Latest from National Observer
National Observer
10 hours ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Eby says explosive 'deliberately' set outside BC minister's office
An explosive device damaged and blasted open the front door of British Columbia Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma's office on Friday morning, police said, and they are investigating whether the "jarring incident" was linked to an earlier blast nearby. While politicians decried the explosion at Ma's constituency office in North Vancouver — with interim federal NDP leader Don Davies calling it a "blatant act of terror"— neither Ma nor Cpl. Mansoor Sahak with North Vancouver RCMP gave any indication of the possible motive. "I don't know if it's politically motivated. We're not calling it that, but we're investigating all possible avenues at this point," Sahak told a news briefing. Sahak said the 4:15 a.m. blast "breached the door and damaged the door frame." He said the blast was "indicative of an explosive device detonation" and no one was injured. 'This was a jarring incident that undoubtedly startled sleeping residents in the area,' said Sahak. Scorch marks were visible on the door at the office where there was a heavy police presence Friday afternoon. Ma said in statement that she was "grateful for the outpouring of support from community members and people across B.C., including MLAs from all sides of the House." "My staff, my family, and I are okay," Ma said. She said police are taking the incident seriously, and she had "full confidence in their ability to conduct a thorough investigation." Ma's constituency office on West Esplanade Street, not far from the Lonsdale Quay Seabus station, was cordoned off with police tape as investigators examined the damaged door. People who work in the building said Friday afternoon they were unaware of what occurred, and building management sent out an email about media coverage of the reported explosion without any additional information. Sahak said a previous explosion had been heard in the nearby 100 block of West 1st Avenue at 2:45 a.m. and police were looking into whether the blasts were connected. But no residue of the earlier explosion was found and Sahak said it wasn't known "if it was an explosive device or a firecracker or anything." Premier David Eby said police told him an explosive device had been "deliberately set" at Ma's office. He said the incident was "profoundly concerning" and struck at the heart of how elected officials performed their duties. "I am deeply concerned about trend lines, which basically mean an increasing separation of elected officials from the people they're meant to serve, which doesn't benefit anybody at all," Eby told an unrelated news conference. Eby said a "routine safety review" was being conducted for all MLA offices across the province, through the legislature's Sergeant-at-Arms. Sahak said police were seeking witnesses who were in North Vancouver near West Esplanade Avenue or who may have captured dashcam or CCTV footage from 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on Friday. Ma said all meetings and appointments at the office had been cancelled for the day. "Thankfully, nobody was injured, but incidents like this can be quite frightening," she wrote. Ma didn't describe the incident and said that due to the active police investigation, she would not be able to provide more details about what happened, although she wanted to thank the officers who responded. "I appreciate the concern expressed by community members and am grateful to serve such a caring and compassionate community," she said. NDP leader Davies said on social media that he was "deeply alarmed" by the incident. "This blatant act of terror is an affront to democracy and has no place in our nation. We are grateful no one was hurt and hope those responsible are apprehended as soon as possible," Davies wrote. B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said on social media that all members of the legislature "must stand with NDP MLA Bowinn Ma and her constituency office staff." "The idea that someone would set off a device to damage or somehow threaten an MLA's (constituency) office is deeply concerning," he said. City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said in a statement that the explosion "understandably caused concern in our community and I know residents may feel alarmed and uneasy. " She said the city is working with police as they investigate "all possible avenues," and said she is grateful to people who called police to report the blast.
National Observer
12 hours ago
- Business
- National Observer
Trade talks between Canada and US end over digital tax, Trump says
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he did not speak Friday with Donald Trump before the U.S. president announced a sudden end to trade negotiations in response to Ottawa's plans to push ahead with a digital services tax at the end of the month. On his platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that he was "terminating all discussions on trade with Canada" because of the tax, set to apply this Monday to major American online companies such as Amazon, Google and Airbnb. Trump wrote Friday afternoon that Washington will notify Canada about new tariff rates required "to do business with the United States" within the next week. An hour later, Carney told reporters he had not spoken with Trump that day. "We'll continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians," the prime minister said. Trump called the proposed tax a "direct and blatant attack on our country." Carney has been negotiating in private with Trump and said earlier this month the two governments are pursuing a deal to end the president's stop-and-go tariff war. At the G7 summit in Alberta, Carney and Trump agreed to work on reaching a deal by mid-July. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he did not speak Friday with Donald Trump before the U.S. president announced a sudden end to trade negotiations in response to Ottawa's plans to push ahead with a digital services tax at the end of the month. The digital services tax is a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users of digital services such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb. It takes effect on June 30 but is retroactive for three years. The initial bill facing American companies is expected to be close to $2 billion. The United Kingdom kept a similar tax in a trade deal with the U.S. that was signed last week at the G7 summit in Alberta. Trump said similar measures by the European Union would be part of the broader trade talks the U.S. is having with the bloc. In the Oval Office, Trump said Canadians are great people but their government has unfair policies. "Canada has been a very difficult country to deal with over the years," he told reporters. Trump added that Ottawa has less leverage than Washington. "Economically we have such power over Canada. I'd rather not use it, but they did something with our tech companies," he said. "It's not gonna work out well for Canada. They were foolish to do it. And so I said we're going to stop all negotiations with Canada right now, until they straighten out their act." Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not weigh in on whether Canada should scrap the digital sales tax. Instead, he suggested Canada should cut its own domestic taxes and levies to unleash more economic growth. "Disappointed that trade talks have halted. Hopefully they resume quickly. As always, Conservatives are ready to help get a good deal for Canada. We must put Canada First," Poilievre wrote on the platform X. In a written statement, NDP trade critic Heather McPherson said Canada should invest in employment insurance and sustainable jobs to protect workers from Trump's whims. "Appeasement doesn't work. Betting on having a unique relationship with Trump doesn't work. Negotiations in secret doesn't work. Standing up for Canadian jobs and communities does," she wrote. In a post on the platform X, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet blamed Carney for Canada's failure to get the tariffs lifted and suggested he has been distracted by legislation to fast-track the approval of major projects like oil pipelines. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has urged Ottawa for months to scrap the tax, citing increased costs and the risk of U.S. retaliation. "Negotiations go through peaks and valleys. With deadlines approaching, some last-minute surprises should be expected," chamber head Candace Laing said in an email. "The tone and tenor of talks has improved in recent months, and we hope to see progress continue. We respect that Team Canada is conducting these negotiations at the table, and we need to give them the space to navigate.' The Canadian Press has asked the office of Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne for comment but has not yet received a response. The Business Council of Canada has called on Ottawa to suspend the tax. 'Canada should put forward an immediate proposal to eliminate the DST in exchange for an elimination of tariffs from the United States,' wrote the group's CEO Goldy Hyder, adding Trump's decision is the 'unfortunate development' the group had warned about. Earlier this month, 21 members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Trump saying the digital services tax could inspire other "discriminatory cash grabs" that largely target American companies. But on Thursday, congressional Republicans agreed to remove a so-called "revenge tax" provision from Trump's major tax cut bill, in response to a request from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. That provision would have allowed Washington to impose taxes on companies and investments from countries charging what it called "unfair foreign taxes" on American firms.
National Observer
20 hours ago
- Business
- National Observer
An Ottawa co-production deal with Ukraine for military equipment under "active consideration"
Ottawa is considering whether to follow in the footsteps of several European nations by forging a new defence co-production deal with Ukraine for military equipment, Defence Minister David McGuinty said Thursday. McGuinty said the idea is under "active consideration" by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces and the government is looking at Denmark and France as potential models. Ukraine has become a world leader in combat drone technology over the course of its war with Russia, and countries such as the United Kingdom and Denmark have announced plans for co-operative equipment production projects with Kyiv. "The Ukrainians have made huge strides and advances in drone technology, something that we're actively looking at," McGuinty said. "There may very well be some interesting industrial benefits which would directly accrue to Canadian companies. That's exactly what we're looking at, to see what the best mechanism is." McGuinty said federal bureaucrats are considering either financing domestic Ukrainian weapons construction or building equipment either here or in Ukraine. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new agreement this week to share military technology. The agreement is meant to boost Ukrainian drone production and pipe technical data into the U.K.'s defence sector. French carmaker Renault said earlier this month France's defence ministry approached it about manufacturing drones in Ukraine. McGuinty made the comments while speaking to Canadian reporters on a call from the embassy in Riga, Latvia, capping off his trip to Europe this week. This is McGuinty's first visit as minister to Latvia, where some 1,900 Canadian Armed Forces members are currently deployed on a NATO deterrence mission. His comments come on the heels of a massive defence spending announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney at the NATO summit in The Hague this week. McGuinty said he met with about ten industrial leaders in The Hague to talk about Canada's defence industrial strategy, which has not yet been finalized. On Monday in Brussels, Carney announced that Canada and the European Union will negotiate a new security and defence procurement partnership. McGuinty said Canada needs to be able to leverage European loans through that partnership. He said Canada will first need to ratify more bilateral arrangements but will eventually be able to join up with other EU nations on bulk purchases. "For example, if we're procuring equipment for Canada, we'll able to join with other states and use economies of scale to make sure that we pass on the savings for anything we purchase to the Canadian taxpayer," he said. He said Canada will be able to access loans in partnership with other European states, with a funding pool of roughly 150 billion euros (C$240 billion) backed by the EU budget.
National Observer
20 hours ago
- Business
- National Observer
Alberta finance Minister will deliver year-end fiscal update, $5.8B surplus forecasted
Alberta's finance minister is set to deliver the final bottom line number today on last year's provincial budget. Nate Horner 's new figure will close the books on the budget for the fiscal year that ended in March. That budget was last forecast to come in with a nearly $6-billion surplus. Alberta's new budget year is now a few months old, but its expected bottom line number is deep in the red. This budget, introduced by Horner in February, predicts Alberta will register a $5.2-billion deficit at the end of March 2026. It also predicts deficits will continue for years after that due to declining oil prices, tax cuts and global events like the trade tariffs imposed by the United States. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
National Observer
21 hours ago
- Business
- National Observer
Federal bank is loaning $1B for BC Ferries to buy Chinese-made ships
A federal Crown corporation is loaning BC Ferries $1 billion to help buy four Chinese-made ships, a purchase that federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland recently said was dismaying and should involve no federal funds. Freeland had written to the province on June 16, asking BC to confirm "with utmost certainty" that no federal funds would be "diverted" to the purchase from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards. Canada Infrastructure Bank confirmed the loan on Thursday, saying the new electric ferries "wouldn't likely be purchased" without the financing. Jeff Groot, executive director of communications for BC Ferries, said the company signed the loan with the bank before it was finalized that the Chinese shipyard would win the contract, and before Freeland's letter to her provincial counterpart, Mike Farnworth. He also said there were no Canadian bidders for the contract. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez said in an interview Thursday that he "was surprised and disappointed" by Freeland's letter. "I think it was the general tone and direction of the letter," he said. "What we would look to the federal government is to be a partner in the delivery of ferry renewal in British Columbia. I didn't feel that or see that in the letter, and I would hope to be looking to work with the federal government and the provincial government." He said he would "have expected more engagement and dialogue" from Ottawa to build vessels for a provincial ferry system that had "really outgrown itself." Freeland's letter expressed "great consternation and disappointment" with the ferry operator over the purchase. The bank said the low-cost loan consists of up to $690 million to buy the vessels and up to $310 million for electrification infrastructure. Jimenez said the full loan would save BC Ferries about $650 million in interest. He said "commercial realities" for both BC Ferries and the shipyard prevent him from talking about the full size of the agreement, but added that the loan would cover a "substantial" part of the deal. "It is, in our view, a game-changing financial arrangement that has allowed us to make this significant investment in fleet renewal," he says. He added that it would also improve affordability. BC Ferries said the vessel portion of the bank's loan would represent a maximum of 42.5 per cent of the total purchase price. That would suggest that if the maximum $690 million were spent on the new ferries, their minimum cost would be about $1.6 billion. But Groot said that was "not representative" of the cost, and there was "flexibility to repurpose" unspent amounts on the vessel side of the loan to cover infrastructure costs. Jimenez also said it was impossible to "reverse engineer" the cost of the ships from the loan amounts. BC Ferries also plans to issue bonds later this year to help pay for the ferries, but Jimenez declined to give details about how much of the purchase these would cover. Groot had said in a previous statement that the contracted Chinese shipyard had "the strongest bid by a significant margin." Jimenez said BC Ferries was held to what he called a "double-standard" when it came to purchasing ferries abroad. He said that in the last 10 years, Canadian companies had hired Chinese shipyards to build about 100 ships. Marine Atlantic, a federal Crown corporation, was one of the companies. Through an arrangement with Stena RoRo, it hired the same shipyard building the new vessels for BC Ferries to build one ship. "But somehow, when it comes to building a vessel, and particularly a ferry, there is an expectation that that is really the responsibility of BC Ferries to do this single-handedly, when, in fact, it's much more complicated than that," he said. "An industrial strategy requires much more than just putting an order into a local shipyard." BC's Ministry of Transportation said in a statement Thursday that the province had no role in the funding arrangement between BC Ferries and the Canada Infrastructure Bank. "As such, it's for the federal government and the BC Ferries to comment," it said. The Canada Infrastructure Bank is accountable to Parliament through the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson. Mohammad Hussain, a spokesperson for Robertson's office, said Robertson has asked for a briefing from the bank's CEO "on the kind of considerations this decision raises." Hussain called BC Ferries' procurement decision "extremely disappointing." "The Canada Infrastructure Bank supports key infrastructure projects that are needed in our communities," he said. "While our government had no influence or participation in this procurement decision, we will still emphasize once again the importance of supporting domestic industry." BC Conservative Harman Bhangu, transportation critic for his party, said in a statement that Freeland needs to "immediately" reconsider the terms of the loan to protect Canadian jobs, businesses and security interests. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
