Ed Fast says it became 'untenable' to do job as Conservative finance critic
Ed Fast says it became 'untenable' to do job as Conservative finance critic
Ed Fast says it became 'untenable' to do job as Conservative finance critic
Conservative MP Ed Fast said it was becoming “untenable” to do his job as finance critic within the Conservative Party of Canada, which is why he asked to be relieved of his duties.
In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Thursday, Fast said the very issues he is required to speak to in the position, such as monetary and fiscal policy, were topics “one of the leadership candidates” felt he shouldn’t be commenting on because it could conflict with their campaign policy positions.
“I was at a point where not only could I not do my work at committee, the way I needed to, I also couldn’t speak publicly, as frankly as I probably should,” he said.
Fast, a B.C. MP, is co-chairing former Quebec premier Jean Charest’ leadership campaign.
On Wednesday evening, interim party leader Candice Bergen issued a statement noting that Fast would be "stepping away from his duties” as finance critic.
Later in the interview, Fast spoke out against leadership contender Pierre Poilievre’s attacks of the Bank of Canada.
“We are now seeing political interference or attempt at political interference in our central bank, which is supposed to be free from that interference. It’s supposed to be independent,” he said.
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, CTVNews.ca breaks down what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.
What does Bill C-21 propose to do? From a handgun 'freeze' to 'red' and 'yellow' flag laws, CTVNews.ca explores the federal government's proposed firearm legislation.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's recent encounter with protesters at an Ontario election campaign stop, where he was verbally harassed, is casting a renewed spotlight on politicians' security, with Singh telling CTV News that he's witnessing a level of anger he hasn't seen before.
Six candidates are on the ballot to become the Conservative Party's next leader. In holding rallies, doing media interviews, and participating in debates, each contender has been releasing details of their policy platforms. Here's a snapshot of where the candidates stand on the economy, housing, climate, defence and social issues.
The federal Liberals and New Democrats have finalized an agreement that, if maintained, would keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government in power until June 2025, in exchange for progress on longstanding NDP priorities. Trudeau announced Tuesday morning that the confidence-and-supply agreement has been brokered, and is effective immediately.
'After a weeks-long survey of just about everyone I've met ... the overall judgment on Justin Trudeau is one of being a political write-off,' writes Don Martin in an opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'He’s too woke, too precious, preachy in tone, exceedingly smug, lacking in leadership, fading in celebrity, slow to act, short-sighted in vision and generally getting more irritating with every breathlessly whispered public pronouncement,' Martin writes.
It's time for the whiners to win and the government to reopen the skies, a return to those glory times of flying when the biggest complaints were expensive parking, a middle seat and stale pretzels, commentator Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
In an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says Doug Ford coasted to majority re-election victory in Ontario by sticking to the middle of the road: 'Not too progressive. Not too conservative.'
There's a lesson for Canada's political leaders in the short life and quick death of Jason Kenney as premier of Alberta, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
It's becoming a make-or-break week for two Conservative premiers as their futures pivot on a pair of defining moments, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
As NATO prepares to embark on the greatest overhaul of the alliance’s deterrence capabilities since the Cold War at a leaders’ summit in Spain, Canada’s role in the new defence strategy remains uncertain.
A Nexus card is supposed to help put low-risk Canadians on the fast track when crossing the U.S. border, but at least 330,000 Canadians aren’t sure when their applications will be processed.
Canada Day celebrations are making a return after two years of scaled-down festivities because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some Canadians hoping to catch a traditional parade may be out of luck.
Witnesses recount what they saw after police officers engaged in a shooting with armed suspects at a bank in Saanich, B.C., on Tuesday morning. Two suspects are dead and six officers are in hospital with gunshot wounds.
The mastermind of an elaborate Ponzi scheme that cheated hundreds of people of tens of millions of dollars was sentenced Tuesday in a Barrie, Ont., courtroom. Charles Debono has been behind bars since his arrest in 2020 for his role in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Canadian history.
After five years in the role, John Horgan announced on Tuesday afternoon he plans to step down as premier of British Columbia and has asked his governing party, the NDP, to hold a leadership convention later this year.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday of becoming 'a terrorist' state carrying out 'daily terrorist acts' and urged Russia's expulsion from the United Nations.
As NATO prepares to embark on the greatest overhaul of the alliance’s deterrence capabilities since the Cold War at a leaders’ summit in Spain, Canada’s role in the new defence strategy remains uncertain.
A Nexus card is supposed to help put low-risk Canadians on the fast track when crossing the U.S. border, but at least 330,000 Canadians aren’t sure when their applications will be processed.
Canada Day celebrations are making a return after two years of scaled-down festivities because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some Canadians hoping to catch a traditional parade may be out of luck.
Ontario's new natural resources minister, former Bracebridge mayor Graydon Smith, is facing a hearing to determine whether he harmed a threatened turtle species when he was the mayor of the small town.
The mastermind of an elaborate Ponzi scheme that cheated hundreds of people of tens of millions of dollars was sentenced Tuesday in a Barrie, Ont., courtroom. Charles Debono has been behind bars since his arrest in 2020 for his role in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Canadian history.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday of becoming 'a terrorist' state carrying out 'daily terrorist acts' and urged Russia's expulsion from the United Nations.
The chief elected official in the Missouri county where an Amtrak train slammed into a dump truck said Tuesday that residents and county leaders have been pushing for a safety upgrade at the railroad crossing for nearly three years. Meanwhile, the toll from the accident rose to four deaths and 150 injuries.
The first 10 years of Syria's conflict, which started in 2011, killed more than 300,000 civilians, the United Nations said Tuesday -- the highest official estimate to date of conflict-related civilian deaths in the country.
France's president denounced Russia's fiery airstrike on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine as a 'new war crime' Tuesday and vowed the West's support for Kyiv would not waver, saying Moscow 'cannot and should not win' the war with its neighbour.
President Joe Biden's top health official said Tuesday that "every option is on the table" when it comes to helping women access abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
A scathing letter from an RCMP communications manager released Tuesday says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki referred to direct pressure from the federal public safety minister to release firearm details in the days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
At a time of enhanced global uncertainty and growing Chinese influence, the Canadian government faces mounting pressure to appoint a diplomatic representative in Beijing after the post has sat vacant for six months.
The federal Liberal government has agreed to provide sensitive cabinet documents to the inquiry examining its use of the Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" protest.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a number of states south of the border have stopped performing abortions. If you're a Canadian who has had an abortion, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
Health officials in South Korea on Wednesday approved the country's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older, adding another public health tool in the fight against a prolonged pandemic.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade opening the door to abortion bans in the U.S., Canadian Tiktokers are welcoming Americans who are considering travelling north of the border to get an abortion.
Fossils of early human ancestors from a South African cave are 3.4 million to 3.6 million years old -- making them a million years older than previously suspected and shaking up the way researchers understand human origins and evolution.
A U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of the Second World War in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers.
Shares skidded in Asia on Wednesday after another broad decline on Wall Street as markets remain gripped by uncertainty over inflation, rising interest rates and the potential for a recession.
The head of the European Central Bank said Tuesday that it will move gradually to combat soaring consumer prices with interest rate hikes in July and September but will keep its options open to "stamp out" inflation if it surges faster than expected.
The May Garden Chinese Restaurant in Bedford, N.S., has introduced 'Bella' to its team -- a robot that helps deliver customers' orders to their tables.
Calgary is now officially home to the world's tallest mural. German graffiti artist Mirko Reisser, known as DAIM, used a swing-stage to paint and spray-paint the tremendously tall piece of art.
Hockey Canada’s handling of an alleged sexual assault is again under fire as one of its highest profile sponsors, Scotiabank, announces they’re pausing their sponsorship with the Canadian hockey organization.
Nissan Motor Co is recalling more than 300,000 SUVs in the United States over an issue in which the hood suddenly opens, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
A coroner's report released Tuesday is calling on Quebec to teach new drivers to open their car doors with their right hand in order to prevent dooring incidents with cyclists.
