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The new Liberal leader will likely call an election in the next two weeks, former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps says as the party gathers in Ottawa on the final day of its leadership contest. In an interview with The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson, Copps says that if former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney emerges as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s replacement on Sunday evening, as he is presumed to do, he could call an election before March 24, when Parliament resumes.“I think it’s going to be fast, partly because, as we know, the Conservatives have an awful lot of money in the bank. […] And they’re going to try and pin Carney back as soon as he’s elected,” Copps says. Story continues below advertisement Sheila Copps, Former...

The federal Liberal government has awarded a $3.25 billion deal to Davie Shipbuilding near Quebec City to build a new polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. The contract, which has been expected, was unveiled Sunday at the Chantier Davie Canada Inc. headquarters in Lévis, Que., by a small platoon of federal Liberal cabinet ministers.The announcement, along with a second $8 billion deal for construction of new destroyers that was unveiled in Halifax, came just hours before Liberals gather to vote and pick a new leader.The major spending announcements also come amid speculation that the new Liberal leader could launch a snap spring election against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.Liberals will need to shore up voter support in Quebec and Nova Scotia if the party has any chance o...

Worldwide tariffs are unlikely to go down, but “could go up,” U.S. President Donald Trump says. In an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Trump tamped down fears of a looming recession after a tumultuous week for the U.S. stock market as investors grappled with further uncertainty from Trump’s tariffs.Trump exempted certain products traded under North American free trade rules on Thursday. In the hours that followed, the S&P 500 had its worst trading day of the year, while the Nasdaq plunged 2.6 per cent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 1.0 per cent.Addressing the stock market tumble, Trump said that the U.S. is “going to have a disruption, but we’re okay with that.” 2:04 ...

Protesters flooded several blocks in downtown Montreal on Saturday, chanting “shame on you” on the doorstep of the United States Consulate. It was one of more than a dozen demonstrations held across Quebec to mark International Women’s Day and denounce the American government’s attacks on women’s rights and Canada’s sovereignty.In Montreal, many wore red, symbolic of both blood and love. Some donned signs displaying the Canadian maple leaf.A few wore robes reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel in which women are subjugated by the governing regime.Others carried signs comparing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to that of Nazi Germany.Protesters locked arms as eight minutes of silence was observed.In a message addressed to Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and Trump ...

JERUSALEM — Israel says it is cutting off its electricity supply to Gaza. The full effects of that are not immediately clear, but the territory’s desalination plants receive power for producing drinking water.Sunday’s announcement comes a week after Israel cut off all supplies of goods to the territory to over 2 million people.It has sought to press Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase of their ceasefire.That phase ended last weekend. Israel wants Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in return for a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. 2:07 Gazans react to Trump AI video promoting plan for “Riviera of the Middle East” ...

Canadian farmers could take a big hit from China’s sudden retaliatory tariffs that take aim at canola, pork and other food commodities later this month. Beijing announced retaliatory tariffs on select Canadian farm imports in response to Canadian duties levied back in the fall against Chinese-made electric vehicles, as well as steel and aluminum products.China is now hitting Canada with 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and peas, and 25 per cent tariffs on pork and aquatic products — loosely mirroring Canada’s EV and steel and aluminum levies.Chris Davison, president of the Canola Council of Canada, said the Chinese tariffs are prohibitively high and the fallout will be felt across his industry.He said China is a top market for Canadian canola that represents close to $5 billion in export...

A surge of deadly violence in Syria highlights the need to ensure “darker forces” don’t take over the struggling country and worsen conditions inside it, Canada’s new special envoy there says. Omar Alghabra, named Special Envoy for Syria last month, made the remarks during an appearance on The West Block with host Mercedes Stevenson.Alghabra is the Liberal member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre. As a special envoy for Syria, he reports to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.Alghabra said the retreat of Russian and Iranian-backed militants after the Assad regime fell, and clashes between the competing interests since then highlights precisely why the world must monitor events in Syria closely.“This weekend we saw tremendous violence, that had that ma...