Politics

Former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe thinks the writing’s on the wall for the federal Liberals — which is why no one is clamouring to replace beleaguered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the next election. In an interview with Mercedes Stephenson that aired Sunday on The West Block, Duceppe said he’s heard from Liberals in Quebec who are unhappy with Trudeau’s leadership and the party’s electoral prospects. But with no one waiting in the wings to chart a new course, there’s little that can be done.“They’re not happy, but they don’t have another choice,” he said.“The problem is, nobody is ready to replace Trudeau or want to replace Trudeau because they know they will lose. So it’s not very interesting running when you know you will suffer a very severe defeat.” ...

By Chuck Chiang The Canadian Press Posted October 20, 2024 9:50 am 2 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The outcome of British Columbia’s election was unclear after a close race between the NDP and the B.C. Conservatives, with the Greens poised to play a role in a potential minority government. Here’s what the party leaders said on Saturday’s election night.“We don’t know what the final count is going to be in the province, but what we do know is that there was a clear majority for the progressive values. And I take a lot of comfort from that … There is also another message in this narrowest of marg...

Alleged members of an Indian gang and its leader have been sending shivers down the spines of members of the South Asian diaspora in Canada for years, says a city councillor in Richmond, B.C. Kash Heed said the Bishnoi gang, led by Lawrence Bishnoi, gained notoriety and instilled fear among Indian Canadians well before the RCMP accused the syndicate this week of orchestrating violent crimes on Canadian soil.Mounties have alleged Indian diplomats shared information about Sikh separatists in Canada with the Indian government and top Indian officials then passed information to the Bishnoi.“(Lawrence Bishnoi’s) reputation precedes him,” said Heed, also a former B.C. solicitor general and a West Vancouver police chief, in an interview.“He is an individual that is prone to violence in India. A c...

Pierre Trudeau famously described living next to the United States as “sleeping with an elephant,” a sentiment his son is intimately aware of amid this year’s tumultuous and polarized American election. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has likely reflected on his father’s words about Canada’s proximity to the U.S.: “one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”The U.S. is Canada’s closest neighbour and largest trading partner and who wins the White House in November will be in charge during the review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement in 2026. While Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump approach trade differently, both are selling protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canada. “We’ve done this before,” Trudeau said recently when asked about both presi...

By Laura Osman The Canadian Press Posted October 18, 2024 2:49 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says she is “absolutely confident” the majority of Liberal MPs still support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader. Her comments come ahead of what promises to be a tense meeting of the Liberal caucus in Ottawa next week as a growing number of MPs try to convince Justin Trudeau to step down.Several media reports have uncovered efforts by some Liberal MPs to confront the prime minister at the next caucus meeting. Get daily Nati...

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted October 18, 2024 1:31 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The Alberta and federal governments are putting a combined $5.5 million toward attracting tourists to the Rocky Mountain town of Jasper. A July wildfire destroyed one-third of the town, including multiple hotels and 800 housing units.Year-round tourism is Jasper’s main economic driver.Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the federal tourism minister, says Ottawa will spend $3 million on tourism advertising across the globe to attract visitors back to Jasper. Get weekly money news ...

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Indian diplomats in Canada are “on notice” after she was asked whether more expulsions could come amid the diplomatic row between India and Canada. “They’re clearly on notice,” Joly said in response to the question, speaking of other Indian diplomats following the expulsion of six earlier this week.“Clearly we won’t tolerate any diplomats that are in contravention of the Vienna Convention and clearly any diplomats from any country from around the world that would be putting the lives of Canadians at risk.”Joly’s comments come just days after both countries expelled each other’s diplomats on Monday, with Ottawa having done so “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.”Global News has l...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size A parliamentary committee is meeting on Friday to weigh a request to study new allegations of Indian foreign interference in Canada that led to the expulsion of diplomats by both countries in tat-for-tat-moves. The standing committee on public safety and national security agreed to a request from members to hold the emergency meeting on the recent developments related to new revelations from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police regarding Indian government agents.The RCMP said on Monday that it has significant amount of information on criminal activity allegedly orchestrated by agents of the Indian government.The evidence points to “violent extremism” in both countries, links tying Indian gove...

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah vowed to launch a new phase of fighting against invading Israeli troops Friday, a day after Israel said its forces in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza had killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of last year’s brutal attack on Israel that sparked the current conflict Sinwar’s killing in what appeared to be a chance frontline encounter with Israeli troops offers a potential window to shift the dynamic in the Gaza conflict even as Israel presses its offensive against Hezbollah along its northern border with Lebanon and continues its aerial bombardment in other areas of Lebanon. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, which hailed Sinwar as a martyr who can inspire others in challenging Israel.Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas politica...

Four more federal cabinet ministers will not run in the next election, Global News has learned, which is expected to prompt another cabinet shuffle in the coming weeks. The growing exodus is another challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals after more than a year of slumping poll numbers and recent byelection losses in recent weeks, as well as reports of growing internal caucus discontent over the past week.Global News has confirmed Filomena Tassi, who serves as minister of economic development for southern Ontario, and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal have informed Trudeau of their decision not to run again.Both ministers were first elected in 2015. Vandal was named northern affairs minister in 2019, while Tassi has served multiple cabinet roles since 2018, includin...