Executions show China has no intention of improving relations with Canada: Michael Kovrig
Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig says news China has executed what was later revealed to be four Canadians in recent...
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.
‘We will be ready’: Joly says Canada is prepared as Trump confirms tariffs coming tomorrow
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is prepared for a trade war with the U.S., should President Donald Trump...
Trudeau to meet with King Charles as Buckingham Palace remains mum on Trump’s annexation threat
As Buckingham Palace remains quiet on U.S. President Donald Trump’s persistent attacks on Canadian sovereignty, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is...
‘Not something we would comment on’: Buckingham Palace on Trump threats to annex Canada
Buckingham Palace is refusing to weigh in on U.S. President Donald Trump’s persistent attacks on Canadian sovereignty. Trump has quadrupled...
‘No certainty’: Immigration minister says feds will know more about Trump tariffs at the same time as Canadians
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says that with just days to go before U.S. President Donald Trump’s 30-day tariff reprieve expires...
Trump, Hamas, grocery prices, Quebec’s Bill 21: Takeaways from the French Liberal leadership debate
The four remaining candidates in the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as head of the Liberals squared off...
‘I do have a seat in the House of Commons’: Gould won’t commit to early election if she wins Liberal leadership
Liberal leadership contender Karina Gould says she’s going to wait to gauge the state of the Canada-U.S. relationship when the...
Freeland promises to defend supply management, Carney vows to rein in government spending
With just two and a half weeks to go until the Liberals choose their next leader and the person who...
Trump ‘definitively’ looking at Canada becoming U.S. state: Premier Furey
The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says he found it “incredibly concerning” to hear senior staff from U.S. President Donald...
‘This scares me’: German defence chief ‘afraid’ of Russia’s increased war efforts
Germany’s defence chief says the level to which Russia is building up its military, which he categorized as an “imminent...
Carney pledges defence spending, takes aim at Trump; Freeland unveils economic plan
Liberal leadership hopefuls Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland unveiled parts of their policy planks Wednesday, both taking aim at U.S...
Smith says Canada should ‘stop making excuses,’ address Trump concerns to avoid tariffs
The premier of Alberta says if Canada wants to avoid U.S.-imposed tariffs on Canadian imports in a month’s time, federal...
Freeland says cutting off energy shouldn’t be taken off the table, insists she can get provinces on board
Liberal leadership contender Chrystia Freeland says everything should be on the table when it comes to Canada’s response to U.S...
‘Not a partisan issue’: Minister calls on other parties help pass foreign interference inquiry recommendations ahead of next election
Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says he hopes MPs across the aisle can come together when Parliament resumes in late...
Who is Mark Carney, the former central banker running to be Liberal leader?
After years of speculation about his political aspirations, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney has...
‘Everybody else went off freelancing’: Alberta premier insists she isn’t undermining Canadian case with Trump
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — who’s stood in staunch opposition to the idea of cutting of energy exports to the...
Canada’s immigration minister says U.S. ‘safe’ amid Trump transgender policy concerns
Amid a reported increase in the number of people saying they hope to leave the U.S. for Canada out of...
Canada’s new top soldier says ‘absolutely possible’ to accelerate defence spending timeline
Canada’s new chief of the defence staff says there are “absolutely” ways the federal government could speed up its defence-spending...
‘Ready to respond’: Canada reacts to Trump saying tariffs may come Feb. 1
Hours after his inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump is floating the date of Feb. 1 as the day he plans...
Singh says NDP still plan to vote to topple Liberals ‘at the earliest opportunity,’ regardless of leader
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party still plans to vote to bring down the federal government as soon as...
Canada threatens ‘single largest trade blow’ to U.S. if Trump follows through on tariffs
Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand says Canada is ready to take on U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and levy...
Canada has ‘not received an assurance’ it can avoid Trump tariffs, despite presenting border plan: ambassador
Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. says Donald Trump’s incoming administration hasn’t made any promises that Canada’s new border plan will...
Christy Clark announces 'step back' from Liberal leadership, as other contenders chime in
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark will not run in the Liberal leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she...
'Everything is on the table': Joly won't rule out cutting off energy exports to U.S. in face of Trump tariff threat
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is not ruling out any countermeasures when it comes to dealing with U.S. president-elect Donald...
'It's not realistic': Former PM Chretien thinks Trump will back off trade war
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien says U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is likely to walk back his threat of punishing tariffs...
Justin Trudeau steps down as Liberal leader. Who are the top contenders to replace him?
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation as Liberal party leader, several well-known political faces may be waiting in the wings...
A new book about Chrystia Freeland just came out. Here's what we learned
A new book about Chrystia Freeland has just come out, after the publishing company sped up its release date by...
Feds should consider scrapping controversial digital services tax amid Trump tariff threats: Morneau
If the Canadian government wants to make headway with the incoming U.S. administration, it should look at scrapping some sticking-point...
Trudeau will have to 'kiss the ring' to achieve smoother bilateral relations with Trump: John Bolton
If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to get on U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s good side for the sake of a...
Canadian government to table fall economic statement next Monday
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table the federal government’s fall economic statement next Monday, the government announced today...
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly focused on re-election, doesn’t explicitly rule out future Liberal leadership bid
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly insisted she supports Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and is focused on her own re-election, but...
Canada 'falling so consistently short' on defence spending has hurt standing on world stage, but improving: U.S. ambassador
U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen says while Canada's defence spending is going in the right direction, the federal government's...
Opposition leaders talk unity following Trudeau meeting about Trump, minister calls 51st state comment 'teasing'
The prime minister’s emergency meeting with opposition leaders on Tuesday appears to have bolstered a more united front against U.S...
Trump making 'joke' about Canada becoming 51st state is 'reassuring': Ambassador Hillman
Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. insists it’s a good sign U.S. president-elect Donald Trump feels “comfortable” joking with Canadian officials...
More RCMP and CBSA ‘human resources’ destined for border, Public Safety Minister LeBlanc says
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the federal government will “absolutely” be adding more Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and...
PM Trudeau 'surprised' provinces unanimous on accelerated defence spending: Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his fellow provincial leaders are united in pushing for Canada to meet its NATO defence...
Poilievre suggests Trudeau is too weak to engage with Trump, Ford won't go there
While federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has taken aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week — calling him too...
'We need to do better': Canadian leaders respond to Trump's border concerns
As U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatens Canada with major tariffs, sounding alarms over the number of people and drugs illegally...
'You're already past due': U.S. House intelligence committee chair implores Canada to increase defence spending
The chair of the United States House intelligence committee says Canada needs to accelerate its defence spending targets, especially with...
'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...
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...