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 Benjamin Lopez Steven.
After a delay due to a blizzard, Elections Canada has validated the results in Nunavut and confirmed NDP incumbent Lori Idlout has prevailed over Liberal challenger Kilikvak Kabloona. The results were posted on Elections Canada's website Friday evening. Validation is a procedure in which Elections Canada double-checks and verifies the numbers reported on election night.
Canada hopes to make progress on lifting tariffs before G7 summit in Alberta: LeBlanc. International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Canada has "no reason to think" the United States wants to trigger an early review of the North American free trade deal, but American officials do want to discuss tackling economic and security issues together.
4 MPs say this was more than a job, and the transition won't be easy. The last item former NDP MP Peter Julian will pack when he leaves his parliamentary office in downtown Ottawa is a single steel-toed work boot. For more than 20 years, the boot has been sitting in Julian's office — a strong reminder of his focus...
Irwin Cotler calls Brunelle-Duceppe an outstanding MP on social media. Former Liberal justice minister and internationally renowned human rights expert Irwin Cotler says Bloc Québécois candidate Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe deserves support this election, regardless of his political affiliation. In a social media post endorsing the incumbent MP on Friday, Cotler said that Brunelle-Duceppe has been "an outstanding member of Parliament, a...
Former Liberal says he doesn't want to split the vote to Conservatives' benefit. Independent MP Han Dong said Sunday morning he will not seek re-election in Don Valley North — a decision that comes one day after the Liberals announced they're running a candidate in the suburban Toronto riding. "After speaking with my family, team and supporters, I have decided...
On Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call a federal election. From that point on, Canada's federal parties will hit the campaign trail — and pollsters will be closely tracking who Canadians plan to support. Political polls are a mainstay in any election campaign, and their frequency will increase once...
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced Sunday his party would cancel Canada's contract to buy U.S.-built F-35s and look for companies to build fighter jets in Canada — a proposal that some defence experts say comes with steep costs. "Purchasing from the [United] States at this time is not in our national security interest," Singh told reporters in Iqaluit just days...
Gordon Sondland says U.S. president wants immediate change on irritants like dairy. Donald Trump's former ambassador to the European Union says nothing should be off the table when it comes to Canada-U.S. trade discussions and that the U.S. president wants immediate change on his irritants like dairy and auto manufacturing.
PM will also meet with the French president in Paris, Nunavut premier in Iqaluit. Just days after being sworn into office, Prime Minister Mark Carney will embark on his first trip abroad in the new job. Carney's office says he'll travel to Paris, then to London where he's expected to meet with King Charles only weeks after his predecessor, Justin...
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy says now is not the time for ‘unnecessary division.’ As U.S. President Donald Trump keeps threatening Canada's sovereignty with his 51st state comments, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is calling for unity — as the United Kingdom continues to avoid directly pushing back on Trump's annexation talk. Lammy, who joined other G7 foreign ministers for...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with King Charles on Monday to discuss "matters of importance to Canada and to Canadians." The meeting comes as questions swirl over why King Charles, Canada's head of state, has not publicly commented on Donald Trump's threats to annex Canada. Buckingham Palace confirmed Monday that the King received Trudeau in the saloon at Sandringham House...
Liberal leadership hopeful says many parliamentarians have multiple passports. Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says he's written to the British and Irish governments to begin the process of renouncing his citizenship in both countries, leaving him solely with Canadian citizenship if the process is completed.
Canadian fentanyl czar Kevin Brosseau says American officials are showing their approval for his new role as he and several other top officials are in Washington to show Canada's successes at reining in drugs and migrants. In an interview with CBC's The House on Wednesday, Brosseau said his role makes him a central contact for U.S. officials to discuss their...
As Canada braces for U.S. President Donald Trump to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods, Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith says the cost of homebuilding is going to go up — despite an urgent need for more housing stock. "I'm alive to the concern. The government is alive to the concern. The list of retaliatory measures is alive to that concern,"...
Former Harper staffer says Carney ‘is not telling the whole story.’ Liberal leadership candidate and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said on Sunday that former prime minister Stephen Harper asked him to join his cabinet as finance minister in 2012. Carney, who sat down for an interview on Rosemary Barton Live, was responding to a question about why...
Carney also promises to balance federal government's operational spending as PM. Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney confirmed Sunday that a federal government led by him would run a deficit "to invest and grow" Canada's economy, but it would also balance its operational spending over the next three years. Carney, a former governor of the Bank of Canada, invoked U.S. President...
Conservative leader says Canada ‘will bear any burden’ to protect sovereignty. Surrounded by hundreds of supporters wearing red and white, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre firmly repudiated U.S. President Donald Trump's 51st state threats and said Canada "will bear any burden" to protect its sovereignty during a rally in Ottawa. "Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we...
The clock continues to wind down on U.S. President Donald Trump's next deadline for imposing sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods. In the meantime, some American lawmakers are pushing the president to back off tariffs altogether — and they hope Canada notices. "I certainly hope the pause continues," said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live. "But...
The Liberal Party of Canada announced Saturday afternoon it will host two leadership debates — one in English and another in French — in Montreal at the end of February. In a news release, the Liberal Party said the French debate will take place on Feb. 24 and the English debate will occur the day after, on Feb. 25. So...
Several premiers are decrying U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose punishing tariffs on virtually all Canadian goods and calling for a powerful retaliatory response from Ottawa and the country as a whole. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said on Saturday that "we're in a moment that is historic, an existential threat to the country. It's not just an...
Liberal leadership hopeful Chrystia Freeland says she's running against the "Ottawa establishment" as more federal cabinet ministers rally around her top rival Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of Canada. "It's central to my campaign to see this not about Liberal elites deciding. This is about the grassroots," Freeland said in an interview on CBC's The House that will air...
Transport Minister Anita Anand announced Saturday afternoon she will not run in the Liberal Party's ongoing leadership contest to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, nor will she seek re-election when Canadians next go to the polls. Anand said in a statement posted to social media she has been "deeply honoured and humbled to serve as Oakville's Member of Parliament and...
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says Canada should not go into a federal election with a second Donald Trump administration about to take office in Washington — an administration that could follow through on Trump's threat to impose punishing tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States.
The president of the Business Council of Canada (BCC) says the business community's confidence in the federal government's picture of Canada's fiscal health is "eroding" and suggests federal finances are "almost being manipulated."
Donald Trump is reiterating his threat to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods if the federal government doesn't take action on border security — and a former official from his first administration says the U.S. president-elect isn't bluffing. "I'm a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word.... It's going to make us rich," Trump said...
Spy agency says plans being 'finalized' to convey information to Conservative leader. Canada's spy agency says it will disclose "some information" about foreign interference to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has resisted getting the national security clearance he needs to review classified documents about the issue because it would muzzle him. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) told CBC News...
The people who run Canada's universities and colleges are warning that Ottawa's crackdown on international student visas threatens the viability of post-secondary institutions — and could leave students in more remote communities with fewer options. In September, the federal government announced it would slash the number of visas it issues by another 10 per cent. The new target for 202...
What’s less clear is what Trump wants in exchange for dropping tariff threat: sources. Donald Trump left his Canadian guests at Mar-a-Lago with a clear impression that fentanyl is his top priority for now in the Canada-U.S. relationship, according to Canadian officials familiar with the details of Friday's surprise dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The incoming U.S. president gave...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she agrees with Ontario Premier Doug Ford's suggestion that Canada and the U.S. look at cutting Mexico out of the North American trade agreement. Smith was asked by Power & Politics host David Cochrane if she agrees with Ford's suggestion that Mexico be dropped from the agreement if it doesn't tighten up restrictions on Chinese...
Thousands of veterans, military personnel and their supporters are gathering at Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa to remember those who have fought and died to protect this country and its freedoms. Monday's grey and gloomy weather conditions — and the threat of rain — did little to dent the crowd size as many Canadians, some from points faraway, were...
Canada's borders are "safe and secure," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday as she sought to address fears that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants could send a wave of migrants north. RCMP officials have said they've been preparing for months for the possibility of increased migrant traffic at the border as the undocumented...
Ahead of a highly consequential election on Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to Canada said "democracy is easily going to survive" the outcome of the race and reminded Canadians to be patient as results from across the United States come in. David Cohen said in an interview on CBC's Rosemary Barton Live that U.S. democracy "has survived and thrived in the...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's former principal secretary Gerald Butts says Donald Trump's proposed 10 per cent tariffs on imports would hit Canada "faster and harder than just about anyone else," given the close trading relationship between the two countries. The former U.S. president and current Republican candidate has called for a minimum tariff of 10 per cent on all imports...
Prime minister spoke about his job, his party and immigration on a podcast. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a podcast that he thinks about the angry messages some Canadians send his way and what impacts they — and his job overall — will have on his children. Trudeau appeared on an episode of Inside the Village that was released...
A group of Liberal MPs have demanded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decide his future as party leader by Monday and that what happens after is "up to each individual MP," according to one backbencher who's part of the group. In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, New Brunswick MP Wayne Long said that "every MP is in...
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada is still "an open country" after the Liberal government announced plans to cut the projected number of newcomers. On Thursday, Miller and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government is slashing the projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 to 395,000 in 2025, with further cuts to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in...
RCMP, government officials met with Indian counterparts before announcement. Days after the RCMP dropped the bombshell allegation that Indian government agents have been involved in violent crimes in Canada, a top Mountie said the alleged network of criminals is "unprecedented" but poses no immediate threat to the public. On Oct. 14, the RCMP held a surprise press conference to publicly...
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon's spouse, former CBC journalist Whit Fraser, is criticizing Quebec media for their coverage of Simon's French language skills during a trip to the province in late September. In a Facebook post published Friday, Fraser wrote that when Simon became Canada's governor general, he accepted he would sometimes have to "bite my tongue." "Today is an exception,"...
Marc Garneau says he was 'never sure' something told to Trudeau's office went to PM. Former foreign affairs minister Marc Garneau is criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office, saying that he was "never sure" if something conveyed to the Prime Minister's Office "ever got to the prime minister's ears." In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday...
Asked by reporters whether she's been assured by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that she'll stay on as finance minister, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday that it's "for the prime minister to speak for himself." Freeland also acknowledged that she had a "long conversation" with Trudeau on Friday and spent time with him on Saturday and Monday at events...
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) told CBC News Friday that it recently purchased a lavish three-bedroom condo in New York to be used as the official residence for the Consulate General of Canada in New York. The purchase was first reported by Crain's and The Real Deal, a real estate news organization. On Friday, the New York Post reported the condo...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made his first in-person speech to the Assembly of First Nations Thursday, promising the chiefs gathered in Montreal to reduce the federal government's role in their lives and give them more say over their economic future. "I'm not here to run your life. I don't want to run anybody's life," Poilievre said. "I want to run...
A consultant accused of overbilling the federal government by roughly $250,000 has been charged with fraud, the RCMP said Tuesday. In a media release, the RCMP said 62-year-old Clara Elaine Visser faces one charge of fraud over $5,000. The RCMP said that in the summer of 2021, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launched an investigation of a federal consultant...
Brenda Shanahan tells colleagues via email that a summer meeting is 'impossible.' The Liberal Party's caucus chair Brenda Shanahan told MPs late Thursday that a full caucus meeting is "impossible" this summer due to "scheduling logistics," despite a flurry of requests from parliamentarians after a shocking byelection loss in a Toronto-area riding. "Nevertheless, we will continue the conversations this summer...
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters Thursday that some members of the Liberal Party's Toronto caucus met in her backyard recently to discuss the party's surprise byelection loss in the riding of Toronto-St.Paul's. Freeland said the meeting was chaired by Scarborough-Guildwood MP John McKay, who heads the 416 Liberal caucus.
Newfoundland Liberal MP Ken McDonald says he thinks it would take "somewhat of a miracle" to turn the Liberals' electoral fortunes around before the next federal election. Speaking with CBC's Power & Politics, McDonald said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau still enjoys a high amount of support within the Liberal caucus after the party's surprising byelection loss in a Toronto-area riding.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference is "a very clear way" to inform Canadians on how alarmed they should be about an explosive report that alleges some parliamentarians are helping foreign governments. Trudeau made the comments as his government resists calls to release the names of MPs and other parliamentarians cited in the report...
The federal lobbying commissioner confirmed Tuesday that a "preliminary assessment" has been opened into allegations against top Conservative strategist Jenni Byrne and a federal lobbying firm. In March, the Globe and Mail reported the federal lobbying firm — called Forecheck Strategies — is located at the same office as Jenni Byrne + Associates, a provincial lobbying firm. In addition to...
Days after Iran launched an aerial attack on Israel, Canada's main opposition parties say it's time for the Government of Canada to officially name Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group. On Monday morning, Conservative MP Garnett Genuis posted on social media that the party would move a motion to immediately list the IRGC as a terrorist organization...
Independent MP Kevin Vuong says he is "open" to joining the federal Conservatives and he doesn't think Canada "has been steered in the right direction." Vuong, who was dropped as a Liberal candidate for Spadina-Fort York days before the 2021 federal election, made the comments during an interview with True North Centre.
Most organizations and departments affected by the Liberal government's plan to shave $500 million in spending say the cuts won't affect their services, according to a new report from the independent parliamentary budget officer. The PBO, which asked all 68 affected organizations to provide a breakdown of their planned savings, published the report on Monday. Only four reported some reduction...