In our top story: Erin O’Toole is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in what some are calling a crushing defeat for frontrunner and former MP Peter MacKay. O’Toole defeated MacKay on the third ballot by a margin of 57 per cent to 43 per cent. O’Toole is promising to unite the party and vows they’ll be ready to win the next federal election. Chief political correspondent David Akin takes a look at the work O’Toole has to do to get them ready.
Not all reaction to O’Toole’s win is positive, however, with the Liberals quickly taking aim at his list of priorities, including the environment. The NDP also raised concerns over what cuts could take place with him were he to become prime minister. Mercedes Stephenson takes a look at the first thing the new leader will need to do, including winning over the general Canadian population and preparing for a potential election.
South of the border, President Donald Trump is in the spotlight this week as Republicans have kicked off their national convention, solidifying Trump as their nominee for a second time. The four-day convention is aimed at firing up the base, but it’s yet to be seen if it will win over Americans on the fence about giving the president a second term. Jackson Proskow reports.
Ahead of the convention’s kick-off, Trump put pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize the use of donated blood plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those still dealing with the disease. The president had accused the agency of stalling its approval. As Eric Sorensen explains, critics say the program is going forward before large scale trials have even been completed.
New research on Canada’s opioid crisis has found that most overdose deaths have been caused by a toxic supply of street drugs. B.C. alone has seen more than 700 people die since January, that’s compared to just over 200 who have died in the province from COVID-19. Federal officials say the drug problem cannot be ignored, but across the country there is little consensus on what needs to be done in order to save lives. Heather Yourex-West explains.
Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies is celebrating a dream come true. He helped Bayern Munich clean up and become the best team in Europe for a sixth time, winning the Champions League on Sunday. Davies, who came to Canada as a young refugee, is only 19. As Redmond Shannon reports, he’s already achieved a lifetime of achievements.
