Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump is making the race for critical minerals a key part of his agenda — and Canada’s rich reserves are a prime target for his ambitions. Dozens of minerals are being increasingly traded around the world for technologies such as smartphones, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, as well as modern military equipment.For years, the U.S. has been trying to reduce its reliance on China for those minerals, turning to like-minded producers like Canada.“Canada has strategic reserves the U.S. doesn’t have a lot of,” said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the critical mineral studies program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, a U.S. think tank.Trump is now looking to accelerate that shift.On Tuesday, he told a joint session of Congress he will be s...

The Canadian and Mexican architects of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement say Donald Trump’s trade war has crossed a line that essentially wipes out the continental trade pact, as experts suggest the president’s actions are meant to rattle America’s closest neighbours ahead of a mandatory review. Canada’s chief negotiator, Steve Verheul, and Mexico’s chief negotiator, Ken Smith Ramos, said the devastating duties essentially suspend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.“With 25 per cent tariffs, it blows a complete hole in the trade agreement,” Verheul said Wednesday.“It makes it virtually worthless to us. In fact, it leaves Canada and Mexico in a far worse position than any other country in the world practically.”Trump followed through Tuesday on his threat to impose sweeping economy-wide tariff...

As the U.S. finally slaps long-threatened tariffs on Canada, a population unaccustomed to conflict wonders: what does President Donald Trump have against us, anyway? Theories abound, from the plausible (It’s about the lack of U.S. access to the Canadian dairy market), to the personal (Trump really, really doesn’t like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau), to the neo-colonial (the U.S. wants to annex us) to the perverse. (Could it have been that 2019 photographic faux pas, when Trudeau looked like he wanted to smooch the First Lady, Melania?)Trump has given his own reasons — lax border security and fentanyl, but sometimes impeded access to banking or an incorrectly quoted trade imbalance — but those reasons have either been disproven or dismissed. He frequently goads Canada and “Governor...

By Staff The Canadian Press Posted March 5, 2025 4:54 pm Updated March 5, 2025 4:56 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The commissioner of the National Hockey League, Gary Bettman, said any negative effects on the Canadian dollar caused by the Donald Trump administration’s tariffs could be “painful” for the league. Speaking Wednesday on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Bettman said the NHL’s seven Canadian clubs perform well and account for 25 per cent of the league’s revenue.But he said a d...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his decision to rip up a contract with Elon Musk‘s internet service is permanent and won’t be reversed, even if Canada’s tariff war with the United States is resolved. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped 25 per cent tariffs on the vast majority of Canadian imports, sparking a growing trade war between the two neighbouring countries.As part of its response, Ontario removed U.S. alcohol from the shelves of the LCBO, banned American companies from bidding on provincial contracts and cancelled a deal between Musk’s SpaceX and the provincial government.The cancelled contract is worth $100 million and was first signed in November 2024 to deliver Starlin...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is unsure about a 30-day tariff reprieve for automakers, which he believes could be used to try and tempt companies to move their operations south of the border. Speaking at Queen’s Park on the second day of Canada’s tariff battle with the United States, Ford said he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were aligned in their demand that tariffs be scrapped, not reduced or delayed.On Tuesday, 25 per cent tariffs were slapped on the vast majority of Canadian imports to the United States. Later that same day, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the White House could potentially meet Canada “in the middle” on tariffs.Ford said he and Trudeau were “on the same page” in rejecting that offer and insisting on “zero tariffs” on Canada. Story continues ...

U.S. President Donald Trump was forced to weather numerous interruptions from his political opponents during his lengthy 100-minute joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. Since taking office 44 days ago, Trump has doubled down on his promise to strip back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, has attempted to freeze government subsidies to major health care service providers such as Medicaid and moved to dismantle the Department of Education.In addition, he has tried to halt funding to international aid programs such as USAID, has banned transgender troops from the military and slammed Canada, Mexico and China with sweeping tariffs, prompting a trade war that experts warn will likely result in widespread economic turmoil.Trump began his speech by briefly addressing the newly in...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size After the U.S. triggered a trade war, Ottawa will move to prevent the “predatory” takeover of Canadian businesses by foreign entities, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says. This comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that the aim of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s tariffs was to weaken Canada economically to make the country easier to annex.“We actually have to fold back on the one thing he [Trump] has said repeatedly — that what he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that will make it easier to annex us,” Trudeau said on Tuesday.Champagne said the federal government is updating the guidelines to the Investment Canada Act (ICA) to include...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to speak with President Donald Trump Wednesday morning, Global News has learned, as a trade war triggered by the U.S. entered a second day. All eyes are on Washington after Trump launched a North American trade war against Canada and Mexico on Tuesday.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she is expecting to speak with Trump on Thursday, but said on Wednesday if tariffs continue following that call, Mexico “will reach out to Canada and other nations.”“It is a very definitive moment for Mexico,” Sheinbaum said. “Our economy is fine, but there will be no submission. … Depending on the circumstances, we will look to Canada and other countries.”A day after slapping a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods, Trump may announce a deal on ...

A day into Donald Trump’s North American trade war, the U.S. president remained adamant that tariffs would benefit America even as a key member of his team has floated that a compromise could materialize Wednesday. Trump addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, for the first time since he returned to office in January, by making a case for his massive tariff agenda.“We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth and we will not let that happen any longer,” Trump told lawmakers in Washington.The president’s executive order hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy, took effect Tuesday.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the continental trade war “dumb” and said Canada was forced to...