Author: Troy Patterson

Ten years ago, Jean-François Lisée predicted that Quebec’s independence movement would be reborn. “It could rise again given the right circumstances,” he said in 2015. “What could trigger it, I cannot say.”Three years later, as leader of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, Lisée lost his riding and saw his party reduced to 10 seats when the upstart Coalition Avenir Québec, led by François Legault, swept to power for the first time.The 2018 election was widely seen as proof that separatism was no longer a defining issue in Quebec politics, and pollsters speculated that the PQ’s days were numbered. The province’s new…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back in Ottawa but he returns to more calls not only from his MPs to step down, but at least two riding association presidents as well. Global News confirmed that Quebec Liberal MPs called for Trudeau to step down, as first reported by iPolitics, following similar statements from the Liberals’ Atlantic and Ontario MPs. Now, Mattie Prima, the president of the Willowdale Federal Liberals Riding Association, wants to see the same.“I think that there comes a point with all leadership, there’s a way to gracefully say I’ve accomplished everything I’ve done and maybe it is time…

By David Baxter The Canadian Press Posted January 3, 2025 12:11 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking part in a virtual meeting of the Canada-U.S. relations cabinet committee, as people inside and outside the Liberal caucus call for him to resign as leader. The committee meets as president-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration quickly approaches.Trump promised to enact 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports unless both countries meet his demand to beef up security at the American border.He’s also been taunting Trudeau on social media,…

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canada will set up its first preclearance operation in the United States this year as part its plan to boost border security amid growing pressure from the incoming U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced Thursday that a two-year operation will be launched at a shared facility at the Cannon Corners port of entry in New York, which is on the other side of the border from the Covey Hill port of entry in Quebec.During that two-year period, the Covey Hill port of entry will be closed to…

South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff on Friday during which he defied their attempt to detain him. It’s the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month. The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service blocked them from entering Yoon’s residence for hours, due to concerns about their safety.The agency said its outnumbered investigators had several scuffles with presidential security forces and expressed “serious regret about the attitude…

Marco Mendicino, a former high-ranking cabinet minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, is the latest Liberal to say he will not run in the next federal election. In a statement posted on social media on Thursday evening, Mendicino expressed gratitude for the strong support of his constituents in the Toronto riding of Eglinton—Lawrence and said he will stay on as the member of Parliament until the next election.“However, as much as I love the job, this is the right decision, at the right time, for me and my family,” the statement said.The former federal prosecutor was first elected in…

Quebec Liberal MPs are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down before the next federal election, Global News has learned, becoming the third regional caucus to do so. The Quebec MPs have been discussing the prime minister’s fate amongst themselves since the House of Commons rose for the winter break on Dec. 17, and came to the conclusion Trudeau must resign, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Global News.Stephane Lauzon, who chairs the Quebec Liberal caucus, has been tasked to deliver that message to national caucus leadership, the source said.News of the Quebec MP discussions…

As Canadians ring in the new year with cost of living top of mind, many would likely want to get ahead on their finances for 2025. There are several changes coming into effect as early as Jan. 1 that could affect people’s pocketbooks and how they file tax returns.The official 2025 tax season kicks off in mid-February.Here’s what is changing for tax filing, government benefits and savings contributions, among other tax-related updates.There are questions looming over the implementation of the capital gains tax changes that were introduced earlier this year. Story continues below advertisement The federal government tabled a notice of…

Chinese hackers remotely accessed several U.S. Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency said Monday. The department did not provide details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but it said in a letter to lawmakers revealing the breach that “at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information.” The hack was being investigated as a “major cybersecurity incident,” it added.“Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds,”…

Service Canada has begun mailing out hundreds of thousands of passports that were held during the month-long Canada Post strike, but more delays could come. Employment and Social Development Canada told Global News on Monday that the strike had left approximately 215,000 printed passports and other passport program-related mail in the backlog since Nov. 8.As of Dec. 1, 185,000 passports were stuck in the mail as Service Canada put a temporary hold on mailing out passport packages. That number went up to 215,000 passports by the time the labour disruption ended on Dec. 17.“Service Canada has worked with Canada Post…