Politics

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushed back after B.C. Premier David Eby called seeking foreign help 'treason'; the U.S. State Department confirmed it met with separatist leader Jeffrey Rath and said no commitments were made.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned a Parti Québécois victory would be "a disaster" for Canada, and PQ leader Paul St‑Pierre Plamondon criticized the intervention and said his party would hold a sovereignty referendum by 2030 if elected.

Israel's COGAT announced the Rafah border crossing with Egypt will reopen on Sunday; return travel will be limited to Gaza residents who left during the war and will require prior Israeli security clearance.

Student organizers have called walkouts and nationwide protests for Friday seeking the withdrawal of federal immigration agents from Minnesota after two recent fatal shootings; federal border official Tom Homan said officers in Minneapolis would shift to targeted operations.

About 9,000 unionized Alberta government employees are set to return to full-time, in-office work this weekend, and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees plans a brown-bag desk protest to object to the cancellation of the hybrid work policy.

President Donald Trump said he will announce his choice for Federal Reserve chair on Friday; reports list four known finalists and note rising tensions with current chair Jerome Powell.

Columnist Andrew Phillips argues this week’s events — including Donald Trump’s shift on how immigration enforcement was to be carried out and widespread protests in Minneapolis — could mark a turning point for the MAGA movement, but he says the outcome remains uncertain.

Many fans and officials have urged boycotts of the 2026 World Cup after President Trump publicly aligned himself with FIFA; FIFA and other organizers continue to prepare and so far expect the tournament to proceed.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will face a mandatory leadership review by party delegates at the national convention in Calgary on Friday; delegates will vote in a referendum to decide whether he remains leader or a leadership race is triggered.

A coalition of seven First Nations chiefs says a circulating separatist petition would violate Indigenous treaties and the Canadian Constitution, and they have launched legal action seeking an injunction; the separatist signature drive continues through early May.

B.C. premier David Eby described ongoing extortion-related violence in Surrey as "a terror attack in slow motion," and premiers urged the federal government to pass Bill C-14; Surrey council declared a local state of emergency and the mayor will seek federal support.

Officials reported a small number of tests in which automatic emergency brakes activated unexpectedly on the Eglinton Crosstown vehicles. Metrolinx said TTC officials confirmed no safety-critical issues remained after recent meetings, and a Feb. 8 opening date remains possible but unconfirmed.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony was criminally charged after leading a Pride march on June 28 that proceeded despite a 2025 ban; prosecutors recommended a fine without a trial, and the mayor has said he will seek a court hearing.

The Manitoba government is donating $4 million from sales of U.S.-made alcohol to two child-focused charities, with $3 million to the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba and $1 million to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba. The province says it will continue selling remaining U.S. liquor inventory and donate the proceeds.

The premiers of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut told a House of Commons foreign affairs committee that many northern communities still lack basic infrastructure such as year‑round highways and reliable connections to southern Canada. Ottawa has announced a $1‑billion Arctic infrastructure fund and has listed a proposed Arctic Security and Economic Corridor for further consideration, but the corridor has not been finalized.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the federal gun buyback program can proceed using mobile units and retired or off‑duty officers despite some provinces and police declining to help; Public Safety Canada reported 22,251 firearms declared in the program’s first week.

B.C. Premier David Eby called Alberta separatists who met U.S. officials 'treason,' while legal scholars say Canadian criminal treason is narrowly defined in the Criminal Code and that concerns about foreign interference hinge on whether conversations were covert.

Prime Minister Mark Carney met Canada's premiers in Ottawa as Canada said its internal CUSMA review is finished and prepares to begin talks with the U.S. and Mexico.

NDP MP Heather McPherson sent a public letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney asking the federal government to restrict Canadian business ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including denying export permits and withdrawing public contracts. She named companies reported to have ties to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, such as Hootsuite, and noted recent ICE activity in U.S. cities including Minneapolis.

Niger's state broadcaster reported that armed men attacked a Nigerien Air Force base at Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport overnight; security forces reportedly repelled the attack and calm had returned by morning.

Federal agents removed hundreds of boxes of 2020-era election materials from a Fulton County elections hub; the search warrant is under seal and federal officials have not explained the operation.

B.C. Premier David Eby called the province's recent extortion wave a "terror attack in slow motion" and urged Parliament to pass Bill C-14 on bail and sentencing reform; the federal government has announced 20 additional RCMP officers and helicopter support for Surrey.

President Trump proposed a Board of Peace to oversee Gaza, but plans to broaden its mandate beyond the ceasefire have led major powers to withhold support and to restate backing for the U.N. Security Council's role in international peace and security.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned a Parti Québécois victory would be a disaster for Canada, and PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said a sovereign Quebec would maintain close ties and pledged a referendum by 2030 if elected.

President Trump said he intends to announce his nominee to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell next week, and Powell is reported to be stepping aside in May.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he expects U.S. President Donald Trump to respect Canadian sovereignty after reports that proponents of Alberta separatism met with U.S. officials; the U.S. State Department described the meetings as routine and said no commitments were made.

Chief Ross Perley is calling for provincial and federal support to establish an Indigenous-led policing agency after community member Bronson Paul was shot by an RCMP officer on Jan. 18; the shooting is under investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team.

Conservative delegates are meeting in Calgary and will vote on whether leader Pierre Poilievre should remain in his role; it is the first such vote since 2005.

Plain-clothes security forces have detained thousands across Iran and many detainees are reported held in unofficial or improvised locations, rights groups and two Iranian officials say.

Senate Democrats say they will block a funding package unless the Trump administration agrees to reforms for ICE, and talks between the White House and Senate leaders intensified ahead of a scheduled Senate vote.