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 John Paul Tasker.
Some legislative changes pass with barely half of all senators casting a vote. Dozens of senators are routinely absent from the Red Chamber and some legislative changes pass with barely half of all members casting a vote, according to a CBC News analysis of attendance records. In the 12 months following the last federal election, the Senate convened for just...
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that he will appoint one of his most senior advisers to the Senate, a move that could send shockwaves through the Red Chamber. Tom Pitfield, who served on Carney's 2025 campaign team and then became a principal secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, has been named to the upper house. The government will also...
The party long attacked for being soft on crime is overhauling criminal justice. After years of criminal justice reform that included a lighter touch for some offenders, the federal Liberal government has done an about-face and enacted stricter policies to tamp down on crime rates that have become a political liability in some vote-rich parts of the country. While much...
Conservative MP Corey Tochor introduced new legislation on Tuesday to legalize prescribing psychedelics like psilocybin (colloquially known as magic mushrooms), which researchers and patients say can effectively treat some mental health disorders. Under Canada's federal drug laws, psilocybin is a controlled substance and possession, production and distribution are illegal without authorization.
'If it takes a little longer, it'll take a little longer,' Carney says of Trump-delayed border crossing. Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Gordie Howe bridge connecting Ontario and Michigan might not open at the end of the week as he initially said, but insisted "there's no big drama." "Everyone is working hard to make sure the bridge is open...
Carney says Canada and U.S. need a 'new partnership.' Prime Minister Mark Carney told a crowd of New York industry titans and financiers on Thursday that Canada and the U.S. need to pursue a new partnership — a bilateral relationship premised not on how things were done in the past but one where a stronger, more independent Canada can selectively...
Conservative leader warns squeezing more money out of American web giants could lead to Trump retaliation. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney step in and overrule the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as it forces mostly American web giants pay more to fund homegrown media content. In an interview with CBC News, Poilievre said the...
If development gets bogged down in B.C., PM says his government will be 'spending more time elsewhere.' In B.C. to meet with the province's premier who is skeptical of another oil pipeline, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the world is in the throes of an "energy crisis" and Canada must do its part to supply it with the natural resources...
Visits by Canadians have cratered by 42% over the last year, cell phone data reveals. The boycott by Canadians of travel to the U.S., driven largely by an aversion to President Donald Trump, his industry-wrecking tariffs and 51st state taunts, has actually been more effective than previously thought, according to new data. While official Statistics Canada figures show a roughly...
After election victory, Reform UK leader says Canadian prairie populist Preston Manning is someone to emulate. Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage received a hero's welcome when he arrived late last week at a victory party in Chelmsford, an Essex commuter town on the outskirts of London, a world away from that city's centre of power. The silver-tongued leader of this...
Conservative leader says he won't listen to 'the club of liberal elites' in Ottawa who say he needs to change. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made the case for his continuing leadership to party faithful Thursday, saying he will keep fighting the Liberals even after party turbulence on his watch helped deliver Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government. Speaking at...
Carney picks a francophone with a long legal resume to serve as the King's representative in Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney has named former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour as Canada's next governor general. Carney is picking a francophone with a long legal resume that includes stints prosecuting war crimes in Rwanda and Yugoslavia and serving as the UN human...
King Charles delivered a historic address to the U.S. Congress Tuesday that was replete with calls for better relations between Britain and the States but also some subtle jabs at his host, President Donald Trump. Charles used that grand Washington stage to gently correct the record on NATO's past support for the U.S., stand up for the Royal Navy after...
'We can make progress very quickly on that with progress in other areas,' prime minister says. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the provincial ban on U.S. liquor could end quickly if the Americans bend on the tariffs that have pummeled key sectors in this country like steel, autos and forest products. Carney said the provinces have barred American...
Carney says there's been a 'rupture' in Canada-U.S. relationship, while Poilievre wants to draw closer. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre launched a pointed attack on the Liberal government's handling of the Canada-U.S. file Tuesday, saying the results so far have fallen well short of the mark and the prime minister is "losing" the trade war. Speaking to reporters after Prime Minister...
Celebrated general is a reminder Canada has beat the Americans and 'can do it again': official. Prime Minister Mark Carney stunned some Canadian historians over the weekend when he released a pointed video message about the U.S. featuring a War of 1812 general who led the charge against the American invaders of that era. For the first time Sunday, Carney...
PM says immediate focus will be on passing affordability, home construction measures. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will use his newly won majority to push through legislation that the opposition parties have stymied in recent years, saying his immediate focus will be quickly passing affordability measures and a bill designed to turbocharge home construction. The Liberal candidates in two...
Smiling broadly, Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed MP Lori Idlout to the Liberal caucus on Wednesday after convincing yet another opposition member to defect to the governing party — a political coup that brings him one step closer to a majority government. Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill with Idlout by his side, Carney said the former New Democrat...
PM meets with his Japanese counterpart, automakers while in Tokyo for a day Prime Minister Mark Carney inked a series of agreements with his Japanese counterpart Friday designed to expand and “modernize” the bilateral relationship as he continues his push to develop deeper ties to like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific — now that the Canada-U.S. relationship is on shaky ground...
In speech to a joint session of Australia's Parliament, Carney says the Commonwealth realms must band together. In an address to Australia's Parliament that was something of a love letter to the country and its people, Prime Minister Mark Carney implored citizens in both Commonwealth realms to draw closer together amid a breakdown in the established global order. Carney said...
Carney said Trump is open to hearing ideas and solicits opinions from those he speaks with. Prime Minister Mark Carney pulled back the curtain on his relationship with his American counterpart Wednesday evening in Australia saying it's not easy dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump and he must choose his words carefully to avoid any blowback. Speaking at a think...
Prime Minister’s Office says Carney raised transnational repression with Modi. Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart announced Monday what they’re a calling a “new partnership,” a series of multi-million dollar deals and a commitment to sign a free trade agreement by year’s end as the two look to turn the page on years of frosty bilateral relations marked...
PM also says Canada not participating militarily and wasn't part of military buildup. As U.S. President Donald Trump charges ahead with a major attack on Iran, Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada supports at least one component of the American mission: destroying Iran's nuclear program. "Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and...
India needs oil, natural gas and uranium — and fast, high commissioner says on eve of PM's visit. India wants to buy any energy product it can from Canada and its officials are urging the federal government to streamline approvals for various projects so it can tap into new supplies to feed a rapidly growing country with relatively few natural...
Official says violence by Indian agents in Canada has 'not continued,' and a trade deal is coming together. Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to India Thursday for what officials in both countries describe as a potentially history-making trip — one meant to put years of frosty relations aside and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive trade deal. Foreign Affairs...
Mike Dawson says some of his colleagues are angry he's trying to forgo wage hike. The Conservative MP who went public with his intent to refuse a pending parliamentary pay increase was called out by the party whip in front of his colleagues and heckled as he tried to defend his decision, CBC News has learned. In a letter to...
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country is in mourning after a tragic shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., left nine dead and more than 25 injured in one of the worst mass killings in Canadian history. Speaking in the House of Commons Wednesday afternoon, Carney said the violence has "left our nation in shock" and his thoughts are with the...
22nd prime minister is speaking out and Canadians are giving his legacy a second look. After a decade at the top of the Canadian political pyramid, former prime minister Stephen Harper largely retreated from public life after his election loss in 2015. While he delivered the occasional speech, gave interviews to some podcasters and endorsed Conservative candidates and causes, Harper...
Former prime minister says Canada should consider hitting U.S. goods with tariffs as trade war drags on. Former prime minister Stephen Harper said late Wednesday that Canada must urgently pivot in the face of an erratic U.S. president and reduce its dependence on the American market to protect its sovereignty and the continued functioning of the economy. Speaking at a...
Party adopting a 'stand your ground'-style policy, demands crackdown on criminal immigrants. Delegates at the Conservative Party's national convention in Calgary voted overwhelmingly Saturday to enact a "stand your ground"-style law to allow someone to protect themselves with lethal force against an intruder in their home. This was one of dozens of policies debated and adopted by delegates at this...
Conservative leader asks convention delegates to give him another shot. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's fate will be put to delegates at the party's convention in Calgary on Friday. While those around him are confident he can avoid being turfed, the leader's loyalists are doing all they can to ensure he easily clears this must-win vote. Poilievre has been busy working...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says great powers are using 'economic integration as weapons.' Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a frank assessment of how he views the world in a provocative speech in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, where he said the longstanding U.S.-led, rules-based international order is over and middle powers like Canada must pivot to avoiding falling prey to further...
First PM should be honoured, defenders say. Others argue he's a symbol of genocide. The racial reckoning of the COVID era saw Canada grapple with its checkered past — a process that led to statues of some foundational figures being removed, in some instances by force. Five years on, there's a growing movement to restore some of what was taken...
U.S. revealing publicly for the first time what Trump expects Prime Minister Mark Carney to do. U.S. President Donald Trump's point-person on trade laid out a series of conditions Wednesday that Canada must meet in order to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement (CUSMA) when it comes up for a review next year — revealing publicly for the first time what the...
Motion calls government to support oil pipeline construction, adjust B.C. oil tanker ban. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party's upcoming motion — which borrows language from the new Canada-Alberta energy agreement — is meant to force the Liberals to "put up or shut up" on whether they support a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast. "The only thing...
Minister spars with Conservative critic on criminals, newcomers — and salad. Immigration Minister Lena Diab sparred with her Conservative critic at a tense House of Commons committee meeting Thursday as the two disagreed on everything from immigration levels and deporting non-citizen criminals to what kind of salad they prefer. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner put Diab in the hot seat...
Concerns raised internally that ex-environment minister Steven Guilbeault could resign. With Prime Minister Mark Carney expected to lay out a path forward for an oil pipeline to northwest B.C. on Thursday, senior people around him have had to assuage skittish MPs and at least one cabinet minister about the virtues of the forthcoming "grand bargain" with Alberta. One dynamic at...
Deal expected Thursday on conditions for pipeline to northwest B.C. With Prime Minister Mark Carney poised to sign a "grand bargain" with Alberta later this week, some B.C. Liberal MPs are raising concerns about Ottawa possibly giving the green light to a new oil pipeline to the Pacific, sources say. Liberal MPs told CBC News that they have not been...
'We've had discussions. I've been busy,' Carney said when pressed for details. Prime Minister Mark Carney dodged questions about the last time he spoke to his U.S. counterpart Sunday, saying 'who cares?' when pressed by reporters. Still, a spokesperson for Carney said Monday he is considering a trip to Washington next week to attend the draw for the FIFA World...
Ottawa is weighing exemptions to tanker ban for oil pipeline route.Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are moving closer to reaching a deal on the future of Alberta's energy sector, according to a senior government official, and it's likely to include some language about a path forward for the northwest B.C. oil pipeline that Smith has long...
2 Conservative MPs didn't vote — and 2 more nearly didn't make it. Minutes before time ran out on Monday's budget vote, two senior Conservatives swooped into the chamber claiming their electronic voting app wasn't working and declared they wanted to vote against Prime Minister Mark Carney's first budget. MPs Andrew Scheer and Scott Reid, the party's House leader and...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday he is not reflecting on his leadership style after two MPs announced they were leaving his caucus — including one who cited the leader's "negative" approach to politics as the reason why he's calling it quits on the party. Speaking to reporters in Calgary at his first press conference since the defections last week...
Floor-crossing MP says he wasn't aligned with Conservative leader anymore, felt he was too negative. Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont said Wednesday he left the Conservative caucus because he didn't feel represented in leader Pierre Poilievre's party anymore and bristled at his "negative" approach to politics. D'Entremont said there are other Conservative MPs who "are in the same boat" and...
Liberals would be 2 seats shy of majority with floor-crossing. Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont resigned from the Conservative caucus Tuesday — and he told CBC News he will join the Liberals. The longtime Conservative, who served in provincial politics before being elected to the House of Commons in 2019, told Politico earlier Tuesday he was considering crossing the floor...
Federal budget includes $141B in new spending — offset by cuts and savings as Ottawa slashes the bureaucracy, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne presented his first federal budget Tuesday and it includes big-ticket items to prop up an economy grappling with major economic disruptions but also cuts to the public service to get the fiscal house in order. Champagne’s document shows...
'This is the kind of budget you will remember,' finance minister says. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne will deliver the new Liberal government’s first budget Tuesday that will be full of what he calls “generational investments” to spur growth and help the country weather the tariff-related economic storm. While Champagne is the minister in charge of the file, Prime Minister Mark...
Conservative MPs were told Wednesday to avoid criticizing NDP for now, sources said. The Conservative and NDP caucuses are grappling with what to do about the upcoming federal budget and whether they want to be part of an effort to trigger an election by voting it down, multiple sources told CBC News. Senior Conservative sources say the party's leadership does...
Government says it doesn't yet have the votes to get its budget through. Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said Wednesday that his party thinks the government is trying to force another election by preparing a budget that the Opposition won't support. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is due to table this government's first budget next week and it's expected to include...
Former senator Don Meredith was found not guilty in his criminal trial on sexual assault charges on Wednesday. It brings to a close a years-long Senate scandal that tarnished the chamber’s reputation as a safe place to work and shone a spotlight on how difficult it is to remove a wayward member.
Poilievre called the national police force's leadership 'frankly just despicable' on a podcast last week. The fallout over Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's comments about the RCMP and its leadership continued Wednesday as he sought to recast his assertion that some people deserved jail time for the last Liberal government's missteps. In an interview with the YouTube channel Northern Perspective last...
In test calls, CRA agents gave accurate answers only 17% of the time when asked about individual taxes. In a scathing new report released Tuesday, the auditor general found Canada Revenue Agency contact centres are repeatedly failing to answer calls in a timely manner — and when agents do connect to a customer, they are often providing inaccurate responses. While...
Popular support for more immigration has cratered. The number of Canadians who say the federal government is letting in too many immigrants has spiked in recent years — and among Conservative voters the swing is even more dramatic, according to a new poll from Environics Institute. The Canadian consensus that adding more newcomers is generally a positive development is crumbling...
PM told Stellantis he is disappointed in company's decision to move production from Ontario to Illinois. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday his government is not considering hitting American goods with more retaliatory tariffs even as the trade war rages on, because there are signs that the bilateral talks on relief are headed in the right direction.
Carney says Canada-U.S. officials are currently 'negotiating terms' of a deal on tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday Canadian and American officials are currently "negotiating terms" of a deal on tariffs a day after he met with the U.S. president to try and bring the trade war to a close — and Canada will come out ahead when the...
Trump has 'demeaned our neighbours in the north,' Pennsylvania governor says. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro blasted U.S. President Donald Trump for what he called his "tough-guy" approach to Canada after a meeting Monday with some provincial premiers in Quebec City. Speaking to reporters after this year's Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers weekend summit, Shapiro, a Democrat, said...
Conservative leader says he's willing to meet with the Americans to help move trade talks along. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has penned a scathing letter to the prime minister ahead of his meeting with the U.S. president this week, saying Mark Carney has been a disappointment on the trade file and needs to come back from this trip with some...
LeBlanc says he's 'hoping we can get progress' before 2026 trade deal review. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday the federal government is still holding out hope the two countries can reach a deal on punishing American tariffs before the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) comes up for a review next year. Speaking to the Senate's foreign affairs and international trade...
'Why don't you just join our country? Become the 51st state,' Trump says at speech to military officials.U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he again told some unnamed Canadian official that the country should consider joining the U.S. as the 51st state — returning to the annexationist rhetoric he used earlier in the year and subsequently dropped after Prime Minister...
Churches have been torched but data suggests Jews, Muslims are most targeted. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday that Christians and their places of worship are being targeted and, if elected, he will crack down on religion-based hate through tougher sanctions for crimes like arson. Speaking to reporters at an announcement on food inflation, Poilievre said he has watched with...
Travel is cratering, exports are down and consumer habits have been upended. In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with his punishing tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada's "old relationship" with the U.S. would be "over" soon — and now there's some hard evidence that is indeed happening. CBC News reviewed datasets on travel...