It’s Monday, August 17. Here are the top stories we’re following today.
Carney dodges questions on U.S. trade talks but says he’ll speak to Trump before tariff deadline
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Canada braces for a 50 per-cent tariff set to hit $29 billion worth of Canadian goods in less than two days. But during a press conference in St. John’s, N.L. on Monday, Carney would not say what a good deal for Canada would look like and described the negotiations with the Americans as very intense and delicate.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with employees at Rio Tinto, a major aluminum smelter in Saguenay Thursday August 6, 2026.
‘Tense’ negotiations result in non-binding Churchill Falls deal that includes massive expansion
Quebec, Newfoundland and Ottawa announced a deal Monday that would see a massive redevelopment and expansion of the Churchill Falls hydroelectric facility and both provinces set aside a decades-long conflict over electricity prices… for now. “After months of occasionally tense but always positive negotiations, we have achieved a rare win-win-win,” N.L. Premier Wakeham said, calling the original 1969 energy deal between Quebec and his province “one of the darkest chapters” of its past.
Anti-Zionist demonstrators protest at McGill University in Montreal in October 2025.
Opinion: Antisemitism on campuses exists, even if some don’t see it
The recent Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences study reveals two things. First, antisemitism is reported widely among Jewish students. Second, a small subgroup for whom Zionism is unimportant, for some reason, is less likely to notice antisemitism on campus. But Jewish students who do not see antisemitism as a serious problem should not negate the experiences of the majority of those who say it is.
On July 25, Belgian authorities announced the arrest of a “Canadian national of Chinese origin” who was suspected of spying for a third country while working as an intern at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the alliance’s central military headquarters.
House public safety committee to hold special meeting on accused NATO spy
The House of Commons public safety committee will meet Monday to decide whether to investigate potential security screening failures, after a Canadian woman was arrested in Belgium for allegedly spying on NATO. On July 25, Belgian authorities announced the arrest of a “Canadian national of Chinese origin” identified as Biwei “Claire” Zhang, a computer science and systems engineering graduate who’d previously held positions at multiple Canadian federal agencies.
A Canadian history of drinking, fighting and puking in Parliament: Full Comment podcast
Detractors like to say that House of Commons decorum has never been worse than it is today, but don’t be so sure. Charlie Feldman is the author of the new book, “Unparliamentary: Tales from Canada’s Colourful Unparliamentary Past.” He joins Brian Lilley to recount stories of foul-mouthed, rowdy, drunken and altogether misbehaving MPs and senators from Confederation right up to former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s “elbowgate.”
A Canadian and American flag fly along the border at the Detroit River in Windsor.
Most Canadians oppose concessions as response to looming 50% U.S. tariffs: poll
Canada is just days away from 50 per cent tariffs taking effect on hundreds of exports. But Canadians are divided on what Ottawa’s response should be, with 36 per cent of respondents in an Abacus Data poll favouring counter-tariffs, even if they raise prices and risk escalation, compared to 30 per cent who want continued negotiations instead.
