Canada
Quebec Liberal caucus calling for Trudeau to resign, adding to pressure
The Liberal Party's Quebec caucus has joined the Atlantic and Ontario caucuses in calling on Justin Trudeau to resign.
Trudeau makes his case to Canadians in year-end interview with comedian Mark Critch
The Critch interview was marked by laughs and jokes as Trudeau attempted to make his case to take the Liberals into the next election. "Right now we're in a moment where everything is difficult, and Pierre Poilievre is trying to convince Canadians not to believe in themselves, not to believe in the CBC, not to believe in climate change, not to believe in gun control, not to believe in women's rights," Trudeau told Critch Boy, that Trudeau sure can tell a joke!
Support shifting in Eastern Ontario and southwestern Québec federal ridings
Aggregations of recent opinion polls indicate ridings currently represented by Liberal Members of Parliament (MP) could be lost to other parties whenever the next federal election occurs.
Meet the new head of Parliament’s library, the most exclusive book club in Canada
Christine Ivory and her staff sift through a sea of misinformation to get MPs and Senators the information they need to do their jobs. (🎁 link)
The Provinces
Susan Holt on first 2 months as N.B. premier, her letter from Hillary Clinton
“So I open it up and I pull out this little piece of paper. As I open it, a little piece of tissue paper flutters out. And the first thing I see is Hillary’s signature, and then it was a lovely note congratulating me on my historic win as the first female premier of New Brunswick ..."
B.C. ringing in new year with home-flipping tax, with income tax rebate on the way
Premier David Eby said Tuesday the middle-income tax cut he promised during last fall's election campaign would help form the New Democrat government's agenda in the new year.
‘There’s lots good happening’: N.S. premier looks to future in year-end interview
In a sit-down interview to wrap up 2024, Premier Tim Houston spoke to Global News about the challenges and the hopes for the future. “It’s a really good time for our province. There’s lots good happening,” he said.
Elsewhere
Impeached South Korean president issues defiant message as he faces possible detention
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in a message to conservative supporters rallying outside his Seoul residence, vowed to “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces,” while his legal team warned that police officers attempting to detain him could face arrest by his presidential secur
Media
Telegram blocks Russian state-owned media channels in several EU countries
A number of major Russian news outlets had their Telegram channels blocked across several European Union countries on Dec. 28. Users attempting to access these channels now see a notice saying that the content has been restricted and is no longer available.
Telegram rolls out third-party account verification, filters
The chat app already had a program to verify public figures and organizations on the platform, and it has now launched a new project to let already-verified third-party authorities, such as food quality regulators or educational consortiums, verify an account.
Evolution journal editors resign en masse
Over the holiday weekend, all but one member of the editorial board of Elsevier’s Journal of Human Evolution (JHE) resigned ‘with heartfelt sadness and great regret,’ according to Retraction Watch, which helpfully provided an online PDF of the editors’ full statement. It’s the 20th mass resignation from a science journal since 2023 over various points of contention, per Retraction Watch, many in response to controversial changes in the business models used by the scientific publishing industry
Science and tech
5 Things to Do Before Trump Takes Office
Trump has proposed a 10% tariff on all foreign imports and another 60% on Chinese imports, which could raise the cost of items for US consumers and send inflation soaring as businesses pass those fees onto buyers. Laptops, for example, could be 45% more expensive, according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a trade group that represents major tech companies.
In Norway, nearly all new cars sold in 2024 were fully electric
Nine out of ten new cars sold in Norway last year were powered by battery only, registration data showed on Thursday, placing the country within reach of its target of only adding cars that are electric on the road by 2025.
