Canada's envoy for combatting antisemitism Deborah Lyons leaving post early
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CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Are there fireworks between Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry?
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau had dinner this week at an upscale restaurant in Montreal. After TMZ first reported the story, rumours started to swirl about whether the two were on a date, and what the future could hold for the pair. Today on Commotion, gossip columnist Lainey Lui and investigative journalist Justin Ling join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about why these two love the limelight, and what our reaction reveals about the moment we're living in. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: You cover politics, Justin. Watching this story, Lainey just pointed out this idea that they could have done this in private…. When you think about Justin Trudeau as a political figure, how do you think of this being in conversation with the way that he was as a politician? Justin: So, for starters, I swear I'm not coming for Lainey's job as a gossip columnist, but I do live here in Montreal. I do have connections. I have some sources, and I can tell you that when they booked the reservation for this dinner, they were pretty upfront. They knew there was going to be paparazzi outside, or at least people taking photos, or whatever. They intentionally did not do this as a private dinner. It has been speculated this was a soft launch. Again, not my business. I swear I'm not coming for your work, Lainey. Elamin: It's a little bit your business, but that's okay. Justin: So, you know, people who maybe have that pain of like, "Oh, well, they should be allowed to have this in private." They know they're having it in public. It's on purpose. And you always have to remember that so much of what Justin Trudeau does is following in the footsteps of his father. His father famously was a tabloid king, even when he was still in office. He dated Kim Cattrall in his later years. He dated Barbra Streisand quite publicly, or it was at least publicly speculated. So a lot of this is very purposeful. And to some degree, when he was prime minister, he was kind of this hybrid celebrity-politician, and he was always like this. He loves hobnobbing with American celebrities. He loves being in the limelight. He likes being kind of performative. And now that he's out of office, he's just doing this without all of the baggage of actually having to lead a country. What this is setting him up for, the next step, is going to be interesting. I don't know that I actually care, but certainly I think there's gonna be a lot more of it. Elamin: I do think that some of the public appearances and public performances after his resignation, after he was no longer prime minister, have been befuddling to me, Lainey. For example, I think the first photo that he posted on Instagram after he was no longer prime minister was a trip to Canadian Tire, but the caption was posted in English and French. I was like, what is that? I don't know what compels a person to do that after you are no longer holding that office. But the idea that you still want to maintain the appearance of being like, "I am everybody's person, I sort of belong to everybody." So when you listen to what Justin just said there, what's your take on that idea that this coheres with Trudeau as a hybrid politician and celebrity? Lainey: I 100 per cent agree with what Justin said — and thank you for being my source. I will quote you later in my column, about the reservation. And so I 100 per cent agree with the image of Justin Trudeau and the legacy he comes from. His father was a tabloid prime minister in terms of being, I don't know, in the politics write-ups, but also there was so much interest in his personal life because he was single, right? He was single for so much of the time that he was in office. But it also kind of feeds into a classic rom-com trope: the single politician, ex-politician, the pop star coming together. And he knows this, too. I mean, this is also a prime minister who's pretty tapped in with pop culture…. So this is 100 per cent the prime minister and celebrity I know to be as Justin Trudeau. It's not, like, an about-face. It's not a pivot to a new personality. This person is quite familiar to us, and Katy Perry is quite familiar to us. And I actually think this is a good match because, you know, you're talking about the Canadian Tire thing — was it a little corny? I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. Elamin: No, let me just answer that question. Yes, it was. Lainey: Exactly. It was a little corny, but so is Katy Perry. She's corny af, right? So to me, this is a match made in rom-com heaven. Like, of course I'm rejoicing because this makes my job easier. I have a personal investment in this. But also this is just, I mean, it was written. It was scripted. I know this is a random hookup, but at the same time, when I think about it, I'm like, everything lines up. The math is math-ing.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Petition to keep Alberta in Canada can start rolling out, says electoral officer
EDMONTON – A former deputy premier's petition to have Alberta declare that its official policy is to remain in Canada can start rolling out across the province. Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure says canvassers with the Alberta Forever Canada citizen initiative can begin gathering signatures. Submitted by Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, the petition is for a policy proposal asking people: 'Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?' Canvassers have three months to gather around 294,000 signatures on the petition. McClure has also referred a competing pro-separation referendum question by the Alberta Prosperity Project to a judge to decide if it contravenes the Constitution. That question seeks a yes or no answer to: 'Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?' If approved, the Alberta Prosperity Project would need to collect 177,000 signatures in four months to put the question on a ballot due to new provincial rules. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
International relations? Publicity stunt? Or true love? Laying odds on the Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry dating rumours
Heat waves, tariff anxiety, geopolitical turmoil: Summer 2025 has been a bit of a festering wound. But now, Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry dating rumours are here to deliver us from said hellscape. That is correct: The former Canadian PM and current international pop star were spotted dining at a Montreal restaurant on Monday night. According to TMZ, they spent several leisurely hours enjoying a multicourse experience (when they weren't talking intently and arguably making gaga eyes at each other). The tabloids are eating it up, social media is in overdrive. The true nature of this unlikely union is unknown – neither party has confirmed (or denied!) anything. But that doesn't mean we can't bet on it. Here, we unpack and lay odds on the possible scenarios. Scenario 1: Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry are dating ODDS: 36 per cent Certainly, this feels like the most obvious answer: When you hear hoofbeats, don't look for a zebra, and when you see two globally recognized superstars in the prime of life lingering over a tasting menu, don't rule out a budding romance. Trudeau has been on the market since his marriage ended in 2023, while Perry is newly unattached after splitting from her partner of six years Orlando Bloom, earlier this month. And now, here they both are, dining a deux, he with the confident hand gestures, she with both palms on her cheeks, like a human swoon emoji. After dinner, the pair popped up for cocktails on the patio of Taverne Atlantic. (Per TMZ: Perry ordered a Jack and Coke and was told they don't serve American booze, so she ordered Crown Royal Canadian whisky instead.) Next we get our 'smoking gun' moment: footage of Perry and Trudeau leaving the bar, the latter in clear peacock mode with his cameo blazer slung over his shoulder, giving off Saturday Night Fever vibes on a Monday. Physically speaking, Trudeau fits Perry's dating profile: As well as Bloom, her exes include foppishly handsome brunettes Josh Groban and John Mayer. For Trudeau, a post-divorce dalliance with a world famous chanteuse is a time-honoured family tradition: Pierre Elliott famously romanced Barbra Streisand in the late 1960s. Scenario 2: They are just chums ODDS: 12 per cent If there is a pre-existing friendship between 40-year-old Perry and 53-year-old Trudeau, the internet offers no bread crumbs. Trudeau attended Taylor Swift's Eras tour last fall, so maybe he's just a pop mega fan meeting a hero. (Although he seems like more of a nineties alt-rock dude). The viral Coldplay kiss-cam video shows digital sleuthing can go too far TMZ interviewed the owner of Le Violon, Danny Smiles, who described the mood of the meal as more friend zone than romance. Of course, Smiles was more focused on the free PR, rattling off the various courses of the restaurant's tasting menu (gnocchi, lobster, tuna and tartar). And what did he expect: some kind of Lady and the Tramp re-enactment over the pasta course? These are two PR-savvy celebrities in a well-lit dining room, which brings us to our next scenario… Scenario 3: They are not dating, but want us to think they're dating ODDS: 32 per cent Experts in the early courtship of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will recall that their initial dates took place in private locations with significant subterfuge. Transpose this against Trudeau and Perry's 24 hour tour de force (which also included a casual dog walking excursion earlier in the day, where Perry's giant straw felt like the kind of celebrity camouflage engineered to draw attention). If we're thinking showmance, there is some logic: It's been a rough year for Perry, who became a global punchline as the face of the Virgin's flight to Lady Space. She split from her longtime fiancé, and sales on her new album and tour have been dismal. Enter a flashy new boyfriend with political gravitas: Good for her brand and a solid swipe against Bloom, recently seen getting cutesy with the Kardashians at the Bezos wedding. And then we've got our erstwhile PM, who also knows something about reputational nosedives, and it's only logical that he might be longing for those Rolling Stone magazine days. A pop star girlfriend could be just the ticket. Or maybe he's shopping a political memoir and this is part of a real-time pitch. (Certainly spicier than his whole 'divorced dad shopping at Canadian Tire' schtick). Scenario 4: This was an act of international diplomacy ODDS: 10 per cent Stephen Harper has been back in the spotlight recently, advising the federal government on Can/Am relations. For former prime ministers, service to country doesn't end when you vacate 24 Sussex. So perhaps Trudeau's agenda here is less romantic, more political. We know he has a way of getting under Donald Trump's skin and a date with the California Gurls singer might rankle just as the August 1st tariff deadline approaches. Scenario 5: This was a guerilla ad for Crown Royal whisky ODDS: 7 per cent Brilliant.
