Allan Gregg: At the G7 meeting, look for Canada to do something unusual: Lead
Foreign policy, international affairs and Canada's role in the world have rarely been top-of-mind concerns for most Canadians.
In 1911 Liberal Wilfrid Laurier lost an election by proposing lower tariffs with the United States. 77 years later Brian Mulroney won re-election while endorsing pretty much the same proposal. The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001 captured public attention — as did Jean Chrétien's decision 18 months later that Canada would not join the 'coalition of the willing' in the invasion of Iraq.
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: Liberals' clean energy crusade has been a super disaster
The U.S. has cut emissions at almost double Canada's rate, without imposing a national carbon tax Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox Prime Minister Mark Carney answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS Before Prime Minister Mark Carney attempts to turn Canada into a clean energy superpower he needs to explain why a decade of Liberal government policies intended to achieve this have been a massive failure on every front. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account According to the Liberal government's own estimate, as of April 2023 it had spent or committed over $200 billion of taxpayers' money to 149 government programs addressing climate change. In terms of the primary goal of this spending, reducing Canada's industrial greenhouse gas emissions to at least 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, the latest available government data from 2023 shows emissions were just 8.5% below 2005 levels. Achieving the Liberals' 2030 target will require the equivalent of eliminating all annual emissions from Canada's transportation and building sectors in seven years, which would inevitably cause a massive recession. When environmental commissioner Jerry V. DeMarco audited 20 of the government's 149 programs, he found fewer than half were on track to achieve their goals and of 32 additional measures the government claimed would assist in reaching the 2030 target, only seven were new. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His audit uncovered examples where two different government programs were funding the same projects and reporting the same expected emission cuts, raising the possibility of double counting. Read More DeMarco said the government's lack of transparency in reporting emissions made it impossible for the average citizen to understand its claims. The computer modelling used to estimate emissions was also out of date and 'recent decreases to projected 2030 emissions were not due to climate action taken by governments, but were instead because of revisions to the data used in modelling.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. DeMarco noted that aside from falling far short of its emission targets, Canada has the worst record of reducing emissions of any member of the G7, including the U.S. The U.S. has cut emissions at almost double Canada's rate, without imposing a national carbon tax. In terms of getting value for money, auditor general Karen Hogan reported last year that in one of the government's 149 climate programs – the now-disbanded $1-billion Sustainable Development Technology Fund – there were 90 cases where conflict-of-interest rules were ignored in awarding $76 million worth of government contracts and 10 cases where $56 million was awarded to ineligible projects. DeMarco reported last week that despite spending over $6.6 billion on government programs to help Canadians adapt to more severe weather caused by climate change since 2015, the Liberals' national adaptation strategy, released in 2023, lacked essential elements to make it effective and progress since then has been slow. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux last year estimated the cost of government subsidies to Canada's auto sector to manufacture electric vehicles and batteries at up to $52.5 billion on 13 major projects – $31.4 billion, or 60%, paid by federal taxpayers and $21.1 billion, or 40%, paid by provincial taxpayers in Ontario and Quebec. That's $6.3 billion more than the announced investments of $46.1 billion the auto sector is contributing to these projects, with many now delayed due to slower than anticipated EV sales. While Canada's employment rate and economic growth are influenced by many factors, the Liberals have repeatedly promised since coming to power in 2015 that government spending on their climate policies would lead to significant increases in jobs and economic growth, which has not been the case. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Statistics Canada reported earlier this month that Canada's unemployment rate rose to 7% in May, the highest it's been since September 2016, excluding the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years, and a 12.9% increase from 6.2% a year ago in May. RECOMMENDED VIDEO When DeMarco reported in 2023 on the Liberals' so-called 'just transition' plan to assist energy sector workers to retrain for Canada's new green economy, he concluded it didn't exist, despite the government having promised it in 2019. 'We found that as Canada shifts focus to low-carbon alternatives, the government is not prepared to provide appropriate support to … workers in the fossil fuel sector,' DeMarco said. 'The transition was being handled on a business-as-usual basis, relying on existing program mechanisms such as the employment insurance program to deliver support.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. (Eventually the Liberals passed what they called the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act in 2024, with many of these concerns still outstanding.) In terms of economic growth, Statistics Canada reported earlier this year that Canada's real GDP per capita, which measures economic output per person, adjusted for inflation, and is a widely accepted metric for measuring the standard of living, fell by 1.4% in 2024, following a decline of 1.3% in 2023. Over its near-decade in power, Canada's economic growth under the Liberals has been the lowest since the government of R.B. Bennett during the Great Depression. lgoldstein@ World Sunshine Girls Golf World Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
KINSELLA: First casualty of war is truth
Iran, Hamas and their ilk are waging their war not just with bombs and bullets but also with words and images An injured woman is evacuated on a wheelchair in an area hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025. Photo by Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images As the Israel-Iran war goes on, be wary about what you see and hear and read. The first casualty of war, goes the clich é , is truth. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And Iran, in particular, has shown itself to be an unequalled master at promoting propaganda and lies. Around the same time that Israel is commencing its long-overdue effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Natasha Hausdorff agrees to meet. The location is apt: the Nova Festival exhibit in Toronto, where the story is told of the 378 Israelis – and Canadians, and Americans, and Britons – who were slaughtered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The exhibit is harrowing and disturbing, and the organizers have done an extraordinary job of capturing the sadness and horror of that day. When hundreds of unarmed young people were butchered by Islamist terrorists – simply because they had wanted to dance. Hausdorff frowns, thinking about the question she has been asked: namely, how have the world's media gotten the story of Israel – and, equally, Iran – so completely wrong? How has the truth been so fundamentally distorted, in so many places? This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hausdorff is young and attractive and brilliant. She has law degrees from Oxford and Tel Aviv University, and has been clerk to a Supreme Court judge – a coveted role. A few days ago, Hausdorff became a mega-star when she appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and left the British talk show host looking like a sexist, thuggish jerk. Morgan called Hausdorff 'despicable,' cut her off dozens of times, and resembled a shouty polemicist, not a journalist. Asked about that now-infamous encounter, asked about the media's role in these dangerous days, Hausdorff doesn't hesitate. 'In general, I think it's been shameful,' she said. 'It's been shameful that we have not seen a single piece of reporting from Gaza that has acknowledged that nothing that comes out of the Gaza strip is not controlled by Hamas. The notion that the international media would be parroting Hamas propaganda is deeply, deeply shameful – and indicates to me a complete absence of journalistic integrity.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The misinformation and the disinformation are all having real-life consequences, she said. 'This embracing of Hamas terrorist organization propaganda – not just in the obscene statements that we've had from supposed allies of Israel, like the UK, France and Canada, including promoting blood libels like starvation – (is leading to) Jews being executed on the streets in the capital of the free world.' Read More Hateful deeds are always preceded by hateful words, she said. Which makes the obligation of the media to ascertain the real truth to be not just a journalistic one – it's a moral obligation, too. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Asked if Iran, Hamas and their axis have gotten better at propagating lies, Hausdorff nods her head. 'They certainly have invested a great deal more in time, energy and resources into it. It's certainly a been a key factor of Hamas' planning of this war… I think they have definitely come leaps and bounds. We're seeing the impact of that disinformation campaign. But it's not just Hamas.' Natasha Hausdorff @HausdorffMedia (X) Iran, China and Russia, too, have perfected the telling of untruths, and the manipulation of gullible Western media along the way, she said. Israel itself shares some of the blame for losses in the propaganda war, Hausdorff added. The Jewish state is not good – or not good enough – at telling its side of the story to Western media. 'Israel's very much on the back foot on this. One of the founding features of Israel was that Jews wouldn't need to explain themselves to non-Jews anymore,' she said. 'For a long time, you saw that kind of mentality within Israel: we know what we're doing is right. We don't need to explain ourselves to the international community.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Photo by Vahid Salemi / AP Photo She paused, then added: '(But) that is fighting it with both hands tied behind our backs.' True enough. In any war – the seven-front war that Israel has been waging since Oct. 7 – truth is elusive. And truth becomes non-existent if media notables, like Piers Morgan, are too easily deceived by Iranian and Hamas propagandists. Israeli flags stand near damaged buildings in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 14, 2025, caused by the fall of a missile fired the day before by Iran. Photo by Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images 'Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, fighting these barbaric terrorists, fighting essentially on behalf of the West. And this is not just Israel's war,' Hausdorff concluded. She's right, of course. It's a war against the West, too – and Iran, Hamas and their ilk are clearly visible on the other side. And they are waging their war not just with bombs and bullets. Words and images, too. 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Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
As Trump heads to the G7, Canada hopes to avoid another Charlevoix-style eruption
Published Jun 14, 2025 • Last updated 4 minutes ago • 5 minute read President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Photo by Alex Brandon / AP Photo OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive Sunday in Alberta for the G7 summit — his first visit to Canada since leaving in a huff seven years ago. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ottawa could use everything from golfing and creative scheduling to special cabinet orders to make the visit successful and avoid a repeat diplomatic disaster. 'He is somebody who is very prickly when he feels like he's not being fully respected,' said Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a cross-border consultancy. 'You want to make absolutely sure that … he walks away and says, 'You know, those Canadians aren't so bad after all.'' Better than last time The last time Trump was in Canada — for the G7 summit in the Charlevoix region of Quebec — things ended in a blowout. Trump refused to sign the communique, the published list of statements on common G7 issues that are mostly negotiated and agreed to by member nations ahead of time. He left early and lambasted Trudeau as 'very dishonest and weak' in a spat over tariffs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The summit included what Miller called the 'photograph for the ages' — of then German chancellor Angela Merkel and others standing sternly over a seated Donald Trump, who appeared to be glaring back with crossed arms. German Ambassador to Canada Matthias Luttenberg put it bluntly when he told a June 4 panel that Ottawa was again navigating 'very difficult circumstances' as G7 chair — and capably, in his view. 'I mean, I wouldn't like to negotiate with a country at the table who's questioning my sovereignty as a state,' he said. Sen. Peter Boehm, who was summit head in 2018, recalled two late nights of negotiations because the Trump administration didn't align with the others on including climate change or references to the 'rules-based international order.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prime Minister Mark Carney won office in April after repeatedly saying he could stand up to Trump's threats to ruin the Canadian economy in order to make the country an American state. Carney had a cordial visit to Washington in early May and even got praise from Trump on social media and in person, despite the president insisting Canada should still become a U.S. state. The two have continued talking. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra revealed earlier this month that the president and Carney have exchanged frequent calls and texts on trade and tariffs. Miller said facetime between the two leaders in Alberta could help them make progress on economic concerns, as well as Trump's pitch to bring Canada into his proposed Golden Dome missile shield project. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Given that there is this conversation underway, it is important that they have an opportunity to continue that, and to meet perhaps in a setting that is less structured and formal than the Oval Office,' Miller said. 'Life is about imperfect choices, and it's absolutely the right thing to have Mr. Trump come to Canada.' He said he's not sure if there will be any formal announcement, though he added Trump is keen to sign agreements with multiple countries ahead of his self-imposed July 9 deadline for so-called retaliatory tariffs. Miller said both Canada and the U.S. are likely to take credit for Ottawa announcing this month it will drastically speed up its pledge to meet NATO's defence spending target. Trump might also take note of the fact that he's in one of the few provinces that have opted to resume sales of U.S. alcohol, after all provinces banned it from their liquor store shelves in response to U.S. tariffs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ottawa's decision to schedule relatively short group discussions among G7 leaders, and to invite numerous other world leaders, could mean more of the one-on-one meetings that Trump prefers. 'Trump does not like multilateral meetings particularly. He loses interest,' Boehm said. Canadian officials have said they are focused on releasing shorter, focused statements — which could avoid the kind of major blowups that could come from trying to craft the kind of massive joint communique that has concluded almost all other G7 summits. Former prime minister Jean Chretien told a panel Thursday that if Trump does have an outburst, G7 leaders should ignore him and 'keep talking normally.' Miller said that for Canada, 'ensuring a positive agenda that doesn't lead to acrimony afterwards' means advancing its interests without isolating the U.S., particularly with so many guest leaders attending. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The trick that Mr. Carney has to pull off is to reassure the U.S. that it wants a good, positive relationship — while at the same time running vigorously, as quickly as possible, to try to build new relationships,' he said. It's also entirely possible that Trump will leave before the meetings conclude. A visiting felon Keeping it positive is also likely why Ottawa will skirt rules that might bar Trump from crossing into Canada after he was found guilty on 34 criminal counts in a 'hush money' trial in May 2024. Immigration lawyers say those convicted of serious crimes abroad must serve their time and wait five years before seeking a certificate of admissibility to Canada, though there are loopholes if someone seeks a visa for a compelling reason. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The federal cabinet passed a formal order published in February that gives diplomatic immunity and privileges to 'representatives of a foreign state that participate in the G7 meetings.' Fore! Another way Canada could ensure a successful visit could be to get Trump to the Kananaskis Country Golf Course — a prospect much discussed in media reports that remained unconfirmed as of Friday afternoon. Carney gave Trump a hat and golf gear from that course during his visit to the Oval Office in May. Miller said that wasn't just a gimmick — Trump loves making deals while teeing off, and it could provide Carney or others with hours of facetime on a golf cart, which is Trump's comfort zone. 'Golf has been pretty central to his life,' he said. 'It makes eminent sense to have Mr. Trump playing at a high-quality golf course.' Read More Sunshine Girls Golf World World Sunshine Girls
