Canada

Canada is investing $2 million in an economic hub in the ​Philippines backed by the United States ‌and Japan, its trade minister said on Tuesday.

Canadian trade minister Maninder Sidhu said in ​an interview during his visit to ​Manila that the investment will be ⁠for a future project aligned with ​the Luzon Economic Corridor.

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The corridor is a ​key manufacturing hub on the Philippines' largest island, where Japan and the United States have already committed ​to ramp up infrastructure investments under ​a trilateral framework agreement.

• Canada's participation comes a day after ‌the ⁠United States, Japan and the Philippines announced the expansion of the corridor to include seven new partner countries such ​as South ​Korea, Australia, ⁠the United Kingdom and France.
• Sidhu said he spoke with Philippine ​officials and explored possible investments in data centres, ​nuclear ⁠energy and logistics.
• Canada and the Philippines are in the middle of negotiations for ⁠a ​free trade agreement. Sidhu ​said they can conclude talks "in the coming months".

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Opinion piece by Philip Mai, Co-director and Senior Researcher, Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University; and Anatoliy Gruzd, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Privacy-Preserving Digital Technologies, Toronto Metropolitan University.

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The Canadian government has reached an agreement with the social media platform TikTok after years of debate over the app’s data practices, particularly those affecting young users. The deal allows TikTok to continue operating in Canada under tighter oversight rather than facing a shutdown.

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While the new agreement does move towards greater oversight of TikTok, major concerns remain. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China and Chinese national security laws can compel companies to co-operate with state authorities. This underlying risk sits beyond the reach of Canada’s safeguards.

The agreement follows a new national security review that reversed an earlier conclusion pointing toward closure of TikTok’s Canadian operations. Instead of a ban, the federal government has chosen a regulatory approach, one that keeps the app available while imposing legally binding conditions. The deal reduces some risks, but it does not resolve deeper questions about ownership, data flows and national security.

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Under the new rules, TikTok must strengthen its protection of Canadian user data ... TikTok also committed to stronger protections for minors and youth, a key concern driving the government’s review.

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Compared to what existed before, the agreement does move toward greater oversight ... [but] Canadian data can still leave Canada.

Enforcement details are still unclear. The government has said it will appoint an independent monitor, but has not named the monitor, explained how audits will work or detailed what penalties TikTok would face for failing to comply. Without clear consequences, oversight could prove weaker in practice than it appears on paper.

The agreement also stops short of requiring full data localization. Canadian user data does not have to stay entirely within the country. Although technical controls may limit access, data can still move through systems outside Canada. This leaves some exposure to unauthorized access or foreign influence.

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Canada avoided a disruptive ban; TikTok accepted tighter rules to keep operating in a key market. The deal reduces some risks, but it does not resolve deeper questions about ownership, data flows and national security.

Those tensions are likely to resurface as Canada continues to grapple with how to regulate global platforms that play an outsized role in everyday life.

Canada ... is sanctioning an additional 23 individuals and five entities involved in the violations against Ukrainian children. These measures build on the sanctions Canada has already imposed. Canada has sanctioned over 80 individuals and entities for their involvement in violations of the rights of Ukrainian children in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Those sanctioned include Russia’s Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, as well as regional commissioners and other individuals responsible for the unlawful deportation and forcible transfer of children, including their indoctrination and militarization. Sanctioned entities include government-affiliated and other organizations involved in these violations.

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• In the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine, the Russian government has unlawfully deported Ukrainian children to its territory and forcibly transferred others within the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as documented by international bodies, including the International Criminal Court. Thousands of these children remain in Russia, away from their families and communities.

• As co-chair of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Canada is working closely with Ukraine and partner states and organizations to address the issue of the unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia. So far, approximately 2,100 children have been successfully returned, but it is estimated that thousands of them remain in Russia and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

• Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,400 individuals and entities that are complicit in the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and in gross and systematic human rights violations.

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Canada on Monday became the first country outside Europe to sign a convention aimed at setting up a commission that will adjudicate compensation claims against Russia for its war on Ukraine, a step Ottawa said reflects its commitment to holding Moscow accountable for the military assault.

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The convention was signed by 35 European countries and the European Union at a conference in The Hague last December. It is the second of a three-part compensation plan developed under the Council of Europe, a 46-nation human-rights body.

The first part, a Register of Damage for Ukraine, has reportedly received more than 150,000 claims. A third component — a compensation fund to actually pay any awards the commission issues — has yet to be established, with frozen Russian assets the most likely eventual source.

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The Netherlands will be the home of the commission, the country’s foreign minister said in December.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has killed more than 15,000 civilians and injured more than 41,000, displaced millions, and damaged and destroyed civilian property and infrastructure, according to a February report from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

As of December, the World Bank and several other organizations estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine over the next decade would be US$588-billion.

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Lotus hasn’t revealed the exact mix of Eletre specs currently heading across the Pacific, but the brand’s Canada retail site currently only lists three trims based around the same 603 hp (611 PS / 450 kW) powertrain and priced between $119,900 CAD and $139,900 CAD [$87,600 USD and $102,200 USD]. Other countries also get a 905 hp (918 PS / 675 kW) version.

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Lotus isn’t the only company rushing to take advantage of the new trade terms, which Canada’s government originally touted as a way to bring more affordable EVs to the country and help the nation meet its climate goals. Geely is making noises about bringing its own brand, as well as others, such as Zeekr, to Canada. BYD and Chery’s cars have been spied on North American roads, and Tesla is preparing its first batch of Chinese-built Model 3s for Canadian drivers, Drive Tesla Canada reports.

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Initiated by: Emilia Moore from North VANCOUVER, British Columbia

Whereas:

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Call to Action 42 calls upon the federal government to recognize and implement Indigenous justice systems consistent with Treaty and Aboriginal rights, the Constitution Act, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples in Canada continue to face discrimination and overrepresentation in the Canadian justice system

Recognizing Indigenous justice systems would support reconciliation and improving their experiences with the justice system

History:

Open for signature: May 11, 2026

Closed for signature: September 8, 2026

Sign here

Beep bop - I am a bot run by ReannLegge. If there are problems please DM her, she was asked to set this up.

She thinks the relationship with Ottawa can get back on track after a 10-year trainwreck when the only light at the end of the tunnel was a train headed straight for a collision with Alberta.

Smith says Carney told her he wants a “win-win” with Alberta and the premier is very impressed with the prime minister’s attitude.

A newshound asks Smith what she thinks of the push of former premier Jason Kenney and Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan to keep Alberta in Canada.

“I’m with them,” says Smith.

“I’ve been doing that from the beginning.”

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Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the federal government is developing a regulatory framework to protect personal data collected by electric vehicles, as the arrival of Chinese-made EVs in the Canadian market draws mounting scrutiny over surveillance risks.

The disclosure came during a parliamentary hearing in which the Conservative Party of Canada’s Shadow Minister for Industry Raquel Dancho pressed Joly on whether she would be comfortable with the Chinese government accessing personal information from the vehicles.

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Data Concerns

The data security question has been a central flashpoint in Canada’s Chinese EV debate, and one that Dancho has raised consistently.

In March, she called the trade deal “frankly incomprehensible” and flagged surveillance risks in Chinese-made connected vehicles.

Later, the shadow labor minister said the Conservative Party was “hearing loud and clear from security experts” that “Chinese electric vehicles have the capability, for all intents and purposes, of being surveillance vehicles.”

The Conservatives have partly based their opposition to the Chinese EV quota on those risks, with party leader Pierre Poilievre pledging to scrap the deal and ban Chinese-connected vehicle software from those sold in Canada.

Experts who testified at the House of Commons Industry Committee have warned that Chinese EVs often use software that can collect camera, microphone, GPS, and phone data — including when the vehicle is off — and that China’s national security laws could compel companies to transmit that data back to Beijing.

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The hearing also highlighted the broader reversal within the Liberal government on Chinese EVs.

Dancho opened the exchange by reading from the government’s own September 2024 Gazette order — which Joly helped impose as Foreign Affairs Minister — stating that “increasing Chinese EV imports are expected to undermine the growth and development of the Canadian EV industry.”

“I’m reading this and thinking that you’ve made a deal with China that directly undermines the Canadian auto industry,” Dancho told Joly. “So I’m deeply concerned about this. I’m trying to figure out why you aren’t."

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Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne — who as Innovation Minister repeatedly pledged that Canada would “never” serve as a backdoor for Chinese EVs into North America — has since traveled to Beijing to promote deeper economic ties with China after the trade deal he helped design was replaced with the current quota.

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Forced Labor

Dancho also raised forced labor during the hearing, quoting Margaret McCuaig-Johnston from the China Strategic Risks Institute, who testified that Canadians do not want to drive vehicles produced under conditions of modern slavery.

The shadow labor minister then pressed Melanie Joly on why she was allowing 49,000 vehicles into the country that may have been partially made with forced labor.

“First and foremost, what we will do is when it comes to forced labour, we will address that through legislation, period,” Joly said, pointing to the Canada Border Services Agency’s enforcement role.

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The forced labor argument has gained traction following reports of labor abuse at BYD’s factory operations in Brazil and Hungary.

The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association has warned that Chinese automakers benefit from weak or non-existent labor rights that distort competition.

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Millennium Challenge was the name of a $250 million (US) war game, perhaps the most expensive in history, organized in 2002 by United States Joint Forces Command. It was designed to evaluate the new generation of American military technology—weapons, sensors, battlefield systems—in which the United States fought against a Middle Eastern adversary, either Iran or Iraq.

Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper of the Marine Corps was given command of the enemy force. Riper, who, in later interviews, expressed his doubts about the over-reliance on technology, devised an unconventional strategy. This included using low-tech communication methods—like motorcycle couriers and lanterns for signalling—to evade electronic detection. Riper also used waves of cruise missiles to overwhelm the attacking force’s defences. The results were stunning. Riper’s unsophisticated tactics sank sixteen American warships, wiping out the invading fleet, and ending the war game nearly as soon as it started.

But perhaps most surprising was what happened next: Joint Forces Command ordered the game restarted, “refloated” the sunk warships, and placed considerable constraints on Riper’s enemy force. Riper stopped playing the game: he had already won, and the new constraints were, in his eyes, scripted to deliver an American victory.

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. As Donald Trump’s illegal war on Iran grinds into its third month, it’s become obvious few in the Trump administration have heard of Millennium Challenge. Perhaps defence secretary Pete Hegseth shouldn’t have fired all those generals.

That said, the deficiencies of the conflict aren’t limited to the lack of planning, strategy, or clearly articulated goals. Much like the Millennium Challenge demonstrated, advanced military technology doesn’t guarantee an easy victory. Bombastic rhetoric notwithstanding, Iran has proven to be a resilient and innovative adversary. Not only have they managed to close the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping, causing a global economic crisis, they’ve further managed to rain down drones, rockets, and missiles across the Middle East.

A new research tool that tracks cell phone activity has found a 42% drop in visitors from Canada to big metropolitan areas in the US that is much higher than official border-crossing data, suggesting Canadians during the second Trump administration are avoiding US cities in particular.

Researchers from the University of Toronto said the tool showed a “year-over-year median decline of approximately 42% in Canadian visits to US metropolitan areas – significantly higher than official border-crossing data, which showed a roughly 25% decline”.

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Avi Bryant grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood in Vancouver. By the time he was 30, he was well on his way to becoming a millionaire.

He calls his path “sheer luck” — but it’s more nuanced than that. Bryant got lucky, sure, meeting the right kinds of friends and acquaintances (executives at Twitter, for example) at the right times. He also made good business and financial choices, including taking stock options in lieu of some of his pay while at Stripe, that eventually propelled him into the so-called one per cent.

Now, instead of kicking back and sipping martinis with the economic elite, he’s joined a growing chorus of wealthy individuals calling for nations to stop catering to the ultra-rich. In fact, he says, Canada needs to tax the rich more — a lot more.

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