In the news today: Trump threatens Canada with 35 per cent tariffs
Trump threatens 35 per cent tariffs on Canada on Aug. 1 in letter posted online
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports on Aug. 1 in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media Thursday night, evidently setting a new date for bilateral negotiations between the two countries. Canada and the United States had committed to working on a new economic and security agreement with a July 21 deadline for a deal. In the letter, Trump said that if Canada works to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, he may consider a tariff adjustment. Trump also pointed to supply management in the dairy sector, repeating his inaccurate claim about Canada putting 400 per cent tariffs on American dairy farmers. The president said the trade deficit with Canada is a threat to the American economy and national security.
Manitoba is under provincewide emergency order as wildfires continue to burn
Manitoba is under a provincewide state of emergency as wildfires continue to rage, forcing even more evacuations out of northern communities. The government declared the order Thursday, for the second time this year, and with the latest round of fires and evacuations, the province reported more than one million hectares burned — more than 10 times the average over the last 20 years. In total, about 12,600 people are out of their homes in Manitoba. The government gave notice that it intends to use Winnipeg's major convention centre to house evacuees.
Here's what else we're watching…
Teen charged in attack on Ontario child, 8
A tight-knit village in eastern Ontario is shaken after learning that a teenager was charged with attempted murder and sexual assault on an eight-year-old girl in what police initially suspected to be an animal attack. Ontario Provincial Police said they began their search for a missing child around 9 p.m. on June 23, and found her with life-threatening injuries shortly after midnight. The child remains in hospital. Investigators initially said they suspected the child's injuries were caused by an animal attack because that theory was supported by 'multiple medical and pathology experts.' But as the investigation continued, police discovered that there were no traces of animal DNA from the victim's wounds.
Statistics Canada set to release June jobs data
Statistics Canada is set to report employment figures for June today. A Reuters poll of economists expect the pace of hiring stalled in June, with no change in employment predicted, according to LSEG Data & Analytics. Economists also expect the jobless rate rose a tick to 7.1 per cent last month. Trade-sensitive sectors such as manufacturing and transportation have faced job losses in recent months as Canada's tariff dispute with the United States hampers the economy.
Ottawa to reimburse auto dealers for EV rebates
Canadian auto dealers will find out today how the federal government plans to reimburse them for unclaimed electric vehicle rebates. In January, Ottawa paused its popular Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles after its funding ran out. The program provided up to $5,000 toward the purchase of a new zero-emissions vehicle. But the abrupt end to the program meant dealers were forced to swallow the cost of any rebate claims they hadn't yet submitted. The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association estimates dealerships are out about $11 million.
Justin Bieber stuns fans with highly anticipated album 'Swag'
Canadian pop icon Justin Bieber surprised his fans with 'Swag,' his seventh studio album, released at midnight Friday. Beliebers all around the world waited in anticipation this year as the 31-year-old singer teased his followers with photos from the recording studio and mysterious social media posts. On July 10, billboards with the word 'SWAG' were seen in various locations around the world, including Los Angeles, New York and Reykjavik, Iceland. The collection of 21 tracks features songs with artists such as Gunna, Sexyy Red, Cash Cobain, Lil B, Dijon, Eddie Benjamin, and comedian Druski.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
35 minutes ago
- CTV News
Reid: 'Hard not to see this as negative' after Trump apparently 'disengages' with Canada
Watch Scott Reid weighs in on Trump's tone, stalled Canada-U.S. deal, and challenges facing the Prime Minister.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Trump says he ‘hasn't thought about' pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
After two days of meetings wrapped between convicted sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, her lawyer and U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, U.S. President Donald Trump said while he's allowed to pardon Maxwell, he has not considered it.
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Trump struggles to put lid on the ‘Jeffrey Epstein SCAM,' a controversy his allies once fuelled
Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished 'the best six months ever.' But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. 'People should really focus on how well the country is doing,' Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, 'I don't want to talk about that.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. It was another example of how the Epstein saga — and his administration's disjointed approach to it — has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with a few key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration. Trump faces pressure from his own supporters The Republican president's supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there's nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump's former friendship with Epstein. Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term. Landing in Scotland offered no refuge for Trump. He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. 'You're making a big thing over something that's not a big thing,' he said to one reporter. He told another, 'I'm focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are.' Republican strategist Kevin Madden called the controversy 'a treadmill to nowhere.' 'How do you get off of it?' he said. 'I genuinely don't know the answer to that.' Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past. It's clear Trump wants the public to see the Epstein case as a continuation of the 'witch hunts' he says he's faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow. Trump's opponents, he wrote on social media Thursday, 'have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM.' During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House's point person, said the president 'never felt exposed' because 'he thought he had a legitimate gripe.' The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. 'The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries,' Cobb said. It was Trump's allies who excavated the Epstein debacle In fact, Trump's own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. 'Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are,' Patel said in a 2023 podcast. Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein 'client list' was sitting on her desk for review — she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally — and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information in the public domain. Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration's stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump's base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting. Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case — though it's hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would 'always testify truthfully.' All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga. Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran's nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president's good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump's talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis. 'Whether it's right or wrong,' Trump said, 'it's time to go after people.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
