Canada
Trudeau expected to shuffle cabinet amid political turmoil
Canadians are waiting to see how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will respond after several high-profile Liberals resigned from his cabinet, including former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland. Trudeau has not signalled that he will voluntarily resign any time soon, nor has he directly addressed Freeland’s departure to the general public. David Akin looks at how Trudeau is expected to shuffle his cabinet and why that could be challenging.
Mark Carney isn’t joining the federal Liberals: Dominic LeBlanc
“Carney is not an option,” LeBlanc said in an interview with Brunswick News. “That discussion has concluded. It’s no longer something that is real."
Trudeau weighs his options as his path to stay on as prime minister narrows
A Liberal source with knowledge of the situation, but who was not authorized to speak publicly about the discussions, confirmed to The Canadian Press that Trudeau is reflecting with his inner circle on what to do next. Those reflections include whether he should stay or leave.
Five things on Justin Trudeau's mind as a cabinet shuffle looms
One question that remains at the top of everyone’s mind, as MPs and ministers travel home for the holidays, is when he will shuffle his cabinet and replace the eight ministers who have declared they are not seeking re-election or have already stepped down?
Conservative Party of Canada Leader suggests it could be unconstitutional to prorogue parliament right now
Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre suggested today it could be unconstitutional to prorogue parliament at this time. “The reason is that if you don’t have the confidence of the house of commons you cannot govern, under our 800-year tradition,” he said. “I would say to the governor general, that prorogation that prevents us from testing the confidence of this crumbling government would not be allowed under the rules.” This is a bit rich considering that Poilievre was part of the Stephen Harper government that avoided a confidence vote it would have certainly lost when Harper prorogued Parliament in 2008.
Towards Accessible Air Transportation in Canada
The 21st report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Canada’s Supply Chains and Expanded International Trade: Challenges and Measures
The 23rd Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade
The Provinces
Ontario’s Ford says Canada, U.S. should avoid trade war and take on China
Doug Ford told CNN that cutting off energy exports to the U.S. remained 'a tool that we have in our toolbox' to retaliate against Donald Trump's threat of tariffs.
NDP holds Lethbridge West; Miyashiro edges Middleton-Hope by 1,150 votes
Lethbridge West will remain orange after voters chose NDP candidate Rob Miyashiro to replace outgoing Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips. After a close race, Miyashiro edged out UCP candidate John Middleton-Hope by 1,150 votes in the by-election. A total of 13, 561 votes were cast.
Media
Trump is suing Des Moines Register, Ann Selzer over final Iowa poll
President-elect Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday night against the Des Moines Register newspaper and its highly respected former pollster, adding to his ongoing legal attacks against news media companies. “For too long, left-wing pollsters have attempted to influence electoral outcomes through manipulated polls that have unacceptable error rates and are not grounded in widely accepted polling methodologies,” the complaint reads. “While Selzer is not the only pollster to engage in this corrupt practice, she had a huge platform and following and, thus, a significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters.”
Bots and Indian TV push fake news about Canada in wake of Hindu temple clashes
A wave of misinformation about Canadian institutions is being amplified by suspected bot accounts on social media and by pro-Modi news outlets in India, raising concerns it could imperil relations between Sikhs and Hindus in Canada.
Science and tech
Hyper Realistic Pencil Drawings of Metallic Objects by Kohei Ohmori
Something must have come over me, says Kohei Ohmori, reflecting on the 280 hours or roughly 5 months spent drawing a hyper realistic composition of a metallic bolt and nut using just pencils. The 30-year old artist, who has publicly discussed his struggles with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), has managed to overcome what is often perceived as a weakness and harness his incredibly capability for focus, which recently culminated in a solo exhibition at the Setouchi City Museum of Art.
When They Hear Plants Cry, Moths Make a Decision
A new study suggests that the insects rely on the sounds made by distressed vegetation to guide important reproductive choices. (🎁 link)
The Calendar
- 0830 ET: St John's -LPC MP Joanne Thompson makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1000 ET: Toronto -Justice Min Arif Virani speaks about Bill C-40
- 1100 ET: Dorchester, NB - Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc makes a funding announcement.
- 1100 ET: Sudbury, ON - LPC MP Viviane Lapointe makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1300 ET: Port Coquitlam, BC - LPC MP Ron McKinnon makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1730 ET: Whitehorse, YT - LPC MP Brendan Hanley makes a funding announcement.
Note: PM Trudeau again today has no public events scheduled and has not taken questions from reporters since Chrystia Freeland's resignation Monday morning.
