OTTAWA — The head of the RCMP says the force raised concerns directly to the CBC over a joint production that targeted RCMP veterans, saying he is “deeply concerned” for the mental health of those involved.

Mike Duheme, who has served as commissioner since 2023, says he was informed that a female member of the RCMP Veterans’ Association had volunteered to take part in a CBC documentary about life after policing only to later report that she was “subjected to a prank” during filming that took place in Vancouver back in March.

“Since that time, the RCMP has been working on behalf of the (veterans’ association) and has communicated our concerns directly to CBC. It is our understanding that the CBC has put production on hold,” Duheme said in a statement on Monday.

“I am deeply concerned for the mental health and well-being of the veterans affected by this experience,” he added, saying the force would continue working with the veterans’ association and its membership “to ensure that those impacted have access to appropriate resources.”

A spokesman for the RCMP clarified in an email on Monday that Duheme has not personally been involved in the communications to CBC.

His comments nonetheless come after the National Police Federation, a union representing around 20,000 active and retired Mounties, raised its own concerns, citing how many former members deal with psychological-related distress and other injuries from their time spent with the force, expressing worry that seeing them targeted for a spoof-style TV show risks exacerbating those conditions.

The production in question was a prank show that carried the working title “Northland Tales,” which was in production for CBC Entertainment and APTN.

At least one former RCMP member has shared in a YouTube video that he was contacted by the production to take part in what he thought was a series that focused on how officers transition to civilian life only to find out while filming in Vancouver that the whole thing had been set up as a prank, which included a fake video of King Charles III announcing the dissolution of the Mounties as a result of the force’s historical dealings with First Nations.

Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, told National Post in an interview last week that he did not have exact figures for how many former officers may have been contacted or decided to participate but said it was “not a one-off scenario.”

Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs for CBC, said in a previous statement that it had paused production in light of the concerns raised and underscored how the news departments of CBC and APTN had “no involvement in this production or prior knowledge of it.”

Thompson said the broadcaster was reviewing the footage collected to date, saying it was important that the “entertainment series does not negatively impact our news brand. ”

He described the show as an “Indigenous-led, unscripted, half-hour comedy series,” which was first pitched as part of a festival back in 2024.

“Social experiments and satirical prank shows are a long-established television format used by broadcasters and streamers around the world, including many public broadcasters,” Thompson wrote in his statement last week.

“In this case, the Indigenous creators are using the format for ‘Northland Tales.’ A form of comedy is being deployed to increase better understanding of historical injustices against Indigenous peoples and support truth and reconciliation in Canada.”

Conservative politicians, some of whom say they were also contacted for the series, have raised questions about the reasons CBC, the country’s publicly funded broadcaster, involved itself in such a project.

According to academics and conservative commenters who shared online that they were also contacted by the production, it appears the show targeted those known for expressing criticism over the media coverage and claims from a First Nations in British Columbia in 2021 that ground-penetrating radar had detected 215 possible unmarked graves, linked to a former residential school.

When it comes to the RCMP, past commissioners of the force have apologized for the role the institution played in supporting the government-funded, church-run residential school system, which thousands of Indigenous children were forced to attend and where many suffered physical and sexual abuse, as well as malnutrition.

A 2011 report confirmed RCMP officers had assisted federal agents in apprehending children from their homes and levied fines against parents who did not send their children.

National Post

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• Retired RCMP officer details humiliating experience with CBC prank show

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A London, Ont., doctor who assessed a patient with inflammatory bowel disease and a history of mental health issues for MAID outside a Tim Hortons location and later personally drove the man to the place his life was ended has agreed to a minimum six months’ supervision.

In another case, Dr. James MacLean failed to administer one of three drugs used in assisted deaths — one that paralyzes the body’s muscles, including the muscles involved in breathing. The patient resumed spontaneously breathing again after initially being pronounced dead, and after MacLean had already left the home.

As first reported Monday by the The Globe and Mail, the doctor’s case is raising new concerns about MAID’s oversight and accountability.

“What is striking is not only the seriousness of the concerns identified in these cases, but the limited regulatory response,” said Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family physician and former member of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s MAID death review committee.

As part of an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) into two public complaints made against MacLean, an independent assessor appointed to review a number of MacLean’s charts concluded that he “did not meet the standard of practice of the profession, displayed a lack of judgment and that his conduct exposes or is likely to expose patients to harm or injury in five out of twenty charts reviewed,” according to a summary decision of the college’s inquiries, complaints and reports committee.

MacLean was called before the committee to be verbally “cautioned” with respect to the MAID complaints.

In addition to agreeing to mandatory clinical supervision for at least six months as part of an “undertaking” with the college, MacLean will undergo ongoing review of his MAID patient charts and mandatory professional education related to MAID, consent, documentation, professional boundaries and professional behaviour.

After six months, he’ll undergo an assessment of his practice, the results of which “may form the basis of further action by the College,” Laura Zilke, a CPSO spokesperson said in an email to National Post.

“The undertaking imposes extensive oversight and monitoring requirements on Dr. MacLean’s practice,” Zilke said.

“The college takes any complaints brought to our attention extremely seriously as part of our mandate to serve the public interest and ensure safe, ethical and competent medical care for all Ontarians.”

MacLean declined comment when contacted by National Post.

“Due to the rules regarding privacy and my professional responsibilities to the CPSO regarding confidentiality of complaint investigations, I am unable to respond to your questions,” he said in an email.

According to The Globe and Mail, one of the complaints concerns Thomas Dillon who suffered from Crohn’s disease and died, age 45, in January 2024.

The anonymized death of the St. Thomas man was also flagged by the Ontario coroner’s MAID death review committee.

In a report involving 2024 MAID deaths, the coroner’s panel highlighted the case of “Mr. A,” a male in his 40s with inflammatory bowel disease who, because of his illness, didn’t have an active social network, had difficulty maintaining a job, found personal relationships difficult and was dependent on family for housing and financial support.

He had a history of mental illness, previous bouts of suicidal thinking and on-going alcohol and opioid misuse that cost him his driver’s licence.

During a psychiatric assessment, Dillon was asked if he was aware of MAID and given information on the option.

There was no documented input from the family who were known to have had concerns about the MAID request.

MacLean and another assessor found Dillon eligible for MAID under Track 2, designed for people whose death is not reasonably foreseeable but who suffer intolerably from a grievous and irremediable medical condition.

MacLean conducted his assessment outside the coffee shop. The CPSO panel found it concerning that MacLean discussed “sensitive MAID-related matters in an informal public setting,” according to the summary of the inquiries and complaints committee’s decision.

“In the Committee’s view, this reflected a lack of the level of formality and care expected when assessing requests for MAID.”

The panel was also troubled by the “quantity and nature” of MacLean’s text exchanges with Dillon, which included comments about the family’s views.

MacLean’s decision to drive Dillon to the MAID provision location — which the Globe identified as an industrial-like facility where bodies are prepared for funerals — “raised concerns about professional boundaries.”

“Taken together, these actions created a risk that (MacLean’s) involvement could be perceived as influencing the patient,” the committee’s summary reads, especially given the patient-doctor power imbalance and Dillon’s history of mental health and substance use issues.

According to a more detailed decision from the inquiries and complaints committee provided to the family and obtained by The Globe and Mail, Dillon refused to ride to the MAID procedure site with his sister when she arrived at the Tim Hortons, where he and MacLean had again arranged to meet. MacLean ultimately drove Dillon himself “to ensure that patient’s final moments were dignified.” Dillon didn’t want to die at home, where he lived with his mother, because he knew his family didn’t approve and he agreed to the chosen site after other options were considered, the decision said.

“In this case, the assessment occurred during a single encounter at a Tim Hortons coffee shop,” Coelho said in an email.

“The family was not engaged in the assessment process, despite being the patient’s primary support and despite the MAID provider being aware they were trying to raise concerns,” she said.

“Collateral information from those closest to the patient is essential to understanding the factors contributing to the desire to die.”

The second complaint involved a cancer patient at end of life. The man had signed a “waiver of final consent” that allows people whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable to receive MAID, even if they lose capacity to give consent the moment before death.

Before the chosen date, the man lost capacity and was unresponsive. MacLean was called to the home.

He’d ordered a MAID medication kit, but it wasn’t ready when he arrived at the pharmacy. He went to the home with a kit he already had.

According to the college, MacLean administered a sedative follow by propofol, a drug used during surgery that, in high doses, puts people in a coma — a coma so deep people often cease breathing, according to Dying with Dignity Canada.

The final drug customarily used paralyzes the muscles. Deprived of oxygen, organs shut down, one by one, until the heart finally stops.

But MacLean was unable to find the neuromuscular-blocking drug in his kit.

Shortly after administering the propofol, and unable to hear a heartbeat, MacLean pronounced the patient dead, according to the college. After he left the house, “the patient resumed spontaneous breathing.”

MacLean returned, saw signs of cardiac and respiratory activity, administered more medication along with the paralyzing agent, “and again pronounced the patient’s death.”

According to the college committee, MacLean “advised that he believes the stress of the situation, including the last-minute and urgent request for his attendance and the substantial number of people present with significant tension amongst them, contributed to initial failed provision of MAID.”

The family complained about MacLean’s professionalism and communication.

“The level of scrutiny and accountability applied to MAID is inconsistent with how other serious medical procedures are regulated,” Coelho said.

The federal government “frequently points to the absence of criminal findings or disciplinary action as evidence that the MAID system is functioning safely,” Coelho added.

“Cases such as these, along with those documented (by the coroner’s MAID death review committee) confirm that important gaps in oversight and accountability remain.”

National Post

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OTTAWA — Separatists in Alberta can thank the Bloc Québécois for making the case that Albertans have the right to determine the province’s own fate without interference from Ottawa.

On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government is reviewing Alberta’s referendum question — on whether voters want to remain in Canada or hold another binding referendum to separate from Canada — to ensure it complies with the Clarity Act.

“We have an obligation as the federal government to look at the question and determine whether it’s consistent with the Clarity Act. That is underway,” said Carney.

“I’m not saying that’s the case, but we’re just in the process of doing our due diligence.”

Throughout the day, Bloc MPs pre-emptively pushed back against the federal Parliament having a say in whether a clear majority of voters in Alberta decided on a clear question.

“The future of Alberta belongs only to Albertans, just as the future of Quebec belongs only to Quebecers,” said Bloc House leader Christine Normandin in a press conference.

“To hear the prime minister even contemplate the idea that ‘daddy Ottawa’ could tell Albertans how to think, if their question is clear, or even what a clear majority is, is completely inadmissible,” she told reporters before question period.

Normandin added that the separatist Bloc Québécois will continue to “fight tooth and nail” for the right of the population in Alberta to decide on its own future without interference.

It is however unclear for the moment whether Carney will even decide to invoke the federal legislation for the first time in its history in response to Alberta’s referendum this fall.

The Clarity Act provides pre-conditions for the federal government before it recognizes the results of a secession referendum and before it starts negotiating. The question posed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith does not explicitly propose to secede from Canada.

“I don’t believe that the Clarity Act applies in this case since it is a policy question and not a binding referendum,” said Smith from the meeting of western premiers she is hosting in Kananaskis, Alta.

The father of the Clarity Act, former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, has himself said in an opinion piece that it would be premature for the federal government to invoke the act.

But some Albertans are calling on the House of Commons to intervene regardless.

That is the case of Alberta’s Treaty 8 First Nations which have said they will formally write to Carney to request that the proposed referendum question be reviewed by Parliament —arguing that it is “not just an Alberta question but… a question for all Canadians.”

The Conservatives did not have a clear stance on the use of the Clarity Act for now.

Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said there are a lot of frustrated people in her home province of Alberta who want some “clarity” from the federal government on how they will start addressing some of the “deep and real frustrations” they have.

The Clarity Act was adopted after the 1995 referendum in Quebec that nearly saw the province separate from the rest of Canada. It has been, however, controversial in the province because it does not clearly define what a “clear majority” the population is.

In a House of Commons committee, Bloc justice critic Rhéal Fortin repeatedly pressed Justice Minister Sean Fraser on whether that threshold would be 50 per cent plus one.

Fraser stressed that it would not only be inappropriate, but unhelpful for a Nova Scotian like him to insert himself into debates that are playing out in local jurisdictions.

“I am hyper aware of the importance and political sensitivity of this conversation in at least two Canadian provinces today, and I don’t want to do anything that will foment this conversation from going further,” he said in response to Fortin’s questioning.

Fraser added: “I believe the removal of either Quebec or Alberta from the federation would be a social and economic disaster for which the country would never forgive itself.”

He said the federal justice department will eventually form a legal analysis on the application of the Clarity Act once it has all the facts in hand in either case.

Later, Normandin and Fortin used their time in question period to once again tell the government how they consider the legislation to be a form of “contempt” toward the population and provinces, and why it should simply never be used.

“Not only does the Clarity Act give a sort of veto to the federal government on the wording of the question as if people were too stupid to understand… but this anti-democratic law also puts into question the principle of a majority in democracy,” said Fortin.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said now is the moment for all levels of government to work together in a more complicated world and said that is precisely the work that the prime minister has been doing with the government of Alberta.

“We’re working with all the provinces throughout the country specifically to show that the federation works and that we share the concerns of Canadians,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that the Bloc just isn’t showing up.”

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Alberta separatists who think a referendum will provide the province more leverage are risking a “very dangerous bluff” and argued that it is “not helpful” to ask people to vote over secession.

Speaking to reporters from a residential construction site in Ottawa, Carney had a stark warning for Albertans ahead of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s referendum question on sovereignty in the fall: be wary of what you’re voting for.

“It is often advanced that ‘vote for this, and it’s a free option’, ‘vote for this, and we will strengthen your hand in future negotiation.’ That is a very dangerous bluff,” Carney said.

“I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, ‘vote for this, it will be soft, and then we’ll negotiate, etc.’,” Carney said of the U.K.’s Brexit vote to leave the European Union. “They’re still, 10 years later, trying to undo what people didn’t think they were voting for, but what they ended up having.”

Carney was the governor of the Bank of England from 2013 until 2020, during the period Britons voted to leave the European Union.

Last week, Smith revealed that she would be including in a referendum on Oct. 19 a question asking whether the province should stay in Canada or vote in the future on separation.

The question on the ballot will read: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

The question does not trigger separation but, if it passes, would trigger the legal process for a binding referendum on separatism, she said. She added that she would be voting for Alberta to remain in Canada.

Smith said she was putting the first question on separatism in the province’s history to Albertans to avoid “kicking the can down the road” on the issue. Separatists have submitted 300,000 signatures to a petition demanding a referendum on separation under the province’s Citizen Initiative Act, but a court ruled that the petition was invalid because First Nations needed to be consulted before the petition was even considered.

But Carney countered Monday that the move is in fact “not helpful” as he and Smith work to improve political and economic ties between the federal government and Alberta.

When asked if he had recommended against putting the question to a referendum during a recent meeting with Smith, Carney responded that “the premier doesn’t always take my advice.”

The prime minister also pointed to the fact that nobody in Alberta knew they were casting a vote for an eventual referendum on separation during the last provincial election.

“Is it helpful to ask these fundamental questions? No, it’s not helpful, of course it’s not. Is it the democratic will of Albertans? Did they vote for this in the last provincial election? No, they didn’t,” the prime minister said.

“It wasn’t on the ballot paper, wasn’t in the mandates of or platforms of the governing party and the official opposition. It is what it is.”

Carney confirmed that he would “certainly” be campaigning for Alberta to remain in Canada leading up to the October vote. He also noted that Parliament would be taking a look at an eventual referendum question to ensure it conforms with the obligations under the Clarity Act that was passed after Quebec held a separation vote in 1995 .

Some Conservative MPs Monday argued instead that it’s important for Alberta to hold this referendum in order to put the separatism question to bed, one way or another.

“I think until we address it, it will be like an itch that is not scratched, like an irritant,” Calgary Midnapore MP Sephanie Kusie told reporters.

“I, for one, would personally like to put this behind us, so that we can move forward as a province one way or another.”

Her Calgary colleague, Greg McLean, argued the same, adding that he believes it’s “quite clear” that people will vote against separatism.

Michelle Rempel Garner, another Calgary Conservative MP, suggested Carney’s comments comparing the Alberta referendum question to Brexit were irresponsible. She also noted the backlash he faced while serving as Bank of England governor when he made comments a decade ago that earned the ire of pro-Brexit supporters.

“I would strongly caution him from doing that again, and the tone that he gave this morning was not responsible in that regard. What we need to do right now is that the Liberals need to project hope, not fear, and to do that they have to start addressing some of the deep and real frustrations of the people of my province.”

National Post, with files from Stephanie Taylor

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OTTAWA — Advocates are warning that Ottawa’s growing spending on older Canadians could widen regional tensions, ahead of an expected fall independence referendum in Alberta.

Jack Mintz, an economist at the University of Calgary, says that the federal government’s $80 billion Old Age Security (OAS) program will be an easy target for Alberta separatists making the case that the province is overtaxed and underserved by Ottawa.

“If I were an Alberta separatist, I’d point to (OAS) and say, aha, see, once again they want to raid Alberta,” said Mintz.

Alberta and the other Prairie provinces have young median ages, relative to the other provinces, and as such receive a lower share of OAS payments.

Alberta’s median age was 38.1 in 2023, compared to 40 in Ontario, 42.6 in Quebec, and almost 45 across Atlantic Canada

Mintz says that Alberta’s higher average salaries mean that seniors in Alberta see the benefits they do get taxed at a higher rate.

“This is a benefit that’s targeted and phased out for higher-income people. So, again, Alberta gets hit more,” said Mintz.

Mintz was one of several economists who called in the 2010s for Ottawa to raise the qualifying age for OAS from 65 to 67. The Harper government adopted a plan to gradually do this in 2012, but this was reversed shortly after the Liberals took power in late 2015.

In 2022, the Trudeau government boosted OAS payments by 10 per cent to those over 75. The Bloc Québécois has subsequently pushed to extend the increase to all seniors.

A Bloc bill recommending the full increase passed through the House of Commons in late 2024, with the support of all four opposition parties , stalling when an election was called last year.

Bloc MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval said Monday that his party’s plan to increase to OAS hasn’t changed.

“We have been for a long time advocating for a rise of (OAS) because we know that the indexation they have has nothing to do with inflation, and it’s a regular complaint that we have all the time,” said Barsalou-Duval during an unrelated press briefing in Ottawa.

The Bloc proposal would tack on an estimated $16 billion over five years to the cost of OAS, which is already expected to grow to more than $100 billion annually by 2030.

Paul Kershaw, head of generational fairness group Generation Squeeze, said at a separate press conference on Monday that OAS needs to be fixed irrespective of Alberta’s future in Canada.

“This moment of sending (billions of dollars) to retirees who have relative financial security compared to many, including many younger Canadians in Alberta is something that needs attention,” said Kershaw.

Kershaw said he agreed that OAS, in its current form, could be put forward as an exemplar of “the concerns in Alberta about dollars going in inefficient ways to Ottawa.”

A recent study by the Fraser Institute estimated that Alberta contributes roughly $14.2 billion more to Ottawa annually than it gets back in federal spending.

Recent polling shows that support for Alberta independence is highest among men in their prime working years . Three in 10 men between the ages of 35 and 49 say that Alberta should leave Canada and become its own country, more than any other demographic.

Almost half of Albertans who make more than $150,000 annually but say they have trouble paying their monthly bills support separation.

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A man who pleaded guilty to several “vile” offences that included assaulting a teenager and smearing fecal matter over her face and mouth has been handed a sentence of 695 days, or almost two years, by a judge in Vancouver. However, after time served in pre-trial custody, he will face just 227 more days behind bars.

Fitsum Wode Zewdu, 33, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, and committing an indecent act. In sentencing, Judge Reginald Harris of B.C. Provincial Court said he took into account the guilty plea and “the love and support of his parents,” including a letter from his father in his support.

The judge waived the victim fine surcharge, noting that Zewdu has been unemployed for years and the fine “would be an undue hardship.” The surcharge is generally 15 per cent where a fine has been levied, or between $100 and $200 for each offence.

However, Judge Harris also noted that “the vile nature of the unprovoked assault committed against a young woman who was a stranger to Mr. Zewdu warrants a sentence that strongly denounces and deters.”

Court documents released this week outline the troubling nature of the offences. In one, which took place on June 27, 2025, a 17-year-old was walking in a residential area near a SkyTrain station when Zewdu approached her from behind and grabbed her.

“He then smeared fecal matter over her face and mouth while pushing and jamming feces into her face and mouth,” court records state. “Mr. Zewdu was laughing as he held out his phone causing the victim to believe that Mr. Zewdu was recording the assault. A subsequent search of his phone showed that this was not the case.”

The assault only stopped when the victim screamed and ran to a nearby residence where she called the police. The police found Zewdu approaching a second woman with a stroller and asking her to smell his feces-covered hands.

In another instance on Oct. 13, 2024, Zewdu exited a SkyTrain station just after midnight and approached a woman who was waiting for a bus and slapped her buttocks before leaving the area.

Then on July 11, 2025, Zewdu was asked to leave an exotic strip lounge. Outside, he went to the rear parking lot and spotted a woman walking by. He approached her and threatened to kill her and to beat the “shit” out of her. Throughout, he had his penis exposed. The woman called the police, who arrested him after a brief chase.

Judge Harris noted that no victim impact statements were received by the court. “This said, common sense dictates that Mr. Zewdu’s conduct likely caused terror, created a fear of disease, hypervigilance, and concern about being out alone. No doubt, his actions robbed the victims of feeling secure and to some measure limited their movement in the community.”

Court records say that Zewdu was born in Ethiopia and moved with his father to Canada when he was three. A few years later, his mother and sister joined them. “Thereafter, the family moved frequently, ultimately settling in Burnaby,” the document states. “In 2012, Mr. Zewdu lost his sister to suicide.”

The judge noted that Zewdu has a criminal record that stretches back to 2019.

“A review of the record discloses two convictions for failing to comply with court orders and a termination of a conditional sentence order,” the judge wrote. “There is one conviction for sexual assault, two convictions for committing an indecent act, and two mischief convictions.”

Convictions include being found naked and masturbating while sitting at a library computer; spitting in a woman’s face; and dropping a cigarette down a woman’s top while whispering about her licking his feet. Zewdu was out of jail on a conditional sentence order when he committed the most recent sexual assault.

In sentencing, the judge noted several aggravating factors, including earlier convictions for similar offences; being bound by court orders at the time of his offences; and “the humiliating and disgusting act of putting feces in his victim’s face.” The judge also wrote: “Zewdu targets women and does so when few people are around.”

A court psychologist wrote that “Mr. Zewdu’s risk of sexual offending in the community is high,” adding: “The most likely victims are women. Risk scenarios including unwanted touching (e.g. slapping buttocks, grabbing, smearing feces), exposing his genitals in public, masturbating in public, verbal threats, and boundary violations.”

Zewdu has spent 311 days in pre-trial custody and, at 1.5 to 1, he has a “credit” of 467 days. The judge sentenced him to 60 days for the buttocks-slapping incident, 180 days for the incident outside the strip lounge, and 15 months (455 days) for the assault with feces.

He has a balance of 227 days to serve in prison, plus a lengthy probation order in effect for three years after his release.

• Tim Hortons customer dies after pulling a chunk of hair from employee's head over order disagreement
• Infamous Toronto man alleged to have thrown feces faces new charges following two sexual assault incidents

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Caroline Mulroney has announced that she will resign from Ontario’s legislature and from Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet in two weeks.

Mulroney, the daughter of late prime minister Brian Mulroney, shared the news in a two-page letter addressed to constituents and posted on social media Monday morning.

In it, she identifies two factors behind her difficult decisions.

“Two years ago, I lost my father. Last year, my husband Andrew and I became empty nesters. These are the kinds of moments that clarify what matters,” she wrote, referencing her husband, business executive Andrew Lapham and the four children they raised together — two daughters and two sons.

“Together, they have led me to the conclusion that now is the right time to step back from elected life and begin a new chapter, one I am genuinely excited about.”

Yesterday, I informed Premier Ford of my decision to resign from Cabinet and from my seat in the Ontario Legislature, effective June 5.

To Premier Ford, to the people of York-Simcoe, to Ontario’s Francophone community, to the York-Simcoe PC riding association, to my Caucus and… pic.twitter.com/yXapGRHjIa

— Caroline Mulroney (@C_Mulroney) May 25, 2026

Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park later in the day, Mulroney said she has no intention of seeking office again for at least “the next few years,” and plans on returning to the private sector, as reported by The Globe and Mail’s Laura Stone.

Mulroney’s resignation will be effective on Friday, June 5, when Members of Provincial Parliament rise and the legislative assembly ends for the summer. Her departure will also require a byelection in her York—Simcoe riding at a future date.

The 51-year-old called her time in government “one of the greatest privileges of my life” and went on to thank the many people and groups she worked alongside, including Ford.

“Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your unwavering commitment to this province,” she wrote. “And keep working on your French. I know you can do it!”

In a statement, Ford said the province was fortunate to have her “calm and steady leadership” and called her a “close personal friend” whom he’ll miss.

“Politics is in Caroline’s blood,” the premier said. “The Ontario PC Party and our conservative movement will no doubt continue to benefit from her ideas and ideals. Here’s to an exciting next chapter for Caroline and her family.”

Probed about Mulroney during a press conference on Monday afternoon , Ford continued to praise her and said there was “no other anything” behind her sudden departure.

Asked if she mentioned an interest in federal politics, Ford quickly said no.

Ford’s office said Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy will assume Mulroney’s position as President of the Treasury Board “on an interim basis” following her resignation. It’s a position the MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge first held when elected in 2018. He’s been managing the finance portfolio for six years.

Before entering politics, Bethlenfalvy worked in banking, investments and credit-rating roles at TD Securities, Manulife and DBRS.

Ford said Monday that the 65-year-old has done “incredible” work as finance minister and called him a “prudent fiscal manager.”

“There’s no one else I’d want better watching the money than Peter. I always joke around the guy’s tight as skin on a grape. And that is the reason our plan is working. That’s

The premier’s office later said that Minister of Long-Term Care Natalia Kusendova-Bashta has agreed to take on Mulroney’s other portfolio of Francophonie affairs when she steps down next month.

Kusendova-Bashta, also first elected in 2018, speaks both of Canada’s national languages and three others: Polish, Czech and Slovak. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she put her nursing background to use by working in the emergency department at Etobicoke General Hospital, per CBC .

Ford didn’t reply when asked about a potential cabinet shuffle on Monday.

Mulroney initially sought the PC leadership in 2018, finishing third behind Ford and runner-up Christine Elliot. She was elected that June and Ford appointed her Attorney General in his first cabinet. She’s also served as the province’s minister of transportation.

“When I first put my name forward in 2017, I made you a simple promise: to listen, to care, and to stand up for you,” Mulroney wrote. “I have tried to honour that promise every single day.”

Ford said she should “be immensely proud” of her record.

Ontario is lucky to have benefited from Caroline Mulroney’s calm and steady leadership in Cabinet, having served as attorney general, minister of transportation and most recently minister of francophone affairs and president of Treasury Board. Caroline leaves behind a record she… https://t.co/Ktbd3HDe9a pic.twitter.com/04t00o7lWB

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) May 25, 2026

Among the accomplishments she credits constituents with helping to realize are the still-under-construction Bradford Bypass, the protection of the North Gwillimbury Forest, efforts to protect Lake Simcoe, and $10 million in provincial funds for a new acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury, none of which “happened by accident,” she wrote.

“It happened because you were engaged, you were vocal, and you held me accountable.”

She thanked the mayors and councils within the riding, specifically highlighting “the farmers of the Holland Marsh,” the wetland and agricultural area just north of Toronto.

“You are among the most hardworking, innovative, and dedicated people I have ever had the privilege of knowing,” Mulroney offered.

She called the province’s Francophone community “a vital, vibrant part of who we are as a province and as a country,” to which she hopes to continue contributing.

Other appreciations were extended to the PC riding association, constituency and ministerial staff, colleagues in cabinet and caucus, and Ontario’s public service employees.

She also thanked Lapham, their children, her mother Mila, and her brothers Ben, Mark and Nicolas Mulroney.

“There is an old line in politics that the worst day in elected life is better than the best day outside of it. I’m not sure that’s true, but I do know that I will miss the people I have worked with over the past eight years more than you know,” she concluded.

“The people I have worked alongside, including more than a few friends on the opposition benches, have made me a better person. The energy of Queen’s Park is one I hope I will carry with me forever.”

On X, her brother Mark wished her well in “the next chapter”

“You served your riding and the province with grace and dignity,” he wrote. “(Martin Brian Mulroney) would be proud, as is your entire family.”

Wishing my extremely talented sister @C_Mulroney great luck as she moves on to the next chapter.

You served your riding and the province with grace and dignity.

MBM would be proud, as is your entire family. 💙🇨🇦🍀 https://t.co/qiakoNyybk

— Mark Mulroney 🇨🇦 (@markmulroney) May 25, 2026

Also on X, Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime celebrated her commitment to Canadian Francophonie , recounting a time she invited him to Question Period at Queen’s Park following meetings in Toronto.

“Seated in the visitor’s gallery, I watched her stand up and address the Legislative Assembly solely in French to highlight my presence among them, prompting all Conservative MPPs and ministers to rise and applaud,” he wrote in French. “It was an unexpected and powerful moment during my tour of Canada.”

Federal Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman said on X that Mulroney performed her duties “with grace and grit” and shared a personal photo she said was captured “one night before it all started with a fun campaign team rallying around” Mulroney, presumably from her initial 2018 foray into politics.

“A true public servant and an even better friend. Ontario is better for it,” she wrote.

Sad to see @C_Mulroney step away from Queen’s Park after 8 incredible years. Attorney General, Minister of Transportation, Treasury Board President, and did it all with grace and grit.

A true public servant and an even better friend. Ontario is better for it.

This was one… pic.twitter.com/aX8dGplG01

— Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) May 25, 2026

MPP Jacob Mantle wrote on X that Mulroney was among the first to support him when he sought the nomination for York—Dunham and that he is “forever grateful for her years of help and guidance.”

“She always said yes, always took my calls, and always gave honest, prudent advice.”

While I am very sad to see @C_Mulroney leaving Ontario politics, I am forever grateful for her years of help and guidance.

I spoke to Caroline earlier this morning to thank her personally. She was one of the very first to support me when I sought the nomination and ran in our… pic.twitter.com/hWlSOtG4oz

— Jacob Mantle (@jacobmantle) May 25, 2026

Other MPPs to offer similar messages on X include Northumberland—Peterborough South’s David Piccini, New Tecumseth-Gwillimbury’s Scot Davidson, Hamilton Mountain’s Monica Ciriello and more, along with well-wishers from outside government, such as David Tarrant, formerly a senior advisor to Ford.

“A confession: I was not the biggest fan of Caroline when she first entered politics by running for leader of the Ontario PCs. But, my goodness, did she prove me wrong and win me over,” he posted.

“She is as decent, intelligent and public-minded a person as you will find anywhere in politics. Canada and Ontario are better off because she made the decision to serve. Her presence at Queen’s Park will be missed.”

A confession: I was not the biggest fan of Caroline when she first entered politics by running for leader of the Ontario PCs.

But, my goodness, did she prove me wrong and win me over. She is as decent, intelligent and public-minded a person as you will find anywhere in… https://t.co/Y2wFAWHAxq

— David Tarrant (@davidptarrant) May 25, 2026

Mulroney’s exit from political life comes as Ford himself is under scrutiny following the purchase and sale of a nearly $29 million private jet and his government’s attempt to change freedom of information laws such that requests will exclude any communication on personal devices by him, his ministers, or their staff.

The province’s own Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, says such a change “would weaken transparency and accountability for generations to come” and urged the government to reconsider.

Mulroney’s resignation will bring the number of byelections Ford must call to two, following on NDP MPP Dolly Begun’s resignation earlier this year to run for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals in the federal byelection to fill the Scarborough Southwest seat left vacant by Bill Blair’s resignation. Begun later won the seat and joined Carney’s caucus.

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Tim Hortons will reduce its reliance on the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program as it commits to hiring 10,000 “new local team members” across Canada.

In a press release on Monday, the restaurant chain announced a new national hiring campaign, which invites “all aspiring team members to apply to join a Tim Hortons restaurant this summer.” The announcement follows last week’s news that 80 new restaurants will open this year in Canada, while 400 existing locations will be renovated.

The company added: “This is part of the brand’s strong, ongoing commitment to hire locally, whenever possible, in every community we serve.”

The new campaign marks a shift from Tim Hortons’ previous approach, which has been a vocal advocate of the TFW program in the past.

The program allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers to fill labour shortages, and is regulated by the federal government.

Last year, Tim Hortons lobbied the federal government to expand the TFW cap, which had been reduced to 10 per cent in 2024 amid shifting public sentiment toward immigration.

The restaurant chain also campaigned for Ottawa to expand the foreign worker hiring cap during the pandemic, when a labour shortage emerged due to lockdowns.

However, the TFW program has long been controversial, particularly because of allegations of worker abuse by employers.

Reporters from National Post and Investigative Journalism Bureau previously revealed how the system exploits migrant farm workers , exposing them to health risks, financial exploitation and physical abuse.

Tim Hortons has previously faced criticism for its use of the TFW program, with Conservative Party MP Michelle Rempel Garner saying in December 2025 that it “has removed entry-level job opportunities for youth.”

Addressing Tim Hortons’ past support from the TFW program, Monday’s press release said: “As Canada emerged from COVID in 2021, there were acute labour shortages across the country. To address this, the government increased access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Tim Hortons was one of the companies encouraging the government to do so at the time to help restaurants facing staffing challenges.”

However, the company added, “In 2026, with high youth unemployment nationally, lobbying for expanded access is no longer necessary. In fact, our restaurant owners’ use of the program has already declined steadily since 2024. We will continue to work within the labour frameworks the federal and provincial governments decide are best for Canada.”

Meanwhile, Duncan Fulton, chief corporate officer of Restaurant Brands, the company that owns Tim Hortons, told The Globe and Mail: “We have not lobbied the government since last year and we won’t be lobbying them on TFWs any time soon given our commitment to hire locally everywhere possible.”

He added: “At the end of the day, our owners would prefer to hire locally almost 100 per cent of the time.”

Tim Hortons estimates that of its 110,000 team members, roughly 4,000 hold positions under the Temporary Foreign Worker program, representing approximately 3.6 per cent of all restaurant roles.

A spokesperson for Tim Hortons told National Post in an email: “Our restaurant owners have always been committed to local hiring. We think one of the biggest misperceptions about Tim Hortons is how the TFW program has been used. Less than 4% of team members were hired through the TFW program.”

They added: “Our local hiring campaign is targeting anyone who wants to work at a Tim Hortons who is living in Canada and permitted to work in Canada – our restaurant owners don’t discriminate in their hiring, so that could be Canadian students, international students, any member of the community.

“Canada has become more diverse over the years – as have our restaurants – and we think that’s a good thing. We are also proud that Tim Hortons restaurant owners are a leading employer of youth, with about 45% of team members aged 15-24.”

Tim Hortons remains Canada’s largest restaurant chain, with approximately 4,000 locations nationwide. According to the company, it has more restaurants per capita in Canada than any other restaurant brand in the world, and is operated by “more than 800 Canadian restaurant owners and their families.”

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A recent survey has revealed that people born in Canada are more likely to support people being able to express their gender however they choose.

The findings, published in Statistics Canada’s Juristat , were based on self-reported data from the 2018 and 2025 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS). The survey examined how attitudes toward gender-related issues have changed over time.

When it came to gender expression, people born in Canada were more likely to agree with statements supporting people’s rights to gender expression than those born elsewhere.

The survey found that 80 per cent of women and 71 per cent of men born in Canada agreed that individuals should be able to express their gender however they choose, compared to 70 per cent of women and 67 per cent of men born outside the country.

In addition, a larger proportion of First Nations women (82 per cent) than non-Indigenous women (77 per cent) supported people’s right to express their gender.

The survey also found that support people being able to express their gender however they choose has declined in recent years.

The percentage of women who agreed that people should have this right decreased from 85 per cent to 77 per cent between 2018 and 2025, while support among men dropped from 78 per cent to 70 per cent.

The StatCan survey doesn’t examine the potential causes behind the decline, but notes that the changes in attitude coincide with “a period of animated public discourse” surrounding the rights of transgender and non-binary people.

While the federal government has expanded recognition of these rights in recent years, including through the $100-million 2022 Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, some provinces have enacted their own policies on gender expression in schools, sports and health care.

In 2023, Saskatchewan passed legislation requiring parental consent for students to use their affirmed names or pronouns at school instead of those assigned at birth. In 2025, Alberta used the notwithstanding clause to prevent transgender girls from participating in female sports and prohibit doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under 16.

StatCan also notes “an increasingly vocal public discourse which aims to legitimize transphobic perspectives has been observed by some” in the years since 2018.

At the same time, 2024 data from StatCan showed that hate crimes targeting gender identity or expression increased for the fourth consecutive year. These types of crimes almost tripled, rising 184 per cent between 2020 and 2024.

Meanwhile, the survey found that support for diverse gender expression among people aged 15 to 24 was especially high among women, at 82 per cent, but significantly lower among men in the same age group, at 68 per cent.

Views on gender expression also varied by education level, with support highest among respondents who had completed university. Among university graduates, 81 per cent of women and 74 per cent of men supported the right to gender expression.

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Toronto Police have released an additional image of Esther in hopes it will help find the 14-year-old Jewish girl who has been missing since Friday, May 15. The latest release also adds that she was last seen on May 16 at 12:01 a.m., in the Bathurst Street and Hotspur Road area.

On the weekend, Michael Levitt, President-CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Canada, shared an image of a torn poster on X and told whoever had done it to stop.

To the people tearing down the “Help Find Esti” posters in my neighbourhood: STOP IT‼️

A 14-year-old girl is still missing.

I don’t know what you think you’re accomplishing, but I promise you, for every poster ripped down, many more will go back up, until Esti is back home. pic.twitter.com/N4kkAE6INw

— Michael Levitt 🇨🇦🎗️ (@LevittMichael) May 24, 2026

“As volunteers search desperately for a missing 14-year-old Jewish girl, posters meant to help bring her home are being ripped down across Toronto,” posted Combat Antisemitism Movement on X on Monday as they reshared a video by Dan Levy. “Not political posters. Not protest signs. A missing child.”

The parents, Shira and Joseph, said on Thursday that their daughter has been diagnosed before as being on the autism spectrum, CP24 reports. The parents added that the “only reason we’re okay saying it now because she’s still missing.” Her mother said, “ It’s like her medical information that she should have the right to disclose when she chooses to.”

Last week, Toronto police said they have elevated the search for Esther to Priority 1 status and on Thursday announced that they have launched a dedicated phone line for tips about her disappearance, committing all available resources as community volunteers join in the effort to find her.

A Priority 1 or Level 1 search is the highest level of response from the police, and mobilizes extensive resources like specialized K-9 units, drones, mounted officers and large-scale ground searches, in addition to community outreach.

14 year old Esther is missing and was last seen Friday night in the Earl Bales Park area near Sheppard and Bathurst in North York.

Anyone with information should contact @TorontoPolice immediately at 1-416-808-2222 or @CanStopCrime at 1-800-222-8477.

Please share this widely.… https://t.co/IL7xNkoUEH

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) May 18, 2026

Esther, also known affectionately as Esti, was last seen on Friday, May 15, in the area of Earl Bales Park , a large green space located at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West in northern Toronto.

She is described as 5-foot-2, medium build, with brown hair, and was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a green shirt and no shoes.

“It was Friday night,” her mother, Shira, told Global News. “It was cold outside and she left, and it was dark and she didn’t have her shoes. Both of her pairs of shoes are by the door. And she doesn’t have her phone. Her phone is in the house.”

Shira added that Esther had left her home before but always returned.

Police have released an image of Esther, as well as several blurry security camera images, which have been widely shared on social media.

“I don’t know who else she might have contact with,” her mother said. “I really hope that she’s OK and maybe she’s just scared to come home and she has friends or someone helping her.”

Volunteers in the search include many from Toronto’s large Jewish community, including Shomrim Safety Patrol , an organization founded in 2021 and committed to ensuring the safety and security of Jewish communities across the Greater Toronto Area.

A command centre is operating from the nearby Petah Tikvah Synagogue parking lot. Police say they have deployed a drone as well as marine, canine and mounted units in the search.

Today Chief Demkiw attended our Command Post at Earl Bales Park to get an update from officers on the ground and speak with community members and @ShomrimToronto regarding the search for 14 year old Esther.

If you have any information, please call @TPS32Div at 416-808-3200,… pic.twitter.com/P8GL9eaR05

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) May 20, 2026

Duty Inspector Peter Wallace said in an update: “We are currently appealing to the public to please check your backyard if you reside in this area, your sheds and also your surveillance camera.”

At that time, Shira also delivered a direct appeal to her daughter.

“Esti, my love, if you are watching this, please come home,” she said. “We love you so very much. We miss you terribly. Your family, here, across the country, and around the world, are searching and praying for you every minute. Your friends, classmates, neighbours, and community are all worried about you and hoping to see you safe.”

In a brief press conference on Thursday afternoon, TPS had no new information to provide, but announced a new dedicated phone line of 647-355-4148 for anyone with information that could assist their search. They can also call 911, TPS directly at 416-808-3200, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com .

“Anyone with information, no matter how small, please come forward,” Inspector Jon Rose said.

“ We do know and we deeply appreciate how concerning this is to the community and to the family when a young person goes missing, especially for this length of time. We would very much like to find Esther and get her home safely to her family.

Police have also created a QR code which people can scan and upload any video which may assist the investigation.

Officers continue to actively search for 14-year-old Esther, who has been missing since May 15. As the investigation continues, we’ve set up a dedicated phone line for tips.
📲If you have information, you can call the line at 647-355-4148. In addition, a QR code continues to be… pic.twitter.com/MbRWlSypfh

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) May 21, 2026

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