'It's not about me': Human rights activist Irwin Cotler on alleged Iranian assassination plot
Canadian human rights advocate and former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler — who was the target of an alleged foiled...
Spencer Van Dyk
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 Spencer Van Dyk.
Former finance minister Bill Morneau questions if it's the 'right time' for emissions cap following Trump re-election
Following the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump, former finance minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian government should re-evaluate...
Donald Trump knows the Canada-U.S. relationship 'in a way he didn’t before': Ambassador
Canada’s ambassador to the United States — and co-lead of the federal government’s Team Canada war room — says U.S...
What might Donald Trump's election win mean for Canadians
Following president-elect Donald Trump’s decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. While this will...
'2032 is not good enough': Kelly Craft says Canada has to spend faster on defence if Trump wins
The former U.S. ambassador to Canada, who served under former U.S. president Donald Trump, says Canada needs to spend more...
Poilievre says it would be 'not fair' for Liberals to replace Trudeau as leader
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre thinks it would be “not fair” for the Liberals to oust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau now...
With Indian diplomats expelled, RCMP commissioner says 'significant reduction' in public safety threat
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says there has been a “significant reduction” to the public safety threat since six Indian diplomatic...
'Get away from your inner circle': Liberal MP 'shocked' PM didn't take more time to reflect on calls to resign
Longtime Liberal MP Wayne Long says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should give more weight to the views of his backbenchers...
Kevin Vickers says 'not a day that goes by' he doesn't think about Parliament Hill shooting
On the 10-year anniversary of the deadly Parliament Hill shooting, former sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers says there's "not a day that...
Alleged assassination target calls expelled Indian high commissioner 'less of a diplomat and more of a hypocrite'
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — a dual Canada-United States citizen and the target of an alleged assassination attempt in New York...
Indian high commissioner accuses Trudeau of destroying bilateral relationship, says 'mistrust' persists
India’s high commissioner to Canada — who has been expelled from the country — says while the economic relationship between...
Liberal MP endorses 'robust caucus discussion' about whether Trudeau should still lead the party
Amid mounting pressure from within the Liberal caucus for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to consider stepping down as party leader...
'I hope so': Marc Garneau on whether Liberal party still has room for Blue Liberals
Former cabinet minister Marc Garneau, who describes himself in his new book as always-a-Liberal, "but a decidedly blue one," says...
'I think Israel is interested in a ceasefire': U.S. ambassador to Canada
U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen says he believes Israel is interested in a ceasefire under the right conditions, despite...
No talks with Bloc about bringing government down: NDP House leader
NDP House Leader Peter Julian says the Bloc Québécois has not initiated conversations with his party to potentially bring down...
Range of Iranian targets 'on the table' following attacks: Israeli ambassador
Israel’s ambassador to Canada says the international community needs to send a “concise, concentrated, focused message to the Iranian regime,”...
'I am a Quebecer': Governor General hits back at criticism of her French language skills
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon insists her lack of French language proficiency does not hinder her ability to represent Canadians, after...
Ship, extra CAF members deployed near Lebanon in case of evacuation needs: defence minister
Defence Minister Bill Blair says there is a ship in place near Lebanon, as well as 150 deployed additional Canadian...
Trudeau accuses Conservatives of 'casual homophobic comments' in question period
With a confidence vote looming, debate in the House of Commons devolved on Wednesday into a heated exchange of accusations...
'Like the air is coming out of the bicycle tire': Strategists weigh in on tumultuous week for the Liberals
Following another byelection loss in a riding long considered a Liberal stronghold, coupled with the news another minister is quitting...
NDP needs to decide whether 4 million Canadians deserve dental care: minister
Procurement Minister and newly appointed Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos is warning the NDP that the dental care program it helped...
'Say it to my face': Singh confronts heckling protester on Parliament Hill
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confronted a protester for calling him a “corrupted bastard” on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. A video...
Singh challenged on carbon tax stance as MPs return to Ottawa
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh still won't say whether his party would scrap the federal carbon pricing program if elected, while...
Liberals will let Conservatives hold non-confidence vote 'fairly soon', no intention of proroguing Parliament
The Liberals have no intention of using procedural tactics to delay the Conservatives’ promised non-confidence motion, and they have no...
Will Conservatives roll back dental care if elected? House Leader Scheer won't say
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer won’t say whether his party will scale back or fully scrap Canada's federal dental care...
'A decisive time': Mark Carney calls new role 'an honour,' dodges questions about running for office
In his first press conference on the job, newly appointed Liberal economic growth task force chair Mark Carney said it’s...
'You've got to feed the change beast': Experts look ahead to Liberal caucus retreat
With the federal Liberals set to meet for their annual caucus retreat this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — and...
The Liberal-NDP deal is dead. What did it accomplish?
The Liberal-NDP deal is dead. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh revealed Wednesday that he’s “ripped up” the supply and confidence agreement...
Canada rejecting more foreign travellers at border as feds face criticism over immigration
Canada has seen a sharp increase in the number of foreign travellers it's turning away at ports of entry, according...
Do Canadians want a cabinet shuffle? Poll shows divided impact of reset on opinion of government
While speculation has been swirling all summer around whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to reset his front bench...
Conservatives take aim at NDP in new attack ad ahead of September byelections
The federal Conservatives are shifting their focus from the governing Liberals to take aim at the NDP in a new...
'Somebody who knows Canada well': Ambassador says of Trump running mate JD Vance
Canada's ambassador to the United States says Sen. JD Vance, the recently announced pick for former U.S. president and Republican...
Trudeau Liberals 'under siege' across the country, with Conservatives cracking red 'fortresses' like Toronto and Vancouver: Nanos
Hot on the heels of the Conservatives’ stunning byelection victory in the riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s(opens in a new tab)...
NATO head says 'no imminent threat' to alliance member countries NOW PLAYING
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is not worried about military attacks on member countries. “I don't see any imminent threat against...
'I expect more': NATO head on Canada's need to increase defence spending
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he expects more from Canada when it comes to defence spending. During a trip to...
Newfoundland premier says Trudeau has shown 'willingness' to carbon tax alternatives
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says the prime minister has "shown a willingness to alternatives" to the controversial federal...
Trudeau shouting 'slava Ukraini' during world leader photo op viewed hundreds of thousands of times online
A video of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shouting "slava Ukraini" — which translates to "glory to Ukraine" — during a...
'We need to pull our weight': Top soldier on feds' defence spending record
Outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre says Canada is unprepared to meet the challenges of an increasingly...
No agreement among parties on releasing names of 'witting' foreign interference participants
The federal parties are still at an impasse over whether the government should release the names of the parliamentarians who...
Ambassador says interactions with Russia 'quite limited' but 'not unfriendly'
Canada’s ambassador to Russia says while Ottawa has “grave concerns” about the Kremlin’s “longer-term trends,” as they relate to human...
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump “will be defeated” in the upcoming...
No sign Canada has a plan to reach NATO defence spending target: U.S. NATO ambassador
The U.S. ambassador to NATO says despite the Canadian government claiming to “take the pledge very seriously,” she has seen...
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says it’s “untenable” for “smaller players” like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the...
U.S. ambassador 'not aware' of any plans for Trudeau-Trump meeting
Canada’s Ambassador to the United States says she’s “not aware” of any plans for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet...
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he’s not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and...
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign...
Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government "will respond" to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) when it concludes its audit...
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would “of course” be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) if...
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is “deeply appreciative” of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government...
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part...
'We recognize it's a very challenging time': Minister insists budget won't blunt innovation
Despite significant criticisms from business owners and entrepreneurs that parts of the federal government’s latest budget — specifically changes to...
Conservatives won't say whether they'd reverse capital gains tax change
Despite expressing vehement opposition to the newly unveiled federal budget, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman would not say whether her...
Permanent immigration levels 'in the right place': Fraser
Housing Minister and former immigration minister Sean Fraser says Canada’s permanent residency numbers are “in the right place.” “We're growing...
Conservative lead over Liberals narrows while NDP support drops: Nanos
The federal Liberals are narrowing the months-old gap with the Conservative party, with a former 20-percentage point Conservative ballot advantage...
Greece would 'absolutely' be interested in purchasing Canadian LNG: Greek PM
Greece would “of course” be interested in purchasing Canada’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) if the resource could be made available...
'We haven't made a decision on that': Feds consulting on post-2030 carbon tax hikes
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault says “no decision has been made” on whether the carbon price will continue...
Liberal MP Housefather not ruling out crossing the floor to the Conservatives
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather — who said Tuesday he was "reflecting" on his place in caucus after the NDP motion...
'An unbelievable father': Mark Mulroney reflects on father's legacy, says he 'always made us feel special'
Seeing flags across the country flying at half mast to honour the life and legacy of former prime minister Brian...
Government contracting process 'absolutely not' giving value for money: Botler whistleblowers
The co-founders of a company formerly contracted by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), who raised concerns about the process...
'Quite an extraordinary figure': Former prime minister Joe Clark reflects on passing of Brian Mulroney
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney had a “quite remarkable” ability to bring people together and draw out the best in...