Second thoughts? – iPolitics – Daily News N Blog

We start the brief with a look at the polls.

Good evening, readers.

Although MPs were on the Hill today, we start the brief with a look at the polls.

Specifically, we look at a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute that suggests a growing number of Conservative voters want to replace Pierre Poilievre as the party’s leader.

The poll surveyed 1,640 Canadians, including 590 who voted Conservative in last year’s election and asked people if they believe Poilievre should lead the Tories into the next election.

Almost 60 per cent Tory voters polled said he should stay on as leader, while 30 per cent said they think he should be replaced.

The share of Conservative voters who want Poilievre to quit has almost doubled since last August, when he was running in a byelection to earn a seat in the House of Commons after losing his old seat in April’s election.

The Canadian Press has more.

*Minister of National Defence David McGuinty holds a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)*

Good news, everyone — the Canadian military just had a banner year for recruitment.

But it’s still not enough for the defence minister to declare an end to what his predecessor called a personnel “death spiral.”

Military recruitment hit a three-decade high when the Canadian Armed Forces brought in 7,310 new members over the past year, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Monday.

That’s roughly 600 more than the previous year, when the military brought in 6,710 recruits.

McGuinty touted a surge in enlistment applications Monday morning — just hours before a House of Commons committee heard testimony about how the Canadian Armed Forces has struggled to keep applicants from dropping out of the recruitment process.

The minister said the armed forces received more than 44,000 applications to join the regular force over the past year, 62 per cent more than the year before.

The last minister of defence, Bill Blair, said in 2024 the Canadian Armed Forces was locked in a personnel “death spiral.”

When asked about that stark assessment and whether the military’s recruitment woes are over, McGuinty said he “wouldn’t characterize today as anything but very positive news.”

“This is a very good news story for Canada. It shows that we are making progress. There’s more work to be done,” he said.

CP has this one too.

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Pakistan is preparing for a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran to resume on Tuesday, even as U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to throw cold water on hopes for reaching an agreement to end the war. Trump told Bloomberg News on Monday that he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire, which expires at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.

On Sunday, the U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing the fragile ceasefire further into question.

Iran on Monday offered a new death toll for the war, with its forensic chief saying at least 3,375 people had been killed. His comments did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces.

Israel said it would join another round of talks with Lebanon in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The ambassadors of the two countries met in Washington last week for the first direct diplomatic talks in decades. The Israeli official says the same representatives will join Thursday’s talks.

AP reports.