Nova Scotia ministers silent on environmental racism report, to meet with authors
Twila Grosse, MLA for Preston, is sworn in as Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs and Minister of the Public Service Commission, becoming the first female African Nova Scotian member of the Nova Scotia Executive Council, in Halifax on Thursday, Sept.14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Government of Nova Scotia (Mandatory Credit) GAC flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: pubinfo.section: cms.site.custom.site_domain : thestar.com sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false firstAuthor.avatar :
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Liberals taking ‘fresh' look at online harms bill, justice minister says
OTTAWA – Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government plans to take a 'fresh' look at its online harms legislation over the summer but it's not clear yet exactly what the bill will look like when it is reintroduced. It would be the Liberals third attempt to pass legislation to address harmful behaviour online. Fraser told The Canadian Press in an interview that the government hasn't decided whether to rewrite or simply reintroduce the Online Harms Act, which was introduced in 2024 but did not pass. He said Canadians can expect measures addressing deepfakes and child exploitation 'to be included in legislative reforms coming up in the near future.' In their election platform, the Liberals promised to make the distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes a criminal offence. They also pledged to introduce a bill to protect children from online sexploitation and extortion, and to give law enforcement and prosecutors additional tools to pursue those crimes. Fraser said the growth of artificial intelligence is influencing the discussions. The spread of generative AI has changed both the online space and everyday life since the federal government first introduced the legislation. 'We will have that in mind as we revisit the specifics of online harms legislation,' he added. 'The world changes and governments would be remiss if they didn't recognize that policy needs to shift.' Online harms legislation was first proposed by then-heritage minister Steven Guilbeault in 2021, but after widespread criticism, the government pivoted and shifted the file to the justice minister. Guilbeault is now back in his old ministry, which has been renamed Canadian identity and culture. Prime Minister Mark Carney has also created an artificial intelligence ministry, headed up by rookie MP Evan Solomon. Fraser said he expects 'significant engagement' with Guilbeault and Solomon but it will be determined later which minister will take the lead on it. The first version of the bill alarmed critics who warned that the provision requiring platforms to take down offending content within 24 hours would undermine free expression. When Fraser's predecessor, Arif Virani, introduced the Online Harms Act in 2024, the bill restricted that 24-hour takedown provision to content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, or intimate content shared without consent, including deepfakes. It also required social media companies to explain how they plan to reduce the risks their platforms pose to users, and imposed on them a duty to protect children. But the government also included Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act amendments targeting hate in the same legislation — which some said risked chilling free speech. In late 2024, Virani said he would split those controversial provisions off into a separate bill, but that didn't happen before this spring's federal election was called and the bill died on the order paper. Fraser said no decision has been made yet on whether to bring back online harms legislation in one bill or two. 'That is precisely the kind of thing that I want to have an opportunity to discuss with stakeholders, to ensure we're moving forward in a way that will create a broad base of public support,' he said. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Fraser said the government could 'modify existing versions that we may have on the shelf from the previous Parliament as may be needed, or to accept the form in which we had the legislation.' He added he wants to have a 'fresh consideration of the path forward, where I personally can benefit from the advice of those closest to the file who know best how to keep kids safe online.' While the government hasn't set a date to introduce legislation, it could include some online harms measures in a crime bill Fraser plans to table in the fall. Fraser said online harms provisions that 'touch more specifically on criminal activity' could be 'included in one piece of legislation, with a broader set of reforms on online harms at a different time.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2025.
Toronto Sun
16 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
EDITORIAL: The financial risks of ‘nation-building'
Prime Minister Mark Carney attends the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS Now that Prime Minister Mark Carney's legislation to fast-track 'nation-building' projects has been approved, the concern is whether taxpayer money spent building them will be respected. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Nation-building projects are what governments used to call capital spending and we already know that Carney is planning to finance federal projects with more public debt. In his election platform alone, Carney identified $130 billion in new spending over four years with total deficit spending of $224.8 billion, 71% higher than what the Trudeau government said it would spend. The Carney government will also be green-lighting selected capital projects submitted by the provinces involving both public and private sector spending. The problem is we all know what happens when governments fast track public spending while ignoring the rules aimed at giving taxpayers good value for money. It ends in financial disasters such as the ArriveCAN app, developed during the pandemic, that was supposed to cost $80,000 and ended up at almost $60 million, according to Auditor General Karen Hogan. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She warned that the failure of public servants to follow contracting rules that led to the ArriveCAN mess is widespread across the government, based on her investigations of other contracts. The history of military purchases by the defence department alone is replete with financial fiascoes. In her recent report, Hogan estimated the cost of replacing Canada's aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets with 88 new F-35s, increased by almost 50% between 2022 and 2024 from $19 billion to $27.7 billion. She said it happened because the government relied on outdated data and failed to develop contingency plans for managing financial risks associated with the project. Going forward, spending on the military is poised to skyrocket given Carney's commitment to meet Canada's NATO target of spending 2% of annual GDP on defence by March 31, 2026, rising to 5% by 2035 at an added estimated cost of $150 billion annually. Meanwhile, parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux said he can't assess whether Carney's claim he will balance the operating budget in three years is credible because the government hasn't provided definitions of what it means by operational versus capital spending. Unless the government cleans up its act, we're facing years of billion-dollar boondoggles that we'll only learn about years after the fact. NHL Columnists Columnists Toronto Raptors Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Sun
19 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: What happened to Mark Carney's art of the deal?
Since becoming prime minister, his strategy for dealing with Donald Trump has been mostly one of appeasement rather than confrontation Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a closing press conference following the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected because he said he was the best leader to deal with Donald Trump in a tariff war. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Now would be a good time for him to prove it. When he was running for the Liberal leadership, Carney's approach to dealing with the U.S. President was all 'elbows up' rhetoric. In January, he said Trump's threat of imposing an illegal 25% tariff on Canadian imports was 'a blatant violation of our trade agreements, and will demand the most serious trade response in our history … 'Dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs by Canada should be a given and they should be aimed where their impacts in the United States will be felt the hardest.' But as prime minister, Carney's strategy for dealing with Trump has been mostly one of appeasement rather than confrontation. The question, given Trump suspending all trade and security negotiations with Canada on Friday because of U.S. anger over Canada's digital services tax, which has been widely criticized by business groups in Canada and the U.S., is whether Carney's strategy is working. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. (The digital services tax was passed a year ago by the Justin Trudeau government and is poised to extract billions of dollars in tax revenue from a number of U.S. tech giants operating in Canada, starting Monday.) Read More In March, Carey abandoned 'dollar for dollar' tariffs, saying it was unrealistic given that the U.S. economy is ten times the size of Canada's. While Carney has imposed selective tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, in April he removed some Canadian counter-tariffs on automakers as long as they maintained production and investment levels in Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He also announced the suspension of counter-tariffs for six months on goods imported from the U.S. used in Canadian manufacturing, processing and food and beverage packaging, as well as on goods used to support public health, health care, public safety and national security. In June, the Carney government introduced the 'Strong Borders Act' to 'keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl, and crack down on money laundering' in deference to Trump's demands about border security. Also in June, Carney announced Canada would meet its long-neglected NATO target of spending 2% of annual GDP on defence by March 31, 2026, another Trump demand. RECOMMENDED VIDEO This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last week, Carney said Canada would comply with Trump's demand to increase spending on defence to 5% of GDP by 2035, carrying a $150-billion a year price tag. The Carney government didn't respond to Trump's decision earlier this month to double U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50%. He called them 'unlawful, unjustified and illogical' and said Canada was preparing a response but would hold off imposing counter-tariffs pending the outcome of ongoing negotiations between Canada and the U.S. (Since then, the federal government has announced tariff-rate quotas on steel mill products imported into Canada but the Canadian steel industry has called them insufficient.) On June 16, following a meeting with Trump at the G7, Carney announced Canada and the U.S. had agreed to a 30-day deadline to reach a deal on trade and security. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Trump suggested a deal was possible, the announcement of the deadline – subsequently set at July 21 – came only from Carney. As the Prime Minister's Office described it: 'Prime Minister Carney and President Trump discussed immediate trade pressures and priorities for each country's workers and businesses, and shared updates on key issues raised in negotiations on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. 'To that end, the leaders agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within the coming 30 days.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO But within a week, Carney was downplaying that announcement, saying there was no assurance a deal would be reached by July 21. And on Friday, Trump suspended all negotiations because of the digital services tax. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It may be that there is no effective strategy – either confrontation or appeasement – to deal with Trump given the size of the U.S. economy compared to ours and the fact Trump thinks nothing of breaking existing trade agreements while demanding new ones and changes his positions on issues within days of making them. His negotiating style is to make enormous demands, then delay their implementation to see how much he can get, with the threat he will cause economic chaos if negotiations fail. That said, Carney told Canadians he could handle Trump. So far, the jury is out. lgoldstein@ Columnists NHL Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors Toronto Raptors
