Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is travelling to Europe today. The minister will be in Europe until Feb. 18, traveling to France, Germany and Belgium to take part in conferences, meet with officials to discuss topics like geopolitical conflicts and foreign interference and speak in a roundtable on Arctic security. Joly will start her trip in Paris on Thursday, where she and Canada's newly-appointed Special Envoy for Syria Omar Alghabra will attend the Paris Conference on Syria. While in Paris, the minister will meet with Jean-Noël Barrot, minister for Europe and foreign affairs of Fra

US President Donald Trump has engaged in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump urged both Russia and Ukraine to begin negotiations for peace. Trump confirmed the conversation in a post on his social media platform. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine began three years ago, with Moscow launching the initial attack. In response to the invasion, the US and other NATO countries have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in military aid and economic assistance. Trump also revealed that he and President Putin have

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly rebuffed President Donald Trump’s recent comments about merging Canada with the United States. In response to a question from reporters, Trudeau dismissed the notion of Canada becoming the 51st state as "useless," asserting that it will never happen. Nevertheless, Trudeau emphasized the importance of taking such remarks seriously. Speaking to the media in Brussels, Belgium, where he was attending meetings to bolster Canada’s ties with European allies, Trudeau added that while Canada does not wish to provoke a trade war with the U.S., it will resp

The Canadian steel industry is expressing serious concerns over tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Experts warn that these tariffs could negatively impact workers in manufacturing sectors such as shipbuilding and automaking on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Hamilton is expected to face significant challenges as it is home to Canada’s largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, and Stelco, another major steel manufacturer. Goran Calic, an associate professor at McMaster University specializing in strategic management, suggests that the government could provide s

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada is working hard to accelerate its defence spending to get to the two per cent threshold that it has committed to as part of NATO. The minister is in Brussels to meet with NATO allies and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. U.S. President Donald Trump has complained that Canada is not meeting its NATO spending commitments and talked about Canada becoming the 51st state. Blair called the 51st state comments "disrespectful and concerning." The minister pointed to Norad as an example of how Canada and the U.S. work together on continental defence. He says Nor

Alberta's health minister says a third party has been called to help investigate reports of government interference in medical contracts. The third-party will assist in a review being conducted by Alberta Health Services, but the government says it retains overall control of the investigation. Reviews by A-H-S and the province's auditor general were launched after the former head of the health-care body claimed she was fired for raising the alarm on overpriced contracts with private surgical centres and suppliers. A-H-S has said it will suspend awarding contracts to firms at the centre of it

Canada’s premiers are in Washington today to meet with lawmakers, business groups and lobbyists in a joint effort to push back on U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for devastating duties. It is the first time all 13 premiers have travelled to the American capital together. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, chair of the Council of the Federation, appealed to members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tuesday to send a message to Trump that tariffs would hurt both the American and Canadian economies. Since his return to the White House last month, Trump has taken rapid actions to reshape global trade

While Canada is preparing to address a 25 percent US tariff on steel and aluminum, President Donald Trump has stated that he is considering imposing additional tariffs on Canadian-made cars, potentially ranging from 50 to 100 percent. In an interview with Fox News, Trump claimed that Canada has a large car industry which, in his view, was "stolen" from the United States. He further said that if a deal is not reached with Canada, heavy tariffs will be imposed on their cars, as he prefers cars to be manufactured in Detroit rather than in Canada. It is important to note that the automobile manuf

Former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, a contender for the leadership of Canada’s Liberal Party, has unveiled a policy to exempt first-time home buyers from GST on homes worth up to $1.5 million if she becomes Prime Minister. The plan could save buyers up to $75,000. Freeland’s announcement comes ahead of the Liberal leadership race conclusion on March 9, positioning it as a direct challenge to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. In October, Poilievre pledged to exempt new homes worth up to $1 million from federal sales tax if the Conservatives form a government, estimating savings