Saturday, August 23

Politics

Texas Democrat sleeps in House chamber in protest of GOP police escort – National
Politics

Texas Democrat sleeps in House chamber in protest of GOP police escort – National

A Democratic lawmaker has vowed to stay in the Texas Capitol rather than accept an around-the-clock police escort that Republicans imposed to keep her and her colleagues from leaving the state again and further delaying the GOP’s redrawing of congressional districts as President Donald Trump wants. State Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth said in an interview Tuesday she would sleep on the House floor until Labour Day if she had to, reports NBC News. As of Tuesday afternoon, she’s remained in the room for more than 24 hours.It’s a further act of resistance from Collier, who joined dozens of Texas Democrats in a two-week walkout after Democrats in California heeded Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call to counter the GOP effort in Texas by redrawing districts there.And while the walk-out ended Monday, Co...
Elizabeth May says she won’t lead Green Party into next federal election – National
Politics

Elizabeth May says she won’t lead Green Party into next federal election – National

By Catherine Morrison The Canadian Press Posted August 19, 2025 5:22 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she won’t lead the party into the next election. In an email to members, May says she intends to stay on as an MP and as party leader until a new leader is elected. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. May says she wants to grow the party’s parliamentary caucus before stepping down, while focusing...
Ukraine hopeful Canada will ‘actively’ be part of future security guarantee – National
Politics

Ukraine hopeful Canada will ‘actively’ be part of future security guarantee – National

Ukraine would like to see Canada “actively participating” in future security guarantees as part of a long-term peace deal to end the Russian war, a top diplomat said Tuesday as allies began discussing what such a plan could look like. Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday joined a virtual meeting to discuss next steps for securing peace in Ukraine with European and other international leaders, including those who participated in Monday’s talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. NATO military chiefs are set to continue that conversation in a meeting on Wednesday.“The Prime Minister affirmed Canada’s steadfast commitment to supporting these efforts – reinforced by further diplomatic engagement, continued military and economic pres...
Canada leaving ‘no stone unturned’ to defend Arctic alongside NATO: Anand – National
Politics

Canada leaving ‘no stone unturned’ to defend Arctic alongside NATO: Anand – National

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Monday the federal government is leaving “no stone unturned” to defend Canada’s North as changes in the global order in recent years are having direct implications for Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Anand was in Helsinki to meet with her counterparts from Nordic countries to discuss Arctic security, which she said has become a more critical issue since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Before that, Anand said NATO countries typically focused on shoring up the security along the eastern flank in Europe.“NATO’s gaze also has to shift westward and north because of the changing geopolitical landscape, especially following February 24, 2022,” she said in a call back from Finland with reporters.“We are seeing increased activity, for...
Will Poilievre return to the House of Commons? Alberta voters head to polls
Politics

Will Poilievre return to the House of Commons? Alberta voters head to polls

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted August 18, 2025 7:28 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Voters head to the polls today in a rural Alberta byelection that’s getting an unusual level of national attention. Battle River—Crowfoot was left vacant when Conservative Damien Kurek stepped down shortly after the spring election to make way for his party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, to run for a seat.Poilievre lost in the April election after being elected in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton seven straight times.The byelection is in one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, and the Tory le...
Byelection day in Alberta nears for vote with 214 candidates, including Poilievre
Politics

Byelection day in Alberta nears for vote with 214 candidates, including Poilievre

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and 213 others vying for a seat in the House of Commons will be in the spotlight Monday, as voters in a rural Alberta riding head to the polls. Two political science professors say Poilievre is expected to handily win the byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot, a sprawling eastern Alberta riding stretching from Edmonton to Calgary. The riding and its previous incarnations have been a Tory stronghold for a century.They say the only question is: by how much?“In every election from 2004 to 2025, the vote share garnered by the Conservatives’ winning candidate has been at least 80 per cent,” said Julie Simmons with the University of Guelph in Ontario.The one exception was in 2021, when Conservative incumbent Damien Kurek got 71 per cent of the vote, lar...
Prime Minister Carney praises Trump as ministers jet to Sweden to talk defence deals – National
Politics

Prime Minister Carney praises Trump as ministers jet to Sweden to talk defence deals – National

Prime Minister Mark Carney issued an unusual statement Saturday to praise U.S. President Donald Trump for trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Carney’s public endorsement of Trump’s leadership on the world stage came as the president and his Alaskan summit were widely derided by foreign policy and security experts. The get-together was of little value and gave Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former intelligence officer, an image boost, they said.In a brief statement Saturday, Carney said: “The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”“Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace,” Carney continued. “I welcome the openness of the United States to pro...
Decades after a PM got pied, the threat landscape in Canadian politics has changed – National
Politics

Decades after a PM got pied, the threat landscape in Canadian politics has changed – National

When Prime Minister Jean Chrétien got hit in the face with a pie 25 years ago, the only thing hurt was his pride. A quarter-century later, Canada’s security landscape has changed radically. Threats of violence against politicians have become far more common. What seemed like a harmless prank then looks more like a warning now.“There is this view that you’re a politician, it’s all fair game,” said Catherine McKenna — who was herself the target of multiple threats of violence while she served as a federal minister.“We need people to go into politics and not feel threatened. It’s literally about the health of our democracy because if you want people to go into politics, you can’t expect that they’re going to put up with this and their families are going to put up with it.”Documents released b...
New Orleans mayor charged over allegedly hiding relationship with bodyguard – National
Politics

New Orleans mayor charged over allegedly hiding relationship with bodyguard – National

A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday on conspiracy, fraud and obstruction charges in a probe into allegations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. The indictment is the culmination of a long-running federal investigation into the first female mayor in the city’s 300-year history.Her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, has pleaded not guilty following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty. Vappie, who retired from the police department last year, is scheduled to stand trial in January.Federal prosecutors have accused Vappie and Cantrell of exchanging encrypted messages through an app to...
Canada’s counter-tariffs ‘pulled the rug out from’ CUSMA, U.S. envoy says – National
Politics

Canada’s counter-tariffs ‘pulled the rug out from’ CUSMA, U.S. envoy says – National

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says Canada is jeopardizing the future of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) — also known as USMCA — on free trade due to Canadian counter-tariffs on certain American products. “Canada is the country that has pulled the rug out from USMCA,” Hoekstra said in an exclusive interview with Global News on Thursday.“They also started putting tariffs on CUSMA products … We haven’t done that, but Canada has decided ‘That’s fair game. We will call into question CUSMA.’”Back in March, Ottawa placed a 25 per cent tariff on $29.8 billion in U.S. products, including some imports that fall under the free trade agreement such as orange juice, motorcycles and appliances.That was in response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump that have co...