ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Politics

    • Minister says feds reviewing immigration screening of terror plot suspects, as hearing called

    Share

    Ahead of an emergency hearing being called in Ottawa, Canada's public safety minister says the federal government is internally reviewing the immigration and security screening of a father and son the RCMP recently charged in connection to an alleged foiled Toronto terror plot.

    "When you have a circumstance like this, the department of immigration and the public safety department will obviously review… all of the circumstances, particularly the chronology and the timeline of when certain pieces of information may have been available," Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says told reporters Wednesday, amid a series of pointed questions about the alarming case.

    "That work is ongoing."

    Late last month, the RCMP arrested Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and Mostafa Eldidi, 26, in Richmond Hill, Ont. The two — whom police initially said they understood both to be Canadian citizens— were "in the advanced stages of planning a serious, violent attack in Toronto."

    The pair are facing a series of terrorism-related charges, including conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with the Islamic State.

    While most of the charges stem from alleged activities undertaken in Canada, the father was also charged with committing an aggravated assault outside the country in June 2015 for the benefit of the terror group.

    Citing unnamed sources, Global News reported last week that the father immigrated to Canada after allegedly being filmed taking part in ISIS violence overseas, and that his son does not hold Canadian citizenship. CTV News has not independently verified this reporting.

    LeBlanc told reporters senior RCMP and CSIS officials in Ottawa briefed him on the matter, suggesting that some of the information circulating "may not be reliable."

    "It's important to establish, we think, the chronology. There have been some public allegations around certain information. It might be interesting to know when that information came to light and when that information was in the hands of which decision maker," LeBlanc said.

    The two men appeared in court on Wednesday. They remain without lawyers and their bail hearings were put over to next week.

    Hearings to be held, NDP back

    A day prior, the federal Conservatives called for hearings of the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee into how these men were able to immigrate to this country, stating that Canadians had "a right to know what went wrong."

    Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer called on the Bloc Quebecois and NDP to support his party's push to recall the committee, and on Wednesday, the NDP said they agreed, securing the ability for an emergency meeting to be called.

    "Reports of a terrorism plot in Ontario – thankfully thwarted by the RCMP – have Canadians anxious that a community was narrowly saved from a potentially deadly attack," said NDP MP and committee member Alistair MacGregor in a statement.

    "And rightfully upset that a man with alleged links to a foreign terrorist group was not only allowed to enter Canada but given Canadian citizenship."

    The federal New Democrats agree MPs should "examine all developments" that led to the pair coming to Canada and their subsequent arrest. MacGregor also wants the hearings expanded to cover other concerns, such as how screening processes permitted entry of current and former Islamic Republic of Iran officials.

    "Regrettably, since 2015, the Trudeau government has had a dismal record with our immigration system, resulting in large backlogs and delayed processing times… while honest families are separated from their loved ones for years as they wait to come to Canada," MacGregor said.

    "To learn that criminals and individuals associated with oppressive political regimes managed to enter freely is a slap in their face."

    Touting the two-party push for a special meeting, the Conservatives confirmed Thursday that the meeting will be held next week, "to address this shocking national security failure."

    There, a request will be made for LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Marc Miller testify, as well as the top bureaucrats from the relevant departments and agencies.

    LeBlanc vows to say more, later

    It remains to be seen when the ministers and officials could be called, with LeBlanc indicating Wednesday that the federal government has shared what can be shared at this time.

    The minister said he'd have more to say "at some future point," while noting he doesn't want to "prejudice the ability of the police and the prosecutors to conduct a successful criminal trial," by engaging in the political dialogue surrounding the case.

    "I think what Canadians have a right to know is that the security services are doing important work to protect them… and the fact that these two people are currently in jail facing serious criminal charges, should give Canadians confidence that the RCMP and their partners did good work in this case," LeBlanc said.

    Immigration lawyer Max Berger said that "if they are found to have engaged in acts of terrorism, or membership in an organization involved in terrorism," Canadian citizenship status can be taken away.

    With files from CTV News Toronto's Jon Woodward 

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    Canada

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • Viewers of Jeopardy got a chance to test their knowledge of trivia about B.C.'s biggest city Wednesday night.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    Sports

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • The Winnipeg Jets have some huge holes to fill on both offence and defence this season.

    Autos

    • An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

    • Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

    Local Spotlight

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

    Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

    • Thousands of protesters are expected to march into downtown Vancouver on Friday, demanding more action from their government to address the growing climate crisis.

    • Members of the only organized support group for the Vancouver Canucks are feeling slighted after losing their usual space at Rogers Arena.

    • There have been more reports of a Bitcoin extortion scam seeking to exploit viewers of "adult content" in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, according to the RCMP.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Michael Ford, Ontario's minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, says he is taking a leave of absence from cabinet to prioritize his health.

    • The Ford government is considering restricting Ontario municipalities from installing new bike lanes that would require the removal of lanes of traffic, a source confirms to CTV News Toronto.

    • For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

    • It will be the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge as a memorial is held Friday in Calgary.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Defence counsel for accused murderer John-Christopher Arrizza argues he was in an “altered state of mind†due to days of drug and alcohol use, sleep deprivation and not eating, when he fatally stabbed a man at a Banff nightclub in 2022.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • Ottawa Fire Services says a driver has been safely extricated after being trapped following a two-vehicle collision near a high school in the city’s south end.

    • The Ottawa Police Service Arson Unit is seeking witnesses to a fire that happened early Friday morning in a two-storey commercial building in Little Italy.

    • The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

    • The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

    • Mounties say there was an increased police presence in the Emerald Hills area of Sherwood Park on Friday morning as officers searched for a man who is wanted by police.

    • Edmonton police say a man who was died in the river valley last weekend was fatally shot.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    • A black bear that was tranquilized in a park in Dartmouth, N.S., has been released back into the wild, according to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR).

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • Manitoba's government says it will encourage the development of renewable energy in the province while acknowledging fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon.

    • The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) has made an arrest following a fire that claimed the lives of two people.

    • Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien's Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night.

    • A tornado in Langbank, Sask. on Wednesday was the third latest in the province on record, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

    • With the municipal election fast approaching, Yorkton’s city returning officer shared details on what people need to know before voting, and what to know if they are interested in running for city council.

    • Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas are being monitored at Brantford Collegiate Institute after a leak in their geothermal system.

    • Guelph resident, Susan Bard, is being remembered as a vibrant community advocate and volunteer who died doing what she loved – cycling.

    • The second-degree murder trial of Thomas Hamp is being adjourned until December so an expert witness central to the trial can testify.

    • A 69-year-old woman from Outlook, Saskatchewan is dead and three people are injured after a truck and SUV collided on Highway 15 on Thursday.

    • A gym teacher at a private Christian school in Saskatoon has been charged. Terra MacEwan, 44, is charged with assault with a weapon. A Saskatoon mother who spoke with CTV News says her autistic son was MacEwan's victim.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    • Two people emerged unhurt after a float plane had a hard landing late Friday morning on Lake Temiskaming.

    • The Elgin Community Health Hub, operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, is accepting new patients to a model where doctors are rarely seen.

    • Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and supportetrs greatly outnumbered the people attending a '1 Million March 4 Children' event along Central Avenue.

    • Today, the 71 year old is marking 50 years a paramedic. He said he never aspired to move into management or a desk job, he enjoys being on the road, helping patients too much.

    • Provincial police are investigating vandalism in Huntsville after the "senseless destruction" of flower displays along Main Street East.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A truck driver from Orillia is proof that saying yes to Encore can pay off in a big way.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • Windsor fire is on scene at an incident on McDougall Street.

    • The Windsor Police Service is asking for help from the public following a break-and-enter at a home.

    • The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC) has declared a state of emergency in all 14 of its member First Nations due to a mental health and opioid crisis.

    • In a rare move, the Greater Victoria School District Board of Education has been slapped with a ministerial order from the province requiring it to update a student safety plan – drawing concern around political posturing leading up to an election.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • A Vulcan, Alta., man has been charged with a Lethbridge woman's murder after her body was found in the Oyen area.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A new community health profile in the Algoma District shows the area is significantly below provincial averages in a number of health metrics.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News