In the news today: Early election, Liberal leadership race, Trump tariffs

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Early election looms over Liberal race

The next Liberal leader will need to turn their attention quickly to ensure the party is ready for an early election once the short leadership race ends in March.

Read more:

• Liberals trail Tories in nominations ahead of expected early election
• Liberals start gathering signatures for potential leadership bids
• Poll suggests Canadians worry about U.S. relationship as Liberals choose a new leader

Multiple Liberal cabinet ministers and MPs have said they will not seek re-election over the past year, and the governing Liberals are trailing the Conservatives in nominating candidates.

The Liberals say they have 129 candidates nominated out of 343 federal ridings, while the Conservatives say they have close to 221, and the New Democrats say they have 93.

University of Toronto political science professor Randy Besco says the next Liberal leader will need to quickly sort out their campaign machinery, since senior members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office may be unwilling to stick it out under a new leader.

Trudeau, premiers meet to discuss Trump’s threats

Canada’s premiers are set to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet today to talk about U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s vow to impose steep tariffs.

Trump has promised to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican imports — one of several measures he says he’ll enact on day one of his presidency through an executive order. He assumes that office on Monday.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc met Tuesday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who currently chairs the premiers’ group, to talk about Canada’s response.

“I saw the plan for border security. It’s phenomenal. As I said to Minister LeBlanc, have (Public Safety Minister David McGuinty) get out there and start promoting it, because it’s a solid, solid plan,” Ford said.

Just one day earlier, Ford criticized the Trudeau government for not sharing details of the border plan.

Canada carbon rebate goes out today

The first carbon rebate of 2025 is being paid out today to households in provinces that use the federal carbon pricing system — even as the future of the rebate program itself remains uncertain.

For a family of four, the rebate will pay out anywhere from $190 in New Brunswick to $450 in Alberta, with people in small and rural communities receiving a 20 per cent boost to their rebates.

With the Liberals’ keystone climate policy under sustained political attack, the federal government has attempted to improve its communications on the file by arguing that most Canadians get more money back from the program than they pay.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to “axe the tax” if elected, and even Liberal leadership prospect Mark Carney told a Senate committee in May the carbon tax had “served its purpose, until now.”

CBC to boost local news coverage with 30 new hires

CBC News is planning to boost coverage in nearly two dozen underserved communities across Canada by hiring up to 30 permanent journalists.

The public broadcaster says it’s making the investment using funds expected from Google as part of a compensation deal made under the Online News Act.

The act compels tech giants to pay news outlets for using their content. Google agreed to pay $100 million to be exempt from the act for five years.

CBC/Radio-Canada is set to receive about $7 million of that payout, which will be distributed to news outlets by a designated journalism collective.

Tribunal ruling will lead to justice: advocate

Alberta’s human rights tribunal has dismissed a gender discrimination complaint against an Edmonton 911 operator, but the LGBTQ+ advocate who lodged it expects the ruling will lead to justice for others.

Marni Panas, a transgender woman, filed the complaint against the Edmonton Police Service in 2019 after she called 911 to ask for a welfare check on her friend, who hadn’t contacted her after a date. Dispatchers misgendered her, and one assumed her friend was a sex worker.

The tribunal ruled that dispatchers did not mean to misgender Panas, but did find that discrimination occurred.

In an interview Tuesday, Panas said even though the tribunal didn’t decide in her favour, she got the outcome she wanted.

B.C. wolves to be captured for release in Colorado

A wildlife team from the United States has begun an operation to capture grey wolves in British Columbia for release in Colorado.

The operation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife comes after an agreement with the B.C. government to “translocate” up to 15 wolves a year over the next three to five years.

Colorado Parks says in a statement that the capture operation follows work to adopt measures that will minimize conflict between wolves and livestock.

It says the operation is expected to last up to two weeks, with the goal to “recover and maintain a viable, self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado.”

The state says the B.C. wolves will be tested and treated for disease before they are relocated, and collars will be placed on the animals to monitor their behaviours.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025

The Canadian Press