Canada
NATO chief Stoltenberg urges Canada to meet defence spending goal
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in Ottawa for a quick visit, as part of a tour of North American capitals ahead of the next NATO summit. During his pitstop in Canada’s capital, Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and received an award for his decade of service as NATO’s secretary general. David Akin explains how Stoltenberg used the occasion to remind Canada of the need to increase its defence spending, and what's expected when NATO leaders gather in Washington in July.
Support for Trudeau nears ‘rock bottom’ as 68% want him to step down: Ipsos
'This is as bad as we’ve seen it for Trudeau. It’s close to rock bottom,' said Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker about the latest polling numbers in regard to Canada's Liberal government.
Canada lists Iran’s IRGC as terrorist group
The federal government is designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization after years of pressure from both the federal Conservatives and Iranian-Canadian advocates. Touria Izri looks at what this means for anyone associated with the IRGC, the message for Canadians currently in Iran, and why Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is criticizing the timing of Ottawa's announcement.
Anti-Muslim video advert being investigated in Canada
A video advert suggesting Canada is “under siege” from Muslims is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
'Shameful': Fellow Liberal MP blasts Trudeau's fish-farm shutdown
“As a party of science it’s difficult to understand how we haven’t followed our own scientists’ recommendations,” Long said in a statement. “As a party of Reconciliation we are imposing an impossible timeline on coastal First Nations communities who choose to have salmon aquaculture to determine a realistic and responsible path for their economic futures.”
Pharmacare should be in place by April 2025, health minister says
Health Minister Mark Holland says he aims to roll out the national pharmacare program by April 1, 2025, saying he's 'sprinting, not walking.'
House of Commons breaks for the summer
MPs gathered on Parliament Hill for the final time today before the summer recess, and members of all parties seemed eager for the break.
Pierre Poilievre part en tournée pour séduire le Québec
Au moment où la Chambre des communes entame sa pause estivale mercredi, le chef du Parti conservateur du Canada, Pierre Poilievre, prend la route de Montréal où, après un discours devant des militants en soirée, il débutera une tournée avec son épouse et ses deux enfants qui l’amènera aux quatre coins du Québec.
The Provinces
Provincial Economic Forecast
Provincial economies are performing broadly as expected. Activity is likely to remain subpar across most of Canada, as regional economies continue to absorb the impact of elevated rates. We still see scope for growth outperformances in the Atlantic Region and Prairies, with somewhat weaker expansions likely in Ontario, B.C and Quebec.
Candidates raising a stink in eastern New Brunswick
The spokeswoman for the “Stop the Stink” movement in Richibucto wants to run in the provincial election for the same party that, when in power, helped establish the smelly shellfish plant that she worked to shut down.
Quebec moving day a ‘nightmare for renters’: report
Quebec’s annual moving day is fast approaching and a recent report shows this year is shaping up to be a painful one for renters.
Elsewhere
EU sanctions target Russian gas for the first time, diplomats say
The package bans re-exports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in EU waters but stops short of banning imports as the bloc did in 2022 for Russian seaborne oil. Some EU countries still import pipeline gas from Russia via Ukraine.
France is ‘going to the dogs,’ Macron’s inner circle despairs
In their hour of greatest need for a liberal successor to the country’s president, France’s centrists are in panicky disarray.
Trump Tries to Set Expectations, and Floats Excuses, for His Debate With Biden
Mr. Trump, 78, has spent months casting the 81-year-old Mr. Biden as a husk of a man who can barely walk or formulate complete sentences. Republicans have pumped out a stream of videos of Mr. Biden walking stiffly — some deceptively edited — that are meant to be proof of Mr. Biden’s decline. Mr. Trump’s supporters in Racine showed they have been marinating in this content. “Biden can’t stand up!” one woman yelled during Mr. Trump’s speech. She stood near another woman who wore a T-shirt with a picture of Mr. Biden that read, “Impeach me. I won’t remember.”
Iran sentences Nobel Peace Prize laureate to another year in prison
Activist Narges Mohammadi was convicted on a charge of making propaganda against the system
Media
Report: Journalists under threat in Amazon rainforest
As the world's interest in the Amazon as a barrier against climate change has grown, so has the work of journalists reporting on environmental and other crimes in the vast and often lawless region but it has come at a price
Science and tech
Press release: New computer chips show promise for reducing energy footprint of artificial intelligence
The chips feature components called memristors – short for memory resistors. Most memristors are made from a simple material system composed of two elements, but the ones in this study feature a new material system known as entropy-stabilized oxides, or ESOs. More than a half-dozen elements comprise the ESOs, allowing their memory capabilities to be finely tuned.
TDK claims insane energy density in solid-state battery breakthrough
The new material provides an energy density—the amount that can be squeezed into a given space—of 1,000 watt-hours per liter, which is about 100 times greater than TDK’s current battery in mass production. Since TDK introduced it in 2020, competitors have moved forward, developing small solid-state batteries that offer 50 Wh/l, while rechargeable coin batteries using traditional liquid electrolytes offer about 400 Wh/l, according to the group.
The Calendar
- 0900 ET: Gatineau - Public Services and Procurement Min Jean-Yves Duclos speaks about the Asticou Centre.
- 1030 ET: Toronto - CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada makes a funding announcement.
- 1100 ET: 135B West Block - NGOs speak about Canada's response to the Israel-Hamas war.
- 1230 ET: HoC Foyer - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and Natural Resources Min Jonathan Wilkinson speak to reporters.
- 1245 ET: Central Nova Scotia - PM Trudeau , Families and Social Development MIn Jenna Sudds, and Housing and Infrastructure Min Sean Fraser speak about the National School Food program.
- 1330 ET: Dundas, ON - Small Business Min Rechie Valdez speaks about the National School Food program.
- 1400 ET: Montreal-Nord, QC - Employment Min Randy Boissonnault and Revenue Min Marie-Claude Bibeau speak about the National School Food program.
- 1430 ET: Central Nova Scotia - PM Trudeau and Housing and Infrastructure Min Sean Fraser visit a farm.
- 1500 ET: Vancouver - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland , Emergency Preparedness Min Harjit Sajjan and Citizens' Services Min Terry Beech speak about the National School Food program.
- 1700 ET: Terrace, BC - Crown-Indigenous Affairs Min Gary Anandasangaree marks a treaty milestone.
- 1700 ET: Ottawa - GPC MP Elizabeth May attends the Wabana Ignite the Spirit Gala 2024.
- 2200 ET: Vancouver - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland meets with students.
Issued this day ...
… in 2003: Scott 1976: Universities - Macdonald Institute. Design: Denis L’Allier This was issued on the 100th anniversary of the Macdonald Institute at the University of Guelph. Not only am I an alum of the University of Guelph but I grew up in that city and my nursery school was at … the Macdonald Institute!