U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra delivered another blunt assessment of the Canada-U.S. relationship during a wide-ranging radio interview this week, saying the U.S “does not need Canada,” even as he praised the nations’ deep economic relationship. Read More

Various controversies of the day often obscure what will later be seen as the lasting accomplishments of Premier's Doug Ford government in Ontario. Perhaps chief among them is its aggressive policy to ensure Ontario’s electricity supply for decades to come. Read More

On Thursday, Torontonians woke to a blanket of snow over the city with more coming down. Closures in the Greater Toronto Area included schools, universities, the Toronto Zoo and even the Don Valley Parkway, after black ice accumulated on the road. TTC routes and the airport were affected as Environment Canada issued a yellow alert, then upgraded it to orange. Read More

Foreign minister Anita Anand in a social post on Thursday said a Canadian citizen has died in Iran. Read More

The U.S. on Wednesday announced an indefinite suspension of processing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, in an escalation of the Trump’s administration’s crackdown on immigration. Read More

Across Canada, seniors are putting on their boogie shoes. They’re belting out songs, picking up paintbrushes, and taking to the stage. Read More

OTTAWA — Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan says she's backing activist Avi Lewis as the NDP's next leader, becoming the first of the party's seven-member caucus to endorse a leadership candidate. Read More

A crew of four astronauts landed back on Earth after departing the International Space Station on Wednesday in NASA’s first-ever medical evacuation over an undisclosed ailment involving one of the crew members. Read More

A federal officer shot a man in the leg on Wednesday night in Minneapolis, a week after the fatal shooting of a local woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent touched off angry protests and an intensifying clash between state leaders and the Trump administration. Read More

First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Read More

BEIJING — Prime Minister Mark Carney ushered in what he called a "new era" in the Canada-China relationship Thursday by renewing and updating a series of old expired non-binding agreements with the Asian superpower on energy, lumber and public safety. Read More

Many Canadians are justifiably worried about the economy after nearly a year of crippling trade sanctions imposed by the U.S. Thankfully, we've been assured our government has a plan that includes "fiscal responsibility, free trade and smart investments for long-term growth," and that Ottawa is "investing in innovation, infrastructure and security for a strong Canadian future." Read More

A Toronto lawyer charged last year with a string of criminal offences, including allegedly driving with a suspended licence with a machete in his car and threatening people at a store with a box cutter, has seen his licence to practice law in Ontario suspended temporarily. Read More

Quebec Premier François Legault announced Wednesday that he is resigning as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec and as premier, to step aside once a successor is chosen. In a hastily-called press conference (his own caucus was only brought in the loop that morning), Legault said, “I can see that many Quebecers currently want change and a change of premier, so I am announcing that, for the good of Quebec, I will be stepping down.” Read More

When I joined Iran’s pro-democracy movement as a student in 1998, I was young, optimistic, and convinced the fall of the regime was not only inevitable, but close. In 1999, alongside other student activists, we built an independent student movement and organized what became the largest student uprising since the 1979 revolution. We believed history was moving in our direction. Read More

California, or at least an elite segment of the Golden State, is in the midst of a panic right now. Not because of earthquakes or wildfires — but because of a proposed “billionaires tax” that is already causing many of its wealthiest residents to flee for less punitive environs. Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s been nearly a decade since a Canadian prime minister set foot in Beijing. Now, sensing an opportunity, Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in the Chinese capital, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and attempt to reset Canada-China relations following years of tensions between the two countries. His visit is also meant to signal that Ottawa is ready to carve its own foreign policy, independent of Washington. Read More

President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to unify his party behind his takeover of Venezuela succeeded Wednesday when all but three Senate Republicans voted to block a resolution opposing further military action in the country. Read More

Donald Trump’s tariff war occupied U.S. allies for much of last year. Now, President Xi Jinping is welcoming a procession of leaders looking to mend fences with the world’s other major economy. Read More

What do you do about a superpower you don’t trust but can’t afford to ignore? Read More

OTTAWA — Quebec Premier François Legault unexpectedly announced on Wednesday he would soon be resigning as leader just as his party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), is expected to face a crushing defeat in an election year. Read More

Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, announced the start of Phase 2 of the Trump administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan on Wednesday. Read More

It was an iconic image: A photogenic young Iranian woman filmed herself lighting a cigarette with a picture of Iran's leader, an evocative protest against the misogynistic clerics who run Iran. Read More