Interim NDP leader Don Davies says his party is in "very early" discussions with the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney about being granted official party status in the House of Commons.The NDP was reduced to seven seats in the election, below the 12-seat threshold for official party status in the Commons.
Lots to discuss after a week where Mark Carney sits down with Donald Trump in the White House, Pierre Poilievre fights to hold on to his leadership, and a new prime minister tries to build a cabinet that can deliver on the promises that won an election. But we start with a new Pope, and what that could mean. Chantal...
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be sworn in and unveil his new cabinet on Tuesday, Rideau Hall has confirmed. In a ceremony presided over by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, the newly elected prime minister will present to Canadians who he has picked to deliver on his series of campaign commitments, and lead on key files at a pivotal time for...
Canada Elections Act sets out when recounts happen and how they can proceed. A Conservative Party fundraising email alleges the Liberals are trying to "tip the scales" in riding recounts, language some political watchers say is concerning as some Canadians say they don't trust the results of last week's election. The email, sent to the Conservatives' mailing list on Wednesday...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre didn’t adapt enough to Justin Trudeau’s departure or U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office, says Erin O’Toole, who is now suggesting his successor reconsider his tone and approach to provincial relationships before taking a second crack at becoming prime minister. In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play with Vassy Kapelos, O’Toole said the...
The path for a referendum on separation in Alberta was laid out this week by Premier Danielle Smith, even though she has been adamant that she does not support the movement. In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe has said his government does not support separation, but he wouldn’t stand in the way of a vote. As these dual referendums loom, new...
The Weekly Nanos Tracking is produced by the Nanos Research Corporation, headquartered in Canada, which operates in Canada and the United States. The data is based on random interviews with 1,000 Canadian consumers (recruited by RDD land- and cell-line sample), using a four-week rolling average of 250 respondents each week, 18 years of age and over. The random sample of...
Prime Minister Mark Carney made his eagerly anticipated visit to the White House for his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week. The meeting was anticlimactic and saw no confrontations, trolling or perceived slights from the mercurial American leader. Each man greeted the other with warm handshakes, beaming smiles, and spirited fist jabs. The jovial and festive vibes...
A Saskatoon woman wearing a transgender rights T-shirt was removed from a Conservative rally featuring Pierre Poilievre during the election campaign.
CALGARY -- Alberta's two big-city mayors say a separation referendum would be "devastating" to their local economies and is a needless distraction during a period in which the country should be focused on unity.
Two Canadian medical supply manufacturers, as well as an industry group that represents 15 such firms, want the federal lobbying commissioner to investigate former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps’ contacts with senior officials about pandemic medical supply contracts. “We will contact the lobbying commissioner to ask why … companies connected with politicians or past politicians get preferential treatment over Canadian...
Across the Western world, a generational shift in defence and security policy is underway. The so-called “peace dividend” that followed the Cold War, when countries reduced military spending to invest in domestic priorities, is now history. In the words of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, we now need to prepare for the defence dividend. This week, Starmer committed the United...
When my editor asked me recently whether I had any thoughts on a Conservative election post-mortem, my reply was simple: we have to use the term post-mortem in a more literal sense than normal. The Conservatives don’t need to merely review the campaign. They need to figure out precisely what killed them. Because unless they find an answer, they won’t...
Now we wait. There is a sweat-it-out period on Canada-U.S. trade now. There aren’t real negotiations going on, not in the nitty-gritty sense, not yet. There’s a kind of pause to regroup. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump sat next to Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office and said there’s nothing the United States wants from Canada. He told...
A failure to accommodate shifting circumstances is prompting questions inside the party about whether a 45-year-old man can truly change
The conflict between India and Pakistan is not a sudden wildfire — it is a bed of long-burning embers, lying beneath decades of unresolved history, territorial disputes, mutual distrust, and a clash of national religious identities. From time to time, a gust of wind — a political provocation, a militant attack, or a deadly border clash — fans them back...
Pierre Poilievre has moved quickly to consolidate his leadership of the Conservative Party in the wake of its disappointing loss in the April 28th general election and his own stunning personal loss of the suburban Ottawa riding of Carleton, which he had held for 20 years. But Poilievre’s placement of faithful lieutenant and former leader Andrew Scheer to lead the...
As the reality of the federal Conservative Party’s defeat in last week’s federal election manifested, infighting within the movement erupted, particularly between the leaders of provincial Progressive Conservative parties and the federal party. This was, in turn, met by accusations by some federal Conservatives that Ontario premier Doug Ford was some kind of Liberal booster, and that he was somehow...
What's the diplomatic thing to say when the U.S. president insults your predecessor, your close colleague and many others, to boot?In his Devil’s Dictionary, 19th-century American writer Ambrose Bierce defined diplomacy as the “patriotic art of lying for one’s country.”
As a Canadian going about his business in London and Paris these days, it’s been impossible not to notice a change in the reflexive greeting from foreigners. The usual friendly thaw at the news that you’re from “the unobjectionable nation” has been replaced by immediate expressions of sympathy and indignation at our new status as Donald Trump’s favourite trolling target...
By harvesting responsibly and regenerating diligently, we ensure that future generations will inherit a greener planet.
If you talk to people who know Mark Carney well, one of the personality traits that comes up over and over is that he is not someone who suffers fools. People he thought were unprepared in meetings; reporters who asked questions he considered unfair or lazy; anyone he thought was wasting his time and ought to know better – they...
Conservatives gathered this week for the first time since the April 28 election. Hopefully they had a vibrant, open, and fulsome caucus meeting where nothing was off limits. It need not be, and should not be, about recrimination and settling scores, but more about accountability and the route for the best path forward. Much has been made since the election...
So, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is unhappy with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her hints at a separation referendum next year in Alberta. Well, the feeling is mutual. Ford isn’t very popular or respected in Alberta. I’ve taken to calling Ford the Liberal Premier of Ontario. I know he styles himself as a Conservative, but after his behaviour during the...
In 2013, when he was running to unseat a Conservative government, Justin Trudeau said there were a "few very big things the prime minister of Canada needs to get right," one of which was "building a constructive working relationship with the president of the United States." That of course was long before the president of the United States was Donald...
For the past few years, Pierre Poilievre was tuned into the Canadian mood with extraordinary precision. His pitch was shaped around a country gripped by a scarcity mindset—rising housing costs, strained health care, expensive groceries, and an overwhelming sense that the basics of life were slipping further from reach. It didn’t hurt that former prime minister Justin Trudeau was deeply...
It’s called “the weave” — Donald Trump’s rambling, random rants when he has anyone’s attention — and Prime Minister Mark Carney can now say he experienced one at the president’s right hand. For more than 30 minutes in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump was weaving all over the place, but not dodging. Yes, he wants Canada to become part...
The prime minister exited the Oval Office, and the most intense experience of his brief political career, with his dignity intact
In the realm of American political rituals, the Oval Office “pool spray” doesn’t quite top the list of presidential traditions that have been upended by Donald Trump — the peaceful transition of power, the inaugural address, and a glancing acquaintanceship with the US Constitution all rate higher on the litany of obliterated norms than the classic, seated, fireplace-flanking bilateral handshake...
Pierre Poilievre has retreated to a safe Alberta seat after losing his Ottawa one to the Liberals. Of course, he will win by a comfortable majority. But in the meantime he’ll have to figure out what to do about the ticking time bomb he’s been handed by the Alberta premier. The day after the election and before Conservative party leader...
What a genius move by Mark Carney to get King Charles to deliver his government’s Speech from the Throne later this month. Given all Carney’s up to in his first week after the election, arranging for Charles to preside over the re-opening of Parliament might not seem like a big deal. There is, after all, that little matter of the...
While preaching calm, Smith gives full legitimacy to a debate that could tear this province apart
As Canada looks for ways to see U.S. tariffs lifted, the country’s ambassador to Canada suggested the recent trade announcement with the United Kingdom could be a “template.” “I think this will kind of be a template for how we go around the world,” U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told National Post. Article content Hoekstra made his comments as...
As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to cast doubt on the future of the NATO military alliance, Canada is looking to partner with the European Union on defence.Here's a closer look at what's driving this major shift in transatlantic relations.
A former top naval commander and several defence experts have been left scratching their heads following the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives' recent embrace of the notion of giving the Royal Canadian Navy heavy, armed icebreakers to defend the Arctic.
Smith cites high popularity of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois in Quebec. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's willing to risk a separation referendum in part to avert the emergence of a political rival. Smith says she doesn't support separating her province from Canada, but says Albertans have genuine grievances with the federal government, and she wants concessions from Liberal Prime...
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to invest in Canada's foreign service, arguing that diplomacy is becoming increasingly important in a dangerous world.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem offered support to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from US President Donald Trump’s attacks, as the Canadian policymaker called the independence of central banks “sacrosanct.”
For the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, cardinals have named an American to be the new pope.Robert Francis Prevost, 69, received votes from at least 89 of the 133 cardinals in the conclave, a two-thirds majority, to become the new pontiff.Prevost chose Pope Leo XIV as his papal name.
The remarks referenced the tensions between Ontario’s PC premier and the federal Tories, who accused Ford of “sabotaging” their campaign. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is reaching out to Premier Doug Ford in the wake of the Tories’ latest electoral defeat. But there is one piece of advice Ford, who works closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals, isn’t about to...
Ontario is set to spend nearly $21 billion to build four small modular reactors east of Toronto. Officials say construction on the first modular reactor at the site of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station will begin this year and should be completed by 2030. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved Ontario Power Generation's plan last month to build the first...
The Conservative leader was once assumed to be the next prime minister. How did he lose his own riding? When Pierre Poilievre took the stage at the Conservative party headquarters in the early hours after the federal election, his future was far from clear. The Conservative leader delivered a relatively upbeat concession speech, congratulating newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney...
After the Conservatives lost a fourth straight election, Pierre Poilievre is tasked with convincing supporters that he is still the right person to lead the party to victory in the next election, despite losing his own seat. Poilievre’s path to returning to the House of Commons requires replacing an elected member of Parliament in a yet-to-be-called byelection in rural Alberta...
Mark Carney's promise to lead a Canadian economic transformation includes a renewed focus on artificial intelligence, which the new prime minister listed as a key pillar of his plan. Experts say they are encouraged by Carney's campaign pledge to invest in the technology. But they say that after establishing itself as a leader in the early decades of AI development...
As separatist discontent bubbles up anew in Alberta, experts say a vote to sever ties with Canada would pitch the country into unexplored territory on everything from money to First Nations and national parks. "You're in terra incognita. You're off the map when we get to that stage of the proceedings," said law professor Eric Adams. "A lot of things...
The NDP will return to the House of Commons without official party status at the end of May. The last time this happened was after the 1993 election -- a time one former New Democrat MP remembers as "the Parliament from hell." Svend Robinson represented Burnaby, B.C., in the House of Commons from 1979 to 2004. He said the party's...
In a surprise move Wednesday, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai announced he's stepping down.Pillai told reporters he plans to stay on until a new leader is selected.He said he plans to focus on improvements to health care and the threat posed by U.S. tariffs for the rest of his term.
A lot of the chatter was about foreign policy — and Carney pressed Trump on tariffs. After their Oval Office encounter under the glare of the TV lights, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his U.S. counterpart retreated to the Roosevelt Room for a working lunch on Tuesday. Much of the mealtime chatter was about foreign policy issues, according to a...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she will “respect the outcome” of a referendum vote to separate the western province from the rest of Canada, but insisted she does not support the initiative. Pressed repeatedly on whether she would pursue separation if a vote in Alberta endorsed it, Smith conceded she would. “What I have said is that I will respect...
Over 800 special ballots cast during the recent federal election were mistakenly kept at the office of a returning officer in B.C., Elections Canada says.The agency says all registered political parties have been informed that 822 special ballots cast by electors in 74 electoral districts across the country were left with the returning officer in the riding of Coquitlam--Port Coquitlam.
Newly minted interim Opposition leader Andrew Scheer says talks are "ongoing" about the current Stornoway conundrum — but he doesn't sound eager to move into the official residence. The Saskatchewan MP was chosen to temporarily take over Pierre Poilievre's parliamentary duties as the Conservative leader seeks to reclaim a seat in the House of Commons. Poilievre lost his long-held Ontario...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's team has reached out to Ontario Premier Doug Ford's office to arrange a call between the two, an apparent bid to ease tensions after Poilievre's party lost the federal election. The move follows weeks of conflict within Canada's conservative movement, including public criticism from Ford. "I think he's asked everyone across the country for a meeting...
Canada's energy CEOs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to scrap the emissions cap on oil and gas producers and repeal industrial carbon pricing to help bolster the industry. Thirty-eight CEOs of Canadian energy companies signed a letter congratulating Carney on his election win and pitching policy measures they say would help the prime minister make good on his...
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canada's premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet in person in Saskatchewan on June 1 and 2. Ford, who took part in a conference call with Carney and the other premiers Wednesday, said the premiers congratulated the prime minister on both his election victory and the "restraint" he showed during Tuesday's meeting with U.S...
U.S. President Donald Trump said former prime minister Justin Trudeau led the effort to have Russia removed from the G8, even though the decision took place more than a year before Trudeau came to power. Speaking alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino at a World Cup event in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said Trudeau and former U.S. president Barack Obama "didn't...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After musing publicly and privately with the idea of raising the top tax rate for wealthy millionaires as Republicans draft his big bill in Congress, President Donald Trump early Friday backed off that call -- sort of.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would pull his nomination of Ed Martin Jr. to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, bowing to bipartisan concerns about the conservative activist's modest legal experience, divisive politics and support for Jan. 6 rioters.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital after abandoning his first pick for the job.
VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia researcher in South Asian affairs says concerns about the current India and Pakistan tensions are justified, given that the region has not seen a conflict this intense in more than 25 years.
For the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, cardinals have named an American to be the new pope.Robert Francis Prevost, 69, received votes from at least 89 of the 133 cardinals in the conclave, a two-thirds majority, to become the new pontiff.Prevost chose Pope Leo XIV as his papal name.
TIRANA, Albania (AP) -- Some of the architects of Donald Trump's presidential campaigns have reunited in Albania as they try to help a Trumpian candidate prevail in this weekend's elections.
The Indian armed forces launched “Operation Sindoor,” hitting nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government said in a statement.No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted in the action that happened early Wednesday local time, the statement added.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The Trump administration says the sweeping tariffs it unveiled April 2, then postponed for 90 days, have a simple goal: Force other countries to drop their trade barriers to U.S. goods.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has forever changed global commodities markets. The economic sanctions subsequently imposed on Russia exposed multiple risks related to (over)reliance on a single or dominant suppliers of critical materials (Sukhankin 2024a).
Despite knowing very little about him, Canadians chose Mark Carney as their new prime minister. Fearful of the bellicose threats coming from the United States about Canada becoming the 51st state, voters turned to the former central banker as a steady hand to deal with President Donald Trump. With no previous political experience to point to, much was made during...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
Some dismissed it as the “erectile dysfunction” ad. Others laughed it off as a desperate Hail Mary to salvage a faltering campaign in Southern Ontario—specifically in the all-important 905 region.Well, they can stop laughing.Call it the blue belt now. The Conservatives not only held their ground in the 905—they flipped several Liberal ridings.
The world is chaotic. Sovereignty, diplomacy, trade, free speech, science are all under assault. Daily life seems suddenly dangerous. Even the weather report is scary. “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” as William Butler Yeats put it in The Second Coming (1919). We’ve entered an era of might makes right. Familiar rules are changing. Among the changes is the...
This will be a very short post on the access-to-information election promises of the five main political parties. That’s because there’s nothing to write about.With the release of the last platform today (Conservative), no party is committing to reforming the dysfunctional Access to Information Act, other than reciting cheap bromides. Some aren’t even offering bromides.
Will Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump change anything with for the Canada-U.S. relationship? Andrew Scheer steps up for the Conservatives as interim Opposition leader in the House. And, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith re-ignites the sovereignty debate. Rosemary Barton hosts Chantal Hébert, Althia Raj and Aaron Wherry
What are Conservative MPs and candidates thinking as the party regroups after their election loss and charts a path forward? On this week’s show, we ask some of them. But first, Toronto Star reporter Raisa Patel gets us caught up on what happened at the Conservatives’ caucus meeting Tuesday. In this episode: Toronto Star politics reporter Raisa Patel; Greg McLean...
While the Liberal Party celebrated winning its fourth mandate in a row in the latest federal election, thousands of Albertans spent the night calling for a referendum on separatism. This week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith addressed growing frustrations in her province and shared her demands of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new federal government.
History is easy in the rearview. When you look back things are a lot neater and tidier - you can say this is authoritarianism, this is fascism, this is the obvious threshold or signpost for crossing into it. History though may not be as obvious when you are living it. Has the United States crossed the threshold into authoritarianism? Or...
