Politics

Canada’s former ambassador to the United States says he’s confident Ottawa can avoid the worst of the tariff threats proposed by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, but that Canada won’t be completely unscathed. Frank McKenna, who is now deputy chair at TD Securities, said he believes the incoming president is looking to use money from tariffs to lower American taxes but that Trump’s 25 per cent tariff is likely “a throwaway number” meant to act as a bargaining tactic ahead of his inauguration.“If he were to actually put 25 per cent tariffs against all Canadian goods and all Mexican goods, that would be enough to precipitate inflation in the United States of America and probably cause a spike in the dollar, which would undermine what he’s trying to do,” McKenna told Global News.“There is a ...

As the Liberal government grapples with political upheaval following the exit of Chrystia Freeland from the federal cabinet, a new Ipsos poll shows most Canadians now want an early election. That comes as support for Conservatives is surging and support for the Liberals is at a near-historic low this week — putting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just one point above the record-low support seen by former Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff in 2011.​Ignatieff led the party to its worst defeat in history in 2011, which  saw the Liberals reduced to third-party status behind the NDP as official opposition and the Conservatives winning a majority government.Ipsos polling done exclusively for Global News and released Friday shows over half of Canadians (53 per cent) believe opposition parties should ...

Chrystia Freeland’s resignation as Canada’s finance minister and deputy prime minister triggered a week of political turmoil, with continuing calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign. If you missed the week’s news, here’s a timeline of what played out politically in Ottawa.On Monday, less than one hour before the scheduled start of a lock-up of journalists set to read the fall economic statement, Chrystia Freeland announced that she had stepped down as finance minister. Story continues below advertisement She was not the only minister to leave cabinet as Sean Fraser announced he would not be seeking re-election next year and would step down as housing minister.Freeland announced her dramatic departure in a letter she shared on the social media website...

Days after he called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “to resign,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will put forward a “clear motion of non-confidence” in the next sitting of the House of Commons that could bring down the Liberal government. “The Liberals don’t deserve another chance. That’s why the NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them,” Singh wrote in a letter shared publicly on Friday morning.The NDP leader’s letter goes on to criticize Trudeau and his government, saying the prime minister “can’t fix health care,” build affordable homes or lower bills, and that Singh has “always fought for the people.”Singh’s statement comes after a week in which the Liberals saw two ministers step down, including...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size A cabinet shuffle is expected on Friday, capping off a chaotic week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals that saw two ministers step down. Trudeau is scheduled to participate in a swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers at 11:30 a.m. eastern at Rideau Hall.This comes after Chrystia Freeland, in a surprise announcement on Monday, resigned as the finance minister on the same day she was supposed to present the fall economic statement.In her letter addressed to Trudeau, Freeland noted that in recent weeks, she has found herself increasingly “at odds” with the prime minister.Dominic LeBlanc, who is the current public safety minister and also leads intergovernmental affairs, wa...

Almost a week into the GST holiday, retailers and restaurant owners appear on track for a sales boost despite some of the struggles they faced implementing the temporary break. BMV Books owner Patrick Hempelmann says he’s seen an uptick in sales since the tax break began, particularly on higher-priced items.“The first two days, I think we were definitely busier than we otherwise would have been,” he said.For two months, a slew of items including children’s toys, snacks, wine and restaurant food are GST- or HST-free, depending on the province.The vice-president of federal government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, Matt Poirier, says Boxing Day in particular is expected to get a boost.However, he says businesses, including ones with older payment systems, have faced hurdles tryin...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced two new appointments to the Senate, including Nunavut’s first ever member of Parliament. Trudeau announced the appointments of Nancy Karetak-Lindell, who will fill Nunavut’s only Senate seat, and former Nova Scotia cabinet minister Allister Surette, on Thursday.The appointments are formally made by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon after recommendations from the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments.Karetak-Lindell was elected as a Liberal MP in 1997 after playing a key role in negotiations to establish Nunavut as its own political riding two years before it achieved status as a territory.She would represent the territory for more than a decade and served for a time as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources. In 2022, she...

Canada’s border security plan is being celebrated by members of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s administration and transition team, even as Republicans are unsure if it will prevent threatened tariffs that many Americans appear to not want. A new poll from Quinnipiac University this week suggests 51 per cent of people in the U.S. oppose Trump’s plan to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico upon taking office next month, and 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods. Just 38 per cent of respondents said they support the plan, which many economists say will raise prices for American consumers.Trump explicitly tied his threat of tariffs to calls for Canada and Mexico to boost security at their respective borders to stop irregular migration and drug smuggling into the...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Justin Trudeau has the full support of his cabinet to continue as Canada’s prime minister, newly appointed Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters on Thursday. LeBlanc, who was in New Brunswick, was asked during a press conference if Trudeau has the full support of his cabinet to stay on after the political tumult within the government in recent days since the sudden resignation of former finance minister Chrystia Freeland.“Yes,” LeBlanc said in response.LeBlanc was also asked if he would consider an opportunity to lead the country if he were given the chance.“If the prime minister has the full support of his cabinet, then why would we contemplate what happens after he decides to l...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet on Friday, just days after the shock resignation of Chrystia Freeland as finance minister, Global News has learned. Trudeau will gather his new cabinet appointees at Rideau Hall Friday morning to be sworn into their new positions, two sources say. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Freeland’s resignation, which threw Trudeau’s government into chaos on Monday, came after a number of other cabinet ministers either stepped down from their positions or announced they don’t plan to run in the next election.Among the positions that is expected to be shifted to anothe...