📊Liberals top Tories for 1st time in years, new Ipsos polling says

For the first time since 2021, Ipsos polling now shows the federal Liberal party with a slight lead over the Conservatives.

The poll shows if a federal election were to take place tomorrow, the Liberals would get 38 per cent of decided voter support compared to the Conservatives’ 36 per cent, overturning what was a 26-point lead for the Tories just six weeks ago.

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🗳Poll shows Freeland a close second on first ballot in Liberal leadership race

A new poll suggests that while former central banker Mark Carney is still the odds-on favourite to win the Liberal leadership, he isn’t likely to win on the first ballot.

🔹43 per cent of Liberal supporters would vote for Carney on the first ballot, while 31 per cent would choose Chrystia Freeland.

Former House leader Karina Gould has the support of 16 per cent of Liberals, while three per cent prefer Montreal businessman Frank Baylis. Seven per cent remain undecided.

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Canada looks to shift intelligence sharing from U.S. as Washington diverges on foreign affairs

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa wants to deepen intelligence sharing with European partners, as longtime ally Washington diverges from Canada on issues like Ukraine.

In order to protect our interests and protect our people, we need to be able to understand what is going on in the world, and more than ever we need to have a strong security partnership with the U.K. and other European allies.

She said Ottawa is particularly concerned by the U.S. voting against Canada and its allies Monday on a United Nations resolution that blamed Russia for invading Ukraine and voiced concern for Ukraine’s sovereignty.

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🇺🇸 Trump pushes 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico to April 2

U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed back tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, saying they will now be implemented on April 2.
#US
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🇺🇸 Jagmeet Singh calls for Trump to be uninvited from G7 summit in Alberta

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh became the first Canadian political leader to call on the U.S. president to be uninvited from a major summit of world leaders this summer in Canada.

Why would we invite someone who threatens our sovereignty and economic well-being? Why would we invite someone who threatens the economic well-being of allies and threatens the world's stability? Why would we allow a convicted criminal into our country?

#US #Singh
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🇺🇸

I say Canada should be our 51st state. No tariffs, no nothing. We give them military protection. They're about last in NATO. They say, 'why should they spend on military, the U.S. protects us.' That's true, we protect Canada. It's not fair. They couldn't exist if they had to pay their way.

#US
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Supreme Court of Canada says it is moving away from social-media platform X

In a farewell post Wednesday to its more than 45,000 subscribers, the Supreme Court of Canada said it will focus its communication efforts on other platforms.

The court’s account on X will remain visible, but will no longer be actively updated.

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🇺🇸🪖Canadian Forces members injured by laser during military flight over Alaska

Three members of the Canadian Armed Forces were injured last year after their helicopter was targeted with a high-powered laser during a training exercise over Alaska.

A 49-year-old woman from Delta Junction, Alaska, was sentenced last week to three years of probation for the laser attack.
#US
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Canada deports more people, predominantly those rejected for refugee status

Canada deported more people last year to hit its highest annual level of removals in about a decade, overwhelmingly deporting people whose refugee claims were rejected.

By late November, Canada's removal numbers had reached their highest point since at least 2015, when the governing Liberals led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power.

That's quite symbolic.
#immigration
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💸❌🏳️‍🌈 Corporate sponsors pull support from Pride Toronto amid DEI backlash

Pride Toronto says some of its major corporate sponsors have pulled support for this year’s festival as the backlash towards diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives intensifies. The festival is facing a $300,000 funding shortfall.

But wait. That's good news, right?

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🗳 PCs win as Crombie fails to earn seat in Mississauga but vows to remain leader

Doug Ford has won a third straight majority government while the NDP will again form the official opposition in Ontario.

The Liberals appear poised to regain official party status, despite Bonnie Crombie’s loss in Mississauga.
#Ontario #election
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🇺🇸 Trudeau shuts down NDP proposal to bar Trump from G7 summit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is rejecting NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's proposal to bar Donald Trump from attending the G7 summit taking place this spring in Canada.

I think it's easy for politicians to toss out easy and shocking things to say. We see a lot of that around the world these days. I'm not someone who thinks that's a responsible way to lead a country or even carry an important political dialogue.

#US
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🇺🇸 Trump says 25% tariff on most Canadian goods will take effect March 4

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will end a month-long pause and slap a 25 per cent tariff on most Canadian goods as of March 4, claiming he needs to take action because "drugs are still pouring into our country" despite evidence that a crackdown at the border is working.
#US
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🇷🇺✈️ Russian cargo plane seized in Toronto could soon be owned by Canada

The federal government has taken administrative steps to help gain full control over a massive Russian cargo plane parked in Toronto, which Ottawa hopes to use to generate financial support for Ukraine.

This looks like it’s the government gearing up for its forfeiture of that aircraft.

said William Pellerin, an Ottawa-based trade lawyer.

He says he expects the government “to move very quickly on this forfeiture, imminently” by seeking a court order to render the plane property of the Crown.
#Russia
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💰Alberta's $5.2B budget deficit could jump to $8.7B under worst-case tariff scenario

Alberta is forecasting it will end the next fiscal year with a $5.2 billion deficit but that could soar to $8.7 billion under a worst-case tariff scenario outlined in Thursday's provincial budget.

Alberta government officials estimate the worst scenario could result in a loss of $3.5 billion in revenue in the 2025-26 fiscal year and cost 90,000 jobs over the next three years.
#Alberta
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🇺🇸🇨🇳 Joly says Canada open to discussing U.S. proposal to match tariffs on China

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Friday Ottawa is willing to discuss a new request from Washington that Canada match any U.S. tariffs imposed on China to create what U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling “fortress North America.”
#US #China
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💊‘20 times more potent than fentanyl’: CBSA and RCMP seize packages of synthetic opioids

A Mississauga, Ont. man is being accused of trafficking a synthetic opioid that can be 20 times more potent than fentanyl after border agents intercepted shipments containing the drugs at two mail sorting centres.

A news release Friday said Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers seized multiple shipments of synthetic opioids arriving from China at the international mail and cargo processing facilities in Mississauga and Vancouver, BC.

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🇮🇪🇬🇧 Mark Carney says he's begun the process of renouncing Irish, U.K. citizenship

Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney says he's written to the British and Irish governments to begin the process of renouncing his citizenship in both countries, which would leave him solely with Canadian citizenship if the process is completed.

Why would he need three citizenships in the first place?

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Quebec tables bill to limit strikes

The Quebec government has tabled a new bill to limit the duration of strikes and lockouts.

Tabled today by Labour Minister Jean Boulet, the bill aims to protect services required to maintain “social, economic and environmental security,” especially of vulnerable people.

The legislation follows several lengthy labour disputes in recent years, including a teacher strike that closed 800 Quebec public schools for 22 days starting in November 2023.
#Quebec
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