Politics

By Staff The Associated Press Posted November 21, 2024 12:45 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following continued scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on the former congressman’s ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The Florida Republican’s announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to lead the Justice Department. ...

The federal Liberals are seeking to temporarily take the federal sales tax off a slew of items just in time for Christmas. A senior government official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement says the move would affect a number of items including toys, diapers, restaurant meals and beer and wine.A last-minute cabinet meeting is underway virtually this morning to discuss the proposal, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are set to announce the details later this morning in Toronto.The promise will be a key part of the government’s fall economic statement and if the Liberals can get the support of at least one other party in time, it will last from Dec. 15 until Feb. 15.The move comes as an inflation-driven affordability crunch has...

Tens of thousands of passports are stuck waiting to be mailed as a nationwide Canada Post strike continues. Employment and Social Development Canada told Global News that as of Tuesday, approximately 85,000 passports that were printed and ready to be mailed are being held by Service Canada.“In anticipation of a potential labour disruption, Service Canada put a temporary hold on mailing out passport packages after November 8, 2024,” Maja Stefanovska, an ESDC spokesperson, said.“By holding residential mail several days in advance of a work stoppage, Service Canada has reduced the risk of having any passports held in Canada Post distribution centres.”Passports will be mailed out once the strike ends and regular mail service resumes.More than 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday, h...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has picked a former Michigan congressman as his upcoming administration’s ambassador to Canada. Trump said in a statement that Pete Hoekstra would help him “once again put America first.”Hoekstra thanked Trump on social media platform X, saying he was honoured for the opportunity.He must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 3:04 Why Trump’s nominations of Gaetz, RFK Jr. are so polarizing Hoekstra served as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump’s first term as president. Story continues belo...

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory. The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to end the 13-month conflict. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been subsequently killed in the conflict.Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned IC...

Donald Trump says he has chosen his former acting U.S. attorney general Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has expressed skepticism about for years. Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.”The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is in law enforcement and not in foreign policy. Whitaker had been considered a potential pick for attorney general, a position Trump instead gave to Matt Gaetz, a fierce loyalist ...

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted November 20, 2024 2:57 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The union representing port supervisors in British Columbia is formally challenging the legal and constitutional authority of the federal labour minister to order them back to work. In a legal document dated Tuesday, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 says it’s questioning whether the order issued by Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon last week violates the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike.The union says these rights are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freed...

Randy Boissonnault is out of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after months of controversy surrounding his former medical supply business. In a brief statement Wednesday, Trudeau said Boissonnault “agreed … (to) step away from cabinet effective immediately.” Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. “Mr. Boissonnault will focus on clearing the allegations made against him,” Trudeau’s office said.Those allegations, first reported by Global News, involve Boissonnault’s former business Global Health Imports, co-founded with Stephen Anderson in early 2020 after Boissonnault lost his seat in the 2019 election. Tre...

Families of victims who were murdered by notorious serial killer and rapist Paul Bernardo have been barred from attending his upcoming parole hearing in person, according to the families’ lawyer. Bernardo, who is serving a life sentence and was transferred from maximum- to medium-security prison last year, is scheduled to appear for a parole hearing next week at Quebec’s La Macaza prison.Tim Danson, the lawyer representing the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, who were murdered as teenagers by Bernardo, argued in a letter sent to officials on Tuesday that his clients have a legal right to attend the hearing and read their statements in person.The letter, shared with Global News, was addressed to Joanne Blanchard, the chairperson of the Parole Board of Canada, Correction Servic...

A new poll suggests Canadians are supportive of government intervention in the labour disputes at ports and at Canada Post. Polling firm Leger found 63 per cent of respondents to a new survey were in favour of the Liberal government’s move to step in and ask the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order a resumption of port operations and move negotiations into binding arbitration. Nineteen per cent were opposed, and another 19 per cent said they didn’t know.Just over half of respondents, 57 per cent, said they would be in favour of the government doing the same in the ongoing Canada Post strike. Twenty-one per cent were opposed, and 22 per cent said they didn’t know.About 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been on strike since Friday, shutting down ...