Canada
Trump’s auto tariffs a ‘direct attack,’ Carney says as leaders react
Global National's top three Wednesday...
U.S. President Donald Trump is putting new 25 per cent tariffs on auto imports, injecting more uncertainty into the economy during the 2025 Canadian federal election campaign. Mackenzie Gray explains how Liberal Leader Mark Carney is reacting and how Canada's auto sector is bracing for impact.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising a wide range of tax cuts and financial relief measures while also pressuring the federal government to support auto workers who could soon be laid off in the aftermath of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariffs. Touria Izri looks at what Singh pledged and what he says the federal government should have done before the election was called.
One of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's biggest challenges in the 2025 federal election campaign is gaining support in Quebec, where the party has a poor track record. Mike Armstrong examines how Poilievre is attempting to make a breakthrough and why that has proven challenging.
A sermon criticizing Harper shows the struggle for Conservative souls
It’s not uncommon to hear Conservatives accuse O’Toole, who brought in a platform with a carbon tax and reversed himself on defunding the CBC, of having sacrificed core party values.But Harper is a venerated figure in the party and in the broader Canadian conservative movement. For some, Fischer’s criticism might have bordered on blasphemy.
'Frustrating does not begin to describe it': South Okanagan Conservatives peeved over Penticton councillor federal nomination pick
Nathan Bergen is an executive with the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay CPC Electoral District Association, and he feels the local CPC members did not have their voices heard. "Frustrating doesn't begin to describe it. It's not even in the realm," Bergen said.He explained that no nomination race had been held, which was the first blow. This is a new-for-2025 riding although the riding's shape now looks like an awful lot like the old riding of British Columbia Southern Interior, last contested in 2011 (and won by New Democrat Alex Atamanenko). It's been 20 years since a Conservative won all of this part of the province -- and right now, with the NDP in free-fall, my model has this as an easy Conservative win. Which explains some of the extra frustration of local Conservatives that they were not able to pick their own candidate.
Richmond Conservative federal candidates include sitting city councillor
The Richmond News understands the party didn't hold nomination meetings in these two [Richmond] ridings, rather candidates were appointed by the party.
The Provinces
Amid criticism, Premier Danielle Smith set to attend U.S. fundraiser
Smith is to make a speaking appearance this week with conservative media personality Ben Shapiro at an upcoming fundraiser for PragerU, despite weeks of calls for her to cancel
Elsewhere
A 'coalition of the willing' mulls more aid for Ukraine and a possible European armed force
Ukraine’s allies from across Europe have gathered for talks in Paris about how to strengthen Kyiv’s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Russia.
The country’s most powerful institutions are bowing to Trump. The Atlantic just backed him into a corner
The magazine, loathed by Trump and his allies, on Wednesday morning published the entire group chat conversation among top administration officials about a military operation in Yemen. In doing so — after press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the magazine “we object to the release” — Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg and national security reporter Shane Harris effectively stood up to an administration that has largely grown used to getting its way — and dared a White House with limited options to make the next move.
Media
Poilievre pledges to keep Radio-Canada alive if elected
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a single entity with two services, one in English and one in French. Poilievre has already promised to “defund the CBC,” and it would require legislative changes to keep one half of the public broadcaster in existence.
The AP’s Freedom of Speech—and Yours
Julie Pace, AP's Executive Editor For anyone who thinks the Associated Press’s lawsuit against President Trump’s White House is about the name of a body of water, think bigger. It’s really about whether the government can control what you say.
Delusional disorders ‘amplified’ by social media, B.C. research finds
Delusional disorders have been linked to high levels of social media use, according to new research out of B.C.
Reader Notes
This newsletter is being published a little later than normal today and likely will be tomorrow as I'm on Pacific time, here in British Columbia, covering the activities of the Conservative leaders' tour.
A reminder that: The headlines, excerpts, and photos here are generated by the publishers of the clipping. The publisher is at the bottom left of the clipping. If I've got a comment, you''ll see that in italics. But if I've generated the headline and the excerpt, you'll see me taking attribution by finishing with -DA in bold. The stamp stuff at the bottom are scans from my collection and, if there’s a stamp blurb, I’ve written that bit. -DA
You can help keep this newsletter going with a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com.
Science and tech
OpenAI's New Image Generator Can Do Near-Perfect Text
The most noticeable change is how the model handles text, something that it and its competitors have long struggled with. Words tended to come out looking like gobbledygook, and the text that was legible looked sloppy, filled with formatting errors and misspellings. Not anymore, according to OpenAI
The Calendar
- Ottawa - PM Carney meets with a cabinet committee.
- 1300 ET: Windsor, ON - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh meets with Unifor leaders.
- 1330 ET: Coquitlam, BC - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
- 1345 ET: Windsor, ON - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters.
- 1500 ET: Windsor, ON - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters
- 2100 ET: Surrey, BC - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters.
Issued this day ...
… in 2019: Sc 3176i Canadians in Flight: Lazair. Design: Ivan Novotny.
Canada Post: "The Ultraflight Lazair – better known as the Lazair – was a family of twin-engine high-wing ultralight monoplanes designed by Dale Kramer of Port Colborne, Ontario. Kramer completed his Lazair prototype in late 1978 and revealed it at the 1979 Sun ’n Fun fly-in and expo, where it won the award for best home-built ultralight. With its true aircraft configuration and 11-metre, glider-like wingspan, the Lazair combined a light, efficient chainsaw motor with modern aircraft materials. Although production ended in 1985, today there are still more Lazairs registered in Canada than any other basic ultralight, and it is considered one of the best light aircraft ever made.
In its early years, the Lazair won top honours in every air show it was entered. In 1982, Kramer flew in exhibition flights at the Paris Air Show. The same year, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale awarded a Diplôme d’honneur to Kramer’s company, Ultraflight Incorporated, for its contributions to the progress of aviation. In 1983, the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute presented Kramer with the Roméo Vachon Award for outstanding contribution to the development of aeronautics in Canada. In 1986, he received an Award of Merit from the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation for designing, producing and marketing “one of the world’s finest ultra-light aircraft.”