Bell: Danielle Smith goes on offence against a two-faced Mark Carney
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No more playing nice.
For Premier Danielle Smith, it is time.
Time to light a fire under Prime Minister Mark Carney. Time to cut through his weasel words.
The clock is ticking on Carney, the master of talking out of both sides of his mouth.
On Tuesday, in Calgary, Smith will roll out what she calls her Alberta Next panel.
She no doubt hopes Carney and his crew are watching what is going down.
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Winnipeg Free Press
35 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: Trump announces ceasefire in Iran-Israel war
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Trump announces a ceasefire in Iran-Israel war U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a 'complete and total ceasefire' soon after Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites. But the status of a possible ceasefire remained tentative after an Iranian missile barrage struck Israel after a first deadline for the proposal. A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels. The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen. This comes as Ottawa has started offering buses to Canadians looking to leave Israel and the West Bank, along with those who manage to flee Iran. In a Monday afternoon media briefing, Global Affairs Canada said 6,000 Canadians have registered in Israel using the department's database, while slightly more than 400 have registered in the West Bank and around 5,500 have registered in Iran. Here's what else we're watching… Carney travels to The Hague today for NATO summit Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a two-day stop Tuesday in the Netherlands, where NATO alliance members are prepared to decide whether to more than double the defence spending target. The main talks in The Hague won't happen until Wednesday, with Carney first set to take part in several bilateral meetings. Carney will meet with the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof. He will also meet with leaders of Nordic countries for talks focused on Arctic and transatlantic security. The prime minister will also meet with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte have both said they expect alliance members to commit to a new target to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence, up from the current two per cent target set in 2014. Punishing heat returns to Central Canada A heat wave is set to deliver another day of punishing heat and humidity to parts of Ontario and Quebec. Heat warnings are in place from Windsor through to Quebec City as record-breaking temperatures hit Central Canada. Toronto set a new June 22 temperature record when the mercury topped out at over 34 degrees. Environment Canada says today's temperatures will rival those seen yesterday, with the humidity expected to make it feel like upwards of 40 degrees in many cities under heat warnings. Forecasters warn a heat dome this early in the season can be particularly dangerous since people are not acclimatized to the high heat and humidex values, which are well above normal. Statistics Canada to publish May inflation data Statistics Canada is set to publish inflation data for May this morning. A poll of economists provided by LSEG Data & Analytics expects the annual pace of inflation held steady at 1.7 per cent last month. Bank of Montreal, however, is calling for inflation to slow further to 1.5 per cent. BMO expects cooling in shelter inflation from easing rent and mortgage costs helped bring price pressures down. The central bank held its policy rate steady at 2.75 per cent for the second time in a row earlier this month as it waits to see how Canada's tariff dispute with the United States will affect inflation and the wider economy. New beach cleaning robot hitting Ontario's shores Don't be alarmed if you see a Zamboni-like rover roaming Ontario's shores this summer – it's a beach cleaning robot being tested in some provincial parks. The robot, called a BeBot, is a remotely operated and fully electric machine that removes plastic, glass, metal, paper and other debris from beaches with sand-sifting technology. 'This technology allows us to capture some of the larger pieces of plastic before they actually enter the water,' said Melissa DeYoung, CEO of environmental organization Pollution Probe, which launched the BeBot in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. DeYoung said it is 'critically important' to remove litter and plastic before they enters lakes since they commonly break down into microplastics that can impact wildlife in the water. The BeBot can clean up to 3,000 square metres per hour for up to eight hours and can remove the equivalent of around 19 bowling balls worth of plastic in one use, said DeYoung. The robot is battery-powered with a solar panel on the back and has a top speed of just below three kilometres per hour. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
Toronto Star
40 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Premier Smith to announce details surrounding promised Alberta Next panel
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the Global Energy Show in Calgary on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Lauren Krugel / THE CANADIAN PRESS flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Carney to begin talks on NATO spending target as summit starts today in The Hague
THE HAGUE – Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a two-day stop Tuesday in the Netherlands, where NATO alliance members are prepared to decide whether to more than double the defence spending target. The main talks in The Hague won't happen until Wednesday, with Carney first set to take part in several bilateral meetings. Carney will meet with the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof. He will also meet with leaders of Nordic countries for talks focused on Arctic and transatlantic security. The prime minister will also meet with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak to reporters twice today, first in The Hague at around 7:15 a.m. ET and then virtually at 8:30 a.m. ET. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte have both said they expect alliance members to commit to a new target to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence, up from the current two per cent target set in 2014. None of NATO's 32 members spent that much on defence in 2024, according to the alliance's own data. All of them are pledging to meet the two per cent figure this year, including Canada for the first time since the target was created. A Canadian government official who briefed reporters on background before the trip said the spending target and its timeline are still up for discussion. Some allies have indicated they would prefer a seven-year timeline, while others want a decade to reach the five per cent target. Canada's defence spending hasn't reached five per cent of GDP since the 1950s. NATO estimates that Canada spent $41 billion in 2024 on defence, or 1.37 per cent of GDP. In 2014, Canada spent $20.1 billion, or 1.01 per cent of GDP, on defence. In 2014, when the current two per cent target was first set, only three NATO members hit the mark — the U.S., the U.K. and Greece. Any new spending guidelines have to be made with the consensus of all 32 NATO member states, and no member is currently anywhere close. The U.S., at 3.38 per cent in 2024, was the highest, but President Donald Trump has said the figure shouldn't apply to the United States — only to its allies. The plan Rutte is expected to put forward at the summit contains some wiggle room to help allies reach that high figure. It would commit members to spending 3.5 per cent of annual GDP on core defence needs — like jets and other weapons — and 1.5 per cent on defence-adjacent areas like infrastructure, cybersecurity and industry. Internal divisions have emerged in the lead-up to the summit. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday that Spain reached a deal with NATO to be excluded from the new spending target. Like Canada, Spain has long struggled to meet the two per cent target and has rejected the new proposal. Rutte warned Monday that no country can opt out of the target and that progress made toward the new target will be reviewed in four years. NATO's defence buildup is also controversial in Italy, where defence minister Guido Crosetto said recently the alliance 'no longer has a reason to exist.' Countries much closer to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine all have agreed to reach the target, as have nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, which is hosting the two-day summit starting Tuesday. Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty said 'stay tuned' when asked earlier this month if Canada would agree to the five per cent plan. Jan Techau, a senior fellow with the transatlantic defence and security program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the overall level of ambition in Europe on defence has 'massively' increased over the last several years in response to Russian aggression. 'The closer to Russia you are, the more ambitious you are,' he said. Speaking to reporters at a military cemetery in Antwerp Monday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that while he isn't comfortable with the five per cent target, it's important that the country remain in NATO. He also said the proposed 3.5 and 1.5 per cent breakdown 'helps a bit.' Lauren Speranza, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said the NATO summit is coming at a 'very precarious moment,' marked by uncertainty about the U.S. commitment to Europe, the grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and ongoing tensions over transatlantic trade. Speranza said the meeting will offer some insights into how the Trump administration will approach the alliance going forward, following its criticisms of NATO and calls for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence. On Monday, Rutte said recent U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities were not a violation of international law. Prime Minister Carney, who has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, said Monday that Iran has pursued nuclear weapons while expressing a desire to eliminate the state of Israel. In a statement Sunday, Carney said Iran's nuclear program is a 'grave threat' to international security and that Canada has been 'consistently clear' that Iran 'can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.' Tuesday's schedule also includes a reception and a social dinner hosted by the king and queen of the Netherlands. — With files from Kyle Duggan in Ottawa and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
