🪖Canada to join major European rearmament deal as early as June 23: sources

Prime Minister Mark Carney plans on joining a sweeping European plan in Belgium this month to rearm the continent and provide more military aid to Ukraine.

Last month, Carney signalled that he hopes to sign on to the new defence initiative by Canada Day as he tries to move away from relying on the United States for weapons and munitions.

Now sources with knowledge of the matter say Carney is expected to join the rearmament deal as early as June 23, when he meets with European leaders in Brussels at the EU-Canada summit.

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💰$30-billion in investment needed by 2040 to meet Canada’s critical mineral demand, report finds

A newly released report estimates Canada will need at least $30-billion in new capital investments by 2040 if it wants to meet domestic demand for the critical minerals key to a green economy transition.

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💉Most Albertans will have to pay for COVID-19 shots starting this fall, province says

Alberta's government says that since provinces began taking on responsibility for procuring the shots, it wants to cut down on waste. It says an estimated one million COVID-19 vaccine doses, or just over half of Alberta's supply, were not used during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season. It says that means $135 million worth of shots were wasted.

The government says it hasn't yet determined how much Albertans would pay, but an estimated cost to procure each vaccine is $110.
#Alberta
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📝 Poilievre to undergo Conservative Party leadership review in January

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will face a mandatory leadership review in January, after the party failed to form government in the last federal election.

The Conservative Party's national council agreed that the leadership review would take place in Calgary.
#Poilievre
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🗳Carney announces August byelection in riding where Poilievre seeking seat

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will get the chance to try regaining a seat in the House of Commons this August, after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday he’s called a byelection on Aug. 18.

Poilievre is expected to run in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, with now-former MP Damien Kurek resigning the seat in the hopes of paving a way for his leader to take his place.
#Poilievre #Alberta
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🇺🇸 Trade talks with U.S. resumed on Monday morning, says Carney

The United States resumed trade negotiations with Canada Monday morning, after the federal government scrapped its tax targeting large technology firms.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone Sunday evening. He said they decided to continue with negotiations, with the previously agreed-upon July 21 deadline still in mind.

Carney said that the decision to remove the digital services tax (DST) "is part of a bigger negotiation" with the U.S.
#US
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🤝 Ottawa removes all federal exceptions from Canadian Free Trade Agreement

The federal government says it has removed all interprovincial trade barriers under its jurisdiction.

Ottawa has eliminated the remaining federal exceptions from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a press release on Monday.

Of the 53 exceptions removed, most of them focused on procurement, according to the press release.

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📰 Canada officially drops 3% Digital Services Tax amid U.S. trade talks

Canada has officially rescinded its proposed 3% Digital Services Tax (DST), which targeted large foreign tech companies like Google and Amazon for revenue generated from Canadian users.

The tax, introduced in 2024 and set to take effect in late June 2025, was designed to ensure these companies pay a fair share of taxes in Canada. However, the government announced that it will drop the DST amid ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, aiming to ease tensions and foster a more favorable environment for broader discussions.
#US
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💸 Report warns of cuts to public service for Liberals to meet campaign promise

The Liberal government’s plan to find billions of dollars in operating efficiencies would require a 24 per cent cut in public service spending and “devastate the federal government,” according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s campaign platform included savings from “increased government efficiency,” with $6 billion in savings in 2026-27 and $13 billion a year in 2028-29.

A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, written by economist David Macdonald, says $13 billion in savings will “mostly be in personnel expenditures in non-defence departments,” amounting to a 24 per cent cut in government spending.

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🇮🇷 Lax immigration vetting makes Canada prime target for Iranian infiltration, says Secure Canada

In a statement posted online this week by the Council for a Secure Canada, the organization highlighted the threat posed by infiltration of Iranian officials, and how ill-equipped Canada is to deal with them.

While the real numbers of active Iranian agents attempting to enter or already working within Canada isn’t known, a Secure Canada spokesperson said that Canada’s ineffective immigration oversight makes us a tempting target for infiltration.
#Iran #immigration
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🛡 2025 Calgary Stampede enhances security measures

The 2025 Calgary Stampede, expected to draw 1.3 million visitors, is implementing enhanced security measures to address rising safety concerns. Key initiatives include drones for aerial surveillance, anti-ramming bollards, and increased police presence.

Organizers, led by Kerrie Blizard, emphasize safety as the top priority, with entrance screening including metal detectors and bag searches.
#Alberta
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✅ Thousands of foreigners’ criminal convictions forgiven by Ottawa over 11-year span, raising transparency concerns

More than 17,500 foreigners have had their criminal convictions forgiven by the Immigration Department over the past 11 years, removing a bar to coming to Canada, federal government figures show.

Foreigners are, in general, inadmissible to Canada if they have been convicted of an act that is considered a criminal offence in this country. But Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has the power to grant an exception if five years have elapsed since a person was convicted or finished a sentence.

Government figures show that in the 11 years up to and including 2024, 17,600 people convicted of criminal offences abroad were considered “rehabilitated” by IRCC. This meant they were able to apply to enter Canada, including through work and study visas, as permanent residents or visitors.
#immigration
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📊🪖Would you die for Canada? Polling suggests Canadians are more willing to fight for their country

“What actions would you take, if any, to fight to defend Canada against a military attack and invasion or occupation by a hostile foreign power?” More than 72 per cent of respondents said they’d take at least some action given a list of alternatives, with about 26 per cent willing to volunteer for civil defence and 13 per cent willing to volunteer for military service.

If Canada were defeated and occupied by another country, more than half of those polled said they’d undertake some kind of resistance, including nearly 39 per cent who’d participate in non-violent protests, economic disruption and civil disobedience. And almost 15 per cent would “engage in violent resistance.”

16 per cent of Canadians were “absolutely” prepared to die defending Canada, and an additional 22 per cent were prepared to die “depending on the circumstances.” This total of 38 per cent represents more than 12 million people.

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🔥 Wildfires force evacuations in Northwest Saskatchewan

Intense storms and thousands of lightning strikes have sparked new wildfires, forcing nearly 200 people to evacuate communities in northwest Saskatchewan, including Lac La Plonge, the English River First Nation’s reserve, and the Bear Creek resort subdivision.

The Village of Beauval is under a voluntary evacuation order, with Highways 198 and 165 closed due to fire impacts. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) reports 65 active wildfires, with 20 uncontained, and a total of 327 wildfires this year—far above the five-year average.
#Saskatchewan #wildfires
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💰Defence spending to add ‘staggering’ sum to deficit by 2035, think tank warns

The C.D. Howe Institute predicts Ottawa’s recently announced spending plans - which include a much bigger defence budget - will drive its deficits markedly higher in the coming years.

In a new analysis released Thursday, the think tank said it expects Canada’s deficit to top $92 billion this fiscal year, given Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to meet NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of GDP.

C.D. Howe expects deficit growth to slow after this year but predicts deficits will still average around $78 billion annually over four years.
#Carney
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🪖🇮🇱 Canada authorized $37.2 million in new military exports to Israel

Data from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) shows that in February the Liberal government authorized two new military export permits to Israel worth a combined total of $37.2 million.
#Israel
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🚨 BC Minister Bowinn Ma reflects on safety after office attack

British Columbia Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma revealed she has received only about six death threats over her eight years in office, calling herself “pretty fortunate.” Her comments follow an explosive device detonation at her North Vancouver constituency office last week, which blew open the front door but caused no injuries. The RCMP is investigating the incident.

She had previously removed a security wall to make her office more welcoming but now plans to work with legislative security to enhance safety measures.
#BritishColumbia
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✍️Danielle Smith and Doug Ford to sign agreements in Calgary

The premiers of Alberta and Ontario will meet in Calgary to sign two new memorandums of understanding.

Danielle Smith’s office says she and Doug Ford will sign agreements on energy priorities, trade and interprovincial co-operation.

The pair were together at a roundtable in Calgary on Sunday, with Ford tweeting that they discussed how to build new pipelines, as well as rail lines to export Canadian critical minerals and energy.
#Alberta #Ontario
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🇺🇸 U.S. ambassador won’t commit to new Canada-U.S. trade deal by July 21

The United States ambassador to Canada says a new trade deal between the two countries will be “good for Canada,” but won’t commit to a July 21 deadline to finalize an agreement.

Canada and the United States resumed talks on a new trade deal this week, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying he wants a new Canada-U.S. trade deal in place by July 21 or Canada will increase trade countermeasures.

I’m not going to commit to a date. I wouldn’t characterize it as tumultuous. We’re working through some things. We’ve got some things that we believe will make trade freer, fairer, and better for both countries.

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said.
#US
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🇨🇳 CSIS issues espionage alert about suspect seeking sensitive information for Chinese intelligence

Canadian intelligence officials have warned federal departments about an individual they believe is trying to obtain sensitive information for China’s spy services.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed on Friday that it had issued an “espionage advisory” to government departments and universities, notifying them about the person.
#China
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