Carney says Canada will join ‘military assistance’ pledge for Ukraine

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Canada is prepared to join its "allies" in offering “direct and scalable military assistance” to Ukraine once a ceasefire or peace agreement is reached.

Carney made the commitment virtually at a meeting of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing,” yesterday where 26 allied nations pledged to contribute troops or maintain a military presence on land, at sea, or in the air to "reassure Kiev" after the fighting stops. French President Emmanuel Macron described the effort as a future “reassurance force,” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the need for U.S. backing.

The plan would likely force Canada to reconsider its role in Latvia, where Carney recently announced troops would remain until 2029. Military experts say Ottawa does not have the capacity to maintain both deployments at scale.

Earlier in the day, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, pushing for guarantees of long-term support. Zelenskyy’s office said the talks focused on security assurances across air, land, sea, and cyberspace.

The theoretical coalition as Zelensky called it, also agreed to supply Ukraine with additional long-range missiles, even as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he was still seeking a path to peace but avoided setting timelines.

European officials stressed the pressure on Moscow must be sustained, with Berlin warning sanctions could intensify if Russia resists negotiations. For Canada, the pledge underscores a growing strategic bind: extending costly commitments abroad while navigating an economy already under heavy strain at home.

#Canada #Ukraine

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Carney unveils billions in funding, Buy Canadian policy to "combat Trump’s tariffs"

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping package of measures Friday aimed at insulating Canada’s economy from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including billions in new funding, an extended safety net for workers, and a new Buy Canadian procurement policy.

Speaking in Mississauga, Ont., Carney said the initiatives are designed to help workers and businesses hardest hit by the trade war and to “move Canada from reliance to resilience, from uncertainty to prosperity.” He described the tariff shock as a “rupture” in the global economy that requires urgent action.

The plan includes a pause on Canada’s electric vehicle sales mandate for the 2026 model year, with a 60-day review underway. Ottawa says this temporary measure will give auto workers and companies time to adapt to restructuring pressures in the sector.

For workers, the government is rolling out a reskilling program for up to 50,000 people, automatic enrolment of new EI claimants into a national jobs-matching platform, and extended EI benefits of up to 65 weeks for long-tenured workers. The waiting period for EI will also be waived for as many as 700,000 people.

Businesses will have access to a new $5-billion Strategic Response Fund, open to all sectors, to support retooling, productivity improvements, and new market development. The Regional Tariff Response Initiative, originally set at $450 million, will be expanded to $1 billion. Loan supports are also increasing: the ceiling for small- and medium-sized enterprise loans from the Business Development Bank of Canada will rise to $5 million, while the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan Facility will offer longer terms at lower rates.

A central piece of the plan is a binding Buy Canadian policy. Carney said federal agencies, Crown corporations, and departments will now be obligated to prioritize Canadian-made products and services in procurement, replacing what he called “outdated free-trade-era rules” with a clear obligation to use taxpayer dollars to strengthen the domestic economy.

The agricultural and seafood sectors will also see targeted supports, including a $370-million biofuel production incentive and new trade diversification measures for canola, beef, and seafood producers hit by tariffs, particularly from China.

Carney framed the plan as a long-term industrial strategy to position Canada for growth, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed it as “a big show about nothing,” accusing the prime minister of failing to secure tariff relief and presiding over worsening economic conditions.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Canada’s Immigration Shell Game: Where Are the “Temporary” Residents Going?

Ottawa is hiding something. The Canada Border Services Agency admits it collects entry and exit data on foreign students and temporary workers, but refuses to release how many actually leave when their permits expire. In other words: the government knows, but won’t say.

That silence matters. Canada is in the middle of a population surge unlike anything in its history. More than 817,000 newcomers arrived in just the first four months of 2025, 132,000 as permanent residents, 194,000 on study permits, and nearly half a million on work permits. The number of so-called “temporary” residents has now exploded to nearly 3 million, up from 743,000 less than a decade ago.

Finance Canada itself has admitted the obvious: this tidal wave of migration is straining housing, wages, and healthcare. Yet instead of accountability, we get obfuscation. Immigration Minister Lena Diab openly said the government is depending on foreigners to voluntarily leave when their visas expire. No plan, no enforcement, just hope. Meanwhile, estimates suggest as many as half a million deportees remain in the country. Six hundred convicted foreign criminals are already at large.

Canadians are told to trust a system that doesn’t even track its own numbers. This isn’t “sustainable immigration.” It’s a shell game run by elites who flood the labour market with cheap workers while telling young Canadians to accept unemployment. Youth employment now sits at 53.6%— the lowest since 1998. Whole generations are being priced out of jobs, homes, and healthcare while Liberal corporate allies laugh all the way to the bank.

Prime Minister Carney says he’ll reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population by 2027. But how credible is that promise if his government can’t even tell us how many leave now? Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called for scrapping the Temporary Foreign Worker program outright, pointing out that “Canadian jobs for Canadian workers” shouldn’t be controversial, it should be the rule.

This is the crisis no one in Ottawa wants to confront: a country that cannot enforce its own borders, cannot house its own people, and cannot even publish the truth about who comes and who goes. Until that changes, the words “temporary” and “voluntary” will remain a cruel joke.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Cheap Labour, Expensive Lies

Pierre Poilievre dropped a bombshell reminder: “A decade ago, Carney testified that temporary foreign workers prevented Canadian workers from getting raises. Now, he says that’s ok because corporate lobbyists prefer cheap foreign labour.”

Think about that. The man who now runs Canada once admitted the truth, that importing cheap labour suppresses Canadian wages. Today, he shrugs it off, because the donor class demands it.

This is how “temporary” turns permanent. Not just for the workers brought in, but for the decline of Canadian families trying to make ends meet. The grocery clerk in Brampton, the welder in Hamilton, the line worker in Windsor, all forced to compete in a rigged game where the government tilts the field against its own people.

Carney’s government calls this “economic management.” Ordinary Canadians know it for what it is: a betrayal. When your leaders side with lobbyists over citizens, when they import low-wage dependency rather than train and pay their own, you don’t have an economy, you have a plantation for the global elite.

This isn’t about compassion for workers from abroad. It’s about power. Who runs Canada: the Canadian people, or the corporations whispering in Carney’s ear?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇱🇻 Missing Canadian Soldier Found Dead in Latvia

The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed Saturday that Warrant Officer George Hohl, who went missing earlier this week while deployed in Latvia, has been found dead.

Hohl, a vehicle technician with nearly 20 years of service, was deployed on Operation Reassurance as part of NATO’s multinational brigade. He was discovered Friday, three days after being reported missing.

Latvian authorities are investigating with support from the CAF. Military officials stressed there is no indication his death poses a broader security risk to Canadian troops deployed in the region.

“The loss of Warrant Officer George Hohl has hit us all very hard,” said Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of the defence staff. “On behalf of the entire Canadian Armed Forces, I offer my deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. Warrant Officer Hohl will be remembered for his many years of dedicated service.”

Canada currently has around 2,000 troops stationed in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, its largest overseas mission. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last month that the deployment will be extended until 2029.

#Canada #Latvia

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 3.1 Million in 2024 — And the Media Says Nothing

3.1 million “temporary” migrants flooded into Canada last year, a historic surge, but not a whisper from CBC, CTV, or Global News. No headlines. No questions. Just silence. Why? Because this isn’t immigration, it’s economic warfare.

Wages down, housing gone, services collapsingall while corporate lobbyists cash in on cheap labour and Ottawa plays dumb. The press isn’t asleep. It’s complicit. Canada is being remade behind your back, and they don’t want you to notice until it’s too late.

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦⚖️ POV: You Live in Canada

🤔 Time for a change in culture eh?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦📚 Alberta Schools Face New Book Rules

Alberta has revised its controversial school library rules: visual depictions of sexual acts are now banned, but written denoscriptions are still allowed.

This comes after public outcry when Edmonton Public Schools flagged 226 noscripts for removal under the original policy, including classics like The Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, and The Color Purple. The original rules included written passages, but those words have now been dropped from the ministerial order.

📅 Schools now have until January 2026 to comply.
📋 A full list of removed materials must be submitted by October 31.

Minister Nicolaides insists this isn’t a “book ban,” just an effort to remove “extremely graphic visuals.” Critics call it censorship in disguise.

Premier Danielle Smith blasted the school board’s earlier actions as “vicious compliance.”

#Alberta

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Carney Unveils $80M Tariff Relief for Atlantic Canada

PM Mark Carney touched down in St. John’s to announce $80 million in new funding for small and mid-sized businesses across Atlantic Canada—part of a broader $1B national tariff-response fund.

The goal? Help local industries weather U.S. tariffs, modernize operations, and break into new export markets, especially in Europe.

Carney says the funds will be deployed via the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, with support from Indigenous partners like Qalipu and Membertou First Nations.

“We’re cutting federal waste so businesses can invest for the future,” Carney claimed.

This is the second major move in a week after his “Buy Canadian” plan and tariff fightback fund—framed as Ottawa’s response to Trump 2.0’s 50% tariffs on sectors like steel and aluminum.

Critics say the timing of the visit—complete with a “sea of red” Liberal candidates... smells like pre-election posturing.

#Newfoundland #Novascotia #NewBrunswick #PEI

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🗳 43,000 Mail-In Ballots Tossed — Elections Canada Won’t Say Where

In a razor-thin federal election, 43,455 mail-in ballots were rejected for being “late” — and Elections Canada refuses to disclose which ridings they came from. This, despite at least four judicial recounts and a one-vote Liberal win in Terrebonne that’s now under court challenge.

Elections Canada admits they had no tracking system for ballot dispatches — and previously apologized for mislabelled ballots, mysterious poll closures, and hundreds of missing ballots found in a mailroom.

The kicker? They won’t say if any of the 43k rejected votes could have swung tight races. Voters are furious. Bloc MP Lemire calls it a “transparency crisis.”

Why aren’t CBC, CTV, or Global News covering this?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Post-COVID Canada: A Nation of Rising Deaths and Deafening Silence

A new 54-page bombshell report from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) has torn the mask off Canada’s post-pandemic health crisis and the numbers are chilling. The report, noscriptd “Post-COVID Canada: The Rise in Unexpected Deaths,” reveals that excess deaths continue to surge years after lockdowns and vaccine mandates, while health officials remain eerily silent.

Among the most alarming findings: deaths among Canadians under 45 have risen by more than a third since 2020. Deaths among children aged 1 to 14 have increased by 16%, and 15% of youth deaths in 2022 were labeled as “unknown causes.” Only 6% of those underwent autopsies. Meanwhile, drug overdose deaths have jumped from 4,500 to nearly 7,000 annually, a 55% increase that persists. COVID deaths themselves actually rose after widespread vaccination, from 16,000 in 2020 to 20,000 in 2022, raising difficult questions about the efficacy of those measures.

JCCF President John Carpay argues this surge is a direct result of flawed policies and institutional denial. “COVID became a cult. Lockdowns were gospel. And vaccines, the sacred rite. But now that the data contradicts the dogma, they want to bury it—along with the dead,” he said. The report also links excess deaths to lockdown-driven isolation, gym closures, and fines for outdoor activities, which fueled obesity, stress, hypertension, and delayed medical care.

And yet, the silence is deafening. Neither Health Minister Marjorie Michel, opposition critics, nor provincial health officials will speak on the findings. Canada’s mainstream media has also ignored the report completely. CBC, CTV, and Global News have not run a single headline on it. Canadians are left to wonder: if this isn’t newsworthy, what is?

Carpay concludes that experts must be held accountable for catastrophic outcomes. “Let’s not be governed by experts. They were wrong.” The data is clear. The silence is telling. And the cost, it seems, is human lives.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Alberta to Defend Parental Consent Law on Pronouns in Court

The Alberta government has vowed to “vigorously defend” its new parental consent law requiring students under 16 to get permission before changing their name or pronouns at school — a move now facing a legal challenge from 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy groups Egale Canada and Skipping Stone.

The policy, which came into effect this school year, mandates that students aged 15 and under must have parental consent for any gender-related name or pronoun changes. For those aged 16 and 17, parents must be notified, even if consent isn’t required. Premier Danielle Smith has defended the measure as common sense: “You can’t have another adult making decisions over a child’s life without involving their parents.”

Critics allege the law targets gender-diverse students, claiming it forces them to either be outed at home or stay closeted at school. But supporters argue the real issue is transparency, family cohesion, and age-appropriate authority.

This isn’t Alberta’s only move. The UCP has also barred transgender athletes over 12 from competing in female amateur sports, and it passed legislation restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youth under 16 — though that last measure is on hold after a court injunction.

Alberta’s stance echoes Saskatchewan’s 2023 law, where Premier Scott Moe used the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to override legal challenges — a path Danielle Smith hasn’t ruled out. As opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi attacks the UCP for “punching down on the most vulnerable,” others see it as a long-overdue pushback against ideological overreach in schools.

#Alberta

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Carney and Smith Want a Pipeline — But Nobody’s Building One

Despite political will at both federal and provincial levels, Canada’s next big oil export pipeline is missing one key thing: a company willing to build it.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith admitted back in June there was “no proponent” yet, but pledged “there will be soon.” Months later, that still hasn’t materialized. No major pipeline company has stepped forward with a formal proposal.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is pressing ahead, launching a new Major Projects Office in Calgary to fast-track infrastructure approvals — including ports, nuclear plants, and potentially pipelines. Energy Minister Brian Jean welcomed Ottawa’s tone, saying: “I’m glad to see they recognize the need for that pipeline, the demand for that pipeline… it would be good for B.C., for Alberta, and truly good for Canada.”

But experts say the silence from industry is telling. The Trans Mountain expansion faced years of delays, protests, and cost overruns — eventually requiring a government bailout. Building a new pipeline today could take over a decade and cost tens of billions.

“There needs to be real due diligence done,” said Grant Sprague, Alberta’s former deputy minister of energy. “People need to be confident. I don’t care if it’s a road, transmission line or pipeline — people along the route want their input.”

Meanwhile, Alberta’s oil production continues to rise, and export pipelines could hit capacity by 2030. A new project would relieve pressure, but it may face stiff opposition, as seen with past projects like Coastal GasLink and TMX. “Another project is very likely to face quite a bit of pushback,” said Warren Mabee of Queen’s University.

Carney may be promising to “build, baby, build” — but unless a company steps up soon, the pipeline conversation will remain just that: talk.

#Alberta

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇶🇦 Carney Condemns Israeli Strike in Qatar as ‘Intolerable Expansion of Violence’

Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a sharp rebuke of Israel’s Tuesday airstrike in Doha, Qatar, calling it “an intolerable expansion of violence and an affront to Qatar’s sovereignty.” The strike targeted Hamas political leaders and reportedly killed five members of the group, including the son of a top commander, just as they were reportedly reviewing a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.

Qatar, which has long served as a mediator in the war between Israel and Hamas, condemned the strike as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms,” warning it endangered both Qatari citizens and regional stability. Majed Al-Ansari, a senior Qatari official, called the assault a “criminal act” and a direct threat to Qatar’s role as a neutral facilitator.

Carney’s statement stressed that the attack jeopardized fragile negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting ceasefire and securing the release of hostages. “Regardless of their objectives, such attacks pose a grave risk of escalating conflict throughout the region, and directly imperil efforts to advance peace and security,” he said.

The United States confirmed that it was alerted by Israel prior to the strike, but distanced itself from the operation. President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, called it an “unfortunate incident” and emphasized that “Israel acted alone.” He added that he personally assured the Qatari leadership that it “will not happen again.”

Other Western leaders echoed Carney’s criticism. France’s Emmanuel Macron called the attack “unacceptable,” the UK’s Keir Starmer said it violated international law, and UN Secretary General António Guterres described it as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed full responsibility for the strike, stating bluntly: “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.” Israeli officials linked the operation to recent attacks that killed Israeli civilians and soldiers in Gaza and Jerusalem.

The incident now casts a long shadow over ongoing ceasefire efforts. While Hamas confirmed its negotiating team survived the strike, its officials warned that the assault further complicates deliberations.

#Qatar #Israel #Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Ontario Push for National Vaccine Registry Sparks Privacy Debate

As students return to school, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has renewed calls for a national immunization schedule and centralized vaccine registry, citing growing “vaccine hesitancy” and the need to combat “preventable diseases.”

The move aligns with the World Health Organization’s Immunization Agenda 2030, which envisions lifelong vaccination tied to digital surveillance, including AI-backed data systems and routine compliance tracking. Critics warn this could shift public health priorities toward pharmaceutical and tech interests.

Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act already empowers school boards to collect student vaccine records, with some boards threatening 20-day suspensions for those who do not comply. Legal analysts have raised concerns about potential violations of Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), which requires informed, non-coerced consent.

Privacy advocates point to recent health data breaches — including PowerSchool (2.8M records), LifeLabs, and the province’s own COVID-19 vaccine portal — as proof that centralized health databases remain vulnerable.

Some parents report their children were denied recess, busing, or even faced child welfare threats for not submitting vaccine records. Others say school-based vaccine clinics during class hours further blur the lines between healthcare and education mandates.

Officials dismiss resistance as “misinformation,” but families and civil liberties groups argue the issue is trust — eroded by past mandates, opaque data practices, and stories of harm kept quiet.

As Ontario presses forward, a growing movement of parents is demanding clarity, choice, and the right to education without surrendering private medical data.

#Ontario

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Canada ‘Evaluating’ Ties with Israel After Qatar Strike

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is “evaluating” its relationship with Israel after an airstrike in Doha killed five Hamas members on Qatari soil. The group had reportedly been meeting to discuss a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal.

“This was unacceptable,” Anand said at the Liberal caucus retreat in Edmonton. “It was a violation of Qatari airspace. There were deaths on the ground at a time when Qatar was trying to facilitate peace.” She declined to elaborate on what the review might entail but reiterated Canada’s support for “peace in the Middle East and addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

The statement follows Prime Minister Mark Carney’s condemnation a day earlier, calling the Israeli strike “an intolerable expansion of violence and an affront to Qatar’s sovereignty.” Qatar, a longtime U.S. and Israeli intermediary, called the bombing a “blatant violation of international law” and a threat to its national security.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would seek EU sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel — a sharp escalation from a Western ally. When pressed if Canada might follow suit, Anand said Ottawa will “continue to evaluate our next steps.”

U.S. President Donald Trump also distanced himself from the operation. “This was a decision made by [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, not me,” he wrote. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally… does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

The Israeli campaign, launched in response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, has killed over 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza and drawn increasing global rebuke. The Qatar strike adds to Israel’s mounting isolation, just as the U.N. prepares for possible formal recognition of a Palestinian state later this month.

Canada’s foreign ministry says its priority remains an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian access, and the release of hostages — but Ottawa’s tone has clearly shifted. Whether that translates into diplomatic or economic action remains to be seen.

#Canada #Israel #Qatar

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 More Heat, Less Light: Canada’s Energy Poverty Problem Ignored Amid Green Push

As Parliament resumes, critics say Prime Minister Mark Carney must confront a growing crisis: energy poverty.

Despite being a global energy powerhouse: 3rd in oil reserves, 4th in production, and 5th in natural gas output, more than 1 in 10 Canadian households struggle to pay for basic energy needs like heating, appliances, and transportation. Among low-income households, that number jumps to over 22%.

Yet Ottawa’s current direction—including increased carbon taxes and plans to phase out fossil fuels in electricity by 2050, risks making things worse. These policies, many argue, raise costs without offering real alternatives, especially as renewables require costly backup from the very fossil fuels being phased out.

The Liberals’ push for “decarbonized barrels” remains vague, with no concrete pipeline strategy or infrastructure roadmap in sight. Meanwhile, Canada’s GDP per capita continues to lag, now just 72% of the U.S. level, down from 80% in 2014.

Analysts warn that unless Carney breaks from Trudeau-era energy policies and focuses on affordability, Canada risks deepening inequality while chasing climate targets that burden its poorest citizens.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles