CTV National News: Expanded G7 invitation list prompting criticisms
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PM Mark Carney's G7 invites to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and India is dividing members of the Liberal caucus. Judy Trinh on the the reasons for concern.
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Toronto Star
24 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Canada's wildfire season on track to be the second worst on record
OTTAWA—The 2025 wildfire season is on track to be Canada's second-worst on record, federal officials said Thursday, as hundreds of fires burn across Ontario and Western Canada and smoke blankets some urban centres. Approximately 3.7 million hectares of land have burned so far in Canada, only second at this point of the wildfire season to the devastating 2023 fires during which 15 million hectares were ravaged and more than 200,000 Canadians were forced to flee. Current forecasts expect higher-than-normal temperatures across the country and a 'hot and dry' summer. The highest wildfire risk remains in Western and Northern Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We are clearly experiencing and maybe in store for a challenging year, but I would hesitate drawing too many comparisons to 2023 at this point,' Michael Norton, director general at Natural Resources Canada's northern forestry centre, told reporters. That's because a 'slight downturn' in fire activity is expected this month, and drought conditions were worse and several large fires happened at the same time that year. Ottawa has so far received three requests for federal assistance, two in Manitoba and one in Ontario, as Prime Minister Mark Carney last Sunday deployed Canadian Armed Forces aircraft and personnel to help emergency personnel in the northwest of the province. Around 500 international forest firefighters have come from the U.S. and Australia, and more than 100 more are coming from Costa Rica. Still, long-debated plans for a national emergency response agency or wildfire firefighting service do not appear to be in sight, with federal officials saying Thursday the matter was still being considered. 'One of the things that we want to make sure is that we don't end up spending a lot of time and effort duplicating services that are already available and that already work very well,' Emergency Preparedness Minister Eleanor Olszewski told reporters during a news conference on the wildfire situation. The update comes as Canada prepares to host international leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. this weekend. Wildfires are expected to be one of several subjects discussed at the summit. Olszewski told reporters that G7 countries have already agreed in principle to a 'wildfire charter' that would include an international agreement on how wildfires should be dealt with globally. Federal cabinet ministers also faced several questions about the Carney government's decision to try to cut short debate and pass Bill C-5, its legislation that would give the government new powers to evade existing laws and regulations to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects, through the House of Commons by the end of next week. The Carney government on Thursday put forward a motion that would only give one day of hearings from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts next week, many of which have raised concerns about Indigenous consultation and environmental protections. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Winnipeg Free Press
39 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Leaders should ignore Trump outbursts at G7 summit: former PM Chrétien
CALGARY – Former prime minister Jean Chrétien says dignitaries attending the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Alberta should avoid engaging the 'crazy' from U.S. President Donald Trump. Chrétien, speaking Thursday at a conference in Calgary, said leaders can't predict what Trump might do. He said the president can be a bully and it would be best if the rest of the G7 leaders ignored any outbursts. 'If he has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something crazy,' Chrétien said. 'Let him do it, and keep talking normally.' Chrétien said leaders should follow the example set by Prime Minister Mark Carney when he visited Trump at the White House last month. 'When Trump talked about Canada to be part of the United States, (Carney) just said, 'Canada is not for sale, the White House is not for sale, Buckingham Palace is not for sale,'' Chrétien said. 'Trump said, 'Never say never,' (but Carney) didn't even reply. He just moved on with the discussion. It's the way to handle that.' Carney is hosting Trump and world leaders from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union for the three-day summit starting Sunday in Kananaskis, located in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary. Chrétien, speaking alongside his former deputy prime minister and finance minister John Manley, also said he supported Carney's decision to invite India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit. Carney has been criticized for the invitation, including by a member of his own Liberal caucus, due to ongoing tensions between Canada and India over foreign interference and the 2023 killing of Sikh separatism activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. The RCMP has said it has evidence linking members of the Indian government to Singh's death. 'It's always good to talk,' Chrétien said of the Modi invite. 'They will be able to talk, and they will see there are other problems. 'You have to navigate. You cannot always go on your high horse for every little problem you're confronted with.' Chrétien was one of two former Canadian prime ministers speaking at the conference, hosted by the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and the G7 Research Group. The university says the conference is meant to bring experts and officials together to explain key issues G7 leaders are facing heading into the summit. Former prime minister Joe Clark, born in High River, Alta., closed out the conference by urging greater ties with the U.K. and France. He also offered similar advice not to entertain any public theatre Trump may engage in during the summit. 'I don't think there's any point in throwing up our hands or criticizing (Trump),' Clark said. 'I think it would be wise to have more private dealings and fewer public dealings until the proclivities of the U.S. president change.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also spoke at the conference. She said the possibility of an economic and security deal between Canada and the United States being signed at the G7 would be an extraordinary step. She urged Canada to continue finding new trading partners, even if the relationship between the two countries begins to smooth over. 'Let's not take our foot off the gas,' Smith said. David Angell, current foreign and defence policy adviser to Carney, said on a separate panel that the world leaders are meeting 'at a moment of enormous flux globally, when tensions among G7 members are especially pronounced.' Carney announced Monday he's planning for Canada to meet NATO's spending guideline by early next year. Angell, a former Canadian ambassador to NATO, said the country made a mistake in allowing the defence industry to 'shift onto a kind of assumption of peacetime footing.' He said the G7 can be exceptionally consequential and no other process allows for discussion about the 'wicked issues' core to defence issues. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Read Benjamin Netanyahu's full speech to Israelis regarding attack on Iran
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed civilians in a seven minute speech made public in the early hours of the morning. Article content Speaking in English on a YouTube link shared via the Prime Minister's Office, he said: 'Moments ago, Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion', a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. Article content Article content 'This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel's destruction. Article content Article content 'They backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons. In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly-enriched uranium for nine atom bombs – nine. Article content 'In recent months, Iran has taken steps that has never taken before, steps to weaponise this enriched uranium and if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be in a year, it could be within a few months – it could be less than a year. 'This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival. Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were the victims of a Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Article content 'Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear Holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime. Article content 'As Prime Minister, I've made it clear time and time again, Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Article content Prime Minister Netanyahu: "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat." @IsraeliPM — Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 13, 2025 Article content 'Tonight, Israel backs those words with action. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponisation program. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility. We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the uranium bomb. Article content Article content 'We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile program. Last year, Iran fired 300 ballistic missiles at Israel. Article content 'Each of these missiles carries a ton of explosives and threatens the lives of hundreds of people. Article content 'Soon, those missiles could carry a nuclear payload, threatening the lives not of hundreds, but of millions. Iran is gearing up to produce 10,000 of those ballistic missiles within three years. Article content 'Now, just imagine, imagine 10,000 tons of TNT landing on a country the size of New Jersey. This is an intolerable threat. It, too, must be stopped.
