Prime Minister Trudeau planning cabinet shuffle following Brison resignation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’ll be shuffling his cabinet Monday following the resignation of Treasury President and long-time Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison.
However, despite the well-wishes for Brison on his departure, there is some speculation that his decision could have more to do with his proximity to the case of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. Norman is facing a breach of trust charge related to allegations he leaked secrets to promote a navy shipbuilding contract and he goes to trial in the late summer, just ahead of the fall election, and defence lawyers are expected to make Brison a star witness.
Bernier defends first candidate
Maxime Bernier is defending the appointment of a former Christian talk show host to be the first candidate for the People’s Party of Canada, the new political party he founded after parting ways with the Conservatives.
Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson will run in the Burnaby South byelection in BC next month, and has been a vocal critic of the provincial curriculum on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Bernier says Tyler Thompson is entitled to her opinions but she knows social-conservative issues like abortion and gender identity will not be part of the party platform for the 2019 election.
Canadian woman still missing after travelling in West Africa
The families of a Canadian woman and her Italian friend say they haven’t heard from the two travellers since December 15th.
The pair were travelling through Burkina Faso, on their way to do humanitarian work in neighbouring Togo. Questions are being raised as to why the couple went to dangerous countries and ignored travel warnings from the federal government.
Canadian diplomats have second meeting with detainee in China
A spokesman for Canada’s foreign ministry says diplomats have had their second meeting with a Canadian detainee Michael Kovrig, who is being held in China on an allegation of endangering national security.
The spokesman says Canada is pushing for more consular access, at the same time demanding two Canadian detainees be released immediately.
American President Trump visits border town amid shutdown
On the 20th day of a partial shutdown of the U.S. government, President Donald Trump is visiting a Texas border town in an attempt to bolster his argument that a wall is needed on security and humanitarian grounds. During his time there, Trump will visit a border patrol station and receive a briefing on border security. Trump and congressional Democrats remain at an impasse over his demand for $5.7-billion for a wall along the southern border.
