Politics

Marco Mendicino, a former high-ranking cabinet minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, is the latest Liberal to say he will not run in the next federal election. In a statement posted on social media on Thursday evening, Mendicino expressed gratitude for the strong support of his constituents in the Toronto riding of Eglinton—Lawrence and said he will stay on as the member of Parliament until the next election.“However, as much as I love the job, this is the right decision, at the right time, for me and my family,” the statement said.The former federal prosecutor was first elected in 2015, when Trudeau led the Liberals to a majority government, and was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.Mendicino was made immigration minister in 2019 before moving to public safety in 2021. ...

The Atlantic Liberal caucus is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign as party leader in a letter expressing “deep concern” about the future of government. The letter dated Dec. 23 was shared publicly Sunday by New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who has been saying since the fall that Trudeau should step down.Long wrote in a Facebook post that he shared the letter for “openness and transparency.”“If we are to have any chance in the next election, and prevent a Pierre Poilievre government, we need new leadership with a new vision for our party and the country,” Long wrote.Atlantic caucus chair and Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois penned the letter, saying it is no longer “tenable” for Trudeau to continue to lead the party. Get daily National news Get the d...

Quebec Liberal MPs are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down before the next federal election, Global News has learned, becoming the third regional caucus to do so. The Quebec MPs have been discussing the prime minister’s fate amongst themselves since the House of Commons rose for the winter break on Dec. 17, and came to the conclusion Trudeau must resign, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Global News.Stephane Lauzon, who chairs the Quebec Liberal caucus, has been tasked to deliver that message to national caucus leadership, the source said.News of the Quebec MP discussions was previously reported by iPolitics, citing sources within the caucus who said Lauzon had sent a letter to the executive caucus informing them of the MPs’ decision. CBC News and th...

As Canadians ring in the new year with cost of living top of mind, many would likely want to get ahead on their finances for 2025. There are several changes coming into effect as early as Jan. 1 that could affect people’s pocketbooks and how they file tax returns.The official 2025 tax season kicks off in mid-February.Here’s what is changing for tax filing, government benefits and savings contributions, among other tax-related updates.There are questions looming over the implementation of the capital gains tax changes that were introduced earlier this year. Story continues below advertisement The federal government tabled a notice of ways and means motion in June, increasing the inclusion rate for taxable capital gains, but legislation is yet to be passed to fo...

Chinese hackers remotely accessed several U.S. Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency said Monday. The department did not provide details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but it said in a letter to lawmakers revealing the breach that “at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information.” The hack was being investigated as a “major cybersecurity incident,” it added.“Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds,” a department spokesperson said in a separate statement. “Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber d...

Service Canada has begun mailing out hundreds of thousands of passports that were held during the month-long Canada Post strike, but more delays could come. Employment and Social Development Canada told Global News on Monday that the strike had left approximately 215,000 printed passports and other passport program-related mail in the backlog since Nov. 8.As of Dec. 1, 185,000 passports were stuck in the mail as Service Canada put a temporary hold on mailing out passport packages ahead of the strike. That number went up to 215,000 passports by the time the labour disruption ended on Dec. 17.“Service Canada has worked with Canada Post on a plan for the resumption of mail service for passport delivery,” Liana Brault, an ESDC spokesperson, said in an emailed statement to Global News.Despite t...

The head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says Chinese and Russian air co-operation in the Arctic has Norad’s “full attention.” Those two countries for the first time staged a joint patrol in the Arctic near the coast of Alaska last July.U.S. Gen. Gregory Guillot told The Canadian Press in a year interview that it potentially takes decades for two nations’ militaries to reach “full integration” at a level like the U.S. and Canada.“We see it right now as co-ordinated, meaning that they can safely operate in the same area (but) not near the level of integration that the Canadian Forces and the U.S. Forces have,” he said. “As they continue to operate up there more, it certainly has our attention and it’s something we watched very closely.”Norad’s strategic competitors — Russia,...

Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s European Union aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder.“I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. … This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace.She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody.”Kavelashvili, 53, who was th...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, state media reported Sunday, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president. Trump’s return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North’s nuclear program. Many experts however say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say.During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party that ended Friday, Kim called the U.S. “the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism ...

A top British diplomat to Canada says the ever-important job of maintaining relationships and information sharing between key allies is not much different than what audiences can watch on a hit Netflix drama. Although The Diplomat is fictional, David Prodger, the British deputy high commissioner to Canada, says the ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling captures what it’s like to keep crises from spilling over from behind the scenes — particularly the “suppressed air of panic” around many of the characters.“I think a lot of those little vignettes were very, very true to to real life,” Prodger told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.“You’re dealing with big issues, and you’ve got to deal with them quickly as well.”The thriller stars Keri Russell as a car...