In the news today: Liberal policy convention, MP crosses the floor, High travel costs

The convention, which runs Thursday through Saturday, starts just ahead of three byelections set for Monday, and a day after a fifth opposition MP crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus.

It comes at a high point for the Liberals, who, a little more than a year ago, felt like they were marching their way out of office. Polling aggregator 338 Canada has the Liberals at a staggering 45 per cent support nationally.

Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu says she’s joining Carney’s Liberal government

An Ontario member of Parliament’s decision to leave the Conservatives has some wondering just how big Prime Minister Mark Carney’s big Liberal tent is.

Carney welcomed Marilyn Gladu into the Liberal caucus during a meeting in his office and told reporters he couldn’t be happier to have her in the Liberal fold.

But some of Gladu’s past positions and statements have other politicians criticizing the Liberal welcome.

Gladu previously shared misinformation about COVID-19, supported 2022’s so-called “Freedom Convoy” that protested pandemic restrictions, and voted against a Liberal bill banning conversion therapy.

Frank Stronach’s lawyers to argue some complainants were coached by prosecutors

Lawyers for Canadian auto parts magnate Frank Stronach are expected to argue today that some of the complainants in his sexual assault case were coached by prosecutors before trial.

Defence lawyers are set to bring an abuse of process motion before the court in the final stretch of legal submissions at the businessman’s Toronto trial.

Stronach, who is 93, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges stemming from alleged incidents that took place decades ago involving seven complainants.

The founder of the auto parts manufacturer Magna International is also set to face trial in nearby Newmarket, Ont., later this year.

Iran publishes chart showing it may have put sea mines in Strait of Hormuz as shaky ceasefire holds

Semiofficial news agencies in Iran have published a chart suggesting the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard mined the Strait of Hormuz during the war.

The message may be intended to pressure the U.S. as uncertainty hangs over a days-old two-week ceasefire.

Further negotiations are expected to be held in Pakistan.

The shaky ceasefire has been largely holding between the U.S., Israel and Iran, although Tehran and Washington have offered vastly different explanations of the initial terms.

Booking earlier, wait-and-see mode: Travellers trying to get ahead of high costs

Surging energy prices driven by conflict in the Middle East have meant airlines are doling out more for jet fuel while motorists are seeing huge price spikes at the pump. It also means travellers have to open their wallets even wider.

Travel agency experts say many people are trying to work around the higher prices in a variety of ways, with some booking much earlier than normal, while others take their chances and wait in hopes that prices will come down.

Amra Durakovic, with Flight Centre Travel Group, says rising prices haven’t yet discouraged travellers, though, and some are already booking their fall and winter trips to lock in prices.

Jason Sarracini, CEO of travel agency OST.travel, says many people are still taking the wait-and-see approach and are hesitant to book expensive trips abroad — opting instead to stay home or travel to places where they feel safe.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

In the news today: Liberal policy convention, MP crosses the floor, High travel costs

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