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More than two million Canadians will be able to file their taxes automatically this year. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) said in a news release Thursday that it is opening up its SimpleFile by Phone service to more Canadians this tax season, while also for the first time making a digital option available for people who have filed their taxes in recent years.This free automatic tax filing service will be offered to “individuals with low or fixed incomes and simple tax situations that remain unchanged from year to year,” Déborah Cléry, a CRA spokesperson, told Global News.She said the invitation letters to eligible Canadians will be sent out via mail or their CRA account over the next couple of months.Last year, the CRA invited more than 1.5 million people with a recent tax filing history t...

The mayor of an Ontario city home to one of Canada’s most notorious prisons says converting it one day into housing could eat at its economy. Bryan Paterson told Global News that while Kingston does have housing needs, transforming the site of Kingston Penitentiary – which Ottawa says can be suitable for housing – would be a loss for the city’s finances.“This particular property has huge benefits for tourism and film, and we want to make sure that isn’t impacted,” he said.“We’re always happy to have more discussions about opportunities for housing, but again, there are lots of other federal government properties that we think would be great candidates for.”Paterson’s comments come after the federal government publicly revealed Thursday that Kingston Pen – a former maximum-security prison t...

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned the United States of a “forceful but reasonable immediate response” as the clock ticks down on tariffs on Canadian goods expected to come from the U.S. this Saturday. A day before that looming measure, Trudeau is meeting with the newly formed Canada-U.S. relations council in Toronto on Friday.In his opening remarks before the meeting, Trudeau said Canada is in a “critical moment” as U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat Thursday, saying that a 25 per cent tariff on goods coming from Canada and Mexico will be imposed on Saturday.“If the president does choose to implement any tariffs against Canada, we’re ready with a response — a purposeful, forceful but reasonable immediate response,” Trudeau said.“It’s not what we want but...

The federal government is delaying plans to raise the inclusion rate on capital gains, offering a degree of clarity on the legislation stuck in limbo that was causing some confusion for the upcoming tax season. Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced Friday that the Liberals will not implement a planned hike to the capital gains inclusion rate until Jan. 1, 2026, pushing back the original date of June 25, 2024.The Liberals had initially introduced the proposed changes to capital gains taxes in the 2024 federal budget this past spring.Capital gains are proceeds from the sale of an asset, like a stock or property. The Liberals had pitched to raise the inclusion rate or the taxable portion of capital gains sold in a year to 66.7 per cent, up from 50 per cent.The changes would apply to all ...

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted January 31, 2025 7:56 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size A trio of federal cabinet ministers is in Washington Friday making a last-ditch attempt to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing economically devastating tariffs on Canadian imports. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller are all in the U.S. capital, making a final diplomatic push to convince Republican lawmakers and Trump’s team to sway the president. ...

Former national security officials are expressing skepticism over Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to receive classified briefings on foreign interference. For months Poilievre has refused to obtain top-secret clearance so officials with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) could share intelligence on foreign interference with him.On Tuesday, just after Justice Marie-Josée Hogue released her report on foreign interference, Poilievre’s office revealed he is also refusing to take briefings under CSIS’s “threat reductions measures” (TRM) mandate — which would allow the agency to share some information with the Conservative leader without him first obtaining security clearance.Poilievre has long argued that receiving classified intelligence would prevent him from hol...

After months of rumours, Doug Ford met with Lt. Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday to trigger an election, a year and a half ahead of the date he was required to do so. But with 16 months left on his term as premier, and 64 percent of the seats in Ontario’s legislature, why would it make sense for Ford to call an election so far ahead of schedule?“I think the question he’s probably asking himself is, ‘Will things be any better in a year and a half or now for the government?’” said Darrell Bricker, global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. “And given what’s potentially pending from the United States relative to tariffs, there’s probably a chance that it won’t be a … lot better.”There are several benefits for the Progressive Conservatives to call an election now, including the fact that most polls show ...

The rise of generative artificial intelligence, a decline of traditional professional media and the persistent threat of foreign meddling have combined to make disinformation the greatest threat to Canadian democracy, the federal inquiry into foreign interference suggests. That was one of the ominous warnings from Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s year-long probe into how hostile governments are targeting Canada’s democratic processes, including the last two federal elections.Nowhere in Hogue’s sprawling 860-page final report is it spelled out exactly how disinformation is a greater threat than more traditional forms of foreign interference, such as covertly funnelling money, attempting to influence politicians, messing around in nomination races or intimidating diaspora groups.Disinformation wa...