These are the 30 most read items on National Newswatch, from the last seven days.
As governments around the world look to cut their spending in an increasingly uncertain economy, the United States—and Canada—stand out as examples of what not to do. That’s according to the woman who steered the Canadian public service through one of the most dramatic budget cuts in the country’s history.
The Trump administration slapped a Canadian judge on the International Criminal Court with sanctions as the U.S. State Department continues to push back on the tribunal. The State Department said Wednesday that Kimberly Prost was sanctioned for "ruling to authorize the ICC's investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan." The ICC website says Prost has been a judge in the trial...
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre continues to hold solid support within his party, but new polling shows his prospects outside the Conservative base remain uncertain.
Canadians are in a serious mood; politics isn't a sport or a game. Sometimes people who are deeply involved in politics, whether keyboard warriors or those who run for - or staff - political offices can fall into a habit, one I’ve had myself at times, of thinking of politics like a game or sport. When you’re in that mindset...
After a summer of rodeos, dinosaurs and door-knocking, Pierre Poilievre is now officially heading back to Ottawa as a Conservative member of Parliament for Alberta. The Tory leader will represent the sprawling rural riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, in the province's eastern region, after winning a byelection on Monday. "Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege...
Canada’s Conservative leader has a second shot at becoming prime minister, but there are roadblocks in his way. With a win in rural Alberta, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is returning to the House of Commons — the next step on his mission to become Canada’s next prime minister. Poilievre didn’t just lose a chance to form government in April’s federal...
This week, the Toronto International Film Festival attempted to cancel, then reinstated, the screening of The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary on a retired Israeli general’s successful attempt to rescue his family during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks by Hamas. The organizers of TIFF reportedly claimed they needed Hamas’s permission to show the footage of the...
Air Canada says it plans to operate more than half of its scheduled flights Tuesday after reaching a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants to end a strike that began Saturday morning. The airline said it will gradually restart its operations Tuesday, with the first of its mainline aircraft resuming takeoffs around 4 p.m. ET. By the...
Canada will drop some retaliatory tariffs on American products to match U.S. tariff exemptions for goods covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday. After meeting with his cabinet, Carney said at a news conference the change will take effect on Sept. 1. Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on a call on Thursday, and...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre secured a seat in the House of Commons late Monday with a crushing byelection win in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot. He was leading with about 80 per cent of votes as results came in throughout the night. "Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life," Poilievre...
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has easily slain the 200-headed hydra he faced in his Battle River-Crowfoot byelection, securing his return to parliament, but it remains to be seen what awaits him in the arena of January’s national convention in Calgary. New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute suggests that Poilievre still holds the support of most Conservative voters (68%)...
The Arthabaska byelection win has further solidified support for the Parti Québécois with party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon seen as the man who best incarnates Quebecers’ desire for change, a new poll shows. And two-thirds of Quebecers want a change of government, it says. Already leading in the polls for the last 20 months, support for the PQ has grown...
Air Canada cancelled hundreds of additional flights on Sunday after the union representing its flight attendants announced the workers would remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said it filed a challenge in Federal Court on Sunday to an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that said its members must return...
Damien Kurek plans to be on the ballot again in Battle River-Crowfoot in the next general election. Damien Kurek says he doesn't plan to stay away from politics for long. The former Conservative MP recently gave up his seat in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot so that party leader Pierre Poilievre could run there. Poilievre, who lost his longtime...
When Jenni Byrne appeared on the Beyond a Ballot podcast recently, reporters handily strip-mined the hour-long interview for key news tidbits from the first public remarks that Pierre Poilievre’s campaign manager has made since her party lost the April election. But hidden between those crunchy bits of intel, there’s something even more intriguing: the story Ms. Byrne wants to tell...
The federal government has signed an agreement with a Canadian artificial intelligence company to identify areas where AI can enhance public service operations. The agreement with Cohere also involves looking at building Canada’s commercial capabilities to use and export AI, but there are few details about what exactly Cohere will do. Cohere is a Toronto-based tech company which develops large...
Gail Shea, who spent seven years as the Conservative MP for the Prince Edward Island riding of Egmont during the Stephen Harper years, has died at the age of 66. The P.E.I. Premier's Office confirmed the news Thursday afternoon in a statement that did not include details of when and where Shea had died.
This weekend, Canada’s airports were the site of a high-stakes showdown when the Liberal government ordered thousands of striking flight attendants back to work barely hours after a strike began. For a Prime Minister whose core brand is bland managerial competence, it’s a rash move that critically misreads the public mood and risks catapulting the country into a new era...
As Canada burns, what does the Conservative leader do? Hysterically switches attack to electric vehicles. Many Canadians may have been too preoccupied with the latest wildfire news, air quality warnings, extreme heat alerts and water consumption advisories to notice Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has a new message.
The Liberals’ $2.3-million in digital-focused ads in 2024 demonstrates the lack of confidence the party had in its previous leader and message, says EOK Consults' Harneet Singh. The federal Conservatives spent more than $16.5-million on advertising in 2024, outgunning the governing Liberals’ $2.3-million by more than seven to one as the governing Grits struggled to gain a foothold against the...
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a "productive and wide-ranging" phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday morning. "We focused on trade challenges, opportunities, building a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S., and supporting long-term peace and security for Ukraine and Europe," Carney said in a post on social media. A statement from...
One think tank says no in this week's Public Service Notebook. Over the past week, pundits and pollsters have continued to wade into the debate about whether and how the public service should be shrunk, as the federal government looks to cut departmental budgets by up to 15 per cent over three years. Along with that news, here are four...
Former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard is advising the leader of the Parti Quebecois to reconsider his promise to hold a sovereignty referendum in his first mandate if he becomes premier. The former Bloc Quebecois leader and Parti Quebecois premier made the comments in a pair of interviews on Radio-Canada on Wednesday. Bouchard says PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon should "think...
There was an interesting — albeit brief — recent eruption of clarity in the ongoing saga of whether Canada intends to proceed with the full order of American-made F-35 fighters. It was courtesy of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who perhaps spoke the quiet part out loud last week in an interview with Canadian independent podcaster Jasmin Laine...
Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says the federal government will table a budget – the first under Prime Minister Mark Carney – in October, describing it as an “ambitious plan to Canadians” amid U.S. tariffs and global economic uncertainty. “This is rethinking Canada fit for the 21st century, at a time where our neighbour and friend decides to have a very...
From tariffs and Trump to housing and health care, here’s what the Liberal cabinet has achieved since the spring – and what remains to be done
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is encouraging federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to “put partisan stripes aside” if he wins back a seat in the House of Commons, amid an ongoing trade war with the United States. “Work with the prime minister,” Ford said, when asked by reporters on Parliament Hill Monday if he has any advice to offer Poilievre. “Let’s...
Wab Kinew 'not a fan' of move, says announcement took him by surprise. Manitoba's premier is questioning the federal government's decision to drop most counter-tariffs against the United States, saying he doesn't want the prime minister to start taking an "elbows down" approach. Premier Wab Kinew told CBC News in a phone interview Friday it's not the right time for...
Cultural and broadcast industry groups are calling on the Liberal government to support the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, as the Prime Minister's Office refuses to say whether the bills are part of trade negotiations with the United States. "We are aware that the U.S. is exerting pressure on the [federal government], and the cultural sector is...
