Canada’s Liberal leadership race: Who’s running to replace Justin Trudeau?
Montreal, Canada – The race to replace Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party – and as the country’s prime minister – is well under way, with seven candidates throwing their names into contention. The leadership hopefuls had until Thursday evening to meet a deadline to formally submit their candidacies before the party picks its new chief on March 9. Canadian media outlets reported that it could take a few days to determine who will officially be in the running. The Liberals are hoping that a new leader will bolster their chances ahead of this year’s federal election. Polls show they are currently on track to lose by a wide margin to the opposition Conservative Party: A recent Abacus Data survey had the Conservatives with 46 percent support compared with 20 percent for the Liberals. It is unclear which candidate would give the Liberals the best shot at the polls. But the vote could be called as soon as Canadian lawmakers go back to the House of Commons on March 24, as opposition legislators have pledged to try to topple the Liberal government at the earliest opportunity. The election must be held by October 20. Advertisement Semra Sevi, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said the race for the Liberal Party leadership has three credible candidates: economist Mark Carney and two former Trudeau cabinet ministers, Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould. “However, Carney and Freeland are the clear frontrunners,” Sevi told Al Jazeera. Here, Al Jazeera looks at the candidates vying to lead the Liberal Party, where they stand on key issues, and whether they will be able to help the party make up ground ahead of the next election. Mark Carney, former Bank of Canada governor Carney announced his leadership bid at a rally in Edmonton, Alberta, on January 16 [Amber Bracken/Reuters] Carney, 59, has tried to portray himself as a political outsider, putting distance between himself and the widely unpopular Trudeau. The economist previously served as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, and he acted as an economic adviser to Trudeau’s government. He currently holds a role at the United Nations as a special envoy on climate action and finance. “Too many are falling behind. Too many young people can’t afford a home. Too many people can’t find a doctor,” he said during a rally to announce his Liberal leadership bid in Edmonton, the capital of Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta, on January 16. According to Sevi, Carney’s experience as a former central banker gives him “substantial credibility on economic issues”, which have been a major concern for Canadians amid rising costs and a housing crisis. Advertisement “He can position himself as an expert in managing inflation, housing affordability and financial insecurity,” she told Al Jazeera. Yet on the flip side, Carney’s “lack of direct political experience could make him seem out of touch with grassroots concerns”, Sevi said. “His technocratic background may not translate easily into the kind of leadership voters expect during tough times.” Justin didn’t ruin Canada alone. Carbon Tax Carney & Chrystia were right by his side as he doubled housing costs and hiked the tax on gas, heat & groceries. The next Liberal leader will be Just Like Justin: https://t.co/phXSjPB24c pic.twitter.com/Nj08tDsiFY — Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 20, 2025 The decision to launch his campaign from his home province of Alberta – where residents typically vote for right-wing parties – was also noted by experts. “The new Liberal leader will need to focus on regaining support in western Canada, particularly in Alberta,” Sevi explained. In that vein, Carney has said he is open to alternatives to an unpopular federal programme that placed a price on carbon emissions. The climate policy, introduced under Trudeau, is a top target of attacks from right-wing politicians, including Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is hoping to make it a central election issue. With Trudeau leaving, it has become an early point of contention in the Liberal leadership race, as well. Poilievre, a populist politician who has been in Parliament since the early 2000s, has used the nickname “Carbon Tax Carney” to blast the economist for his past support of the policy. Advertisement “It’s clear that Carbon Tax Carney and the Liberals will say anything to try and hold power. But they cannot be trusted. Carbon Tax Carney is just like Justin,” the Conservatives said in a recent statement. Despite those attacks, Carney has racked up endorsements from top Liberal ministers, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan. It’s time to build.https://t.co/dsz02q6qZA pic.twitter.com/vvYHC7dKnJ — Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) January 23, 2025 The backing of ministers from the French-speaking province of Quebec – where the Liberals typically draw a key segment of their support – may also prove critical for Carney, according to Jim Bickerton, a political science professor at St Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. “It’s always important that the Liberal leader have a strong support base in Quebec,” Bickerton told Al Jazeera. In a new campaign video released on Thursday, Carney also hit back at Poilievre, comparing him to United States President Donald Trump, who has embraced anti-immigrant policies and regularly attacks the media and his perceived critics. “You can’t stand up to Trump when you’re working from his playbook,” Carney says in the video. “Pierre Poilievre has been a politician his entire life, and in all that time, he hasn’t fixed a thing. He just complains, misleads and blames everything on someone else.” Chrystia Freeland, ex-deputy prime minister and finance minister Freeland holds a campaign event in Toronto on January 19 [Cole Burston/Reuters] Freeland has been a key member of Trudeau’s inner circle since she was first elected to represent a Toronto electoral district – known as a riding – in 2015, the year the Liberals swept into power. Advertisement Since then, she has held various high-profile government portfolios, including as deputy prime minister and finance minister. But
Afghanistan: The price of peace
The disastrous 20-year US mission in Afghanistan which ended in failure, the limits of power and long-term scars of war. The United States’ Afghan war – more than two decades of conflict, trillions of dollars spent, tens of thousands of civilian and military lives lost and the Taliban ultimately reclaiming power. What was this US intervention all about, was it worth it and could it ever realistically succeed? This documentary investigates how, despite spending more than $2.3 trillion and two decades in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, the US failed to achieve its objectives of building a stable Afghan state and military capable of resisting the Taliban. We hear from Taliban officials, American military personnel, Afghan civilians, key political figures and experts, with different perspectives on the war goals, strategies and ultimate failure. The film examines the human toll of the occupation, cultural and political missteps and the enduring challenges facing Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban. It also reflects on the broader themes of imperialism, nation-building and the enduring struggle for sovereignty. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Ruined Gaza mosque hosts first Friday prayers since ceasefire
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Worshippers gathered in a ruined Gaza mosque for their first Friday prayers since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
ATF accused of ‘circumventing’ Trump order to place DEI staff on paid leave
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been accused of allegedly quietly changing the job title of its former diversity officer as President Donald Trump ordered all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employees be placed on paid leave. “The ATF defied @realDonaldTrump’s order to place DEI workers on leave, instead giving their DEI officer a new title. They attack citizens’ rights, ignore leadership, and act as though they’re above the law. Enough is enough. Time to abolish the ATF!” Republican Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison posted to X. The ATF, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice’s umbrella, previously employed Lisa T. Boykin as its chief diversity officer before her title was changed on the ATF’s website this week to “senior executive” with the ATF. An archived link of the ATF’s website reviewed by Fox Digital shows Boykin was listed as the chief diversity officer as recently as Tuesday – Trump’s second day in the Oval Office – and now shows her as working as the agency’s “senior executive.” Trump had railed against DEI programs and offices at the federal level, as well as in the education system, throughout his campaign. Upon taking office on Monday, he inked an executive order terminating ”illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.” TRUMP REVOKES BIDEN ORDER ALLOWING TRANSGENDER TROOPS IN BID TO RID DEI FROM MILITARY The following day, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) told agency and department leaders to begin shutting down DEI offices and to place DEI employees on paid leave. TRUMP’S DISMANTLING OF DEI IS DEEPER AND BIGGER THAN YOU EVEN KNOW “Send a notification to all employees of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs,” the OPM directive, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, read. A biography for Boykin from 2023 detailed that she began working as ATF’s Human Resources Operations Division in 2016 and “as a collateral duty, in 2021, Mrs. Boykin also began serving as the Bureau’s Chief Diversity Officer,” the New York Post reported. “With the Bureau’s continued focus on enhancing DEIA, Mrs. Boykin currently assumes the work of the CDO in a fulltime capacity, leading and implementing departmental programs and mandates, while bringing renewed vision and effective strategies to maintain an informed DEIA culture for the Bureau,” Boykin’s bio added. WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY When asked about the title change and subsequent criticism on social media, an ATF spokesman responded that the agency has followed DEI directives from the Trump administration. “ATF began implementing OPM’s Initial Guidance on DEIA immediately after its issuance on January 21, 2025, in response to the President’s Executive Orders. We have proactively taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance with this guidance, including by placing impacted personnel on administrative leave,” an ATF spokesman told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital asked for clarification on whether Boykin’s new title protects her from administrative leave but did not immediately receive a reply. Fox News Digital also reached out to Boykin on her ATF email and received an automatic response noting she was unavailable to reply. “I am currently unavailable and unable to return e-mails at this time,” the email read. Social media commenters and critics of the Biden administration’s diversity initiatives slammed the ATF employee’s title change on social media, clamming the agency is “circumventing” the Trump administration’s orders. 3 IN 10 VOTERS THINK ENDING DEI PROGRAMS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, POLL SHOWS, AS FEDERAL DEADLINE LOOMS Biden championed diversity initiatives under his administration, rolling back the first Trump administration’s policies that banned diversity training in government agencies during his first week in office in 2021. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In the weeks ahead, I will be reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and accessibility, building on the work we started in the Obama-Biden administration. That’s why I’m rescinding the previous administration’s harmful ban on diversity and sensitivity training,” Biden said in January of 2021. “Unity and healing must begin with understanding and truth, not ignorance and lies.”
DeSantis pushes Florida lawmakers to take action on illegal immigration, warns of consequences for defiance
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pushed Republican state lawmakers to take urgent action on illegal immigration, voting to fight like a “junkyard dog” and warning of political consequences for defiance. The governor leaned on the Florida legislature ahead of a special session next week, during which he wants legislators to pass new bills to crack down on illegal immigration in sync with President Donald Trump’s administration at the federal level. But GOP leaders have called the session “premature” and signaled that they may gavel out without taking action on the governor’s agenda items. DeSantis warned that would be a costly mistake. “It would be very, very hazardous politically,” he told reporters during a roundtable discussion at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He also suggested that he will call for another special session of the legislature if GOP leaders delay action. BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION “I have my constitutional authority to wield in this process and I will continue to wield it as appropriate so that we’re able to get the job done,” he said, adding that he would fight like a “junkyard dog” to get his immigration policies enacted. “You don’t let go.” DeSantis wants Republicans to enact laws that would require state and local officials to comply with the new immigration orders issued by the White House and provide funding for them to do so. He has also called for legislation that would penalize state and local officials who violate Florida’s “anti-sanctuary policies,” WPTV reported. The governor also directed lawmakers to consider additional hurricane aid, crack down on ballot initiative signature fraud and address rising HOA fees. DESANTIS CITES ‘GULF OF AMERICA’ IN WINTER STORM ORDER AFTER TRUMP REBRANDING House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton reacted coolly when the governor called for a special legislative session starting on Jan. 27. In a joint statement on Jan. 13, they called it “irresponsible” for the legislature to act ahead of any announcements Trump may make on immigration and criticized DeSantis, stating the governor had offered only “fragmented ideas” and had not released any bill language or details for legislators to consider. Lawmakers “will decide when and what legislation we consider,” the Florida House and Senate leaders said. Trump has already issued a flurry of executive orders to begin promised “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants present in the United States. On Monday, Trump declared an emergency on the southern border, deployed 1,500 soldiers to the border and ended the Biden administration’s CBP One app program to process migrants at ports of entry via humanitarian parole. His administration then launched a mass deportation operation, with ICE agents active in multiple cities and states across the U.S. DESANTIS’ CHOSEN RUBIO REPLACEMENT MOODY WANTS TO TACKLE INFLATION, SPENDING, BORDER: ‘AUDIT THE FED!’ The Department of Homeland Security has also issued memos rescinding limits placed on ICE by the Biden administration, ordering a review of parole and expanding the use of expedited removal for recently-arrived illegal immigrants. And Trump’s administration has moved to restore border wall construction and reinstate the Remain-in-Mexico policy, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico for the duration of their asylum cases. These combined policies have resulted in a sharp 35% drop in illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources told Fox News Digital. DeSantis rejected the concerns of the legislature, telling reporters Thursday, “we’ve been waiting years for this moment. It’s not premature.” “We can’t drag our feet. We can’t wait for something to go into effect in July. We need something immediately and we need to get everything moving, and we need to do what we told the people that elected us that we would do.”
JFK’s grandson says there is ‘nothing heroic’ about Trump’s declassification order
President Donald Trump’s executive order to declassify the JFK files left one of the 35th president’s descendants unimpressed. Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, made his stance on the order clear in a post on X, saying that there was “nothing heroic” about Trump’s latest move. “Declassification is using JFK as a political prop, when he’s not here to punch back,” Schlossberg wrote. “There’s nothing heroic about it.” TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS After signing the order, which included the declassification of files on the assassinations of JFK, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., Trump told reporters that “everything will be revealed.” RFK Jr., son of the late senator and Trump’s HHS nominee, told press that the order was a “great move” on the president’s part. He believes that the move will bring “more transparency” and it shows that Trump is “keeping his promise to have the government tell the truth to the American people about everything.” Kennedy has called for answers on his father and uncle’s assassinations. TRUMP’S AI ‘DECLARATION’ REMINISCENT OF JFK PLEDGE TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON: FORMER WHITE HOUSE IT OFFICIAL “I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue,” Trump’s order reads. The order gives officials just over two weeks (15 days) to give Trump a plan for “the full and complete release of records” on the JFK assassination. Additionally, officials have 45 days to present a plan on files relating to RFK and MLK Jr.’s assassinations. King’s family reacted to the order in a statement, saying that they “hope to be provided the opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release.” While Trump promised to release the JFK files during his first administration, there is still an undisclosed amount of material that remains under wraps more than 60 years later. Trump ultimately agreed to block the release of the files after pleas from the CIA and FBI. At the time, he said that the threat of making the documents public were of “significant gravity” that they outweighed “public interest.” In a recent appearance on “Hannity,” Trump said that then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked him not to release the documents, though he did not say if Pompeo explained why the files should remain classified. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Republic Day 2025: 10 lesser known facts about R-Day that every citizen should know
Here are 10 interesting insights into this national occasion.
‘Deportation flights have begun’ as Trump sends ‘strong and clear message,’ White House says
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Friday that “deportation flights have begun,” releasing photos of people boarding military aircraft. “President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” she wrote on X. One of the photos was taken at Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News. The sources added that the plane in the image holds 80 people and departed for Guatemala. It is not immediately clear who was boarding the planes. Leavitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY Information obtained by Fox News Digital shows that between midnight Jan. 21 and 9 a.m. Jan 22, a 33-hour period, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants that include criminal histories of sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs and weapons offenses, resisting arrest and domestic violence. Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela. On Thursday, ICE agents also detained several workers at a fish market in Newark, N.J., Fox 5 NY reported. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka slammed the operation as an “egregious act” and a violation of the Fourth Amendment after agents reportedly swooped in to raid the business “without producing a warrant.” TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT ASKS GOVERNMENT TO REIMBURSE STATE FOR $11 BILLION TO SECURE SOUTHERN BORDER Baraka said that one of those detained is a U.S. military veteran who “suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.” “This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures….’” Baraka wrote in a statement. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Barak said, adding that he is “ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.” Fox News’ Brooke Taylor, Adam Shaw and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Dems rail against ‘egregious’ ICE raid after military veteran questioned
A New Jersey mayor and other leading Democrats have blasted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a worksite which they say resulted in undocumented residents as well as a U.S. citizen being “detained.” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka slammed the operation as an “egregious act” and a violation of the Fourth Amendment after agents reportedly swooped in to raid a business establishment “without producing a warrant.” Baraka said that one of those detained is a U.S. military veteran who “suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.” TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN REVEALS ICE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ARRESTING ‘PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’ “This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures….’” Baraka wrote in a statement. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Barak said, adding that he is “ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.” It is not clear if the U.S. citizen in the Newark case was taken into custody, with an ICE spokesperson telling Fox News that the U.S. citizen was asked to produce identification. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark, New Jersey,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News in relation to Thursday’s Newark operation. “This is an active investigation, and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.” ICE raids have ramped up across the country this week as President Donald Trump looks to clamp down on illegal immigration, a key campaign promise. Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has said ICE agents will focus on the “worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim joined Baraka in condemning the raid. “We are deeply concerned about the news of an ICE raid in Newark today. Our offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to demand answers,” the senators said in a joint statement. “Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics. We will continue to work with Mayor Baraka and other local officials to gather more information to ensure all New Jerseyans are safe and their dignity and rights are protected.” Baraka, a progressive Democrat, has been mayor of Newark since 2014 and is running for New Jersey governor this year. He has called for a “progressive overhaul” of the blue state and his campaign agenda includes reparations, sanctuary state laws, baby bonds, and a universal basic income.” Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., also slammed the raid in a statement. “Already, Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are hitting home and we will not back down,” she said. “We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.” In the first days of the Trump administration, ICE has made more than 460 arrests of illegal immigrants, including those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs and weapons crimes. Arrests took place across the U.S., including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland. Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela. Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Stephen Sorace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
‘Freedom of speech and expression cannot be applied selectively’, says MEA on obstructions to ‘Emergency’ screening
During the weekly press briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal commented on the reports citing obstructions towards the screening of the ‘Emergency’ movie in the UK.