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Vancouver Sun
11 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. trade and tariffs on the agenda as Carney and Ford meet
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are sitting down together in Ottawa this morning, where trade with the U.S. is high on the agenda. Carney says the pair plan to talk about the steel and auto sectors, which have been hit hard by U.S. tariffs, as well as housing and the economy. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc also arrived on Parliament Hill this morning. Carney says LeBlanc is set to provide an update about the status of trade talks with the Americans. 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. Ford is in Ottawa today for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which runs until Wednesday. Ford has said he plans to urge the prime minister to lower taxes to stimulate the economy in the face of American tariffs. — With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa and Allison Jones in Toronto 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 .
40 minutes ago
Moving to Canada no easy road for these people fleeing Trump's America for political reasons
Robert Apgar-Taylor vividly remembers the day he and his husband, Robert Taylor, crossed the border into Canada, fleeing the changing political climate in their native United States in hopes of a safer life in Canada. We took a picture at the border. It was winter, said Apgar-Taylor. We wore our plaid shirts and hats, and showed our immigration papers with the moving truck behind us. We were so excited. To avoid confusion, this story refers to Apbar-Taylor's husband as Rob. The couple made their move to Canada in December 2022. Apgar-Taylor, a former reverend at the United Church of Christ, had just been appointed to a United Church of Canada parish in London, Ont. When Trump was first elected [in 2016], we thought about leaving, but we thought we were overreacting and things couldn't get that bad, he said. But things turned out to be just as bad as we imagined. Enlarge image (new window) Apgar-Taylor, left, and his husband, Robert Taylor, arrived at the Canadian border in December 2022. 'We were so excited,' says Apgar-Taylor. Photo: Submitted by Robert Apgar-Taylor Since Trump began his first term in 2017, the couple watched with anguish and became increasingly uncomfortable with the changing political climate in their country. First, there was the removal of a page (new window) dedicated to the 2SLGBTQ+ community from the White House website, just hours after Trump's inauguration in 2017. In 2020, there was the violent repression of anti-racism protesters (new window) with rubber bullets and tear gas outside the president's residence. The attack on the U.S. Capitol (new window) came a year later. I couldn't believe that the Constitution and the safeguards of civil society were being dismantled and that people were blindly following [Donald Trump], recalls Rob, a Washington, D.C., police officer at the time. As an openly gay pastor, Apgar-Taylor said he received a death threat while working in Maryland. But the final blow for the couple came in 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade (new window) , which guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide. Fifteen seconds after hearing the news, Rob looked at me and said, 'That's enough. We have to go,' Apgar-Taylor recalled. Dozens of requests about resettling The two aren't the only ones who've looked to move to Canada since Trump's arrival in politics. In the two weeks following Trump's re-election in November, the couple received about 30 messages from Americans asking how to settle north of the border. The United Church of Canada, for its part, reports it has been contacted by about 20 American clergy members interested in obtaining positions in Canada since January. Previously, it received only three to five such requests annually. Enlarge image (new window) Uncomfortable with the changing political climate in his home state of Texas, Lawrence now serves at First-St. Andrew's United Church in London. Photo: CBC / Prasanjeet Choudhury A few kilometres from the parish where Apgar-Taylor now works, another American oversees Sunday service: Rev. Joshua Lawrence at First-St. Andrew's United Church, also in London. The civil rights activist from Texas moved to the southwestern Ontario city with his wife, Amariee Collins — who is of African American descent — and their young son four years ago. They made the move to escape what the pastor sees as an increase in racism and intolerance since the rise of the Trump-popularized Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement. There have been acts of violence, Lawrence said. "Black churches have been burned (new window) in the South. The issues of slavery, the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan ... white terrorism. All of these things have begun to resurface in other forms." The reverend, who believed he was ministering in a progressive parish, quickly saw new tensions surface within his own congregation. Trans families consider leaving U.S. after Trump's re-election (new window) He said he received an email suggesting that his wife leave the parish. Then, he was shown the door because his values were deemed too liberal. He added that in his former parish, openly displaying his support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and the fight against racism, as he does now in Canada, would have been risky. I often wondered if I could do it without risking threats or the church being attacked, he lamented. Because the open carrying of firearms in public places such as churches can be done legally in Texas, Lawrence became worried about the potential for violence. We packed our things and left, perhaps faster than necessary, but we were scared and didn't know what might happen. Becoming Canadian not so simple While Apgar-Taylor and Lawrence are now enjoying their new Canadian refuge with their families, the challenge of obtaining Canadian permanent residency is far from over. Both men have work visas linked to the United Church of Canada. They expected to obtain permanent residency after six months to two years in Canada, but Ottawa's recent lowering of permanent immigration thresholds thwarted their plans. For example, Apgar-Taylor and Rob still haven't been able to become homeowners because until they obtain permanent residency, they will have to pay a 25 per cent foreign buyers' tax in Ontario. The situation forced Apgar-Taylor to postpone his prostate cancer surgery for three months, when the couple had to urgently move out of their rented apartment. I couldn't have surgery and move at the same time, he said. I was devastated. As for his husband, he had to give up his career in law enforcement and now works nights in a warehouse. Lawrence and his wife are often forced to live far apart since the trained midwife and ultrasound technician still hasn't been able to get the qualifications to work in her field in Ontario. She spends several weeks a month in the United States so she can earn a living. There were times when we wondered if we had made the right decision, said Lawrence. In an emailed statement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada stated that immigration processing times depend on various factors, including immigration targets, file complexity, security checks and the timeliness of applicants responding to requests for information. 'The door is closed' Willoughby says U.S. citizens applying for immigration to Canada because they're unhappy with the Trump administration don't have an easy or automatic path to citizenship. Photo: CBC / Prasanjeet Choudhury Immigration lawyer Greg Willoughby has heard similar stories from U.S.-born clients who face barriers trying to immigrate to Canada. From his small office in downtown London, he regularly gets calls from Americans, including parents of transgender children, who seek to escape the U.S. administration's policies. When Trump was first elected, I received calls from people asking if there were specific immigration options for Americans, and the answer is 'no,' said Willoughby. He pointed out that Americans must qualify through a points system set up by Ottawa to assess them as potential immigration candidates. If you're not a young person in your 20s or 30s with a degree from a Canadian college or university and a few years of work experience in Canada, you won't be able to get enough points. He noted a growing number of Americans are turning to humanitarian and compassionate applications, though their chances of success are slim. It's not the Vietnam War anymore, and we no longer welcome draft dodgers. It's the same for transgender people. The door is closed. 'A recovering American' Enlarge image (new window) Originally from New York state, Apgar-Taylor likes to tell parishioners at Riverside United Church in London that he's 'a recovering American.' Photo: CBC / Prasanjeet Choudhury Despite the obstacles, Apgar-Taylor, Rob and Lawrence remain hopeful of their future in Canada. My name is Rob, and I'm a recovering American, is how Apgar-Taylor sometimes likes to open his sermons. In the basement of their home, the reverend and his husband contemplate the photos of their children and grandchildren in a family tree painted on the wall. We miss them every day, said Robert. Both feel that returning to the United States is not an option for them. Enlarge image (new window) Apgar-Taylor and his partner Rob, left to right, say they're holding off buying a house in Canada because, not being citizens, they'd have to pay a 25 per cent foreign buyers' tax in Ontario. Photo: CBC / Prasanjeet Choudhury The year Apgar-Taylor and Rob moved to London, two of their friends were assaulted back home in separate attacks because of their sexual and gender identities. You don't realize how much you're holding your breath until you don't have to hold it anymore. That's how it feels to be in Canada, said Apgar-Taylor. With files from Andrew Lupton
Vancouver Sun
40 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Zelenskyy and Trump set to meet at White House today
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia. The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they're looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. By arriving as a group, they hope to avoid any debacles like Zelenskyy's February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for American military aid. The meeting also is a test of America's relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and the United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine. 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. Monday's showing is a sign of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Alaska meeting as many of Europe's leaders descend on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine's interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force. 'It's important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe,' Zelenskyy said on X. The night before the meeting, however, Trump seemed to put the onus on Zelenskyy to agree to concessions and suggested Ukraine couldn't regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' Trump wrote on social media. 'Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!' Zelenskyy appeared to respond with his own post, saying, 'We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.' He went on to say that 'peace must be lasting,' not as it was after Russia seized Crimea and part of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, and 'Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.' The sitdown in Alaska yielded the possible contours for stopping the war in Ukraine, though it was unclear whether the terms discussed would ultimately be acceptable to Zelenskyy or Putin. Upon arrival in Washington, Zelenskyy said in another social media post: 'We all equally want to end this war quickly and reliably.' He expressed hope that together with the U.S. and European countries Ukraine will be able to force Russia to 'true peace.' European heavyweights in Washington Planning to join Zelenskyy in America's capital are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump's team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack. Trump briefed Zelenskyy and European allies shortly after the Putin meeting, and details from the discussions emerged in a scattershot way that seemed to rankle the Republican U.S. president, who had chosen not to outline any terms when appearing afterward with Putin. 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA,' Trump posted online Sunday. The president also bemoaned media coverage of his summit with Putin, saying on Truth Social: 'I had a great meeting in Alaska.' Following the Alaska summit, Trump declared a ceasefire was unnecessary for peace talks to proceed, a shift to a position favoured by Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday a ceasefire was still possible but 'the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal.' 'A very big move' European officials confirmed Trump told them Putin is still seeking control of the entire Donbas region, even though Ukraine controls a meaningful share of it. And Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. and its allies could offer Ukraine a NATO-like commitment to defend the country if it came under attack as the possible security guarantee. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners who are coming in from overseas,' Rubio told NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Rubio said on Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures' such a commitment 'would be a very big move' by Trump. He expects the delegations will 'spend six, seven hours talking about these things, maybe more, and try to get to a point where we have something more concrete.' Monday's meeting will likely be very tough for Zelenskyy, an official close to the ongoing talks said. That official spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak openly about thinking within Ukraine and between allies. Zelenskyy needs to prevent a scenario in which he gets blamed for blocking peace talks by rejecting Putin's maximalist demand on the Donbas, the official said. It's a demand Zelenskyy has said many times he'll never accept because it's unconstitutional and could create a launching pad for future Russian attacks. If confronted with pressure to accept Putin's demands, Zelenskyy would likely have to revert to a skill he has demonstrated time and again: diplomatic tact. Ukrainian leadership is seeking a trilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin to discuss sensitive matters, including territorial issues. Trump's ambition to end the war After enduring a public tirade by Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, Zelenskyy worked to repair relations with the U.S. Constant diplomatic communication and a 15-minute meeting at the Vatican in April on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral helped turn the tide. Trump appeared at the time to be swayed by Zelenskyy's conditions for peace. But Trump says he cares primarily about ending the war, an ambition that led him after his meeting with Putin to discard the need for a ceasefire. European allies also have worked with Trump, reaching a deal in July for NATO allies to buy weapons from the U.S. for Ukraine. Ahead of Monday's meeting, Macron stressed the importance of building up Ukraine's military and the need to show Putin that Europe interprets his moves as a threat to other nations. 'If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too,' Macron said. Russia continues attacks on Ukraine In the meantime, the Russian forces continued pounding Ukraine with missiles and drones. A Russian drone strike late Sunday on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killed seven civilians. The strike also injured 20 people, authorities said. Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region. In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed. ___ Kullab reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writers John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, Illia Novikov in Kyiv and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed. 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 .
