Liberals considering arming the Coast Guard amid significant pivot towards new security mandate
On the same day Carney announced his plan to accelerate defence spending this year, his office told National Post Monday that the CCG — which currently reports to the minister of fisheries — would shift to the minister of national defence's portfolio.
The move away from the fisheries minister makes it both likely easier for the CCG's budget to be included in Canada's defence spending in the eyes of NATO and is part of Carney's desire to pivot the 63-year-old civilian agency towards a more security-oriented role.
'Canadians elected our new Government on a strong mandate for change — to protect our borders and defend our sovereignty with increased focus and investment. To that end, the Prime Minister will soon initiate the process of moving the Canadian Coast Guard to the leadership of the Minister of National Defence,' PMO spokesperson Emily Williams said in a statement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
22 minutes ago
- Global News
What comes next as Canada Post and union return to bargaining talks?
With talks now resuming between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), many Canadians may be wondering what led to the current state of negotiations and what could happen next — including if there could be further strike action. Wednesday's meeting comes after Canada's largest union of postal workers rejected the Crown corporation's 'best and final offers,' and as federal mediators are set to help the two sides try to reach a deal. Last week, the CUPW said mediators were unavailable 'due to their current involvement in the Air Canada negotiations,' before rescheduling to Aug. 20. Although there is currently no nationwide strike, there is ongoing job action by the CUPW in the form of refusing overtime work. Business owners have said the 'uncertainty' of whether there could be another full strike like what happened late last year has led many to seek alternative delivery options. Story continues below advertisement As for what happens next if the two sides can't reach a deal, CUPW informed members on its website that it is working to reach a deal while noting the possibilities in the event of either a strike or a lockout. 'Another possibility if either party engages in further strike or lock-out actions is the Government intervening again with back-to-work legislation or another section 107 order with binding arbitration,' the union said. 0:47 Canada Post workers reject 'final' contract offers after vote What are the core challenges? The negotiations date back to November 2023, when Canada Post's contract with CUPW was set to expire, and it was one year later in November 2024 that the first strike action began. Story continues below advertisement The union has several key demands, including wage increases, a signing bonus, maintaining a defined benefit pension and job security clauses. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy One of the demands Canada Post has made, which has been a point of contention in the negotiations, is the use of contracted or part-time workers, which the union has argued against and has pushed for savings elsewhere. In a statement, Canada Post said the part-time jobs will create stability and predictability for people looking for flexible work. 'The part-time positions will provide health and pension benefits and scheduled and guaranteed hours (15 to 40 hours of work per week),' a statement from Canada Post says. 'The creation of part-time jobs increases the company's delivery flexibility, especially on weekends, while ensuring that letter carriers are not required to work weekend shifts.' The CUPW said in its own statement that Canada Post wants the part-time workforce to handle weekend delivery, but the union is concerned this could impact job security for full-time workers. 'Under Canada Post's proposal, weekend workers would be scheduled for 15 hours/week, mostly on the weekend, but they could also have shifts throughout the week. Canada Post could add more hours to these workers' schedules in times of high workload,' the CUPW says in the statement. Story continues below advertisement 'Canada Post's proposal would all but eliminate overtime for full-time carriers, as part-timers with 'flexible' schedules would be offered more hours before full-timers were offered overtime.' With the two sides unable to reach an agreement last year, the union of roughly 55,000 workers went on strike. After several weeks on picket lines, then-labour minister Steven MacKinnon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order postal workers back to work while a process to assess the challenges between them was carried out. The CIRB ruled in favour of the proposal, and the strike ended on Dec. 17, 2024. Although workers were ordered to end the strike action at the time, the contract Canada Post had with its employees was extended to May 2025 to allow more time for negotiations. The union and Canada Post were still unable to come to an agreement on a new contract before May 2025, however, and the union issued another strike notice. Canada Post tabled its 'latest and final offers,' to the union, which was rejected, and prompted further negotiations between the company and the union. 6:16 What's next in the Canada Post labour dispute? Canada Post has said the ongoing negotiations and job action have led to millions of dollars lost every day and what it calls an 'existential crisis.' Story continues below advertisement In May, Canada Post reported in 2024 the company saw a loss of $841 million before tax, and marked the seventh straight year of declines, adding the 32-day national strike 'escalated' the 'challenges' faced. Canada Post also said in a statement regarding its offer to the union in May of 2025 that parcel volumes at the company have fallen 65 per cent since the same time last year. A report released in May 2025 from a federal industrial inquiry commission said Canada Post's financial issues make it 'effectively insolvent.'
Vancouver Sun
22 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Alberta minister wants 'illegal immigrants' to be counted in federal targets
OTTAWA — Alberta Immigration Minister Joseph Schow says he wants Ottawa to stop turning a blind eye to illegal immigration in Canada and have an honest conversation about the strain he says it's putting on infrastructure and public services. 'I'm not going to sugarcoat it, we believe there's 500,000 illegal immigrants currently spread across Canada and these individuals are benefitting from taxpayer-funded services.' said Schow. 'The federal government is choosing to disregard this number and that's a real problem.' 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. Schow, who is also Alberta's minister of jobs, economy and trade, is calling on federal officials to account for the estimated number of undocumented migrants in the country when setting next year's immigration targets. 'These illegal migrants must be taken into account, as every province is feeling the pressure of Ottawa's mismanagement of the immigration system,' said Schow. Federal officials have recently acknowledge the need to slow down the rate of immigration after welcoming millions of newcomers in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. An immigration levels plan recently put forward by Ottawa projects a 19 per cent reduction in temporary arrivals and eight per cent drop in permanent resident admissions over the next three years. Prime Minister Mark Carney has also promised to cap Canada's non-permanent resident numbers at below five per cent of the population. Schow says these efforts are likely to fall short of what's needed, with federal officials still flying blind on the question of illegal immigration. 'If they're leaving out this huge chunk of data, how can they set real targets?' said Schow. The exact number of undocumented migrants in Canada is unknown, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada disclosed in a briefing note last year that the number could be as high as 500,000. Some 114,373 irregular border crossers petitioned to stay in Canada between February 2017 and June 2025, according to the federal government. Schow said the lack of hard numbers on illegal immigration is all the more reason for Ottawa to pump the brakes on its intake of migrants. 'The fact that they don't have an exact, or close to exact, number just shows again how badly they've lost control of the system,' said Schow. A recent poll found that 48 per cent of Canadians think mass deportations are necessary to curb the number of people living illegally in the country. Schow wouldn't give an estimate of the number of people living illegally in Alberta but did point out that the province has led the country in both interprovincial migration and overall population growth in recent years. Alberta's population grew by about 200,000 last year and the province has continued to see robust gains into 2025 . Schow said that the demographic weight is crushing the Albertan dream of upward mobility. 'People around the world rightly see us as a beacon of hope and opportunity … and for that exact reason, we have to be mindful that we're growing our population in a way that's strategic.' The office of federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab didn't respond to an email about Schow's comments by press time. Immigration is one of six topics the Alberta government is putting forward to residents as part of the Alberta Next Panel , struck to consider tactics for enhancing the province's sovereignty. One idea under discussion is withholding provincially-funded social services from foreign nationals who haven't been vetted by the province. Schow wouldn't discuss the panel's work but said he supports more provincial control over immigration. 'They've lost the trust of Canadians, and I'm not sure they can get it back, so I'm making the call for the federal government to involve the provinces more when it comes to immigration,' said Schow. National Post rmohamed@ 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 .
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Macron calls Putin ‘an ogre at our doorstep,' doubts Russia will make peace
French President Emmanuel Macron says his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is 'a predator' and 'an ogre at our doorstep,' casting doubt on his willingness to make peace in Ukraine and refrain from future attacks on Europe. The comments, made in an interview with French broadcaster LCI that aired Tuesday, were Macron's harshest so far amid his repeated warnings in recent weeks that Moscow isn't serious about ending its invasion. They also came as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to lay the groundwork for a peace agreement, including what would be a historic meeting between Putin and Putin. That peace deal is expected to include security guarantees for Ukraine, which Macron is leading efforts to draw up alongside European, Canadian and international allies. NATO defence chiefs met Wednesday to discuss what those security guarantees could look like as well as 'the current security situation' in Ukraine. Officials called the meeting, which included Canada's chief of the defence staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, 'a candid discussion.' Story continues below advertisement In the interview, Macron said those security guarantees were essential for the future of not just Ukraine, but the larger European continent. He called Putin a 'destabilizing' force who, by investing so much of Russia's economy into its military since its 2022 invasion, 'will not return to a state of peace.' 'For his own survival, he needs to continue eating,' he said in French. 'So he's a predator, he's an ogre at our doorstep. 'I'm not saying that tomorrow France will be attacked, but it's a threat for the Europeans. We must not be naive.' 5:55 Easy for Putin to 'manipulate' Trump as stance changes on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire: expert Macron's comments were more critical than the ones he gave to NBC News on Monday following his meetings in Washington with Trump, Zelenskyy and other European and NATO leaders. In that interview, the French president said in English that it was important to develop security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a larger peace deal, but warned that more economic pressure on Putin may be needed to get him to end the war for good. Story continues below advertisement 'When I look at the situation and the facts, I don't see President Putin really willing to get to peace now,' he said, 'but perhaps I'm too pessimistic. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'As long as President Putin and his people will consider they can win this war and get a better result by force, they will not negotiate. This is my feeling and my conviction. So it's important to remain united … (and) to remain lucid about the situation.' Macron's pessimism has run counter to Trump's belief that Putin is ready to make peace and wants the war to end. Trump did acknowledge in an interview with Fox News early Tuesday that Putin might not want to make a deal after all, saying, 'We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.' Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly called for an immediate ceasefire at Monday's summit at the White House, a demand Trump dropped after meeting with Putin in Alaska last week. 2:17 German chancellor 'can't imagine' Trump-Zelenskyy-Putin meeting without ceasefire Ukraine and western leaders have accused Putin of dragging out peace negotiations in the hope of capturing more land before any settlement. Story continues below advertisement Attacks on civilian areas in Sumy and Odesa overnight into Wednesday injured 15 people, including a family with three small children, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian strikes also targeted ports and fuel and energy infrastructure, officials said. Zelenskyy and European leaders say the ongoing attacks, including on the same day as the Alaska summit and ongoing negotiations, show Putin isn't serious about peace. 'All of these are demonstrative strikes that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow, the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective,' Zelenskyy wrote on X. Security guarantee talks ongoing, Canada involved Macron told LCI the expectation is to have draft plans for a future security guarantee completed by the beginning of September, before a future meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy and a subsequent trilateral that includes Trump. Story continues below advertisement The French leader said he then wants to have a multilateral meeting that brings in European leaders and sets those security operations in place with agreement from Russia and the U.S. The Kremlin has said it is willing to invite Zelenskyy to Moscow for talks, while Macron has said the summit could happen in Europe and that the Swiss city of Geneva has expressed its willingness to act as host. Putin's travel is limited due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. In both the NBC and French interviews, Macron specifically mentioned Canada among the countries actively participating in security discussions as members of the so-called 'coalition of the willing' of Ukraine allies. A Department of National Defence spokesperson told Global News the Canadian government 'continues to engage closely' with Ukraine and allies 'on how we can best support Ukraine to defend itself and what security guarantees can be provided.' The statement suggested Canada's role in a future security guarantee may continue to be the training of Ukrainian military troops, which has been an active operation since 2015 but accelerated after Russia's invasion. 'Canada's support posture is always calibrated to the current security situation, with the needs of Ukraine at the core,' the spokesperson said. Story continues below advertisement Trump said on Tuesday he had ruled out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said the U.S. might provide air support to European troops. Russia has repeatedly said it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chided efforts to work on security arrangements in Ukraine without Moscow's involvement. 'We cannot agree with the fact that it is now proposed to resolve collective security issues without the Russian Federation. This will not work,' Lavrov said Wednesday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. 'I am sure that in the West, and above all in the United States, they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia. It's a road to nowhere.' — with files from Reuters
