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There is a lot of speculation in Ottawa that a new deal is imminent for a pipeline to move Alberta oil to B.C.’s North Coast. The Alberta and federal governments are said to be close to signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to move forward with the project.It would include new or expanded port facilities in Prince Rupert or Kitimat, which would require at least a partial repeal of the North Coast tanker ban.The federal government said it would seek support for the project from the B.C. government and the First Nations, who currently oppose the ban.“This government was elected to deliver nation-building projects, strengthen our economy, reinforce Canadian autonomy, advance Indigenous prosperity, while contributing to clean growth,” B.C. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hod...

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner said Thursday she plans to try and “amend the heck” out of the government’s border security bill, Bill C-12, with a host of measures targeting the asylum system. Her proposed changes include disallowing asylum claims from people who transited through Europe or another G7 country on their way to Canada and denying access to social benefits, except emergency medical treatment, for those with a failed asylum claim.“I think Canadians want some change in this regard. Canada’s system for allowing and accepting asylum claims is pretty generous,” Rempel Garner said at a press conference on Parliament Hill.“So somebody who’s failed a review, I think it’s fair that the only federal benefits that they receive is emergency health care and I think ...

Trade of tens of thousands of goods across Canada’s 14 jurisdictions will soon be free after an agreement has been signed between all provinces, territories and the federal government to allow businesses to sell their products across Canada. Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia’s minister of jobs and economic growth, announced the deal in Victoria, although it was signed by the country’s trade ministers at a meeting in Yellowknife on Wednesday.The B.C. government proposed and chaired the national initiative for the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement, and Kahlon said it’s an important step for cross-Canada trade.“And this is the largest red tape reduction in Canada’s history, and it’s just the beginning,” he told reporters.The agreement will take effect next month and applies to most products, ...

Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an investment-protection agreement Thursday with the United Arab Emirates, during a visit to Abu Dhabi that has involved limited media access as concerns grow the country is fuelling ethnic violence in Sudan. On Thursday, Carney announced the investment pact following a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and both also launched talks for a full trade deal, aimed at an eventual comprehensive economic partnership agreement.The prime minister also met Thursday morning with Industry Minister Sultan al-Jaber, before touring a palatial mosque in Abu Dhabi.On Thursday afternoon, Carney is set to meet with officials from sovereign wealth funds and investment companies in the UAE, including Mubadala, MGX, ADQ and ADIC, ahead of a dinner ...

Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he would be open to amending federal hate crime legislation to outlaw other “hateful” displays of symbols by groups not currently covered by the bill, including the Ku Klux Klan. Bill C-9, introduced in the House of Commons in September, makes it a crime to publicly display symbols associated with listed foreign terrorist organizations as well as the Nazi swastika and SS bolts, for the purpose of wilfully promoting hate. The new penalty would carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison.During an appearance by Fraser at Wednesday’s Senate question period, independent Sen. Paula Simons noted the list of terrorist entities does not include notable hate groups like the KKK, “which would mean that displaying a burning cross or a noose would not be captured ...