Sheertex could face 'tens of millions of dollars' in tariffs, CEO says DESC:
Canadian pantyhose-maker Sheertex is temporarily laying off 40 per cent of their staff in part because of tariffs the U.S. has promised to place on Canadian goods, the company's CEO Katherine Homuth said Wednesday. Homuth opens up about how the U.S. tariff threats are impacting her business.
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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Minister flags concern over BC Ferries' deal with Chinese state-owned shipyard
British Columbia's transportation minister has raised concerns with BC Ferries about its decision to have a Chinese shipyard build four new ferries for its passenger fleet, amid an ongoing trade conflict between Canada and China. The winning bidder on the contract announced Tuesday is Chinese state-owned China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards. Mike Farnworth said in a statement he was worried about procuring services from 'any country that is actively harming Canada's economy' with tariffs and protectionism. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'BC Ferries is an independent company responsible for its own operational decisions. While BC Ferries has made its decision to purchase new vessels offshore, I am disappointed more involvement from Canadian shipyards was not part of the contract,' he said. Farnsworth's office declined a request for an interview. The minister's remarks came hours after the announcement by BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez that the Chinese shipyard had been chosen to build its vessels, with the first expected to come into service in 2029 and the others following in six-month intervals. Jimenez said he wasn't worried about geopolitical tensions between Canada and China, adding his primary focus was getting the province a good deal. 'Customers expect us to go source the best possible deal, (the) highest quality, a yard that provides safety, a yard that provides the highest in standards when it comes to oversight (and) labour, and to get the best cost,' he said at a news conference Tuesday. 'When it comes to things like trade policy, industrial policy, geopolitics, I think we would really defer that to the federal and provincial governments and expect them to manage and work those issues.' He said in a news release that the shipyard was 'the clear choice based on the overall strength of its bid.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW It said Weihai Shipyards has built vessels for Canada's Marine Atlantic ferry company and other operators such as Corsica Linea and Brittany Ferries of France. Canada and China are engaged in a trade dispute, with Beijing imposing retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola and meal, peas and seafood after Ottawa slapped levies on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel and aluminum. Jimenez said Tuesday that there are currently no tariffs associated with the import of vessels of this type into Canada and tariff disputes didn't factor into the decision. The publicly funded BC Ferries is not releasing the value of the contract, other than Jimenez saying it fits within the budget approved by the BC Ferries Commissioner earlier this year. He said releasing the deal before the project is complete could put future procurements at risk. 'To protect BC Ferries and our customers, we've structured the contract in a way that reduces our risk while increasing shipyard accountability. Most of the payment is tied to delivery, and that means the shipyard doesn't get fully paid until the vessels are delivered and meet the rigorous standards that we've laid out in the contract,' he said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'There are also measures like refund guarantees and fixed price terms that will further protect BC Ferries and our customers.' BC Ferries' head of fleet renewal, Ed Hooper, said no Canadian companies bid on the ships that will carry about 52 per cent more passengers and 24 per cent more vehicles than the ferries they are replacing. When the request for proposals was issued last September, Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan said in a statement that 'Canadian shipyards and their supply chains cannot compete with low-wage countries that have lower employment standards, lower environmental standards and lower safety standards than Canada and B.C.' Seaspan said in a statement Tuesday that it was currently building ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard at its North Vancouver shipyard. 'We look forward to exploring how this capability can be leveraged to build future B.C. ferries here at home, and therefore generate the strategic industrial and significant socio-economic benefits associated with capital projects of this nature for British Columbians.' Jimenez said 60 per cent of the world's ships are built in China, and BC Ferries did due diligence to make sure it understood the 'technical and delivery and country risks associated with making this decision.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Hooper said the procurement process included teams of experts to evaluate bids from around the world on 30 different criteria and the top bidders were also visited in person. BC Ferries said it will have its own team of experts on-site at the shipyard throughout construction to provide oversight and quality assurance. In a statement, the Opposition BC Conservatives accused Premier David Eby of 'abandoning Canadian workers' by awarding a 'multibillion-dollar' contract to a Chinese state-owned enterprise. B.C.'s aging fleet of ferries has faced lengthy, and costly, sailing delays and breakdowns in recent years. Last year, the 61-year-old Queen of New Westminster was out of service for nearly 200 days after a mechanical failure, which Jimenez said cost $5.5 million in unplanned repairs and $8.5 million in lost revenue. 'Replacing the ships now ensures that we're set up to avoid service disruptions that are going to impact communities up and down our coast,' he said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Along with the Queen of New Westminster, the Queen of Cowichan, Queen of Alberni and Queen of Coquitlam are also being replaced. Those ships all turn 50 next year. BC Ferries had hoped to buy five new vessels and bring its fleet size from 10 to 11 but earlier this year the provincial regulator rejected the pitch, saying a fifth ferry 'is not in the public interest' as it is 'not essential for safe and reliable service and is not fiscally prudent.' The parent company of China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards is China Merchants Industry Holdings. The conglomerate's website describes it as a 'centrally administrated state-owned' enterprise with more than a 100 years of history, making it one of the oldest 'Chinese-funded enterprises' in existence. The website says the company is based in Hong Kong and operates nine major shipyards across the Chinese coast as well as overseas subsidiaries and agencies in countries such as Finland and Germany. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: Trump's tariffs remain in effect, Canadians critical of Israel
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Trump's tariffs to stay in effect amid appeal A federal appeals court agreed on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs will remain in place while a case is heard — extending an emergency stay granted after a lower court found the devastating duties unlawful. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found 'a stay is warranted under the circumstances.' It provides a temporary victory for the Trump administration as it hits its first legal barriers for realigning global trade. 'The Trump administration is legally using the powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address our country's national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking,' said White House spokesman Kush Desai in an emailed statement Tuesday. 'The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' stay order is a welcome development, and we look forward to ultimately prevailing in court.' Poll suggests Canadians critical of Israel A new poll suggests that nearly half of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza almost two years after the current conflict began. In a survey conducted last weekend, the polling firm Leger asked Canadians and Americans a series of questions about the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The polling comes as the federal government is under pressure to take concrete steps to condemn Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Leger asked respondents whether they 'agree or disagree that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip' based on how they 'define what constitutes a genocide.' Feds look to boost weak summer jobs market The federal government is moving to shore up a historically weak summer job market for students — even as one economist argues tough employment prospects for young people suggest broader softness in the job market. Statistics Canada shone a light on the difficult employment prospects for students heading back to school this fall in its May jobs report last Friday. Roughly one in five returning students aged 15 to 24 was unemployed in May, the agency said. The last time the jobless rate for students was this high outside the pandemic was in May 2009. Also on Friday, the federal government announced an expansion of the Canada Summer Jobs program, which offers wage subsidies to businesses hiring young people for seasonal work. Concern in Canada after U.S. vaccine panel fired Canadian doctors and scientists say Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s firing of an immunization advisory committee south of the border is worrisome. On Monday, the U.S. health and human services secretary — a longtime anti-vaccine advocate — said he will appoint new members to the scientific group that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccination. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, said Tuesday that the move will foster more false anti-vaccine beliefs, not only in the U.S. but also in Canada. 'It creates a culture in which anti-vaxx beliefs are more accepted and challenged a lot less. And also it creates an environment where there's an alternative to an evidence-based recommendation framework,' she said. N.S. miners strike a century ago still resonates During Nova Scotia's storied 300-year history of coal mining, one deadly riot in 1925 proved to be pivotal for workers' rights in Canada. One hundred years ago today, William Davis — a 37-year-old Cape Breton coal miner and father of nine — was shot to death by a special constable hired by the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO) — a monopoly mine owner that had repeatedly turned to violence to end strikes over poor wages and unsafe working conditions. 'William Davis's story highlights the many sacrifices that those unionized workers made when they stood up against oppression,' says Danny Cavanaugh, president of the 70,000-member Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. 'It serves as a reminder of a historic struggle that workers faced to secure their rights.' Davis's death on the outskirts of New Waterford, N.S., commemorated every year in Nova Scotia on June 11, was the painful culmination of a long series of strikes and chaotic skirmishes. CRTC holds hearing on internet choice Canada's telecommunications regulator is expected to hear today from major providers and consumer advocacy groups at a hearing on shopping for internet services. Wednesday marks Day 2 of the four-day hearing, which is part of a CRTC consultation launched in December on how to help consumers shop for home internet plans following complaints it was difficult to compare their options. The regulator is considering a requirement for providers to display relevant information — such as price and speed — through a standardized label, similar to nutrition labels on food products that contain serving size and calorie data. The Canadian Telecommunications Association industry group, along with Telus Corp., Bell Canada and internet accessibility advocacy group OpenMedia are scheduled to present today. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
U.S. warns Canada is not yet ready to handle F-35 fighter jets
Article content U.S. officials warned that the Canadian military didn't have the proper facilities to house the F-35 stealth fighter jet, forcing a redesign of the buildings and extra costs for Canadian taxpayers, according to a new report by Canada's auditor general. Article content The Americans also highlighted ongoing concerns in Canada's plans to support the arrival of the first planes in 2028. Article content Article content Article content The Liberal government announced in January 2023 it was spending $19 billion to acquire 88 F-35s from the U.S. government. Article content As part of the F-35 program, the Americans have a say on whether hangars and other facilities being built in Canada to house the aircraft are up to their standards. Such a requirement is needed to protect the U.S. technology outfitted on the stealth fighters. Article content But such standards weren't met for the infrastructure originally being built at military bases at Cold Lake, Alta and Bagotville, Que., said the auditor general's report, which was released on June 10. Article content In addition, the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, which oversees the continued operation and sustainment of the F-35, including those in foreign service, noted that Canada wasn't ready to receive the plane because of ongoing issues. Article content 'In June 2024, the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office conducted an assessment of the interim operations plan to determine how ready National Defence was to support the first aircraft arrival in Cold Lake in December 2028,' Auditor General Karen Hogan noted in the report. 'The overall rating for this assessment was 'RED,' meaning that significant issues remained unresolved and required senior leadership action.' Article content Article content Both DND officials and staff at the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office noted additional requirements that were needed, including the redesign of the facilities to handle the jets, the auditor found. Article content Article content That, and other problems dogging Canada's F-35 program, meant that the cost of the project is now $27.7 billion, according to Hogan's report. That is nearly 50 per cent more than originally anticipated, she added. Article content Another $5.5 billion will be needed to achieve full operation capability for the planes, Hogan added. Article content The DND released a statement Tuesday that it accepted Hogan's findings and is working to follow her recommendations to improve the project. Article content Defence Minister David McGuinty blamed the cost overruns on inflation and the pandemic but told journalists Tuesday that Canada is soon to receive its first 16 F-35s. 'We'll be taking possession of those 16 F-35 fighter jets in the next several months,' he added.
