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Ottawa:

After US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing 25 per cent tariffs on almost everything imported from Canada, outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a reminder to Americans that his country has been at their side in the “darkest hours” — be it Iran hostage crisis and war in Afghanistan, or deadly natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the recent California wildfires. 

Addressing Americans directly from a press conference in Ottawa, Trudeau said he had no choice but to impose countermeasures.

“From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you during your darkest hours,” Trudeau said. “We’ve built the most successful economic, military and security partnership the world has ever seen…We’re always there, standing with you.”

Noting that the US and Canada have had differences in the past, Trudeau said that both countries always found a way to get past them. 

“As I’ve said before, if President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together,” Trudeau added.

Canada Hits Back

“Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25 per cent tariffs against Can$155 billion ($106 billion) worth of American goods,” he said in a dramatic tone as he warned of a fracture in longstanding Canada-US ties.

The first round of tariffs would target Can$30 billion worth of US goods on Tuesday followed by further tariffs on Can$125 billion worth of products in three weeks.

“We’re certainly not looking to escalate. But we will stand up for Canada, for Canadians, for Canadian jobs,” Trudeau said.

He said the trade conflict will have “real consequences” for Canadians but also for Americans, who he said will suffer due to their President’s actions.

“Tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities,” the Canadian Prime Minister told US citizens. 

“They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery store and gas at the pump,” he added.

The tariffs will apply to “everyday items” such as American beer, wine and bourbon as well as fruits, vegetables, consumer appliances, lumber and plastics, he added — “with much, much more.”

Trump’s Taxes

US President Donald Trump earlier announced broad tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, citing a threat from illegal immigration and drugs.

Canadian exports to the United States will face a 25 per cent tariff starting Tuesday, although energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10 per cent levy.

The 9,000-km (5,600-mile) U.S.-Canada border handles over $2.5 billion in trade a day, especially in energy and manufacturing, according to Canadian government data from 2023.

In 2023, Canada exported close to C$550 billion worth of goods and services to the U.S., or more than three-fourths of its total exports. Energy accounted for 30 per cent and manufacturing contributed around 15 per cent to exports south of the border.

Exports to the US account for roughly 17.8 per cent of Canadian gross domestic product and more than 2.4 million jobs in Canada.
 

Donald Trump’s verbal threats towards Canada are paying off for one entrepreneur, after the new US president’s belligerent approach gave him an idea.

Liam Mooney, founder of an Ottawa-based design firm, made a hat emblazoned with “Canada is Not for Sale” in response to Trump’s tariff threats and suggestions that Canada become the 51st US state.

The hats gained attention after Ontario Premier Doug Ford wore one during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers in Ottawa last week to discuss Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on imports from Canada.

According to Mooney, tens of thousands of hats have been ordered online since then. 

Mooney told Reuters he designed the hats as a creative rebuttal to President Trump’s rhetoric, aiming to cut through political discourse with a message of nationalism and unity. 

“It’s an opportunity to bring people together from all of civil society, regardless of political persuasion,” Mooney said.       

Tariffs would cripple Canada’s economy and also raise the price of oil and other goods in the United States.

Trump is threatening tariffs at a time of political turmoil in Canada, with Liberal leader Trudeau set to resign in March after nearly a decade in power and the opposition Conservatives leading in the polls ahead of a federal election later this year. 

Mooney said that he and his business partner designed the hats after seeing one of Ford’s recent interviews on Fox News. The host urged the premier to consider annexation, suggesting it would be a “privilege” for Canada to merge with the US

Ford responded that Canada is not for sale.

Trump, speaking via video to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, said he demanded respect from Canada. He has previously addressed Trudeau as “Governor.”

“Our sovereignty is threatened when our dignity is disrespected,” Mooney said. “We have allies and we have friends all around the world who are ready to rise to the call and defend us and join in.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

A young gorilla at a Canadian zoo died after a staff member accidentally crushed its head with a hydraulic door. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on November 12 at the Calgary Zoo in Alberta. Eyare, a 2-year-old western lowland gorilla, was “roaming bedroom to bedroom” with its gorilla mates when a staffer was trying to separate it from the troop for a solo training session, the zoo said in a statement. However, the carer “mistakenly activated the wrong door, resulting in Eyare being struck by the door and sustaining traumatic head injuries,” it added. 

“The gorilla team retrieved Eyare from the troop and the veterinary team immediately commenced lifesaving measures, including CPR. Sadly, Eyare succumbed to her injuries,” said Colleen Baird, the zoo’s director of animal care, per the Post. 

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable. Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents,” Mr Baird added.

Separately, the zoo said that the death “was determined to be an accident caused by human error”.  The staff member involved in the incident was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo, they continued. 

According to authorities, other staff will also face fresh training. The zoo will implement preventive measures – including animal behavioural training – to avoid another incident like this in the future. Moreover, the zoo is also looking at safer alternatives to hydraulic doors “to enhance overall safety and improve staff confidence while reducing safety risks”. 

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Following the incident, Animal Justice, a Canadian nonprofit that advocates for the humane treatment of animals, called for an independent investigation into animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility. “The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” said Camille Labchuk, the nonprofit’s executive director, per CNN. 

However, the Calgary zoo refuted the claim, saying that they adhere to operational standards and have upheld accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home. Animal deaths caused by human error are extraordinarily rare. In the past 10 years, we have experienced two such losses-a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ last week,” a spokesperson for the Calgary Zoo said in a statement to CNN.

“While uncommon, even one human-caused mortality is one too many. These tragic incidents have been used as critical learning opportunities, driving us to review and to strengthen protocols to uphold the highest standards of care,” they added. 

Ottawa:

After the United Kingdom, Canada said it would “abide” by the arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC). “We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. 

“This is just who we are as Canadians,” he added. 

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli premier and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday for “crimes against humanity” committed since the Israel-Hamas war began more than a year ago, triggered by the militant Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack.

A warrant was also issued for Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif.

Earlier on Friday, the British government indicated that Netanyahu could be arrested on the ICC arrest warrant if he travelled to the UK.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law.”

However, he refused to be drawn specifically on whether UK police would detain Netanyahu, telling reporters he would not “get into hypotheticals in relation to individual cases”.

Both the UK and Canada are part of the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance also composed of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Other countries that agreed to follow through with the ICC’s decision include– Belgium, the European Union, France, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Switzerland, and Turkey among others.

Other key Five Eyes member US has, however, called the move ‘outrageous’. “The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

“Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” the statement added. 

However, the warrant was supported by US Senator Bernie Sanders, who took to X and said: “All launched indiscriminate attacks against civilians and caused unimaginable human suffering”.

“If the world does not uphold international law, we will descend into further barbarism,” he added.

Other countries to declare ‘disagreement’ with ICC decisions include– Argentina, Austria, and Hungary, among others. 

Tokyo:

Canada is in discussions about joining an expanded AUKUS deal between the US, Britain, and Australia formed to counter China’s growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

Canada has said it wants to join a second pillar of AUKUS that will collaborate on new military technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, but has not so far revealed any details of those talks.

The military alliance AUKUS stands for Australia, United Kingdom, United States.

“There have been important discussions about processes and platforms on a project-specific basis on where other nations, including Japan and ourselves, might participate,” Blair said in an interview in Tokyo where he met his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara.

“I would respectfully wait until they’ve come to their determination, but I’m very optimistic,” he said.

Blair said he and Kihara discussed AUKUS, which is already considering working with Japan. The initial phase of AUKUS involves the three founding members working on nuclear submarine technology for Australia.

Blair, who was on his first trip to Japan as defence minister, arrived in Tokyo from South Korea, which is also in talks about a role in AUKUS.

Canada is looking for a bigger security role in Asia and has made forging deeper ties with Japan and South Korea a priority. As its defence commitments expand at home and overseas the country is expanding military spending.

“Next year, my defence budget will rise by 27% over this year, and, frankly, in the next three or four years, our defence spending will triple,” Blair said.

He and Kihara also discussed Chinese incursions into Japanese territory that last month prompted Tokyo to lodge protests with Beijing.

Concerns about that Chinese military activity may be discussed at a meeting of the Group of Seven defence ministers in Italy next month, Blair said.

“It’s an important opportunity for us to have a conversation among the G7 partners about some of the activities that are deeply concerning to Japan and to Canada and to the United States and others,” he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ottawa:

In a stunning blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his Liberal Party lost a closely-watched federal by-election on Tuesday to the Conservatives from a longtime Liberal stronghold, prompting opposition leader Pierre Poilievre to demand a snap election.

In a nail-biting finish, Conservative candidate Don Stewart won the Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s by defeating Liberal Party’s Leslie Church by 590 votes. The contest also featured Amrit Parhar, an Indian-origin candidate from the New Democratic Party.

Toronto-St. Paul’s is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario province. The Liberal Party had held Toronto-St Paul’s since 1993. It is one of 338 seats in the House of Commons.

Stewart’s victory over Church is shocking because the seat has been held by the Liberals for more than 30 years, Canadian media commented.

Before Monday, the seat was held by the Liberals for 10 successive elections. Former MP Carolyn Bennett — whose appointment as ambassador to Denmark triggered the byelection — had been the local representative for over 25 years.

“Thank you, Toronto-St. Paul’s! I am beyond humbled for the trust you have put in me and I will never take it for granted. I promise to be YOUR voice on Parliament Hill,” Stewart posted on X.

His rival, Church in her remarks after she lost the race, noted that the Liberals have got 16 months until the next election. “I plan to be the Liberal candidate in St. Paul’s. We start working to earn back the trust of voters…,” she posted on X.

“Congratulations to Don Stewart on a well run campaign. We look forward to the rematch,” she wrote.

According to the preliminary results, Stewart won 42.1 per cent of the vote with 15,555 votes cast for him, while Church received 40.5 per cent of the vote, with 14,965 ballots cast for her. The NDP candidate Parhar came a distant third with 10.9 per cent of the votes. Christian Cullis, who ran for the Green Party, received 2.9 per cent of the votes.

Losing the historic stronghold is likely to pile pressure on Prime Minister Trudeau, Global News reported.

“The Liberals’ poor showing in a stronghold like this could prompt some soul-searching for Trudeau, who has seen his popularity plummet as inflation, the cost of living crisis, high home prices and surging immigration levels drive voter discontent,” CBC News commented.

This Conservative upset is likely to lead to some anxiety in the Liberal caucus because such a dramatic vote swing could put other supposedly “safe” seats in play for the Conservatives in the next general election, expected to be in 2025, it said.

Conservative Leader Poilievre demanded Prime Minister Trudeau call a snap election after what he described as a “shocking upset” on social media Tuesday.

“Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax election now,” Poilievre wrote on X.

Voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s told CBC News throughout the campaign that the government’s handling of the housing crisis, inflation and the Israel-Hamas conflict were sore spots.

But it wasn’t just about the issues – several voters expressed a desire for change and fatigue with Trudeau.

Even past and present Liberal supporters told CBC News Trudeau should resign as leader if the party loses this one-time ruby-red Liberal seat.

Trudeau, whose allegations in September last year of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of a Sikh terrorist in Canada caused a severe strain in Ottawa’s relations with New Delhi, has given no indication he’s stepping down.

The 52-year-old prime minister has repeatedly said he will lead the Liberal Party into the federal election that is expected sometime next year.

Meanwhile, national polling shows Trudeau’s Liberal Party struggling to attract and retain support, with Conservative support growing.  A poll conducted by Ipsos for Global News suggested Trudeau’s waning popularity appears to be “dragging” the Liberals’ fortunes down.

A majority of voters (68 per cent) want him to step down, with Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker describing the numbers as “close to rock bottom,” while Conservative Leader Poilievre, 45, is gaining ground.

That poll put the Conservatives at 42 per cent of the decided vote, with the Liberals at 24 per cent. Almost half – 44 per cent – said they felt Conservative Leader Poilievre would make the best prime minister, while 75 per cent of Canadians want another party to take government from the Liberals.

Just 25 per cent think the Liberals “deserve reelection,” Global News reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed in a “suspicious” fire which destroyed their home last week in Canada’s Ontario province, according to police.

A fire engulfed a home at the Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive area of Brampton on March 7, a press release by the Peel Police said on Friday.

After the blaze was put out, investigators located what was believed to be human remains within the gutted house, but the number of people killed couldn’t be ascertained at the time.

The charred remains were on Friday identified as those of three family members: 51-year-old Rajiv Warikoo; his wife, 47-year-old Shilpa Kotha; and their 16-year-old daughter, Mahek Warikoo.

Toronto police confirmed to CBC Toronto that Rajiv was a member of the force’s auxiliary programme, their volunteer officer programme. He ended his duties in 2016.

Rajiv’s LinkedIn profile said he worked with the Ontario Government – Ministry of Health.

Police said that they resided at the address before the fire.

Peel police Constable Taryn Young on Friday said the fire had been deemed suspicious, the CTV news channel reported.

“At this time, we are investigating this with our homicide bureau, and we are deeming this as suspicious as the Ontario Fire Marshal has deemed that this fire was not accidental,” Ms. Young said.

During a search of the property after the fire had been brought under control, investigators discovered what they believed to be human remains. Damage to the home was so extensive they couldn’t say at the time how many people may have been inside during the fire, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The deceased family’s neighbour, Kenneth Yousaf, said that the family had lived on the street for about 15 years, and he never noticed any problems with them.

Mr. Yousaf said he was alerted to the fire last week by a family member, who heard a big “bang.”

“When we came out, the house was on fire. So sad. Within a few hours, everything was down to the ground,” Mr. Yousaf said.

In a press release, police said they are continuing to investigate the deaths of the three family members and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“The circumstances surrounding the house fire remains the focus of an active investigation, and anyone with information or video footage (dashcam or otherwise) is urged to contact Homicide detectives,” police said.

Montreal:

Facing grueling conditions worthy of a Dantean hell, up against soaring walls of blistering flames, thousands of firefighters mobilized throughout the Canadian summer. They came out exhausted and worried for the future.

Four of them described to AFP their experiences as this record-breaking wildfire season comes to a close.

– ‘Crazy’ summer –

Isabelle Boucher, 26, spent the entire “crazy” summer in the Canadian wilds working 12-hour days.

“I didn’t see anything, I didn’t do anything. I just worked,” the firefighter said.

Standing just five feet tall (1.5 meters), the new recruit was deployed to beat back intense fires that flared across Quebec.

While not worried about her physical health, Boucher admitted to being mentally exhausted.

She is not alone: this year’s wildfire season has weighed heavily on the morale of all firefighters, she said.

“The future is scary,” she added, eager for a break.

– ‘Huge tinderbox’ –

At 21, Alfred James (AJ) Lawrance is already a somewhat seasoned firefighter. He too admitted to feeling exhausted, “desperate for a break after working nonstop through the summer.”

He deployed in the Northwest Territories, notably to fight fires advancing on Yellowknife in the far north, a city that had to be evacuated in August.

“The lack of rain this summer made things extremely difficult and transformed all the vegetation into a huge tinderbox,” he said.

An avid outdoorsman, he said he sometimes felt helpless. “It’s hard to see friends’ houses and cabins destroyed and not be able to do anything because the fire is too extreme.”

A forestry student, he worries about the future: “As summers get hotter and it rains less and less, fires move closer to communities and cities. It’s a huge threat.”

– A bigger, badder new ‘normal’ –

Firefighter Kara Galbraith, 29, said her job was very much like an organized sport, with huge emphasis on teamwork, physical fitness and a common goal.

A former rugby player from British Columbia, a western province hard hit by fires, she is an almost 10-year veteran of the local forest fire service.

Galbraith began firefighting to pay for schooling but fell in love with the job and stuck with it. Through most of the summer, she was on the front lines leading a team of 18 firefighters.

She said her university background in geomatics — collecting and interpreting data about the earth’s surface — “helps me map fires and give crews situational awareness.”

After years battling blazes, Galbraith said the increasing intensity and number of wildfires is becoming the new normal.

The fire season is starting earlier and lasting longer each year, she said, beginning as soon as the snow melts and stretching through October.

“That’s a really long fire season,” Galbraith said, adding that it is wearing down firefighters, whose numbers have been recognized as too few to meet needs.

– ‘Never again’ –

Luc Boutin, at 60, is among Canada’s oldest volunteer firefighters, with nearly 30 years experience. He told AFP he’s never seen it this bad, adding, “We’re really scared.”

A pulp mill worker by day in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec, he is new to wildfires, having trained in dealing with house fires.

In his small town nestled in the heart of the boreal forest, he said, “the fire came very close to the pulp mill.” 

“It was a wall of flames. I was scared.”

“I hope I never experience that again,” Boutin added, explaining that “there were mornings where you couldn’t see a few feet in front of you because the smoke was so thick.”

Although wary of a repeat next summer, he recalled fondly the incredible solidarity that developed among the firefighters with whom he shared barracks for three weeks.

And, Boutin added, “peoples’ recognition of our hard work warmed the heart.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Biden administration will likely try to stay out of the diplomatic dispute between Canada and India as much it can, aiming not to disrupt the progress it’s made in its relationship with PM Narendra Modi’s government, the founder of political strategy firm Signum Global Advisors says. “We’re doing everything we can to engage with India to try to help outcompete China, and I don’t think the United States is going to get too involved” in the dispute, Signum Chairman Charles Myers said on BNN Bloomberg Television. Myers, former vice chairman at Evercore, is a longtime Democratic Party donor who has raised money for Biden.

Canada and India relations have been strained over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week there’s “credible” evidence that links the Indian government to the murder of Nijjar. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday urged India to work with Canada in its investigation in the case. “We want to see accountability, and it’s important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result,” he said.

But US and other allies have stopped short of taking any specific retaliatory measures, such as expelling Indian diplomats.

The Indian government, which denied involvement in the killing, has designated Nijjar as a Khalistani terrorist and criticized Trudeau’s government for not doing more to combat “anti-India activities” within the Indian diaspora in Canada.

Canada kicked out a senior Indian diplomat from the country, and India retaliated in a tit-for-tat move. India has suspended visa applications for Canadians, a measure that will choke off business and leisure travel from Canada if it’s kept in place for long.

“For Prime Minister Trudeau to even make these allegations public, he has to have very good intel and evidence, given how serious the allegation is,” said Myers. “If true, it is an example of state-sponsored terrorism on Canadian soil.”

Even so, the US is “going to try to stay out of this,” he said.