Canada's premiers meet in Muskokas for high-stakes talks
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Carney tells Inuit leaders his new major projects law ‘fully respects treaty rights'
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney told Inuit leaders that his government's major projects bill 'fully respects treaty rights' a week after several Indigenous leaders left a recent meeting with him in a state of frustration , saying their treaties were being undermined. On Thursday, Carney was taking part in a meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, co-hosted by the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed, in Inuvik, NWT, to discuss Bill C-5, known as the One Canadian Economy Act. In his opening remarks, the prime minister said he wanted to make 'absolutely clear' in the context of this forum on what the legislation could do and what it doesn't do. 'I want to be clear, up front, that the act fully respects treaty rights, including modern treaties, the modern treaties with Inuit treaty organizations. It fully respects treaty-based environmental assessment processes,' he said. 'In fact, those will be essential for anything that we move forward,' he added. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty added: 'At the end of the day, treaties are above this law. They have to be respected, and that's always been the case with this bill.' According to the government of Canada's website, treaties are agreements made between the Crown, Indigenous groups that define rights and obligations. They include historic treaties and modern treaties, also called comprehensive land claim agreements. Treaties are enshrined in section 35 of the Constitution Act. In 2021, the Liberal government passed legislation to make sure all federal laws are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which relates to treaty rights. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak had raised some alarm bells about C-5 before it was tabled and passed in June, saying that the proposed bill suggested 'a serious threat' to the exercise of treaty rights by First Nations. The legislation, which was fast-tracked in Parliament to become law in late June, gives Carney's cabinet the authority to designate projects, such as pipelines, ports and highways, in the 'national interest' and speed up the federal approvals process. In response to criticism from Indigenous leaders who said they had not been properly consulted on the bill, Carney announced he would be holding three summits. A first meeting with First Nations was held last week in Gatineau. Carney met with Inuit leaders in Inuvik on Thursday and he is set to meet with Métis leaders sometime in August. After last week's meeting, Alberta First Nations chiefs held a press conference to reaffirm their opposition to the legislation which they said does not respect treaty rights. 'This bill aims to include First Nations in a unified economy, but in reality, it undermines treaty and inherent rights by assimilating us into a system that did not create consent,' said Vernon Watchmaker, chief of Kehewin Cree Nation. 'A few invited voices do not speak to the treaty relationship of the diverse nations across Turtle Island (Canada),' he added. Chief Sheldon Sunshine, of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, took issue with the government's plan for an Indigenous advisory council which will be a part of the major projects office that will move projects ahead. Carney has said the office will be up and running by Labour Day. Sunshine said the proposed council, which will include First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives, is a 'colonial construct' and 'not grounded in treaty relationships.' 'Its existence and operation undercut our treaty rights by placing our futures in the hands of an unelected body and reports to the Prime Minister's Office, not to our people,' he said. 'It is used to divide and dilute Indigenous voices, creating the appearance of inclusion while excluding those who assert inherent and treaty-based jurisdictions.' In a recent interview with National Post, Deliah Bernard, former Indigenous affairs adviser to prime minister Justin Trudeau, said there is 'no one-size-fits-all approach to what consent should and could look like' with Indigenous groups. 'There are going to be regional disparities. There are going to be regional priorities. There are going to be circumstances that impact a community in one subsection of the country that necessarily may not impact in the same way… different parts of the country.' 'That's why the principle of consultation and consent is so crucial and so critical,' said Bernard, now co-founder of the Indigenous affairs agency Roots Strategies. Carney underscored last week that his government was only at the starting point of a much longer consultation process that would have to unfold with individual communities. He also promised to put $40 million towards ensuring Indigenous leadership is involved in further discussions, including on the question of which projects should be fast-tracked. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty pointed to how having Indigenous participation was part of the criteria for determining which projects would make the cut, referring to comments made by Carney directly to First Nations chiefs last week. 'The likelihood of these projects advancing or being completed without Indigenous people at the table… to me, sounded like zero,' Gull-Masty said. While in Inuvik, Carney also announced the appointment of a new Arctic ambassador. Virginia Mearns, an Inuit leader based in Iqaluit who held senior positions in the government of Nunavut, will start her mandate effective September 15. In this role, Mearns will focus 'on reinforcing Canada's Arctic engagements with like-minded partners and multilateral forums, bolstering Arctic sovereignty Arctic sovereignty, and advancing opportunities for security and growth' according to Carney's office. — With additional reporting from Stephanie Taylor. National Post calevesque@ Carney pitches major project powers to skeptical First Nations as advancing 'Indigenous economic growth' AFN national chief says fast-tracked projects bill should come with plan for infrastructure for reserves Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Deal or no deal, Trump's looming 35% tariff has business worried about current exemptions
With Prime Minister Mark Carney suggesting Canada might not ink a trade deal with the U.S. by Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline, Canadian business leaders say their biggest concern is keeping existing tariff exemptions in place. The U.S. president has said that unless there's an agreement by Aug. 1, that Canadian exports to the U.S. will face an across the board tariff of 35 per cent. Deal or not, the crucial thing for businesses and the Canadian economy is keeping an existing exemption from tariffs for goods which comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade, said Matthew Holmes, head of public policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 'I think that would be in place either way, you know, and that's my hope, because if we're no longer getting any kind of CUSMA exemption, then we're in a very different territory,' said Holmes. 'That is an absolute economic crisis.' The White House has previously signalled that the CUSMA exemption would continue to apply if there's no deal. The package includes caps on imported steel, a push to prioritize Canadian steel in government But given Trump's unpredictability, that's not exactly a certainty, said Holmes. Nor, he added, is the possibility of more sector-specific tariffs the day after any deal is signed. 'I think even if we get a deal Aug. 1, we could see him announce more tariffs on Aug. 2, or Aug. 7,' said Holmes. Dan Kelly, head of a small businesses advocacy group, thinks there's a fifty-fifty shot at some kind of deal by Trump's deadline. Kelly also says that keeping the CUSMA exemption in place is vital — even more important, he argued, than trying to reduce the sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, cars and copper. 'As harmful as the sectoral tariffs are, protecting the CUSMA exemption is, I would say, job one on the part of the federal government,' said Kelly, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. If a broad-based U.S. tariff does get implemented, Kelly worries that Canada could react with an across-the-board tariff on U.S. imports. That, said Kelly, would hurt Canadian consumers and small businesses alike. 'Are we going to be happy with a 10 or 25 per cent across-the-board tariff on all U.S. goods when each of us as consumers and almost half of businesses import products every day from the United States?,' Kelly asked. Trump boasted about deals with Japan and the Philippines in posts on social media Wednesday morning, and claimed he will only consider lowering tariff rates if countries open their markets to the United States. 'I will always give up Tariff points if I can get major countries to OPEN THEIR MARKETS TO THE USA,' the president posted. 'Another great power of Tariffs. Without them, it would be impossible to get countries to OPEN UP!!! ALWAYS, ZERO TARIFFS TO AMERICA!!!' Many details of the loose frameworks for the agreements with Japan and the Philippines remained unclear after the president's initial announcements Tuesday. Japan will still be hit with 15 per cent tariffs — down from Trump's proposed 25 per cent duties — and the Philippines will be hit with 19 per cent levies — slightly lower than the threatened 20 per cent. In return, the president said both countries would open their markets to American goods. The president also said Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S. 'at my direction.' The White House on Tuesday also provided more information on the framework of the deal with Indonesia that Trump announced earlier this month. That agreement will see Indonesia hit with a 19 per cent tariff, down from Trump's proposed 32 per cent levy. Trump previously announced frameworks for deals with the United Kingdom and Vietnam. On Tuesday, Carney confirmed Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is in Washington this week but downplayed expectations of a deal by Trump's deadline. 'They're complex negotiations and we'll use all the time that's necessary,' Carney told reporters after meeting with premiers at the Council of the Federation gathering in Huntsville, Ont. Carney said the government will agree to a deal 'if there's one on the table that is in the best interests of Canadians.' Countries around the world are watching for details of the deals. It remains unclear whether striking an agreement with the U.S. now would mean a reprieve from Trump's separate import taxes on steel, aluminum and automobiles, which operate outside his global tariff regime. Duties on copper are also set to be introduced on Aug. 1. With files from The Canadian Press
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Top GOP lawmaker demands 'soul-searching' from Dems amid anti-ICE riots targeting law enforcement
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., introduced a resolution to condemn violence against federal immigration authorities as ICE agents have seen an increase in assaults. The resolution states that ICE and Border Patrol are "facing violent mobs of both citizens and illegal aliens who have not only repeatedly blocked, menaced, and confronted law enforcement, but also attempted to burn and kill our ICE and CBP agents as they carried out their proper and legal duties." It noted several recent incidents, including an anti-ICE attack on Independence Day at the Prarieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, as well as a Border Patrol annex facility shooting in McAllen, Texas. "This resolution represents congressional clarity through a simple question: Do we categorically condemn deadly attacks on federal immigration law enforcement? Or not? I know my Republican colleagues back our agents – it's the Democrats who need some soul-searching about what they've said to encourage and excuse violence in the months they have spent enabling criminal illegals," Issa said on the resolution co-led with fellow California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. Assaults on ICE agents have gone up 830% since last year, according to DHS, and there's been sharp discourse on whether agents should be allowed to mask when conducting operations, as proponents are concerned about doxing of agents and their families. Issa told Fox News Digital in an interview that the anti-ICE movement seen in many blue areas, including sanctuary cities, is similar to the anti-police movement seen a few years ago. "The larger ICE movement that we're seeing now is really an organized attempt by the left once again to go after law enforcement, to go after the people that are making us safe. You know, what I've seen from this anti-ICE movement is an attempt to keep the streets dangerous with MS-13, with [Tren de Aragua]," Issa said. "As we're looking at the impact of sanctuary cities, sanctuary states, I have both in my district, what we're really looking toward really is, first of all, pushing hard to make sure the federal courts enforce the law," the Republican, who represents parts of the San Diego area, added. "And that particularly is coming into play when President Trump tries to faithfully execute the laws, and he's being pushed back by rogue judges." The congressman noted how Democrats have proposed legislation to prevent agents from wearing masks and requiring them to show identification while conducting sweeps throughout the country, which many proponents of the enforcement activity have said poses a safety risk. However, others have said it's a necessary move for government transparency. "I've heard from immigrant communities and people across Washington state about the pervasive sense of fear and alarm created when masked agents descend on a community without any visible identification, and residents have no way of knowing whether they are interacting with legitimate law enforcement," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said regarding the recently introduced VISIBLE Act. "Anyone being detained by law enforcement in America deserves to know who is detaining them and why." The Trump administration continues to pursue its goal of mass deportations while highlighting arrests of those with additional criminal charges and convictions. "It's really sad that the Democrats in the Senate would essentially try to undo what we've been doing for federal judges, for FISA judges, and so on, which is to protect their identity, their home locations, so that they can remain safe," Issa said. "Law enforcement is certainly accountable and nobody objects to there being some way to differentiate law enforcement officer one from two. But to ask that they be able to be identified is like asking 'Where do they live and what are their family members' names, and what schools do they go to?' The fact is, there's no real purpose in that," he continued. "And I know that my Democrat colleagues know that."
