Politics

Descrease article font size Increase article font size U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday temporarily waived tariffs on some products from Canada and Mexico two days after launching a continental trade war, specifically those that fall under the North American free trade agreement. Trump signed a new executive order giving some exemptions to Canada after originally saying Thursday that only Mexico would get a partial reprieve on sweeping tariffs until April 2.According to new orders signed by Trump, imports from Canada that comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) — primarily auto components — will avoid the 25 per cent tariffs for a month. Potash — which U.S. farmers import from Canada for fertilizer — will be tariff...

Texas Rep. Al Green has been censured by Congress for interrupting President Donald Trump’s address on Tuesday evening. The House voted 224-198 in favour of the censure on Thursday, 10 Democrats included. On Wednesday, Democrats had attempted to prevent the motion to censure, but were outvoted by Republicans 209-211.A censure is a formal retribution given to a member of Congress whom the government deems deserving of punishment for “disorderly behavior.”Censure is relatively rare, limited to a declaration of disapproval and does not result in a senator being removed from office.The House has only censured five other lawmakers in the last 20 years, making Green the sixth.Green stood up in Congress in the early stages of Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, arguing that ...

By Lisa Johnson The Canadian Press Posted March 6, 2025 1:31 pm Updated March 6, 2025 1:38 pm 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is making the rounds on U.S. television networks, saying Canada has to look out for itself in the tariff war. Alberta and other provinces have announced they will stop buying American alcohol and halt contracting with U.S. companies in response to sweeping tariffs imposed earlier this week. Ge...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province plans on moving ahead with a tax on electricity sent to several U.S. states starting early next week as Canada’s trade war escalates. Ford said the 25 per cent tax will be officially confirmed on Monday and is likely to be enacted on Tuesday.“We are moving forward with it,” Ford confirmed in an interview with 640Toronto radio host Ben Mulroney on Thursday.“I feel terrible for the American people because it’s not the American people, and it’s not even the elected officials, it’s one person and that’s President (Donald) Trump… It’s totally unacceptable, but he’s coming after his closest friends, closest allies in the world and it’s going to absolutely devastate both economies.”The move is one Ford and his team have publicly weighed since before U.S...

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 ...