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The vice-chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency says the spy watchdog will face “very difficult choices” about what it examines in coming years due to federal budget cuts. The federal budget presented last month included a plan to reduce government spending and save $13 billion annually by 2028-29.Most federal departments and agencies must find savings of 15 per cent over the next three years.The review agency, which keeps an eye on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and several other intelligence organizations, expects to have less money due to the belt-tightening.Agency vice-chair Craig Forcese told a media briefing Wednesday there’s a good chance the watchdog will reduce the number of studies it does each year.Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree ack...

Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Wednesday that an updated federal AI strategy is set to be released in 2026, a delay that he did not explain when testifying to parliamentarians. In September, Solomon told an AI conference in Montreal that the “refreshed” strategy will be tabled later this year, “almost two years ahead of schedule.”He told the House of Commons science and research committee in his opening statement that the strategy remains ahead of schedule, but instead said it will come “in the new year.”Solomon highlighted several investments the government has made in the past year in AI research and development, and to support Canada-based data centres and other infrastructure through a “sovereign compute strategy.”“We are investing in every aspect of this ecosystem,...

Canada’s public safety minister says the government is delaying long-promised regulations for marking firearms another two years because it’s focused on the impending national launch of the federal gun buyback program. The marking rules, which had been set to come into force on Monday, sought to require domestic manufacturers to label all new firearms with a serial number and country identifier to help law enforcement with tracing weapons used in crime.The government said in a notice last month that the rules — first proposed over 20 years ago — will now come into effect in December 2027, which will allow “additional preparatory time” for manufacturers “to take steps to comply with the regime when it comes into force.”That was the same justification given when the rules were delayed by two...

Prime Minister Mark Carney was pressed on Wednesday about whether or not his federal government was aware Algoma Steel was planning to lay off nearly 1,000 workers when it was given $400 million in loans from Canadian taxpayers. In response to questions from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Carney did not explicitly say whether he was informed ahead of time, but suggested Algoma Steel would have had to lay off even more workers without the loan.“These are difficult times in Sault Ste. Marie and our hearts go to them and their families. As I quote the CEO of Algoma Steel who said ‘it would be an even darker day if this government hadn’t acted,'” said Carney.“That loan, that support saved two-thirds of those jobs.” ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged that his government was aware that massive layoffs at Algoma Steel were imminent, well before the province agreed to loan the company $100 million in taxpayer funds. The steel giant announced Monday it would lay off roughly 1,000 workers as a Sault Ste. Marie plant closure is being made to adapt to a “fundamentally altered” landscape in the face of tariffs from the United States.Weeks earlier, at the end of September, the Ontario and federal governments had partnered to loan Algoma a total of $500 million, 20 per cent of which was put up by the Ford government.“This direct support will help Algoma pivot its operations away from U.S. dependent markets ...

By Catherine Morrison The Canadian Press Posted December 3, 2025 11:56 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The government is pledging another $235 million in funding for Ukraine, with National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announcing Canada’s latest commitments. McGuinty says Canada will work with NATO allies to purchase a package of critical military capabilities sourced from the United States valued at around USD $500 million. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for br...