Former Liberal minister Kirsty Duncan taking medical leave, will stay on as MP

Liberal member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan has announced that she is taking an immediate medical leave due to a "physical health challenge."
Duncan posted a statement on Twitter that says she will remain the MP for Etobicoke North and looks forward to returning to work.
Duncan has served in the House of Commons since 2008, winning five consecutive elections in the Greater Toronto Area riding.
She was science minister for the first three years of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's mandate, followed by stints as the minister of sport and persons with disabilities, the minister of science and sport and the deputy House leader.
Duncan does not currently hold a position in Trudeau's cabinet.
But she has continued to advocate on issues related to her former portfolios from the sidelines, recently calling on the government to launch an independent inquiry into the Canadian sport system following widespread allegations of abuse.
IN DEPTH
Border concerns, defence priorities: Wide range of topics to discuss during Biden's official visit to Canada
U.S. President Joe Biden heads north next week for his first visit to Canada as president. Ahead of the visit, both countries are laying out a wide range of potential topics spanning from migration policy to continuing support for Ukraine.

FACT CHECK | Popular e-petition calling for Canada to allow trans people to claim asylum, but that right is 'already established'
More than 130,000 people have signed an e-petition calling on Canada to give transgender and non-binary people fleeing harmful laws in their home countries the right to claim asylum, but that's already possible in this country. Advocates say the popularity of the proposal shows politicians that Canadians want the government to affirm its welcoming position.
Trudeau met threshold to invoke Emergencies Act, commission finds
The Public Order Emergency Commission has concluded that the federal government met the threshold for invoking the Emergencies Act to bring an end to the 'Freedom Convoy' protests and blockades.
PM Trudeau presents premiers $196B health-care funding deal, with $46B in new funding over the next decade
The federal government is pledging to increase health funding to Canada's provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years, in a long-awaited deal aimed at addressing Canada's crumbling health-care systems with $46.2 billion in new funding.
Canada may be turning corner on inflation, but Bank of Canada governor not ruling out 'mild recession'
Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says he thinks Canada is 'turning the corner' on inflation, but he isn't ruling out that the country could enter a 'mild recession.' In an English-language broadcast exclusive interview with CTV National News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier, Macklem encouraged Canadians to prepare a 'buffer' to withstand 'tougher times.'
Opinion
opinion | Don Martin: Beware the friendly face of Joe Biden. He's just not that into us.
Joe Biden comes for a sleepover next week to make Canada the 18th country he has visited since being sworn in as U.S. president, quite the protocol slippage from that fading, if not forgotten, tradition of Canada being the first foreign presidential pitstop, writes Don Martin in a column for CTVNews.ca.

opinion | Don Martin: Finally and inevitably, Trudeau waved the white flag
After weeks of refusing to look further into foreign election interference, Justin Trudeau surrendered to intense pressure and appointed a 'special rapporteur' to review China's actions. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin writes this 'startling change of heart' suggests the PMO is in panic mode and reflects badly on the prime minister's decision making.
opinion | Don Martin: The Trudeau tipping point is within sight
The Trudeau tipping point is within sight. The moment when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows he has to quit for the good of the party or the Liberals realize they can't survive re-election with him at the helm is almost upon us, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Trudeau can't ignore the dangers of Chinese meddling in Canada's elections
Bombshell revelations that suggest Chinese agents actively, fraudulently and successfully manipulated Canada's electoral integrity in the last two federal elections cannot be dismissed with the standard Justin Trudeau nothing-to-see-here shrug, Don Martin writes in his exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Alarms going off over health-care privatization? Such an out-of-touch waste of hot political air
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'
ANALYSIS & INSIGHTS
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What are the predictions for Canada's real estate market this spring?
The Canadian real estate market has been sluggish since last year, when prospective buyers started putting off plans to purchase homes as the Bank of Canada aggressively hiked interest rates eight consecutive times. But realtors see many edging toward a purchase once more.

China and Russia's complicated friendship, explained
Chinese leader Xi Jinping just concluded a three-day visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a warm affair in which the two men praised each other and spoke of a profound friendship. It's a high point in a complicated, centuries-long relationship.
What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues
Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven's death, researchers pulled DNA from strands of his hair, searching for clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him.
Calgary doctor performs spine surgery on conscious patient
Last month, Dr. Michael Yang, a spine surgeon at Foothills Medical Centre, performed a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc in the spine, on a patient who was wide awake.
Gwyneth Paltrow ski collision trial brings doctors to stand
Doctors and family members are expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Utah man suing her and claiming her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.
'I'm a Canadian': MP named in foreign interference report speaks out, refutes claims
The Liberal MP who allegedly benefitted from Chinese election interference is speaking out against the report, categorically stating the foreign government did not help him in his nomination campaign.
Canadians throw out millions of food products each year. Here's how to reduce that waste
Canadians are throwing out millions of food products each year, a practice that is not only harming the environment but also their wallets. Here are some tips to reduce food waste from an eco expert.
Shake Shack to come to Canada in 2024 with first location set for Toronto
Canadians with a hankering for Shake Shack's juicy burgers soon won't have to cross the border to satisfy their cravings. Toronto-based private investment firms Osmington Inc. and Harlo Entertainment Inc. announced plans Wednesday to bring the U.S. fast food giant to Canada.
5 remain missing as rescuers continue search through wreckage of Old Montreal fire
The search for victims continues in Old Montreal Wednesday, nearly a week after a major fire left at least two dead and five missing. Rescuers are slowly but surely combing through the historic building, which contained multiple illegal Airbnb units at the time of the fire.