Benjamin Lopez Steven

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Former Liberal justice minister endorses Bloc Québécois's Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Independent MP Han Dong won't seek re-election in suburban Toronto riding

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Political polls are hitting overdrive. Here's a quick guide to understanding them

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Jagmeet Singh says NDP would cancel F-35 contract and build fighter jets in Canada

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Nothing should be off the table when it comes to Canada-U.S. trade, says former Trump ambassador

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Carney expected to meet King Charles during his first trip abroad as prime minister

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

As Trump attacks Canada, Downing Street sticks to the sidelines

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Trudeau meets with King Charles to discuss 'matters of importance to Canada'

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Mark Carney says he's begun the process of renouncing Irish, U.K. citizenship

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Canada's fentanyl czar sees 'very positive' reaction in Washington meetings

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Canada-U.S. trade war will raise the cost of building a home, housing minister says

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,"...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Mark Carney says former prime minister Stephen Harper asked him to be finance minister

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says he'd run a deficit to 'invest and grow' Canada's economy

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Poilievre repudiates Trump's 51st state threats, pitches new policies at 'Canada First' rally

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

American lawmakers are pushing back against Trump's tariffs — and they hope Canada notices

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Liberal Party of Canada announces French, English leadership debates in Montreal

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Several premiers decry Trump's tariffs and call for powerful Canadian response

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Chrystia Freeland says she's running against the 'Ottawa establishment' in Liberal leadership race

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Transport Minister Anita Anand won't run for Liberal leadership, won't seek re-election

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Canada shouldn't have an election with Trump about to take office, says Green leader

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Confidence in Canada's fiscal health is 'eroding,' says business group president

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."

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Trump extols the power of tariffs, reiterates threat to impose them on Canada during NBC interview

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

CSIS says it will disclose 'some information' about foreign interference to Pierre Poilievre

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, Kristen Everson

International student permit cuts are pushing away prospective students, experts say

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, Alexander Panetta

The takeaway from Trudeau's trip to Mar-a-Lago: For Trump, fentanyl is priority No. 1

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Alberta premier agrees with Doug Ford's pitch to explore kicking Mexico out of trade agreement

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Thousands gather in Ottawa for Remembrance Day tribute to Canada's veterans

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Freeland says Canada's borders are 'safe and secure' following Trump's election win

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

U.S. ambassador to Canada says democracy will 'easily' survive outcome of Tuesday election

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Trump tariffs would hit Canada 'faster and harder' than most: former top Trudeau aide

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Trudeau says he thinks about how angry messages affect his family

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

The next steps in Trudeau's caucus revolt are up to each MP, says Liberal backbencher

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Canada still an 'open country' despite immigration cuts, says minister

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

'No imminent threat' spurred shocking allegations against government of India, says senior Mountie

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Gov. Gen.'s spouse criticizes Quebec media over coverage of Mary Simon's trip to province

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,"...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Former Trudeau cabinet minister criticizes PMO over access to prime minister

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Freeland says Trudeau can 'speak for himself' on whether she'll stay on as finance minister

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Canadian government buys new condo for consul general in New York

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, Olivia Stefanovich

Poilievre promises less interference, more economic control in speech to Assembly of First Nations

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Consultant charged with fraud, accused of overbilling Ottawa $250,000: RCMP

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, Catherine Cullen

Liberal national caucus chair shuts down request by MPs for summer meeting over byelection loss

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Chrystia Freeland says Toronto MPs met in her backyard to discuss byelection loss

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Reversing the Liberals' slide in the polls would take 'somewhat of a miracle,' Liberal MP says

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Five key takeaways from CBC's interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Federal lobbying commissioner assessing allegations against firm, top Conservative adviser

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Opposition parties want IRGC named as terrorist group after attack on Israel

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...

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Independent MP Kevin Vuong says he would be 'open' to joining Conservatives

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.

Benjamin Lopez Steven

Trudeau government's $500M spending cut scarcely affects services: report

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...