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Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Kahnawake council grand chief walks out of Carney meeting
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo was one of multiple attendees to walk out of a meeting with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney last week, in an event that Diabo characterized as more of a PR stunt than a meaningful consultation. 'I refuse to be a photo op or have Kahnawake be a campaign tool for any foreign governments,' Diabo said. 'I was very, very disappointed with the event overall.' Diabo was one of over 600 members of Indigenous leadership who were in Gatineau last week for a summit concerning Bill C-5, now known as The Building Canada Act. The Act is supposed to facilitate the fast-tracking of certain major infrastructure projects with the intention of strengthening Canada's economy, but many First Nations leaderships have expressed concern that it could come at the expense of Indigenous communities' rights. A lack of meaningful consultation was a major topic before the passing of the Bill, with many Indigenous groups, including the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) arguing that the legislation was being rushed through with little regard for Indigenous input. The summit in Gatineau was pitched as a way for community leaders to have facetime with Carney and voice their concerns, Diabo said, but instead felt like a slap in the face. He waited six-and-a-half hours before an opportunity arose to say anything at the meeting. 'I had got on the mic, stated my displeasure, said that I didn't want my name or Kahnawake's name attached to whatever this was, and I blatantly told him I had better training session engagements than whatever this was,' Diabo said. The structure of the meeting wasn't conducive to meaningful engagement, Diabo said. Attendees sat at large tables with other leadership from similar regions, leading to an environment where it felt like participants talked more amongst themselves than directly to Carney and his cabinet. Tables were to discuss guiding questions in their groups, and then each table was asked to answer just one question per session, for a total of four questions throughout the event. 'We were engaging ourselves and Canadian officials would just hear what we had to say, rather than just dialogue directly with them about it,' Diabo said. It was a completely different structure than he's seen before for these kind of meetings, Diabo said, and he added that it felt insulting. 'It almost felt like we were in some kind of high school thing, where it's like, 'You sit down, you answer these questions, and you answer only when you're called upon, when you're picked, and if you're not picked, you don't have an ability to speak,'' he said. 'It was very disheartening. I'm very disappointed.' While topics like meaningful consultation and economic partnerships were brought up at the summit, Diabo ultimately felt like the prime minister's thoughts on the issues read as performative. 'The consultation stuff they know. We've sent many of these responses to them already with our concerns about how consultation normally is. They're just asking for the same information that I know Kahnawake has already sent numerous times in correspondence with federal entities,' he said. Diabo said that the event featured panellists, including Indigenous panellists, but that all of those panellists seemed to be in favour of the legislation. It felt at odds with the reality of the situation, Diabo said, because while the Indigenous people on the panel looked favourably on the Act, most of the Indigenous people in the room felt strongly opposed to it. 'I don't know if it was a way for them to have their 'token Indians' or whatnot, but I felt kind of speechless about it,' Diabo said. He felt particularly disappointed to see the amount of airtime given to the AFN who were granted time for opening remarks. It's another move that Diabo feels demonstrates how the Canadian government views the AFN as a government, instead of an advocacy organization. He had a particular issue with the AFN national chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who he felt gave Carney too much praise for simply hosting the meeting. 'She said, 'We're all glad that you're our prime minister,' and I had to correct that and say that he's not our prime minister, we're individual sovereign nations, and we don't look at Canada as being our leaders,' he said. 'A lot of the speaking points from AFN were about that.' Diabo was one of several chiefs to walk out of the summit, and Diabo said he's prepared to collaborate with other First Nations leadership in fighting against the legislation. He's already been speaking with leaders from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, who are one of nine First Nations in Ontario launching legal action against the Act, and the MCK will be reviewing their submissions in the filings. 'Who knows, maybe we'll partake in it, or we'll launch our own, those are things we're going to start exploring,' Diabo said. In a written statement to The Eastern Door, Anispiragas Piragasanathara, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), said that meetings will continue between the prime minister and his cabinet as well as Indigenous communities about the Act to ensure its implementation 'proceeds in the spirit of collaboration grounded in meaningful engagement.' They did not address questions concerning the views expressed about the event and the chiefs who walked out of the meeting. eve@ Eve Cable, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
How can Canada fight Trump's tariffs? Take a page from his ‘One Big Beautiful Bill'
Once he signed his aggressive tax and spending strategy aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, President Trump wasted no time ramping up his global tariff war. For Canada, that means facing the potential threat of a 35 per cent levy on top of sectoral tariffs. With Canada exporting more than 70 per cent of its goods to the U.S. and the U.S. exporting just over 17 per cent of its goods to Canada, President Trump knows the math is not in Canada's favour for an extended tariff war. So how can Canada fight back — and win? By diversifying trade, streamlining regulations and cutting taxes. I believe tax cuts, in particular, are extremely important to attract investment, skilled talent and help businesses and the economy grow. Prime Minister Carney is already taking steps to position Canada for a future where the U.S. plays a lesser role in our economy. How Canada is adapting If there is one silver lining in the chaos President Trump has created, it's that Canada and the rest of the world are forging new trade partnerships that do not include the U.S. The result: Canadian exports to the U.S. have decreased from 75.9 per cent in 2024 to 68.3 per cent in May 2025 — their lowest since 1997, excluding COVID — while exports to countries other than the U.S. rose for a third consecutive monthly high in May. This is likely not an outcome President Trump had anticipated and I expect this trend will continue. It's a good development for Canada and the rest of the world. The federal and provincial governments are also working to remove all interprovincial trade barriers. This could boost GDP by between three and eight per cent, lower prices by up to 15 per cent and add up to $200 billion to the national economy. Canada is taking care of business and implemented Bill C-5 to accelerate major projects such as building pipelines and infrastructure for Ontario's Ring of Fire rare earth minerals project. The case for tax reform Focusing on trade and deregulation are important and a great start, but there is a third action Canada needs to take if it wants to succeed in this trade war. And that requires taking a page from the President's landmark budget. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the One Big Beautiful Bill is about stimulating growth and increasing GDP, in part by using tax cuts to incentivize investments in U.S. manufacturing. He argues that a growing economy will offset the growing national debt. I agree. To that end, the new budget extends corporate tax breaks, provides specific tax benefits to spur the building of new manufacturing facilities, and allows 100 per cent tax writeoffs for equipment costs in the first year of purchase versus amortizing these costs over multiple years. All are good for business. For individuals, the budget eliminates tax on overtime and tips — increasing take-home pay and wages. Why would anyone in Canada want to work overtime when it could put you in an even higher tax bracket? It's not worth it. Not taxing overtime wages helps the bottom line of businesses, workers and the economy by improving productivity — a big issue for Canada. If we are going to compete against our biggest trading partner, we need tax reform, and Canada's new one per cent cut for the middle class is not enough. Carney has asked cabinet, the Bank of Canada and Crown corporations to cut spending by billions of dollars over the next three years. The focus of those cuts should be to drive growth as Canadian GDP has been flat for much of the year. Now is the time to lay the foundation for future growth. In a decade, we will look back on 2025 as the year Canada changed — hopefully for the better. If we can negotiate good trade deals around the world, open up trade domestically and become less reliant on the U.S. then that would be a long-lasting benefit for our children and grandchildren. We can't fight tariffs with tariffs, but if we can look at every policy through the lens of improving business and growth — this is how we win.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Carney pledges to uphold Indigenous rights as he meets with Inuit leaders in Inuvik
Efforts to move nation building projects forward faster will not infringe on Indigenous rights or treaties, says Prime Minister Mark Carney. That commitment was made as a day of nation-to-nation talks commenced in Inuvik on July 24. Carney is meeting with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation chair Duane Ningaqsiq Smith. '(I'm) very pleased to be able to convene this meeting with the prime minister,' said Obed. 'Your leadership, and especially in convening this meeting so soon after the election and getting back to work within the ICPC (Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee) space is a real indicator that you are willing to work with Inuit in the process that we have set up with the Government of Canada for now eight years or so. 'We come as Inuit understanding that the Government of Canada will always have priorities, and the Inuit will always have priorities,' Obed added. 'Where we meet in the middle is where we can do the best work and implement our modern treaties ensure that we uphold Inuit rights in this country, and then also just build a better Canada.' Indigenous leaders raised concerns after the federal government pushed Bill C-5, the One Canada Economy Act. Carney said during the July 24 press conference that the act will not violate existing treaty rights. The prime minister said the federal government is working to establish a single point of contact in a major projects office, which he said would be up and running by Labour Day. Ottawa is also appointing an Indigenous Advisory Council that will operate out of the major projects office to ensure treaty rights are upheld. 'For too for too long, the attitude in Ottawa has been, why should a project be done, as opposed to in response to initiatives and requests for projects. How can we help the project to move forward?' Carney said. 'I want to be absolutely clear in this public forum what the (One Canada Economy) act could do and what it doesn't do. Want to be clear up front that the act fully respects treaty rights, including modern treaties, the modern treaties with Inuit treaty organizations. 'It fully respects treaty-based environmental assessment processes. In fact, those will be essential for anything that we move forward,' said Carney. 'Really, what the act does is it creates conditions for the federal government to be more effective and efficient in our part of the of the partnership.' The prime minister also touched on Arctic security, indicating that the federal government needed to hear from local stakeholders as to what infrastructure they desire, but hinted at a potential dual-use port in Tuktoyaktuk. 'The minister of National Defence does not sleep,' he quipped. 'I think we're starting to see the first phase of that reaction — 365-day presence in the Arctic, on land, sea and in the air; $6-billion investment in over-the-horizon radar; an expansion of our physical footprint, including with the potential on dual-use port infrastructure. 'Again, we need to hear from you what you think makes the most sense in that regard, so that we can make the right decisions,' the prime minister added. Carney, Smith and Obed will be continuing discussions throughout the day. Among items on the agenda are the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project, housing issues and the Inuvialut Child First Law. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Three premiers have signed an MOU to build pipelines and break down trade barriers. Here's what it means.
Article content MOUs are not legally binding — but indicate government priorities Article content MOUs are not legally binding documents but more of a signal of what provinces want their government to prioritize and work on, according to Wesley. It also serves as an indicator to other government and industry stakeholders who may share common interests within the MOU, which could potentially lead to more people signing on and turning ideas into reality. Article content 'It's less of a policy document and more of a priority setting or agenda setting document,' Wesley said. Article content From a political perspective, Wesley said the MOU clearly states that the premiers see the ongoing threat of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump as an opportunity to break down trade barriers. Article content 'Good premiers, who are great strategically and good at communications, will seize the opportunity, and to that extent, Alberta is seizing the moment, and they found some willing partners in Ontario that they wouldn't have had before,' Wesley said. Article content Article content All three premiers are calling on the federal government to eliminate barriers like Bill C-69 (Ottawa's impact assessment law for major natural resource projects), the oil and gas emissions cap, the tanker ban, and the net-zero vehicle and electricity mandates. Article content Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said the federal government does not have to repeal anything to accomplish what it wants, pointing to Bill C-5, which allows cabinet members to grant federal approvals for large projects considered to be in the national interest by circumventing existing laws. Article content 'When (the premiers) are calling for their elimination, their repeal, the question it raises is — what is it keeping you from doing right now? We don't have specific proposals,' Wiseman said. Article content Article content At a Wednesday press conference marking the end of the Council of the Federation meetings with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney, Smith said her government is prioritizing several projects it shares agreement on with B.C., listing ammonia, liquid natural gas, electricity interties, and expanding capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline, while waiting for a proponent for a new bitumen pipeline. Article content 'Our priority is to work on those first four projects that I mentioned, and then if we can get to a point where we have a proponent (for a pipeline) and are able to start on that, then we will,' Smith said. Article content On Wednesday, Smith and Yukon Premier Mike Pemberton signed an MOU to 'expand economic co-operation' while at the Council of the Federalation meeting in Ontario. Article content The new agreement would provide Alberta businesses with more opportunities to sell more goods and services in the Yukon, while providing Yukon companies the ability to access Alberta's markets.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Three premiers have signed an MOU to build pipelines and break down trade barriers. Here's what it means.
Article content MOUs are not legally binding documents but more of a signal of what provinces want their government to prioritize and work on, according to Wesley. It also serves as an indicator to other government and industry stakeholders who may share common interests within the MOU, which could potentially lead to more people signing on and turning ideas into reality. Article content 'It's less of a policy document and more of a priority setting or agenda setting document,' Wesley said. Article content From a political perspective, Wesley said the MOU clearly states that the premiers see the ongoing threat of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump as an opportunity to break down trade barriers. Article content 'Good premiers, who are great strategically and good at communications, will seize the opportunity, and to that extent, Alberta is seizing the moment, and they found some willing partners in Ontario that they wouldn't have had before,' Wesley said. Article content Article content All three premiers are calling on the federal government to eliminate barriers like Bill C-69 (Ottawa's impact assessment law for major natural resource projects), the oil and gas emissions cap, the tanker ban, and the net-zero vehicle and electricity mandates. Article content Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said the federal government does not have to repeal anything to accomplish what it wants, pointing to Bill C-5, which allows cabinet members to grant federal approvals for large projects considered to be in the national interest by circumventing existing laws. Article content 'When (the premiers) are calling for their elimination, their repeal, the question it raises is — what is it keeping you from doing right now? We don't have specific proposals,' Wiseman said. Article content Article content At a Wednesday press conference marking the end of the Council of the Federation meetings with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney, Smith said her government is prioritizing several projects it shares agreement on with B.C., listing ammonia, liquid natural gas, electricity interties, and expanding capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline, while waiting for a proponent for a new bitumen pipeline. Article content 'Our priority is to work on those first four projects that I mentioned, and then if we can get to a point where we have a proponent (for a pipeline) and are able to start on that, then we will,' Smith said. Article content On Wednesday, Smith and Yukon Premier Mike Pemberton signed an MOU to 'expand economic co-operation' while at the Council of the Federalation meeting in Ontario. Article content The new agreement would provide Alberta businesses with more opportunities to sell more goods and services in the Yukon, while providing Yukon companies the ability to access Alberta's markets.
