Politics

Descrease article font size Increase article font size The federal government is imposing additional sanctions against four people who are senior officials in the Iranian government, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a statement. The latest round of sanctions has been imposed under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations.“These individuals, all Iranian senior officials, have been involved in gross and systematic human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), and have had a significant role in facilitating and directing repressive policies,” Anand said in the statement.The four Iranian officials are:Mohsen KarimiAhmad Kadem SeyedoshohadaMustafa MohebbiHassan AkharianCanada has now imposed 18 rounds of sancti...

A federal minister dropped hints about more floor crossings Monday following the defection of Ontario MP Michael Ma to the Liberals last week. When asked whether more opposition MPs are getting ready to cross the floor to join the government, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said people have reached out.“Let’s say I’m getting lots of inquiries,” Hodgson told a Toronto press conference.Ma’s decision to leave the Conservative caucus and join the Liberals — less than 24 hours after attending the Official Opposition’s Christmas party — brought the government to within one seat of a majority on Thursday.Hodgson wouldn’t comment on any role he played personally in courting Ma, whose Markham-Unionville riding north of Toronto is next door to his own riding of Markham-Thornhill.“Our prime minister is a...

Canada’s foreign minister has condemned the “politically motivated” conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai, and called for his immediate release from prison. Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing, was found guilty Monday of violating Hong Kong’s stringent, China-imposed national security law. The 78-year-old has already spent five years in custody while awaiting the landmark trial, and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.“Canada condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law in Hong Kong and calls for his immediate release,” Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in a statement provided by her office to Global News.“We continue to express our concerns about deteriorating right...

An Ontario MP’s floor crossing appears to have caught Pierre Poilievre’s team flat-footed and gives the Conservative leader no time to rally his troops until late January. Markham-Unionville MP Michael Ma shocked Ottawa Thursday evening by announcing he would join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s caucus, bringing the Liberals to just one seat shy of a majority mandate.The news came as a surprise to Poilievre and his team, who just the night before had welcomed Ma to the Conservative party’s holiday get-together. With MPs now scattered across the country until late January, Poilievre is in the uncomfortable position of wondering if any more of his team will use the holiday break to test the waters for a potential jump.“The timing (of Ma’s decision) was catastrophically bad for Conservatives, be...

The addition of ex-Conservative MP Michael Ma to the Liberal caucus is further proof that some members of the Opposition are “extremely frustrated” with the “silly games” being played by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, government House leader Steve MacKinnon said Friday. MacKinnon, speaking at a funding announcement in Gatineau, Que., added that the group tiring of Poilievre’s “obstructionist” approach is “sizable” but wouldn’t speculate on whether any more of them will cross the floor.“These are incredibly hard choices for those people to make,” he told reporters.“It’s an incredibly personal and, in many cases, disruptive decision that a person has to make after, in some cases, spending decades or years of active involvement in the Conservative party. But they don’t like the turn. T...

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The House of Commons could rise as early as Thursday for the winter break — without the Liberals passing their lengthy budget implementation bill. The House calendar officially has MPs in their seats until Friday but they could agree to break for Christmas before the end of the day. They are scheduled to return to the House on January 26.House Leader Steven MacKinnon said Wednesday his government has “accomplished an incredible amount” during the fall sitting, pointing to budget and crime bills which have yet to become law.It’s the first full sitting since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office in the spring, after which MPs passed legislation that aims to make it easier to get major projects built in the country and remove interprovincial trade barriers.Asked Wednesday how he thought this...

Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing back on the suggestion that the U.S. may be considering pulling out of North America’s trilateral free-trade pact. When The Canadian Press asked the prime minister if he was open to separate bilateral trade pacts if the U.S. withdraws, Carney replied, “That’s not what they’re saying.”U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said in a public talk on Wednesday that the continental free-trade pact could be exited, revised or renegotiated — and that “all of those things are on the table.”Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. relations who has been a lead negotiator on trade talks this year, told The Canadian Press that he has no reason to believe the Trump administration is preparing to tear up the free trade agreement.“We believe, based...

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Wednesday defended his efforts to protect auto manufacturing jobs in Ontario while facing sometimes personal attacks from Conservative MPs over the fate of Stellantis workers in Brampton. Champagne, in his previous role as industry minister, helped negotiate two federal contracts with Stellantis that are now under scrutiny, after the company announced in October it will shift planned production of the Jeep Compass from its Brampton plant to the U.S.During testimony at the House of Commons industry committee, Champagne said the government secured “a number of covenants” from Stellantis that protected workers and the company’s presence in Canada.“I’ve met with a number of the workers (in Brampton) and they know we fought nail and tooth to make ...

By Jack Farrell The Canadian Press Posted December 10, 2025 2:33 pm Updated December 10, 2025 3:28 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Elections Alberta announced Wednesday a recall petition has been issued for Premier Danielle Smith and two more of her United Conservative Party cabinet ministers. The petitioner seeking to oust the premier, Heather VanSnick, says in her application that Smith has been ignoring local constituents and experts in developing policies.“Ef...