Author: Troy Patterson

A private surgical company at the heart of allegations the Alberta government interfered to secure overpriced medical contracts was billing taxpayers more than twice as much per procedure than it would cost in a public hospital, according to Alberta Health Services documents. An internal chart included in an email sent by the former head of Alberta Health Services to a Health Ministry bureaucrat, obtained by The Canadian Press, indicates estimates for hip replacements in Edmonton at the public health agency’s hospitals was just over $4,000 as of last fall.The chart says the firm Alberta Surgical Group was charging the government…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine Saturday as European allies fear a withdrawal of U.S. support for Kyiv’s efforts to defend against Russia’s invasion. A brief readout from Trudeau’s office Saturday afternoon said the two leaders spoke about the war, now entering its fourth year, ahead of a virtual G7 meeting scheduled for Monday.The conversation came as both Moscow and Washington have signalled that talks are progressing for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a remarkable change in U.S. diplomatic strategy that sought to isolate Russia after…

As Canada stares down U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of devastating tariffs, roughly half of Canadians and Americans believe their countries are in an economic recession right now, a new poll suggests. The results of the Leger survey — which polled both Canadians and Americans — suggest that Canadian and Americans hold many similar views on the state of the economy and their personal financial status.The poll also suggests that 39 per cent of Canadians who are currently employed are worried about losing their jobs within the next 12 months — a three-point increase since last month.Sébastien Dallaire, Leger’s…

President Donald Trump on Friday fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, and pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of U.S. military leadership. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he would nominate former Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to succeed Brown, breaking with tradition by pulling someone out of retirement for the first time to become the top military officer.The president will also replace the head of the U.S. Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, as well…

If there’s one sector in the Canadian economy that has faced the particular focus of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s tariff threats, it’s Canada’s auto industry. Trump has said that he wants to “make the cars in Detroit,” indicating that he wants to replace Canada’s industry with a fully domestic American car industry.But experts say it could end up costing the U.S. tens of billions of dollars and in the end, the squeeze might not be worth the juice.åIn an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Trump said Canada “stole” the automobile industry from the United States.“If you look at Canada, Canada…

The Liberal party has kicked Ruby Dhalla out of the leadership race just days before the contestants were to face off in two debates in Montreal. Party national director Azam Ishmael says in a statement published late Friday that the decision was made unanimously by the Liberal Leadership Vote Committee.He says a “thorough investigation” concluded that Dhalla’s campaign had 10 violations of the national leadership rules, the vote rules and the expense rules.He said those include alleged violations of the Canada Elections Act, not disclosing “material facts,” inaccurate financial reporting and other election finance violations.The committee determined the violations were…

Highway 2 is the main arterial road connecting north and south Alberta, but now along its shoulder stands a billboard that is dividing Albertans. The advertisement encourages Albertans to let Premier Danielle Smith know they want to become the 51st state of America.“Tell Danielle! Let’s join the USA!” the billboard says alongside a photo of the Alberta premier posing with U.S. President Donald Trump at his golf resort in Florida last month.The sign across the highway from the town of Bowden in central Alberta has the Town’s office fielding calls, including some serious threats of violence.“The town phones and the…

If Canada is hit by sweeping, broad-based tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, the hit to the Canadian economy could be permanent, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem is warning. Speaking to the members of the Mississauga Board of Trade and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Macklem said the shock from the tariffs would be very different from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.“In the pandemic, we had a steep recession followed by a rapid recovery as the economy reopened,” Macklem said. “This time, if tariffs are long-lasting and broad-based, there won’t be a bounceback.”Macklem said…

By The Staff The Canadian Press Posted February 21, 2025 12:51 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Rob Lantz has been sworn in as the 34th premier of Prince Edward Island. He takes over from Dennis King, who resigned today after leading the province since 2019.Lantz had been education minister in the Progressive Conservative government. 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. He served briefly as party leader in 2015 but resigned after failing to win…

For the second time, Liberal leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla has asked the party to provide a “personal translator” for the upcoming federal French language debate, a week after her first request was denied. The request also comes as she is calling a recent media report “fake news” over questions about whether there has been Indian foreign interference in her campaign.In an interview with Global News, Dhalla said she made a new request a week ago for a “personal translator” but has yet to hear back from the party.Caucus members say it is “essential” for anyone who wants to lead the party…