Blog

United States president-elect Donald Trump may declare a national emergency in order to turn his threat to slap Canada with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs into a reality. With less than two weeks to go until Trump returns to the White House, it’s still not clear how the Republican leader will enact his tariff agenda. Greta Peisch, the former general counsel for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said the incoming president could use the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA).“When you look at the link that the president-elect makes between tariff action and issues such as fentanyl and border security, he has not explained what authority he would use, but it would seem to be most closely linked to IEEPA,” Peisch said.IEEPA is a national security statute that giv...

Monique Henry has been teaching English in Quebec for the better part of two decades without official certification. As a so-called “unqualified” teacher, she has had to learn her profession the hard way. When she started teaching in 2006 she struggled with unruly students. As she never completed a university education program, she didn’t learn classroom management techniques.“You kind of just do it on the fly and learn with time,” said Henry, 46, who teaches English as a second language at a high school in St-Jérôme, Que., on a yearlong contract. “There’s no one to help you out . … If you have a problem, you’re kind of on your own.”Henry is one of a growing number of unqualified teachers in Quebec schools who, education experts say, the provincial government is increasingly reliant on as ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly will head to Washington next week as part of her government’s efforts to press the incoming Trump administration not to impose damaging tariffs on Canada. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico when he is inaugurated later this month.Joly’s office did not say exactly when she’s departing or whether other ministers will accompany her, and did not name the officials she’ll be meeting with in Washington.“We have to be ready,” Joly told reporters Friday morning on Parliament Hill, ahead of a meeting of ministers on the Canada-U. S. cabinet committee to discuss the retaliatory measures Ottawa would deploy if those tariffs are applied.“We need to take him very seriously and...

The Liberal party has set new rules on who can vote in the leadership race. But some experts say it might not be enough to mitigate fears of foreign interference. The party’s national board of directors met Thursday evening to decide on the initial rules of the Liberal leadership contest that will choose Trudeau’s successor.According to a press release from the Liberal party, the voting will conclude on March 9 and the new leader — and by extension, prime minister — will be announced on the same day.The cutoff date to become a member or registered supporter and be eligible to vote is Jan. 27.The board also updated the requirements for who can vote in this leadership contest. Eligible voters must:be at least 14 years of agesupport the purposes of the partybe a Canadian citizen, have status ...