Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected new Speaker of the House of Commons

Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia is the new Speaker, promising to bring back order and respect to the House of Commons as he presides over a new minority Parliament.

The longtime backbench MP was elected by his peers on Monday morning as the 39th Speaker during a jovial first sitting of the House of Commons since December.

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📝 Canadian foreign agent registry delayed

Canada's Liberal government promised a foreign influence transparency registry in June 2023 to counter foreign interference in politics, but it remains non-operational nearly a year later.

The delay has been criticized by former national security analyst Dennis Molinaro, who believes it undermines national security efforts.

The Conservative and NDP parties have also criticized the slow progress, while some universities warn it could harm international collaborations.

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NATO to embrace 5% GDP defence spending target in June, Secretary-General says

NATO member countries will agree to a steep new defence-spending target of 5 per cent of annual economic output during the June leaders summit, the military alliance’s top civilian official predicted Monday.

The Secretary-General’s comments suggest the target could be set at 3.5 per cent on hard military spending, plus another 1.5 percentage points on defence-related items, for a total of 5 per cent. The second category would be things such as security-related infrastructure.
#NATO
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Interim NDP leader says party will play important role despite loss of status

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said Monday the party will still play a “profoundly important role” in this Parliament, even though it won’t be granted official party status.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Monday morning the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized.

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👑 Royally Indifferent: 83 per cent of Canadians say they ‘don’t care’ that King Charles will deliver throne speech

🔹83 per cent of Canadians say they are “indifferent” or “don’t care” about the monarch’s historic visit, where Charles will read the throne speech – which will outline the Carney government’s priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session.

While Charles is, constitutionally, the King of Canada, Canadians are more than three times as likely to view him as solely a British monarch.

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❌ Government moves to purge consumer carbon pricing from law

The federal government moved on Tuesday to purge consumer carbon pricing from law, effectively putting an end to what was once the keystone of the Liberals’ climate policy.

In a notice of motion tabled in the House of Commons, the government signalled it intends to repeal the law after the government used regulations to end the consumer carbon price in March. That move was Mark Carney’s first official act after becoming prime minister.

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🚨 Quebec announces new security measures to combat contraband smuggling in detention centres

The Quebec government has introduced new security measures to tackle the rise in drone deliveries of illegal items like drugs, weapons, and cellphones in provincial detention centres.

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel unveiled initiatives including body scanners to detect concealed contraband, protective fences around jail windows, and plans to jam cellphone signals.

Between January and March 2025, 247 drones were spotted near detention facilities, with 195 carrying packages; about 70% of these deliveries were intercepted. These measures will be phased in over the coming months, with body scanners expected to be fully operational by March 2027.
#Quebec
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📈 Canadian dollar hits 7-month high after upbeat retail sales data

The Canadian dollar strengthened to a seven-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday as the greenback posted broad-based declines and domestic retail sales data supported bets that the Bank of Canada would remain on the sidelines.

The loonie was trading 1% higher at 1.3712 per U.S. dollar, or 72.93 U.S. cents, its strongest intraday level since October 10.

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🏠 More retiring Canadians expect to continue making mortgage payments

A recent Leger survey finds that an increasing number of homeowners expect to carry repayments into their “golden years.”

Royal LePage, which commissioned the report, calls it a new real estate reality shaping up for retirees, as almost three-in-10 Canadians who plan to retire within the next two years expect to exit the workforce with mortgage debt.
#housing
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🇺🇸 Trump says Canada would pay $61B for Golden Dome, but zero as ’51st state’

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Canada will have to pay US$61 billion to be part of his “Golden Dome” space-based missile defence plan — but would pay nothing if it becomes part of the U.S., a message he claimed to have “told Canada” himself.

I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!

#US
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🩺 Ontario faces growing shortage of family doctors despite increase in physicians

Ontario is facing a growing shortage of family doctors providing traditional primary care, despite an overall increase in the number of family physicians.

While the number of family doctors rose from 104 to 118 per 100,000 people between 1993-94 and 2021-22, those offering comprehensive primary care dropped from 71 to 64 per 100,000. Nearly 40% of new family doctors are choosing focused practices like emergency departments and hospitals, attracted by higher income and better support.

This shift has left over 2.5 million Ontarians without a family doctor, exacerbating the primary care crisis. Experts call for policy interventions to address this nationwide issue.
#Ontario #healthcare
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Quebec's high number of not criminally responsible verdicts sparks debate

Recent high-profile cases in Quebec have highlighted the province's disproportionately high number of Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) verdicts. These verdicts account for less than 1% of court decisions nationwide, but Quebec has six to seven times more such verdicts than other provinces.

Notable cases include Pierre Ny St-Amand's fatal bus crash into a daycare and the stabbing death of Sgt. Maureen Breau by a man under the mental health review board's care. The Quebec government is working to improve mental health services, while advocates call for reforms like mandatory detention periods and independent audits of psychiatric evaluations.
#Quebec
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🔥 Manitoba declares state of emergency amid wildfires

Manitoba has declared a state of emergency due to severe wildfires, forcing nearly 17,000 residents to evacuate.

Premier Wab Kinew described it as the largest evacuation in recent memory. Communities like Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and Cross Lake are among those affected.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has deployed the Canadian Armed Forces to assist.
#Manitoba #wildfires
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🚨 Operation blizzard: CBSA seizes illegal drugs in month-long cross-border crackdown

Operation Blizzard, a month-long initiative by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), targeted illegal drugs and precursor chemicals entering or leaving Canada via mail, air cargo, or marine containers. From February 12 to March 13, CBSA officers conducted over 2,600 seizures nationwide, with 67% of seized drugs coming from the U.S. and 17.5% destined for the U.S. Fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis were among the significant quantities intercepted.

This operation is part of Canada’s border security strategy, responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s concerns about fentanyl entering the U.S. Ottawa invested $1.3 billion in border security and appointed Kevin Brosseau as the “fentanyl czar”.
#US
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Carney government tables $486 billion spending plan with few details

The Carney government presented Parliament Tuesday with a plan to spend about the same amount of money in the fiscal year ahead as the Trudeau government did in its final year — about $486 billion, a plan that left the Conservatives unimpressed.

Just like Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney’s spending is absolutely out of control. In fact, it’s worse.

- Poilievre

#Carney #Poilievre
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Conservatives will ‘co-operate’ with Liberals to end U.S. trade dispute: Poilievre

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he’s willing to work with the Liberals in Parliament on efforts to resolve the trade war with the United States.

Poilievre is meeting with the Conservative caucus on Sunday as they prepare to return to the House of Commons without him in the chamber.
#US #Poilievre
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🔥 Wildfires force evacuations in Northern Manitoba

A series of intense wildfires in northern Manitoba forced a mandatory evacuation for approximately 600 residents of Cranberry Portage after fires destroyed hydro lines and cut off power.

Smaller nearby communities were warned to prepare for evacuation as fires jumped a major highway.

Residents of Pimicikamak Cree Nation also faced ramped-up evacuations, with five flights planned to Winnipeg after the wildfire crossed the main road, filling the area with smoke and ash. The provincial government declared a state of emergency due to rapidly spreading wildfires and extreme fire conditions.
#Manitoba #wildfires
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🚨 Quebec introduces major bill to reduce interprovincial trade barriers

Quebec has introduced a significant new bill to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade, aiming to boost its economy and strengthen Canada’s internal market.

Tabled by Christopher Skeete, Quebec’s minister delegate for the economy, the legislation will allow goods from other Canadian provinces to be marketed, used, or consumed in Quebec without extra requirements. The government expects this could add between $10 billion and $25 billion to Quebec’s GDP over the next decade.

Other provinces like Nova Scotia, Ontario, and New Brunswick are already streamlining internal trade, but Quebec’s unique framework complicates full economic integration.
#Quebec
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🏥 Quebec’s Bill 106 sparks outcry among doctors

Quebec’s Bill 106, which links 25% of doctors’ pay to performance targets, has sparked strong opposition from physicians across the province.

Doctors warn the bill risks clinic closures, worsens the doctor shortage, and could degrade patient care quality by imposing unrealistic workload demands.

Health Minister Christian Dubé insists the bill aims to improve healthcare access and efficiency, but medical professionals argue it fails to recognize non-clinical duties and could lead to a “fast-food medicine” approach.
#Quebec #healthcare
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📝 Canada drafts "National Interest" bill to fast-track major projects

The Canadian government is drafting a "national interest" bill to expedite major nation-building projects by streamlining the regulatory approval process.

The bill aims to bypass the Impact Assessment Act, focus on economic security, national autonomy, clean growth, and Indigenous and provincial interests. It seeks to reduce project approval timelines to two years.

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🔥 Saskatchewan faces worst wildfire season on record

Saskatchewan is battling one of its worst wildfire seasons, with 16 active fires burning over 500,000 hectares and 8,000+ people evacuated, mostly from northern First Nations communities.

Premier Scott Moe warns provincial resources are stretched thin. Mandatory evacuations are in place in areas like Sturgeon Landing and Denare Beach, while Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency.

Power outages and restricted access to Prince Albert National Park are disrupting services.
#Saskatchewan #wildfires
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