💸 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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💸 Cabinet ministers asked to find ‘ambitious’ spending cuts as Carney government prepares first budget

Federal cabinet ministers are being asked to find “ambitious” internal savings this summer ahead of the 2025 budget as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government decides how it will pay for the billions of dollars in new spending that it recently announced.

Specifically, ministers must find ways to reduce program spending by 7.5 per cent in the fiscal year that begins April 1, 2026, followed by 10 per cent in savings the next year and 15 per cent in the 2028-29 fiscal year.

Program spending refers to the costs related to services provided directly by Ottawa. It excludes large categories such as federal transfers to the provinces and territories for health and social services, debt payments, and direct transfers to individuals such as seniors benefits.

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🤝🛢Alberta, Ontario premiers want 'several' oil pipelines built under Carney government

The premiers of Alberta and Ontario both said at a meeting Monday that they are cautiously optimistic that Prime Minister Mark Carney will successfully get a new oil pipeline built in Canada. But Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the planning should not be limited to just one.

Meeting with her Ontario counterpart in Calgary, Smith said Alberta crude oil should have access to a “growing share” of pipelines.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he agrees on the need for several pipelines to create more wealth, saying he has been “promoting building pipelines west, east, north and south.”
#Alberta #Ontario #energy
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Prosecution seeks life sentence on terrorism grounds for alleged mass killing threat in Montreal

A Crown prosecutor is now treating a man’s alleged threat of a mass killing in Montreal in May as a terrorist act and wants to secure a life sentence for the accused.

Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, 51, was arrested by the RCMP last month and charged with one count of uttering threats. According to the Mounties, he allegedly told an employee at a local homeless shelter in late May that he wanted to “commit an attack with the goal of killing a large number of people.”
#Quebec
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📈 Immigration grew six times faster over past decade: Study

Canada’s immigration levels grew six times faster over the past decade than it did from the turn of the century, says a new Fraser Institute study.

Between 2000 and 2014, annual immigration in Canada was around 618,000 people, but between 2016 and 2024 — excluding the pandemic-impacted 2020 — immigration more than doubled to around 1.4 million annually.
#immigration
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RCMP charges military members allegedly plotting to form militia and seize land

The RCMP has charged four men, including two active members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), with being part of an extremist plot that allegedly involved creating an anti-government militia with a massive trove of weapons.

In a news release Tuesday morning, the Mounties said the group was involved in an alleged ideologically motivated violent plot "intending to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area."
#Quebec
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💰Trump says he will impose 50% tariff on copper

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will announce a 50 per cent tax on imported copper on Tuesday — adding to the growing list of punishing tariffs that are causing economic dislocation in Canada and around the world.

Canada is a major exporter of copper to the U.S. — American data suggest it's the second-largest foreign supplier after Chile — and a 50 per cent tariff will make it more expensive for U.S. importers to bring in the metal.
#US
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Three stabbed in targeted attack on Calgary Stampede Midway

Police are searching for suspects after multiple people were stabbed in what officials said was a targeted attack at the Calgary Stampede.

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❌ Ottawa set to miss 2026 deadline for establishing $10-a-day child care: Report

Ottawa is expected to miss its 2026 deadline to implement $10-a-day child care services across the country, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said in a new report published on Wednesday.
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The analysis concluded that just six provinces and territories are meeting that fee target now.

The $10-a-day child care program, announced in 2021, was a signature policy of former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

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🇺🇸🔥U.S. lawmakers urge Canada to address wildfire smoke crisis

Six U.S. Congress members from Wisconsin and Minnesota sent a letter to Canada’s U.S. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, urging stronger action to mitigate wildfire smoke originating from Canada. The smoke has significantly impacted air quality and daily life in Midwestern states, prompting lawmakers to criticize Canada’s forest management practices and emphasize the disruption to their constituents.

Meanwhile, Canadian leaders, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, have defended their crisis management and pointed to the shared responsibility between Canada and the U.S. in addressing wildfires.
#US
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