Prime Minister to visit Canada for trade and security talks
The Times reported that the pair will meet on June 14, ahead of the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta, against the backdrop of growing concerns about Donald Trump's trade war against its northern neighbour and repeated threats to annex Canada.
Mr Trump has repeatedly suggested turning Canada into its 51st state and imposed tariffs that led to retaliation from Ottawa.
The Canadian prime minister made the trip to Washington DC last month in a bid to ease tensions, but was dealt a blow last week when the US president doubled tariffs on steel imports.
Only the UK was spared from the White House's tariff hike, thanks to a deal struck between the two countries.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office (Evan Vucci/AP)
Levies will remain at 25% for imports from the UK, however Britain could still be subject to the higher 50% rate from July.
Sir Keir Starmer's trade pact with the US, struck last month, included relief on the steel and aluminium tariffs, but the implementation is yet to be finalised.
The Prime Minister's trip follows a royal visit by the King, who warned Canada is facing a 'critical moment' in its history, with the world a 'more dangerous and uncertain place' in a speech to open the nation's parliament.
Charles delivered an address written by the Canadian government that said Mr Carney's administration would bond with 'reliable trading partners and allies', a move that follows Mr Trump's economic tactics.
Many Canadians have seen the King's two-day visit to Ottawa as a symbol of support for the nation that has faced the unwanted attention of Mr Trump.
Charles told the parliament 'self-determination' was among a number of values Canada held dear and the government was 'determined to protect'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
17 minutes ago
- Sky News
Downtown LA is a scene of pandemonium and lawlessness
Why you can trust Sky News A shirtless man waving a Mexican flag stands atop a burning car in the heart of Los Angeles, as another man throws a traffic cone into the flames and some play drums and shout chants in opposition to immigration officials. In the background, city hall can be glimpsed through a haze of thick black smoke. The downtown district of one of America's biggest cities was a scene of pandemonium and lawlessness as protests, which had previously been mainly peaceful, turned ugly. Critics of Donald Trump said the president's extraordinary decision to deploy National Guard troops, defying the wishes of the state's governor, had inflamed tensions and stoked emotions. The 101 Freeway, the main highway cutting through the downtown area, was also closed down for much of the day as police and protesters faced off, with flash bang devices sending some people scattering. Bottles and other projectiles were hurled towards police, who responded by using tear gas and rubber bullets. It was this chaos, his critics say, that Donald Trump wanted to provoke. Trump's decision to call in 2,000 National Guard troops, several hundred of whom were on the streets of LA on Sunday, was taken without consultation with the California governor and LA mayor, and marked an extraordinary escalation by the president. The military arrived on Sunday morning and was ordered to guard federal buildings, after two days of protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. As part of Trump's closed border policy, ICE has been ordered to find, detain and deport as many illegal immigrants as possible, and it was these raids that stoked the first signs of protest on Friday into the weekend. By midday Sunday, the military was surrounded by protesters outside the Metropolitan Detention Centre in downtown LA. It was here that many immigrants had been held before being shipped off to detention facilities. The walls and floors are covered in expletive-ridden graffiti, reading f*** ICE. The Los Angeles police soon split the crowd and drove a wedge between the National Guard and the crowd. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called Donald Trump's acts those of a "dictator, not a president". He's formally requested that the Trump administration withdraw the National Guard. The White House say the military will remain there until order is restored. Five hundred marines are still on standby. Los Angeles Police Department police chief Jim McDonnell, asked whether the National Guard was needed, said: "This thing has gotten out of control." He said that although the LAPD would not initially have requested assistance from the National Guard, the disorder had caused him to reevaluate his assessment. Several people were arrested. Sky News witnessed a young woman, who called herself Gabriella, riding her motorbike at speed towards a line of police officers. One of the police officers used his arm to push her off the bike. She said she was protesting because her "people were being rounded up." Politicians on both sides of the aisle condemned the violence, but some vehemently disagreed about what actions led to the escalation.
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Auto companies 'in full panic' over rare-earths bottleneck
BERLIN/LONDON/DETROIT, June 9 (Reuters) - Frank Eckard, CEO of a German magnet maker, has been fielding a flood of calls in recent weeks. Exasperated automakers and parts suppliers have been desperate to find alternative sources of magnets, which are in short supply due to Chinese export curbs. Some told Eckard their factories could be idled by mid-July without backup magnet supplies. "The whole car industry is in full panic," said Eckard, CEO of Magnosphere, based in Troisdorf, Germany. "They are willing to pay any price." Car executives have once again been driven into their war rooms, concerned that China's tight export controls on rare-earth magnets – crucially needed to make cars – could cripple production. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earths minerals and magnets flow to the United States. A U.S. trade team is scheduled to meet Chinese counterparts for talks in London on Monday. The industry worries that the rare-earths situation could cascade into the third massive supply chain shock in five years. A semiconductor shortage wiped away millions of cars from automakers' production plans, from roughly 2021 to 2023. Before that, the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 shut factories for weeks. Those crises prompted the industry to fortify supply chain strategies. Executives have prioritized backup supplies for key components and reexamined the use of just-in-time inventories, which save money but can leave them without stockpiles when a crisis unfurls. Judging from Eckard's inbound calls, though, "nobody has learned from the past," he said. This time, as the rare-earths bottleneck tightens, the industry has few good options, given the extent to which China dominates the market. The fate of automakers' assembly lines has been left to a small team of Chinese bureaucrats as it reviews hundreds of applications for export permits. Several European auto-supplier plants have already shut down, with more outages coming, said the region's auto supplier association, CLEPA. "Sooner or later, this will confront everyone," said CLEPA Secretary-General Benjamin Krieger. Cars today use rare-earths-based motors in dozens of components – side mirrors, stereo speakers, oil pumps, windshield wipers, and sensors for fuel leakage and braking sensors. China controls up to 70% of global rare-earths mining, 85% of refining capacity and about 90% of rare-earths metal alloy and magnet production, consultancy AlixPartners said. The average electric vehicle uses about .5 kg (just over 1 pound) of rare earths elements, and a fossil-fuel car uses just half that, according to the International Energy Agency. China has clamped down before, including in a 2010 dispute with Japan, during which it curbed rare-earths exports. Japan had to find alternative suppliers, and by 2018, China accounted for only 58% of its rare earth imports. "China has had a rare-earth card to play whenever they wanted to," said Mark Smith, CEO of mining company NioCorp (NB.O), opens new tab, which is developing a rare-earth project in Nebraska scheduled to start production within three years. Across the industry, automakers have been trying to wean off China for rare-earth magnets, or even develop magnets that do not need those elements. But most efforts are years away from the scale needed. "It's really about identifying ... and finding alternative solutions" outside China, Joseph Palmieri, head of supply chain management at supplier Aptiv , said at a conference in Detroit last week. Automakers including General Motors (GM.N), opens new tab and BMW ( opens new tab and major suppliers such as ZF [RIC:RIC: and BorgWarner (BWA.N), opens new tab are working on motors with low-to-zero rare-earth content, but few have managed to scale production enough to cut costs. The EU has launched initiatives including the Critical Raw Materials Act to boost European rare-earth sources. But it has not moved fast enough, said Noah Barkin, a senior advisor at Rhodium Group, a China-focused U.S. think tank. Even players that have developed marketable products struggle to compete with Chinese producers on price. David Bender, co-head of German metal specialist Heraeus' magnet recycling business, said it is only operating at 1% capacity and will have to close next year if sales do not increase. Minneapolis-based Niron has developed rare-earth free magnets and has raised more than $250 million from investors including GM, Stellantis and auto supplier Magna ( opens new tab. "We've seen a step change in interest from investors and customers" since China's export controls took effect, CEO Jonathan Rowntree said. It is planning a $1 billion plant scheduled to start production in 2029. England-based Warwick Acoustics has developed rare-earth-free speakers expected to appear in a luxury car later this year. CEO Mike Grant said the company has been in talks with another dozen automakers, although the speakers are not expected to be available in mainstream models for about five years. As auto companies scout longer-term solutions, they are left scrambling to avert imminent factory shutdowns. Automakers must figure out which of their suppliers – and smaller ones a few links up the supply chain – need export permits. Mercedes-Benz ( opens new tab, for example, is talking to suppliers about building rare-earth stockpiles. Analysts said the constraints could force automakers to make cars without certain parts and park them until they become available, as GM and others did during the semiconductor crisis. Automakers' reliance on China does not end with rare earth elements. A 2024 European Commission report said China controls more than 50% of global supply of 19 key raw materials, including manganese, graphite and aluminum. Andy Leyland, co-founder of supply chain specialist SC Insights, said any of those elements could be used as leverage by China. "This just is a warning shot," he said.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Los Angeles responds with roaring backlash to Trump's dramatic escalation
Donald Trump's administration promised to crush opposition in Los Angeles. Late on Saturday night, the US president deployed national guard soldiers in LA following protests against immigration raids in the city – a stunning escalation in the administration's promise of 'mass deportations'. His administration has promised to quell protests, and warned local leaders to brace for at least 30 days of ramped-up immigration enforcement. But the overwhelming show of force may have awoken something else. The city is responding with a roaring backlash. The moment Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term, he unleashed a barrage of draconian immigration restrictions. Ice agents began ambushing people inside their homes, in schools and churches. Children were being detained in what activists have called 'baby jails'. Asylum seekers were exiled to a brutal mega-prison in El Salvador. There were protests across the US – but the resistance that marked Trump's first term seemed to have flagged. Institutions had begun folding to the president's threats. As the administration escalated immigration raids and stripped away immigrants' rights; politicians mounted muffled objections. And then Trump came after Los Angeles. Fueling the fury was the brutality with which federal agents had approached its targets, including a clothing manufacturer in Los Angeles's garment district, and Home Depot in the Westlake district and a warehouse in South Los Angeles. The arrests were carried out without judicial warrants, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – advocates say that more than 200 people were taken. Lawyers reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been holding detained families in the basements of federal immigration facilities, separating children and mothers from their fathers. Agents have refused access to attorneys and family members, according to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). As masked immigration officers ripped workers away from their jobs, other agents in riot gear attacked protesters with tear gas and flash bang grenades, escalating a handful of isolated demonstrations into a clash that roiled the city and spurred several hundred to join the protest. Among the protesters arrested was union leader David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW and SEIU California. The images of a middle-aged man in a plaid button-down shirt who was shoved down to the ground have angered millions of union workers across the US, wrote LA Times columnist Anita Chabria. 'The battleground has been redrawn in ways we don't fully yet appreciate,' she wrote. Trump has responded to the protests with escalating force, bypassing the governor to activate the state's national guard for the first time since the 1992 LA riots, when police officers were acquitted over the beating of Rodney King. Pete Hegseth, the defense secretart, suggested that in addition to the 2,000 guardsmen promised, the government would consider sending in the marines – a suggestion that California governor Gavin Newsom called 'deranged'. JD Vance suggested that the administration was targeting this Democratic city in a Democratic state as part of a political lesson, referring to protestors as 'insurrectionists'. The show of might is all part of a deliberate strategy to 'flood the zone', according to the White House border czar Tom Homan, who told Fox News recently that the administration would be zeroing in on 'sanctuary cities' that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcers. But communities don't like to see their friends and neighbors cuffed. 'These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers,' said Angelica Salas, executive director for the advocacy group Chirla, said at a news conference on Friday. 'Our community is under attack and is being terrorized.' US representative Maxine Waters, who also was denied entry to the federal immigration office in downtown LA, said the crowds should 'grow and grow and grow' until Trump reversed course on his deploying of soldiers. Similar raids took place in Newark, Chicago, Nashville and other cities across the US. In San Diego last week, a neighbourhood mobilized as federal agents raided restaurants, yelling 'Shame! Shame!' at officers in military gear. 'The administration is testing Los Angeles to see if we break under pressure,' said Lindsay Toczylowski, president of ImmDef. 'But we won't back down.'
