Politics

One of the unions representing Canada’s public servants is calling on Parliament to investigate the decision behind the three-day return-to-office mandate which took effect last month. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE), which represents more than 25,000 members, wants the standing committee on government operations and estimates (OGGO) to investigate what it calls the “catastrophic failures” surrounding the policy.“We’ve seen over and over again just a complete unwillingness to provide any data or provide any backing for the decisions of the employer,” Nathan Prier, president of CAPE, told Global News on Monday.“We’ve lost confidence in senior management across the board here because they’re clearly not able to handle themselves. We don’t know who they’re serving, b...

The hopes of an anxious Liberal caucus were first raised at the end of the summer of 2022 in the resort town of St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick. Liberals had gathered that August for the first in-person retreat after the pandemic to confront a series of polls that found them trailing the leaderless Conservatives by a few points.In September of that year, the Conservatives would find their leader, Pierre Poilievre, and now, two years later, the anxiety of 2022 has turned to the panic of 2024 with multiple polls showing the Liberals 20 points behind and facing an absolute rout if an election were held this fall. Many Liberal MPs who once thought they might survive on their own popularity are now facing the reality that they will lose their jobs because of the unpopularity of the same leader who ...

The Liberal Party of Canada has been without a national campaign director for over a month, but that changed on Sunday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed veteran Liberal Andrew Bevan to the post. Bevan will serve during the next federal election. The post became empty last month when longtime Trudeau advisor Jeremy Broadhurst resigned, delivering a blow to the party.Last year, Bevan was appointed chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and senior advisor to the prime minister. He was involved in developing and rolling out the most recent federal budget, the Liberal Party said in a press release.Bevan came to the role from provincial politics, having previously served as chief of staff and principal secretary to former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne.He also has e...

Trade Minister Mary Ng says she is “disappointed” by media reports of an internal revolt against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau within the Liberal caucus, reiterating her confidence in Trudeau’s leadership. Media reports, in outlets such as the CBC and the Toronto Star, said a “growing number” of Liberal MPs were mounting efforts to pressure Trudeau to step down. Global News has not independently confirmed those media reports. A CBC report said fears around the Prime Minister’s dwindling popularity accelerated after the Liberals lost a byelection in a Montreal stronghold.The report, which cited multiple sources, said some MPs are being asked to sign their names on a document which “amounts to a pledge to stand together in calling for Trudeau to resign”.Mary Ng, who was on her way back from ...

Vancouver mom Chelsea Heney waited until the age of 40 to have her first baby last November. While wanting to be financially prepared was a “big factor” in putting off motherhood, concerns about her relationships, health and career also influenced her decision to wait.“For me, having children was always something I knew I wanted, but was, increasingly as I got older, something I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do with respect to age, feeling financially secure,” she told Global News in an interview. Chelsea Heney with her baby son, Olivier. Photo credit: Millissa Martin Becoming a mom to her son Olivier has certainly been a fulfilling experience, but Heney says it has come with a “financial toll,” especially since she was ...

Former public safety minister Bill Blair says he did not consider partisan politics when it came time to approve a spy service warrant to surveil an Ontario Liberal powerbroker. There was a 54-day gap in 2021 from when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) submitted an application for the warrant to when Blair eventually authorized it. During that time, CSIS agents grew frustrated with what they perceived as a delay by the minister’s office in the investigation into Michael Chan, a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister.Over multiple days of testimony at the foreign interference inquiry — including Blair, his former chief of staff, Zita Astravas, and high-ranking CSIS officials — it is still not clear why this warrant took significantly longer than most CSIS requests to the mi...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada is “ready” for a likely renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) after Donald Trump vowed to reopen the free trade deal if he returns to the White House. Trump told the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday that he will invoke the six-year review clause under the agreement and seek new protections for the American auto industry from Chinese interests. U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, who’s running against Trump in November’s election, has also said she intends to review the pact.Speaking to reporters in Laos at the end of this week’s ASEAN Summit, Trudeau said his government will continue to defend Canadian workers and industries as it did during the tense negotiations with the first Trump administration that led...

Canada needs to keep up its presence in Southeast Asia if it wants to benefit from the region’s economic boom, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday as he wrapped up his visit to Laos. Trudeau participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit this week, marking the third time he’s attended the annual meeting.The prime minister said pursuing bonds with ASEAN members is not about political ideology or leaving a government footprint, but rather it’s about acknowledging the economic opportunities in the region.But to benefit from what Southeast Asia has to offer, Trudeau said Canadians need to make their presence felt in the region.“That’s really a big piece of the challenge, making sure that we are showing up,” Trudeau said in a news conference on Friday. Story ...

By Laura Osman The Canadian Press Posted October 10, 2024 6:25 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The pharmacare bill that was central to a political pact between the Liberals and NDP is now set to become law after the Senate passed the bill without making any changes. The legislation will inform the creation of any future national, universal pharmacare plan.It will also allow the government to sign deals with provinces and territories to cover diabetes and birth-control medications as part of the public health system. Get weekly health news Receive the lates...

By Jordan Omstead The Canadian Press Posted October 10, 2024 3:02 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The parliamentary budget officer says his updated report on the federal carbon price is largely consistent with his earlier findings, even after adjusting for a previous error. Yves Giroux says today’s report still finds the vast majority of households get back more in rebates than they pay through the carbon price — but once broader economic effects are factored in, those gains are wiped out for most, except for some lower-income earners.The updated report, which looks only at the consumer carb...