Elections 101 — what questions do you have about the Canadian electoral system?
You've got smart questions, we've got solid answers.
Click here to listen to the CBC's Just Asking every Saturday at 4 p.m. when you need to make sense of the world around you.
Let your friend Saroja Coelho be your guide. With guest experts, Just Asking turns the week's news and latest trends into tips that help you make better decisions in your life. Whether it's tech, money, career or health — we'll hear you out, and help you out. The show takes live calls on CBC Radio every Saturday afternoon, and drops the podcast that same evening.
Here's what's happening this Saturday:
Election 101: What questions do you have about Canada's electoral system, and how elections work in this country?
With Canadians heading to the polls in a matter of days — it's time for a bit of an Election 101. You've heard of first-past-the-post, proportional representation, the writ — so how does our system actually work? What is first-past-the-post? And what do MPs actually do once they are elected? Any question big or small is on the table this week. We have two guests to help answer your questions. Andrea Perrella is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University. Tari Ajadi is an assistant professor of political science at McGill University in Montreal. Send your questions to cbc.ca/myquestion.
What questions do you have about making friends as an adult?
Making friends can be tough no matter how old you are. But once you get out of school and don't have classmates to fall back on, your pool of potential friends shrinks. So what do you do? We've got two friendship experts who are also best friends themselves and have been most of their lives. Aaron Karo and Matt Ritter are also hosts of the Man of the Year podcast. Also, Danielle Bayard Jackson is a female friendship coach and educator who will also join us with her thoughts. Send your questions to cbc.ca/myquestion.
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Toronto Sun
23 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Justice Department will meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned girlfriend
CBC hands out record-breaking raises to offset loss of executive bonuses Canada drowning in a sea of red ink, says Fraser Institute report Former Maple Leafs boss Brendan Shanahan's mansion on sale for mega-millions Justice Department will meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned girlfriend Photo by John Minchillo / AP Article content WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials were set to meet on Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a person familiar with the matter. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content The meeting in Florida, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he was working to arrange, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of President Donald Trump's base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Justice Department will meet with Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned girlfriend Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content In a social media post Tuesday, Blanche said that Trump 'has told us to release all credible evidence' and that if Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the Justice Department 'will hear what she has to say.' A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Thursday. The person who confirmed the meeting insisted on anonymity to describe a closed-door encounter to The Associated Press. Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content A lawyer for Maxwell confirmed on Tuesday there were discussions with the government and said Maxwell 'will always testify truthfully.' tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video The House Committee on Oversight issued a subpoena on Wednesday for Maxwell to testify before committee officials in August. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell's links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it would not release more files related to the Epstein investigation, despite promises that claimed otherwise from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The department also said an Epstein client list does not exist. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Bondi told Trump in May that his name was among high-profile people mentioned in government files of Epstein, though the mention does not imply wrongdoing. Trump, a Republican, has said that he once thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy' but that they later had a falling out. A subcommittee on Wednesday also voted to subpoena the Justice Department for documents related to Epstein. And senators in both major political parties have expressed openness to holding hearings on the matter after Congress' August recess. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, has introduced legislation with bipartisan support that would require the Justice Department to 'make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' related to Epstein and his associates. House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican majority leader, Rep. Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana, have said they will address whatever outstanding Epstein-related issues are in Congress when they return from recess. Epstein, under a 2008 non-prosecution agreement, pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. That allowed him to avert a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work release program. He was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender. In 2019, Epstein was charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for nearly identical allegations. — Williams reported from Detroit. Read More Sealed Epstein documents to get fresh review in defamation case House ending session early as Republicans clash over Epstein vote Request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts likely to disappoint, ex-prosecutors say Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
Toronto Sun
7 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Canada drowning in a sea of red ink, says Fraser Institute report
Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox An image of Canadian $100 bills being printed. (Illustration) Canada's combined federal and provincial government debt almost doubled between 2007 and 2024, rising from $1.21 trillion to $2.3 trillion in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to a new report by the Fraser Institute. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The study, 'The Growing Debt Burden for Canadians 2025 Edition,' by the fiscally conservative think tank warns this rapid accumulation of public debt has serious negative consequences for the Canadian economy, given that the money must be paid back, with interest, eventually. 'The debt burden for families across Canada has been growing substantially,' the study warns. 'As was the case in the 1970s to mid-1990s, deficit spending and debt accumulation have become the norm for the federal and many provincial governments … 'Rising government debt has severe consequences for Canadians as more and more resources are directed toward interest payments and away from programs that help families or improve Canada's economic competitiveness.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. From 2019 to 2024, the study, authored by Jake Fuss, Tegan Hill and William Dunstan, says Ottawa and the provinces accumulated $493.2 billion in total net debt, an increase of 27.4%. While some of this increased spending was the result of the pandemic which began in 2020, the report says that five years later, the federal government and most of the provinces have yet to develop any meaningful plans to address the growing problem of total government debt. Recommended video The study concluded Canadians living in Newfoundland and Labrador face the highest combined federal and provincial net debt per person, at $68,861. That's followed in descending order by those living in Quebec ($60,491); Ontario ($60,408); Manitoba ($57,143); Nova Scotia ($52,478); P.E.I. ($50,623); B.C. ($49,369); New Brunswick ($48,631); Saskatchewan ($47,227) and Alberta ($40,939). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In addition, the study warned, 'interest payments (on government debt) are a major consequence of debt accumulation. 'Governments must make interest payments on their debt similar to households that must pay interest on borrowing related to mortgages, vehicles or credit card spending. Revenues directed towards interest payments mean that in the future there will be less money available for tax cuts, or government programs such as health care, education and social services.' A study by Fraser Institute last year estimated that Canadians were paying $81.8 billion annually in interest on $2.2 trillion of federal and provincial government debt. That amount — which doesn't lower the debt but merely pays the interest on it — could have covered the entire cost of funding the Canada Pension Plan and the Quebec Pension Plan that year ($79.7 billion) the study said, or, alternatively, could have funded the $81.5 billion Canada's provinces spent on public education, from kindergarten to Grade 12. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the federal level, Prime Minister Mark Carney's campaign platform, released in April, called for $130 billion in new spending over the next four years, dramatically increasing the federal deficits that had been projected by the previous Justin Trudeau government in its fall economic statement last December. Carney said he planned to run a deficit of $62.3 billion in the current fiscal year, which started on April 1 and ends on March 31, 2026, compared to $42.2 billion by the previous Trudeau government. 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Howe Institute projects that could cause Canada's deficit to soar to $92 billion this year, and average more than $77 billion annually over the next four. That would inevitably lead to more government spending to pay interest on the federal debt, which is already costing Canadian taxpayers about $1 billion per week to finance. Sports Golf Canada Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls
Ottawa Citizen
8 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa and Gatineau will 'bear the brunt' of public service cuts: report
Article content In his analysis, Macdonald said that the hardest hit departments could be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Article content The CRA's recent job losses of around 7,000 could double to 14,277, according to the analysis. Article content Meanwhile, for ESDC, full-time job losses could be 2,000 next year with that number doubling to more than 4,000 by 2028. The losses could impact services such as employment insurance and Canadian pension plan payments. Article content IRCC, which already shed 1,944 jobs, is set to double that to 3,847 in three years time. Article content For Macdonald, there is no way to cut 15 per cent of departmental budgets without impacting services. He said that there is a cyclical trend of the federal government cutting down the size of the public service, only to rehire later to curtail public frustration with poor service delivery. Article content Article content 'It's definitely cheaper to make people wait online for eight hours,' Macdonald said in an interview. 'It's definitely cheaper for the federal government. (It's) terrible for Canadians and businesses trying to get tax advice, but it's cheaper.' Article content The size of the federal public service grew significantly during the government of then-prime minister Justin Trudeau until there was a reduction in the last fiscal year. There were 357,965 workers in the federal public service in 2025, according to the most recent data released by the Treasury Board, down from 367,772 the year before. Article content In his letters, Champagne reportedly asked ministers to find savings of up to 7.5 per cent next fiscal year, 2.5 per cent the year after and 5 per cent in the 2028-29 fiscal year, adding up to a total of 15 per cent. Article content A few federal organizations were spared by the exercise, including the offices of the auditor general, parliamentary budget officer and the Supreme Court of Canada. Article content Article content Crown corporations have also been asked to find savings to help Carney's government reach the promised $25 billion in savings in the Liberals' platform from the recent election campaign.
