Trump says he didn't know an offensive term he used in a speech is considered antisemitic
Trump told reporters early Friday after returning from an event in Iowa that he had 'never heard it that way' and 'never heard that' the term was considered an offensive stereotype about Jews.
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Toronto Star
43 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Ukraine says it struck a Russian air base as Russia sent hundreds of drones into Ukraine
LONDON (AP) — Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to pound Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Ukraine's military General Staff said that Ukrainian forces had struck the Borisoglebsk air base in Russia's Voronezh region, describing it as the home base of Russia's Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM fighter jets.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
How Trump could make Canada better
As obnoxious as he is, Donald Trump may actually be doing Canada some good. His demands are forcing this country to rethink bad ideas, question sacred cows and brace itself for the challenges of the future. Just this week, the U.S. President gave Prime Minister Mark Carney an excuse to jettison a wrong-headed tax on foreign tech giants. Because just about all of those giants are American, Washington has opposed it from the start, under Joe Biden's administration as well as Mr. Trump's. The heaps of money that were to flow to Ottawa from the tax would have come from the pockets of the millions of Canadians who use Amazon, Apple, Google or other digital providers. Higher taxes inevitably mean higher rates for consumers. Mr. Trump refused to continue trade talks with Canada until Ottawa got rid of the tax, which was about to take effect. Mr. Carney duly killed it. A capitulation? No, a sensible concession. Good policy, to boot. I can think of at least three other ways that Mr. Trump's Blame Canada campaign is forcing us to reconsider the way we do things. Start with national defence. Mr. Trump has said for years that Canada and other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are freeloading off the United States, relying on Washington to keep the Western alliance well armed while scrimping on armaments themselves. To up defence spending, Canada must cut deeper, tax harder and borrow more – all at once It's not your grandfather's war any more, and defence procurement must evolve Canada was one of the worst of the laggards, its rate of spending near the bottom of the pack. By outsourcing our defence to our mighty next-door neighbour, we saved countless billions – money that was freed up for other needs such as hospitals, roads, parks and schools. The generous health care and other social programs that Canadians cherish were in effect underwritten by the U.S. That had to change some time. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine showed how vital it is to keep NATO strong, united and well armed. Now the alliance itself is calling for all members to increase their defence spending dramatically over the next decade. 'For too long, one ally, the United States, carried too much of the burden,' NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at last month's summit. That is changing, he said, and Mr. Trump 'made this change possible.' That may have been an attempt to feed the ego of the egomaniac in the White House, but it was not wrong. Or consider interprovincial trade. The absurd barriers to the flow of goods, services and labour across Canada have been an issue for decades. Everyone agreed they were absurd. Editorial writers turned blue in the face pointing out their absurdity. Premiers and prime ministers huddled every few years to talk about doing something. Next to nothing actually happened. Try getting one of Quebec's many excellent craft beers in Ontario. Now, at last, we are seeing some progress. The punishing, nonsensical tariffs imposed by Mr. Trump have put a fire under the provinces and the feds. If we cannot have free trade with the United States, we should at least be able to trade freely with each other. Internal free trade by Canada Day? It'll take longer than that Even Canada's system of supply management is getting a second look. Under this Soviet-style scheme, marketing boards, rather than the free market, govern the output of eggs, milk, cheese and poultry. Authorities set minimum prices and impose production quotas. High tariffs on imports of these basic commodities ensure that the cozy little set-up survives. The result for ordinary consumers is far higher prices than they might otherwise pay for simple things such as a brick of cheddar or a carton of yogurt. Mr. Trump attacked the system in his first term and is at it again. He is not alone. Canada's other trading partners complain bitterly about it, too. But the agriculture lobby is so strong, especially in Quebec, that no government has dared to dismantle it. Whether Mr. Carney's will remains to be seen. The recent Throne Speech reaffirmed support for supply management and new legislation attempts to prevent Ottawa from sacrificing it in trade talks. But the system is probably the biggest remaining irritant for Mr. Trump, and Mr. Carney might be forced to make concessions to strike a tariff deal with him. Good. Should we all be giving Mr. Trump a great big cheer, then? Of course not. He is bad for his country, for us and for the world in ways too many to count. He is a bully and blowhard. He has insulted our leaders and threatened our sovereignty. On many issues, pushing back against his demands is the way to go. But some of what he says about the way we do things is right. We do hide under American skirts for our defence. We do coddle our farm producers and hobble foreign competitors. If Canada is to survive the Trumpian onslaught, it must do more than simply put its elbows up and stand strong. It must become more efficient, more productive, more innovative. It must change.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
How Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill' impacts Canada and the clean energy push
Spread across the more than 800 pages of U.S. President Donald Trump's massive tax cut and spending package signed into law on Friday are measures that could have impacts on Canada, particularly on environmental and energy policies. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' cuts billions of dollars in spending meant to boost clean energy infrastructure across the U.S., which building trades unions warn could result in over a million lost construction jobs. The legislation also scraps tax credits for electric vehicles, which may push the North American auto industry further away from EVs. Taken together, the measures effectively end a brief era where the U.S. and Canada were moving in the same direction in combatting the climate crisis, says George Hoberg, a professor at the University of British Columbia who focuses on climate and energy policy. Story continues below advertisement 'It really interrupts whatever delicate momentum we had towards stronger climate policy and towards a clean energy transition,' he told Global News. Clean energy tax credits scrapped Tax credits passed under the Inflation Reduction Act during former president Joe Biden's term for individual home solar systems, heat pumps and battery storage will end this year under the Republican bill. So will tax credits for upgrades such as windows, insulation, heating and cooling systems. But growing concern is being raised for the impact to large-scale wind and solar projects, which qualified for tax credits even if they were to begin construction nearly a decade from now under Biden's law. Under Trump's bill, the timeline shrinks. While projects that begin construction within a year of the law coming into force will still be eligible for a full credit, those that start beyond that must be fully operational by the end of 2027, or they lose out on the incentives. Story continues below advertisement 1:46 Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' set to become law after it passes in US House Atlas Public Policy, a policy consultancy, said roughly 28 gigawatts of wind and solar projects are planned to be operational after the start of 2028 but haven't begun construction yet. Under the bill, they're unlikely to qualify for a credit, raising fears they could be cancelled altogether. North America's Building Trades Unions, which represents over three million trades workers in the U.S. and Canada, said late last month that the legislation 'stands to be the biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country.' 'Simply put, it is the equivalent of terminating more than 1,000 Keystone XL pipeline projects,' president Sean McGarvey said in a statement, adding an estimated 1.75 million construction jobs were under threat. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Laborers' International Union of North America, home to half a million American and Canadian workers, echoed those fears after the U.S. Senate passed what ended up being the final version of the bill on Tuesday. Story continues below advertisement 'This bill eradicates thousands of good-paying LIUNA jobs — jobs that were promised, planned, and already underway,' general president Brent Booker said. 'These solar and wind projects weren't abstract policy ideas — they were real job opportunities for real people across every part of our country for the next seven years. Now, all projects that have not started construction within one year — a year marked by economic fragility and supply chain insecurity — will never break ground and our members will never work on them.' Republicans argue the bill will 'unleash American energy' through its multiple supports for oil, coal and gas production and mining. The legislation expands oil leases off U.S. coasts and includes tax incentives for corporate oil and gas producers. 'This historic legislation is a win for American-made energy, consumers and the workers who power our economy,' Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement after the bill's final passage Thursday. Bill stalls EV incentives The bill eliminates credits of up to US$7,500 for buyers of new electric vehicles and up to US$4,000 for buyers of used EVs, which industry analysts have said contributed to steadily rising EV sales in the U.S. Story continues below advertisement The credits will disappear after Sept. 30. The Inflation Reduction Act ensured those credits were applied to vehicles made with North American auto parts. Canada later secured inclusion in that policy, spurring cross-border EV production. 1:57 Carmakers tell Carney to ditch Canada's target for EV sales But sales have stalled in both Canada and the U.S. and have fallen short of government goals. Biden had set a target for half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030, while Canada's EV sales mandate requires that 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold next year be zero-emission. The target rises annually to 100 per cent by 2035. Canadian automakers who met with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week to urge him to repeal the mandate said they were 'cautiously optimistic' that their lobbying would pay off. Story continues below advertisement Meanwhile, automakers this year have steadily paused or reduced EV production and and the building of new battery plants in Ontario, threatening billions of dollars in investments. 'Getting rid of the (U.S.) tax credits really isn't going to bode very well for the EV industry, and that has big implications for Canada on the idea of an integrated EV supply chain,' said Joseph Calnan, vice-president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who focuses on energy policy. What does this mean for Canada? Like Trump, Carney has also been pursuing policies to make his country an 'energy superpower.' Unlike Trump, however, the Liberal government is taking an 'all of the above' approach to energy infrastructure, rather than only focusing on fossil fuels. 'They're moving in the same direction, but the Carney government has moved more toward the centre, and the Trump government has moved more toward the kind of further end of discussions of of energy policy,' Calnan said. Story continues below advertisement In discussions among premiers and stakeholders on 'nation-building projects' set to be fast-tracked under newly passed federal legislation, government leaders have discussed pursuing both new oil and gas projects as well as renewable energy, critical minerals and carbon capture simultaneously. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pitched a 'grand bargain' where a proposed $16.5-billion carbon capture project would go ahead in tandem with a new crude oil pipeline to the West Coast under the major projects bill. Ottawa is currently drafting a final list of major projects to undertake. 3:02 Carney calls for energy partnerships to make Canada a global superpower Experts say there are opportunities for Canada to attract investments from the United States now that its tax credits have been scrapped. Artificial intelligence companies looking to reduce their environmental impact could be lured by Canada's hydropower resources to power their data centres, Hoburg said. It may be harder for Canada to present itself as a viable alternative for wind and solar projects, however, Calnan said, given parts of the U.S. are some of the sunniest and windiest places in the world. Story continues below advertisement Yet uncertainty in the U.S. could still lead companies to look elsewhere. Tariffs will also play a role in how Canada is either impacted or can potentially benefit by the shifts in policy. Canada could consider waiving its counter-tariffs on U.S. goods and companies to spur investment, according to Calnan. The high tariffs on Chinese goods — as well as Beijing's ongoing threats to national security — should also fuel Canada's ongoing push to create domestic supply chains not just for critical minerals, but also for solar panels and wind turbines. Ultimately, Hoberg says Trump's bill will have major implications on North America's shared climate goals, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 'It makes it harder for the Canadian government to pursue ambitious policies,' he said. 'It doesn't make it impossible, but it makes it more costly, and as a result it increases domestic political resistance.' He said the Carney government's efforts to reorient Canada's trade and economic relationships toward Europe and Asia could present opportunities to pursue shared climate goals with those allies. —with files from the Associated Press
