
Proud but with problems: How Canadians feel about their country
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Those respondents who were less proud being Canadian now than a few months ago were asked if their enthusiasm was dampened by the results of April's federal election. The answer was also a strong yes: 74 per cent attributed it to the election, that returned the Liberal Party to government with a new leader promising to tackle Trump's threats.
It's possible to be very proud to be Canadian — particularly when there's another country that suggests you should just pack in this whole Canada thing — but still say there's a lot of problems in the country
Despite enthusiastic pride in being Canadian, respondents were curiously cautious about boasting of Canada's place in the world.
Not even half of all the respondents said Canada is one of the best countries in the world to live in. Only 49 per cent did. Another 20 per cent said Canada has a lot of work to do to be considered one of the best, while 19 per cent said Canada wasn't much better than some others. Four per cent dismissed Canada as not a great place to live.
Enns wondered if those results are a sign of Canada's supposed politeness.

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Winnipeg Free Press
35 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Senate Republicans are in a sprint on Trump's big bill after a weekend of setbacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — After a weekend of setbacks, the Senate will try to sprint ahead Monday on President Donald Trump's big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts despite a series of challenges, including the sudden announcement from one GOP senator that he won't run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts. An all-night session to consider an endless stream of proposed amendments to the package, in what's called a vote-a-rama, was abruptly postponed, and it's now scheduled to launch as soon as the Senate gavels open. With Democrats united against the Republican president's legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it, the voting could take all day. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the 'hardest choices' for Republicans are still to come. His side plans to bring 'amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.' The hours ahead will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of the Congress and are racing against Trump's Fourth of July deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' as it is now formally titled, has consumed the Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. It also said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade. House Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership team has recalled lawmakers back to Washington for voting in the House as soon as Wednesday, if the legislation can first clear the Senate. But the outcome remains uncertain, especially after a weekend of work in the Senate that brought less visible progress on securing enough Republican support, over Democratic opposition, for passage. Senators to watch Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him over his opposition to the package, said he has the same goals as Trump, cutting taxes and spending. But Tillis said this package is a betrayal of the president's promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close. 'We could take the time to get this right,' he thundered. At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — have pushed for steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own warning from Trump. 'Don't go too crazy!' the president posted on social media. 'REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected.' GOP leaders barely secured enough support to muscle the legislation past a procedural Saturday night hurdle in a tense scene. A handful of Republican holdouts revolted, and it took phone calls from Trump and a visit from Vice President JD Vance to keep it on track. As Saturday's vote tally teetered, attention turned to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was surrounded by GOP leaders in intense conversation. She voted 'yes.' Several provisions in the package including a higher tax deduction for native whalers and potential waivers from food stamps or Medicaid changes are being called the 'Polar Payoff' designed for her state. But some were found to be out of compliance with the rules by the Senate parliamentarian. What's in the big bill All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump's 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits that Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide and impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states. Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants. Democrats ready to fight Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process. Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took 16 hours. Then Democratic senators took over Sunday's debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside. 'Reckless and irresponsible,' said Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan. 'A gift to the billionaire class,' said Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. 'Follow what the Bible teaches us: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., as Sunday's debate pushed past midnight. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump's first term are now 'current policy' and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'In my 33 years here in the United States Senate, things have never — never — worked this way,' said Murray, the longest-serving Democrat on the Budget Committee. She said that kind of 'magic math' won't fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books. 'Go back home,' she said, 'and try that game with your constituents.' ___ Associated Press writers Ali Swenson, Fatima Hussein and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Israeli strikes hit 4 school shelters in Gaza after hundreds of families ordered to evacuate
Social Sharing Palestinians in northern Gaza reported one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks after the military issued mass evacuation orders on Monday, while Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration. A day after U.S. President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, there was no sign of fighting letting up. "Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes," said Salah, 60, a father of five from Gaza City. "In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near; on the ground, we see death and we hear explosions." Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of the Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. At least 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which says Palestinian militants embed among civilians. The militant groups deny this. The heavy bombardment followed new evacuation orders to vast areas in the north, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction. The military ordered people there to head south, saying that it planned to fight Hamas militants operating in northern Gaza, including in the heart of Gaza City. Netanyahu's security cabinet to discuss next steps A day after Trump called to "make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu's, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said. In Israel, Netanyahu's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza. On Friday, Israel's military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals. And on Sunday, Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. Aid distribution in Gaza goes 'against every humanitarian principle,' UNICEF specialist says 4 days ago Duration 10:36 UNICEF's Rosalia Bollen says the way aid is being distributed in Gaza is 'unsafe' and 'unfair' and says it has killed hundreds in Gaza. 'Nobody should have to choose between dying of hunger or risk being shot at when you try to get some food,' says the agency's communication specialist. Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks. A Hamas official said that progress depends on Israel changing its position and agreeing to end the war and withdraw from Gaza. Israel says it can end the war only when Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7 2023, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, displacing almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunging the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.


Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
Canada's digital tax revoked following Trump's condemnation
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was halting trade discussions with Canada due to its decision to proceed with a tax on technology companies, which he described as "a direct and blatant attack on our country." In a post on his social media platform, Trump revealed that Canada had informed the U.S. of its commitment to the digital services tax. The tax will affect both Canadian and foreign businesses that interact with online users in Canada and will take effect on Monday. "In light of this egregious tax, we are terminating ALL trade discussions with Canada, effective immediately. We will inform Canada of the tariff they will incur to do business with the United States within the next seven days," Trump stated. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded, indicating that Canada would "continue to engage in these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians. It's all part of the negotiation process." In fact by Sunday night, Canada had rescinded the digital tax in favor of continuing negotiations. This announcement marks the latest twist in the trade conflict that Trump has initiated since beginning his second term in January. Relations with Canada have fluctuated, especially after Trump previously hinted at the possibility of Canada becoming a U.S. state. Carney met with Trump in May at the White House, maintaining a polite yet firm stance. Last week, Trump visited Canada for the G7 summit in Alberta, where Carney mentioned that both countries agreed on a 30-day deadline for trade negotiations. The digital services tax would have imposed a three percent levy on revenue from Canadian users for companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber, and Airbnb, applying retroactively and creating a potential US$2 billion liability for U.S. businesses by the end of the month. Discussions between Canada and the U.S. have also included addressing a range of steep tariffs imposed by Trump on goods from Canada. The Republican president had previously indicated that the U.S. would soon send letters to various countries regarding new tariff rates his administration plans to implement. Trump has already enacted 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, 25 percent tariffs on automobiles, and a 10 percent tax on imports from most countries. He may raise these rates on July 9, following a 90-day negotiation period he initiated. Additionally, Canada and Mexico face individual tariffs of up to 25 percent, which Trump implemented to combat fentanyl smuggling, although certain products remain protected under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement established during Trump's first term.