OTTAWA — The head of Canada’s refugee tribunal told a parliamentary committee Monday that she does not know the name of a suspected senior Iranian regime official whose identity her own board concealed from the public in a deportation hearing — and that the concealment was granted at the man’s own request.
During the post-Cold War decades, Western alliances often functioned like formal parties. The United States played host, extending invitations on the basis of shared values and political affinity. Allies affirmed common principles and, more often than not, Washington carried the heaviest burdens.
That world is gone. Today’s coalitions look less like parties and more like potlucks. Every participant is expected to put something on the table – whether it’s just a bag of chips or a full dressed turkey. The message now is that you cannot arrive empty-handed and expect a seat.
HALIFAX—Even the most partisan Conservative has to admit that Prime Minister Mark Carney has had a pretty solid first year as prime minister.
True, the official opposition has accused him of conflicts of interest flowing from his corporate connections before entering politics. And, yes, they have tried to paint him as a sneaky, rich guy.
Those scurrilous allegations didn’t take root. Instead, there was Carney’s record in office. Mega trade deals like the recent one with India, improved working relationships with the provinces, renewed international respect for this country, and a growing lead in the polls over his rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Canada should support replacing Iran’s current government and called for the removal of individuals linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard from the country.
Speaking at a press conference Monday, Poilievre described Iran’s leadership as a “terrorist regime” and said Conservatives support efforts that would lead to a democratically elected government in the country.
The folly of Canada’s last decade of energy policy is a never-ending saga for which the costs to Canadians and Canadian industry seem only to rise. As the price of a barrel of oil and LNG skyrocket due to American and Israel military action in Iran and its fallout, Canada should be sitting on a massive opportunity to benefit from soaring prices. However, a decade of neglect and underinvestment in pipelines and egress capacity sees us looking wistfully on as other nations, such as the Untied States benefit while we toil away for little gain.
Prime Minister Mark Carney declared his support for the deadly American-Israeli attack on Iran shortly after it began on Feb. 28, which has drawn a significant amount of pushback from Liberal MPs. Some caucus members say he should have consulted caucus before endorsing such a consequential move, and add they hope to receive a clear explanation at this week’s caucus meeting about why Canada took this position in the first place.
“I don’t know why he jumped into this to support him [United States President Donald Trump] for no reason without speaking to caucus,” said one Liberal MP who spoke on a not-for-attribution basis to offer their candid views.
OTTAWA — Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon says Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has proposed to debate the turmoil in the Middle East on Monday evening, following a weekend meeting of ministers that discussed the issue.
Steven MacKinnon, who is also transport minister, said in a Sunday post on X the government has proposed to opposition parties that a debate on the hostilities in Iran and the impact for Canadians abroad be held in the House of Commons.
WTF?
In case anyone wanted to click the link to be enlightened;
Here is the “summary”…
Thanks for the transparency, Libs. pic.twitter.com/alIBud8RDL
— Cold Lampin (@bozmag) March 9, 2026
h/t Mauser
TOKYO — Prime Minister Mark Carney says it is possible Canada will be asked to help defend a NATO ally as the Middle East war continues to intensify, but that there are currently no requests for military aid from Ottawa from any of the impacted countries.
One week into the conflict that erupted when the United States and Israel launched a deadly barrage of airstrikes at Iran, Carney said the violence is still widening, with Tehran firing missiles and drone attacks at neighbouring Gulf states.
China scholar and former Canadian diplomat Charles Burton says Beijing expects that its strategic partnership with Ottawa means Canada will refrain from disrupting its espionage and foreign interference operations.
The partnership suggests Canada “won’t disrupt China’s operations in Canada, and espionage and influence operations, so that they can continue to expand their influence in Canada for the future when, from their point of view, China becomes the dominant power on the planet,” Burton said.
Carney will do whatever Xi says.
VANCOUVER/TORONTO — A wave of shootings targeting synagogues in Toronto has prompted heightened security measures across Canada, as investigators warn that the disappearance and suspected killing of an Iranian dissident in British Columbia may represent a case of transnational repression on Canadian soil.
Canadian diplomacy just did an about-face with India.
At the beginning of the week, Mark Carney signed off on “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” a partnership agreement with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a row of small Yonge Street storefronts, Million Exchange angles for a corner of a booming market.
“Instant buying and selling of digital currencies,” it promises on its website, though the shop is not in the federal registry of authorized crypto businesses. Registration is a requirement meant to deter money laundering and terrorist financing.
Over the last year and a half, more than $200 million worth of digital currencies has moved through a virtual wallet used by Million Exchange.
While the war in Iran intensifies, the ripple effects of the conflict are already being felt around the world, including inside Canada.
The Islamic Republic of Iran operates a global network of regime sympathizers and sleeper cell operatives connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Government of Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist organization that has aligned itself with other militant groups and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.
The 1968 federal election was the first for the new Progressive Conservative leader, Robert Stanfield. Like other leaders before him, Stanfield had a Quebec lieutenant, in this case, Marcel Faribault. Westerners were suspicious of Faribault.
At a candidate forum in the rural Alberta riding of Crowfoot, arch-conservative MP Jack Horner was asked about Faribault. Himself a bit skeptical of the fellow, Horner replied, “I don’t know much about Faribault, but at least I could say this: that he’d fought for our country in the last war. Need I say more?” The audience went quiet.
Since taking office, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his desire to cut Canada’s economic dependence on the United States crystal clear. And along the way, he’s referenced Europe as a top destination for Canadian goods.
“As the most European of the non-European countries, Canada looks first to the European Union to build a better world,” Carney said last June at an EU-Canada summit in Brussels.
From that point on came steady and deeper integration. Canada has since signed a security and defence partnership with the EU, and this week the two sides agreed to enhance their existing free trade agreement.
Joining the EU would be like an orgasm for Carney.
