Canada
What’s next for Trudeau after shocking Freeland resignation?
A stunning blow to Justin Trudeau’s government — Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation this morning. The breaking news happened just hours before she was set to deliver an economic update. In a letter, she said resigning was her only “honest and viable path.” David Akin has more on the new finance minister — Dominic LeBlanc — and what possible next steps Trudeau could take.
Ottawa Bureau Chief Mercedes Stephenson has more on what was happening behind the scenes as the day unfolded and what Trudeau might be thinking. Plus, what happens if the NDP triggers a confidence vote?
With Freeland’s sudden resignation from the finance minister position, she obviously didn’t table the government’s fall economic statement as planned - Government House Leader Karina Gould ended up doing that. And as Mackenzie Gray reports, the mini-budget is painting a less than stellar picture of the government’s finances.
After caucus, Liberal MPs won’t say if Trudeau will stay on as Prime Minister
Ruby Sahota said Trudeau has her full support while James Maloney said he has the confidence of caucus. But Chad Collins, who publicly called for the PM to resign, disagreed.
'A fresh wound': Conservatives crush Liberals in Cloverdale-Langley City byelection
On Monday night, with votes reported from 122 of 122 polling stations, Jansen had 9,255 votes compared to 2,321 for Fleischer and 1,834 for federal NDP candidate Vanessa Sharma.
As Liberals hemorrhage support in Quebec, it's every MP for themselves
Several sources said the party is struggling to find strong candidates and money isn't coming in like it used to.
2024 Fall Economic Statement
[Press release and government materials] The 2024 Fall Economic Statement outlines how the government’s economic plan is reducing everyday costs and investing in the kind of economic growth that raises wages, all to put more money in Canadians’ pockets.
FES 2024: Fireworks and Finances
The take from BMO Capital Markets chief economist Doug Porter: The big story surrounding this Fall Economic Statement was not the fiscal update itself, but the intense political uncertainty surrounding the resignation of the Finance Minister and the timing of an eventual federal election. Buried underneath all of that lies a fiscal position that has yet again deteriorated alongside a dollop of new programs.
2024 Federal Economic Statement
The take from the economics team at TD Bank: The government has broken its pledge to keep the budget deficit below $40 billion in 2024-25. That said, the deficit is expected to ease from $61.9 billion in FY 2023-24 to $48.3 billion in FY 2024-25 (1.6% of GDP) to $23 billion in 2029-30. The government did meet its obligation of a falling debt-to-GDP ratio, which is expected to have peaked at 42.1% in FY 2023-24, before moving lower over the remainder of the budget forecast.
Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2025 Budget
The 21st report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.
Susan Stevenson seeks term as MP of London North Centre
Representing Ward 4 at city hall since November 2022, Stevenson is seeking the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) nomination in the new federal riding of London Centre. The current federal riding of London-North-Centre has been represented by Liberal M.P. Peter Fragiskatos since 2015.
War crimes charges against Toronto ISIS suspect are a first for Canada
Former Amazon driver Ahmed Eldidi has been charged with four war crimes, including torture, mutilation and murder.
The Provinces
Alberta names Indigenous advocate after elder's braids cut
My hope is to create a safe and inclusive space for open dialogue, free from bias and discrimination, where each Indigenous voice is valued and truly heard,” Cardinal said
Elsewhere
Goodbye to the Liberal Order
Justin Ling: ... the world is in chaos and the titans of Western liberalism have driven their cars into the lake. It is an ignoble end to a gang of world leaders who were supposed to be the response to a rise in global populism and unserious demagoguery. Their humiliation is thorough, but not yet complete.
Media
Future of CBC/Radio-Canada: Challenges and Opportunities
The 16th report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
Science and tech
5 ways AI is changing baseball - and big data is up at bat
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has affected every industry, but the exploitation of data in Major League Baseball (MLB) is the definition of game-changing. "New data sources are coming online all the time," said Oliver Dykstra, data engineer at MLB team Texas Rangers, who told ZDNET how it's his job to turn the information the organization collects into a competitive advantage.
The Calendar
- 1100 ET: 410 Wellington -Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting 146 - Committee Business
- 1100 ET: 025-B West Block -Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) | Meeting 161 - Resources for the Offices of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner and the Procurement Ombud
- 1100 ET: 415 Wellington -Health (HESA) | Meeting 147 - FY25 Supp Bs. Mental Health Min Ya'ara Saks to testify.
- 1130 ET: 420 Wellington -Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) | Meeting 134 - Canada's Advancement of a Two-State Solution; Priorities and Mandates of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Development; FY25 Supp Bs. Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly and International Development Min Ahmed Hussen to testify.
- 1130 ET: HoC Foyer -BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet speaks to reporters.
- 1600 ET: Victoria, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth May serves Christmas dinner at Our Place Society.
- 1800 ET: Ottawa -PM Trudeau speaks to the LPC National Caucus holiday party.
