Rick Mercer says he was glad not to be in the business of covering Donald Trump.
“Trump changed everything ‘cause he took all of the oxygen out of every room,” Rick Mercer told Joyce Napier on CTV’s Power Play Thursday.
The beloved comedian spoke to Power Play about his book “Talking to Canadians: A Memoir.” He writes about everything from his Newfoundland roots to his career in the world of political satire.
He says part of his job included humanizing political figures. Mercer says he wasn’t interested in humanizing the former president of the United States.
“I wasn’t going to go down that road,” he told CTV’s Power Play.
Mercer also said the Trump presidency posed a challenge to American comedians who often went on air and reacted to what Trump and his administration said or did.
Mercer discusses the impact of the Trump presidency on comedy in the video at the top of this article.
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'
The Manitoba Court of Appeal has dismissed Peter Nygard's application for a judicial review of an order to extradite the former fashion mogul to the United States, where he faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Antisemitism in Canada exploded last year as the war unfolding in Israel and Gaza was used to 'justify' the targeting of Jews in Canada, B'nai Brith said Monday as it released its latest report on antisemitism.
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.
Three people from southern Ontario were nabbed on Highway 144 over the weekend, leading to a haul of illegal drugs and a handgun.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says an officer convicted in 2021 of raping a woman while on duty is no longer with the force.
A multi-story apartment building under construction collapsed Monday in a coastal city in South Africa, killing two construction workers and leaving 53 trapped under the rubble, authorities said.
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont says he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its leaders.
China's President Xi Jingping on Monday called for a global truce during the Olympic Games in Paris this summer after the French president and the head of the European Commission urged him to use his influence on Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
ProPublica won a Pulitzer for its reporting that revealed how billionaires wooed Supreme Court justices with gifts and travel, and The Associated Press won for its coverage of immigration to the U.S. through Latin America.
Two-time European weightlifting champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko died on the front line in the war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Olympic Committee said on Monday.
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Two of hip-hop’s biggest stars have beef and people are taking sides.
In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and later suffered a stroke. The Country Music Hall of Famer had to relearn how to walk, spell and read in the years that followed. A condition called aphasia limits his ability to speak — it's why his wife Mary Travis assists him in interviews. It's also why he hasn't released new music in over a decade, until now.
Fashion’s biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
'Incendiary objects' have allegedly been placed under machinery on the site of Northvolt's future battery plant in Monteregie, seriously endangering employees, according to the company.
London Drugs stores are unable to fill new prescriptions, the chain announced Monday, providing an update on its reopening following a cybersecurity incident.
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
Capping off a weekend of photo finishes, Kyle Larson won NASCAR's AdventHealth 400 by a staggering 0.001 seconds in Kansas on Sunday.
Brittney Griner continues her efforts to settle into a normal routine following her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago.
The Edmonton Oilers will play Game 1 of their second-round series against the Canucks in Vancouver on Wednesday.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Drivers in Saskatchewan will now lose their licence for a week and their vehicle for a month if they are caught committing certain high-speed and dangerous offences on the road.
Auto sales last month totalled 164,000 units, higher than April 2023, which was the weakest month for sales last year.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
After the Canucks defeated the Nashville Predators to advance to Round 2 of the NHL playoffs, Vancouver says it's looking into "potential public viewing opportunities" for upcoming games.
Mounties in Burnaby have released a sketch of a man they say is suspected in the sexual assault of a woman in her 80s in a city park more than two months ago.
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
The first female Black superintendent in Toronto Police Service history was attempting to diversify the ranks on her own when she helped six constables cheat in a promotions exam, her lawyer told a police tribunal.
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The federal government has kept its promise to withhold more than $350-million in Ontario funding earmarked for affordable housing and will send it directly to service managers after the province 'failed to meet its obligations.'
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Parts of southern Alberta are expecting significant rainfall over the next few days, which is welcome news for farmers.
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Students from Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School have placed roses outside the city building in Nepean where one of their classmates was stabbed on Thursday and later died of his injuries.
Ontario Provincial Police say a long-haul truck driver from Newfoundland who disappeared in eastern Ontario has been found dead.
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
'Incendiary objects' have allegedly been placed under machinery on the site of Northvolt's future battery plant in Monteregie, seriously endangering employees, according to the company.
It's been five years since a seven year-old girl was killed by her stepmother in Granby, after months of abuse, in the presence of her father who never intervened. The case put Quebec's youth protection system under the microscope. A damning report was supposed to bring about changes but little has changed since.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
An Ontario woman working in Edmonton has been convicted of defrauding newcomers of tens of thousands of dollars.
The Edmonton Oilers are sick and tired of hearing about it. They don’t want to be asked anymore about it.
A 37-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 70-year-old man in central Edmonton in late 2022.
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.
The IWK Health Centre in Halifax is looking for a 17-year-old patient who has gone missing.
One man is dead and six people were taken to hospital following a head-on collision in Lochaber, N.S., on Sunday.
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
The Manitoba Court of Appeal has dismissed Peter Nygard's application for a judicial review of an order to extradite the former fashion mogul to the United States, where he faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Nearly two years after a Winnipeg woman was found shot and died of her injuries, police have charged a 49-year-old man with manslaughter.
The organization that oversees the province's Crown corporations says that a SaskTel employee was caught taking personal payments in a cash-for-credits scheme.
The City of Regina says a new warning system will help drivers avoid one of the most infamous problems in the Queen City, flooding at the Albert Street and Saskatchewan Drive underpass.
A Regina man is in custody after a string of incidents saw a stolen vehicle crashed and a hotel restaurant robbed late last week.
There have been two fatal wrong-way collisions on Highway 401 in the last week, and on Sunday, another driver was seen travelling in the opposite direction near Cambridge, Ont.
A petition has been launched to start licensing cats in the City of Kitchener, the same process currently used for pet dogs.
A Guelph, Ont. man is believed to be responsible for stealing more than $300,000 worth of product from LCBO stores across the province.
Saskatchewan travelers can breathe a sigh of relief — WestJet announced on Sunday it reached a tentative agreement with a newly-formed mechanics’ union just 48 hours before a threatened lockout.
Saskatoon’s three London Drugs locations are set to re-open soon, one week after a data breach shut down stores across western Canada.
Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) will be conducting an investigation after a woman who was found to be in need of medical care in Swift Current died following a police response on Sunday.
A 32-year-old northern Ontario woman has been charged in a head-on collision on Highway 17 near Espanola that killed one and seriously injured two others Sunday.
Two people received minor injuries Sunday evening when a vehicle and a moose collided on Highway 11.
A Brampton man in his 30s charged with abducting a northern Ontario boy last summer has elected to be tried by a judge without a jury.
Homeowners living near the former McCormick/Beta Brands building are again raising the alarm over a structure that has been vacant for nearly two decades.
The city admits it is 'begging' Londoners to sign up for emergency alerts. The plea comes at the start of Emergency Preparedness Week, and just two weeks after a freight train engulfed in flames almost brought responders into a real-life emergency exercise.
The impending movement of Durham’s only inpatient hospital beds to hospitals in Walkerton and Kincardine has outraged the community and has them fearing for the future of their hospital.
Sentencing has been handed down to two men who pleaded guilty for their roles in a Barrie catwalk shooting last spring that left the victim fighting for his life.
Police investigating an alleged illegal gambling operation arrested and charged a young person at Patrick Fogerty Catholic High School in Orillia last week.
A 21-year-old horse was injured after the trailer he was in overturned following a collision in New Tecumseth.
The Town of Tecumseh could soon be without crossing guards altogether, as council considers a plan to phase them out.
Windsor police officers have arrested a 22-year-old man following a shots fired investigation on Howard Avenue over the weekend.
Fire broke out in the 800 block of Victoria Avenue between Elliott Street and Erie Street.
Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.
London Drugs stores are unable to fill new prescriptions, the chain announced Monday, providing an update on its reopening following a cybersecurity incident.
A marine salvage operation is underway in U.S. waters off Vancouver Island after a man and his dog were forced to abandon their sinking fishing boat Friday.
Models in uniquely designed red dresses are taking to the runway in British Columbia this weekend to make a powerful fashion statement about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Lethbridge police are looking for two people they believe were involved in the 'street robbery' of a senior last week.
Animal shelters across the province are finding themselves frequently at capacity -- or more.
Lethbridge police say impaired driving is to blame in a fatal crash that killed a 25-year-old man on Thursday.
A 26-year-old suspect has been arrested in Sault Ste. Marie for an incident that took place in early April.
A Brampton man in his 30s charged with abducting a northern Ontario boy last summer has elected to be tried by a judge without a jury.
Ontario is set to clamp down on bad employers with big fines.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says an officer convicted in 2021 of raping a woman while on duty is no longer with the force.
A homeless man in Newfoundland says he refuses to sleep in a shelter after workers wearing balaclavas and haz-mat suits tore down a tent encampment in St. John's on Friday.
A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L.
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