Latest news with #Canada-first
Global News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Manitoba to bolster wildfire-fighting efforts with 3 new water bombers
Manitoba says it's working to help manage wildfires in the future by upgrading the province's fleet of water bombers. Premier Wab Kinew and Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie announced Friday that three new DH Canadair-415 Firefighter aircraft will include safety upgrades, as well as increased water tank capacity and updated navigation systems. 'Water bombers are an integral aircraft for managing and suppressing wildfires, and a fully functioning fleet of aircraft is required to protect Manitoba communities, property and forests from the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires,' Bushie said. 'The investment in these water bombers is a part of our increased investments in firefighting services that will improve safety for Manitoba families, communities and forests for years to come.' 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 The province said the first of the three new bombers is expected join the fleet in 2031, with the others following in 2032. Story continues below advertisement Kinew said the upgrade to the fleet is part of the government's commitment to help firefighters with the tools they need, and is part of a larger investment in firefighting services provincewide over the next few years. 'We're protecting the people of Manitoba, along with their communities, property and valued forests, from the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in a manner that aligns with our Canada-first approach by ensuring these aircrafts are made in Canada,' he said. The Manitoba Conservation and Wildfire Service called the move 'a monumental commitment.' 'These aircraft will bolster the province's fleet of air attack aircraft, which is critical to keeping Manitobans safe as we continue to see increases in wildfire frequency, intensity and season length,' the service's director, Earl Simmons, said.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump ‘resuscitated' Canada's Liberal Party: Stirewalt
(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump's 'antagonistic' relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was enough to invigorate liberals to reject a far more conservative candidate, according to NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt. 'There was a conservative candidate in the upcoming elections in Canada. Pierre Poilievre was sort of a MAGA-ish, Canada-first kind of guy, the kind of person who American Republicans would probably prefer to be in charge,' said Stirewalt. 'But Canadians got so freaked out. They got so rattled by what was going on between Canada and the United States and the threats of trade war that Trump actually managed to resuscitate the Liberal Party in Canada, of which Carney is the leader now.' Trump said Friday that his first call with new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was 'extremely productive' and Carney said talks on a new relationship will begin after the Canadian election next month. Trump tells automakers not to raise prices over tariff: Official The call came as Trump declared a trade war on Canada and threatened to use economic coercion to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, a position that has infuriated Canadians. Trump avoided any mention of that in his social media post. Stirewalt believes Trump 'tipped over' Canadian politics by giving Canadians a 'common enemy' in Trump and U.S. trade policy. Despite the current rocky relationship, Stirewalt says the two countries have a common bond and will likely remain allies. 'Something like two-thirds of the Canadian population lives within a short drive to the U.S. border; we're very closely connected. I assume that in the long run, the strong and healthy and happy friendship between Canada and the United States will be resumed.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C.'s Official Opposition introduces bill to prevent future time changes
Social Sharing Still sleepy from this week's time change? B.C's Official Opposition hopes to make political hay in the sunshine and has introduced a bill that calls for the immediate end to any future time changes in the province. The catch is getting the government to support it. "Let's get this implemented," said John Rustad as he rose in the legislature Thursday to introduce his bill: Interpretation (Uniform Pacific Time Zone) Amendment Act. "Let's end these time changes in British Columbian for people's health." Rustad told the house people in the province are done with twice-yearly time changes, citing consequences such as sleep deprivation, health issues, and car accidents. To drive home the urgency for a change, Rustad's party went further in its argument, saying the change could be part of the "elbows up," Canada-first approach in its trade war with the U.S. "This premier wants to wait for the U.S. before we make a decision about B.C. for B.C.," said Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, during question period. "So, Mr. Speaker, how can the premier claim he is elbows up against becoming the 51st state while allowing the U.S. to dictate how we set our clocks?" WATCH: CBC News explains how 'elbows up' became a Canadian rallying cry: Why Canadians are saying 'Elbows Up' 2 days ago Duration 1:18 It's become a rallying cry against U.S. tariffs. But in hockey-loving Canada, the phrase also evokes memories of one of the game's greatest players: Saskatchewan-born Gordie Howe. Known to many as Mr. Hockey, he also earned the nickname Mr. Elbows. In 2019, more than 223,000 British Columbians voted on whether or not to stop switching clocks, with 93 per cent of participants voting in favour of a move to permanent daylight time. Switching to permanent standard time was not a voting option. The NDP government passed legislation to make the change, but with no firm timeline. Premier David Eby has said the change wouldn't be enacted until B.C.'s American neighbours — including Washington state, Oregon and California — did the same. In response to an inquiry before the time change on March 9, which questioned waiting on the U.S. due to the ongoing trade war, Eby said he would "ponder" expediting it. Rustad's motion doesn't appear to have sparked any urgency from the premier, though. "Trust me, I am as sympathetic as the next guy to kids that have trouble adjusting to time changes or pets or just waking up feeling like you're an hour behind. But in this moment, that is not government's No. 1 priority," he said Thursday. WATCH: CBC News explains the effects of twice-yearly clock changes: How the time change in B.C. affects your health 6 days ago Duration 1:55 While many people are resisting the change to daylight time, CBC reporter Tara Carman found regional differences to staying with one time zone, while SFU psychology professor Myriam Juda says the time change has a big impact on our health. Rustad said if the government supported his bill, it could be passed "in a day" and then quickly enacted. The first reading of the Interpretation (Uniform Pacific Time Zone) Amendment Act was passed in the legislature on Thursday and will now go to second reading.
CBC
10-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
New federal Liberal leader must be ready to defend against U.S. threats, say N.B. MP, prof
Social Sharing When Mark Carney took home the Liberal leadership Sunday night, making him prime minister-designate, Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long took to social media with the message, "Well it looks like I'm back!" Long, who announced two years ago that he wouldn't run in the next election and had pushed for Justin Trudeau to resign as prime minister, said Carney's win changed his mind. The possibility of running again was set in motion, Long said, when Carney called him, shared his vision for the country and asked if Long would reconsider. "To be perfectly blunt and honest, nobody in the previous regime asked me to reconsider," he said, who has already filed papers to run in the riding now called Saint John–Kennebecasis. Carney was elected Sunday night as Liberal Party of Canada leader with 85.9 per cent of the vote. A date hasn't yet been set for him to take office and he has to first be sworn in by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. Long said he thinks Carney was viewed as a security blanket by many in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff and annexation threats. "I mean, the ballot question over the last couple months has changed from, you know, axe the tax, and Canada is broken, to who's best suited and who's best qualified to defend our country," he said. "We are under, I would argue, the greatest threat that this country's ever had to its sovereignty and, you know, to its economy." Long said he thinks Liberals and Conservatives can agree that Carney, a former governor of the Bank of Canada, has the economic experience to defend the country against Trump's threats. Mario Levesque, an associate professor in public policy at Mount Allison University, said he thinks the Liberals chose Carney as leader because he is less associated with Trudeau, unlike two other candidates, MPs Chrystia Freeland and Liberal MP Karina Gould, for example, who both served in Trudeau's cabinet. Levesque said if Carney wants to prove himself against Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre, he will need to continue dissociating himself from the past Liberal government. Levesque said Carney has already started removing himself from the past government, for example, by promising to make changes to the carbon tax. But Levesque said Carney will also need to be seen as having a heart by keeping many social programs in place, and also putting forth a "Canada-first" approach to combat the United States's economic attack. With Carney's Liberal leadership win, Levesque said, Pollievre and the Conservatives also have an uphill battle to keep their current lead. "I think for them, it's trying to identify who the public enemy number one is," he said. "Before, it was the carbon tax and Justin Trudeau. Well, both are gone now. So what's their identity? "The problem with the Conservatives is they did not cultivate another identity outside of those things. So now they're trying to pivot and to attack Carney and his economic credentials." Levesque said his prediction going forward is that after Carney is sworn in as prime minister and names his cabinet, he will call an election later in March. If that happens, Levesque said it would make for an interesting spring with a possible federal election landing at the end of April or early May. "Lots to follow and lots to watch as well, but very, very busy, though," said Levesque.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada's Liberals to select new prime minister as ‘Trump bump' boosts party
Canada is set to get a new prime minister on Sunday, when the ruling Liberal party will select a successor to Justin Trudeau, who resigned in January. The new prime minister will also lead the party into a general election later this year. The government is required to call elections by Oct. 25, but speculation persists that the Liberals could announce an early snap poll as early as next week. The frontrunner is Mark Carney, the one-time head of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, while former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is also a prominent candidate. While Canada's Liberal Party has long languished in the polls, President Donald Trump's non-stop attacks on the US's northern neighbor have caused a dramatic turnaround in the ruling party's prospects. The party has reversed a 20-point polling deficit, a comeback with no comparison in Canada's modern history, one expert told The Washington Post. 'Donald Trump is going to be the uninvited guest in the next Canadian election,' a pollster said, noting that his attacks may well shape who wins the next vote. The Liberals' rise is not only driven by Trump's attacks, The Economist noted, but is also motivated by Trudeau's departure. The Canadian leader's popularity had gradually slumped in recent years, and voters quickly began returning to the Liberals after his resignation. Despite the Liberals' changing fortunes, the Conservatives have consistently maintained a lead in the polls. However, party leader Pierre Poilievre's backing from high-profile Trump allies such as Elon Musk could become a liability for him given the surge of anti-American sentiments that Trump's tariffs and rhetoric have unleashed. 'I think he's going to have to differentiate himself from Mr. Trump, much more than he was planning to. His opponents, of course, will accuse him of being Trump-lite,' an expert on Canadian politics told The New York Times. The party has also had to shift its message on the fly, adopting a 'Canada-first approach' that marks a break from its previous rhetoric that the country is broken. 'Now they have to say: 'Well, it is but we still really love it,'' a Canadian analyst said. Ahead of Canada's elections this year, one of the country's intelligence services has warned of the growing threat of interference from artificial intelligence. China is 'likely' to use AI to 'push narratives favourable to its interests and spread disinformation among Canadian voters,' the Communications Security Establishment Canada warned, noting that Russia or Iran could use 'low-effort cyber or influence operations.' This threat is also likely to grow in coming elections, as hostile actors continue to collect 'billions of data points on democratic politicians, public figures, and citizens' that will allow them to rapidly improve their ability to conduct targeted influence campaigns, the agency warned.
