In the news today: In Ottawa, all eyes on Trudeau’s political future

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

All eyes in Ottawa are on Trudeau’s political future

Monday could mark a historic week in Canadian politics — if the growing chorus calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets its way. Citing three sources, the Globe and Mail is reporting that the prime minister could step down as early as today, ahead of a national caucus meeting where he is set to face Liberal MPs. Trudeau has not yet publicly spoken about his political future, despite intensifying calls for him to step down after the surprise resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Dec. 16. This week, the Conservatives plan to introduce a non-confidence motion at the public accounts committee, and that could be up for a vote in the House of Commons as soon as Jan. 30.

WestJet must produce harassment files, judge says

The B.C. Supreme Court has ordered WestJet to hand over all its files on harassment of flight attendants, in a class-action lawsuit alleging widespread misconduct by pilots. The ruling by Justice Jacqueline Hughes says WestJet has been slow and “potentially adversarial” regarding the documents and it’s unclear why complaint files haven’t been produced in a timely manner. The underlying claim in the long-running lawsuit, filed in 2016, alleges WestJet breached flight attendants’ contracts by breaking a “promise” to provide a harassment-free workplace. The ruling posted Friday but dated Dec. 11 says the airline tried to limit document production to complaints against male pilots by female flight attendants who haven’t opted out of the lawsuit.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Albertans on income support at five-year high

Government data shows more than 57,000 Albertans are receiving financial support from the province — the highest since 2019. Alberta says Ottawa’s rollout of the emergency response benefit during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic meant provincial income support recipients dropped substantially in 2020 and 2021. But over the past few years, that number started to pick up, growing by 20 per cent last year. University of Calgary economics professor Ron Kneebone says the increase could be a sign that Albertans in need are gradually returning to the provincial program after receiving federal support during the pandemic. The province budgeted almost $800,000 for the income support program in 2024.

Powerful winter storm slams N.L. coast

Massive waves slammed Newfoundland and Labrador’s coastline on Sunday, as a powerful winter storm left thousands without power, tore down trees and house siding and sent small buildings tumbling into the ocean. Pictures and videos on social media show flooding in the St. John’s area, wind damage to the facade of a downtown pub, debris and rocks that have been washed up on land and waves pounding the coastline. Pictures and videos on social media show flooding in the St. John’s area, wind damage to the facade of a downtown pub, debris and rocks that have been washed up on land and waves pounding the coastline. Environment Canada has issued weather warnings for the majority of Newfoundland and parts of Labrador, with messy weather forecast through the day into Monday morning.

Canadians come up short at Golden Globes

Canadians competing for some of the top Golden Globe Awards came up empty-handed on Sunday during a star-studded ceremony dominated by Netflix crime musical “Emilia Pérez” and FX’s feudal-Japan-set “Shōgun.” British Columbia’s Pamela Anderson was among the Canadians up for awards, earning her first Globes nod for best actress in a dramatic film thanks to her starring turn as a Vegas dancer in “The Last Showgirl.” She lost to Fernanda Torres of Brazilian political drama “I’m Still Here.” Vancouver’s Gabriel LaBelle was another first-time nominee, vying for best actor in a motion picture comedy for his role as a young Lorne Michaels in “SNL” origin story “Saturday Night.” He lost to Sebastian Stan of “A Different Man,” a dark comedy about overcoming a disfiguring condition.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2025.

The Canadian Press