Blog

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 ...

The U.S. ambassador to Canada on Wednesday warned federal and provincial governments to “seriously consider” whether anti-tariff advertising in the United States will help achieve Canada’s goals, adding he thinks the ads amounted to trying to “participate in our electoral politics.” Speaking at the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ national conference in Ottawa, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra took aim at an Ontario government-funded ad campaign that aired in the U.S. last month and quoted former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.The ad prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend trade negotiations with Canada.“As far as we can tell, it has never happened in America before,” Hoekstra said, saying Trump and his administration were right to be upset over the ad.“If Canada wan...

People who know Pierre Poilievre say that what you see is what you get, that Pierre is Pierre, and he’s not about to change now. Back in the 2022 Conservative leadership campaign, this was presented as a positive trait. Unlike Erin O’Toole, freshly ousted by the Conservative caucus, Poilievre wouldn’t tell the party’s base one thing and then moderate or change his positions to appeal more broadly to the general public.But while sticking to your principles can be an admirable thing, it doesn’t make the business of winning elections any easier — particularly when Canadian voters have already rejected you once.And while those principles might not change, context constantly does. Poilievre was trouncing then-prime minister Justin Trudeau in opinion polls earlier this year, only to lose a doubl...