The Liberal party says it will not accommodate leadership hopeful Ruby Dhalla's request for a translator at the upcoming French debate in Montreal. Party spokesman Parker Lund says only the candidates and the moderator will be allowed on the debate stage and no translation will be provided. Dhalla said in a recent interview that her campaign planned to ask this week for a translator for the French debate because she is not fluent in the language. But she plans to attend either way and will make opening and closing statements in French. The Liberals have two upcoming leadership debates planned

The former CEO of Alberta Health Services has filed a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal and high-level government corruption surrounding medical contracts. A statement of claim alleges Athana Mentzelopoulos (ment-ZAH'-lop-oh-luss) was fired last month for investigating overpriced contracts and conflicts of interest between government staff and companies being contracted. The lawsuit alleges Health Minister Adriana LaGrange (lah-GRAYNGE') tried to shut down the investigation and demanded Mentzelopoulos be fired. The allegations have not been proven in court, and LaGrange says many of them are

The NDP's national campaign director has sent a memo to all candidates and campaign staff warning them to be prepared for a snap federal election as early as March 10. If Mark Carney does win the leadership, we are hearing from many Ottawa sources that he intends on calling an election shortly after becoming Liberal leader. On that basis, we believe the rumours of Mr. Carney calling a snap election are credible, the memo states. Taking a page from Doug Ford's playbook, the Liberals believe that they can turn this crisis into a political benefit for them. In Ontario, Ford is calling a snap ele

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