The temperature, though relatively mild for the Kivalliq region in January, also caught some of the NDP's Vancouver MPs a bit off guard.
"The minute you came out of the plane you felt immediately the difference between communities," said Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan. "The wind, the cold was something that I have never experienced in all of my life."
Rankin Inlet Mayor Harry Towtongie said it's good to see southern politicians get a taste of the issues his community faces.
Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/ndp-mps-hear-local-concerns-as-caucus-meeting-gets-underway-in-nunavut-9.7054586
After Prime Minister Mark Carney inked a new trading arrangement with China during his state visit last week, stakeholders are advising against revisiting the government’s 5G ban on Huawei.
As thawing bilateral relations between Canada and China produce new trading partnerships on electric vehicles and agricultural products, it would “not be wise” for Prime Minister Mark Carney to revisit the government’s 5G ban on the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei, according to former Canadian Security Intelligence Service director Ward Elcock.
“There’s an important security rationale behind keeping them off the 5G network,” Elcock, who led CSIS from 1994 to 2004, told The Hill Times. “If you allow a foreign communications network into your system, then you’re creating holes and gaps.”
“I don’t think it should be on the table … and I’d be very surprised if it is.”
Carney’s (Nepean, Ont.) trip to China last week marked the first time a Canadian prime minister had visited the nation in more than eight years. Following then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s state visit in 2017, Canada-China relations deteriorated after the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, B.C., which was followed by China’s imprisonment of Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) said she believes Huawei should not be “on the table” during the government’s trip to China, but she’s concerned about what she calls a developing pattern of the Liberals engaging with nations “where there are indications of concern.”
“I see the Carney administration setting aside human rights violations and Canada’s national security, and putting all of that on the back burner,” said Kwan, who herself has been victimized by suspected Chinese foreign interference. “Carney is actively pursuing these countries that have been flagged as a deep concern for Canada.”
Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/01/20/warming-canada-china-relations-shouldnt-extend-to-huawei-ban-say-security-experts-parliamentarians/488278/
New Democrat MP and immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the community faces not only an onerous application process and financial pressures to sponsor loved ones but is also competing against Hong Kongers fleeing Communist China and Ukrainians seeking protection from the Russian invasion.
Not only has Ottawa reduced the humanitarian permanent residence spots from 10,000 last year to 6,900 in 2026 and 5,000 for 2027 and 2028, Kwan said it is now processing all these applications on a first-in, first-out basis. That means Sudanese would be processed last because both the Hong Kong and Ukrainian pathways were launched earlier, she added.
Sudanese applicants “are not here in Canada waiting for their permanent residence status,” Kwan told the Toronto news conference. She projected it would take about 13 years to process all these Sudanese files.
“They’re in a war zone trying to get to safety. The government needs to act with the commensurate urgency in bringing those families to safety.”
Click image or link to read the news - https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/sudanese-resettlement-in-canada/article_4e2dcacd-24cd-4a77-bcdb-e80e27526da8.html
When U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plans to block institutional investors like Blackstone and Invitation Homes from buying up single-family homes, he spurred renewed interest from Canadians wondering if giant hedge funds are also buying up homes in this country, contributing to the ongoing housing crisis.
On January 7, Google Trends showed the top search queries in Canada related to Trump were tied to his single-family homes decree and how that related to the Canadian real estate market. The fringe People’s Party of Canada X account claimed “foreign multinationals” were buying up homes in Canada. Popular YouTuber Moose on The Loose posted a video with over 144,000 views claiming corporate ownership of homes has driven up the prices of homes in Canada. NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan alleged that we are witnessing the “financialization of housing” in Canada, calling for a moratorium on corporations purchasing new properties.
But what’s the actual truth? And what’s the current situation in Canada when it comes to investors buying up real estate and contributing to driving up housing costs?
Click image or link to read the news story - https://thehub.ca/2026/01/15/trump-says-corporations-are-buying-up-housing-is-it-happening-in-canada/
Sudanese Canadian families, joined by Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan and community advocates, held a press conference today to denounce what they describe as a false promise by the federal government to reunite families and bring them to safety, as prolonged immigration processing delays continue to result in preventable deaths.
Families shared testimony of parents, children, and relatives who died while waiting for Canadian immigration approvals—despite having submitted applications under Canada’s Sudan family reunification and humanitarian pathways.
“If this government is looking to move forward with expanding trade with China, they need to do it with eyes wide open and the proper safeguards to protect Canadians,” NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) told The Hill Times. “They have failed entirely on that.”
Kwan, her party’s public safety and national security critic, accused Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) of “dragging his feet” on the implementation of the long-awaited Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA), Bill C-70, despite its expedited passage with the support of every opposition party in June 2024.
Additionally, Kwan criticized the lack of registration requirements for individuals linked to foreign-funded institutions or media outlets, “which only serves to undermine confidence and accountability in the system” and leaves “Canadians in the dark.”
In an interview with The Hill Times on Jan. 9, Kwan said the Liberals “can have regulations coming out of your eyeballs, but if there’s no one to enforce them, it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s 2026, and we still have yet to appoint a commissioner,” Kwan said. “Carney is dragging his feet and not taking seriously the damage foreign interference can do to this country.”
While Kwan said that the Carney government is sending the message to Canadians—particularly diaspora communities in the crosshairs of transnational repression—that their concerns about foreign interference are not a priority, she said that same message is also being sent to the perpetrators.
“The Liberals are sending a clear message to those foreign interference actors that this is not a priority for the government, and they can continue to run amok,” Kwan said.
Click image or link to read the full news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/01/14/too-weak-too-vague-too-slow-pm-carney-accused-of-dragging-his-feet-on-foreign-influence-registry-while-charging-forward-on-economic-reset-with-china/487569/
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants Congress to codify his plan to ban institutional investors like Blackrock from purchasing single-family homes as part of a push to restore affordability to the housing market.
Canada’s housing market is generally more expensive than the U.S. and ranks as one of the least affordable in the G7 when comparing income-to-price ratios.
Would a similar ban in Canada make sense?
The federal NDP says it could help, but would need to focus on rental housing, blaming corporations and real-estate investment trusts (REITs) for purchasing low-cost units, evicting tenants for renovations and then jacking up rents.
NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan said Canada should impose a moratorium on corporations purchasing new properties or at the very least, limit how many units they can own.
“Financialization of housing is happening here in Canada,” Kwan told iPolitics last week, noting that Canada lost over 200,000 affordable housing units between 2016 and 2021.
“[Investors are] using housing as a commodity instead of a necessity.”
Kwan said REITs and other corporate investors are buying up affordable housing properties at such an accelerated pace that for every one unit added to the market, eight are lost.
She said the Liberals need to do more than just promise faster housing construction and urged the government to end favourable tax treatment for REITs that allow investors to recoup proceeds largely tax-free because they are treated as capital gains.
Kwan accused the Liberals of blaming newcomers to Canada for driving up home prices when the real culprits are profit-driven investors, and called for Ottawa to provide new funding for non-profits and co-ops to purchase distressed affordable housing properties.
Under this plan, non-profits would have a right to first refusal for these units.
The federal government has pledged funding for such efforts, launching a $1.5-billion Canada Rental Protection Fund in 2024 that would help the community housing sector acquire “at-risk rental apartment buildings,” with the goal of ensuring they remain affordable over the long term.
Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.ipolitics.ca/2026/01/13/donald-trump-wants-to-ban-institutional-investors-from-buying-single-family-homes-should-canada-do-the-same/
STATEMENT BY MP JENNY KWAN: Implementation of Canada's Foreign Interference Law Misses the Mark
Canada has faced an unprecedented and growing threat from foreign interference. The Hogue Commission has identified China and India as the most aggressive and sophisticated foreign interference actors targeting Canada’s democratic institutions. Instead of responding with urgency, the Carney government is dragging their feet.
The passage of the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (the “Act”) was expedited with the cooperation across all parties lines in 2024, yet to date, there is still no Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner or functioning oversight body to implement the legislation.
Canadians are asked to trust a system that does not yet exist. Political party leaders still have not been properly consulted with the appointment of the Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner as required by law. The Liberal government knows very well that without the appointment, there is no one to administer and enforce the law. This continuing delay undermines the Hogue Commission’s findings and further puts Canadian democracy at risk.
Equally troubling is the fact that the government’s proposed regulations do not fully comply with the intention of the Act itself. Parliament was explicit: the Act was meant to apply not only to federal officials, but also to office holders from other orders of government including provincial and municipal governments. Yet the regulations are silent on this point. The Liberals now says other orders of government will “eventually” be included with no timeline.
In addition, the regulation does not provide clarity on what would constitute an “arrangement”. This ambiguity creates a chilling effect for legitimate civic engagement while simultaneously giving bad actors room to operate in the shadows. Canadians are left guessing whether legitimate civic engagement will be penalized — while sophisticated actors are likely to exploit this ambiguity. This vagueness becomes especially dangerous when it comes to proxy activity.
The regulations also fail to require individuals to disclose their associations or affiliations with the corporation or organization. In a modern influence environment — where foreign states operate through intermediaries and informal networks, assuming that influence is always direct is willful blindness and does not show a basic standard of situational awareness.
Furthermore, the Carney government has failed to put in place registration requirements for individuals linked to foreign-funded institutions or media outlets even though this was a concern identified by witnesses during the Houge Commission. Without proper disclosure, Canadians are left in the dark which only serves to undermine confidence and accountability in the system.
The Carney administration has chosen to enact a weak, partial framework — without a Commissioner, without clarity, and without full coverage. Fines as low as $50. These political decisions send a dangerous message that tackling foreign interference is not taken seriously and not a priority for the Federal government.
Foreign interference is a real and ongoing threat to Canada particularly at a time when Canada is opening up trade relationships internationally. It is not acceptable that Canada’s current legislative response is too weak, too vague, and too slow to meet the moment and act as a legitimate deterrent.
If Canada is serious about protecting its democracy, it must act now: appoint the Commissioner immediately, address proxy interference head-on and bring the regulations into full alignment with the Act. Democracy cannot be protected with half-measures. Foreign interference is real. Canadians deserve action and transparency immediately.
Another form of pressure on the F-35 supply chain has been at a national level. In March 2024, after months of organizing and pressure, Canada’s House of Commons passed a non-binding motion that officially called on the Government of Canada to “cease the further authorization and transfer of arms exports to Israel.” Following this motion, then foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly confirmed that the government would halt future arms sales to Israel.
Though that assertion was a positive step, there are still many loopholes, as detailed by Project Ploughshares. In particular, as with the parts of the F-35 aircraft, Canada continues to indirectly arm Israel by exporting to the United States.
This is one of the loopholes that NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East) has been targeting through a Private Member’s Bill in the House of Commons. The reaction from the Liberal party has been unsurprisingly negative, and the NDP lacks the seats in Parliament to force the government to comply. Yet, this Bill represents one way people around the country can exert some influence, by calling upon their Members of Parliament to support this effort.
The F-35 is a force for destruction. It is responsible not just for the devastating situation in Palestine but also, most recently, the attack on Venezuela that led to the abduction of President Nicolas Madura also featured F-35 aircraft. Canadians should try to do what they can to obstruct the production of this destructive weapon.