Economics expert explains the U.S. tariff impact on Canadians
Moshe Lander, a senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University, explains how U.S. tariffs might impact Canadians' wallets and housing prices. If you have questions about topics in the news, email Ask@cbc.ca.
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Vancouver Sun
18 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Liberals considering arming the Coast Guard amid significant pivot towards new security mandate
OTTAWA — The Liberal government is mulling arming the Canadian Coast Guard as it launches a significant reform of the civilian maritime agency to give it a bigger role in the country's security apparatus. The move is one of many significant changes that the Liberals are planning for the chronically underfunded Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to equip with new gear and a new security mandate. On the same day Carney announced his plan to accelerate defence spending this year, his office told National Post Monday that the CCG — which currently reports to the minister of fisheries — would shift to the minister of national defence's portfolio. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The move away from the fisheries minister makes it both likely easier for the CCG's budget to be included in Canada's defence spending in the eyes of NATO and is part of Carney's desire to pivot the 63-year-old civilian agency towards a more security-oriented role. 'Canadians elected our new Government on a strong mandate for change — to protect our borders and defend our sovereignty with increased focus and investment. To that end, the Prime Minister will soon initiate the process of moving the Canadian Coast Guard to the leadership of the Minister of National Defence,' PMO spokesperson Emily Williams said in a statement. 'The change will permit the Coast Guard to fulfill better both its civilian and security responsibilities.' The statement did not say when the changeover would happen, with Williams promising that 'more details will come in due course.' A senior Liberal source also told National Post that the government is considering arming the CCG, though they stressed that no decision has been made yet as officials continue to chart the reform. Arming the CCG, which would be a massive — and costly — change for the special agency that has always been an unarmed civilian organization. 'We're not there yet,' the official said of the decision. The source was granted anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. The Coast Guard has struggled for years with its mandate, pulled between its various responsibilities such as research, search and rescue, icebreaking, marine protection and coastal surveillance, but without any law enforcement powers. Due to its icebreaking capabilities, it also has unique expertise on the Canadian Arctic within the government. In the recent election campaign, the Liberals promised to give the CCG a new mandate 'to conduct maritime surveillance operations' along with the required equipment. Last week, the Liberals tabled a border security bill that proposes to give the CCG a new security mandate, the power to conduct 'security patrols' and the ability to share information with the military and intelligence agencies. In an interview, former CCG Commissioner Jody Thomas said the agency is long overdue for significant reform and that she'd been 'nagging' the government to move the agency to the defence or public safety portfolio for years. 'It is a major change, and I think it's an important change. I think that this is just another signal that Canada is changing its perspective on our own sovereignty,' said Thomas, who was also headed the Department of National Defence and was National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Regarding armaments, she said that icebreakers currently under construction have been fitted for, but not with, weapons, meaning that arming them would be a relatively straightforward task. The real challenge of arming the Coast Guard, she warned, is training. 'It's a very expensive decision, not for the weaponry, but for the training and the constant preparation and exercising that's required,' she said. 'The Navy is always in training… for what's coming. The Coast Guard is out there working. So, it's a very different fleet and with very different purposes.' There are also talks within government of switching the Coast Guard from a special operating agency, which is still part of its host department, into a departmental agency with its own governing legislation that reports to the Minister of National Defense. I think that this is just another signal that Canada is changing its perspective on our own sovereignty In an interview in late May, Thomas argued that that needs to happen. 'It does need to be a legislative agency, the special operating agency status right now, that's a very flimsy sort of architecture and legal basis for an agency' with a security focus, Thomas said. A chronic challenge for the Coast Guard has been the deteriorating condition of its fleet while it operates on a 'shoestring' budget, according to Thomas. As of November, the CCG had 18 icebreakers , making it the second-largest icebreaking fleet in the world. Its fleet registry shows it has just over 120 ships on duty, the majority of which are small rescue vessels. But the aging fleet is also deteriorating rapidly, with ships spending more time in repairs and less time in the water. 'The CCG's aging vessels are becoming more costly to maintain and are more frequently taken out of operation for unscheduled repairs, placing further strain on the remaining fleet,' the agency said in its 2024-2025 department plans report . 'The need to replace the vessels has never been more important.' In March, the federal government contracted two new polar icebreakers which are expected to be delivered between 2030 and 2032. But Thomas said the coast guard has much bigger needs. 'We're one of the few countries that uses the same fleet for northern and southern ice breaking. We ice break year-round, essentially,' she said. 'So, you have to look at the wear and tear on the ship and the things you want them to do, and the places you want them to be, and they're going to have to plan the fleet accordingly.' National Post cnardi@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
21 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Liberals considering arming the Coast Guard amid significant pivot towards new security mandate
Article content On the same day Carney announced his plan to accelerate defence spending this year, his office told National Post Monday that the CCG — which currently reports to the minister of fisheries — would shift to the minister of national defence's portfolio. The move away from the fisheries minister makes it both likely easier for the CCG's budget to be included in Canada's defence spending in the eyes of NATO and is part of Carney's desire to pivot the 63-year-old civilian agency towards a more security-oriented role. 'Canadians elected our new Government on a strong mandate for change — to protect our borders and defend our sovereignty with increased focus and investment. To that end, the Prime Minister will soon initiate the process of moving the Canadian Coast Guard to the leadership of the Minister of National Defence,' PMO spokesperson Emily Williams said in a statement.
Calgary Herald
21 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
John Ivison: Carney's new defence plan takes seriously the darker world we're now living in
Article content Justin Trudeau went to Washington for last year's NATO summit and unveiled what he called a 'credible, verifiable path' to spending two per cent of Canada's GDP on defence … by 2032. Article content The lack of urgency and ambition was reflected in the then prime minister's belief that two per cent is a 'nominal target' that makes for easy headlines but doesn't make Canadians more safe. Article content Article content Article content His disdain for military spending was apparent in a Washington Post story from 2023, when he reportedly told the Americans that Canada would never hit two per cent. Article content Article content If credibility is a leader's currency, Trudeau left the U.S. capital bankrupt in the eyes of many of Canada's allies. Mike Johnson, the House speaker, said Canada was riding on America's coattails and called it 'shameful.' Article content Mark Carney, who is heading for this year's NATO summit in The Hague later this month, clearly did not want a repeat of the Washington debacle, especially as NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte is proposing a new target of 3.5 per cent of economic output on military spending and another 1.5 per cent on 'defence-related expenditure.' Article content On Monday, Carney announced that Canada will hit the two per cent target this fiscal year, five years ahead of the schedule he set during the general election. Article content Article content Canada will spend an additional $9.3 billion this year in a defence package that is primarily focused on improving operational readiness. Article content Article content 'Canadian leadership will be defined not just by the strength of our values but also by the value of our strength,' Carney said, using another JFK-style antimetabole ('Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'). Article content Last year, Trudeau expressed frustration that his government got no credit for doubling defence spending over his decade in power. 'We have stepped up massively,' he said. Article content Carney acknowledged the increase in spending over the past 10 years, but also pointed out Canada's defence deficiencies: aging infrastructure and equipment; just one submarine being seaworthy at any given time; and, only half the marine fleet and land vehicles being operational, leaving the military more reliant on the U.S. than ever.
