Trump threats could drive higher voter turnout in federal election, experts say
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
42 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Months into his worldwide trade war, Donald Trump still appears resistant to learning how tariffs work
There have been a lot of headlines lately about how U.S. President Donald Trump is winning his trade wars, which he is, in the same way that one can score a goal in hockey by shooting the puck into one's own net. Some of Trump's latest wins have included separate deals with the United Kingdom and European Union members, in which imports from those places will be hit with a 15 per cent tariff upon arrival in the United States. Trump sees this as a win because foreign imports will be tariffed, while American goods will face no such treatment in the EU or Britain. He even explains it this way: 'They' will pay something. 'We' will pay nothing.
CBC
43 minutes ago
- CBC
'That's a lot of bottles!': Uncorking the value of American booze pulled from NSLC shelves
The NSLC's decision to pull American alcohol from its shelves means it has to warehouse almost 600,000 units of booze as part of the province's response to the ongoing trade war with the United States. As of March 6, between the more than 400 American products in stores and warehouses and orders in transit, there were 587,153 units of product that was property of the NSLC, according to documentation obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request. "That's a lot of bottles!" Dave DiPersio, the NSLC's senior vice-president of corporate affairs, wrote in an email to other company officials that same day. The NSLC removed American booze from its shelves in early March after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. A previous plan from a month earlier to pull U.S. alcohol was paused after Trump initially did not go ahead with implementing tariffs. The last order the NSLC placed for American alcohol was on Jan. 2, 2025. How much is the booze worth? The product being warehoused includes things that range in size from a 50-millilitre mini bottle of hard liquor to a three-litre bottle of wine. The retail value was $14,896,652. Citing security reasons, the NSLC declined to say where the American alcohol is being stored and wouldn't allow CBC to view it. None of the products pulled was cannabis as the NSLC doesn't carry any American-grown cannabis. The documents reveal some surprising details about just what constitutes an American product. "There are significant beer brands which customers may perceive as American (e.g. Bud, Bud Light & Coors) which are produced in Canada and are not included in the list of products that were removed," a Feb. 3 company document prepared for the finance minister noted. For example, the Oland Brewery on Halifax's Agricola Street is part of the global beer company Anheuser-Busch InBev. Beers such as Budweiser and Bud Light are brewed there. Where is Southern Comfort from? And while Southern Comfort might conjure up visions of the Big Easy as it's "The spirit of New Orleans" — according to its label — details like that had it initially categorized as American and thus removed from the shelves. However, Southern Comfort is produced and bottled in Montreal, and is now back on the shelves. It was a similar story for Goldschläger, the cinnamon schnapps that includes gold flakes. It was also initially pulled off the shelves. "Bottled by Sazerac Distilleries of Canada for Sazerac company. Louisville, KY, USA," the back label of the product shows. For rum manufacturer Bacardi, it didn't want to be labelled as an American product "as our rums are a product of Puerto Rico," the company's regional director for Atlantic Canada wrote in a Feb. 26 email to some NSLC officials. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, so Bacardi's products remain available for sale through the NSLC. The removal of American booze isn't the first time the NSLC has stopped selling a country's products. In 2022, it removed Russian vodka because of the country's invasion of Ukraine. That ban remains in place. American sales For the fiscal year from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024 — which would also be the most current fiscal year for which American products were available for the entire year — sales of U.S. products totalled roughly $18 million out of the $753 million in beverage alcohol sales. Data provided by the NSLC shows that almost half of American sales were on products from California, mostly wine. Adding Kentucky and Tennessee into the mix, the three states accounted for around 85 per cent of sales. As for how long the NSLC will keep American booze off its shelves, the company plans to do so until otherwise directed by the province. The decision to pull American products has been good news for Nova Scotian alcohol producers. From March 4 to July 11, sales of Nova Scotia wine increased 14.5 per cent and Nova Scotia spirit products increased 26.7 per cent, compared to the same time last year. Canadian wine sales were up 12.9 per cent, while Canadian whisky sales increased by 9.2 per cent during the same time period. "I think overall shoppers have been responding and looking for more local products and Canadian products," said NSLC spokesperson Terah McKinnon. "Overall, we do receive some questions [about American alcohol], but I think the numbers are showing in our sales to say they are exploring products closer to home." Compass Distillers makes a range of spirits including gin and rum, many sold through the NSLC. President Graham Collins said that while Compass products like gin haven't seen an uptick in NSLC sales because most competitors are European-based, they've seen a bump in rum sales. "The bigger difference from an NSLC perspective is simply that the NSLC and people in general are reminding us all that buying local, buying Canadian is a better strategy," said Collins. "And so I think people are a little more focused in that respect." Compass distills alcohol from its home on Agricola Street, which also includes a bar. Collins said the company's customer base has long prioritized buying local. "I think the current political climate helps encourage that behaviour in a widespread manner," he said. Private wine and specialty stores For people shopping at the private wine and specialty stores in the province, they'll notice a lack of American products today. Although private, these businesses must order products through the NSLC to get them on their shelves. The lack of American products is a simple matter of logistics. "The NSLC will no longer purchase U.S. products on your behalf," the NSLC wrote in a document addressed to private wine and specialty stores. The same order applies to bars and restaurants as well.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Canadians with an X gender marker will now have to select male or female on Nexus travel cards after Trump order
Canadians renewing their Nexus travel cards or applying for new ones to make it easier to cross the border to the U.S. must now say if they are male or female, even if they are transgender or non-binary. The change follows U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order that says the American government will now only recognize the male and female sex. U.S. passports and other identity documents are no longer issued with an X gender marker. Immigration lawyers said Canada's decision to force non-binary or trans Canadians to choose a male or female gender designation for Nexus raises human-rights concerns and could prompt a court challenge in Canada on constitutional grounds. The Nexus program is jointly managed by the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and is designed to speed up border crossings between the two countries for low-risk, preapproved travellers. Holders of Nexus cards, which are valid for five years, can generally get through security checks more swiftly. The U.S. is continuing to recognize Canadian passports with an X gender marker, the U.S. government has confirmed. The CBSA said that valid Nexus cards with an X held by Canadians will also still be recognized. But when Canadians apply to renew their card or apply for a new one, they can no longer choose an X as their gender marker. 'New applicants are able to apply using a passport with the 'X' gender identifier, however they will be required to select 'male' or 'female' for the purposes of their NEXUS membership,' CBSA spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said. Judge halts deportation of non-binary American in ruling after Trump's gender edicts Sarah Mikhail of Smith Immigration law, which specializes in LGBTQ immigration, said it is 'very troubling' that Canada is implementing the policy. 'What we're seeing here is an example of the wide reach of the discriminatory policies of the Trump administration targeting trans and non-binary people, now reaching and impacting Canadian citizens as well,' she said. Gemma Hickey, who is non-binary and was one of the first people in Canada to have X as their gender marker on their passport, said forcing non-binary people to choose a male or female gender to get a Nexus card has 'serious implications' for Canada's transgender community. The advocate questioned why Ottawa agreed to a policy that affects Canadians' human rights. 'Our lives are being impacted significantly since Trump came into office - even Canadians,' they said. 'It's putting people in an impossible position.' Between January, 2022, and March, approximately 550 Nexus applications were submitted with X as the gender identifier, the CBSA said. Canada's Nexus card policy change followed Mr. Trump's executive order that took effect in February, the CBSA confirmed. Immigration lawyer Maureen Silcoff said the policy meant that a non-binary traveller who wants a Nexus card 'either has to accede to the gender specification or they have to choose to be excluded from the Nexus option.' 'The U.S. policy is clearly at odds with the Canadian policy on gender identity,' she added. Yameena Ansari, who represents Hannah Kreager, a young transgender American woman who has lodged an asylum claim in Canada, said 'let's call this Nexus policy what it is – a rollback of the rights of non-binary Canadians – and it's unconstitutional." American transgender woman files asylum claim in Canada after Trump's edict on gender She said Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees equal protection under the law without discrimination, including with regard to gender. 'The Canadian government forcing a non-binary individual to misgender themselves on a government-issued document flies in the face of Section 15 of the Charter, meaning that a person or organization could sue the government, asking for the Nexus policy to be struck down,' she said. E-mails between Global Affairs officials obtained in an access to information request by researcher Ken Rubin show that earlier this year public servants discussed whether to issue a travel advisory to Canadians with an X gender marker on the Nexus changes. But the current travel advisory to the U.S. does not mention the changes.
