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    • Longtime Liberal cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett to become envoy to Denmark: source

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    OTTAWA -

    Longtime Liberal member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett is set to become the next ambassador to Denmark.

    A senior government source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet public, said the announcement is expected this week.

    Bennett, who was dropped from cabinet last summer after announcing she wouldn't seek re-election, hasn't yet officially stepped down as the MP for Toronto-St. Paul's. 

    She has been the Liberal MP for the riding since 1997, but announced she would be resigning last month and gave her farewell speech in the House of Commons on Dec. 12.

    The diplomatic appointment can proceed as soon as Bennett's departure becomes official, the source said.

    Neither Bennett nor her office responded to a request for comment Tuesday.

    Canada's current ambassador in Copenhagen is Denis Robert, who has been in the role since 2021.

    Bennett was most recently the mental health and addictions minister, a job she held for nearly two years. Before that she spent almost six years as the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations.

    She also served as a minister in the Liberal government of Paul Martin, as Canada's first minister for public health.

    Before entering politics, Bennett was a family doctor in Toronto.

    Her appointment is at least the fourth time Trudeau has named a former cabinet minister to a diplomatic post.

    Ralph Goodale, who spent more than a decade in cabinet under three prime ministers, including as Trudeau's public safety minister, is currently Canada's high commissioner in the United Kingdom. Stéphane Dion, the former Liberal leader who also served multiple roles in cabinet including as foreign affairs minister under Trudeau, is now the ambassador in France. He was previously Canada's ambassador to Germany.

    John McCallum stepped down as Trudeau's immigration minister when he was named the ambassador to China in 2017, a position he held for almost two years.

    Trudeau is not the first prime minister to make political appointments to ambassadorships.

    Former prime minister Stephen Harper appointed Lawrence Cannon as the ambassador to France in 2012, about a year after Cannon was defeated as an MP, losing his cabinet job as the minister of foreign affairs.

    Harper also received criticism for naming the head of his RCMP security detail to be the ambassador in Jordan.

    Sometimes the political appointments cross party lines. 

    In 2018 Trudeau appointed former NDP MP Joe Comartin as Canada's consul general in Detroit. In 1996, former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien named former Progressive Conservative prime minister Kim Campbell to the consul general role in Los Angeles.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2024.

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    A Sturgeon County man has been charged after he allegedly shot a teen over the weekend.

    Authorities broke up an altercation involving "numerous" golfers at a course in B.C.'s Lower Mainland over the weekend – an incident that was apparently prompted by serious breaches in etiquette.

    Former Breakfast Television co-host and radio broadcaster Scott Boyd has died at the age of 68.

    An Ontario judge has granted the University of Toronto an injunction allowing it to clear out a pro-Palestinian encampment from its downtown Toronto campus

    An eastern Ontario doctor facing four charges of first-degree murder and negligence causing death in connection with the deaths of four seniors at a Hawkesbury hospital was acquitted on all charges at the Ottawa courthouse on Tuesday.

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    Canada

    • A Montreal-area man has died after spending nine days in hospital following a serious assault in Dublin, Ireland.

    • Former Breakfast Television co-host and radio broadcaster Scott Boyd has died at the age of 68.

    • The man who was fatally shot along a Flamborough, Ont. highway this weekend has now been identified as Tobenna Obiaga, a 45-year-old man from Halton Region.

    • Calgary's mayor has given citizens the go-ahead to begin using water inside their homes as they normally would.

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    When Zhya Aramiy was living in Turkey and Iraq, he had to keep his Pride flags hidden away.

    A rave at the Ontario Science Centre was the place where Greg LeBlanc says his relationship first began with his husband Mark in 1997.

    The city is entering the final stages of resuming water service through its repaired feeder main, as water consumption continues to fall below the city’s threshold level.

    A grandfather and grandson duo proudly graduated alongside each other at the same northern Manitoba school.

    A large basking shark was captured close to the shoreline on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore.

    The world's largest hockey stick could soon become the world's most in-pieces hockey stick as a Vancouver Island community prepares to tear down and carve up the Canadian landmark.

    For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.

    • One B.C. family is desperate to get their daughter home after their WestJet flight from Mexico was cancelled.

    • The murder of 30-year-old Tori Dunn has not only shattered her family and shaken her Surrey community—it’s also reignited a heated political debate about bail reform.

    • A B.C. judge has ordered the sale of a Surrey home despite the objections of the woman who lives there, who owns it jointly with her son.

    • An Ontario judge has granted the University of Toronto an injunction allowing it to clear out a pro-Palestinian encampment from its downtown Toronto campus

    • Irish singer Niall Horan had to ditch his car and walk to Scotiabank Arena where his concert was being held last weekend because the traffic was 'too bad' downtown.

    • A former Progressive Conservative backbencher in Premier Doug Ford's government says she is disappointed with his "unilateral decision" to kick her out of caucus.

    • Calgary's mayor has given citizens the go-ahead to begin using water inside their homes as they normally would.

    • The driver of a vehicle in a crash that killed her younger sister and friend in 2021 was given two years' probation and five-year driving prohibition on Tuesday.

    • WestJet passengers faced more flight disruptions Tuesday despite a deal reached over the weekend to end a strike by its mechanics, as the airline says full resumption of operations "will take time."

    • A member of the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team, known as the SkyHawks, was seriously injured during a Canada Day performance on Parliament Hill on Monday.

    • The rock band Heart has postponed their Ottawa show and all remaining shows on their tour as lead singer Ann Wilson undergoes treatment for cancer.

    • An eastern Ontario doctor facing four charges of first-degree murder and negligence causing death in connection with the deaths of four seniors at a Hawkesbury hospital was acquitted on all charges at the Ottawa courthouse on Tuesday.

    • A letter carrier with Canada Post says he's been harassed repeatedly at work because he is gay and has filed official complaints but nothing has been done.

    • A Montreal-area man has died after spending nine days in hospital following a serious assault in Dublin, Ireland.

    • A 42-year-old man is behind bars after police allege he defrauded multiple homeowners on Montreal's South Shore by offering driveway sealing services and other home repairs.

    • A Sturgeon County man has been charged after he allegedly shot a teen over the weekend.

    • Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says it's time for the province to start paying property taxes to the city again.

    • The carrot of potentially playing on a Stanley Cup-contending team played a major factor in attracting a pair of sought-after forwards to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

    • Former Breakfast Television co-host and radio broadcaster Scott Boyd has died at the age of 68.

    • New Brunswick Public Health says an outbreak of whooping cough on the Acadian Peninsula has grown to 19 cases, as of Tuesday.

    • A boil-water advisory warning residents of the possibility of unsafe drinking water within the Halifax Regional Municipality remains in place Tuesday.

    • A Winnipeg business owner is speaking out after criminals hit her establishment three times in just over a month, including a bizarre trailer fire.

    • The City of Winkler is asking residents to conserve water Tuesday after heavy rain hammered the southern Manitoba community on Canada Day.

    • The Chief of Misipawistik Cree Nation said it is a tough time for her people after three men went missing last week.

    • The Regina Police Service (RPS) has revealed that an investigation into a death over the weekend is now being considered a homicide.

    • Regina's new Urgent Care Centre is now up and running. The facility, located at 1320 Albert St. had a full parking lot on its first day of operation.

    • Following "lengthy consideration," Regina city councillor Cheryl Stadnichuk will not be seeking re-election in this November's municipal election.

    • One person has been charged with assaulting a police officer after chaos broke out in a Kitchener, Ont. park on Canada Day.

    • The man who was fatally shot along a Flamborough, Ont. highway this weekend has now been identified as Tobenna Obiaga, a 45-year-old man from Halton Region.

    • All drivers pulled over by Waterloo Regional Police Service officers may now face an alcohol screening test.

    • After successive summers of drought and smoke from forest fires across many parts of Saskatchewan in recent years, those longing for rain got plenty of it last month.

    • While some Saskatchewan drivers are feeling the pinch at the pumps, neighbouring Manitoba has the cheapest gas in the country.

    • The Outlook RCMP detachment is seeking the public's assistance in locating 58-year-old Michael Edstrom of Dinsmore, Saskatchewan.

    • Highway 69 reopened early Tuesday evening after being closed for several hours following a collision.

    • A group of Elliot Lake seniors and homeowners who have been fighting the Canadian government and by extension the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for the last three years over the radioactive backfill used under their homes will be getting their day in court on Wednesday.

    • Authorities broke up an altercation involving "numerous" golfers at a course in B.C.'s Lower Mainland over the weekend – an incident that was apparently prompted by serious breaches in etiquette.

    • Beginning today, the City of London has put lane restrictions in place along Wellington Street between Horton Street East and South Street to complete surface paving, line painting and other finishing work.

    • Newlyweds from London, Ont. are trapped in Jamaica, as Category 5 hurricane Beryl approaches.

    • The London Fire Department is on the scene of a natural gas leak this afternoon at 31 Rogers Avenue. According to District Chief Nick Hewetson, the issue was first reported by a resident at roughly 2:00 p.m.

    • Tuesday's board meeting has determined the next steps of the proposed South Muskoka hospital.

    • It's been nearly two years since six young people died in a crash at a construction site along McKay Road. Now one of the victim's family is demanding action in a new lawsuit against many entities including the City.

    • An Innisfil man who pleaded guilty to being part of a series of break-and-enters and thefts in 2022 has been sentenced to jail.

    • Dozens of community members gathered in Windsor on Tuesday morning for the funeral of Carly Walsh and her two children, Madison and Hunter, who were found dead inside their Harrow home on June 20.

    • Greg Walters has been named the new head coach of the Windsor Spitfires.

    • Andrea Khanjin said a controversial landfill project will be put through a rigorous approval process.

    • Marine mammal rescuers in British Columbia are searching for an entangled humpback whale in the waters off northern Vancouver Island.

    • British Columbians should begin bracing for a stretch of hot weather starting late this week, with temperatures expected to climb up to 10 C above seasonal averages, according to a meteorologist with Environment Canada.

    • Authorities broke up an altercation involving "numerous" golfers at a course in B.C.'s Lower Mainland over the weekend – an incident that was apparently prompted by serious breaches in etiquette.

    • A swath of B.C.’s southern Interior is being told to brace for potential severe thunderstorms Tuesday.

    • A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect Sunday for a swath of the B.C. Interior, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

    • Mounties in Kelowna say a suspect is at large after a man was stabbed in the city Sunday afternoon.

    • With the recent moisture and cooler temperatures, fire bans and restrictions in the Lethbridge area are no longer in effect.

    • Plenty of tourists will descend on Lethbridge to see what the city offers. Locals, too, will have no shortage of activities this weekend.

    • The 122-year-old Raymond Stampede is set to get underway this weekend, but this year’s event will occur at a new location.

    • A 37-year-old has been charged after a security guard in Sault Ste. Marie was attacked by a shoplifting suspect June 30.

    • A group of Elliot Lake seniors and homeowners who have been fighting the Canadian government and by extension the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for the last three years over the radioactive backfill used under their homes will be getting their day in court on Wednesday.

    • A researcher from the Netherlands is looking to identify the families of a couple of dozen Indigenous heroes who gave their lives while fighting for freedom in World War II. It’s all part of a larger remembrance project she’s working on.

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