Canada does not want to get into a ‘direct slug match' with U.S. during negotiations: Miller
President of the Rideau Potomac Strategy Group Eric Miller anticipates Carney will announce restrictions on Canadian steel and support for steel workers.
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Global News
11 minutes ago
- Global News
Trump to Canada: Recognizing Palestinian state makes trade deal ‘very hard'
U.S. President Donald Trump says Canada's intent to recognize a Palestinian state will make it 'very hard' for the two countries to negotiate a trade deal. 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them,' Trump said on Truth Social. The president made the post on his social media platform early on Thursday, hours after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada intends to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September. That recognition, however, is conditional, Carney said Wednesday evening. 'This intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms, including commitments by the Palestinian authorities, President Abbas, to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state,' Carney said. Carney's decision followed France and Britain also indicating they would recognize a Palestinian state, though French President Emmanuel Macron said the recognition would come without conditions. Story continues below advertisement Britain, however, said its recognition would come unless Israel takes substantive steps to end the 'appalling situation' in Gaza and meets other conditions. 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 Trump has previously said recognition of Palestinian statehood would reward the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'You're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded,' he said on board Air Force One on Tuesday. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on Thursday on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups were undermining peace efforts. 1:57 France will recognize Palestinian state, Macron announces Trump's comments Thursday come just before an Aug. 1 deadline set by him for countries to reach trade deals with the U.S. or face higher tariffs. Trump is set to impose a 35 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods that are not covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) if a new trade and security agreement is not reached by the deadline. Story continues below advertisement The prime minister said 'constructive' negotiations with the Americans were ongoing, but cautioned they may not conclude by Aug. 1. 'These are complex, they're comprehensive, they're constructive negotiations with the Americans (that) are ongoing,' Carney said. 'It's possible that they may not conclude by the first of August, but we'll see.' Canada is the second-largest U.S. trading partner after Mexico, and the largest buyer of U.S. exports. It bought $349.4 billion of U.S. goods last year and exported $412.7 billion to the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The U.S. has levied a 50 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum products and 25 per cent on the automotive industry, and plans to implement a 50 per cent on copper imports starting Friday. Last month, Carney's government scrapped a planned digital services tax targeting U.S. technology firms after Trump abruptly called off trade talks, saying the tax was a 'blatant attack.' Israel and the United States, Israel's closest ally, both rejected Carney's comments. — with files from Reuters
Vancouver Sun
11 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Duelling B.C. letters to Mark Carney on housing expose stark clashes
A clash of values is on stark display in two different letters that B.C. property developers and a group of Metro Vancouver housing experts have sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney. The major B.C. real-estate developers, facing a cyclical downturn in construction, this week delivered a coordinated statement to Ottawa and the provinces declaring they have an urgent need for more foreign investors in Canadian housing. Their letter came a week after a group of 27 well-known Metro Vancouver scholars, retired city planners, urbanists, developers and architects sent an open letter to Carney and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson urging the opposite. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. 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 Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Do not reintroduce foreign capital or investor demand to reflate prices artificially,' said the group of veteran B.C. housing experts. 'The current market correction presents an opportunity — not a threat,' the specialists wrote. 'Governments should not bail out speculative housing development models, but instead use this moment to invest in non-market housing, preserve existing affordability and ensure that public subsidies serve long-term public outcomes.' In contrast, the developers spelled out how foreign investment has long been crucial to B.C. residential construction — largely because it has provided the capital to start large condo projects, particularly hundreds of high-rises. The developers' letter, signed by companies such as Westbank, Wesbuild, Edgar, Amacon, Cressey and Polygon, readily acknowledges the importance of a financial mechanism that many B.C. developers have long tried to keep quiet: That many of their building projects have relied heavily on investors, domestic and especially foreign. In the past, many B.C. developers, condo marketers and their allies have accused scholars and others who cite evidence of significant foreign capital in the province's urban real-estate of being racist and xenophobic . Robertson, when he was mayor of Vancouver, once made such an allegation against Prof. Andy Yan , head of SFU's City Program, who is one of the signatories to last week's letter to Carney, which was copied to B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. However, now that B.C. developers are struggling with moderately slipping prices — and dealing with how the federal, B.C. and Ontario governments earlier imposed legislation to reduce foreign ownership — the industry is being more direct about how it has long needed offshore financing for its projects, often of the luxury variety. 'New condo development requires presales to meet financing thresholds, part of which relies on investor-focused buyers,' said the developers' letter, which is titled 'open' despite being watermarked with the word 'confidential'. 'In the absence of foreign investors, fewer projects will meet presale financing thresholds, suppressing supply delivery, which serves no one in a housing crisis as projects will not start.' The B.C. developers, whose message is supported by real-estate players in Toronto, say that if something doesn't change, housing supply will continue its slowdown. They argue that will mean, down the road, prices will again start to rise. The open letter from the more than two dozen housing experts — including UBC's David Ley, Patrick Condon and Penny Gurstein, as well as eight retired planners for Vancouver and Burnaby — takes a dramatically different approach to foreign investment, housing supply and related issues. In addition to urging Ottawa and provincial governments to retain restrictions on offshore capital in housing, the specialists argue that governments' aggressive efforts to greatly expand supply will not ease Canada's severe housing affordability crisis. Although prices are moderately easing, the benchmark cost of a dwelling in Greater Vancouver remains stuck at about $1.2 million, while in Metro Toronto it is about $1.1 million. The independent housing experts say such unaffordability levels, among the worst in the world, continue even while housing supply has 'increased significantly in cities like Vancouver, where housing starts have outpaced population growth for decades, yet prices remain disconnected from incomes.' Many of the letter's signatories have argued in recent years that inappropriate, non-family housing is often getting built, particularly tiny units that are mostly attractive to investors, foreign and domestic — that is, people who plan to rent them out rather than actually live in them. Developers, aided by city councils, are often 'building the wrong kinds of housing, in the wrong places, for the wrong reason,' says the experts' open letter. That includes hundreds of new Metro Vancouver residential towers, which they say the industry and governments should not so heavily emphasize. 'Towers have their place, particularly in transit-rich areas, but they are not always the best form.' Increasing housing density alone is insufficient to produce affordability, say the experts. 'Without addressing land value inflation, financial speculation and tenure security, supply-side interventions risk worsening the very crisis they aim to solve.' On a positive note, the authors urge federal, provincial and civic governments to retain and strengthen some policies that have proved effective. 'Recent short-term rental regulations, adjusted immigration targets and demand-side measures have already helped reduce pressure on rents.' Here are four more recommendations from the group of experts, some of which go against the desires of developers: • 'Do not use public funds to bail out over-leveraged speculative developments.' • Avoid tearing down existing rental buildings, to replace them with more expensive dwellings. 'Preserve existing affordability, and build new homes that serve real people, not just markets.' • Return to policies of 'growth pays for growth.' Governments should again demand developers provide significant infrastructure and amenities in exchange for construction approvals. 'The costs of growth should not be downloaded to municipalities, ie. local taxpayers.' • Prioritize federal funds and grants for co-ops, land trusts and non-profit housing. Other signatories to the open letter to the prime minister include: Larry Beasley, Vancouver's former co-chief planner; Christina DeMarco, former lead planner for Metro Vancouver regional district; Ralph Segal, former chief urban designer for Vancouver; architect David Wong, previously with the City of Vancouver; retired architect Barbara Gordon, former director of planning for UBC; and one-time developers Michael Geller and Arny Wise. dtodd@ Following is the open letter from 27 well-known Metro Vancouver scholars, retired city planners, urbanists, developers and architects sent to Prime Minister Carney and Housing Minister Gregor Robertson: Page two of the open letter signed by 27 well-known Metro Vancouver scholars, retired city planners, urbanists, developers and architects sent to Prime Minister Carney and Housing Minister Gregor Robertson. Page three of an open letter signed by 27 well-known Metro Vancouver scholars, retired city planners, urbanists, developers and architects sent to Prime Minister Carney and Housing Minister Gregor Robertson.
CBC
12 minutes ago
- CBC
Yukon Water Board approves new 20-year licence for Whitehorse dam
The Yukon Water Board has approved a new, 20-year operating licence for Yukon Energy's hydroelectric dam in Whitehorse. It was the last major hurdle for Yukon Energy in its years-long effort to renew its licence for the facility. The decision issued by the Water Board this week follows a hearing earlier this month, where regulators heard concerns about the 67-year-old dam's impacts on fish, water levels, land use and traditional culture. Yukon Energy's request for a new 20-year licence was earlier cleared by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board. The company now must secure authorization under the federal Fisheries Act. The decision from the Water Board lays out a list of conditions for how the company must run the facility, including how to manage water levels upstream on Marsh Lake, and also ensure the fish ladder at the dam is operating properly to ensure fish passage. Through the relicensing process, First Nations and environmental groups expressed serious concerns about the dam's historical and ongoing impact on fish populations in the Yukon River, in particular chinook salmon. Among other things, the water licence requires Yukon Energy to submit a new operations and maintenance plan for the fish ladder by the end of the year. The company also has until May to submit an updated operations and maintenance manual, and an updated emergency preparedness plan. The licence also requires the dam undergo a third-party safety inspection every year and a full safety review of the dam, the Lewes control structure and fishway upstream and the Lewes boat lock every five years. The first such review must be done by November. Other conditions deal with erosion monitoring, water quality, wetland preservation and fish habitat. They also spell out how Yukon Energy must work with local First Nations on some of its monitoring and management plans. The water licence is in effect as of Thursday and is set to expire in July 2045.
