White House says Trump's 25 per cent tariffs coming Saturday

President Donald Trump will implement 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports on Saturday as promised, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.

"I was just with the president in the Oval Office and I can confirm that tomorrow, the Feb. 1 deadline that President Trump put in to place in a statement several weeks ago, continues," Leavitt said. 

Leavitt denied a news report that said the devastating duties might be delayed until March.

Liberal ministers make last-ditch pitch in D.C. to stop Trump tariffs on Canada

A trio of federal cabinet ministers is in Washington today making a last-ditch attempt to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing economically devastating tariffs on Canadian imports.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller are all in the U.S. capital, making a final diplomatic push to convince Republican lawmakers and Trump's team to sway the president.

Trump has signalled he's prepared to slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports as early as Saturday.

Jaime Battiste drops out of running for Liberal leadership

Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste says he is dropping out of the Liberal party leadership race and backing former central banker Mark Carney.

The MP for Sydney—Victoria made the announcement in a statement sent out late Thursday by his campaign.

Battiste was the only Indigenous candidate in the running and sought to put First Nations issues on the agenda during the contest.

He says the best way for him to advance the issues he cares about — reconciliation, the environment and affordability — is by supporting Carney’s leadership bid.

Deadly U.S. mid-air collision no reason to panic about wider safety concerns: expert

The deadly mid-air crash in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night is likely the result of unique air traffic patterns in the area and shouldn't cause wider fears over air safety, says an aviation expert.

John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, said the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has seen rising activity over the years while military aircraft also frequently fly in the area to make it a higher-risk airspace.

NDP leader doubles down on vow to force spring election

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he still plans to force a spring election when Parliament returns at end of March.

He says that before that vote to topple the Liberal government happens, he could work with the governing party for about two months to rush through Parliament relief measures for workers who could be affected by a looming tariff war with the U.S.

Ukrainians worry as their three-year emergency visas are set to expire

Many of the 300,000 Ukrainians who have come to Canada on three-year emergency visas since 2022 face an uncertain future as their temporary resident permits come closer to expiring, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress warned Wednesday.

Congress executive director Ihor Michalchyshyn said he met with Immigration Minister Marc Miller last week to ask his department to automatically renew the visas for another three years.

These industries would be hit hardest by Trump's 25 per cent tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump could be just days away from hitting Canada with punishing tariffs. Here's a look at the industries that would be hit the hardest.

Statistics Canada says the value of Canadian exports to the United States in 2023 exceeded $594 billion. More than 43 per cent of that came from just six industries: oil and gas extraction, oil and gas refining, auto manufacturing, aluminum production and processing, aerospace and crop and animal production.

A 25 per cent tariff applied across the board would increase the cost of those exports by $148.5 billion.

BoC cuts key rate by quarter point to 3% as tariffs threat loom

The Bank of Canada delivered another interest rate cut on Wednesday, reducing its policy rate by a quarter-percentage point to three per cent. But looming U.S. tariffs are weighing on the central bank’s economic outlook.

The cut, the central bank's sixth consecutive one since June, comes as the bank said inflation is sitting around its two per cent target and the economy is picking up speed.

"There are signs economic activity is gaining momentum as past interest rate cuts work their way through the economy," Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said in prepared remarks.

RCMP union recommends better staffing, procurement and collaboration on border

The union representing RCMP members is calling on Canada and the U.S. to make it easier to buy new technology, boost staffing and improve collaboration to deal with security challenges at the Canada-U.S. border.

In a news release published Tuesday, the National Police Federation says it met with Canadian and U.S. police and public safety unions to talk about illegal migration, drug and firearms smuggling and human trafficking.

The union says that the discussions helped it draft a set of recommendations for the Canadian and U.S. governments.