‘It's not right': Merch associated with Russian mercenary group listed for sale on Walmart Canada Marketplace website
Iryna Chabanenko, a Ukrainian immigrant living in Winnipeg, came across the listings for a Wagner Group-branded flag and t-shirt from a post in a Facebook group for Ukrainian Canadians in that city. Many in the comments under the post were complaining about the fact these items were up for sale on a website associated with a major Canadian retailer, Chabanenko recounted to the Star.
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National Observer
27 minutes ago
- National Observer
Saskatchewan premier calls on Prime Minister Carney to meet with China's Xi on canola
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Thursday that he wants Prime Minister Mark Carney to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the trade issues that have led to steep tariffs on Canadian canola products. "It isn't going to be Premier Moe and President Xi that stand up and say, 'We've come to a trade deal here and everything is good moving forward,'" he said. Moe said he will be in China in the next couple of weeks to engage with officials there, but he believes Carney and Xi are the only two people who can ultimately resolve the trade dispute. "There will be opportunities for the president and the prime minister to meet, I think, when you look at the global calendar of events," he told reporters after a meeting with industry groups and federal government representatives in Saskatoon. Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald joined the meeting virtually, along with Buckley Belanger, Saskatchewan's representative in cabinet. Moe said MacDonald was planning to be in Saskatoon but was not able to get there because of airline disruptions. Both Carney and Xi are expected to be at the G20 meetings in South Africa in November. The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders' forum is also being held in South Korea the same month. Moe said Thursday's meeting, which included canola producers and exporters, also included discussions about the challenges with Canada's top export market for canola, the U.S. Moe said he will be in China in the next couple of weeks to engage with officials there, but he believes Carney and Xi are the only two people who can ultimately resolve the trade dispute. China imposed a tariff of nearly 76 per cent on canola seed last week, causing the price of one of Canada's most valuable crops to fall and wiping out millions of dollars in its value. It comes one year after China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola, a move in response to Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, batteries and other products. In response to the Canadian tariffs China has also imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola meal and oil. Kody Blois, Carney's parliamentary secretary, said the prime minister plans to be in Western Canada in the coming weeks, "convening stakeholders and the Western premiers about what we can do to support the industry moving forward." "There are a number of options on the table that we could take in the short term to help support the industry from a regulatory side, things that industry has been calling for, whether at the producer level or the processor level," he said. While canola futures are up, Blois said, "there's a lot of uncertainty." Blois said a Joint Economic and Trade Commission meeting is set for next week. That meeting was the result of Carney's bilateral discussion in June with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. "This is an opportunity for Canadian authorities and Chinese authorities to engage on what we see as differences around trade," Blois said. Canada exports nearly $15 billion of canola seed, oil and meal per year, and nearly $5 billion of that went to China in 2024. SaskOilseeds chair Dean Roberts, who was at the Thursday meeting, said farmers are being "used as a pawn in the current geo-political environment." He joined Moe's call for urgent federal action. "Unprecedented market closure amidst an already stressful time of year has a compounding adverse effect on farmers," he said in a statement released by Moe's office.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Mark Carney and Donald Trump talk for the first time in two months
Prime Minister Mark Carney, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a group photo at the G7 Summit on June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Alta. Mark Schiefelbein AP Carney has been peppered with attacks from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about his handling of the trade crisis, with Poilievre, fresh off a Monday byelection win, slamming the prime minister on Wednesday for his campaign assurances that he was the leader best positioned to wrangle a win out of Trump. 'Mr. Carney, in spite of his great promises of being able to manage Trump, is losing tariff wars with China, with the U.S. and has made no progress in opening other markets abroad,' Poilievre said at a news conference in Surrey, B.C. Yet Carney received support from another staunch conservative on Thursday, with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe urging a collaborative approach as Canada fends off trade pressures from not only the U.S., but also China's latest targeting of Canadian canola. 'We do need to work together. And this would be new, for this media gallery to have me standing in front of them saying that I am hoping for every success for a Liberal prime minister in this conversation,' Moe told reporters in Saskatoon. The Saskatchewan premier had just convened a meeting with his own front bench, federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and his parliamentary secretary Kody Blois, and a range of industry groups and exporters. Last week, China slapped a preliminary duty of 75.8 per cent on Canadian canola seed, after Beijing initiated an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola last year following the federal government's decision to impose 100 per cent tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles. Earlier this year, China imposed a 100-per-cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and canola meal. The Canola Council of Canada, which attended Thursday's meeting, says the combination of those actions means the Chinese market is now 'effectively closed' to the Canadian canola industry. Moe said Canada's primary goal is to 'protect the market share and the market access that we have into those significant markets, namely the United States of America, of which we are experiencing much uncertainty on a number of fronts, including agriculture products, as well as China, where we have seen first retaliatory tariffs on oil and meal … and more recently, the allegations of anti-dumping.' Moe, who is preparing to visit China in the coming weeks, said it is up to Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the dispute. Blois, speaking alongside the Saskatchewan premier, said Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is also focusing on identifying other markets for Canadian canola. 'We're cognizant of the importance of the market, and at the same time, I think recognizing that we are in a different world,' Blois said. Anand spent Thursday in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though the minister's office said the duo did not discuss Canada-U.S. trade because those matters fall under the purview of her cabinet colleague Dominic LeBlanc. A readout from Rubio's office said he and his Canadian counterpart discussed Haiti's security, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Russia-Ukraine war, and 'mechanisms to strengthen our hemisphere's response to China's coercive activity.'
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
More phones being searched at the U.S. border than ever before, data shows
U.S. border agents are searching travellers' smartphones and other electronic devices at a record rate, new data suggests amid a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. The latest figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show there were 14,899 devices searched between April and June this year. That's a 21-per cent jump from the previous quarter, and nearly 17 per cent higher than the previous highest quarterly number of 12,766 devices searched between January and March 2022. 'It's disheartening,' James Hayes, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer, told Global News in an interview upon learning of the uptick. U.S. officials have broad legal authority to search electronic devices of people entering the country, regardless of citizenship, and CBP historical data shows those searches have been steadily rising over the past decade. The data does not break down those searches by type of electronic device, a term that includes smartphones, laptops, tablets and cameras. Story continues below advertisement CBP says less than 0.01 per cent of all travellers entering the U.S. are subjected to an electronic device search, and even fewer of those are seized for further inspection. In the last fiscal year, just over 47,000 devices were searched out of more than 420 million travellers processed at U.S. borders, according to CBP data. Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office this year, however, there has been an increased focus on vetting the digital backgrounds of people entering the country. The U.S. State Department said in June it would require all international student visa applicants to allow their social media to be reviewed for content deemed hostile to U.S. interests, and could reject anyone who doesn't make their accounts public. 2:41 Know your rights when crossing the Canada-US border Earlier this year, the Canadian government updated its travel advice for people entering the U.S., warning travellers to 'expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.' Story continues below advertisement A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the uptick in searches has anything to do with any directions from the Trump administration. 'Claims that CBP is searching more electronic media due to the administration change are false,' the spokesperson said in an email to Global News. 'Allegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Under the leadership of the Trump administration and Secretary (Kristi) Noem, we have the most secure border in American history. This has allowed CBP to focus to actually vet and interview the people attempting to come into our country. Lawful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation's security.' In July, CBP put out a request for information for new data analytics systems to help the agency with 'processing forensically acquired electronic data' seized from travellers for investigative purposes, 'including but not limited to text, contacts, video and image data.' The RFI noted the CBP expects its digital forensics efforts to 'expand and be modernized' in the coming years. What can agents do? The most recent guidance to CBP agents on electronic device searches was issued in 2018, during the first Trump administration. Story continues below advertisement The guidance says border agents cannot use the device to access information stored remotely, such as on 'the cloud,' and will ask travellers to turn off their device's connectivity or do so themselves to avoid accessing that data. However, agents can search people's email, text and WhatsApp messages, and any other content that's accessible on a device. Travellers are 'obligated' to present their electronic devices and the information stored on it 'in a condition that allows for the examination of the device and its contents,' the CBP says, including providing necessary passwords. The office of Canada's privacy commissioner says U.S. border officials 'have broad inspection powers which can include seeking passwords to your laptop, tablet or mobile phone.' Such searches do not require evidence of wrongdoing, it warns. 2:36 U.S. border officials reveal seizures made at additional B.C. checkpoints Refusing to hand over a device can influence a border's agent's decision whether to admit that person into the U.S., the CBP says. Travellers can be denied entry or even detained pending deportation. Story continues below advertisement 'One of the big concerns (Canadian travellers can face) is that you could lose your visa-exempt status … and you need a visa every time you would want to enter,' Hayes said. 'At the same time, expedited removal is another concern. 'People are particularly concerned about any sort of refusal or denial of entry, because it has long-standing consequences.' What should travellers do? Immigration lawyers and civil liberties groups say travellers can take steps to protect their data and privacy while still allowing searches of their devices at the border. 'It's not a bad idea to clear cache, to delete history,' Hayes said. 'I would be careful about what (data) syncs to the cloud and maybe cutting off some of those.' He added those concerned about border agents accessing social media can briefly delete apps before travelling. Story continues below advertisement The Canadian privacy commissioner says Canadians should consider removing photos and other evidence of cannabis use or receipts of cannabis purchases from their devices, to reflect the drug's illegality on the federal level in the U.S. 2:29 Canadians warned to turn off phones at U.S. border The American Civil Liberties Union and Canadian counterparts say travellers could consider using a 'travel-only' phone or laptop that doesn't contain any private or sensitive data during their trip. The most important thing travellers can do, lawyers say, is to answer border agents' questions clearly and specifically and to have all travel documents ready for review. Hayes said the additional scrutiny is particularly concerning for Canadians. 'We haven't seen this kind of treatment of Canadians for a long time, and I do think what that means is Canadians need to expect to be treated as anyone else seeking entry to the U.S.,' he said. 'There's no longer that kind of grace that they were given. Story continues below advertisement 'It's entirely unnecessary and unproductive, and it's causing a lot of animosity.'
