Who does Justin Trudeau listen to? Who can tap him on the shoulder and tell him it might be time to go? That’s a question that came up among Liberals this summer.
In the U.S., a similar question was asked, with more urgency, about President Joe Biden. His halting debate performance in June has many Democrats fearing that if he is the party’s candidate, he will hand the presidency to Donald Trump. A series of private delegations of Democrats have reportedly sought to give him that message.
It’s being called an act of diplomacy; it might better be described as covering your butt.
Justin Trudeau called Donald Trump on Sunday, the day after the attempted assassination on the former U.S. President. There was no readout provided of the call, which often happens when the PM makes an important call, just a short statement from Trudeau’s office.
Politics doesn’t have to be the cruellest game, but that’s usually the way it is played. Right now, for instance, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is definitely being played.
Three weeks ago, the political pressure was on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Would he quit after the Liberals lost the ultra-safe seat of Toronto-St. Paul’s? Former Liberal ministers openly called for new leadership as did one current backbencher, Wayne Long.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday she believes she has the prime minister’s confidence to remain in the job of finance minister.
But Freeland, in her first public comments since Justin Trudeau acknowledged he has talked to former central banker Mark Carney for years about entering politics, suggested it is up to Trudeau to address the questions about who serves in which roles within his cabinet.
In 2020, in the face of soaring house prices and increasing household debt, Canada’s largest mortgage insurer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), changed its criteria to make it harder for people to qualify. CMHC did so by reducing the maximum allowable household debt-servicing levels and tightening the personal credit rating criteria.
In Canada, homebuyers with less than 20-per-cent down payment are required to get mortgage insurance to protect the lender in the event of a default. By making it harder for such homebuyers to get insurance, CMHC made it harder for them to qualify for mortgages.
The federal government says it has a plan to start phasing out the use of oil-fired furnaces in new construction and get homeowners and businesses to switch to heat pumps over the next several years.
The finalized Canada Green Buildings Strategy, which is being released today, outlines Ottawa’s priorities for decarbonizing buildings — the third-largest source of climate-altering carbon emissions in Canada.
The strategy does not target natural gas and propane heating sources. While the document doesn’t explain in any detail how Ottawa means to phase out oil-fired furnaces, Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the federal government intends to use regulations and investments to encourage the switch to heat pumps.
At What Temperature Do Heat Pumps Become Ineffective?
Ultimately, the efficiency of heat pump systems depends on their temperature range, which is determined by the type of system you have. Most air-source and water-source heat pumps will become less efficient when temperatures drop below their respective ranges. That is -13°F (air source heat pump) or 45°F (water source).
Geothermal systems are designed to be more resistant to extreme cold weather but can still become ineffective if temperatures dip too low. For geothermal heat pumps, the ideal working temperature range is between 40°F and 75°F (4°C and 24°C).
Geothermal systems are expensive and not an option for many.
The RCMP has been struggling for years to fulfill demands from the federal government that it bolster the ranks of officers who protect politicians, yet that unit has remained significantly short-staffed, records show.
The records, which were filed publicly as part of a labour board dispute, illustrate the challenges the RCMP will face during the scheduled 2025 federal election, when politicians across Canada will be campaigning amid a polarizing political climate.
How many SUV’s does Trudeau need?
Earlier today, I was in Brampton talking about climate change.
To get there, I took my 27-vehicle motorcade made up of SUVs and heavily armoured vans, which never shut their engines off.
We were also escorted by three police SUVs.
We are in a climate emergency. pic.twitter.com/j1jUSFQSNG
— Justin Trudeau's Ego (@Trudeaus_Ego) October 20, 2023
Last week was a busy one for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Leaks undermining his finance minister surfaced, as did reports that he was courting former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney. But the biggest splash was in the New York Post, which reported that Canada quietly spent US$6.63 million (C$9 million) to buy a lavish condo overlooking Central Park on Billionaires’ Row in Manhattan, which we later learned is meant to house our consul general, former broadcaster Tom Clark.
The good news for Justin Trudeau is that almost every Canadian knows who he is, the bad news for Trudeau is that most want him to lose his job.
A new poll from Abacus Data shows that 98% of Canadians can identify Trudeau when shown a photo of him.
The torrent of online threats against public officials has led some Canadians to believe they can threaten, encourage and cheer on political violence with impunity, newly released government documents warn.
Canadian intelligence officials say threatening rhetoric is increasingly seen as a legitimate way to express frustrations, grievances and dissent, fuelling a surge of often violent threats against elected and public officials.
The American Democratic party and the Canadian Liberal party both have the same problem: how to get rid of a leader who ought to know enough to resign on his own?
It’s anyone’s guess if U.S. President Joe Biden will step aside. But the Canadian Liberals should have an easy solution: if they could only remember that we live in a British-style parliamentary democracy, they could be rid of their Justin Trudeau problem.
If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to shuffle his cabinet or make any changes to his team of senior political aides, he should do so as soon as possible to calm caucus members’ jittery nerves as unfolding events are creating an atmosphere of unpredictability for the governing party, say Liberal MPs.
“It’s better to have it now. People expect there’s going to be some change, and that we need to see that change happen soon so that people can move on with their lives,” said one Liberal MP who spoke on a not-for-attribution basis to share their candid views. “Whether it’s leadership [change] in the PMO, in the party—definitely cabinet—[or a] change in orientation in moving to the centre.”
Toronto police have arrested two men they say have been targeting Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) clients and allegedly stealing their funds.
Authorities were notified of a robbery just before 12:30 p.m. on June 28 in the Wellesley Street and Jarvis Street area.
… Two 18-year-olds, identified as Wadia Khaled of Toronto and Fadel Yazbak of Mississauga, were arrested and charged with robbery with an offensive weapon, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and disguise with intent.
They’re probably released and conducting another robbery as you read this.
Canada has done a detailed mapping of what it says are covert Chinese police operations within its borders and wants to explore a response with Group of Seven allies to a challenge faced by several nations.
The issue of Beijing allegedly setting up unofficial “police stations” in Western democracies — to monitor and intimidate members of the Chinese diaspora — has become a growing concern. Canada, the US, Italy, Germany and the UK have all grappled with the problem.
I’m used to seeing my friends pack up bags and move to the United States. Most of my graduating class of software engineering at the University of Waterloo decamped for the U.S. right after graduating in 2019. The few who stayed back, have strongly considered moving or have gradually made the jump since.
Recent data shows that this trend is accelerating and is no longer isolated to tech. According to data from the U.S. census, more than 126,000 people from Canada moved to the United States in 2022, a 70 per cent increase from 2021 and one of the highest numbers seen yet.
