U.S. envoy Pete Hoekstra says he is 'not very sympathetic' to the pain Canadians feel over Trump's annexation threats as he looks to the future.United States President Donald Trump’s top diplomat in Ottawa says the hurt over the state of the bilateral relationship isn’t just being felt by Canadians. “We’re hurt, too,” Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Hill Times during...
David McGuinty says government to launch 'immediate and decisive action to rebuild Canada's defence capacity.' Defence Minister David McGuinty pulled out all the stops Wednesday in his first major public speech to enlist the country's top arms makers in the Liberal government's plans to accelerate military spending. He pledged the newly re-elected Liberal government will take "immediate and decisive action...
Defence Minister David McGuinty says that Canada still doesn't know what it would cost to join U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile defence program. On Tuesday, in a social media post, Trump said it would cost Canada $61 billion to join as a sovereign country but nothing at all if it became a U.S. state.
Calgary-based firm, controlled by Brookfield, wants Carney to consider it in investment decisions. Just two days after the Liberals won the federal election, executives from companies linked to the new prime minister’s former employer, Brookfield Asset Management, began asking for his help. On April 30, two oil and gas companies owned by Brookfield joined 36 others in signing an open...
'The more we talk about separation, the more people are saying that they feel attached to Canada': pollster. Like many Albertans, Michelle Schamehorn was disappointed by the Liberal victory in last month's federal election. But she's not on board with the escalating rhetoric surrounding Alberta separation. "For me, no. I don't want to separate," said the resident of Taber, Alta....
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...
Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) telephone random survey of 1,081 respondents in Canada. This report is based on the four waves of tracking ending May 23rd, 2025. The margin of error for a random survey of 1,081 Canadians is ±3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The research was commissioned by the Bloomberg and was conducted by Nanos Research.
ONCE THE CONSCIENCE of Canadian politics and a genuine alternative to the Liberal–Conservative duopoly, the New Democratic Party finds itself adrift. With the loss of the NDP’s official party status, the appointment of backbencher Don Davies as interim leader wasn’t just a placeholder move while the party regroups. It marks the culmination of a decade-long identity crisis, and a warning...
Some people have declared the decision to have King Charles III read the Speech from the Throne is an inspired, attention-grabbing gesture that will signal to a recalcitrant White House a powerful example of Canada’s distinctiveness and sovereignty. Another interpretation is that it is a meaningless symbol sent to an indifferent public, that runs counter and is tone deaf to...
Even if he hadn’t been competing with the final moments of a whirlwind royal visit, there’s no guarantee that Canada’s news networks would have cut away from regular programming to provide live coverage of Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon as he was introducing a motion to temporarily rewrite the rules for reviewing the main estimates yesterday afternoon.
The new session of Parliament must take real action to address the public safety concerns of Canadians. Across the Greater Toronto Area, residents are increasingly alarmed by the rise in violent crime, and they are demanding action from every level of government. The federal election results in the GTA made that crystal clear.
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...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s May 21 mandate letter to his 38-member cabinet outlining seven vague priorities felt like it was an artificial-intelligence-generated letter, and the start of a limited tailored information packaged regime. The closest the mandate letter came to reminding cabinet of higher expected standards was near the end, when Carney said, “We will uphold the rule of law...
As Canada’s Formula 1 fans gear up for next month’s Canadian Grand Prix, they know all too well the sorrow of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. Despite the talent and technology those teams have assembled this season, the only way they’ll catch McLaren is if Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris spend the balance of the season driving into various track...
The original idea at Confederation was that this country would be called the Kingdom of Canada: like the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Sweden, and so on. But there was concern this would antagonize the Americans, so instead we settled on the “Dominion of Canada” – a fine title in its own right, but one that eventually fell into disuse...
King Charles no doubt had many reasons for his whirlwind trip to Canada this week, but really, it all goes back to one moment in the dead of winter earlier this year. It happened at the White House in February, when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with a flattering flourish, issued a royal invitation to Donald Trump for a second...
“The world is a more dangerous and uncertain place than at any point since the Second World War,” King Charles noted in the Speech from the Throne on Tuesday. “Canada is facing challenges that are unprecedented in our lifetimes.” In keeping with the divine right of kings to bury the lede, that section didn’t come until 660 words in. But...
The question. A simple question. Easy to answer if you’re not playing games. Easy to answer if your words have any meaning. Prime Minister Mark Carney will roll out his plans for the country Tuesday. King Charles III will read the script. Ottawa insiders expect it to be mostly high-minded words. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she will be listening...
Could there be a more Canadian headline than the one on the front page of Monday’s Star? “Liberals reject power to oust leader,” it proclaimed. Given the opportunity to assert some control over their leader if things go sideways, with the memory of the impasse over Justin Trudeau’s leadership fresh in their minds, the party’s members of Parliament meekly said...
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to begin work on his ambitious Golden Dome missile defence program. The “Big Beautiful Bill” Act, a whopping, multi-trillion deficit-busting spending law, appropriates US$25 billion initially for the White House’s signature military program. Perhaps even more surprising than the program itself is Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signalling support for it and...
As the newly elected parliamentarians start this session of government, they will be swamped with learning about the processes and procedures—how to do things correctly, how not to do things incorrectly. Isn’t it interesting that the moment an election is won on platform and goals, then the system inundates MPs on process, rules, and procedures. Relationships are the key, not...
Former United States president John F. Kennedy once famously said that if we don’t get rid of war, war will get rid of us. His dire prediction is coming true. As the world turns and burns, war is everywhere. After three agonizing years of conflict in Ukraine, there is no end in sight, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s idle boast...
Matt Gurney: Over the last few weeks, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s postelection government has been shaping up. A cabinet has been announced. Parliamentarians are being sworn in — including the PM, for the first time. Some key staff positions remain unfilled. With the House returning next week and the King coming to town, what’s your sense of where things stand...
It's hard to see how effective Carney's cabinet will be in achieving his goals, given its large contingent of Trudeau-era ministers
'So far I'm not seeing anything to suggest there's been a true change of heart,' says Premier Danielle Smith, of Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal government
What can we glean from the mandate letter the PM sent his ministers? Emerging from his cabinet's first "planning forum" — what previous prime ministers would have called a cabinet "retreat" — on Tuesday evening, Mark Carney told reporters that his ministers had all been given a single mandate letter. "It reflects a unified mission," the prime minister said of...
On Tuesday in the Senate Chamber, King Charles III will deliver the Speech from the Thone. The last time a monarch did so was in 1977, when his mother Elizabeth II read it during her Silver Jubilee tour. Two decades earlier, she had pronounced her first Speech from the Throne in Ottawa, an occasion that marked the young Queen’s first...
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators say they're 'encouraged' by conversations about trade, tariffs and security with Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Power & Politics panel of party insiders discuss Canadians' expectations for a 'new' relationship with the United States ahead of Parliament's return next week.
The backlash to the news that Canada is in talks with Washington to participate in a space-based missile defence system designed to protect North America is an early warning to the Carney government on how difficult it will be to make substantive changes in a large number of areas promised in the recent election campaign. Prime Minister Mark Carney and...
Is being a cabinet minister the only mark of success for a government MP or MPP? An observer of recent events in Ottawa and Queen’s Park might reach that conclusion. In Ottawa, Mark Carney’s slimmed down cabinet meant several ministers needed to be dropped and considerable talent was left on the backbenches. The result was a flurry of articles and...
One morning in October of 2024, Fredericton city councillor Margo Sheppard received an email with the subject line: “The Real Policy Crisis: Prioritizing ‘Nature’ Over People.” It was polished — almost algorithmically smooth — and it calmly urged her to reconsider Fredericton’s net-zero policies. Over the next month, a flood of similar emails followed, all aimed at getting Fredericton to...
Parliament gets back to work Wednesday with a new Speaker, a new prime minister and plenty of new faces in the House of Commons. Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia will preside over the House of Commons for the first time today, while his office has confirmed that all 343 members of Parliament have now been sworn in.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada will have to pay US$61 billion to be part of his “Golden Dome” space-based missile defence plan — but would pay nothing if it becomes part of the U.S., a message he claimed to have “told Canada” himself. The social media post came hours after King Charles III delivered the speech from...
Prime minister thinks Trump beginning to get the hint about Canadian sovereignty. Prime Minister Mark Carney says more progress needs to be made on resolving the tariff issue with the United States before renegotiations of the North American trade deal begin. In an exclusive interview with CBC's Power & Politics on Tuesday, Carney said "fairly intensive discussions" with the U.S...
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien – who was noticeably absent from King Charles III speech from the throne on Tuesday – is recovering from minor heart surgery after receiving a stent. “Yesterday, former prime minister Jean Chrétien was admitted to the Ottawa Civic hospital after feeling unwell. He has since been transferred to the Ottawa Heart Institute, where he received...
'By Canada Day we'd like to see something concrete there,' PM tells Power & Politics. Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled he hopes Canada will be able to sign on to a major European defence rearmament plan by July 1, a step toward reducing the country's dependency on the United States for weapons and munitions. He made the remarks on CBC's...
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised eyebrows on Tuesday with his choice of footwear for the opening of Canadian parliament. King Charles was in attendance at the Ottawa Senate Building to give a speech viewed widely as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump.
U2 frontman Bono had some kind words to say about Canada during a TV appearance on Global News on Monday. “I was always a fan of your mosaic, your culture, your ... kind of reason, and never more so than now,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer said on “The Morning Show.”
Seated in a brand-new throne and surrounded by dignitaries, King Charles opened Parliament Tuesday with a show of royal tradition — the first throne speech delivered by a reigning monarch in Canada in nearly half a century. Reading from the speech — which is drafted by the federal government and lays out its policy priorities — the King proclaimed the...
Canada will join the ReArm Europe plan, a major defence procurement project to ramp up military arms production in Europe. The move, announced by King Charles as he read the throne speech today, could reduce Canada's reliance on the U.S. for purchases of military equipment.
Charles says he's heartened to see revival of 'national pride, unity and hope' in Canada. King Charles delivered a historic speech from the throne Tuesday and he used that platform to praise Canada as a force for good that will remain "strong and free" as its relationships with longtime partners are "changing." Charles, who delivered the speech seated next to...
King Charles III says Canada faces a "critical moment" as the system of global trade that made it prosper undergoes a shift. Delivering the speech from the throne in Ottawa this morning, the King says Canada faces "unprecedented challenges" as the world changes and as relationships with key allies come under pressure. King Charles says the world is now "a...
King Charles III says Canada is seeing a “renewed sense of national pride, unity and hope” at a critical time while delivering the throne speech on Tuesday. “It is with a deep sense of pride and pleasure, that my wife and I join you here today as we witness Canadians coming together in in a renewed sense of national pride...
When representatives of NATO nations meet in The Hague late next month, they're expected to dramatically hike the alliance's defence spending target for members -- the one Canada is failing to hit already. At the last NATO summit in Washington last year, allies lined up to call out Canada for failing to meet the alliance defence spending target of two...
Tuesday will have more pomp and circumstance than a typical throne speech. King Charles will deliver the Liberal government's throne speech this morning as the new parliamentary session officially kicks off. The King's visit, which is happening at Prime Minister Mark Carney's request, is a chance to assert Canada's sovereignty by nodding to the country's longstanding ties to the Crown...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has called three byelections to take place on June 23. The three vacant ridings are Edmonton-Strathcona, Edmonton-Ellerslie and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is to run in Edmonton-Strathcona, which became vacant when former premier Rachel Notley resigned her seat late last year.
Thousands of royal watchers gathered on a sunny Monday afternoon in Ottawa to give King Charles and Queen Camilla a taste of Canadian hospitality during their short but highly symbolic trip. The King landed a day before he is set to deliver the speech from the throne to open Parliament -- a rare event that comes as Canada copes with...
Prime Minister Mark Carney will take part in his first question period on Wednesday -- but will not carry on a tradition started by his predecessor. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau made it his practice to answer all questions in the House of Commons on Wednesdays, a gesture meant to improve accountability within the chamber.
The Ontario man who pleaded guilty to stealing an iconic portrait of former British prime minister Winston Churchill from Ottawa's Chateau Laurier hotel was sentenced Monday to two years less a day in jail. Jeffrey Wood admitted earlier this year that he stole the portrait and committed forgery. Renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh snapped the celebrated portrait in 1941 in the...
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon says the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized. The NDP was reduced to just seven seats in last month's election. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies has told The Canadian Press he spoke with the Prime Minister's Office about obtaining...
Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, who represents the Montreal-area riding of Lac–Saint–Louis, has been elected Speaker of the House of Commons. Monday marks the return to the House for newly elected and returning MPs, after a five-month hiatus to choose a new Liberal leader and hold a general election. According to House of Commons procedure, electing a Speaker of the House...
The worlds of economics and politics will collide again this week. Parliament is set to resume in a flourish of tradition and grandeur. There will be trumpets and red carpets and a King's speech to start the week. The economic news to wrap the week will be decidedly less celebratory. GDP numbers are going to refocus the conversation on economic...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to reclaim Canadian sovereignty by reducing our reliance on U.S. trade. But to succeed, he’ll need artificial intelligence—lots of it. Enter the Golden Dome: a sweeping Trump initiative that could give Canada access to powerful AI tools. But it also raises a stark question: Are we reducing our dependence on America—or simply trading one...
Gerald Butts and David Lametti hold no official roles in the Liberal government, but Prime Minister Mark Carney informally seeks their advice on key political matters, say Liberal sources. The federal Liberals owe their surprising comeback to Mark Carney who officially entered in the political arena just five months ago. A former central banker who led both the Bank of...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Elon Musk is criticizing the centerpiece of President Donald Trump's legislative agenda, a significant fracture in a partnership that was forged during last year's campaign and was poised to reshape American politics and the federal government.
The Trump administration has asked federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, intensifying the president's clash with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Planned Parenthood halted abortions in Missouri on Tuesday after the state's top court ordered new rulings in the tumultuous legal saga over a ban that voters struck down last November.
President Donald Trump's media company said Tuesday that institutional investors will buy $2.5 billion in the company's stock with the proceeds going to build up a bitcoin reserve.
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...
Western anger is largely fuelled by Ottawa’s decade-long legislative and regulatory agenda, which trampled on provincial jurisdiction while specifically targeting the oil and gas industry – a major source of Western Canada’s wealth.
Canada stands at a critical economic crossroads. From the urgent transition to net-zero emissions, to the pursuit of secure supply chains in critical minerals and energy technologies, to addressing a national productivity crisis, the opportunities for transformation are vast — but remain unevenly distributed.
The completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline in May 2024 has coincided with the beginning of a new era in global trade. Fueled by escalating US trade tensions and tariff policies that underscore Canada’s heavy dependence on a single market for its oil exports, TMX’s significance as a strategic gateway to the Asia-Pacific region is increasing, and China...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
Former Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of betraying Canadians in a strongly worded opinion article published by The Globe and Mail. Axworthy was responding to the announcements this week, first by Donald Trump and then by Carney a day later, that Canada wants to join and help pay for Trump’s “Golden Dome” scheme that...
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.
Canadians are living through uncertain times. Our country faces interconnected challenges including a new geopolitical world order, economic headwinds, climate change, technological disruptions, shifting demographics and deepening inequality.
Meet Ben Woodfinden, who helped craft the Conservative campaign and has thoughts on how it went
For the third time in Canadian history, the head of the British monarchy delivered the throne speech before ushering in a new session of parliament. It comes at a time when Canada could use some help protecting its sovereignty in the face of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, King Charles III opened the 45th Parliament by delivering Canada’s throne speech. The speech lays out the government’s priorities, and the King is only the second monarch to deliver it – his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did so twice before.
