🇺🇸 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.
Article content

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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🪖💸Defence Department expected to find savings even as its budget balloons

The Department of National Defence will not be spared from Prime Minister Mark Carney's cost-cutting drive — even though overall defence spending is set to balloon in the coming years.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne sent letters to his fellow cabinet members on Monday asking them to find savings of 7.5 per cent in their budgets starting in fiscal 2026, a spokesperson for the minister confirmed.

Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed to journalists Monday that he received Champagne's letter but offered little indication of where cuts could be made in his department.

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🚨 Ontario faces mass layoffs of nearly 10,000 college faculty and staff due to program cancellations

Ontario is experiencing one of its largest mass layoffs, with nearly 10,000 college faculty and staff losing their jobs. These cuts are attributed to a federal cap on international student visas, which caused a 48% drop in enrollment and led to the suspension or cancellation of over 600 programs, including nursing, culinary arts, and environmental technology.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) criticizes the provincial government for chronic underfunding, warning of long-term impacts on workforce development.
#Ontario #immigration
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🇺🇸 Most Canadians now see US as a ‘threat,’ study reveals

A majority of Canadian citizens now see the neighboring United States as the “greatest threat” to their country.

🔹Fifty-nine percent of Canadians view the U.S. as a major risk, according to a study published Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.
#US
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💧First Nations in Ontario demand resignation of Environment Minister over clean water bill opposition

Several First Nations in Ontario are calling for the resignation of Environment Minister Todd McCarthy after he opposed the reintroduction of federal Bill C-61, legislation aimed at guaranteeing clean drinking water rights for Indigenous communities.

McCarthy, along with Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, expressed concerns that the bill could delay project development and harm economic competitiveness.

The federal government plans to reintroduce Bill C-61 in the fall as part of a court-ordered settlement addressing unsafe drinking water in Indigenous communities.
#Ontario #Alberta
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🇨🇦 Canada aims for new U.S. trade deal by Aug. 1 as Trump threatens 35% tariffs

🇺🇸💸 Donald Trump announced Thursday the U.S. will charge a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian imports starting Aug. 1.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that was posted on Truth Social, the U.S. president wrote:

If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 35% that we charge.

Late Thursday night, Carney posted on social media that Canada would work towards a revised deadline of Aug. 1 in reaching a new trade deal with the U.S., updating the July 21 deadline set last June during the G7 Leaders’ Summit.
#US
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📈 Canada sees U.S. asylum claim surge as both nations harden borders

A growing number of migrants in the U.S. are heading north to seek asylum, even as Canada adopts increasingly restrictive immigration policies of its own.

During the first six days of July, Canadian officials at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing — the busiest land port between New York and Quebec — received 761 asylum claims, a more than 400% increase from the same period a year ago.

The number of claims at the crossing rose 128% in June and is up 82% since the start of the year.
#immigration #US #Quebec
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🏠 Rents in Canada fall for 9th straight month, still above 2022 levels

Rents continued to fall across Canada in June, marking the ninth straight month of rent decreases across the country, the National Rent Report from Rentals. ca said on Tuesday.

The average asking rent for all residential properties in Canada fell by 2.7 per cent in June, compared with this time last year, to $2,125 a month. However, despite the continuous drop, rents remained 11.9 per cent higher than they were in June 2022 and 4.1 per cent higher than in June 2023.
#housing
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🇺🇸 Manitoba premier shoots back at U.S. lawmakers over smoke complaint

Manitoba's premier shot back on Thursday at six U.S. lawmakers who recently complained about Canadian wildfire smoke travelling south, which they said was making it difficult for some Americans to enjoy their summer.

I've shaken the hands of American firefighters in northern Manitoba who are helping us out. I would challenge these ambulance chasers in the U.S. Congress to go and do the same, and to hear how much the American firefighting heroes who are here — how much they love our province.

said Premier Wab Kinew.
#Manitoba #US
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🎓 Quebec fines LaSalle College nearly $30 million for exceeding English program enrollment limits

LaSalle College in Montreal faces hefty fines of $30 million from the Quebec government for surpassing enrollment quotas in its English-language programs over the past two academic years.

The penalties include $8.7 million for exceeding limits by 716 students in 2023-24 and $21.1 million for exceeding by 1,066 students in 2024-25.

College President Claude Marchand called the fines an existential threat, citing late-imposed quotas as a compliance challenge. LaSalle College is contesting the fines in Quebec’s Superior Court but promises to adhere to enrollment limits starting fall 2025.
#Quebec #immigration
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Almost $50 million in cocaine found hidden in trucks crossing into Canada from U.S., police say

A cross-border drug smuggling network using commercial truck drivers to haul large loads of cocaine across the border from the United States into Canada has been revealed by police in southern Ontario, leading to the arrest of nine men and the seizure of 479 kilograms of bulk cocaine bricks.

Of the nine arrested, six have since been released on bail while three are still awaiting bail hearings after what Peel Regional Police described Tuesday as the largest drug bust in the police service’s history.

Investigators gave the cocaine an estimated retail street value (based on a per-gram level) of $47.9 million.
#Ontario #US
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