Give us housing money before Pierre Poilievre can block it, GTA mayors tell Trudeau government
Several GTA mayors say they support a new request from Mississauga for the federal government to provide all funds in...
Alex Ballingall
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Alex Ballingall.
Another Tory MP wants Liberal housing money that Pierre Poilievre has pledged to cut
Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser is exposing another Opposition Conservative MP who has voiced a desire for federal money from...
Justin Trudeau rejected ‘strong call’ to quit too quickly, Liberal MP charges
One of the dissenting Liberal MPs calling for Justin Trudeau to resign is expressing disappointment over how quickly the prime...
‘Code Red’ petition from Liberals urges secret ballot on Justin Trudeau’s leadership
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was all smiles as he walked into a Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday morning, where dissidents in...
Behind the scenes, anxious Liberals wonder if Justin Trudeau has a plan for re-election: ‘The status quo is leading us to obliteration’
With no new campaign director, no new ad campaign rollout, no major cabinet shuffle, and no change at the top...
Liberal MP says he shouldn’t be silenced in the House of Commons for linking Conservatives to Vladimir Putin
A Liberal MP from Toronto says he has been unfairly blocked from speaking in the House of Commons for seven...
Documents reveal why Trudeau government needs to speed up NORAD modernization, expert says
The federal government is off to a slow start on its 20-year plan to improve Canada’s contribution to the North...
‘He’s been wasting his time:’ Liberal MPs slam Doug Ford’s stand on bike lanes
Premier Doug Ford’s push to limit the construction of bike lanes in Ontario municipalities is facing criticism from some Liberal...
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals reverse course and will allow fundraising in private homes, source says
In an effort to catch up to the Conservatives’ dominant fundraising machine ahead of the next federal election, Justin Trudeau’s...
Justin Trudeau will let the Conservatives try to topple his minority government next week: sources
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could see his government fall next week after the Liberals offered the Conservative Official Opposition the...
Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre spar as Parliament returns and one party leader says an election is not far off
One of the first things many MPs saw when they returned to Parliament Hill on Monday was a large, flapping...
‘I’m not going anywhere’: Justin Trudeau says he won’t resign if Liberals lose Montreal byelection
A combative Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he’s not going to resign as Liberal leader if his party loses...
‘This is a significant change’: How Liberals are reacting to the resignation of their party’s campaign director
Trailing in the polls and suddenly facing the prospect of an early federal election, many Liberals say there is a...
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals blamed spiking inflation on global factors, but now take credit for its slowdown. Here’s what’s actually going on
When inflation was spiking and straining budgets after the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Liberal government was eager...
Nuclear war would turn Canada into one of the worst places on the planet. And scientists fear we are inching closer
In the unlikely, but unfortunately not impossible event of nuclear war, Canada would be one of the worst places on...
Chrystia Freeland insists she has enough support to stay on as finance minister
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she feels she has enough support to continue doing her job, after the Star reported...
Liberal MPs snap back at anonymous Trudeau and Freeland critics: ‘I am troubled by the public smearing’
Upset over anonymous grumbling by their colleagues in the media, some Liberal MPs are demanding it stop and expressing support...
With no sign of Justin Trudeau leaving, some Liberal MPs want major changes in his cabinet: ‘Clearly, what’s happening is not working’
Last week’s tiny cabinet change did nothing to appease those in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s caucus who think a broader...
Justin Trudeau says he has ‘full confidence’ in Chrystia Freeland after report says his senior advisers are questioning her effectiveness
Justin Trudeau has “full confidence” in his long-time political lieutenant, Chrystia Freeland, the Prime Minister’s Office said Thursday, in response...
‘Shameful’: Justin Trudeau called out by Americans over failure to hit NATO spending target
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government was still trying to figure out how to show when Canada can finally hit its...
Insiders say Liberal MPs turned up the pressure on Justin Trudeau during a private call: ‘Some of your key players need to go’
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was pushed to make serious changes to rescue the Liberals’ political prospects during a call with...
Justin Trudeau personally reaches out to Liberal MPs amid pressure on him to step down
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been working the phones to tamp down any caucus discontent, as his team convened a...
Some Liberal insiders worry they’re seen as too ‘woke’ under Justin Trudeau — and that it may be too late for him to go
Shock and disappointment over Monday’s byelection defeat in midtown Toronto is still rippling through federal Liberal circles, with some insiders...
Liberals grapple with stunning Toronto byelection loss and Justin Trudeau’s future: ‘The pressure will mount for sure’
Federal Liberals are now grappling with the fallout of Monday’s stunning byelection in Toronto, where Pierre Poilievre’s Tories dealt them...
After nine election victories, a Toronto MP known for his straight talk and wit says he won’t run again
Inside the Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday, John McKay was having a bit of a Tom Sawyer moment. The veteran...
It’s common practice for MPs. But amid foreign-interference claims, some say it’s time for it to be banned
Star analysis finds it has happened more than 100 times since 2016, when foreign governments covered more than $830,000 in...
China is dominating the EV market — and that means trouble no matter how Canada responds
Ever since the United States said it will slap steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last month, attention has turned...
Top-secret intelligence alleges some MPs aided foreign interference. This might be a way to publicly name them
MPs named by top-secret intelligence as aiding foreign interference in Canadian politics continue to go unidentified by Prime Minister Justin...
Ottawa considering foundation to honour Brian Mulroney
The federal government is considering the creation of a new public foundation to honour Brian Mulroney, the former Progressive Conservative...
Some Liberals think Mark Carney could succeed Justin Trudeau. We talked to those who think he’d be a great leader — and others who roll their eyes
The way former Liberal cabinet minister Catherine McKenna sees it, change is coming. Either her party supplies it, or they...
Nearly a third of Canadians think world war is likely and many more believe Canada is not ready, survey finds
A new poll suggests Canadians hold mixed views about whether a world war is on the horizon, but that many...
Pierre Poilievre says he’ll ‘axe the carbon tax’ for consumers — but when it comes to the pricing system for Canadian industries, he won’t say
He would repeal incoming federal electricity regulations. He would scrap Liberal clean fuel standards. And, yes, he wants to “axe...
Someone will eventually succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader. Here’s what Canadians told a pollster about some of the potential contenders
Of a slate of potential Liberal leadership contenders largely unknown to the public, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia...
Liberal MP won’t seek re-election, citing fears for her safety and disgust with toxicity in politics
Describing how politics has grown so “toxic” and “hyperpartisan” that she is often afraid to appear in public, Liberal MP...
Trudeau government wants banks to use the word ‘rebate’ when you get your carbon levy refund — but a source says one bank is flat out refusing
The federal government is frustrated by difficulties in getting banks to adopt its preferred name for carbon price rebates as...
Justin Trudeau’s big defence policy update took two years to create. But it still leaves major questions unanswered
The Liberals’ latest national defence plan was a full two years in the works, yet leaves major questions unanswered about...
Justin Trudeau’s government is $15 billion behind in climate change spending, report says
he federal government has failed to spend roughly $15 billion that it committed to fight climate change since Justin Trudeau’s...
Chrystia Freeland is at the centre of a political storm. The course she charts out of it could save her Liberal government — or make matters even worse
It’s 2014, and Chrystia Freeland is laughing on the streets of London. In classic Freeland fashion, she’s casually strolling with...
Jagmeet Singh was warned about potential threat against his life, inquiry hears
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was among the Sikh Canadians who were warned about potential threats against their lives after the...
Justin Trudeau's consumer carbon levy less impactful than other climate change actions, report says
It’s the climate policy at the heart of the political storm around carbon pricing. And now a new report concludes...
Justin Trudeau promised them a portion of the carbon rebate. Five years later, the government has collected billions, but they're still waiting for money
The federal government hasn't decided how it will refund more than $3.6 billion in carbon price revenue to businesses and...
'He's a liar and a hate-monger': Former prime minister Kim Campbell slams Pierre Poilievre
Former prime minister Kim Campbell called Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a "liar and a hate-monger," and suggested she won't vote...
NDP insiders say pharmacare battle was the closest they've ever come to abandoning Justin Trudeau's Liberals
It was January, and it was the closest the New Democrats had ever come to ditching the deal that keeps...
It's a Conservative stronghold — but here's why Pierre Poilievre's Tories will be closely watching this byelection on Monday
Who wins Monday's byelection in the riding of Durham likely won't set off a political earthquake in Ottawa — but...
One premier is threatening to kill Justin Trudeau's controversial carbon levy. What happens if he succeeds?
It has been a season of political discontent for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's carbon price scheme. And now his government's...
Canada willing to send troops to Ukraine in noncombat role, Defence Minister Bill Blair says
Canada is open to sending a limited number of military personnel to train Ukrainian troops within Ukraine, so long as...
How Canada's military fell into crisis — and why failing to save it has deep consequences for us all
On paper, she seems to be exactly what the Canadian military needs. An enthusiastic would-be recruit, married to a current...
Justin Trudeau adviser defends use of crude language in online exchange with right-wing group
A senior adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending her use of crude, sexual language in an online exchange...
Justin Trudeau fends off dire warnings, says he won't slash federal spending
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't believe in slashing federal spending to please business groups or opposition Conservatives, raising...
Battered in the polls, Justin Trudeau's Liberals look for a boost from … Donald Trump?
The federal Liberals are turning their minds to how they can strategically benefit from the looming shadow of Donald Trump...
Trudeau government's policies are undercutting Canada's economy, business group charges
One of Canada's leading business groups has accused the federal government of eroding the country's economic standing through its failure...
Here's where Justin Trudeau's Liberals say they've gone wrong — and how they can turn it around
Apparently, being Liberal isn't as fun as it used to be. Sean Casey, the long-serving MP for Charlottetown, will admit...
Toronto MP Carolyn Bennett to become Canada's ambassador to Denmark: Sources
Outgoing Toronto Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett will soon be named Canada’s next ambassador to Denmark, the Star has learned. The...
Trudeau government silent on genocide allegations against Israel at UN court
The federal government is so far staying out of the latest political flashpoint surrounding the war in Gaza, as it...
Justin Trudeau’s foreign minister is grappling with a world of chaos. But is she making a mark?
Given all that has happened since — new and still-raging wars; diplomatic chills; everblooming fears for the future — it...
Most Canadians want Justin Trudeau to cut the carbon price on all home heating, poll suggests
A new poll suggests most Canadians want more carbon price carve-outs, and that Ottawa’s decision to lift the levy on...
Donald Trump’s return to power could be ‘an absolute disaster’ for Canada. Are we ready?
This past week, while Canadians were preoccupied with Thanksgiving preparations, their families, working lives and any manner of routine diversions...