Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Thursday's federal budget will focus on affordability and Canadian sovereignty, under the title Masters of Our Destiny. Speaking while buying new shoes for the speech, he listed rent, food and gas prices as top concerns and said Canada must open new markets and buy Canadian whatever happens south of the border. Sources told The Globe and Mail the plan will also address strategic independence, possibly including space policy. Already flagged measures include a $36-billion Productivity Mega Deduction, an extended federal gas-tax cut and the planned $25-billion Canada Strong Fund. Conservatives demand deeper cost-of-living relief measures.
100 wordsSource: The Globe and Mail, by Bill Curry, Mercedes Stephenson and Stephanie Levitz
Canada and China are extending a January trade arrangement for two years, to the end of 2028, Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu announced Wednesday. The deal, struck during Prime Minister Mark Carney's earlier visit with President Xi Jinping, gives Canadian canola meal, peas, lobster and crab clearer access to China while allowing certain Chinese steel and aluminum into Canada. Sidhu said canola seed exports to China have jumped 84 per cent since March. The extension comes as Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng prepares to visit Vancouver and Carney plans to return to China later this month for APEC meetings in Shenzhen.
Innu Nation Grand Chief Jodie Ashini said Wednesday that something has to change if Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham wants better relations and natural resource projects on Innu land. The two met for nearly three hours in St. John's during a mining conference. Wakeham introduced a new Churchill River lead negotiator and agreed to visit Sheshatshiu in the coming weeks, which Ashini called a breakthrough. She still says Innu people feel a lack of respect, including recognition of their long history on the Labrador Peninsula. Wakeham said he wants to listen carefully to Innu concerns rather than debate timelines.
Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz dismissed a petition from 120 Progressive Conservative members seeking a special meeting on his leadership as a distraction meant to reverse February's convention result. Speaking after question period, Lantz said a small group never accepted his 53-to-47 win over Mark Ledwell and noted the party constitution lets 75 of 7,200 members force a meeting. Party president Robert Larsen said the executive is validating signatures and consulting lawyers on whether a leadership vote can proceed. Petitioners cite weak polls and the deficit. Lantz said he will focus on governing while the party sorts it out.
Municipal leaders at the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities conference in Halifax voiced frustration Wednesday after Municipal Affairs Minister John A. MacDonald ended a session without taking questions. Wolfville councillor Wendy Elliott wanted answers on library and arts funding after provincial cuts that towns say threaten closures and shorter hours. Middleton Mayor Gail Smith said infrastructure requests also go unanswered and felt leaders were ignored. MacDonald urged municipalities to grow revenue through resource development, partnerships and streamlining, and highlighted cell coverage upgrades. Federation president David Mitchell apologized for skipping questions and said other chances would come later during the week.
Opponents and supporters of shale-gas development faced off Tuesday at New Brunswick's first public meeting on possibly lifting a 12-year fracking moratorium. More than 100 people filled the Sussex Lions Club as Natural Resources Minister John Herron urged dialogue while residents traded claims about jobs, cancer risk and climate impacts. Neighbours with wells on their farms disagreed sharply over safety. Premier Susan Holt has set a January deadline after creating working groups and First Nations roundtables. Officials collected questionnaires and one-on-one feedback, but no further public meetings have been announced and many speakers demanded a public referendum before any change.
About 600 downtown Montreal addresses were without water Wednesday night after scheduled work on the city's water network caused an unexpected surge in pressure. The spike produced several breaks and leaks that flooded streets in the Ville-Marie borough. Councillor Leslie Roberts said service on Lincoln Avenue between Fort and St-Marc streets was unlikely to return before Thursday afternoon. The City of Montreal confirmed that pressure rose higher than planned during main-network work, triggering the outages. Residents faced flooded pavement and dry taps overnight as crews worked to isolate damaged sections and restore normal pressure across the affected downtown city blocks.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday there will be no New Deal 2.0 with Toronto, saying the city must manage its own budget amid tough provincial finances. A 2023 agreement that uploaded the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway offered Toronto major relief that largely expires this year, and city hall wanted a longer-term replacement as it faces a $1-billion shortfall. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy and Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack also dismissed a new deal. Ford left room for talks on public safety, including more subway police. Mayor Olivia Chow's office said she wants to meet on shared priorities.
WestJet plans a 73,110-square-foot aircraft maintenance hangar near Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, becoming the first tenant in the AirLink Business Park at West Lands. Chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech said the facility, expected to open by late 2028, fills a missing piece for growing the airline's Winnipeg network and could employ about 50 aircraft maintenance engineers. The Winnipeg Airports Authority will build the hangar for a planned 25-year lease, subject to approvals including Transport Canada and WestJet's board. Mayor Scott Gillingham called it a boost for the city's aviation economy after years of infrastructure spending to service the industrial lands.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Wednesday that Democratic victories in the U.S. midterm elections create an opportunity to reset Canada-United States trade relations. In a statement one day after Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate, Moe said Canada is ready to restore free and fair trade and hopes Washington is too. With several races still close, Democrats were on track for 255 House seats and at least 54 in the Senate. The comments come as tariffs and stalled talks have weighed on Prairie exporters, and as Ottawa signals renewed discussions with the White House despite earlier breakdowns.
Alberta's United Conservative government passed a motion Wednesday urging legislation to enact a controversial new 91-seat electoral map published this week. Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the boundaries process was independent and defended more rural-urban hybrid ridings as reflecting shared community services. Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi called the map the most gerrymandered in Canadian history and said it dilutes urban votes. Debate was limited to one hour before the motion passed 45 to 36. Nenshi has vowed a court challenge unless the map changes, while Elections Alberta warns the timing leaves little room before the scheduled October 2027 provincial election.
A fire underneath Gilmore SkyTrain Station in Burnaby disrupted Millennium Line service Wednesday and left commuters scrambling. Flames and smoke rose near a pillar below the elevated tracks, and TransLink suspended service at the station while operating trains between VCC-Clark and Renfrew and between Lafarge Lake and Brentwood. A bus bridge ran between Renfrew and Holdom stations. Metro Vancouver Transit Police reported no injuries, and the cause and damage were unclear later in the day. Expo and Canada Line service continued normally while crews dealt with heavy smoke and investigated what appeared to be a fire set on a bench.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will receive $65.3 million over five years for Inuit housing from a $130.3-million federal top-up to the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. MP Lori Idlout welcomed the money but said housing remains communities' top concern and one-time announcements are not enough. The funds, announced with other Inuit Treaty Organizations, can support construction, repairs, transitional housing, shelters and rent subsidies under Inuit-led decisions. Ministers Rebecca Alty and Mandy Gull-Masty said the investment puts choices with Inuit partners. Ottawa did not set a specific housing unit target for the new money, which Idlout flagged as a gap.
Northwest Territories MLAs gave third reading Tuesday to civil forfeiture and Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods, or Scan, bills aimed at drug crime and illicit activity. Civil forfeiture, which would let the government seek court orders to seize crime-linked property, passed unanimously despite liberty concerns from some Yellowknife members. Scan, which targets rental premises tied to ongoing illegal activity, passed over opposition from three Yellowknife MLAs who questioned effectiveness and housing impacts. Both laws still need royal assent and regulations. Justice Minister Jay Macdonald called them imperfect but necessary tools, while critics warned of displacing vulnerable tenants without tackling root addiction.
Potential Parks Canada workforce cuts are worrying Yukon communities after an internal October announcement that thousands of employees nationwide received affected letters. Reporting cited by Yukon News said 58 of 137 territorial Parks Canada staff got notices that their positions may change or disappear. Kluane MLA Wade Istchenko said job losses would hit his riding hard and could weaken enforcement and community roles at Kluane National Park and Reserve. Kluane First Nation said it was told only a day before the staff call and wants clarity on shared stewardship duties. Parks Canada had not commented to the paper by publication.
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