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Edmonton Journal
27 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Canadians can no longer choose 'X' for gender when applying for Nexus card
OTTAWA — Canadians renewing or applying for Nexus travel cards can no longer choose an X gender marker, following an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump that said the American government will only recognize male or female. Article content The change took effect in February 2025. Article content Article content New applicants and people renewing their membership can apply using a Canadian passport with the 'X' gender identifier but will have to select 'male' or 'female' for their Nexus membership, said Luke Reimer, spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency. Article content Article content Current Nexus cards identifying members by a gender other than 'male' or 'female' will remain valid until they expire, the spokesperson said. Article content Article content Nexus memberships are valid for five years and are meant to speed up border crossings between Canada and the United States. Article content Canadians first got the option to pick an 'X' gender marker on their Nexus passes in 2022. Between implementation in 2022 and March 2025, about 550 Nexus applications were submitted with 'X' as the gender identifier. Article content The CBSA spokesperson said that while Canada and the U.S. share management of the Nexus program, the application process is housed on a U.S system operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Article content The spokesperson said that while the Government of Canada recognizes the 'X' gender identifier, it can't guarantee entry or transit through other countries. Article content Article content 'Not all countries have the same values and legal system that we have in Canada,' Reimer said in a statement. 'As a result, it is important for travellers to be informed about the legal framework and social customs governing sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in the destination country.' Article content Article content Reimer said that the CBSA itself recognizes that individuals may self-identify with a gender identity other than male or female. Article content 'What we are seeing right now is a policy that is at odds with our own policy and inconsistent and incompatible with it,' Sarah Mikhail, an associate lawyer at Smith Immigration Law, said, adding that it's too early to tell how Canada's passport policy could be affected.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump once hailed mRNA vaccines as a ‘medical miracle.' Now RFK Jr. is halting advancement
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hailed as a 'medical miracle' the mRNA vaccines developed to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Now, his health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is effectively halting the vaccine technology's advancement. Kennedy announced Tuesday that the federal government is canceling $500 million worth of mRNA research development contracts, putting an end to U.S.-backed hopes for the vaccine technology to prevent future pandemics, treat cancer or prevent flu infections. It's a sharp pivot from how Trump and top officials described the technology during his first term. Here's a look at what Trump and some of his closest advisers have said about mRNA vaccines that were credited with slowing the pandemic five years ago. Robert Redfield, Trump's director of the Center's for Disease Control 'A COVID-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life,' said Redfield, in a Sept. 16, 2020 statement. Americans were still donning face masks as one of the few ways of protecting themselves from a virus that had killed nearly 200,000 in just over six months. Redfield promised that the new vaccines — developed for the first time using mRNA technology — would offer a return to normalcy. Trump wanted to make sure Biden didn't get credit 'Don't let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines … because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they've ever been pushed before .. The vaccines are — there are those that say it's one of the greatest things. It's a medical miracle.' Trump said on Nov. 26, 2020 said during a news conference in the White House. Weeks earlier, Trump had lost the election in a bitter race against Democrat Joe Biden. As the Republican grappled with leaving Washington and continued to plan for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, he reminded reporters that he oversaw the development of the new shots. 'They say it's somewhat of a miracle and I think that's true,' Trump said on Dec. 8, 2020 during a speech at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The event celebrated 'Operation Warp Speed,' the government-funded project that accelerated vaccine development with pharmaceutical companies. Trump was promoting the shots as the government prepared to offer them to frontline health workers. Trump's first-term health secretary, Alex Azar 'It's clear that many Americans are learning these vaccines are safe and extraordinarily effective,' Azar said on Dec. 16, 2020 at a news conference. The government was shipping out mRNA vaccines to states, preparing to distributed it to the masses. Azar noted that a vast majority of Americans — between 70% to 80%, according to polls — intended to get the new COVID-19 vaccine that would be available to the public in the coming months. Gen. Gusave Perna, Trump's chief operating officer for pandemic response 'It takes somewhere between five and 10 years to put a vaccine on the street. Look what we did. Now, that's because of the great work of the scientists who had done the research on mRNA vaccines and others because of industry working on this, they just didn't wake up one day and start working on it,' Perna said during a podcast interview that aired on May 9, 2023. Reflecting in an interview about his time overseeing 'Operation Warp Speed,' Perna credited the mRNA technology with the government's ability to get shots in arms mere months after the pandemic started claiming lives in the U.S. in 2020. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Trump supporters boo his vaccine accomplishments 'Take credit because we saved tens of millions of lives. Take credit. Don't let them take that away from you,' Trump said on Dec. 19, 2021 during a live interview with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Daily COVID-19 deaths had ticked down to 1,500 compared to 3,000 from a year earlier after Americans began receiving their first doses of the mRNA vaccines. Trump revealed to O'Reilly and the audience that he had just gotten a COVID-19 booster. The crowd booed.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Ontario, Saskatchewan at odds over Canada's response to Trump tariffs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford warns Donald Trump could end CUSMA 'tomorrow, with one signature,' and that all Canadian leaders are on the same page. Ontario and Saskatchewan remained at odds over Canada's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating trade war Wednesday as the premiers prepared to meet with the prime minister to talk trade. Prime Minister Mark Carney was holding virtual meetings in private with his cabinet and the premiers Wednesday afternoon, less than a week after Trump ramped up his trade assault on Canada with a baseline 35 per cent tariff. The new tariff applies only to goods not covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement on free trade, better known as CUSMA. The latest levy took effect on Friday after the two countries failed to hit an Aug. 1 deadline to secure a new trade agreement. Before meeting with Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was frustrated by the impacts of high U.S. tariffs on his province's economy and called again for retaliatory tariffs. 'You can't have tariffs on one side and not the other. I still stand by what I say — dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff,' Ford told reporters at a news conference Wednesday in Thornhill, Ont. 'They understand strength, not weakness, and we should never, ever roll over and be weak.' Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, meanwhile, said Wednesday Canada should dial down its retaliatory tariffs. 'Maybe it's time for Canada even to at least not add additional counter-tariffs in this space, but to even consider removing some of the counter-tariffs that are harmful to Canadian businesses and Saskatchewan businesses today,' Moe said during a radio interview, adding that Canada is largely 'protected' by the CUSMA trade pact. Moe said his province is working to protect industries that are being hit hard by tariffs, including the steel sector. 'What we've done is pull forward a significant amount — 10 years, actually — of Crown procurement to support the steel industries here in Saskatchewan,' he said. Moe gave credit to Carney for his government's efforts to strengthen trade ties with other countries, including Mexico, particularly while Canada remains subject to China's canola oil and meal tariffs. When asked to explain why his government ended up putting American liquor back on the shelves and returning to its standard procurement processes, Moe said the government already prioritizes Saskatchewan companies. 'We need to get to that space in a more solid form with our largest trading partner, the United States of America, and someone is going to have to take the early steps,' he said, noting Alberta has also shifted its policies. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office said she would not be issuing any statements ahead of the meeting. Ford said he wants to see more done to stimulate the economy. He called on Ottawa to cut taxes and said the Bank of Canada should drop its interest rate. 'We have to get the governor of the Bank of Canada to lower those damn interest rates from 2.75,' he said. 'Knock 'em down. Build confidence. 'Let's work together on getting rid of the HST on homebuyers, and not just first (time) ones. Let's stimulate the market and we'll follow suit if the federal government does that.' Ford said Wednesday he had a 'good conversation' with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday that was 'positive,' and he believes the 'prime minister is doing everything in his power to get a fair trade deal with the U.S.' Carney told a press conference in B.C. on Tuesday that he has not talked to Trump in recent days, but will speak with him 'when it makes sense.' The prime minister added that about 85 per cent of trade with the U.S. remains tariff-free because of CUSMA. Sector-specific tariffs, like the 50 per cent duty on steel, aluminum and copper, remain in place. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne were in Mexico City on Wednesday, part of a two-day mission to meet with Mexican officials and businesses on trade. With files from Lisa Johnson in Edmonton, Alta. and Allison Jones in Thornhill, Ont. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025 David Baxter and Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
