Politics

The future of the oil tanker ban in northern B.C. waters is now in question after the federal and Alberta governments signed an energy agreement Thursday that sets the stage for a pipeline to the West Coast. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) includes a commitment from Ottawa to “enable the export of bitumen from a strategic deep-water port to Asian markets, including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.”Alberta and federal Conservatives have long argued the 2019 federal law prevents the building of new pipelines and therefore constrains the oil and gas industry, and have called for the federal government to repeal it.The B.C. government and Coastal First Nations, however, are vowing to do everything in their power to keep the tanker ban in pl...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Alberta’s watershed pipeline deal with Ottawa wasn’t front and centre Friday when Premier Danielle Smith spoke with United Conservative Party faithful at their annual convention. Smith took the stage in Edmonton for the first of many addresses planned for the weekend.It wasn’t until after she spoke on issues including rural policing, new federal legislation and even separatism that someone in the crowd asked for clarification on Alberta’s commitments in the deal, prompting her to address it.“I think it’s a clear win,” Smith said of the accord.“It’s a clear win for Alberta and for my incredible ministers who did a lot of work on that.” There was some applause, but the premier was later ...

B.C. Premier David Eby said federal and provincial authorities feel a “huge amount of urgency” to address rising cases of extortion targeting South Asian communities in the province. At a press conference in Surrey Friday, Eby, along with federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, committed $1 million in funding to support extortion victims in B.C. The money is intended to boost police communications to victims and to help develop safety plans if required.“Anyone who is facing these threats, they cannot rest at home and feel comfortable and safe, they’re worried about their businesses … they’re heartbreaking stories,” Eby told reporters Friday.But while Eby acknowledged urgency in addressing the rising cases, he also cautioned that getting to the networks behind the extortion atte...

The NDP leadership candidates admitted they need to brush up on their French-language skills when they faced off for the campaign’s first debate in Montreal. The debate on Thursday began with a plan to have 60 per cent of it take place in French, but most of the conversation happened in English.Documentarian Avi Lewis and Alberta MP Heather McPherson spoke the most French, while union leader Rob Ashton, social worker Tanille Johnston and organic farmer Tony McQuail worked it in. Ashton pledged to continue building his French skills on about five separate occasions.One of the five themes of the debate was how to rebuild support and win in Quebec, the province that sent the NDP to the official Opposition benches in the 2011 election.“If we want to come back in Quebec, we need to speak to Que...

By Dylan Robertson The Canadian Press Posted November 28, 2025 12:31 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says budget cuts at Global Affairs Canada won’t affect the ability of Canadians in trouble abroad to get help from embassies. Department officials say the cuts will involve moving some consular services to an online portal.The recent federal budget includes a $561 million cut to the department’s budget next year, which increases to a $1.1 billion cut two years later. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada ...

Several Liberal MPs say the party remains united after Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault resigned from cabinet in response to the federal government’s new pact with Alberta on a proposed pipeline. In a social media post Thursday, Guilbeault said he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Mark Carney that afternoon “with great sadness” — then spelled out his objections to the prime minister’s reversal of many of the key environmental decisions made by the previous Liberal government.“Despite this difficult economic context, I remain one of those for whom environmental issues must remain front and centre,” he wrote. “That is why I strongly oppose the memorandum of understanding between the federal government and government of Alberta.” ...

Quebec Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault resigned from cabinet on Thursday, after spending all six years he has been a member of Parliament around that table. The final decision was made in the last few days but it was a choice that was months in the making.The Canadian Press spoke to a source with knowledge of the week’s events, who spoke on background about the days leading up to the decision.Here’s a timeline of how it unfolded. 2:38 Federal and Alberta governments sign pipeline Memorandum of Understanding Guilbeault came into politics after a decades-long career as an environmentalist and activist, including as the founder of Quebec’s Equiterre...

Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says it’s “premature” for anyone to draw conclusions regarding the potential removal, or adjustment, of the West Coast tanker ban, since no pipeline route has been mapped out to bring oil from Alberta to the B.C. coastline. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hodgson said people are “jumping to conclusions” with regard to any discussions about adjusting or lifting the ban.“I think it’s premature for people to have concluded things when there is no route yet, and there have been no conversations about that route at this point in time,” Hodgson said Thursday. 3:05 Carney, Alberta Premier Smith sign pipeline deal opening door to changi...

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Thursday Canada is not open to re-establishing diplomatic ties with Iran at this time, and pushed back on senators who claim Canada has abandoned its human rights focus in its pursuit of investment from Gulf nations. “Our values are our North Star. They are our source of strength,” Anand told the Senate’s foreign affairs committee Thursday.Sen. Peter Harder asked Anand whether Ottawa would revise a decision the Harper government made in 2012 to cut diplomatic ties with Iran.“It was unfortunate that we withdrew from Iran. It was one of the areas where the Five Eyes welcomed Canada’s participation,” said Harder, referring to the intelligence alliance that includes Washington and London.Anand responded in French that Canada’s focus with Iran is on lim...

By David Baxter The Canadian Press Posted November 27, 2025 4:21 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The five official NDP leadership candidates will take part in a French debate in Montreal tonight — the first debate of the race. None of the candidates describe themselves as fully bilingual and their French language skills vary significantly. 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. Documentarian Avi Lewis appears to have th...