Page 13 - Latest News Paper

13 19 Mar to 25 Mar, 2026
Submarines off the table as Carney meets
with leaders of Norway, Germany
Prime Minister Mark Carney
touched down in Norway
early Friday where he will
get important face time
with the Nordic country’s
leader and the German
chancellor before taking in
a major NATO wargaming
exercise that includes
Canadian troops.
Both countries are backing
a bid by German
submarine-maker TKMS to
sell Canada 12 new
submarines — a multi-billion
dollar program that has
been fast-tracked by the
Liberal government.
Northwestern Ontario pleads for federal
funding as highway fatalities mount
Northern Ontario politicians
are urgently appealing to
the federal government for
help during one of the
deadliest winters on record
along 2,000 kilometres of
highway between Kenora,
Sudbury and North Bay.
In a letter to Prime Minister
Mark Carney, the Northwestern
Ontario Municipalities
Association (NOMA) is urging
the government to designate
the stretch of the Trans-Canada that if anything happens …
Highway — both Highway
11 and Highway 17 — as
dual-use national
infrastructure.
That would tap into the
federal government's plan
to spend more on
defence-related infrastructure
while fulfilling a years-old
request from northwestern
Ontarians to shore up the
sole highway connector
between Eastern and Western
Canada.
"We need to get the attention
of the federal government
to say: listen, we need you
to invest," said Rick Dumas,
B.C. premier signals he won't support feds'
temporary foreign worker program
B.C. Premier David Eby has
signalled he won't support
the federal government's
move to temporarily increase
rural employers' allowances
for temporary foreign workers,
saying there should be a
pathway to permanent
residency instead.
It comes after an event
Monday on the Sunshine
Coast where the local MP
re-announced a move to
allow rural employers to
have up to 15 per cent of
their workforce be low-wage
temporary foreign workers
(TFW).
The new foreign workers
cap is up from the current
cap of 10 per cent, and would
allow for eligible workers
to get an automatic one-year
extension on their work
permits.
However, the new allowances
Federal government planning to revamp
funding for Canadian athletes, says Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney
says Ottawa is planning to
revamp its funding for
Canadian athletes and will
tackle the issue "very
deliberately" over the next
six months — news that
comes just before a federal
commission on the future
government’s defence
Despite the high-stakes — investment agency on March
militarily, economically and 2. Over the next month,
diplomatically — Carney federal officials will be able
said he doesn’t expect the to ask clarifying questions
submarine bid to be discussed before the bidding is fully
among the three leaders. closed in early April.
"The short answer's no," Both companies have been
he said, when asked about told to expect a swift decision
the possibility in Yellowknife — perhaps as soon as late
prior to boarding a flight June.
to Europe, "because we're The joint German and
at a phase in that process Norwegian pitch has been
where the final bids have built around North Atlantic
been submitted." solidarity and longtime
Both TKMS and the other co-operation as NATO allies,
bidder, South Korea’s Hanwha as well as the economies
Ocean, handed in their of scale with all three
proposals to the federal nations running the same
kind of submarines. TKMS
is offering the Type 212CD,
a newer version of the Type
212 boat already in service
with several navies.
Micheal Byers, a political
and defence expert at the
University of British
Columbia, said even if the
specific subject of the
submarine bid is off-limits,
there’s always the subject
the mayor of Marathon, Ont., has recently undergone a
and president of the massive twinning project.
Northwestern Ontario Large parts of that highway
Municipalities Association are now divided, with two
(NOMA). lanes on each side.
He said investing in the "I'm not 100 per cent sure
corridor would improve the if, when we talk to the MPs
movement of both civilians in Ottawa, if they all realize
and troops and "connect the importance of that critical
Canada in a safe and modern link in Northwestern Ontario,"
way." Dumas said.
All ground cross-Canada He said NOMA is calling for
transportation and trade Highway 11 from Nipigon
has to travel along Highway to North Bay and Highway
11 or 17 and pass over the 17 from Nipigon to Sault
Nipigon River Bridge, Ste. Marie to either be
northeast of Thunder Bay. twinned or given a two-plus-one
When that bridge last failed, system — a three-lane
it severed the country for highway configuration where
18 hours. the middle lane changes
"The reality is that the bridge direction every two to five
is the only connecting point kilometres for passing.
of Canada," Dumas said. Designating the corridor as
"So when you talk about critical dual-use infrastructure
national defence and security would allow the federal
of our country, there's a link government to tap into the
newly announced $82-billion
we're literally split in half." defence industrial strategy
Highways 11 and 17 merge and and count toward
just east of the bridge. That Canada's NATO defence
stretch of highway, between spending target.
Nipigon and Thunder Bay,
are only slated to continue labour opportunities."
until March 2027 — and Eby said the feds' increased
don't include workers on allowances in the TFW
spousal work permits or program wouldn't solve
open work permits for family labour shortages in education,
members. child care and the trades.
Speaking at an unrelated "It will bring in a group of
event on Tuesday, Eby people that will face
repeated his previous deportation again in two
criticisms of the TFW program, more years when their
saying that it tied vulnerable licences expire. How does
workers to employers and that help us?" the premier
left them open to exploitation. asked.
"The idea that the solution According to the federal
to the challenges we face is government, provinces have
an expansion of this program to opt in so that rural
is frankly a bit frustrating," employers can be allowed
the premier said. to employ more temporary
"We have advocated to the foreign workers.
federal government on The changes could take
multiple occasions that ... effect as early as April 1,
British Columbia deserves following a province's request.
the same opportunity as the But after Eby's comments
provincial government of on Tuesday, it's unlikely that
Quebec to direct, permanent, request will be made.
long-term citizenship path
of Canadian sport releases Cup.
its final report. "So we may come to organizers
Carney shared the information and others to see how to get
to a group of Canadian it right," Carney told the
athletes in Holmenkollen, athletes. "Because it's at
just north of Oslo, Norway. your level, but it also needs
The athletes are competing to be a very broad grassroots
in the International Ski level. Playground-to-podium
Federation Nordic World type. We'll do it right."
of allied co-operation.
"I'm sure the Germans and
the Norwegians are very
glad that they'll get to speak on land, at sea and in the
with him. Whether the
prime minister is susceptible
to that kind of friendly
cajoling, I don't know," said
Byers, who added that his
perception is the prime
minister is fairly clear-eyed
and business-like.
"My sense is that he's a
pretty hard-headed guy
and if he sees an advantage
in going with the South
Korean company, he'll go
with the South Korean
company. This is not about
sentimentality, this is a
rational decision that needs
to be made."
All three leaders will travel
north to Bardufoss, above
the Arctic Circle, later on
Friday, where more than
25,000 NATO soldiers, sailors
and aircrew are participating
in the alliance's biannual
exercise known as Cold
Response.
Canada's population shrank
last year — a first for the
country, StatsCan says
Canada's population dropped
last year, marking the first
time the country has seen
an annual net decline in
residents since Confederation. family members living with
According to the latest
quarterly estimate from
Statistics Canada, the
population of citizens, landed and since then is tracked
immigrants and
non-permanent residents in
Canada stood at 41,472,081
on Jan. 1, 2026 — a decrease
of 0.2 per cent, or just over
102,000, from Jan. 1, 2025.
StatsCan said that even
though the population
increased by just over 77,000
people in the first six months
of last year, it wasn't enough
to outweigh the decline of
almost 180,000 in the second
half of 2025.
This preliminary estimate
said a reduction in the number
of non-permanent residents
was the "leading factor in
slowing population growth."
"After reaching 3,149,131
on Oct. 1, 2024, the number
of non-permanent residents
Federal government appeals
Emergencies Act use during
convoy protest to Supreme Court
The federal government is
bringing its case to justify
use of the Emergencies Act
to clear the convoy protests
that gridlocked the capital
city and border points to
the country's highest court.
The Federal Court of Appeal
dismissed the government's
previous appeal after a
lower court ruled that former
prime minister Justin
Trudeau's decision to use
the legislation was unlawful
and infringed on protesters'
Charter rights.
"Our government remains
committed to ensuring it
has the tools needed to
protect the safety and
security of Canadians in
the face of threats to public
order and national security,"
a spokesperson for Justice
Minister Sean Fraser said
in an email.
The Canadian Civil Liberties
Association (CCLA), the
Canadian Constitution
Foundation and other groups
filed the legal challenge of
the government's 2022
decision that the protests,
known as the Freedom
Convoy, rose to the level of
a public order emergency
The main exercise started
on March 9 and runs until
the 19th. It’s taking place
air and involves 14 countries. Idlout is the sole proprietor
Keir Giles, a defence expert
at the U.K.-based Chatham
House, said the participation
of Canadian troops is
important beyond the show
of solidarity.
"Troops from Canada will
be used to operating in
these kinds of conditions"
in the Arctic, said Giles.
"And there's a lot of valuable Members of the Parliament
experience that they can
share with troops that are
deploying from farther
south, for whom this may
be entirely unfamiliar."
Norwegian defence officials
have played up the fact
that this iteration of the
long-standing war game,
which practises reinforcing
the country in the event of
a major crisis, includes
several hundred civilians
playing various roles.
living in Canada steadily
decreased to 2,676,441 on
Jan. 1, 2026," the agency
said.
Non-permanent residents
include people holding work
or study permits as well as
asylum claimants and any
them.
A spokesperson for the agency
told CBC News that it has
tracked Canada's population
growth since 1867. Prior to
1946, population growth was
tracked starting on June 1,
starting Jan. 1.
In all that time, the agency
said, there has never been
a one-year period that has
shown a population decrease
before 2025.
StatsCan said this preliminary
estimate "should be
interpreted with caution"
because work and study
permit extensions could
"lead to larger than usual
updates" in the coming
months.
requiring special powers to
address.
"Two courts have already
ruled that the federal
government's use of the
Emergencies Act was
unlawful, yet Ottawa is still
asking the country's highest
court to say otherwise," a
statement from the CCLA
said.
"If the Supreme Court of
Canada chooses to hear this
case, we will proudly defend
our historic victory for the
rule of law and civil
liberties."
In the 2024 decision, Federal
Court Justice Richard Mosley,
since retired, said the
government's decision lacked
justification, transparency
and intelligibility.
The government appealed.
During a hearing last
February, its lawyers argued
the court downplayed
violence with "hindsight
bias on full display."
The government has long
argued the protests posed
a security threat and the
measures it took under the
Emergencies Act were
targeted, proportional and
temporary.
Floor-crossing MP Idlout expensed purchases from
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout says
she has reimbursed the
House of Commons for items
bought from her own shop
"in error."
of the gallery Carvings
Nunavut, which sells
Inuit-made carvings and
artwork. Publicly available
expenditure reports show
that on four occasions in
2025, Idlout expensed items
to the House of Commons
purchased from the business
she owns.
are not allowed to benefit
from expenses or contracts
charged to the House of
Commons.
The total value of the
purchases was $1,756. Two
$150 purchases were made
in January 2025, a $76
purchase was made on June
25 and a $1,380.00 purchase
was made on Aug. 27. All
were listed as "gifts given
as a matter of protocol."
In a statement sent to CBC
News following questions
about these expenditures,
Idlout wrote they were for
Indigenous artwork used in
her capacity as an MP.
"They were submitted in
error and I have subsequently
reimbursed the House of
Commons for the total value,"
she wrote.
Idlout crossed the floor from
the NDP and joined the
Liberal caucus last week,
marking the fourth defection
to the Carney Liberals in
recent months.
She has been in office since
2021, and said she made the
Carney, Starmer meet amid deepening
Middle East crisis
The war in the Middle East,
the fear that it could escalate
and the economic
consequences were top of
mind as Prime Minister
Mark Carney met his British
counterpart Monday in the
United Kingdom at the tail
of a whirlwind trip to Europe.
Carney met British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer in
London, where the two
leaders discussed the ongoing
military operations of the
United States, Israel and
Iran and the closure of the
vital Strait of Hormuz.
An official statement from
Carney's office following
the meeting said that both
Canada and the U.K.
condemned Iran's missile
and drone attacks, including
on civilian and energy
infrastructure.
They also expressed deep
concern over the toll the
war is taking on civilians
and the risk that it might
escalate.
The broader global economic
consequences of the conflict,
including rising energy
Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at
2.25%, saying war will boost global inflation
The Bank of Canada held its
key interest rate at 2.25 per
cent on Wednesday, saying
that higher oil and gas prices
from the war in the Middle
East are likely to boost global
inflation, but that it's too soon we’ve seen, the war in Iran is
to assess the conflict's impact
on the Canadian economy.
The bank expects the economy
will grow "modestly" as it
adjusts to U.S. trade policy
uncertainty, but that near-term
growth will be weaker than
it anticipated at the beginning
of the year.
Meanwhile, the war in Iran
has added "a new layer of
uncertainty" against that
backdrop and Canada is facing
even more volatility than
before, said Bank of Canada
her own business
decision to join the governing
party in part because she
wanted the government to
"make decisions with
Nunavut, not only about
Nunavut."
Her floor-crossing leaves
the Liberals on the cusp of
holding a razor-thin majority
in the House of Commons.
If they win two out of three
upcoming byelections, they
will cross the threshold into
majority territory — and
two of the three ridings are
considered safe Liberal
seats.
The expenses were made
during her time as an NDP
MP.
"Ms. Idlout has — now that
she's been caught — admitted
to doing what every member
of Parliament knows or
ought to know they can't
do," said Michael Barrett,
the Conservative ethics
critic.
"This speaks to very poor
judgment."
Barrett has written to the
chair of the Board of Internal
Economy, which is responsible
for establishing bylaws and
policies relating to MPs'
expenditures, to raise
prices, were also a major
area of concern.
Starmer's office said he had
a conversation with U.S.
President Donald Trump
about the importance of
reopening the strait to end
both the "disruption to
global shipping" and the oil
crisis. The phone call came
after Trump urged the U.K.
and other nations to send
warships to the region to
help secure the vital oil
shipping channel from Iranian
attacks.
Carney meets King Charles
Carney has made it clear
that Canada is not
participating in the
U.S.-Israeli-led war but has
not excluded what he calls
defensive measures in the
region.
Canada's new high
commissioner in London —
former cabinet minister Bill
Blair — said it was important
for the two prime ministers
to have an opportunity to
discuss each country's
approach.
"I think those conversations
governor Tiff Macklem during
a morning news conference
in Ottawa.
"Inflation in Canada has been
close to the two per cent target "we will ensure that if energy
for more than a year. But, as
causing oil prices to move
sharply higher and this will
push up inflation in the short
term."
As a result, the bank faces a
dilemma, Macklem said:
raising interest rates to slow
inflation could further weaken
the economy, but cutting to
support growth could push
inflation above the central
bank's target.
"When we get the March
[consumer price index] report,
it's going to show that
concerns about these
expenses.
He said there are other
questions Idlout should
have to answer.
"Who did she give these
gifts to, right at the time
of a federal election, where
she won her district by a
couple of a dozen votes?"
he said.
In a statement, a spokesperson
for the ethics commissioner
confirmed that MPs are not
allowed to further their
private interests in any way
while performing their
public duties.
They did not say whether
the commissioner would
launch an inquiry into the
issue, saying the office can
do so at the behest of another
MP, when directed by the
House or based on
information from various
sources including media
reports.
In 2021, former ethics
commissioner Mario Dion
found that former Liberal
MP Yasmin Ratansi violated
Parliament's conflict of
interest code by hiring her
sister to work in her
constituency office.
could lead to, you know,
perhaps a better
understanding and other
discussions about not only
how we deal with the conflict
that's currently raging in
the Middle East, but how
we deal with the economic
fallout," Blair told journalists
travelling with the prime
minister.
Carney did not take questions
on Monday.
During their photo op,
Starmer said he is glad he
and Carney can put their
shared values toward a
"volatile world." He also
thanked the prime minister
for continuing to support
Ukraine.
Carney noted how Canada
and the U.K. agreed a year
ago to deepen bilateral ties
on security, intelligence
sharing and trade — saying
it's a good thing that happened
"because the world is even
more challenging."
Carney also had an audience
with King Charles on Monday
afternoon.
inflation's going up," he said.
While Macklem was
characteristically tight-lipped
about the direction of rates,
prices stay high, that does not
become ongoing, generalized,
persistent inflation."
Avery Shenfeld, an economist
at CIBC Capital Markets,
noted that the central bank
didn't give any indication
there was debate over whether
to cut or hike at this point.
That's in line with the bank's
perspective that "the
implications of the energy
price shock will depend
critically on how long it
persists, which simply is
unknowable at this point,"
he wrote.