Manitoba ethics commissioner faults former premier for pushing mining project

A report by Manitoba’s ethics commissioner says former premier Heather Stefanson and two of her cabinet ministers acted improperly by pushing for the approval of a silica sand mining project.

The report says Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic development minister Jeff Wharton tried to get approval for the Sio Silica project after the Tories lost the 2023 election, but before the new NDP government was to be sworn in.

Ethics commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor says their actions violated the Conflict of Interest Act and contravened a long-standing parliamentary principle that forbids outgoing governments from making major decisions in most cases.
#Manitoba
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🇺🇸 Trump’s new bill threatens major tax increases for Canadian companies

U.S. President Donald Trump‘s new tax bill is threatening to significantly hike rates for Canadian corporations and could cost investors holding U.S. securities up to $81-billion in additional taxes over seven years.

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Republican legislation, noscriptd the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, with a narrow vote of 215-214. If it becomes law, it will override the Canadian-U.S. tax treaty that has been in place since 1942.

The 1,100-page document includes section 899, a tax proposal created as a retaliatory measure against what the U.S calls “discriminatory or unfair taxes” of foreign countries, including Canada’s digital services tax (DST), which was introduced in 2024.
#US
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Mendicino to leave job as PM Carney’s chief of staff

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s chief of staff Marco Mendicino will soon be leaving his position in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), according to a statement released Thursday.

The former prominent Toronto MP and public safety minister under the Justin Trudeau government was appointed to serve in the key position – at least for the transition period – after Carney won the Liberal leadership and assumed the role of prime minister in March.
#Carney
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Canada Post union issues overtime ban as no deal reached ahead of strike deadline

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees has called for a nationwide overtime ban, saying its negotiators will continue to review the latest offers from the Crown corporation.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says members are being called on to refuse any work beyond eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 'Totally unacceptable' that IDF fired shots near Canadians, Carney says

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) fired warning shots near a diplomatic delegation, including four Canadians, in Jenin, with no injuries reported. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand condemned the incident as "totally unacceptable," demanding a full investigation.

Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed expressed regret, stating the IDF was unaware of the delegation’s presence in an active combat zone. Canada, France, and Italy summoned their Israeli envoys over the incident. Earlier, Canada, the UK, and France threatened targeted sanctions against Israel over its actions in Gaza and aid restrictions.
#Israel #Palestine #Carney
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🎓🇮🇳 Indian study permits see 31% drop as Canada tightens international student cap

The number of Canadian student visas issued to Indian students witnessed a 31 per cent drop in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that only 30,640 Indian students received study permits between January and March 2025, down from 44,295 during the same period in 2024.
#India #immigration
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🇺🇸 Donald Trump will visit Canada for G7, White House confirms

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada next month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a briefing.

Trump will be in Canada from June 15 to 17. More details of his visit will be announced shortly, Leavitt said.

The 51st G7 summit will be held from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alta., attended by the core members of the group. Also in attendance will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
#US
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Conservative MP launches petition to end temporary foreign worker program

Conservative MP Jamil Jivani has launched a petition to end the temporary foreign worker program.

The petition says the temporary foreign worker program is a “large contributor” to an unsustainable level of immigration and claims the program is taking jobs away from Canadians and suppressing wages.

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B.C. could face huge challenges if Alberta declares independence

Ports in B.C. rely on railways, pipelines and highways that cross Alberta to move goods to and from the rest of the country, and there could be enormous challenges if these routes are disrupted.

Premier David Eby has been reluctant to weigh in so far on the possibility of a sovereign Alberta, outside of comments calling for national unity in the face of Trump’s 51st state threats.

It’s really unfortunate that at this moment when Western Canada is stepping into the spotlight that there’s any discussion at all about leaving Canada.

#Alberta #BritishColumbia
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🗳MPs to select new House of Commons speaker in secret vote today

Newly elected MPs will vote by secret ballot when Parliament returns today to decide who will become the next Speaker of the House of Commons.

The last Speaker, Liberal MP Greg Fergus, is seeking to win the role back — although he faced criticism in the last Parliament of being overly partisan.

He will face off against half a dozen contenders, including former deputy Speaker and Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont as well as former deputy government House leader and Liberal MP Sherry Romanado.

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🔥 Man arrested after allegedly setting fire to RCMP detachment in Fort Nelson, BC

A man was arrested after allegedly setting fire to the exterior of the Northern Rockies RCMP detachment building in Fort Nelson, British Columbia.

The fire caused smoke to enter the building through its air intake, prompting a temporary evacuation of staff. Some exterior damage occurred, but the fire was quickly extinguished, preventing further harm.

A witness provided a photo of the suspect, helping police identify and arrest him after a brief foot chase. No injuries were reported, and the suspect may face multiple charges related to the incident.
#BritishColumbia
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🛠 Ontario Premier Doug Ford defends bill 5 amid indigenous opposition

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is defending Bill 5, which proposes creating special economic zones to accelerate mining and other developments by suspending certain laws and regulations.

This move has sparked significant opposition from First Nations, particularly the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, with Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler criticizing the bill for attacking Indigenous rights.

However, Ford notes support from some First Nations, such as Marten Falls, Webequie, and Aroland, involved in projects in the Ring of Fire mining region.
#Ontario
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👑🇬🇧 King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit Canada

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are visiting Canada on May 26 and 27. The King will deliver the throne speech in Parliament.

Prime Minister Mark Carney views the visit as a testament to Canada's resilience and global leadership, especially in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on Canada's sovereignty.
#UK
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Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected new Speaker of the House of Commons

Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia is the new Speaker, promising to bring back order and respect to the House of Commons as he presides over a new minority Parliament.

The longtime backbench MP was elected by his peers on Monday morning as the 39th Speaker during a jovial first sitting of the House of Commons since December.

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📝 Canadian foreign agent registry delayed

Canada's Liberal government promised a foreign influence transparency registry in June 2023 to counter foreign interference in politics, but it remains non-operational nearly a year later.

The delay has been criticized by former national security analyst Dennis Molinaro, who believes it undermines national security efforts.

The Conservative and NDP parties have also criticized the slow progress, while some universities warn it could harm international collaborations.

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NATO to embrace 5% GDP defence spending target in June, Secretary-General says

NATO member countries will agree to a steep new defence-spending target of 5 per cent of annual economic output during the June leaders summit, the military alliance’s top civilian official predicted Monday.

The Secretary-General’s comments suggest the target could be set at 3.5 per cent on hard military spending, plus another 1.5 percentage points on defence-related items, for a total of 5 per cent. The second category would be things such as security-related infrastructure.
#NATO
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Interim NDP leader says party will play important role despite loss of status

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said Monday the party will still play a “profoundly important role” in this Parliament, even though it won’t be granted official party status.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Monday morning the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized.

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👑 Royally Indifferent: 83 per cent of Canadians say they ‘don’t care’ that King Charles will deliver throne speech

🔹83 per cent of Canadians say they are “indifferent” or “don’t care” about the monarch’s historic visit, where Charles will read the throne speech – which will outline the Carney government’s priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session.

While Charles is, constitutionally, the King of Canada, Canadians are more than three times as likely to view him as solely a British monarch.

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❌ Government moves to purge consumer carbon pricing from law

The federal government moved on Tuesday to purge consumer carbon pricing from law, effectively putting an end to what was once the keystone of the Liberals’ climate policy.

In a notice of motion tabled in the House of Commons, the government signalled it intends to repeal the law after the government used regulations to end the consumer carbon price in March. That move was Mark Carney’s first official act after becoming prime minister.

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🚨 Quebec announces new security measures to combat contraband smuggling in detention centres

The Quebec government has introduced new security measures to tackle the rise in drone deliveries of illegal items like drugs, weapons, and cellphones in provincial detention centres.

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel unveiled initiatives including body scanners to detect concealed contraband, protective fences around jail windows, and plans to jam cellphone signals.

Between January and March 2025, 247 drones were spotted near detention facilities, with 195 carrying packages; about 70% of these deliveries were intercepted. These measures will be phased in over the coming months, with body scanners expected to be fully operational by March 2027.
#Quebec
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📈 Canadian dollar hits 7-month high after upbeat retail sales data

The Canadian dollar strengthened to a seven-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday as the greenback posted broad-based declines and domestic retail sales data supported bets that the Bank of Canada would remain on the sidelines.

The loonie was trading 1% higher at 1.3712 per U.S. dollar, or 72.93 U.S. cents, its strongest intraday level since October 10.

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