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Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…
Poilievre campaigning in Conservative-safe ridings
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is campaigning in what polls suggest are Conservative-safe ridings today as election day approaches.
Poilievre is set to begin his day in Saskatoon, where he will hold a press conference, before holding a rally in Nanoose Bay, B.C., in the evening.
Recent polls suggest that ridings in both Saskatoon and the Nanaimo area, which includes Nanoose Bay, are leaning Conservative.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney has a busy day in Ontario, beginning with a press conference and visiting a small business in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will be campaigning in Liberal-leaning ridings in Toronto, Hamilton and London today.
Here’s what else we’re watching…
Canadians rate U.S. relations on par with Russia
Canadians say their relations with Washington are just as bad as ties with Moscow, according to polling that suggests an openness to improving links with China and especially Mexico.
Just 16 per cent of Canadians polled by Leger say Canada has a good relationship with the U.S., compared to 15 per cent for ties with Russia.
Meanwhile, 36 per cent of Canadians say Ottawa has a good relationship with Beijing, while the number ranks higher than 75 per cent for ties with Mexico, the European Union and the U.K.
“When Canadians give their relationship with the United States such a really horrible evaluation, it’s largely attributable to our expectations about that relationship, which are generally considerably better” than the current situation, said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies.
Leger Marketing surveyed 1,603 people from April 17 to 19 for the Association for Canadian Studies. It can not be assigned a margin of error because it was a panel survey.
Transplant, cancer patients fear measles exposure
Laurie Miller, a 59-year-old heart transplant patient exposed to measles in Stratford, Ont., says her story speaks to the risks people who are immunocompromised face during an outbreak.
She brought her husband to the emergency room in mid-March after an all-terrain vehicle accident. Their local public health unit called a few days later saying a patient with measles had been in the emergency room too.
Miller was at the hair salon she works at in a retirement home when she got the call. Though she’s born before 1970, a cohort Health Canada says likely acquired natural immunity to measles, the public health official told her to leave immediately and quarantine at home.
Her public health unit Huron Perth has seen more than 120 cases since an outbreak began in October. Public Health Ontario said Thursday the total number of cases reported in the province has surpassed 1,000, with 95 new cases since last week. Alberta’s case count was 122 as of Wednesday, with the province noting 14 were “known to be communicable,” while Quebec declared its outbreak over earlier this week.
Bay expected to begin liquidation of final stores
Hudson’s Bay is expected to start liquidating its final six stores today.
A court filing made earlier in the week by a financial adviser to the beleaguered department store says the selloff will begin because there is a “low probability” that the company will find a buyer for its remaining locations.
Those locations due to begin liquidation include the flagship on Yonge Street in Toronto, as well as a location in the city’s Yorkdale mall and another farther north in Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill, Ont.
The remaining three span downtown Montreal, the Carrefour Laval mall and Pointe-Claire, Que. One Saks Fifth Avenue store is also being added to the liquidation sales.
Hudson’s Bay received court permission last month to liquidate 90 of its 96 Bay, Saks and Saks Off Fifth stores by mid-June, while it hunts for investors or buyers that could restructure or maintain the business.
How to watch Pope Francis’s funeral in Canada
Mourners are expected to gather for Pope Francis’s funeral at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, following his death on Monday at the age of 88.
The Vatican says the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. local time, which is 4 a.m. ET. That means Canadians will need to set their alarms extra early to catch it live.
The funeral for the first Latin American pontiff is expected to bring international leaders along with cardinals, archbishops and priests from across the globe to the Vatican.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will represent Canada at the ceremony, as Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigns in the final leg of the federal election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2025.
The Canadian Press
