Alex Ballingall

Ottawa

Federal Politics Reporter at The (Toronto) Star

Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief for the @TorontoStar. Reach me here: [email protected]

Articles

Mark Carney’s government reviewing suggested changes to infrastructure bill

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall

OTTAWA — The Liberal government is reviewing a series of changes to add oversight and restrain some — but not all — of the extraordinary powers created under its controversial legislation to fast-track major development projects. The proposed law, Bill C-5, has sparked warnings of Indigenous resistance in the coming weeks, along with condemnation from environmental groups, and some reservations within the Liberal caucus.
Mark Carney makes some Liberals uneasy with parliamentary hustle for infrastructure bill

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall

OTTAWA—Some Liberal MPs are expressing reservations about their government’s effort to fast-track major development projects amid concerns over Indigenous participation and the creation of extraordinary new powers to skirt environmental laws.
Mark Carney and world leaders unable to convince Donald Trump to sign joint G7 declaration of support for Ukraine

1 week ago | thespec.com | Tonda MacCharles |Alex Ballingall

KANANASKIS, Alta. — The G7 group of world leaders emerged from its Canadian summit without a joint statement against Russia, showing that achieving unity is a lot harder than it looks.
Summit ends without U.S. agreement on Ukraine

1 week ago | thespec.com | Tonda MacCharles |Ana Pereira |Alex Ballingall |Justin Ling

Updated June 17, 2025 at 12:21 p.m. G7 Day 1 recap: Canada and U.S. set 30-day deadline to strike trade deal; Trump departing summit earlyMark Carney, Donald Trump and other world leaders met today in Kananaskis, Alta., for the 51st G7 summit. This file is no longer updating.
G7 summit produces six more statements - but none on the Ukraine war

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall |Tonda MacCharles

The summit has now produced six more statements, four of them signed off by the G7 leaders, and two more signed by additional countries. Notably, the G7 failed to agree on a unified declaration of support for Ukraine after the U.S. opposed strong language on how to exert pressure on Russia to end the Ukraine war, according to a Canadian source.
Summit ends without U.S. agreement on Ukraine

1 week ago | mykawartha.com | Tonda MacCharles |Ana Pereira |Allan Woods |Alex Ballingall

G7 Day 1 recap: Canada and U.S. set 30-day deadline to strike trade deal; Trump departing summit earlyMark Carney, Donald Trump and other world leaders met today in Kananaskis, Alta., for the 51st G7 summit. This file is no longer updating.
Macron lauds Carney's turn as G7 host

1 week ago | therecord.com | Alex Ballingall

Macron also had kind words for Prime Minister Mark Carney, whom he said did a good job maintaining unity in the G7 at the summit, just weeks after he took power in Canada. “He held the group together, he did it with his characteristic elegance and determination,” Macron said in French.
Canada will remain 'sovereign and independent,' says French president

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall

You are the owner of this article. You have permission to edit this article. Home Politics Federal Politics Asked about Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, French President Emmanuel Macron said the meetings went well with a very good relationship with Trump. Then he rhymed off many global challenges, from war to economic tensions.
Carney meets with NATO secretary

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall

Moments ago, Prime Minister Carney welcomed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to the summit. They’re supposed to be meeting now. Carney, of course, is heading to the NATO leader’s summit in the Hague next week, where the alliance is set to agree to a new defence spending threshold. We probably all know by now that Canada has been a laggard on the existing target, agreed in 2014, to spend the equivalent of at least 2 per cent of GDP of defence.
Industry minister declines to share details on Canada's part in Golden Dome project

1 week ago | thespec.com | Alex Ballingall

In a callback from Paris, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters that she won’t “negotiate in public” about whether Canada will join Trump’s Golden Dome project. She also declined to discuss any possible extra countertariffs against American imports in response to Trump doubling tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.