In the news today: Conservative caucus meets in Ottawa

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

Conservative caucus meets in Ottawa

Conservative MPs will meet on Parliament Hill this morning for the first time since December, returning to a much different political landscape than the one they left at the holiday break.

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Parliament has been on pause since Jan. 6, the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plans to step down, triggering a Liberal leadership race.

Two weeks later, Donald Trump took over the White House while threatening to impose sweeping tariffs on imports of Canadian goods.

With all major contenders in the Liberal race promising to do away with the consumer carbon price, one of the Conservatives’ main attack lines — a pledge to “axe the tax” — has less resonance.

The Tories have held double-digit leads in the polls for more than 18 months but since Trudeau’s departure that lead has narrowed substantially.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Ontario votes: Leaders square off in first debate

Ontario’s main party leaders will square off on northern issues today in their first debate of the election campaign.

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford, NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner have all travelled to North Bay, Ont., for the debate.

The event hosted by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Canadore College.

Stiles announced her northern platform, which includes promises of more doctors and affordable homes for the north, on Thursday.

Crombie has also pledged to bring more doctors to northern communities, as part of her promise to get everyone in the province a family doctor within four years.

Police cite privacy as investigators probe chats

The details of a private chat group among current and former members of the police department in Nelson, B.C., haven’t been made public.

But the fate of an investigation by the province’s Police Complaint Commissioner into the WhatsApp chats could have implications for police across the country, as the Nelson officers mount a court challenge to the constitutionality of the seizure of their personal phones.

The British Columbia police oversight body said in its 2022 investigation order that the conversations included “work-related communications, as well as pornographic images, internet memes, and other inappropriate material and comments.”

Current Officers Adam Sutherland, Nathaniel Holt and Sarah Hannah, and former Nelson officers Jason Antsey and Robert Armstrong all say in affidavits they “considered that the WhatsApp group was private and would remain private.”

Their B.C. Supreme Court petition filed in August 2024 argues that the Police Act provision allowing for the search of officers’ personal phones and seizure of private communications data “runs afoul” of the Canadian Charter’s guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure.

Flag a symbol of national pride, growth: Senators

A group of Canadian senators is sharing views on the country’s flag, with some calling it a symbol of pride and togetherness, and others saying it represents Canada’s growth.

The report released this week is the result of an “inquiry” on the meaning of the Canadian flag launched by Sen. Andrew Cardozo a year ago.

Canada is marking the 60th anniversary of the national flag, adopted in 1965 with its iconic red Maple Leaf under Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Cardozo says it’s important that Canadians are proud of the flag.

“I think the convoy folks appropriated the flag two years ago for their negative message about our system,” Cardozo said. “This year with the threat to our nationhood from the south, we need to take it back and stand proud with our single most recognizable emblem.”

With Flag Day being celebrated on Saturday, all living former prime ministers are asking Canadians to express their national pride and “show the flag” as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to make threats against this country’s economic security and sovereignty.

Speed dating can offer relief to ‘swipe fatigue’

Speed dating was developed in Los Angeles around 1998 by a rabbi as a way for young Jewish singles to find a partner. The concept soon spread across the United States then into other countries.

In the 2010s, speed dating took a back seat as smartphones made round-the-clock access to the online world possible. Dating apps like Tinder, Grindr, Hinge and Bumble gave singles an easy way to meet a potential romantic partner.

By 2022, nearly nine per cent of Canadians aged 15 and older had used dating apps, data from Statistics Canada suggests.

Around this time, restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic began to lift. After being forced to turn online, people had to relearn how to socialize.

“Speed dating was kind of more about creating safe spaces for people to learn to be together,” said Friesen.

“A lot of us really struggled post-COVID-19 to get back into this idea that people are safe, social connection is safe, being in a new setting is safe.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2025.

The Canadian Press