Politics

TikTok is challenging the federal government’s order to shut down its operations in Canada, claiming it will eliminate hundreds of jobs and potentially terminate a quarter of a million contracts that it has with Canadian advertising clients. The company filed documents in Federal Court in Vancouver on Dec. 5, seeking to set aside the order to wind-up and cease business in Canada.The government ordered the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business in November after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform.That means TikTok must close its operations in Canada, though the app will continue to be available to Canadians.TikTok wants the court to pause the order while it argues its case on why the government’s decision should be overturned.It claims the ...

As Donald Trump’s inauguration looms, Canada’s agriculture industry is waiting with bated breath to see whether the sweeping tariffs he’s threatened will come to pass. If they do, producers would have to plug the gaps left by restricted access to the country’s largest trading partner and consumers could be left paying higher prices.“When you have a new administration coming into your No. 1 market and they’re talking about their interest or intention to impose tariffs, that’s certainly not something to be ignored,” said Chris Davison, president and CEO of the Canola Council of Canada.“At the same time … we don’t want to overreact.”President-elect Trump recently threatened Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs.Canada has responded swiftly, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touting the ...

The ordered closure of TikTok’s Canadian operations over national security concerns will make it more difficult to force the company to cooperate with privacy investigations, Canada’s privacy commissioner said Tuesday. Philippe Dufresne testified to MPs on the House of Commons ethics committee who are scrutinizing the federal government’s order last month that TikTok Canada wind up its operations following a national security review.The government hasn’t shared the specific national security risks that led to the windup order, but has said it won’t prevent Canadians from using the app.The company filed documents in Federal Court in Vancouver last Thursday to challenge the government’s order.Dufresne — whose office and provincial counterparts are currently investigating whether TikTok unlaw...

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday would not say whether the Liberals kept a pledge to cap the budget deficit at $40.1 billion in the previous fiscal year, but said the upcoming fall economic statement will show Ottawa’s balance sheet remains on a “sustainable” track. When Freeland tabled the 2024 federal budget in the House of Commons in April, she highlighted “three very specific fiscal guideposts” that were underpinning “a responsible economic plan.”Those guideposts were capping the federal deficit at $40.1 billion and maintaining both a declining debt-to-GDP ratio and a deficit-to-GDP ratio. 2:04 What to expect from Ottawa’s fall fiscal update ...

Donald Trump appears to be taking a jab at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him “Governor Justin Trudeau” in a social media post on the president-elect’s Truth Social platform. Trump shared the message in the early morning hours Tuesday, alluding to their dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida late last month, where the two discussed trade and tariffs between the neighbouring countries.“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” @realDonaldTrump / Truth Social Global News ...

Members of Parliament are set to vote on a government bill asking for billions in funding as the clock ticks down on a deadline. Last month, the Liberals made a request for Parliament to approve $21.6 billion in spending.The money will go to fund the First Nations child and family services program, and to compensate the Quebec government for services for asylum seekers, among other programs.But there had been uncertainty over whether the vote would even happen before Tuesday’s deadline.Parliament has been paralyzed for months as the Conservatives press the Liberals to hand over documents relating to hundreds of millions of dollars of misspending on a green-tech fund.The issue is the focus of an ongoing privilege debate, which the Conservatives have pledged to keep going until they get what...

LGBTQ2 advocate organizations say they’re working as quickly as possible to ask a court to stop the Alberta government from bringing into force a transgender law they say will cause immediate harm. The Alberta government’s law will ban doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16.Bennett Jensen, legal director at Egale Canada, said the groups, which also include Skipping Stone and five Alberta families, will call for an injunction to protect young people’s access to health care while the courts decide whether the law is constitutional.“This is harmful immediately, and there’s enough reason to doubt the constitutionality of this for the judge to preserve the status quo while they consider the broader arguments,” Jensen tol...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised defiantly on Tuesday to knock down corruption allegations against him as he began testifying in his long-running trial, becoming the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant. The testimony is another low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Israel’s war in Gaza.In his opening testimony in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom, Netanyahu argued that he was a dedicated leader and a defender of Israel’s interests, swatting away the charges against him as a “drop in the sea” compared to the challenges he has faced protecting his country.But the charges have torn open divisions in Israel and complicated Netanyahu’s legacy, which has also been tain...

An Ontario court has tossed out Michael Chan’s nearly decade-old libel lawsuit against the Globe and Mail over reporting on the former provincial cabinet minister’s alleged ties to Chinese diplomats. The Ontario Superior Court dismissed Chan’s case in August, Global News has learned, after Chan failed to submit documentation in a timely matter.The case has dragged on since 2015, when the Globe reported the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was concerned about what it believed were Chan’s “unusually close” ties to the Chinese consulate in Toronto and worried he was under the influence of Beijing. Chan said at the time the allegations were unfounded.Globe and Mail editor-in-chief, David Walmsley, and the publisher at the time, Phillip Crawley, were named in the suit, as was repor...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Monday that she will deliver a fall economic statement on Dec. 16. The fiscal update will provide a fresh look at Ottawa’s finances heading into 2025.It will give Canadians a sense of how items announced since the 2024 federal budget, including planned immigration caps, the upcoming GST holiday and Ottawa’s pledges to meet NATO spending commitment in future years will impact the federal balance sheets.The fall fiscal update is set to arrive later than usual, just a day before members of Parliament are scheduled to wrap up their business for the year.Freeland has blamed an ongoing Conservative filibuster stymying regular business in the House of ...