TRENDING TODAY
AUDITOR GENERAL FLAGS SYSTEMIC FAILURES IN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM — Auditor General Karen Hogan found that the immigration department lacked the resources to investigate hundreds of high-risk fraud cases in the international student visa program, with Immigration Minister Lena Diab pushing back by noting she was minister for only four of the 18 months covered by the audit.
QUEEN'S PARK BRACES FOR SECOND MAJOR OSAP PROTEST — Students are set to descend on Queen's Park Tuesday to protest the Ford government's overhaul of the Ontario Student Assistance Program, which flipped the grant-to-loan ratio so borrowers must now repay 75% of their support, up from 15%, as youth unemployment amplifies anger over what demonstrators call a generational debt trap.
ONTARIO'S PRIVACY WATCHDOG BLINDSIDED BY FOI CLAMPDOWN — Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim says the Ford government never consulted her before unveiling sweeping changes that would grant Premier Doug Ford, his cabinet and all their staff near-blanket immunity from freedom of information rules, calling the lack of pre-consultation on her own enabling legislation a missed opportunity for everyone.
SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN OVER QUEBEC'S RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS BAN — Canada's top court hears arguments this week on Quebec's use of the notwithstanding clause to shield its law barring public servants from wearing religious symbols, with over 47 interveners from government officials to civil rights groups set to weigh in on a ruling that could reshape the balance between provincial autonomy and Charter rights.
CAF MEMBERS SAFE AFTER MISSILE INTERCEPTED NEAR LEBANON BASE — Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed on Operation Jade are unharmed after a missile was intercepted near Camp Naqoura, a UN peacekeeping headquarters on the Israel-Lebanon border, with Defence Minister David McGuinty's office declining to disclose troop numbers citing operational security.
POLICY DIGEST
AI DATA CENTRES SPLIT CANADIAN PUBLIC — New polling shows Canadians evenly divided on expanding AI data centre infrastructure, with 38% calling it a good thing and 37% opposed, as federal and provincial governments in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan race to attract investment while communities brace for rising power demand and strain on local infrastructure.
IRAN CONFLICT SPARKS CANADIAN OIL BOOM HOPES — Two-thirds of Canadians are tracking the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict closely, and 76% say Canada should seize the moment to expand its position as a secure oil and gas supplier, with 62% expecting the conflict to make Canada a more attractive energy source and Conservatives leading the charge with 45% calling it an urgent priority.
CANADIANS WANT STABILITY, BUT LEADERS REMAIN A BLUR — A new Innovative Research Group survey finds 55% of Canadians prefer a stability-focused leader over a disruptive one, yet a quarter don't know where Mark Carney stands on the spectrum and 38% can't place Pierre Poilievre, complicating the narrative that Carney's lead is being driven by a stability premium.
CARNEY-SMITH ENERGY DEAL MISSES FIRST DEADLINES — Key milestones in the memorandum of understanding between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were set to lapse by April 1, with negotiations on industrial carbon pricing and the Pathways carbon capture project stalling as Smith acknowledged delays from an energy conference in Houston.
LIBERALS' BUDGET WATCHDOG PICK FACES CONSERVATIVE FIRE — Senior public servant Annette Ryan appeared before the House finance committee Monday to defend her nomination as parliamentary budget officer, but Conservatives have already vowed to vote against her, accusing the Liberal government of sidelining interim PBO Jason Jacques after he delivered pointed criticism of the government earlier in his tenure.