Spencer Van Dyk

Spencer Van Dyk covers federal politics for CTV News with a focus on how decisions in Ottawa reshape Canada’s trade relationships, economic policy, and international standing. Her work combines live, rolling coverage of high-stakes political events with clear explainers that track what leaders say, what deals mean, and how policy shifts affect people and businesses.

Canada-U.S. and Canada-EU trade and diplomacy

Much of Van Dyk’s recent coverage follows Canada’s evolving relationship with the United States through tariffs, trade negotiations, and infrastructure disputes. She has reported on new U.S. trade measures against Canadian goods, Canada’s retaliatory tariff package, and the prime minister’s message that pivoting away from the United States will come with economic costs but is preferable to the alternatives. Her stories itemize which sectors and products are affected - from steel, aluminum and wood to dairy and beauty products - and explain how changes in tariff rates translate into real-world price pressures. She has also covered Trump’s bans on specific Canadian imports, including booze and dairy, in live update formats that track federal responses in near real time. In parallel, she reports on Canada’s efforts to deepen ties with Europe, including coverage of Trump warning that Canada becoming an EU associate member could be a “hostile act,” and analysis of statements from European leaders who frame Canada and the EU as sharing “one set of values.”

Federal leadership, elections and debates

Van Dyk is a writer and producer with CTV News’ Ottawa News Bureau and works on the network’s flagship political program Question Period.

Within federal politics, she follows the governing party, opposition leaders, and campaign dynamics through elections, byelections and televised debates. Her work on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government includes coverage of how the Liberals secured a majority through a series of byelection victories, and detailed reporting from key battleground ridings such as Terrebonne, where she tracks local campaign tactics and vote patterns. She contributes live commentary and analysis during leaders’ debates, filing time-stamped updates that capture exchanges over affordability, tariffs, public safety and security, and the broader state of the economy.

Her debate reporting highlights both the leaders’ policy proposals - such as tax changes and consumption-tax relief - and the tone of their interactions, showing how economic and security themes drive campaign rhetoric.

International crises and security decisions

Beyond trade, Van Dyk reports on how Canadian political leaders respond to international crises and security-sensitive issues.

Her coverage includes stories on the billionaire owner of the Ambassador Bridge and meetings with U.S. officials, tying cross-border infrastructure disputes to broader questions about Canada-U.S. relations and domestic political pressure. She has also written on attempts by the Trump administration to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” documenting how the prime minister publicly challenges the order and frames the issue as a matter of sovereignty and identity.

In foreign policy and defence, she has covered Canada’s decision to summon the Israeli ambassador over the treatment of civilians on a Gaza flotilla, reflecting her interest in moments where humanitarian concerns intersect with diplomatic action and cabinet-level accountability. Across these assignments, she keeps the focus on what senior officials say, what concrete steps the government takes, and how those decisions are received at home and abroad.

Local and provincial reporting background

Van Dyk joined CTV News’ parliamentary bureau in 2022 after several years reporting on local and provincial stories across Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. She has worked as a radio and online journalist for CBC Ottawa and as the Eastern Townships correspondent for CBC Quebec, covering daily news and current affairs outside major metropolitan centres. Earlier in her career she reported on municipal affairs, healthcare access, education, forest fires, shootings, Quebec’s Bills 21 and 96, and a wide range of community human-interest stories. That background in local governance and social policy informs her federal coverage, which often connects decisions in Ottawa - like capital gains tax changes or trade measures - to their implications for regional economies, households, and small businesses.

Reporting format and style

Van Dyk frequently works in live-update and rolling-story formats, particularly on trade disputes, tariff announcements and major political events. Her pieces move between real-time quotes, scene-setting from press conferences and speeches, and structured sub-heads that break complex files into accessible segments such as “Everything is on the table” in trade talks, or “no formal trade talks with U.S.” when negotiations stall. She regularly co-ordinates with other CTV News journalists on large political stories, contributing segments and additional files that extend coverage across platforms.

The thread running through her work is a focus on the practical consequences of political decisions - whether on airports and infrastructure, cross-border trade, tax changes or security controversies - with an emphasis on precise language and detailed, issue-driven reporting.