Conservatives say they could shrink federal workforce by 17,000 yearly by not replacing leavers

The Conservative party added more detail Wednesday to its leader’s plan to shrink the federal public service, saying the bureaucracy could be cut by 17,000 jobs a year just by not replacing employees who leave their jobs.

Each year, more than 17,000 employees leave the public service and reductions can be made by simply not backfilling vacant positions.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said.
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Amazon to close Quebec facilities, insists it's not because of new union

Amazon announced on Wednesday it will shutter its facilities in Quebec in the coming weeks and cut nearly 2,000 jobs, 1,700 of which are permanent positions.

A company spokesperson said Amazon will outsource deliveries to smaller contractors. The spokesperson insisted that the decision was tied to cost savings — not the recent unionization of about 300 employees at a Laval, Que., warehouse.
#Quebec
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📊Three-quarters (77%) of Canadians want an immediate election to give next government strong mandate to deal with Trump’s threats

While around two-thirds (67%) of Canadians say they’re confident in Canada’s ability to respond to President Trump’s tariff threats, rising to 75% among those 55+, three-quarters (77%) say we should have an immediate federal election so that Canada has a Prime Minister and government with a strong mandate to deal with the issue.

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🏦 Inflation slows ahead of Bank of Canada’s 1st rate decision of 2025

Statistics Canada said Tuesday that the annual pace of inflation cooled to 1.8 per cent last month, down one-tenth of a percentage point from November.

The agency pointed to Ottawa’s GST/HST “holiday,” which began Dec. 14, as the main factor pulling price pressures down.

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Poilievre urges Trudeau to 'open Parliament' as Trump ponders Feb. 1 tariff

Pierre Poilievre has urged Justin Trudeau to "cut short" the prorogation of Parliament so MPs can address Donald Trump's threat of a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.

Poilievre said he backs "retaliatory tariffs" against the US, but insists that "requires urgent Parliamentary consideration."

Liberals have shut Parliament in the middle of this crisis. Canada has never been so weak, and things have never been so out of control. Liberals are putting themselves and their leadership politics ahead of the country. Freeland and Carney are fighting for power rather than fighting for Canada.

#Poilievre #Freeland #Trudeau #US
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Canadian military ready to deploy at border if needed: top soldier

Canada’s top soldier says the military is prepared to deploy helicopters or surveillance equipment to help secure the border with the United States if asked.

General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the military is only there to support organizations responsible for border security such as the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency if required, and that “there is no intention to militarize the border.”
#US
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🇺🇸Trump tells World Economic Forum U.S. doesn’t need Canadian oil, gas, autos or lumber

U.S. President Donald Trump says his country does not need to import Canadian oil, gas, autos or lumber.

We’re going to be demanding respect from other nations ... Canada has been very tough to deal with over the years. We don’t need them to make our cars, and they make a lot of them. We don’t need their lumber because we have our own forests. We don’t need their oil and gas, we have more than anybody.

#US
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Canada bracing for possible influx of asylum claimants after Trump immigration orders

Canadian refugee advocates, federal government departments and immigration lawyers are bracing for a potential influx of asylum claimants following U.S. President Donald Trump's executive orders this week.
#US
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🎓Ontario sees drop in international student applications amid cap on study permits

Ontario has received 23 per cent less international student applications this year after the federal government reduced the number of study permits. The provincial government revealed it accepted 181,590 applications, down from 235,000 in 2024.

The cap has led to a drop in enrolments at Ontario colleges, prompting them to suspend programs and reduce staff.
#Ontario #immigration
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🗳Doug Ford planning to call Ontario election next Wednesday: source

Premier Doug Ford is planning to call a provincial election next Wednesday, which would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, a senior Progressive Conservative source has confirmed.

The planned election call would follow months of speculation that Ford wanted to face voters before the fixed 2026 date.
#Ontario
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💸📊 More than half of Canadians are feeling 'financially paralyzed,' RBC poll says

🔹More than half (or 55 per cent) of people surveyed by the RBC Financial Flexibility Poll described themselves as “financially paralyzed,” and 50 per cent said they are spending all of their income on necessary bills and expenses.

🔹Twenty-nine per cent said their finances were in “a constant state of chaos,” and 48 per cent believe they will never be able to get ahead financially.

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🇺🇸Canada, Mexico steelmakers refuse new U.S. orders

Some steelmakers in Canada and Mexico are telling customers that they are refusing new orders to the United States on concerns that President Donald Trump soon will reimpose duties.

Canada’s Stelco Holdings Inc. has been telling U.S.-based consumers it is pausing sales quotes, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mexico-based steel suppliers also stopped taking orders for material this week as they await potential action from Trump.
#US
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Trudeau plans on stacking Senate before retiring: source

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning a final wave of appointments to fill the 10 vacancies in the Senate before he retires in March. The move would allow him to leave a mark on Parliament for years to come, as these unelected legislators will be able to sit until the age of 75.

A source familiar with the matter says that the selection process for the future senators is already underway and should be completed before his departure. After proroguing Parliament earlier this month, Trudeau announced that he will leave power after the Liberal Party chooses a new leader on March 9.
#Trudeau
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B.C. bracing for undocumented migrants from the United States

B.C. is asking Ottawa for money to help local shelters that are preparing for a potential rise in undocumented migrants from the United States.
#BritishColumbia #US
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New bill will require newcomers to Quebec to adopt ‘common culture,’ minister says

Quebec’s immigration minister says newcomers to the province need to embrace the “common culture” to avoid ghettoization.

The Quebec government will table a new bill on the integration of immigrants on Thursday, which will require newcomers to adhere to Quebec values like gender equality and secularism.

Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge told reporters today that Canada has never defined its own common culture, and the Canadian model of multiculturalism doesn’t work for Quebec.
#Quebec #immigration
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📊 Mark Carney is more likely to expand the Liberal Party’s voter pool than Chrystia Freeland

Mark Carney stands out with stronger impressions than Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould. He enjoys a better overall rating among the general public—33% positive vs. 20% negative (for a net +13)—and he’s also viewed most favourably by current Liberal supporters.

Chrystia Freeland is more widely known but has higher negative ratings, which drags down her net impression to about -1. Among Liberal supporters, she remains popular, though she trails Carney in terms of net favourability.

Karina Gould is less well-known to Canadians: most haven’t formed a strong opinion about her yet, and nearly half say they don’t know enough to comment. This leaves her with lower positives than the other two.

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🏦 BoC cuts key interest rate to 3% as tariff threats loom

Canada’s central bank has cut interest rates for a sixth consecutive time as inflation remains around two per cent and the threat of U.S. tariffs looms.

The 25-basis point cut comes as the Bank of Canada forecasts GDP growth will strengthen in 2025 if there is no trade war with the United States.

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💰🛢Trump says Canada tariffs coming Saturday, ‘may not’ include oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would likely decide by the end of the day Thursday whether to put a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian oil imports that he confirmed will take effect on Saturday.

We may or may not. We’re going to make that determination probably tonight on oil. We’ll see. It depends on what the price is. If the oil is properly priced, if they treat us properly – which they don’t.

#US
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🇺🇸🪖Canada and U.S. should establish a joint Norad base in Arctic, Alberta premier proposes

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling for a joint Canada-U.S. Norad military base in Northern Canada, expanding the organization’s aerospace and maritime defence efforts.

In a Thursday statement, Smith said she pitched the idea at a meeting on Wednesday with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Smith has been urging more collaboration with the U.S., as President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods starting Saturday.
#Alberta #US
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NDP again pledges to defeat the government in March

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has again pledged to defeat the government by the end of March, as the Liberals tried to make the case for the New Democrats to give them a lifeline through to the fall to strike pharmacare agreements.

I’m demanding that the Liberal government call back Parliament. Let’s put before Parliament a package to protect workers, support workers that are impacted by these tariffs.

Singh said.

The Conservatives have also requested a return of the House before prorogation ends on March 24. A government official said Thursday there is no plan to recall the House earlier.

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Canada launches fentanyl crackdown to convince Trump tariffs aren't necessary

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said the federal government will launch this week a new regulatory process to increase the control and oversight of precursor chemicals in Canada, which are used to produce synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

He also said the government is currently negotiating with American authorities to stand up a joint North American fentanyl strike force targeting organized crime, including cartels.

McGuinty also pointed to the training and deployment of "new border detector dog teams, specialized 100 per cent in fentanyl detection."
#US
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