Politics

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted January 19, 2025 3:19 pm 2 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canadian TikTok users may have noticed on Sunday a lack of new content from American creators as the app went dark in the United States – but later started to reappear. TikTok said Sunday it was restoring service to U.S. users after president-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause a court-ordered ban on the platform with an executive order on his first day in office.Trump said his order would give the app’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.On Friday, the U.S. Supreme...

Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland officially launched her campaign for the Liberal Party leadership on Sunday with a speech that touted her as the candidate best positioned to stand up to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. Speaking in front of about 200 supporters at the St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club in Toronto, Freeland highlighted her experience as both foreign and finance minister, and pledged to match Trump’s threatened 25 per cent tariff on Canadian exports “dollar-for-dollar” to deliver “the biggest trade blow the United States has ever endured.” 2:47 Mark Carney in Richmond, Chrystia Freeland confirms intention to run “We...

The first three hostages set to be released from Gaza were transferred to Israeli forces, the military announced Sunday, hours after the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed the hostages walking to Red Cross vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City. The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to watch the news on large screens erupted in cheers. For months, many had gathered in the square to demand a ceasefire deal.The deal ushers in an initial six-week period of calm and raises hopes for the release of dozens of militant-held h...

When it comes to enforcing Canada’s security along the border that stretches 9,000 km, “things happen quickly,” says the RCMP’s head of serious and organized crime and border integrity. In a Global News exclusive, The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson got the first access to the Black Hawk helicopters that are being wrapped and prepared for use on Canada’s border patrols as part of a bid to strengthen that security and respond to the U.S.‘s growing pressure to stop illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.Mathieu Bertrand, chief superintendent and director general of serious and organized crime and border integrity for the RCMP, said the force has been assessing the force’s border capabilities since 2023, which was what allowed them to move quickly on leasing the Black Hawks.He added t...

A court has agreed to expedite its hearing of a legal challenge of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s move to prorogue Parliament. In a ruling late Saturday, Federal Court Chief Justice Paul Crampton said the court’s usual rules on timelines will not apply, setting the stage for a hearing Feb. 13 and 14 in Ottawa.In their application filed Jan. 8, Nova Scotia residents David MacKinnon and Aris Lavranos seek an order setting aside Trudeau’s decision to advise Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to exercise her power to prorogue Parliament until March 24.MacKinnon and Lavranos also request a declaration that this session of Parliament has not been prorogued.On Jan. 6, an emotional Trudeau announced his plans to resign as prime minister once a new Liberal leader is chosen.He also said Simon had agreed to his r...

Canadian politicians are descending on Washington, D.C., amid threats of 25 per cent tariffs when Donald Trump returns to the White House. Many are going to an event at the Canadian Embassy, which sits on Pennsylvania Avenue between the U.S. Capitol and the White House.Here are some of the Canadians expected to be in Washington Monday:Alberta Premier Danielle Smith: Smith has emerged as main Canadian voice amid the tariff threat, regularly appearing on U.S. news stations and recently travelling to Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago resort to meet with the president-elect. But the premier caused controversy in Canada last week after refusing to sign off on a joint statement with other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that said every countermeasure was on the table to push back any propose...

President-elect Donald Trump is spending the eve of his inauguration in a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power and his “Make America Great Again” movement as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions. The nation’s capital has prepared in unprecedented ways to keep the unfolding events save and secure. But unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol and tried to retain power in 2021 after his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, officials are not expecting massive protests, unrest and violence this time. Instead, the city is braced for crowds celebrating Trump’s second term and MAGA’s total control of the Republican Party.It is a remarkable turnaround after Trump left the nation’s capital fo...

If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form? Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical.ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.On April 24, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit against the U.S., claiming the security concerns were overblown and the law should be struck down because it vio...

The experienced hand who can fix the economy. The tough negotiator who can take on a Donald Trump White House. The millennial long-hauler who can rebuild the party. That’s how candidates competing for Justin Trudeau’s job as Liberal leader are attempting to define themselves to stand out from the pack.The race heated up on Saturday as Government House leader Karina Gould became the youngest candidate to throw her hat in the ring, saying the party needs a “new generation of leadership.” 1:31 Mark Carney hits campaign trail, hours after announcing Liberal Party leadership bid She and rival candidate Chrystia Freeland released duelling campaign v...

Thousands of people from around the United States were rallying in the nation’s capital Saturday for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration, reprising the original Women’s March days before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Eight years after the first historic Women’s March at the start of Trump’s first term, marchers said they were caught off guard by Trump’s victory and are determined now to show that support remains strong for women’s access to abortion, for transgender people, for combating climate change and other issues.The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the Israel-Hamas war planned in advance of inauguration Monda...