Carney pledges fund supporting clean energy, critical mineral projects
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, speaking from Calgary on Day 18 of the election campaign, says the proposed First and Last Mile Fund 'will connect critical mineral extraction projects to our supply chains to get them to market.'
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National Post
34 minutes ago
- National Post
Raises, retention bonuses promised for Canadian Forces personnel
Pay increases for military personnel as well as retention bonuses and increased training allowances for particular Canadian Forces members are to be part of the government's spending boost for defence. Article content In addition, it is expected that around 1,400 new staff will be hired at the Department of National Defence. Article content Article content The initiatives were outlined Monday during a technical briefing that followed Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement that defence spending was being significantly increased. The Liberal government noted that it was pumping in more funding so Canada will meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP by the end of this fiscal year. Article content Article content Carney repeated his election promises to purchase new submarines and other equipment as well as improve military housing and benefits. Article content Article content But defence officials at the technical briefing had few answers. Article content They did point out that not only will there be pay increases but in some cases boosts in training allowances and retention bonuses for key military personnel. They did not have information on what specific Canadian Forces jobs or trades would be eligible for bonuses. Article content More health-care workers will be hired for the Canadian Forces and the civilian workforce will be expanded so military personnel can focus on operations, government officials said at the technical briefing. Under government-imposed rules, the officials who provided the briefing cannot be identified. Article content In January, the Ottawa Citizen reported that military staff were recommending retention bonuses to keep key personnel from leaving the ranks. But there were questions at the time about whether the government would fund such a plan. Article content Although the Canadian Forces doesn't currently have retention bonuses, the military does offer various extra pay or allowances for those in particular jobs or handling specific duties, the Department of National Defence has noted. In addition, the military does provide extra payment to recruit individuals with particular skills. Article content Article content Various western militaries, facing personnel shortages, have been using retention bonuses to entice individuals to continue to stay in the ranks. Article content On Nov. 22, 2024, the British government announced bonuses equivalent to $54,000 for aircraft engineers who sign up for an additional three years of military service. Privates and lance corporals who have already served four years would be eligible for a new retention bonus, which is the equivalent of $14,000. Article content An internal U.S. Air Force memo, recently leaked online, noted that 89 key occupations would be eligible for retention bonuses in 2025. Those bonuses range from the equivalent of $260,000 to $520,000. The retention money is aimed at a variety of jobs, including specialized maintenance crews to Chinese language analysts.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Most Canadians want increase in defence spending: Poll
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tours military vehicles and meets with Canadian troops of the 4th Canadian Division as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury on June 9, 2025 in Toronto. Carney has pledged to meet NATO's 2% spending pledge this year. Photo by Cole Burston / GETTY IMAGES OTTAWA — Spending an extra $20 billion to bring defence spending to its mandated NATO minimum is something Canadians approve of, say new poll numbers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Released on Tuesday, the new Angus Reid survey suggests two-thirds of Canadians support Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement Monday to boost Canada's defence spending to two per cent of our GDP — a minimum requirement under NATO that Canada has never achieved since the alliance introduced the benchmark in 2006. That plan, Carney said Monday, will ensure 'Canada is strong at home and reliable abroad,' and prioritize made-in-Canada manufacturing and supply chains. Sixty-eight per cent of those polled are in favour of increasing Canada's defence spending — with 51% wanting Canada to stop at two per cent, while 17% say they'd like to see spending go even higher. Twenty-three per cent want to keep spending where it is — currently 1.37% of GDP — while just 10% want defence spending reduced. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Broken down by party, 71% of Liberal supporters and 76% of Conservatives want defence spending increased, dropping to 55% for Bloc Quebecois voters, and 51% for NDP supporters. Unsurprisingly, NDP supporters were most likely to want defence spending decreased at 21%. With word this week that NATO's considering increasing defence spending benchmarks as high as five per cent, 47% say a spending increase that high would take away from other priorities, while 36% described it as a fair target. Read More Despite this, a plurality of Canadians aren't confidence the extra money will result in a stronger military. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Forty-six per cent say they're not that confident the Liberal government will make significant progress in strengthening our armed forces, compared to 44% who say they do. Canada's efforts to distance itself from the United States also includes Canada signing onto the ReArm Europe defence plan, a deal Carney is hoping to ink by Canada Day. Sixty per cent described this plan as a good idea, while just 23% said Canada should remain close to the United States. Canada, Carney said on Monday, needs to find ways to stop sending three-quarters of our defence capital spending to the United States. The poll was conducted among 4,067 Canadian adults between June 2 and June 8, 2025 via the Angus Reid Forum. As margins-of-error cannot be applied to online panels, a comparable probability sample would yield one no greater than ± 1.5%, 19 times out of 20. bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto Blue Jays NHL Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Carney was right to not retaliate against Trump's latest tariffs
Fraser Johnson is the Leenders Supply Chain Management Association Chair at the Ivey Business School at Western University in London, Ont. In the latest twist to the Canada-U.S. trade saga, last week U.S. President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which now stand at 50 per cent. As the largest supplier of both metals to the U.S., these tariffs disproportionately affect Canada. Not surprisingly, there were immediate calls for the Canadian government to retaliate, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said: 'We can't sit back and let President Trump steamroll us. We need to react immediately.' To do so would be a mistake. The federal government initially imposed a series of retaliatory tariffs in March and early April in a tit-for-tat trade exchange with Washington. It was a predictable, and maybe natural, response. Many Canadians felt that we were being bullied by our largest trading partner and Canada needed to retaliate. However, this approach has been unproductive, only serving to further alienate Mr. Trump and his trade representatives. More recently, Prime Minister Mark Carney has taken a more pragmatic approach to trade relations with Washington, and the Canadian strategy has quietly appeared to shift. Mr. Carney has exempted products from counter-tariffs to help Canadian businesses adapt and because of concerns about driving up costs for Canadian consumers. According to a report by Oxford Economics released last month, almost 60 per cent of the $96-billion in U.S. imports hit by Canadian counter-tariffs are eligible for relief. The rhetoric from Ottawa has also been toned down. While it is still clear that he believed the tariffs were 'unjustified' and 'illegal,' Mr. Carney decided not to respond immediately and refrained from publicly admonishing Washington, as was the tendency of his predecessor Justin Trudeau. That was the right thing to do. I have been steadfast in my opinion that responding with counter-tariffs is an ineffective strategy. They serve only to raise prices for consumers and punish Canadian businesses that are already struggling with the effects of Mr. Trump's tariff policy. From retaliation to negotiation: How Canada's U.S. trade strategy is shifting under Carney Ottawa sees $617-million boost for import duties in March as Conservatives demand countertariff numbers Similarly, it is also my view that the U.S. tariffs are ill-conceived and unsustainable. Another reason to not retaliate against the tariffs is that Mr. Trump would not be able to keep them up for long. Supply chains rely on regional networks for a number of practical reasons, including minimizing transportation costs and shortening lead times. North America is a perfect example, with our integrated supply chains in sectors such as energy, autos, and steel and aluminum. That Canada and Mexico are America's largest trading partners is a function of the supply-chain infrastructure that has developed and evolved over decades. American businesses need Canadian steel and aluminum. U.S. production capacity for primary aluminum can satisfy only about 20 per cent of its total demand and it has been nearly half a century since a major aluminum smelter has been built in the United States. Nearly one-quarter of U.S. steel and iron imports and approximately one-half of its aluminum imports come from Canada. Ultimately, though, we must be realistic. Efforts to diversify our markets and eliminate barriers to interprovincial trade certainly need to be pursued. However, the practical reality is that Canada's geographic proximity to the world's largest market means we will continue to rely on our economic relationship with the U.S. The indirect effect of the recurring cycle of tariffs and counter-tariffs is economic and business uncertainty, which contributes to investment hesitancy and reduced risk-taking. In the current environment, Canadian businesses are less likely to make commitments to capacity expansion, new technologies, hiring and new product/service development. A resolution is required so that businesses can understand the rules and evaluate the economic consequences of their decisions. Canadians are starting to see the effects of the trade dispute with Washington, with plunging exports to the U.S. and the unemployment rate ticking up. Many economists are expecting an economic slowdown and possibly a recession later this year. The Ivey Purchasing Managers Index, a leading economic indicator, contracted for the second straight month in May while the Prices Index showed accelerating costs. This is not the time for impulsive reactions. I support a deliberate approach. Neither party wins by escalating the trade war, and I believe Mr. Trump wants a deal with Canada, but the U.S. has the advantage in this situation, and it will be more difficult if we retaliate. The negotiations are complex and involve multiple stakeholders, and will most certainly take several weeks to hash out. While I expect that current negotiations with the U.S. will be resolved successfully, patience is required.
