Members of Parliament have summoned the head of Bell Canada to testify next month about the company's decision to cut thousands of jobs across the country. CEO Mirko Bibic was originally invited to appear before the Canadian Heritage committee on Feb. 29 and then March 19, but MPs say he has so far been unable to attend. Last week, in a closed-door meeting, the committee agreed to summon Bibic to appear on April 11 to answer questions and discuss the cuts. When a witness declines an invitation to appear, a committee may issue a summons to compel their attendance. Bell Canada Enterprises Inc.,

The federal Liberal government will not be forced into an election over carbon pricing at least not today. The Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois all voted against a Conservative motion calling for a confidence vote in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for refusing to call off a planned April increase in Canada's carbon price. The price will go up by $15 a tonne next month as scheduled, adding another 3.3 cents to the price of a litre of gasoline and 2.86 cents for a cubic metre of natural gas. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says carbon pricing makes everything more expensive. But the Libera

A framework for a national school food program has landed on the desk of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, and with the federal budget just weeks away advocates hope the proposal will get the green light. The proposed plan comes as food prices continue to cause political headaches for governments across the country, said Tyler Meredith, a policy thinker and former economic adviser to Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "A proposal has now been put forward to Minister Freeland, and it's now for us to watch whether it'll be funded in the budget," said Meredith. "I'm cautiously optimist

The consequences of a symbolic House of Commons vote Monday that called on Canada to cease future arms exports to Israel are still reverberating as Liberals face criticism from Israel and within their own caucus. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly held a closed-door meeting with some Liberals late Tuesday after three MPs voted against the motion, saying they were blindsided by the details of the last-minute amendments. New Democrats say they negotiated those changes with the Liberals for days before the vote, and Joly herself was working with them late Monday to hammer out the details. NDP

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the amended motion on the Israel-Hamas war the House of Commons passed Monday could make it harder for people seeking asylum in Canada to get out of Gaza. He says it could make the situation worse for a Canadian program that has already been, in his words, a "failure." Miller says he thinks the motion was fair and principled after it was altered to reflect 14 amendments proposed by the Liberals. The final motion eliminated a standalone call to recognize Palestinian statehood and instead saw MPs support progress toward a peace process and a two-state soluti

The Liberal government is poised to table legislation today that updates the federal Elections Act part of its political pact with the NDP. Details have not been released, but the agreement between the two parties calls for a three-day voting period rather than a single election day. It also stipulates that people should be able to vote at any polling place within their riding, and calls for streamlining the process for mail-in voting. Under the agreement, the New Democrats are supporting the minority Liberals on key House of Commons votes in exchange for progress on shared priorities. The two

Canada is buying artillery ammunition and night vision equipment for Ukraine as part of its latest round of aid for the country. Defence Minister Bill Blair met with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which includes about 50 allied countries led by the United States. Canada plans to spend $40 million to send artillery ammunition to Ukraine as part of a deal with Czechia. The Czechs said last month they have 800,000 pieces of ammunition and needed other countries to chip in to help get it to the front lines. Blair says night vision equipment worth $7.5 million is being sourced from a Canadian c

Canada's air quality last year was worse than the United States for the first time since a firm started publishing its annual assessment in 2018. The 2023 World Air Quality report from Swiss company IQAir says raging wildfires were a major influence on Canada's drop in air quality. The report found that on a list of 15 most polluted cities in both the U.S. and Canada, Canadian communities made up the 13 most polluted cities on the list, topped by Fort McMurray, Alta., and Peace River, Alta. Data indicates Peace River's pollution concentration, typically below the national average, shot up to l

Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon. The former prime minister's casket is being brought to the Sir John A. Macdonald building opposite Parliament Hill this morning. Dignitaries including the Governor General and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are set to offer their condolences to the Mulroney family. His wife and children sat in the House of Commons gallery Monday to hear glowing tributes and funny stories from politicians across the partisan spectrum. Well-wishers can visit between 12:30 and 6 p.m. today or fro