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Canada’s former prime ministers have come together to call for Canadians to show their national pride Saturday for the country’s “flag day,” which will also mark the 60th anniversary of the maple leaf’s debut.
Former prime ministers Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien, Kim Campbell and Joe Clark signed a joint statement encouraging Canadians to celebrate the country’s sovereignty and economic security by flying the flag with pride as “never before.”
Canadian Prime Ministers Clark, Campbell, Chrétien, Martin and Harper call for this 60th Canadian Flag Day on February 15th to show we are true north, strong and free, the best country in the world, worth celebrating and fighting for. The nation unites. Trump can go to hell. pic.twitter.com/pKQPO37dOT
The statement acknowledges a “surge of Canadian pride and patriotism” over the past several weeks in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and the former prime ministers “applaud this national spirit.”
Trump signed executive orders Monday to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. “without exceptions or exemptions” starting March 12.
The U.S. president previously threatened 25-per-cent across-the-board tariffs on all Canadian imports slated for March 4, with the exception of energy, which earns a 10-per-cent carve-out.
“We call on our fellow Canadians to show the flag as never before,” reads the statement.
“The five of us come from different parties. We’ve had our share of battles in the past. But we all agree on one thing: Canada, the true north, strong and free, the best country in the world, is worth celebrating and fighting for,” it continued.
Both Clark and Campbell represented the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada while serving as prime minister whereas Chrétien and Martin were Liberals.
Harper, who held the position until 2015 before being succeeded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, represented the Conservative Party of Canada.
Trump has repeatedly announced his desire for Canada to become a U.S. state, even going as far as to say his administration could make that happen by use of “economic force.”
“Let’s show the world that we are proud of our history and proud of our country,” the statement continued, which urged Canadians to come together to “express their love” for the country and “their determination to defend Canada’s values and independence.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre echoed the joint statement by inviting Canadians to “go out and get yourself a flag, big or small” regardless of your political allegiance and “show our colours” on Saturday.
“With the threat of tariffs and other insults, Canadians are uniting like never before around our pride and love and great country,” he said.
“We’re very proud of this country, we’ll never be the 51st state, we will always be a strong, self-reliant, sovereign country, so let’s show that message by raising the flag,” Poilievre continued.
Canada’s premiers travelled to Washington, D.C. to negotiate with Republican senators, lawmakers and business groups in the hopes of persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to rescind his pledge to impose crippling tariffs on Canadian imports.
The trip marked the first time that all 13 premiers travelled to the U.S. capital simultaneously in what Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called a “charm offensive.”
“The purpose of the trip here is not for us to come down and try to issue ultimatums and things like that,” Kinew told reporters Wednesday. “The purpose of the trip here is diplomacy. It’s the warm and hardy handshake, making the case that the Canadian-American friendship has been the best in the world for decades.”
Trump signed executive orders to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. Monday “without exceptions or exemptions” starting March 12.
The U.S. president previously threatened 25-per-cent across-the-board tariffs on all Canadian imports slated for March 4, with the exception of energy, which earns a 10-per-cent carve-out.
When asked what a successful negotiation in Washington might look like, Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by saying “zero tariffs.”
“What success looks like is zero tariffs. We’re their largest trading partner and their number one customer. I’m not too sure they fully understand the impact on both countries, on both sides of the border,” said Ford, who also serves as chair of Council of the Federation.
“Inflation will happen, interest rates will go up. Plants will be closed on both sides of the border and the more we communicate, the better it is. We’re down here to listen to our U.S. colleagues. We have to make sure that we communicate how important it is to be stronger together. It’s absolutely essential.”
Ford went on to say that in speaking with people in the U.S., including politicians and business leaders, “they all get it,” referring to the damaging nature such tariffs would have.
“So we have to make sure that gets communicated up to President Trump,” he said.
On this issue of supply management for Canada’s dairy industry, Quebec Premier François Legault said emphatically that any changes to the existing agreement were “not negotiable.”
“In Quebec we are against changing the management of the offer. The reason why we have that is to protect our regions. We don’t give subsidies to milk producers, the only thing we do is manage the offer and it’s a way to protect small farms in all the regions,” said Legault. “So for us, it’s not negotiable.”
The Trump administration confirmed that if both rounds of tariffs are implemented, they would be in addition to the duties, meaning a tariff of up to 50 per cent on all Canadian steel and aluminum exported south of the border.
Trump also threatened levying as much as a 100-per-cent tariff on Canada’s auto sector, in addition to the 25-per-cent tariffs now on hold.
“If you look at Canada, Canada has a very big car industry. They stole it from us. They stole it because our people were asleep at the wheel,” said Trump during an interview with Fox News on Monday.
“If we don’t make a deal with Canada, we’re going to put a big tariff on cars. Could be a 50 or 100 per cent because we don’t want their cars. We want to make the cars in Detroit.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith exhibited the most optimism from Wednesday’s negotiations, telling reporters that she thinks Canada’s approach of “diplomacy is working.”
“I think that the fact that we got a 30-day reprieve was because we agreed to work on the cross-border problem of fentanyl,” said Smith. “What I’ve seen from this president is he’s prepared to make a deal.”
She also highlighted the importance of Canada holding a federal election as soon as possible so that it can bring a fresh mandate to the negotiating table.
“I think we can make a deal on steel and aluminum by making very much the same argument that I’ve been making on energy and critical minerals. We’ve won the argument that those raw materials are essential to American success.”
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening as much as a 100-per-cent tariff on Canada’s auto sector, in addition to the threatened 25-per-cent tariffs now on hold.
“If you look at Canada, Canada has a very big car industry. They stole it from us. They stole it because our people were asleep at the wheel,” said Trump during an interview with Fox News Monday.
“If we don’t make a deal with Canada, we’re going to put a big tariff on cars. Could be a 50 or 100 per cent because we don’t want their cars. We want to make the cars in Detroit.”
The two countries have shared an integrated auto sector for decades, with some auto parts crossing the border multiple times during their assembly.
“The North American auto industry has been founded on integration. That’s what makes Canada and North America competitive as an auto manufacturing jurisdiction,” said Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association in a post to X.
Former Prime Minister Lester Pearson signed a deal with then-U.S. President Lyndon Johnson called the Canada-United States Automotive Products Agreement in 1965.
Commonly referred to as the Auto Pact, the deal allowed for the free flow of parts and vehicles between the two countries without tariffs.
The Auto Pact stayed in effect until it was replaced by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, which broadened the arrangement beyond the auto industry to all sectors.
NAFTA would later be replaced by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in 2018, agreed to by Trump. It is slated for re-negotiation in 2026.
The Trudeau government has said it will continue to work with the Trump administration to relay its message of how cross-border tariffs will ultimately hurt both countries.
However, their attempt to reason with the U.S. president may fall on deaf ears.
RCMP Black Hawk - London International Airport - Source: Facebook
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will contribute $50 million for patrol helicopters to beef up the province’s capacity to defend the border amid a tariff dispute with the United States.
The Progressive Conservatives’ border protection plan would see Ontario spend $50 million to purchase two H-135 helicopters to support the Niagara Regional Police and the Windsor Police Service.
The announcement comes in the wake of a months-long effort by Canadian political leaders to deter U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods.
While Ford said that pushback against the Trump administration is needed to protect the province, he emphasized the need for Ontario and Canada to address the concerns President Trump has pointed to concerning fentanyl trafficking.
“You know me, I’d never ever hold back. At the same time, we have to act when it’s the right thing to do for both countries. And protecting our border and making our communities more secure is the right thing to do,” said Ford.
“We need to do more to secure Canada’s border. It’s not only what President Trump has asked us, it’s the right thing to do.”
Ford says the additional helicopters will help expand patrols, security, and enforcement at key border crossings, preventing the illegal flow of migrants and fentanyl.
“This will allow them to patrol our border, two very important border towns, but this gives them the tools they need to enhance operation deterrence and increase patrols and enforcement at two key border crossings so we can detect more illegal activity and put more criminals behind bars,” said Ford.
The PC government would continue Operation Deterrence – a joint plan launched last month between the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP to combat illegal border crossings, drugs and guns.
A Ford government would also support strict mandatory minimums for convicted drug traffickers and landlords who knowingly host drug production, though the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over the criminal law.
In the two weeks since launching an election campaign, the PCs have portrayed themselves as the sole party capable of protecting Ontario from both Trump’s economic threats and criminal organizations importing and producing powerful opioids.
Approximately halfway through the provincial election campaign, the Progressive Conservatives are the only party to release a plan to secure Ontario’s southern border with the United States.
True North reached out to the Ontario Liberals and NDP for comment, though no response was given.
A new Leger poll indicates that the gap between the Conservatives and Liberals would disappear if Mark Carney were to square off against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in a general election.
The Feb. 11 Leger 360 poll shows that if Carney took the reins of the Liberal party, the Liberals would be tied with the Conservatives for support.
The online panel survey found that Pierre Poilievre is in the lead by nine points over the “Trudeau Liberals” in the national polls, a significant change from two weeks prior when Conservatives held an 18-point lead.
The poll included answers from 1,590 voting-age respondents, statistically weighted to represent the demographics of Canada per recent census data, in both English and French as part of a LEO online panel from Feb. 7-10.
For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than 2.46 per cent, 19 times out of 20 for the Canadian sample.
It found that if an election were held today, 40 per cent of Canadians would vote for the Conservative Party of Canada led by Poilievre, while 31 per cent would still vote for the Liberals under Justin Trudeau’s leadership.
When asked who they would vote for if Carney led the Liberal party, Conservatives dropped down to 37 per cent while Liberals met them at 37 per cent as well. The most common demographic to vote for Carney is those aged 55 and up, with 46 per cent saying they would vote Liberal if he’s leader.
Poilievre was most popular among those aged 35-54 with 42 per cent saying they would still vote Conservative if Carney were in charge.
Carney is favoured among Liberal voters to be the new leader of the Liberal party, with 68 per cent backing his leadership and 37 per cent of Canadians supporting him as a leader.
Trudeau’s former deputy prime minister and finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, on the other hand, only holds 12 per cent support from Canadians, and Karina Gould, the government house leader, with only three per cent.
Again, those aged 55 and up were the most likely to want Carney in charge of the Liberals with 46 per cent saying they would vote for him.
In a scenario where Freeland runs the Liberal party, the currently held 31-per-cent support for the party drops to 28 per cent among decided voters. In that scenario, Jagmeet Singh’s NDP party was found to garner 15 per cent support among committed voters.
According to the poll, support for both the NDP and Conservatives drops by three points if Carney wins the leadership race over Freeland.
The gap between who Canadians would trust to manage U.S.-Canada relations also narrowed, with 22 per cent saying they would trust Poilievre to head negotiations and 20 per cent saying they would trust Carney to do so.
For comparison purposes, only nine per cent of Canadians said they would trust Ontario Premier Doug Ford or Trudeau to head the negotiations. Similarly, Freeland garnered six per cent trust from Canadians while Singh clocked in with five per cent.
The Trump tariffs are on voters’ minds while the Liberal Leadership race is underway.
According to the poll, 82 per cent of Canadians are concerned that Trump could use tariffs or trade sanctions to pressure Canada “into a closer union with the U.S.”
Liberals and NDP voters are the most likely to be concerned about this, with 93 per cent and 92 per cent respectively, expressing worry. In comparison, 75 per cent of Conservatives expressed concern about Trump’s use of economic force to merge the countries..
The Liberal leadership contest is set to conclude by Mar. 9.
As the Liberal leadership contest progresses, Mark Carney has emerged as the clear frontrunner and is poised to become the next Prime Minister.
On today’s episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice takes a deep dive into the views and values that would shape a Mark Carney government.
True North senior researcher Cosmin Dzsurdzsa joins the show to discuss his investigative series, ‘Carney’s “Values,”’ which focuses on the ideas presented in Carney’s 2021 book “Value(s)” and how they reveal his vision for Canada’s future.
The University of Waterloo is currently limiting the hiring of several science, technology, engineering and mathematics research chairs to only candidates who “self-identify” as women or another gender minority.
According to the post-secondary school, candidates “are required to identify as a woman or gender equity-seeking group, which is defined to include individuals who self-identify as women, transgender, gender-fluid, non-binary, or Two Spirit people.”
As of Tuesday, the university had six job postings for research chairs. Five of the six job postings require candidates to self-identify as women or gender minorities.
A University of Waterloo spokesperson told True North that the school is part of the Liberal government’s Canada Research Chairs Program, which requires them to address under-representation in four groups designated by the feds. The four groups are women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and members of visible minorities.
The university said that it follows the requirements on self-identification and that any universities in the program are subject to the same regulations, along with fines if they violate the rules.
“Our CRC position postings are specifically designed to attract the most qualified candidates who help us fulfill the research and teaching goals of the university and our duties under the CRC program to meet and exceed federal targets for each of the underrepresented groups,” said the spokesperson.
A recent study from the Aristotle Foundation highlighted that only two per cent of university job ads are merit-based and not DEI. Despite this overwhelming representation of DEI hires, a previous poll highlighted that the majority of Canadians oppose DEI hiring, including 50% of immigrants.
Various private organizations, like Molson Coors and Walmart, have been rolling back DEI policies and hiring in light of public pushback.
The university said that it will continue to hire from under-represented groups to maintain the university’s diversity goals.
The Liberals sent a letter to all institutions participating in the CRCP in 2019. The letter highlighted that the Liberals developed its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan in 2017, which stipulates that universities develop their own DEI plans and meet equity targets by 2019.
Additionally, institutions were required to develop DEI targets to meet by 2029, consider how to recruit LGBTQ individuals better, and collect data on those who are LGBTQ or white.
The University of Alberta recently ditched DEI policies in favour of intellectual freedom.
Forty Canadian professors previously signed a letter calling for the end of DEI in universities.
“These policies disproportionately punish small institutions, are not supported by evidence, employ flawed metrics with no end goal, and are unpopular with the public who funds the research,” the professors wrote.
The University of Waterloo’s current DEI job postings are in the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Mathematics, the Faculty of Science, the Department of Biology, and the Faculty of Health.
Maclean’s ranked the University of Waterloo the most innovative university in Canada for 30 of the last 33 years. It is also ranked third for highest quality among Canadian universities.
President Donald Trump recently signed an Executive Order banning DEI.
“In the private sector, many corporations and universities use DEI as an excuse for biased and unlawful employment practices and illegal admissions preferences, ignoring the fact that DEI’s foundational rhetoric and ideas foster intergroup hostility and authoritarianism,” reads the order. “Billions of dollars are spent annually on DEI, but rather than reducing bias and promoting inclusion, DEI creates and then amplifies prejudicial hostility and exacerbates interpersonal conflict.”
A Canadian international aid group bankrolled by nearly $180 million from Global Affairs Canada since 2015 counts four Liberal party donors in its leadership—including a CEO who once ran for a Liberal nomination under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Plus, reports indicate that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance warning him that his home state of Ohio would feel the impact of tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.
And in an interview with True North, New Blue Ontario Leader Jim Karahalios explained that his provincial party was “the only alternative” in the upcoming provincial election.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Clayton DeMaine!
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is appointing his deputy national security advisor to become Canada’s first fentanyl czar.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Kevin Brosseau will be appointed to the role of fentanyl czar to disrupt the domestic and international fentanyl trade in Canada.
The appointment of the new role combatting the deadly opioid crisis comes after Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement to pause America’s imposition of a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods.
“As Fentanyl Czar, Mr. Brosseau will work closely with U.S. counterparts and law enforcement agencies to accelerate Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade,” reads the PMO’s statement.
Brosseau is a former senior officer for the RCMP, rising up the ranks to become Manitoba’s deputy commissioner of the service in 2016. He left policing in 2019 to become a senior public servant, serving as the assistant deputy minister for Transport Canada and then the associate deputy minister of Fisheries in 2022.
In Oct. 2024, Brosseau was appointed as Trudeau’s deputy national security and intelligence advisor and deputy cabinet secretary for emergency preparedness.
The PMO statement says that in his role as deputy national security and intelligence advisor, Brosseau demonstrated expertise in dealing with organized crime and drug trafficking networks.
“Mr. Brosseau navigated Canada’s most sensitive security challenges. His demonstrated expertise tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks, and other national security threats will bring tremendous value to this position,” said Trudeau.
The choice of Brosseau is a departure from the recommendations of two of Canada’s most vocal premiers on border security.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recommended her Deputy Minister, Paul Wynnyk, a former lieutenant-general who served in the army for 38 years, as border czar. And Ontario Premier Doug Ford also went with a military option, calling on former Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier for the position.
Last week, Trump issued a moratorium on sanctions on Canadian goods after a conversation with Trudeau in which the prime minister touted his government’s $1.3-billion plan to reinforce the border and promised to appoint a fentanyl czar to deal with the crisis.
Je viens d’avoir un appel productif avec le Président Trump. Le Canada met en œuvre notre plan frontalier de 1,3 milliard de dollars — on renforce la frontière avec de nouveaux hélicoptères, de nouvelles technologies, plus de personnel, une coordination accrue avec nos…
