Indian envoy hopes to see interim trade deal with Canada finalized in ‘about a year’
India’s envoy to Canada is hoping that an interim trade pact between the two countries can be concluded in “about a year” as Ottawa and Delhi announced earlier this month that they would restart trade talks. Canada and India held 10 negotiating rounds over seven years, starting in 2010 under the Harper government, but those […]
Incumbent Conservative MPs to be shielded from nomination challenges if they raise $15,000, donate $3,350 to the party, Tory sources say
The federal Conservatives plan to protect all 119 incumbent MPs from nomination challenges before the next election if they raise $15,000 for their riding association annually, and each year donate a combined $3,350 to the riding association and the party, according to four Conservative sources. “The rules are that a candidate must raise $15,000 and […]
Canadian government faces ‘fraught’ situation with volunteers joining Ukraine’s defence
With scores of Canadian volunteers in Ukraine to help resist the renewed Russian invasion, their presence creates a thorn for the Canadian government, especially with concerns that those with far-right extremist links might want to join the fight, as Ottawa has little means to help volunteers that may need consular assistance. As Russian forces bombarded […]
LGBTQ2S+ issues unlikely to repeat as spoiler in Tory leadership race, experts say
LGBTQ2S+ rights are not necessarily the biggest issue in the Conservative Party, experts say, and though the jury is still out on how some of the candidates will tackle LGBTQ2+ issues, others seem like they might do well and possibly win over a larger queer voter base. Asked what bearing LGBTQ2S+ issues might have on […]
Supreme Court hearing on Indigenous child welfare law will have broad significance, minister, experts agree
The Supreme Court of Canada will soon weigh the constitutionality of the Trudeau government’s Indigenous family and childcare legislation, a case experts say will prove significant in broadly defining sovereign Indigenous rights in Canada. “That’s exactly why the government has decided to appeal: so that we can have the highest court in our land weigh […]
‘It’s very unusual to see this level of trust between two major parties’: NDP-Liberal confidence deal a ‘double-edged sword’ for Singh, strategists say
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s commitment to prop up the Liberal government until 2025 carries more risk for New Democrats, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the clear winner, according to political strategists. “It’s very unusual to see this level of trust between two major parties,” said former two-term Liberal MP Joe Jordan. The NDP is the […]
Faced with deluge of misinformation, MPs, Senators say they’re doing what they can to fight the spread
Faced with a surge of misinformation and conspiratorial thinking among the general public, Parliamentarians are raising the alarm, and are pushing back by talking to people directly, compiling research, and being mindful of the content they themselves digest and produce. “We are seeing the radicalization of an increasing number of Canadians,” NDP MP Peter Julian […]
Nav Canada defends actions in airspace breach as humanitarian flights added to Russian ban
Nav Canada defended its actions to a parliamentary committee on March 21 after a Russian airline was permitted to enter Canadian airspace last month when the airspace ban came into effect, an incident that has not been repeated and will not happen again, promised Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. Three days after Russia invaded Ukraine on […]
Hard-hit downtown Ottawa businesses looking to rebound after COVID, convoy shutdowns
Following two years of a pandemic, with tens of thousands of public servants working remotely and only now starting to come back into their workplaces, local businesses, employees, and residents who frequent the area in and around the Parliamentary Precinct have been hit hard. In addition to the pandemic’s disruption, further dislocation associated with “Freedom […]
Increased military presence in the North could provide much-needed infrastructure to the region: MPs, experts
Northern MPs are open to the idea of an increased military presence in the Arctic, and say they could see the benefit of sinking military dollars into the remote region, insofar as it would have the side effect of improving infrastructure for locals. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has some in Canada worried […]
