absences, such as Nate Erskine-Smith, who pronounced himself disrespected.
If the Conservatives had won last month's election, the list of policy suggestions from Saskatchewan would have looked very different.
There was widespread outrage when the Carney government announced it would not release a budget this spring – or even, as first envisaged, in the fall. Only after a couple of days of appalling press was it announced the regular fall economic statement would be upgraded to a full budget. You can understand why people would be upset. As a...
On April 28, Canadians went to the polls to cast their votes in the federal election. When the dust had settled and the ballots were tallied, Prime Minister Mark Carney emerged victorious, albeit with yet another Liberal minority government. However, Carney’s stunning victory marks one of the most outstanding political comebacks in Canadian history. Just weeks earlier, oddsmakers had Pierre...
The next year in Alberta promises to be a hot one. Premier Danielle Smith’s last minute move to amend legislation that makes it so much easier to collect enough signatures for a referendum has lit the match. And what would that referendum be about? Separation from the rest of Canada.
Last Friday, I confronted a protester displaying a “F— Carney” flag directly in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, that historic 1880s building serving Liberal and Conservative leaders since 1975. When he refused to remove it, I gave him two minutes before I’d do it myself. An RCMP officer intervened. Despite my outrage at seeing such vulgarity on the grounds...
As re-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new cabinet take the reins in Ottawa at a time of rising global instability, his government must urgently rethink how it defends Canada’s sovereignty, deepens its alliances and projects its influence in a world increasingly being shaped by authoritarian aggression and technological disruption.
Electric vehicle sales in Canada have collapsed. Both Statistics Canada and AutoTrader, the online marketplace for new and used cars, released reports in the past week showing that EV sales have declined sharply, as have the number of car shoppers who would consider a switch away from ICEs (internal combustion engines) to an EV.
In introducing his new cabinet this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney doubled down on his election night “build baby build” message. The time has arrived, he said, to “build big, build bold,” and “build now” on the way to becoming an energy superpower. But before anyone’s going to break ground on a major project or cut a cheque, they will...
Canada, France, U.K. condemn Israel, but let terrorists who started the war off the hook
Understandable party wants to avoid ‘symbolism’ of exiting political stage, but no reason for former Opposition leader to continue living at ‘our expense’
During Prime Minister Mark Carney’s highly anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on May 6th, Canadians were on high alert for telling signs of how the meeting was going. Would Trump make disparaging references to Canada as the 51st state? Might we see any sign of relief from the tariffs? What is the power dynamic between...
There isn’t much point going on at any length analyzing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s refreshed cabinet. There’s some good moves there (Anita Anand to Foreign Affairs is a massive upgrade in a critical portfolio). There’s some bad news (a rookie GTA MP as energy minister, now?!). And there isn’t a snappy or definitive answer as to whether this cabinet marks...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Cabinet is barely appointed — but it already needs to make a history-making decision. As G7 host this week, will Canada push to save Ukraine, defend Canada’s national security, and strengthen both international law and Canada’s international credibility? Or will it be complicit in an unprecedented bailout of Russia, an imperialist regime intent not simply on...
If anybody should have left Canada, it was First Nations. Secession: it’s a serious word for uniquely Canadian dumb ideas. Some Albertans are saying things about their unequal treatment, and, for the record, it’s not true. Alberta has not been treated badly, and neither has Quebec.
Ben Woodfinden, the 31-year-old former director of communications for Pierre Poilievre, understands the challenges faced by younger Canadians. Ten years of a Liberal-led, no-growth government, Ben laments, “means they live in a country that doesn’t work for them anymore.” They want change.
Canada's Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says there's a sense of unity after emerging from a summit with his counterparts across the G7. The group of finance ministers and central bankers gathered this week in Banff, Alta., ahead of the G7 leaders' summit set for next month in nearby Kananaskis. The finance group came out with a joint communique emphasizing a...
U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada next month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a briefing. Trump will be in Canada from June 15 to 17. More details of his visit will be announced shortly, Leavitt said. On May 6, during Mark Carney’s meeting with Trump at the White House, the prime...
Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed says he met with senior officials from the foreign affairs ministry after Israeli soldiers fired warning shots near a diplomatic tour in the West Bank that included four Canadians.
ST. JOHN'S -- Elections Canada says results are expected Friday in a federal election vote recount in central Newfoundland and Labrador.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is "devastated and appalled" by the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington yesterday. The two staff members were leaving an event at a Jewish museum when they were shot and killed. Police said the suspect yelled, "Free, free Palestine" after his arrest.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been officially sworn in as MP for the Ottawa riding of Nepean. Carney swore allegiance to King Charles in the ceremony, which took place on Parliament Hill this morning.
Kelowna resident and former federal NDP candidate Cade Desjarlais sees the party in "disarray." Desjarlais, who ran for the NDP in Kelowna-Lake Country in 2021 but voted for the successful Liberal candidate in the redrawn riding of Kelowna last month, said the NDP needed a working-class reset, a leader in that mould and a focus on British Columbia.
The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees said the latest offers from the postal service "fall short" with hours to go until a looming strike deadline. In a bulletin posted late Wednesday, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said it is still reviewing proposals tabled by the Crown corporation earlier in the day.
Only a handful of the newly-elected Conservative MPs were handed critic roles
Most Canadians feel attached to their country, province and municipality but only about half of them trust their governments, a new poll suggests. The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 82 per cent of Canadians feel attached to their country. Because the poll was conducted online, it can't be assigne
Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out a handful of collective core priorities for his new ministers on Wednesday, vowing his government will work to bring down the cost of living and reconfigure some of Canada's most important international relationships. Carney released just one single mandate letter publicly for his entire cabinet, rather than the traditional spate of individual assignments. He...
The new U.S. ambassador to Canada says while U.S. President Donald Trump is unlikely to ever remove his slate of tariffs entirely, he’s confident Canada can reach a deal to secure the lowest levies possible. “The president has made it clear that there will probably be a tariff on every country that we do business with,” Pete Hoekstra said in...
Ottawa expects 'full investigation,' prime minister says. Prime Minister Mark Carney says it's "totally unacceptable" that members of the Israeli army fired shots near a diplomatic delegation, which included Canadians, in the West Bank on Wednesday. The federal government confirmed Wednesday that four Canadian personnel were part of a tour in the city of Jenin when members of the Israel...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is looking at participating in U.S. President Donald Trump's new Golden Dome missile defence program. Carney says high-level discussions are underway, but he did not provide a figure on how much Canada might contribute to the project.
Canada is summoning the Israeli ambassador to explain why Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots near a diplomatic tour in the West Bank on Wednesday. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the situation "totally unacceptable" and said Canada expects an explanation of what happened.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has unveiled his party's leadership team and critic roles ahead of next week's return to the House of Commons. He's named 48 Conservative members of Parliament to critic roles, while another 14 will become associate critics.
A defence expert says that if Canada wants to fully join U.S. President Donald Trump's "golden dome" missile defence project, it should make a decision soon. David Perry, president of the Canada Global Affairs Institute think tank, says Ottawa has a tendency to punt politically sensitive decisions on ballistic missile defence.
A report by Manitoba's ethics commissioner says former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers acted improperly by pushing for the approval of a silica sand mining project. The report says Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic development minister Jeff Wharton tried to get approval for the Sio Silica project after the Tories lost the 2023 election...
Tariffs have roiled the relationship between the neighboring countries for months
The head of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board sees opportunities for the big investment fund in Prime Minister Mark Carney's desire for large-scale, nation-building projects. CPP Investments chief executive John Graham says the fund has an appetite to continue growing its Canadian assets. "We're excited that it's going to lead to some pretty interesting domestic investment opportunities," Graham said...
As the clock ticks down to a possible postal strike, the union representing Canadian postal workers says Canada Post is issuing a new set of offers today. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says its negotiating team is set to examine the proposals this afternoon.
The Conservatives may be more accessible after the election, but don’t bank on them softening their stance on defunding the CBC, says communications strategist Dan Mader. Despite a slate of Conservative MPs returning to the mainstream media airwaves and a less combative tone during interactions with reporters, Conservative communication strategists advise against reading too much into the shift in approach...
Premiers from Western Canada are to meet Wednesday to kick off a two-day conference in Yellowknife. Set to attend are Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, British Columbia's David Eby, Saskatchewan's Scott Moe, Manitoba's Wab Kinew, Nunavut's P.J. Akeeagok, Yukon's outgoing Premier Ranj Pillai and Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson. This annual conference comes two weeks before all Canada's premiers are to...
Top economic officials from the G7 are gathering for a full day of closed-door discussions in Banff, Alta., to examine pressing topics including the global economy and the war in Ukraine. The meeting in the Rocky Mountains, which wraps up Thursday, is a prelude to the G7 leaders summit in June in nearby Kananaskis, Alta.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans early Thursday took a major step forward on President Donald Trump's agenda, approving a legislative package that combines tax breaks, spending cuts, border security funding and other priorities.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package, with Speaker Mike Johnson defying the skeptics and unifying his ranks to muscle President Donald Trump's priority bill to approval Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- It seems like a triumph for a cryptocurrency industry that has long sought mainstream acceptance: Top investors in one of President Donald Trump 's crypto projects invited to dine with him at his luxury golf club in Northern Virginia on the heels of the Senate advancing key pro-crypto legislation and while bitcoin prices soar.
MIAMI (AP) -- Juan Serrano, a 28-year-old Colombian migrant with no criminal record, attended a hearing in immigration court in Miami on Wednesday for what he thought would be a quick check-in.
Two staff members of Israel’s embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the district's Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night, officials said.
The British government says it is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and has levelled new sanctions targeting West Bank settlements as it criticizes Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Tuesday’s actions came a day after the U.K., France and Canada condemned Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary David Lammy...
Moscow is ready to work toward ending the fighting in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday following a two-hour phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon said Monday that she is resigning, the latest fallout at the network as its parent company considers settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over "60 Minutes."
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft acknowledged Thursday that it sold advanced artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the war in Gaza and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company also said it has found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm...
Universities are facing a sharp decline in their public reputation. In the US, the Trump administration is openly attacking many top universities – including taking steps to strip Harvard of its tax exempt status. The situation in Canada is less antagonistic, but there’s growing public frustration over the blatant left-wing bias and politicization of our post-secondary institutions. The public’s indifference...
For too long, Canada has been content to muddle in the slow lane when what is needed — now more than ever — is a breathtaking build out. Here’s how to do it.
Mortgage fraud in Canada has surged in recent years, raising deep concerns across multiple sectors. Anxiety is soaring among lenders as they face rising losses and inflated property prices. Meanwhile, organized criminal actors are overwhelming regulators and law enforcement. Several complex factors are behind the growing crisis, including pressures from housing affordability, rising interest rates, and the lingering effects of...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
There are plenty of problems confronting progressives in the United States right now. So lots of our American cousins may not even be aware of the angst and hardship that Trump is inflicting upon Canada.
Parliament will look very different when newly-elected MPs return to Ottawa this month. There will be far less diversity of voices in the House of Commons with the demise of the NDP, and this is not good for our democracy.
Canada’s premier agency for cyber-security, which helps governments and businesses defend against bad actors, itself got scammed as part of a wide-ranging IT overbilling fraud worth several million dollars.
On this episode of WONK, host Amanda Lang talks to the driving forces behind the Oneida Energy Storage Project about Indigenous partnership and the secrets to their success
Over the weekend, the Israeli military launched a new operation in Gaza called Gideon’s Chariots. It comes after a two-month long blockade of humanitarian aid that is finally starting to ease as some trucks with food have been allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave.
Former Canadian ambassador to Israel Jon Allen and University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau discuss how allies will respond to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to control all of Gaza at the end of the war, after Canada, France and the U.K. made a statement warning Israel to stop its offensive and allow aid into the strip. Allen calls...
Today on the show is historian Timothy Ryback. Timothy is an author and writer with The Atlantic. He’s the director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in The Hague.
