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Hamilton Spectator
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Carney to meet with cabinet, premiers following Trump's latest tariff threat
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney will be meeting with his cabinet and Canada's premiers to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's new threat to slap 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods next month. The Prime Minister's Office announced there will be a cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss ongoing Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. Carney's office said he also will meet with the premiers on July 22 as they gather for the annual Council of the Federation conference in Huntsville, Ont. Carney said Thursday his government will 'steadfastly' defend workers and businesses. In a late night post on social media, Carney said Canada will continue to work to secure a trade deal with the U.S. by a revised deadline of Aug. 1. In a letter to Carney on Thursday, Trump threatened to impose 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by that date — evidently setting a new deadline for the trade talks that were supposed to wrap up by July 21. Asked about the tariff threat while leaving the White House Friday morning, Trump told reporters that 'it was sent yesterday. They called. I think it was fairly well received.' A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office said Carney and Trump did not speak Thursday night. She said that while officials from both countries meet daily as trade talks continue, Thursday's meeting took place before Trump sent his tariff letter. Trump's letter said if Canada works to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, he may consider a tariff adjustment. Fentanyl seizures are up slightly this year at the shared border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized about 26 kilograms of the drug at the Canada-U.S. border to date this fiscal year, up from 19.5 kilograms last fiscal year. That still pales in comparison to fentanyl seizures at the United States' southern border, where U.S. border agents have seized nearly 3,700 kilograms so far this fiscal year. A White House official said the 35 per cent tariff rate is only expected to be applied to goods already hit with a 25 per cent import tax. This would exempt goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, plus energy and potash imports that face a 10 per cent tariff rate. The official said no final policy paper has been drafted and Trump has not yet made a final decision. Canada also faces additional U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles, as well as a U.S. plan to introduce tariffs on copper on Aug. 1. In a post on social media, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that in the face of Trump's latest tariff threat, 'we need to come together' and develop a plan to protect Canadian workers, business and communities. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith discouraged Ottawa from imposing retaliatory tariffs, saying it would 'constitute a tax on Canadian consumers and businesses and only weaken Canada's economy further.' In a post on social media, Smith said the federal government should also drop 'Trudeau-era anti-resource development laws.' Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said on social media that his party supports increasing trade ties with the European Union. He also accused Carney of 'failing' by focusing on investments in the oil and gas sector, which he said would only affect trade 'well after Donald Trump's departure.' Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, said on social media there's only one word to describe Trump's tactics — 'extortion.' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the latest tariff threat an 'unjustified attack on Canada's economy.' The tariffs would mean higher prices for Americans and continued damage to the 'most productive trade relationship two countries have ever had,' said Candace Laing, CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 'Rather than public threats and ultimatums, the Canadian Chamber hopes to see both governments continue their ongoing talks in good faith and behind closed doors, with the aim of reaching a real and reliable economic and security relationship in the near term,' Laing said in a media statement. The 'consistent attacks' on Canada have damaged a 'vital relationship,' said United States Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, adding 'this action even undermined his own Administration's negotiations to reach a trade deal.' The Democrat from New Hampshire said she's heard many complaints about tourists not coming from Canada and lost business due to Trump's trade war. 'The American people and the overwhelming majority of my colleagues in Congress reject this short-sighted and costly trade war with Canada,' Shaheen said in a news release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
Toronto Sun
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Sun
Ottawa to reimburse auto dealers on hook for $11 million in unpaid EV rebates
Published Jul 11, 2025 • 2 minute read A Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle (EV) charges via a CCS DC fast charger from Electrify America at a shopping mall parking lot in Torrance, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2024. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin promised Tuesday to restore the $5,000 Trudeau-era bribe to EV buyers and to spend tens of billions more (maybe more than $100 billion) building a network of charging stations. Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images OTTAWA — The federal government will explain today how it plans to reimburse auto dealers who were left hanging when Ottawa suspended its electric vehicle rebate program earlier this year. 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 In January, Transport Canada paused its popular Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program — iZEV — after its funding ran out. Ottawa spent nearly $3 billion on iZEV during its five-year lifespan. The program provided up to $5,000 toward the purchase of a new zero-emissions vehicle. But with the abrupt suspension of the program — only three days after the government suggested it would be paused when the funds were exhausted — hundreds of dealerships were forced to swallow the cost of any rebate claims they hadn't yet submitted. 'It was a shocking series of events in January when they shut down the program after giving notice that the program would go through an orderly wind-down,' said Huw Williams, public affairs director with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, which represents about 3,500 auto dealerships. 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. He said that, collectively, dealers are out about $11 million. Tesla submitted rebate claims worth more than $43 million for 8,600 EVs on the weekend before the program was suspended, according to analysis by the Toronto Star. In March, Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa was pausing payments to Tesla in order to investigate the claims it had made. A spokesperson for Freeland's office would not offer an update on the Tesla investigation. Williams said his organization has asked the government to explain what happened with Tesla's claims. 'Every taxpayer should want to know how Tesla was allowed to game the system over such a short period of time, and were all the rules followed and was there any inside notice given to them,' Williams said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We don't know that, and we're not alleging that, but we think these are reasonable questions to ask for sure.' EV sales have sagged since the iZEV program was suspended. EV sales under the program peaked in December 2024 at 18.29 per cent of all new vehicles sold — the last full month before the program was suspended. Sales fell in January to 11.95 per cent and slid further to 7.53 per cent in April, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada. Federal ministers have said the government is working toward bringing back consumer incentives for EVs — a promise also made in the Liberal party's election platform. Automakers are warning that sales are slumping further as buyers wait for the rebates to come back. Read More NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Editorial Cartoons Relationships Toronto & GTA
Vancouver Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Opinion: If Eby wants a privately funded pipeline, here's how to make it happen
The government of Premier David Eby has left the door (slightly) open to Alberta's proposed pipeline to B.C.'s northern coast. Eby said he isn't opposed to a new pipeline that would expand access to Asian markets, but he does not want government to pay for it. That's a fair condition. But to attract private investment for pipelines and other projects, both the province and Ottawa must reform the regulatory environment. First, some background. 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. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs against Canadian products underscore the risks of heavily relying on the U.S. as the primary destination for our oil and gas — Canada's main exports . In 2024, nearly 96 per cent of oil exports and virtually all natural gas exports went to our southern neighbour. Clearly, Canada must diversify our energy export markets. Expanded pipelines to transport oil and gas, mostly produced in the Prairies, to coastal terminals would allow Canada's energy sector to find new customers in Asia and Europe and become less reliant on the U.S. In fact, following the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion between Alberta and B.C. in May 2024, exports to non-U.S. destinations increased by almost 60 per cent . However, Canada's uncompetitive regulatory environment continues to create uncertainty and deter investment in the energy sector. According to a 2023 Fraser Institute survey of oil and gas investors, 68 per cent of respondents said uncertainty over environmental regulations deters investment in Canada compared to only 41 per cent of respondents for the U.S. And 59 per cent said the cost of regulatory compliance deters investment compared to 42 per cent in the U.S. When looking at B.C. specifically, investor perceptions are even worse. Nearly 93 per cent of respondents for the province said uncertainty over environmental regulations deters investment while 92 per cent of respondents said uncertainty over protected lands deters investment. Among all Canadian jurisdictions included in the survey, investors said B.C. has the greatest barriers to investment. How can policymakers help make B.C. more attractive to investment? At the federal level, the Carney government should scrap several Trudeau-era policies including Bill C-69 (which introduced vague criteria into energy project assessments), Bill C-48 (which effectively banned large oil tankers off B.C.'s northern coast, limiting access to Asian markets), and the proposed cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the oil and gas sector (which will likely lead to a reduction in oil and gas production, decreasing the need for new infrastructure and, in turn, deterring investment in the energy sector). At the provincial level, the Eby government should abandon its latest GHG reduction targets , which discourage investment in the energy sector. Indeed, in 2023 provincial regulators rejected a proposal from FortisBC, the province's main natural gas provider, because it did not align with the Eby government's emission-reduction targets. Premier Eby is right — private investment should develop energy infrastructure. But to attract that investment, the province must have clear, predictable and competitive regulations, which balance environmental protection with the need for investment, jobs and widespread prosperity. To make B.C. and Canada a more appealing destination for investment, both federal and provincial governments must remove the regulatory barriers that keep capital away. Julio Mejia and Elmira Aliakbari are analysts at the Fraser Institute.
Toronto Sun
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Sun
Canada continuing to lag in number of EV charging stations needed to meet goals
Published Jul 09, 2025 • 1 minute read A Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle (EV) charges via a CCS DC fast charger from Electrify America at a shopping mall parking lot in Torrance, California, on February 23, 2024. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin promised Tuesday to restore the $5,000 Trudeau-era bribe to EV buyers and to spend tens of billions more (maybe more than $100 billion) building a network of charging stations. Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images OTTAWA — Canada still doesn't have the network of public charging stations it needs to meet its electric vehicle goals, researchers say. 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 With a little more than 35,000 charging stations in service across the country, Canada is falling well short of the 100,000-plus stations it needed by this year, according to experts with the Dunsky Energy and Climate consultancy in Montreal. Almost 90 per cent of Canada's public chargers are in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, provinces which accounted for the bulk of new EV sales in Canada in 2024. Researchers at Dunsky say the lack of available charging stations is a barrier for people who don't have a driveway where they can charge a car at home. They also say the increase in the number of chargers along key corridors is making it easier for Canadians to bring their EVs on longer trips. Canada has increased the number of charging stations by 50% over the last two years. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Olympics Basketball Uncategorized Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Toronto Sun
08-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Immigration grew six times faster over past decade: Study
Fraser Institute study blamed unchecked Trudeau-era immigration policies for recent spike in unsustainable immigration International arrivals at Toronto's Pearson airport. Photo by Jack Boland / Toronto Sun OTTAWA — Canada's immigration levels grew six times faster over the past decade than it did from the turn of the century, says a new Fraser Institute study. 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 The numbers, which include temporary foreign workers and international students, are contained in a new report entitled Canada's Changing Immigration Patterns, 2000–2024. 'Immigration, after 2000 and especially after 2015, is characterized by substantial increases in the absolute number of immigrants admitted, as well the share admitted as temporary foreign workers and international students,' authors Jock Finlayson and Steven Globerman wrote in the study. Between 2000 and 2014, annual immigration in Canada was around 618,000 people, but between 2016 and 2024 — excluding the pandemic-impacted 2020 — immigration more than doubled to around 1.4 million annually. These increasing numbers can be directly attributed to changes in government policy, the study points out — specifically mentioning 2014's International Mobility Program (IMP), which allowed employers to fill gaps in lower-paying jobs with temporary foreign workers. 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. 'A key development shaping immigration policy under the Liberal government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau was the work done by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth, appointed in early 2016, ' the study states, adding the Trudeau government welcomed their recommendations enthusiastically. The council called for stark increases in permanent immigration to Canada, increasing from 300,000 per year in 2016 to 450,000 in 2021 — as well as increasing the share of economic migrants admitted into Canada. 'At the same time, Ottawa stepped away from providing meaningful policy and administrative oversight of the burgeoning international education 'industry,'' the study continued. 'Thanks to this hands-off approach, Canadian universities, colleges, and technical and language schools ramped up enrollment of international students, essentially without limit.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Unchecked immigration and international student enrollments greatly contributed to Canada's cost-of-living and housing crisis, with foreign students snapping up the limited number of housing rentals and part-time jobs in many cities. Foreign students not fortunate enough to find housing ended up in shelters and even living rough on the streets, relying on social services and food banks to support their studies. As the pandemic response began ramping down in 2021, demand for workers prompted employers and lobbyists to push for even easier measures to hire foreign workers, particularly those in hard-hit industries like hospitality, retail and leisure. Rules limiting employment hours for international students were also loosened, allowing them to work up to 40 hours per weeks. At the same time, the federal government used international students with Canadian credentials and so-called 'temporary' foreign workers with Canadian experience to meet its aggressive permanent immigration targets. 'In fact, more than half a million holders of a temporary visa transitioned to permanent residency status between 2021 and the end of 2023, representing one third of total admissions over that period,' the study stated. bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume Canada Canada Toronto Blue Jays Canada Sunshine Girls
