Bank of Canada says government efforts to curb housing crisis will help ‘gradually’

The Bank of Canada says record levels of immigration are driving up the cost of housing and recent government efforts to cut the number of non-permanent residents and encourage home building will help lower housing costs, but “only gradually.”  “In the short term any increase in population, particularly in an environment of constrained supply, is going … Read more

Trudeau says Liberals won’t be sidetracked following MP’s leadership review comments

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday his government won’t get sidetracked by “distractions” after one of his MPs walked back comments calling for a leadership review. Trudeau, who was addressing the Liberal caucus in Ottawa, said the party is focused on the House of Commons returning from its winter break next week. “There’s a lot … Read more

Report raises questions around growing mining exploration in northern B.C.

A new report by the U.S. branch of the non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency says that investment interest and government tax incentives are fuelling intense mining exploration in remote northern B.C. — raising concerns about the environmental impacts of the work and its financial implications. The report focuses on the transboundary region, which falls along the border between … Read more

Liberal MPs voice support for Trudeau after caucus member suggests a ‘leadership review’

A number of Liberal MPs are saying they still have confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after one of their caucus colleagues publicly questioned whether he should lead the party into the next election. MP Ken McDonald, who represents the riding of Avalon in Newfoundland, recently told Radio-Canada that he has heard from constituents who … Read more

The U.S. is heading for a momentous vote. Canada’s ambassador says we have to be ready

Canada’s ambassador to the United States says Ottawa must take concrete steps to prepare for the outcome of this fall’s pivotal presidential election, which could see Donald Trump returned to power. In an interview with CBC News on Saturday ahead of a Canadian cabinet retreat in Montreal — where she will brief ministers — Kirsten Hillman said … Read more

Day after Trump win in Iowa, Trudeau says U.S. faces choice between optimism, retreat

Voters in the United States likely will face a choice in the November presidential election between optimism for the future, or nostalgia for a past that never existed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday. And while a second Donald Trump presidency “won’t be easy,” Trudeau told a Montreal business audience, the federal government is prepared for … Read more

House ethics committee to discuss PM Trudeau’s recent Jamaica trip

MPs on the House ethics committee will meet Wednesday to debate whether to launch a probe into the prime minister’s recent Jamaica vacation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family vacationed in Jamaica over the holidays. The PMO said the family was “staying with family friends at no cost.” The PMO hasn’t said exactly where … Read more

Ottawa may ‘rein in’ temporary resident numbers as housing concerns intensify, minister says

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says he’ll be scrutinizing the number of international students and other non-permanent residents coming into Canada, as political tension builds around the interplay between housing affordability and immigration. In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Miller said the relationship between housing and immigration is complex, and it was discussed around … Read more

Federal health minister says he won’t allow Florida to ‘pillage’ the drug supply

Health Minister Mark Holland says Florida’s plan to import cheaper Canadian pharmaceuticals is a non-starter and the federal government will use its regulatory power to ensure the national drug supply does not face any shortages due to actions by a foreign state. “There is no way we will allow any jurisdiction, be it a state or another … Read more

B.C. health minister says he expects Ottawa to protect Canadians from drug shortages

British Columbia’s health minister says potential exports of Canadian drugs to U.S. states would be a devastating blow — but he doesn’t believe it will come to that. In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Adrian Dix said a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Florida to import millions of dollars worth … Read more