Federal ministers still lack mandate letters, two months after majority shuffled
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gestures towards the federal cabinet as they stand behind him at a media availability after a cabinet shuffle, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA -
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to issue mandate letters for his cabinet ministers, two months after announcing an overhaul to his front bench.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said last week that he hasn't received a new mandate letter and is acting on the list of commitments that Trudeau assigned to his predecessor in December 2021, three months after that year's election.
Trudeau's government has assigned new tasks to the military in recent months, while asking it to cut $1 billion in spending, and opposition parties are seeking clarity on how ministers are being told to prioritize their assignments.
Acadia University political scientist Alex Marland says mandate letters help clarify what a government wants to do outside of an election period.
He says the civil service can operate without letters being made public, but notes that minister themselves have said they're eager to receive their marching orders, and some have new portfolios that never existed before.
The Prime Minister's Office has been asked to comment on whether all 30 ministers who have new or updated roles will be assigned a fresh mandate letter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Billions for home building back-loaded, deficit projected at $40B in 2023-24: fall economic statement
The federal government's fiscal update presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday includes billions of dollars in new spending and targeted policy measures aimed at increasing Canada's housing supply in the years ahead.
Canada doubling carbon price rebate rural top-up, pausing charge on heating oil: Trudeau
The Canadian government is doubling the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, and implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on deliveries of heating oil in all jurisdictions where the federal fuel charge is in effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
As it happened: Zelenskyy visits Canada, addresses Parliament as PM pledges $650M in Ukraine aid
During his historic visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered repeated thanks to Canada for its continued support for his country as it continues to defend itself from Russia's invasion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will be making a $650 million 'multi-year commitment' for further Ukraine aid. Recap CTVNews.ca's minute-by-minute updates.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
Opinion
opinion
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: For squandering their hard-earned income tax, we owe our kids an apology
'Its bi-annual work of fiscal fiction rolled out Tuesday as the fall update staged a desperate bid to reverse the Liberals' downward spiral in the polls while trying to soften its drunken-sailor-spending image.'
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: Life in Trudeau's brain defies imagination
Getting inside Justin Trudeau's head these days requires a vivid imagination. The prime minister's bizarre statement on the Middle East war this week reflects a distorted view that human-shielded resistance by Hamas terrorists can be overcome with "maximum restraint" by Israel's military.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: As much as Poilievre wants it, he will not get his election wish for 2023
It’s been 100+ hours of brutal aftermath since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turned carbon pricing from a national principle into regional graft by lifting the tax on home heating oil and using free heat pumps to buy back the Liberal loyalty of Atlantic Canada voters.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: It's flip-flop or die as Trudeau retreats on universal carbon pricing
With this week’s flip-flop lifting on carbon pricing for heating oil until 2027 (pushing increases beyond the next election) and a doubling of the rural tax rebate, the severely rattled Liberals are chipping away at the load-bearing wall beneath their environmental platform, Don Martin writes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines and a tsunami warning is issued
A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday off the cost of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao and Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning.
Hoopla expected to hit new heights as Sinclair's farewell game in Vancouver nears
Canada's lopsided 5-0 win over an experimental Australia side in the rain Friday at Starlight Stadium and the hoopla surrounding it provided a taste of what is to come in Christine Sinclair's farewell game at B.C. Place Stadium.
Search for runaway kangaroo in Ontario continues
The search continues for the kangaroo that is hopping around somewhere in Ontario after it escaped zoo handlers from a transport truck Thursday night.
What was a hospital like in medieval times? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out
In medieval times, hospitals took care of the 'poor and infirm,' but how were inhabitants selected and what were their lives like? Researchers analyzed 400 skeletons to find out.
Crombie leading after second round of voting for Ontario Liberal leader
Voting for the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party is going to a third round, with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie having nearly secured enough votes for the win.
'Big, dark canvas of despair': Rick Hansen speaks on how his mindset changed after being paralyzed
Rick Hansen's life changed the day he was told he'd never walk again, but instead of letting his disability stand in his way, he became an advocate for accessibility rights and a Paralympic Athlete. Here's how that happened.
'Every tool at our disposal': Lawyers submit amended application to challenge Sask. pronoun legislation
LGBTQ2S+ advocates are not backing down in their legal fight against the Sask. Party’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, submitting an amended application against the legislation on Friday evening.
Amid housing crisis, jail seen as preferable to living on the street
Michael Keough has to pause in the middle of his phone call from Newfoundland and Labrador's largest jail to cough and wipe his eyes -- there's black mould on the wall where the phones are, he explains, and it irritates him after a while.
Canada
-
Search for runaway kangaroo in Ontario continues
The search continues for the kangaroo that is hopping around somewhere in Ontario after it escaped zoo handlers from a transport truck Thursday night.
-
'Every tool at our disposal': Lawyers submit amended application to challenge Sask. pronoun legislation
LGBTQ2S+ advocates are not backing down in their legal fight against the Sask. Party’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, submitting an amended application against the legislation on Friday evening.
-
Amid housing crisis, jail seen as preferable to living on the street
Michael Keough has to pause in the middle of his phone call from Newfoundland and Labrador's largest jail to cough and wipe his eyes -- there's black mould on the wall where the phones are, he explains, and it irritates him after a while.
-
At first-ever health day at UN climate summit, Canadian doctors push for action
As global leaders prepare to meet for the first dedicated health day at a UN climate summit, Canadian doctors plan to use the platform to push for a new federal office dedicated to addressing the health effects of climate change.
-
Gatineau, Que. Facebook Marketplace sellers using fake addresses to scam buyers
Residents of a Gatineau, Que. neighbourhood have been dealing with a string of strangers knocking at the doors of their homes looking to pick up their purchased products from Facebook Marketplace, but instead discovering they had been scammed.
-
Sandie Rinaldo: Rick Hansen marks the 50th anniversary of his life-changing accident by visiting the scene
Rick Hansen lost the use of his legs in a truck accident when he was just 15 years old, CTV National News anchor, Sandie Rinaldo interviewed him recently while visiting the place where his life changed irrevocably.
World
-
7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines and a tsunami warning is issued
A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck Saturday off the cost of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao and Philippine authorities issued a tsunami warning.
-
Police raid Moscow gay bars after a Supreme Court ruling labelled LGBTQ+ movement 'extremist'
Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country's top court banned what it called the "global LGBTQ+ movement" as an extremist organization.
-
Las Vegas police search for suspect after 5 homeless people are shot, killing 1
Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, one of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said.
-
Trump and DeSantis are at dueling campaign events in Iowa with the caucuses just six weeks away
Ron DeSantis plans on Saturday to complete his campaign promise to visit each of Iowa's 99 counties, a timeworn tactic for presidential candidates hoping to make their mark in the leadoff state over months mingling with voters at the state's diners, cookouts and Pizza Ranches.
-
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor paved a path for women on the Supreme Court. Four are serving today
The late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor lived to see four women serve at the same time on the Supreme Court. What was once a novelty when she was the first woman to sit on the high court has become almost commonplace.
-
Protester critically injured after setting self on fire outside Israeli consulate in Atlanta
A protester was in critical condition Friday after setting themself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, authorities said. A security guard who tried to intervene was also injured.
Politics
-
Liberals, NDP, Bloc accuse Conservatives of stalling Canada-Ukraine free trade deal
Conservatives faced a barrage of partisan fire Friday in the House of Commons as their political rivals accused the official Opposition of trying to stall measures aimed at helping Ukraine.
-
Court decisions forced some rethink of oil, gas emissions cap: Minister Guilbeault
The Liberal government had to delay its long-promised regulations to cap emissions from oil and gas production in Canada because of two recent court decisions forcing Ottawa to tread more carefully on climate policy affecting provinces, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Friday.
-
U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
Health
-
At first-ever health day at UN climate summit, Canadian doctors push for action
As global leaders prepare to meet for the first dedicated health day at a UN climate summit, Canadian doctors plan to use the platform to push for a new federal office dedicated to addressing the health effects of climate change.
-
Flu season has officially started in Canada, public health agency says
The Public Health Agency of Canada says flu season is officially underway in this country. As of Nov. 25, 7.5 per cent of people tested for influenza across Canada were positive.
-
Pfizer nixes more study of twice-daily obesity pill treatment that made many patients nauseous
Pfizer shares sank Friday when the drugmaker said it would abandon a twice-daily obesity treatment after more than half the patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it.
Sci-Tech
-
Not so dead as a dodo: 'De-extinction' plan to reintroduce bird to Mauritius
An audacious collaboration between geneticists and conservationists plans to bring back the extinct dodo and reintroduce it to its once-native habitat in Mauritius.
-
Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on TikTok blocked by judge who says it's unconstitutional
Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.
-
Chinstrap penguins nod off more than 10,000 times per day in seconds-long 'microsleeps,' study finds
A new study has documented the peculiar sleeping habits of this species of penguin. Instead of taking one long continuous period of sleep, chinstrap penguins prefer to sleep in seconds-long intervals, more than 10,000 times a day.
Entertainment
-
Avril Lavigne, Tantoo Cardinal among honourees at Canada's Walk of Fame anniversary gala
Pop-punk icon Avril Lavigne, political satirist Rick Mercer and hockey superstar Connor McDavid are among those set to be inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame tonight at a special anniversary gala in Toronto.
-
Movie armourer in 'Rust' fatal shooting pleads not guilty to unrelated gun charge
The weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer in 2021 waived her arraignment in a separate case, pleading not guilty to a charge of carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar.
-
Illinois appeals court affirms actor Jussie Smollett's convictions and jail sentence
An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions Friday of actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police.
Business
-
BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver
BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver's air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles.
-
Here's how Air Canada's new baggage tracking app works
Air Canada is hoping to give its customers more confidence when travelling with checked luggage through a new baggage tracking feature.
-
Walmart Canada investing $1 billion in modernization, 'store of the future'
Walmart Canada says it will invest nearly $1 billion this fiscal year on a slew of projects meant to modernize the retail giant's Canadian footprint.
Lifestyle
-
Fire upends Christmas charity in Michigan but thousands of kids will still get gifts
Donations are pouring in at a beloved Christmas charity after smoke damage from a fire stymied plans for the delivery of wrapped gifts for thousands of children in western Michigan.
-
This Saskatoon man just turned 104 years old and he still likes to boogie
A Saskatoon man is celebrating a remarkable milestone this week as he turns 104 years old. With a life that has spanned over ten decades, Nick Kazuska is still going strong.
-
'I just fell in love with it:' Montreal high school students learn how to cut hair
A small group of Montreal high school students is completing a 10-week program on cutting hair, learning everything from basic techniques to what it's like to run a barber shop.
Sports
-
Hoopla expected to hit new heights as Sinclair's farewell game in Vancouver nears
Canada's lopsided 5-0 win over an experimental Australia side in the rain Friday at Starlight Stadium and the hoopla surrounding it provided a taste of what is to come in Christine Sinclair's farewell game at B.C. Place Stadium.
-
'Big, dark canvas of despair': Rick Hansen speaks on how his mindset changed after being paralyzed
Rick Hansen's life changed the day he was told he'd never walk again, but instead of letting his disability stand in his way, he became an advocate for accessibility rights and a Paralympic Athlete. Here's how that happened.
-
Titleholder Italy joins Spain, Croatia in tough group at Euro 2024. Host Germany opens vs Scotland
Defending champion Italy was drawn in a tough group at the 2024 European Championship with two-time winner Spain, 2022 World Cup semifinalist Croatia and Albania on Saturday.
Autos
-
BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver
BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver's air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles.
-
New technology installed beneath Detroit street can charge electric vehicles as they drive
Crews have installed what's billed as the nation's first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.
-
New U.S. rules, aimed at curbing China, could limit tax credits for electric vehicles
The Biden administration proposed new rules Friday that could make it harder for electric vehicles to qualify for a full US$7,500 federal tax credit, complicating efforts to meet President Joe Biden's goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. run on electricity by 2030.
