B.C. Coastal First Nations write to Carney, asking him to reject any new pipeline
VANCOUVER - Coastal First Nations in British Columbia have issued an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, asking him to reject any new proposal for a crude oil pipeline to the northwest coast.
The move comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a new private-sector pipeline that would send crude oil to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia.
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Opinion: Canada needs a nation-building project for young people. We've done it before
Canada is facing overlapping crises that threaten our national fabric — rising authoritarianism abroad, deepening climate instability at home, and a growing sense of disillusionment among our young people. We need a bold, nation-building response, one that invests in youth not just as future leaders, but as the leaders we need now. To the south, the U.S. is becoming increasingly authoritarian and inward-looking. What was once our most stable trading partner is veering toward isolationism and chaos, reshaping the global order in the process. Meanwhile, the climate crisis is amplifying the impacts of extreme weather, with wildfires this spring forcing emergency declarations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These cascading challenges are not distant — they are hitting our communities now. In response, the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney has focused on fast-tracking resource projects and boosting defence spending to shore up economic and geopolitical resilience. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. But if we're serious about safeguarding Canada's future, we must also look inward, supporting those most impacted by this changing world and preventing the drift toward authoritarianism that we're seeing take hold elsewhere. Young people are bearing the brunt of today's instability. Youth unemployment is rising sharply — one in four unemployed Canadians is under 25. Entry-level jobs are being hollowed out by automation and AI. A recent Ipsos poll found 43 per cent of Canadians ages 18 to 35 would vote to join the U.S. under certain conditions (if citizenship and conversion of assets to U.S. dollars were guaranteed). If this doesn't raise alarm bells, we're not listening. This isn't the first time Canada has faced existential threats to its unity and identity. In the 1970s, amid fears of separation and economic turmoil, the federal government launched Katimavik, a national youth service program aimed at fostering unity and workforce development. Since then, it has served over 35,000 participants, 90 per cent of whom say the program significantly benefited their lives. Today, the threats are different — but just as urgent. What we need is a modern-day Katimavik: a national Youth Climate Corps that matches the scale of the moment. Communities across Canada are unprepared for climate disasters. We need rapid mobilization on wildfire and flood mitigation, extreme heat preparedness, and disaster response. This is work that needs to happen, and young people are ready to do it. As executive-director of Youth Climate Corps B.C., I've seen firsthand the demand for this kind of program. When the B.C. government took leadership and invested $3 million over three years to pilot our model, we received more than eight times the number of applications than available placements. Local governments are now stepping forward with matching funds to bring the program to their communities. We've also seen how local climate action can shift public perception. Federal climate policy often feels abstract or polarizing, but when young people are visibly improving their own communities — retrofitting homes, preparing for fires, supporting community zero-waste projects — it builds grassroots support and civic pride. A national Youth Climate Corps would do more than fight climate change. It would offer young Canadians meaningful, community-based work that pays a living wage and aligns with their values. It would provide the kind of purposeful, nation-building experience that previous generations have benefited from — and that this generation urgently needs. A recent Vancouver Coastal Health report found that half of Grade 11 students had experienced climate anxiety in the previous two weeks. The mental and economic toll on youth is unsustainable. We know transformative change is coming to Canadian communities. The question is whether that change will empower young leaders or leave them behind. We can choose a future where young people are building stronger, more resilient communities. Or we can ignore their needs and risk another existential threat to our democracy. We have a choice: invest in young people to lead the transformation we need, or risk losing them to despair, disillusionment, or worse. A national Youth Climate Corps is not just a good idea — it's a necessary one. Ben Simone is executive-director of B.C.'s Youth Climate Corps.
National Observer
2 hours ago
- National Observer
US imposing 20.56% anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
U.S. imposing 20.56% anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood
VANCOUVER – British Columbia lumber organizations are condemning the decision by the U.S. Commerce Department to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood to 20.56 per cent, calling them unjustified, punitive and protectionist. The B.C. Council of Forest Industries issued a statement Friday saying the trade action will harm workers, families and communities across the province and Canada. The council is calling on the Canadian government to make finding a resolution to the softwood dispute a top national priority, saying the latest escalation from the Commerce Department shows they can't wait for the United States to act. The B.C. Lumber Trade Council says in a separate statement that if the U.S. department's pending review on countervailing duties is in line with its preliminary results, the combined rate against Canadian softwood shipped to the United States will be well over 30 per cent. Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this month that a future trade agreement with the United States could include quotas on softwood lumber, an area that has caused friction between two countries for years before the latest trade war. The American department had issued a preliminary anti-dumping rate in March of 20.07 per cent, up from 7.66 per cent set three years before, which is in addition to the countervailing duties of 6.74 per cent. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. 'This decision represents yet another example of ongoing U.S. protectionism at a time when cross-border co-operation should be a shared priority,' the statement from the B.C. Lumber Trade Council said. The B.C. Council of Forest Industries said the provincial government could make a number of changes that would help the industry keep mills operating. By activating timber sales, fast-tracking permits and cutting through regulatory gridlock, it said B.C. could send a signal that it is serious about rebuilding a sustainable forest sector. 'These unjustified and punitive trade actions continue to harm workers, families, and communities across British Columbia and Canada — and have gone unresolved for far too long,' the statement from the council said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
