With a successful election and a high-stakes trip to Washington behind him, Prime Minister Mark Carney is grappling with a tangle of considerations and big decisions as he launches his first governing mandate for Canada’s incoming minority Parliament.
4 MPs say this was more than a job, and the transition won't be easy. The last item former NDP MP Peter Julian will pack when he leaves his parliamentary office in downtown Ottawa is a single steel-toed work boot. For more than 20 years, the boot has been sitting in Julian's office — a strong reminder of his focus...
Longtime cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government will set itself apart from that of former prime minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to relations with Alberta and Saskatchewan, despite plans to keep some divisive environmental policies. LeBlanc — who as intergovernmental affairs minister overseas the relationship between the federal government and provinces — told CTV’s Question...
Nearly two weeks after a bitter election defeat, the Conservative party has turned its sights to its next chapter: rolling out tone shifts, a renewed media strategy, and the reintroduction of its leader to start courting voters who turned elsewhere at the ballot box. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives — for supporters have, at least publicly, united around him — are keen...
Lots to discuss after a week where Mark Carney sits down with Donald Trump in the White House, Pierre Poilievre fights to hold on to his leadership, and a new prime minister tries to build a cabinet that can deliver on the promises that won an election. But we start with a new Pope, and what that could mean. Chantal...
The objective of the research was to gauge views of Canadians on newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney’s impact on unity among Canadians. Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,055 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between May 5th and 8th, 2025 as part of an omnibus survey. The margin...
The path for a referendum on separation in Alberta was laid out this week by Premier Danielle Smith, even though she has been adamant that she does not support the movement. In Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe has said his government does not support separation, but he wouldn’t stand in the way of a vote. As these dual referendums loom, new...
This was supposed to be a time when incumbents had no chance of re-election. Post-Covid economies made voters mad about the cost of living, worried about the cost of government, and fed up with of being told how to think and act. They wanted more freedom, lower costs and less taxation. People wanted a political leader who was focused on...
The unprecedented events leading to Canada’s 45th federal election defined two different ballot questions for the principal parties. In the first three months of 2025, the political landscape of the country transformed in ways no one could have predicted. The resignation of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister and the subsequent election of Mark Carney as Liberal leader were the first...
Canadian snowbirds could stay longer in the United States without a visa if a bill recently proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law.
A wave of rookie MPs will take their seats in the House when the 45th Parliament begins this month, and some of those newcomers who unseated long-serving or high-profile incumbents say the key to their success was listening to concerns, and responding to calls for change.
Our parliamentary system is in a state of disrepair so advanced that it has lost much of its relevance
The Prime Minister seems to be following the path of his predecessor, which he warned against leading up to the April 28 election
Prime Minister Mark Carney will name his cabinet on Tuesday. Our panel of party insiders discusses what to expect, as U.S. tariffs remain front of mind for Canadians.
Fort McKay First Nation in northern Alberta exemplifies what can be achieved when people reject division and work together
During his leadership campaign and now, as prime minister, Mark Carney reached for a loaded phrase: “Masters in our own home.” “The old relationship we had with the United States is over. What exactly the United States does next is unclear. But what is clear is that we as Canadians have agency, we have power. We are masters in our...
When Premier Danielle Smith speaks, she's still placing the Canadian flags behind her in among the Alberta provincial flags. As much as critics insist she's either a separatist herself or is opening the door wide to the Alberta secessionist movement by easing the rules to have a referendum next year, the premier herself maintains that she wants Alberta to stay...
Prime Minister Mark Carney made his eagerly anticipated visit to the White House for his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week. The meeting was anticlimactic and saw no confrontations, trolling or perceived slights from the mercurial American leader. Each man greeted the other with warm handshakes, beaming smiles, and spirited fist jabs. The jovial and festive vibes...
I was hoping to manage the Liberal media bus again for the 2025 Carney election campaign. It’s really a sweet gig if you don’t mind the odd moments of terror. You get to see Canada in all its beautiful glory, meet old friends, make new friends – and get a front-row seat to history. There are also a lot of...
A Saskatoon woman wearing a transgender rights T-shirt was removed from a Conservative rally featuring Pierre Poilievre during the election campaign.
Across the Western world, a generational shift in defence and security policy is underway. The so-called “peace dividend” that followed the Cold War, when countries reduced military spending to invest in domestic priorities, is now history. In the words of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, we now need to prepare for the defence dividend. This week, Starmer committed the United...
When my editor asked me recently whether I had any thoughts on a Conservative election post-mortem, my reply was simple: we have to use the term post-mortem in a more literal sense than normal. The Conservatives don’t need to merely review the campaign. They need to figure out precisely what killed them. Because unless they find an answer, they won’t...
Now we wait. There is a sweat-it-out period on Canada-U.S. trade now. There aren’t real negotiations going on, not in the nitty-gritty sense, not yet. There’s a kind of pause to regroup. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump sat next to Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office and said there’s nothing the United States wants from Canada. He told...
A failure to accommodate shifting circumstances is prompting questions inside the party about whether a 45-year-old man can truly change
The conflict between India and Pakistan is not a sudden wildfire — it is a bed of long-burning embers, lying beneath decades of unresolved history, territorial disputes, mutual distrust, and a clash of national religious identities. From time to time, a gust of wind — a political provocation, a militant attack, or a deadly border clash — fans them back...
Pierre Poilievre has moved quickly to consolidate his leadership of the Conservative Party in the wake of its disappointing loss in the April 28th general election and his own stunning personal loss of the suburban Ottawa riding of Carleton, which he had held for 20 years. But Poilievre’s placement of faithful lieutenant and former leader Andrew Scheer to lead the...
As the reality of the federal Conservative Party’s defeat in last week’s federal election manifested, infighting within the movement erupted, particularly between the leaders of provincial Progressive Conservative parties and the federal party. This was, in turn, met by accusations by some federal Conservatives that Ontario premier Doug Ford was some kind of Liberal booster, and that he was somehow...
What's the diplomatic thing to say when the U.S. president insults your predecessor, your close colleague and many others, to boot? In his Devil’s Dictionary, 19th-century American writer Ambrose Bierce defined diplomacy as the “patriotic art of lying for one’s country.”
As a Canadian going about his business in London and Paris these days, it’s been impossible not to notice a change in the reflexive greeting from foreigners. The usual friendly thaw at the news that you’re from “the unobjectionable nation” has been replaced by immediate expressions of sympathy and indignation at our new status as Donald Trump’s favourite trolling target...
By harvesting responsibly and regenerating diligently, we ensure that future generations will inherit a greener planet.
If you talk to people who know Mark Carney well, one of the personality traits that comes up over and over is that he is not someone who suffers fools. People he thought were unprepared in meetings; reporters who asked questions he considered unfair or lazy; anyone he thought was wasting his time and ought to know better – they...
Conservatives gathered this week for the first time since the April 28 election. Hopefully they had a vibrant, open, and fulsome caucus meeting where nothing was off limits. It need not be, and should not be, about recrimination and settling scores, but more about accountability and the route for the best path forward. Much has been made since the election...
Elections Canada will recount the ballots in the riding of Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore (WTL), following a one-hour hearing in Superior court Friday. Former Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk lost the riding to the Conservative candidate Kathy Borrelli by 77 votes. The initial count had the difference at 233. Kusmierczyk’s lawyer, Jeff Hewitt argued some “...ballots should not have been rejected.”
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says the Liberals are making phone calls to NDP members of parliament to see if they will join the Liberal Party in an effort to reach a majority government. Davies told Global News he’s not worried about his six other NDP MP colleagues switching political teams. “I do know that there’s been certain calls made...
A former MP who was barred from running in the federal election for the Liberal Party because of alleged ties to India has formed a lobby group for Hindu Canadians. Chandra Arya, who served as a member of Parliament for the Ottawa riding of Nepean for more than nine years, was removed as the Liberal candidate for the district shortly...
Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is rejecting a severance package estimated at about $150,000 that he was entitled to receive after losing his Ottawa-area riding, a party official says. Under the rules of the House of Commons, Mr. Poilievre is eligible for severance worth $154,850, according to the calculations of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
Sources say PM is considering a smaller group of core ministers. Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet is expected to be larger than his first, but could include a tiered structure with a secondary ring of ministers. Rideau Hall announced Friday that Carney and his cabinet will be sworn in Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in Ottawa by Gov. Gen. Mary...
From an ex-political journalist, Vancouver’s former mayor, a survivor of a mass murder, a former banking CEO and other star candidates who performed impressively on election night, Prime Minister Mark Carney has no shortage of high-profile rookie MPs to pick from for cabinet positions. The question remains: around how many veteran ministers from the Trudeau era will stay, or if...
Prime Minister Mark Carney will be sworn in and unveil his new cabinet on Tuesday, Rideau Hall has confirmed. In a ceremony presided over by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, the newly elected prime minister will present to Canadians who he has picked to deliver on his series of campaign commitments, and lead on key files at a pivotal time for...
CALGARY -- Alberta's two big-city mayors say a separation referendum would be "devastating" to their local economies and is a needless distraction during a period in which the country should be focused on unity.
Interim NDP leader Don Davies says his party is in "very early" discussions with the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney about being granted official party status in the House of Commons. The NDP was reduced to seven seats in the election, below the 12-seat threshold for official party status in the Commons.
From dusting off financial documents to preparing to welcome new ministers, there’s plenty of work to be done before King Charles III delivers the throne speech.
Two Canadian medical supply manufacturers, as well as an industry group that represents 15 such firms, want the federal lobbying commissioner to investigate former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps’ contacts with senior officials about pandemic medical supply contracts. “We will contact the lobbying commissioner to ask why … companies connected with politicians or past politicians get preferential treatment over Canadian...
As Canada looks for ways to see U.S. tariffs lifted, the country’s ambassador to Canada suggested the recent trade announcement with the United Kingdom could be a “template.” “I think this will kind of be a template for how we go around the world,” U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told National Post. Article content Hoekstra made his comments as...
As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to cast doubt on the future of the NATO military alliance, Canada is looking to partner with the European Union on defence. Here's a closer look at what's driving this major shift in transatlantic relations.
A former top naval commander and several defence experts have been left scratching their heads following the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives' recent embrace of the notion of giving the Royal Canadian Navy heavy, armed icebreakers to defend the Arctic.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre didn’t adapt enough to Justin Trudeau’s departure or U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office, says Erin O’Toole, who is now suggesting his successor reconsider his tone and approach to provincial relationships before taking a second crack at becoming prime minister. In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play with Vassy Kapelos, O’Toole said the...
Canada Elections Act sets out when recounts happen and how they can proceed. A Conservative Party fundraising email alleges the Liberals are trying to "tip the scales" in riding recounts, language some political watchers say is concerning as some Canadians say they don't trust the results of last week's election. The email, sent to the Conservatives' mailing list on Wednesday...
Smith cites high popularity of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois in Quebec. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's willing to risk a separation referendum in part to avert the emergence of a political rival. Smith says she doesn't support separating her province from Canada, but says Albertans have genuine grievances with the federal government, and she wants concessions from Liberal Prime...
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to invest in Canada's foreign service, arguing that diplomacy is becoming increasingly important in a dangerous world.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem offered support to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from US President Donald Trump’s attacks, as the Canadian policymaker called the independence of central banks “sacrosanct.”
For the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, cardinals have named an American to be the new pope. Robert Francis Prevost, 69, received votes from at least 89 of the 133 cardinals in the conclave, a two-thirds majority, to become the new pontiff. Prevost chose Pope Leo XIV as his papal name.
The remarks referenced the tensions between Ontario’s PC premier and the federal Tories, who accused Ford of “sabotaging” their campaign. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is reaching out to Premier Doug Ford in the wake of the Tories’ latest electoral defeat. But there is one piece of advice Ford, who works closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals, isn’t about to...
Ontario is set to spend nearly $21 billion to build four small modular reactors east of Toronto. Officials say construction on the first modular reactor at the site of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station will begin this year and should be completed by 2030. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approved Ontario Power Generation's plan last month to build the first...
The Conservative leader was once assumed to be the next prime minister. How did he lose his own riding? When Pierre Poilievre took the stage at the Conservative party headquarters in the early hours after the federal election, his future was far from clear. The Conservative leader delivered a relatively upbeat concession speech, congratulating newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says President Donald Trump is looking for ways to expand its legal power to deport migrants who are in the United States illegally. To achieve that, he says the administration is "actively looking at" suspending habeas corpus, the constitutional right for people to legally challenge their detention by the...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- About half of U.S. adults approve of how President Donald Trump is handling transgender issues, according to a new poll -- a relative high point for a president who has the approval overall of about 4 in 10 Americans.
NEW YORK (AP) -- President Donald Trump's newest surgeon general nominee is a burgeoning health influencer who has shared her approach to health care through appearances on some of the nation's most popular wellness and right-wing podcasts.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After musing publicly and privately with the idea of raising the top tax rate for wealthy millionaires as Republicans draft his big bill in Congress, President Donald Trump early Friday backed off that call -- sort of.
GENEVA (AP) -- An official who was briefed on talks between U.S. and Chinese delegations over tariffs says meetings that were held Saturday have ended and will continue on Sunday.
GENEVA (AP) -- The U.S. Treasury Secretary and America's top trade negotiator began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland Saturday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world's two biggest economies and damage the global economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Who called first?
VANCOUVER -- A British Columbia researcher in South Asian affairs says concerns about the current India and Pakistan tensions are justified, given that the region has not seen a conflict this intense in more than 25 years.
For the first time in the Catholic Church’s history, cardinals have named an American to be the new pope. Robert Francis Prevost, 69, received votes from at least 89 of the 133 cardinals in the conclave, a two-thirds majority, to become the new pontiff. Prevost chose Pope Leo XIV as his papal name.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has forever changed global commodities markets. The economic sanctions subsequently imposed on Russia exposed multiple risks related to (over)reliance on a single or dominant suppliers of critical materials (Sukhankin 2024a).
Despite knowing very little about him, Canadians chose Mark Carney as their new prime minister. Fearful of the bellicose threats coming from the United States about Canada becoming the 51st state, voters turned to the former central banker as a steady hand to deal with President Donald Trump. With no previous political experience to point to, much was made during...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
Some dismissed it as the “erectile dysfunction” ad. Others laughed it off as a desperate Hail Mary to salvage a faltering campaign in Southern Ontario—specifically in the all-important 905 region. Well, they can stop laughing. Call it the blue belt now. The Conservatives not only held their ground in the 905—they flipped several Liberal ridings.
The world is chaotic. Sovereignty, diplomacy, trade, free speech, science are all under assault. Daily life seems suddenly dangerous. Even the weather report is scary. “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” as William Butler Yeats put it in The Second Coming (1919). We’ve entered an era of might makes right. Familiar rules are changing. Among the changes is the...
This will be a very short post on the access-to-information election promises of the five main political parties. That’s because there’s nothing to write about. With the release of the last platform today (Conservative), no party is committing to reforming the dysfunctional Access to Information Act, other than reciting cheap bromides. Some aren’t even offering bromides.
The long-awaited Carney-Trump summit in the Oval Office left the Canadian delegation feeling encouraged, though the U.S. president still taunted the prime minister over Canada becoming the 51st American state. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest, also a member of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, joins the show to explain why he believes Canada could ultimately have reason...
Author, columnist and CEO Rose LeMay joins The Hot Room to discuss her new book, Ally is a Verb: A Guide to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Will Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump change anything with for the Canada-U.S. relationship? Andrew Scheer steps up for the Conservatives as interim Opposition leader in the House. And, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith re-ignites the sovereignty debate. Rosemary Barton hosts Chantal Hébert, Althia Raj and Aaron Wherry
What are Conservative MPs and candidates thinking as the party regroups after their election loss and charts a path forward? On this week’s show, we ask some of them. But first, Toronto Star reporter Raisa Patel gets us caught up on what happened at the Conservatives’ caucus meeting Tuesday. In this episode: Toronto Star politics reporter Raisa Patel; Greg McLean...
