Premiers entering final day of meetings with public safety, internal trade on agenda
The premiers met with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump after meeting with First Nation leaders the previous day.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Thailand and Cambodia trade fresh attacks and accusations as allies call for a ceasefire
SURIN, Thailand — Thailand and Cambodia traded accusations of fresh attacks Saturday as deadly border clashes entered a third day and international pressure mounted for a ceasefire. The fighting has killed at least 33 people and displaced more than 168,000. Artillery and small arms fire were reported near several border villages, expanding the area of the fighting that flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Cambodian and Thai officials blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia. Cambodian authorities reported 12 new deaths on Saturday, bringing its toll to 13, while the Thai military said a soldier was killed, raising the number of dead to 20, mostly civilians. Cambodia's Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said Saturday that the clashes have forced 10,865 Cambodian families, or 37,635 people, in three border provinces to evacuate to safe locations. Thai officials said more than 131,000 people have fled their border villages. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is under growing pressure to defuse the tensions between its two members. During an emergency meeting on Friday, members of the UN Security Council called for a de-escalation and urged ASEAN to mediate a peaceful solution. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is in contact with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and has urged both sides to reach a ceasefire. In a post on social media, Trump suggested he would not conclude a trade agreement with either country if the cross-border hostilities continued. The 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions flared in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Sides trade accusations and deny responsibility Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned what it called an expanded Thai offensive early Saturday after five heavy artillery shells were fired into Pursat province. It said the attack was an 'unprovoked and premeditated act of aggression.' Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said tensions flared in the coastal province of Koh Kong and expressed concern about the possibility of confrontations at sea. Maly Socheata said seven Cambodian civilians and five soldiers have been killed in two days of fighting. Another man was reportedly killed when a pagoda he was hiding under was hit by Thai rockets. The Thai army has denied targeting Cambodian civilians and accuses Phnom Penh of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. In a statement Saturday, Thailand's navy accused Cambodian forces of initiating a new attack in the province of Trat, which shares a border with Koh Kong, saying Thai forces responded swiftly and 'successfully pushed back the Cambodian incursion at three key points.' The navy warned that 'aggression will not be tolerated.' Thai authorities also alleged several Cambodian artillery shells damaged homes and property in neighboring Laos. Lao officials have not publicly responded to the claim. Call to protect civilians amid claim of cluster bomb use Human Rights Watch urged the UN Security Council and other nations to press Thailand and Cambodia to abide by international humanitarian law and take all steps to protect civilians. Children have been harmed and Thailand has closed at least 852 schools and seven hospitals for safety reasons, the rights group said in a statement Saturday. Both sides have fired rockets and artillery, and after initially denying Cambodian claims that internationally prohibited cluster munitions were being used, a Thai military spokesperson said Friday that such weapons can be utilized 'when necessary' to achieve military objectives. Human Rights Watch condemned the use of cluster munitions in populated areas. Neither Thailand nor Cambodia is party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use of the weapon. Thai authorities used them during a border dispute with Cambodia in February 2011 that left 20 people dead. 'Neither Thailand nor Cambodia appears to be paying attention to international humanitarian law at great expense to civilians,' John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 'Diplomatic efforts underway need to prioritize protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.' Thai officials acknowledged it used F-16 jets and drones to launch airstrikes. International allies call for peace The UN Security Council didn't issue a resolution on the crisis during its Friday emergency session, but Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said Saturday that the group's 15 members called for restraint, an end to hostilities and a peaceful resolution. They also supported mediation by ASEAN, he said. The leader of Malaysia, ASEAN's current chair, has said Thailand and Cambodia are open in principle to a ceasefire proposal. Malaysian media said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has tasked the country's foreign minister to mediate peace talks. Maris said Saturday his country has agreed in principle to ASEAN's ceasefire proposal, but insisted that Cambodia must first cease hostilities. He said Thailand continues to engage with Malaysia on the matter. 'Thailand reaffirms its commitment to resolving the conflict peacefully and in accordance with international law,' he said, urging Cambodia to 'return to the negotiating table with sincerity and in good faith.' Jintamas Saksornchai And Sopheng Cheang, The Associated Press Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
The House is looking into the Epstein investigation. Here's what could happen next
WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes, working to subpoena President Donald Trump's Department of Justice for files in the case as well as hold a deposition of Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee acted just before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers home early for a monthlong break from Washington. The committee's moves are evidence of the mounting pressure for disclosure in a case that Trump has unsuccessfully urged his supporters to move past. But they were also just the start of what can be a drawn out process.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: Canada's huge federal government bureaucracy needs to be downsized
During Justin Trudeau's Liberal government from 2015 to 2024, the federal bureaucracy grew in size by 43% Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox (L) Prime Minister Mark Carney and (R) former PM Justin Trudeau. Photo by File Photos / AFP via Getty Images While the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warned last week that over 57,000 federal public service jobs could be cut between now and 2028 due to Prime Minister Mark Carney's restraint measures – assuming they occur – the reality is that a downsizing of the federal civil service is long overdue. 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 During Justin Trudeau's Liberal government from 2015 to 2024, the federal bureaucracy grew in size by 43%, from 257,034 employees to 367,772, an increase of 110,738. That far outstrips the 15% increase in Canada's population between 2015 (35,606,734) and 2024 (41,012,563). The 43% growth rate of the federal public service also outpaced the 18.5% real growth rate of the economy, the 15.5% growth in total employment and the 25.5% growth of employment across the entire public sector, counting all orders of government. As Peter Nicholson, a former senior federal public servant and business executive who cited these figures in a policy paper last month for the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan observed: 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. 'There is no reason to expect the growth of the civil service to match, much less exceed, population growth … By 2024, the number of federal public servants per 1,000 population had reached the highest ratio (9.0) in at least 40 years during which governments of various ideological stripes have held power.' He noted this rapid growth occurred during an era when 'so much specialized and urgent work is being outsourced to consultants.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO On that issue, parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux reported in 2023 that despite the rapid increase in the size of the federal public service, the Trudeau government was also spending $21.4 billion annually hiring outside help – 106% more than the $10.4 billion spent when Trudeau took power in 2015. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Giroux reported the total cost of paying a full-time equivalent position in the federal public service – including salaries, pensions and benefits – increased by 7.7 % from $126,634 in 2022-23 to $136,345 in 2023-24, 'exceeding the growth realized in any year since 2006-07.' Meanwhile, 'total personnel spending increased by 15.7% to $65.3 billion in 2023-24, from $56.5 billion in 2022-23.' Some of these increases can be attributed to new federal programs such as dental care and pharmacare and increased hiring during the 2020 pandemic. But that was five years ago and the size of the federal bureaucracy continued to increase every year after that up to 2024 – from 300,450 positions in 2020 to 319,601 in 2021; 335,957 in 2022; 357,247 in 2023 and 367,772 in 2024. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As of March 31, 2025, the public service was reduced by 9,807 positions to 357,965, compared to the same period in 2024, marking the first annual decrease in a decade. Even with that 2.65% cut in the growth rate of the federal bureaucracy over one year, the overall 39% increase from 2015 to 2025 is well over twice the 16.6% growth rate of Canada's population during the same period. RECOMMENDED VIDEO In a paper earlier this month, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business reported that from 2013 to 2023 (two years of the Stephen Harper Conservative government, eight years of the Trudeau government) the size of the federal bureaucracy increased by 36%, compared to just 13% job growth in the private sector. 'The rapid growth of the federal workforce and the accompanying surge in payroll expenditures risk crowding out private-sector activity,' authors Alchad Alegbeh and Christina Santini warned. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This trend can reduce overall productivity, slow long-term economic growth, and limit the government's ability to respond to future economic or fiscal shocks … 'The continued expansion of the federal public service – both in headcount and compensation – has become a growing source of concern for Canada's small and medium-sized enterprises which represent the core of the private economy … 'While the federal public service has grown steadily, this has not been matched by improvements in economic performance or the business environment. In theory, a larger public sector could support business owners through streamlined regulations and efficient services. In practice, however, Canadian businesses face a costly and complex regulatory landscape – amounting to $51 billion annually.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More During the election, Carney promised to freeze rather than reduce the size of the public service, while increasing government productivity. But governments of all stripes have promised increased productivity for years, without accomplishing it, meaning that new programs almost inevitably result in hiring more staff, instead of fewer workers doing the job more efficiently. Critics say Carney's recent instructions to most federal departments to cut program spending by 15% by the 2028-29 fiscal year will result in job losses and reduce the quality of government services. But the reality, according to the numbers, is that downsizing the federal public service has become an economic necessity. lgoldstein@ Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Columnists
