Mike Crawley

Mike Crawley

Republican bill targets Canada's provincial booze bans - Legislation would trigger probe into 'discriminatory treatment' of U.S. alcohol producers

A Republican lawmaker in Washington is firing back at Canadian provinces for retaliating against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs by banning the sale of U.S. alcohol. Claudia Tenney, a member of the House of Representatives whose district includes parts of northern New York, has introduced a bill aimed at punishing Canada over restrictions on U.S. alcohol imports imposed by eight...

Mike Crawley

Pentagon walks away from Canada-U.S. defence board

Canada 'failed to make credible progress' on defence spending commitments, says Pentagon official. The Trump administration is walking away from a long-running body that works on Canada-U.S. defence initiatives, claiming Canada has failed to meet its commitments on defence spending. U.S. Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby announced Monday the Pentagon is "pausing" participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defence...

Mike Crawley

Fentanyl ingredients entering Canada via Vancouver en route to cartel-run drug labs, U.S. DEA boss says

Terrance Cole names Port of Vancouver as key entry point for ingredients of illicit drugs. Chemicals used to make fentanyl are streaming into the Port of Vancouver on their way to drug labs run by Mexican cartels on Canadian soil, the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told senators in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. DEA administrator Terrance Cole said...

Mike Crawley

Here are Canada's biggest points of leverage in tariff and trade talks with the U.S.

While Canada's economy is far more reliant on exports to the U.S. than vice versa, Canadian negotiators have crucial ammunition in their efforts to land a trade deal that reduces or eliminates tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Before Trump launched his tariff war, roughly 76 per cent of Canada's exported goods went to the U.S., while just 1...

Mike Crawley

Why allies aren't leaping to Trump's aid in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump is struggling to persuade other nations to help protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a development that analysts say is partly the result of treating allies with contempt since returning to the White House last year. Iran has effectively shut down the narrow strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, threatening to...

Mike Crawley

U.S. agriculture groups launch campaign backing trade deal with Canada, Mexico

Coalition touts benefits of CUSMA to rural America, key voting block for Trump and Republicans. The powerful U.S. agriculture industry is throwing its weight behind the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, urging the Trump administration to consider the deal's economic benefits to rural America before making any moves to rip it up. Some 40 organizations representing farmers, ranchers, food producers and processors...

Mike Crawley

U.S. House votes against Trump's tariffs on Canada

6 Republicans join Democrats in resolution to terminate president's 'fentanyl emergency' tariffs. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution against President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, delivering a stinging rebuke to the administration for launching a trade war on its northern neighbour. The House voted 219-211 in favour of a resolution seeking to terminate the national emergency that...

Mike Crawley

Trump threatens to block opening of new bridge between Ontario and Michigan

President says he won't allow opening until U.S. 'is fully compensated for everything we have given' Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge, poised to become the newest border crossing between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. "I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for...

Mike Crawley

Why was Jeffrey Epstein allowed into Canada in 2014?

Sex offender travelled to Vancouver despite inadmissibility, federal officials offer no explanation. Nearly six years after pleading guilty to a crime that should have made him inadmissible, Jeffrey Epstein visited Canada, and federal government officials are providing no answers about why he was allowed into the country.

Mike Crawley

Scott Bessent warns Carney to stop 'virtue signalling' amid looming trade talks

In remarks at Trump event, U.S. treasury secretary issues new message to Canada on looming trade talks. The Trump administration is once again ramping up its rhetorical pressure on Canada, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issuing a fresh warning to Prime Minister Mark Carney over looming trade negotiations. Bessent was at an event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to...

Mike Crawley

By suddenly declaring a deal on Greenland, Trump demolished his case for owning it

U.S. president's capitulation, along with contradictions in his Davos speech, revealed holes in his arguments. In a whiplash-inducing U-turn, U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly dropped his insistence on taking control of Greenland, mere hours after laying out at great length his rationale for ownership of the Arctic island. For weeks, Trump stuck firmly to a take-it-or-leave-it position on Greenland, insisting...

Mike Crawley, Katie Simpson

Trump administration won't tear up CUSMA, says Canada's ambassador to U.S.

Kirsten Hillman's comments come after top U.S. negotiator floated separate deals with Canada, Mexico. Canada's ambassador to the U.S. is downplaying signals from the Trump administration that it's considering breaking up the three-way North American free trade agreement into separate deals with Mexico and Canada. Kirsten Hillman, who also serves as Canada's lead negotiator in trade talks with the U.S....

Mike Crawley

Trump’s point man on trade floats separate deals with Canada and Mexico

'Our economic relationship with Canada is very, very different,' says U.S. trade rep Jamieson Greer. U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead trade negotiator says the administration is considering breaking up the three-way free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, moving toward separate deals instead. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that the Trump administration is keeping all options on the...

Mike Crawley

U.S. industry groups strongly back renewing CUSMA

Manufacturers praise Trump for signing agreement in his first term, urge him to preserve it. As Canada’s trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico faces a crucial review, many U.S. industries are urging the Trump administration to preserve the agreement and to stop putting tariffs on imports from its northern and southern neighbours. Public hearings are scheduled this week in...

Mike Crawley

When will Trump's tariff increase hit Canada? Not even he knows

As Canadian officials scramble to find clarity on Donald Trump's social media post announcing a 10 per cent increase to what he called "the Tariff on Canada," the U.S. president himself appears to be thin on the details. Nearly two days after posting to social media the words "I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above...

Mike Crawley

Trump claims Canada 'CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT' with Ontario tariff ad, calls off trade talks with Ottawa

In a late-night post to his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was calling off trade talks. U.S. President Donald Trump says he is terminating all trade negotiations with Canada over an advertisement by the Ontario government that uses the late U.S. president Ronald Reagan's own words to send an anti-tariff message to American audiences. In a late-night post to...

Mike Crawley

Ontario ordering public servants back into office full time

Current mandate of 3 days a week has been provincial government policy since April 2022. Premier Doug Ford's government is ordering Ontario public servants to work from the office four days a week starting this fall and then full-time in January. It's a change from a policy that has been in place since April 2022, when provincial government employees were...

Mike Crawley

Why Trump's tariffs are unlikely to deliver the manufacturing jobs he claims

Boosting domestic manufacturing is ostensibly the chief long-term goal of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, but there's little evidence the sweeping import taxes will bring factory jobs to American workers at the scale he's touting. Trump has floated multiple reasons for launching his country's highest tariffs in nearly a century, including halting the (relatively minimal) trafficking of fentanyl from Canada...

Mike Crawley

The costs of Trump's tariffs are starting to add up for Americans. Here's how

More U.S. companies raising prices, reporting tariff-related hits to their profits or both. Little by little, the costs of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are starting to show for American businesses and consumers. News of the tariff impact is mounting, from the Detroit Three automakers announcing they'll face extra costs this year totalling into the billions, to the stainless steel...

Mike Crawley

Canada 'disappointed' by Trump boosting tariffs to 35%, says Carney

Prime minister says 'historic investments' have been made into border security as Trump raises fentanyl again. Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement just past midnight on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase a tariff on Canadian goods to 35 per cent. "While the Canadian government is disappointed by this action, we remain committed...

Mike Crawley

This is the court case that could kneecap most Trump tariffs

Case before federal appeal court includes tariffs on Canada that Trump is threatening to bump to 35% on Friday. Most of the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed on countries around the world face a crucial legal test on Thursday. The hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit involves a pair of lawsuits challenging...

Mike Crawley

Why Trump's deals with the EU, Japan may not be templates for Canada in trade talks

U.S. President Donald Trump's successive announcements of deals setting baseline tariffs on the European Union and Japan are prompting questions about whether they're a road map for Canada to follow in trade talks. Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the bones of an agreement on Sunday.

Mike Crawley

What the U.S. dairy industry really wants from Canada

Dismantling supply management, wide-open access to Canadian market are not on U.S. wishlist. U.S. dairy producers insist they're not looking for Canada to dismantle its supply management system, but they do want Canada to follow the letter and spirit of the existing deal that governs the dairy trade between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted Canada...

Mike Crawley

Many Canadian exports can avoid Trump tariffs if CUSMA-compliant. Here's what that means

Canadian exporters across a wide range of industries have a way to escape U.S. President Donald Trump's blanket tariffs. That escape hatch is compliance with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the three-way free trade deal signed by Trump back in 2018. U.S. and Canadian officials have said the across-the-board tariffs Trump is threatening to impose on Aug. 1 won't apply to...

Mike Crawley

Eastern premiers look to U.S. governors as allies in Trump trade war

Doug Ford, Tim Houston among premiers in Boston to talk trade with governors of northeastern states. Five Canadian premiers, including Ontario's Doug Ford, are in Boston on Monday at the invitation of some northeastern U.S. governors to try to forge alliances against Donald Trump's tariffs. Ford is joined by fellow premiers Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, Susan Holt of New...

Mike Crawley

Meet 'Project Ontario,' pushing Doug Ford's PCs to be more fiscally conservative

'When conservatives lose their principles, Ontario loses its way,' says the group's anonymous website. There's a mysterious move afoot to push Premier Doug Ford's Ontario PC government to adopt more fiscally conservative policies. Calling itself "Project Ontario," the initiative launched quietly on the weekend with a one-page website and an unsigned manifesto posted by The Hub, an online news and...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford's controversial Bill 5: Here's what you need to know

Sweeping legislation would fast-track approvals of major projects, exempt some from provincial laws. The most significant legislation from Ontario's Progressive Conservatives since winning their third straight majority is a sweeping bill that Premier Doug Ford says will protect the economy from tariffs, but which critics say will gut environmental protection.

Mike Crawley

Adam Vaughan joins Ontario Place spa developer Therme

Former city councillor, ex-MP and longtime critic of Doug Ford calls waterfront project 'incredible.' Former city councillor and ex-MP Adam Vaughan, long one of the sharpest critics of Doug Ford's plans for Toronto's waterfront, is now working for Therme Canada, the company developing a luxury spa at Ontario Place. In an interview with CBC News, Vaughan revealed that he has...

Mike Crawley

How Doug Ford and his PCs won their 3rd straight Ontario election

Ford becomes first Ontario premier since the 1950s to win 3 successive majorities. Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives' victory in Thursday's Ontario election came as the result of a campaign that focused ruthlessly on the one issue capturing the minds of Canadians right now, a leader who worked relentlessly to make the most of his opportunity, and perfect political...

Mike Crawley

What's really behind Donald Trump's tariff threats and '51st state' posts about Canada

Donald Trump's threat of whopping tariffs on Canadian exports and his trolling of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are key tactics in a negotiating strategy to extract the best trade terms for the U.S., according to people who have worked with or closely observed him over the years. Trump is promising to slap a 25 per cent tariff on all goods...

Mike Crawley

No commitment from Trump team to drop tariff threat after meeting with Joly, LeBlanc in Florida

Two of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top cabinet ministers met Friday with two of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks in an attempt to stave off the looming prospect of tariffs on Canadian exports. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc flew to Florida to brief the presidential transition team on the government's plan for improving border...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford shifts direction on wind power in Ontario

One of Doug Ford's first acts as premier of Ontario, just days after taking office in 2018, was cancelling more than 750 renewable energy projects, including a large wind farm that was already partially built. Fast forward to today, and Ford's Progressive Conservative government is poised to oversee the biggest expansion of green energy that the province has seen in...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford's 'red-tape' cuts save Ontario developers $400M a year

Developers are among the biggest beneficiaries of red-tape reduction measures brought in by Premier Doug Ford's government, saving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in costs, CBC News has learned. Since taking office in 2018, Ford's Ontario PCs have brought in 12 bills focused on cutting what they describe as red tape. Their most recent legislation – the Cutting...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford's PC Party fundraising leaves rivals in its dust

Premier Doug Ford's Ontario PCs have built up a $9 million surplus in party coffers, dwarfing their rivals amid the possibility of an early provincial election call. The parties have just filed their annual financial statements to Elections Ontario and the documents show the Progressive Conservatives in far better financial shape than either the NDP or Liberals.

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford's early election musing sets Ontario politics abuzz

If Premier Doug Ford decides to call an early election, political strategists say he'll need to give Ontario voters a compelling reason for why he's sending them to the polls ahead of schedule. Over the past week, Ford has repeatedly declined to rule out calling an election before his government's four-year mandate expires in June 2026. Multiple sources close to...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford's change to booze sales could cost far more than $225M

Bonnie Crombie calls deal a 'billion dollar booze boondoggle,' but government disputes her math. Premier Doug Ford's push to get beer and wine into convenience stores ahead of schedule will cost Ontario taxpayers at least $225 million, but there's evidence the full price tag actually adds up to hundreds of millions more. When the Ford government announced that it will...

Mike Crawley, Valerie Ouellet

Canada's foreign student push 'mismatched' job market, data show

Nearly 800,000 international students got permits to study business, far more than health care or trades. Canada's recruitment of international students has tilted strongly toward filling spots in business programs, while doing little to meet the demand for workers in health care and the skilled trades, according to a CBC News analysis of federal data.

Mike Crawley

Ontario ad campaign 'It's Happening Here' has cost taxpayers $8M

Publicly funded ads from Doug Ford's government aired during Super Bowl, Oscars, Emmy Awards. An advertising campaign by Premier Doug Ford's government that has been criticized as partisan self-promotion is costing taxpayers about $8 million, CBC News has learned. Government officials previously refused to share the cost of the high-profile "It's Happening Here" ads, which have aired in such choice...

Mike Crawley

What to expect from Ontario politics and the Doug Ford government in 2024

The new year brings new opportunities for Premier Doug Ford to try to move past the controversies that plagued his government in 2023. The Greenbelt scandal dominated Ontario politics for much of last year. Although Ford's government has reversed its move to give select developers the right to build housing in the protected area (potentially boosting their land values by...

Mike Crawley

Beer, wine, ready-to-drink cocktails coming to Ontario corner stores and gas stations in 2026: sources

Premier Doug Ford's government is set to reveal its plan for changing how alcohol is sold in Ontario, including allowing all supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations to sell beer, wine and canned mixed drinks starting in 2026, industry sources told CBC News. The plan goes to cabinet on Tuesday and the announcement is to be made on Thursday, multiple...

Mike Crawley

Developer guests at Doug Ford family wedding got fast-track zoning approvals from government

There's fresh scrutiny of how Premier Doug Ford's government issued dozens of fast-track approvals to rezone select properties, some of them owned by developers who also stood to benefit from Greenbelt land swaps. Minister's zoning orders (MZOs) are a powerful tool the province can use to expedite development on a specific parcel of land. At the stroke of a pen...

Mike Crawley

Doug Ford government poised to reveal its Greenbelt protection bill

Premier Doug Ford's climbdown on removing land from Ontario's protected Greenbelt for housing is expected to go into legislation on Monday. Ford's Progressive Conservative government is set to table a bill that will reverse its 2022 move to give the owners of certain Greenbelt properties the right to build housing, boosting their land values by an amount the auditor general...