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Mark Carney is the new Liberal leader, replacing Justin Trudeau – National
Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
At a convention that saw crowds in red and white waving mini Canadian flags in Ottawa on Sunday, Carney was announced as the winner and is set to replace Trudeau as prime minister once he is sworn in.
Speaking at the convention, Carney said his guiding principles of governance would be “fiscal responsibility, social justice and international leadership.”
He also thanked his predecessor for being “a fighter for Canada.”
“You have led us through some of the hardest challenges that this nation has ever faced,” Carney said to Trudeau.
All eyes will now be on when he will choose to launch a federal election, with the House of Commons set to return on March 24 and Canada facing what Trudeau described as an “existential crisis” from the U.S. trade war in a speech at the convention.
“Who’s ready to stand up for Canada with me?” Carney asked the crowd, drawing cheers and applause.
He added, “Two months ago, I put up my hand to run for leader because I felt we needed big changes. But big changes, guided by strong Canadian values.”
Carney in his speech made a pitch for unity, saying: “We are strongest when we are one economy, not 13.”
He added, “I know that these are dark days. Dark days brought on by a country we can no longer trust. We are getting over the shock, but let us never forget the lessons. We have to look after ourselves, and we have to look out for each other. We need to pull together in the tough days ahead.”
Mark Carney’s plunge into politics had been rumoured since the summer, when Trudeau acknowledged that he has been speaking with Carney “for years about getting him to join federal politics.”
Talking about the days to come, Carney said he will “put into action our plan to build a stronger economy, to create new trading relationships with reliable trading partners, and to secure our borders.”
![Click to play video: 'Who is Canada’s new prime minister? What you need to know about Mark Carney']()
Carney reiterated that he would roll back two key fiscal policies of the Trudeau government.
“I am a pragmatist above all. So when I see that something’s not working, I’ll change it. My government will immediately eliminate the divisive carbon tax” on consumers, and stop the hike in capital gains tax,” he said.
He added, however, that he would keep Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the United States and any proceeds from those tariffs would be used to support Canadian workers.
“My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect,” he said.
Carney said Donald Trump was trying to weaken Canada’s economy.
“In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win,” he said.
What did Carney say about Poilievre?
Carney drew a contrast between himself and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in his speech.
“There’s someone else who, if he succeeds, will weaken our economy. Pierre Poilievre,” Carney said, as the crowd booed and Carney called Poilievre “a lifelong politician who worships at the altar of the free market despite never having made a payroll himself.”
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“Unlike Pierre Poilievre, I’ve actually worked in the private sector. I know how the world works, and I know how it can be made to work better for all of us.”
He added, “Trump thinks he can weaken us with his plan to divide and conquer. Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered. Because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.”
![Click to play video: '‘Elbows up’: Trudeau warns Canada of ‘existential’ threat from U.S. in final speech as PM']()
When he is sworn in, Carney will be the first prime minister since John Turner in 1984 to not be a member of Parliament. Incidentally, Turner stepped in to replace Trudeau’s father Pierre Trudeau.
Trudeau said last week he does not intend to be a caretaker prime minister.
Born in Fort Smith, N.W.T., and raised in Edmonton, Carney earned an undergraduate economics degree from Harvard University and followed that up with master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University.
Four contenders were in the race to replace Justin Trudeau for the top job in the party and as prime minister of Canada. Carney finished in first place 85.9 per cent of the vote, followed by former finance minister Chrystia Freeland in second place, former cabinet minister Karina Gould in third place and businessman Frank Baylis coming in fourth.
Speculation is swirling in Ottawa that the new leader could replace Trudeau as prime minister within a matter of days and then within weeks call an early election.
Justin Trudeau was introduced on stage by his daughter.
“I’m looking forward to seeing more of him at home and less of him online,” said Ella-Grace Trudeau in a speech to the convention. “Dad, I’m so proud of you.”
![Click to play video: 'Former PM Jean Chrétien ‘very confident’ in Mark Carney after Liberal leadership win']()
“Being prime minister of this country has been the honour of my life,” Trudeau said, adding he was looking forward to the next chapter and being with his family.
“Liberals are dedicated to making this country even better not because we think it’s broken but because we have an opportunity and therefore a responsibility to make sure that Canada stays the best country on earth.” Trudeau said.
Reflecting on his time in office, Trudeau said, “These past 10 years have been challenging. Crisis after crisis have been thrown at Canadians. But through every crisis, Canadians have shown who they are … every single time, we’ve emerged stronger.”
He also warned of the “existential crisis” Canada faces from the United States, where U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants Canada to become the 51st state.
“We are a country that will be diplomatic when we can, but fight when we must – elbows up!” Trudeau said, drawing chants and cheers of “elbows up!” from the crowd.
The phrase, which is a hockey term for being ready to defend yourself when a game is getting rough or unruly, has become a rallying cry for many Canadians as the country readies for a trade war with the U.S.
![Click to play video: '‘Dad, I’m so proud of you’: Trudeau’s daughter Ella-Grace offers emotional tribute to father’s time as PM']()
‘Stop this nonsense’: Chretien to Trump
Former prime minister Jean Chretien, who also addressed the convention, said Canada’s relationship with the U.S. was “falling apart before our eyes and is becoming something that is difficult to name.”
However, he said Canada was ready for the challenge.
“In Canada, our elbows are up. We’re working together to unite to deal with this threat, the threat to our economy and our sovereignty. In other words, our very existence as a country,” Chretien said.
In his speech, Chretien directly addressed Trump.
“From one old guy to another old guy: stop this nonsense,” Chretien said to Trump. “Canada will never join the United States.”
He added that Canada could weather the storm of a trade war and threats to its sovereignty.
![Click to play video: 'What Mark Carney’s victory means for Canada’s upcoming federal election']()
“Nobody will starve us into submission. Canada is and will remain the best country in the world. Vive le Canada!”
On Jan. 6, Trudeau said he plans to step down
as Canada’s prime minister and leader of the Liberal party.
Trudeau said he would stay on until a replacement is chosen, while also asking the governor general to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
“Despite best efforts to work through it, Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history,” Trudeau said, speaking in front of his residence in Ottawa.
“That’s why this morning I advised the governor general that we need a new session of Parliament. She has granted this request and the House will now be prorogued until March 24.”
![Click to play video: 'A lookback at Justin Trudeau’s 10-year leadership as Canada’s PM']()
–with files from Canadian Press
Ontario votes: Crombie projected to lose Mississauga race, will stay on as Liberal leader
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie says she will stay on as head of the party even though Global News is projecting she will not get elected to Ontario’s legislature.
Crombie, who took the helm of the party in 2023, lost to Progressive-Conversative candidate Silvia Gualtieri in Mississauga East—Cooksville by just under 1,200 votes, preliminary data shows.
Gualtieri, a financial services professional and long-time Conservative organizer, has sought political office before, most recently running in the 2022 Mississauga municipal election where she finished third in the Ward 2 race. Gualtieri is also the mother-in-law of Brampton mayor Patrick Brown, and the sister of Rudy Cuzzetto, incumbent PC candidate in Mississauga–Lakeshore.
Even though the party is making gains, it has fallen short of becoming the Official Opposition, with that title being retained by Marit Stiles and the Ontario New Democratic Party, Global News projects.
As of 11 p.m., the Liberals were leading or elected in 14 seats, just two above the 12-seat threshold for official party status. Before dissolution, the Liberals had just nine seats in the legislature.
Official party status comes with additional funding and debate rights within the legislature. The party lost such status after the 2018 election when they were decimated after 15 years in government.
Crombie told the crowd at her Thursday night election party that regardless of the result, she is staying on as party leader.
“I know tonight isn’t exactly the result we were looking for, but you should be very, very proud of what we did tonight,” she said.
“People counted us out. They said the Ontario Liberal Party was dead. Tonight, you proved them wrong.”
![Click to play video: 'Ontario election: Doug Ford’s PC party projected to form majority government']()
Stiles’ electoral victory – both in the Toronto riding of Davenport and for the NDP – maintains a somewhat status quo in the legislature with Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives securing another majority government. As of 11 p.m., the NDP were leading or elected in 25 seats. Before dissolution last month, the NDP had 28 seats in the legislature.
The sudden winter campaign was Stiles’ first as leader of the NDP. In 2023, she took over from Andrea Horwath, now mayor of Hamilton. Horwath stepped down after the 2022 race after her party lost a significant number of seats to Ford, who made rare gains after four years in government.
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Meanwhile, Mike Schriener’s Green Party is leading or elected in two ridings. Schriener also secured reelection in Guelph.
“Our job is to hold this government to account, and that is the job that we are going to do with our usual fight and our determination but also with love, hope and optimism,” Stiles told the crowd at her election night gathering.
“You know what? In another few years, we are going to face a rematch, and I’m there for it my friends.”
![Click to play video: 'Ontario election: NDP projected to form official opposition']()
Crombie, the former mayor of Mississauga, announced in January she was running in Mississauga East—Cooksville for the snap election — a riding held by Kaleed Rasheed, a former Progressive-Conservative (PC) minister who left the party in 2023 over a Greenbelt-adjacent scandal.
Crombie has been without a seat in Queen’s Park since her successful leadership bid for the Liberal Party in December 2023. Before her tenure as the city’s top elected official, Crombie was a city councillor and an MP for Mississauga-Streetsville.
Crombie has been hoping to poke a hole in the PC’s stronghold of Mississauga as the party holds five of the six provincial ridings in the city.
She didn’t congratulate Ford during her remarks Thursday, but acknowledged his win.
“Look, voters have given Doug Ford another mandate tonight, smaller but nonetheless. Many of you are asking for a strong voice to hold him accountable as premier, and you can count on me,” Crombie said.
“So I’ll say this tonight: Doug, we’ll be watching. We know Ontario can do so much better.”
![Click to play video: 'Ontario election: Green Party leader Schreiner vows to hold Ford accountable as ‘unofficial official opposition’']()
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats were used by Ford as his primary reason to call the snap election at the end of January. Ford, who has served as premier for nearly seven years, said the threat meant that he needed a new, stronger mandate than the 79 seats he had at dissolution.
Stiles cited the Trump threat in her remarks.
“I congratulate tonight, Premier Ford, on his victory. I really do want to offer him any possible help that we can provide in the face of the threat of Donald Trump,” she said.
“The threat is real, and I deeply believe that we can overcome it with a strong team Ontario and a strong team Canada approach.”
Ford’s early election call did send his opponents scrambling.
While Ford focused on Trump, Crombie’s team put together a campaign with health care at its core, promising to connect everyone in the province with a family doctor.
![Click to play video: 'Ontario election: Moment Doug Ford, PC party campaign HQ watches election call']()
Meanwhile, Stiles and the NDP picked affordability and pledged to introduce a grocery rebate. Schreiner kept his activity to a few seats where his Green Party stood a good chance of expanding its caucus.
At the beginning of the campaign, polling conducted for Global News by Ipsos Global Affairs put Ford in a commanding position with a massive 26-point advantage over both the Liberals and the NDP. That poll had the PCs at 50 per cent, the Liberals at 24, the NDP at 20 and the Greens at six per cent.
Towards the end of the campaign, another poll conducted by Ipsos showed Ford holding onto the lead he had at the start of the campaign.
The poll showed the PCs at 48 per cent and the Liberals at 28 per cent. The NDP were at 16 per cent and the Greens at eight.
— with files from Isaac Callan
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
‘Amongst the trusted’: How private police chat groups blur and breach ethical lines
In August 2021, a Toronto drug case took a dramatic turn when a prosecutor made what the judge called a “highly unusual” request, asking the court to throw out evidence by a key police witness.
It came after defence lawyers had grilled Toronto Police Service Const. Ryan Kotzer over “disparaging comments about black people” in an unofficial 51 Division police chat group.
In another conversation, a different 51 Division officer asked about the pubic hair of a female colleague and whether it was “like a blk chick.”
That vulgarity also found its way into the courts — used to depict the officer who made the comment as racist in a bid to throw out a separate human-trafficking case.
The troubling content of the unofficial Toronto Police Service 51 Division chat groups has been emerging in social media leaks for years.
Screenshots shared with The Canadian Press show officers exchanging pornographic content, rape jokes, complaints about “leftist” judges, and a photo of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s daughters, with one officer commenting, “I know which one I want.”
But it’s never previously been reported how the conversations were used to try to impeach the credibility of police witnesses in at least two cases.
It’s an example of how courts and police forces are being forced to grapple with the consequences of private chat groups among officers. Such chat groups raise legal and ethical questions, blurring lines between public and private behaviour, while revealing — and potentially obscuring — racism, sexism and other misconduct among officers.
Defence lawyer Alonzo Abbey said he was surprised when the Crown prosecutor asked the court to entirely scrap what the judge in the Ontario court of justice called “very problematic” testimony from Kotzer, who had been surveilling the Moss Park homeless encampment in downtown Toronto.
“It was shocking,” said Abbey. “I’ve never seen that before.”
It was clear, the judge ruled, that Kotzer’s evidence against two 20-year-olds accused of possessing fentanyl and a loaded handgun was compromised. The case then collapsed, never making it to trial.
“The fact that these are police officers who are talking like that among themselves in the private chat is very concerning and troubling,” said Abbey, who represented one of the accused.
Privacy and allegations of investigative overreach being used against officers have meanwhile emerged as a key battlefield over unofficial police chats.
In British Columbia, officers in the Nelson Police Department and Coquitlam RCMP have tried to block separate disciplinary probes involving group chats on personal phones.
In one discussion outlined in an RCMP search warrant application, unidentified Coquitlam Mounties were said to believe their private chats would not be exposed because they were “amongst the trusted.”
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It’s a position that reflects critics’ concerns that some group chats are used to improperly keep police matters private.
Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell said police departments across the country are closely watching a court challenge by the officers in Nelson against the seizure of their personal phones “because it could have impacts across Canada.”
Campbell said the new Community Safety and Policing Act in Ontario has similar language to B.C.’s Police Act, “about warrantless search of our members’ personal cellphones.”
He said police group chat material that’s been made public may be “troubling,” but people in regulated professions like policing still have rights to privacy and rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Regarding the 51 Division chats, he said officers are now issued phones by the Toronto Police Service, and “things have changed.”
Kotzer could not be reached for comment. Gary Clewley, a lawyer who has previously represented him, said Kotzer would not want to be interviewed, while declining to help put The Canadian Press in touch with him.
The Toronto Police service and the Toronto Police Association both declined to facilitate an interview with Kotzer.
Former Toronto Police Service officer Firouzeh Zarabi-Majd leaked some of the unofficial 51 Division group chats on social media from 2019, including those of Kotzer.
Zarabi-Majd said she later watched group members leave the chats in real-time after they found out they were “compromised,” and those group chats “no longer exist.”
But officers “still use their own phones to communicate,” she said in a text message. “That’s not going to stop.”
‘THE BUSINESS OF THE PUBLIC’
Aislin Jackson, a lawyer with the BC Civil Liberties Association, said police should not expect privacy if they use off-the-books chat groups.
“It seems to me like none of us can reasonably expect that our communications to any police officer will be private from the police, including the police themselves,” she said.
She said there is “a very real possibility” police use personal phones and encrypted messaging to skirt freedom-of-information or defence disclosure obligations.
If officers in chat groups wanted to conduct “the business of the public” in private, “that does not seem proper to me,” she said, and it was “naive” to expect privacy for remarks revealing misconduct.
In the Coquitlam case, a search warrant application in B.C. provincial court by Sgt. Bryson Yuzyk, an RCMP professional standards officer, describes private chat remarks by Mounties that allegedly include:
— calling a female rookie “disgusting” and “gross” and mocking her weight by “insinuating that the shape of her vagina was visible through her clothing;”
— use of a homophobic slur against black people and calling a fellow RCMP officer who was not in the chat a “turban twister;”
— bragging about “Tasering unarmed black people” and calling an alleged sexual assault victim a “dumb Mexican.”
RCMP constables Ian Solven, Mersad Mesbah and Philip Dick have code of conduct hearings scheduled for Feb. 17 in Surrey, B.C.
They tried to exclude the personal phone evidence from their upcoming code of conduct case, claiming its use violated their Charter rights. An RCMP conduct board rejected the claim last June.
The trio declined to comment for this story, and none of the allegations against them have been proven.
In the case of two former and three current police officers in Nelson in B.C.’s southern Interior, exactly what they said in a WhatsApp chat group hasn’t been made public, although deputy police complaint commissioner Andrea Spindler characterized the chat group as containing “racist and discriminatory type of jokes and commentary.”
She said in an interview that unless the investigation by the Police Complaint Commissioner goes to a public hearing, she couldn’t say whether the chat’s contents would be released.
The officers are petitioning the B.C. Supreme Court over the seizure and search of their personal phones. All say in affidavits they “considered that the WhatsApp group was private and would remain private.”
“I appreciate that the members are making the argument that these are their private thoughts, their private messages,” Spindler said.
“But I think there are societal and community expectations that we have of police officers and by making commentary that is seen to be, if proven, racist or discriminatory, in our view that could amount to discrediting the reputation of the police department and amount to misconduct.”
Christine Joseph, the lawyer acting on behalf of the Nelson Police officers, declined to comment when contacted by The Canadian Press.
Joseph told the Nelson Star in August 2024 that, “any time there is an investigation under the Police Act, officers — whether accused of misconduct or just witnesses — are at risk of having the contents of their personal phones, text and instant messaging, search and call history, photos, social media accounts and the like seized and reviewed by an investigator.”
The Toronto Police Association’s Campbell said he agreed with the Nelson police, that warrantless searches of officers’ personal cellphones are unconstitutional, and proper process needs to be followed to ensure searches are lawful rather than a “fishing expedition.”
He said group chat contents being made public — whether by a whistleblower or through official investigations — could have serious consequences.
“That content, once it’s out in the public realm, defence attorneys will 100 per cent use it to disparage a member in a trial,” he said.
“It’s important because it could have ramifications to real victims, important prosecutions, so we take it very seriously, so we just want proper process.”
Jackson with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said police accountability was of paramount concern.
“(With) the amount of power that the police have to interfere in the lives and even cause harm to members of the public, it’s really important that the police are held to high standards of behaviour and held accountable for any misconduct,” she said.
“Why should the police have any additional protection over and above what an ordinary citizen would have when they’re communicating with police officers?”
Could the U.S. actually make Canada a 51st state? How the process works – National
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state as he proposes to erase the 5,525-mile-long border that separates the two countries. The very notion is ludicrous to Canadians and the hurdles to transforming it into a state are sky high.
But in Trump’s thinking, the traditional Lower 48 states would become the contiguous 50 as the Canadian territory between the U.S. mainland and Alaska disappears, leaving Hawaii as the only non-continental state.
“If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100% certain that they’d become a state,” Trump said recently.
Canada at first reacted as though Trump must be joking, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said flatly his country would never be the 51st state. Trudeau more recently suggested behind closed doors that Trump’s sustained annexation calls may not be just light talk and appear to be “a real thing.”
Here’s what it would take to transform Canada from a nation to a state:
What’s the process for adding a state?
Congress has to approve accepting a new state.
It takes only a House majority, but Senate filibuster rules require a minimum of 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to bring a bill to the floor — an insurmountable threshold for all kinds of key legislation.
The Constitution’s Admissions Clause, Article IV, Section 3, states: “New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.”
Any measure approving a new state that clears Congress would also have to be signed into law by the president. In the case of Canada, Trump has made it clear he would be eager to do so.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally, joked on X when all 50 states certified Trump’s Electoral College victory last month, “They skipped Canada. We’ll fix that next time!”
No major legislation is advancing that would extend an invitation to statehood to America’s northern neighbor.
![Click to play video: 'Trudeau vows ‘not a snowball’s chance in hell’ of Canada becoming 51st US state']()
Doesn’t Canada have a say?
To say that most Canadian leaders aren’t interested in becoming a state would be an understatement. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, head of Canada’s most populous province, has spun out a counteroffer for Trump.
“How about, if we buy Alaska, and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time,” he said, adding of Trump’s suggestion: “It’s not realistic.”
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There have been multiple past pathways to statehood — from the absorption of the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, to Congress formally agreeing to Texas’ request to be annexed as the 28th state.
Most states were added after Congress accepted a petition from some territorial legislative body, which could include legislatures that Congress itself suggested forming as part of the process.
![Click to play video: 'Trump declares new tariffs, repeats threats to annex Canada']()
Canada would probably have to have a referendum to gauge voters’ interests in joining the U.S. before more detailed aspects of the process could begin — and that’s almost certainly a non-starter.
While not addressing Canada as the 51st state directly, polling last year from Gallup and the Pew Research Center shows that Americans overwhelmingly have a positive view of Canada — and that while Canadians view the U.S. more positively than negatively, their view may be a little more muted.
Trump’s threats of tariffs have left Canadians feeling betrayed, and sports fans in Canada have begun voicing their displeasure by booing the U.S. national anthem at NBA and NHL games.
How would adding Canada affect U.S. elections?
Profoundly — and that’s without speculating about whether a majority of Canadians might back Democrats or Republicans for president and in Congress.
If Canada were to join the U.S. — again, a highly unlikely prospect — its population of 41.6 million would make it the largest state, outpacing California’s 39.4 million residents. Canada would get two senators but also 55 House seats based on the average congressional district population following the 2020 U.S. census, which was 761,169 individuals.
That would make Canada the presidential race’s richest prize, with 57 Electoral College delegates — exceeding California’s 54.
The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, meanwhile, caps the number of House seats at 435, meaning that other state delegations would have to shrink to make room for the new Canadian members of the House — and, by extension, its delegates to the Electoral College.
Suddenly, make-or-break swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin would not look so important if there were tens of millions of Canadians waiting to be wooed with a presidential election on the line.
What about other potential new states?
Before Trump took office for his second term, debate around adding State No. 51 traditionally centered around Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth, and its voters have approved statehood in nonbinding referendums. Proposals to allow it become a state have repeatedly been introduced in Congress but not approved.
Washington, D.C., residents have voted in support of statehood and approved a state constitution and proposed boundaries. A bill admitting into the union the city as Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, passed the Democratic-controlled House as recently as 2021 but not the Senate.
![Click to play video: 'Majority of Canadians think less of U.S. amid Trump tariff threat: Ipsos']()
Republicans now control both chambers, meaning they’ll likely oppose adding states that could be majority Democratic like Puerto Rico or D.C.
The nation’s capital gets three Electoral College votes for president under the Constitution’s 23rd Amendment, though it lacks voting representation in Congress. That’s why the Electoral College has 538 total delegates: 435 House members, 100 senators and three for D.C.
When was the last time the United States added a state?
Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, nearly 18 years after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
The island chain about 2,400 miles (3,900 kilometers) from the mainland United States was annexed as a U.S. territory by Congress in 1898. Many bills offering Hawaii statehood were subsequently introduced, but they stalled for decades amid racial discrimination and partisan disagreement.
By the early 1950s, Hawaii leaned Republican, and Democrats opposed its admission to the union without including Alaska, which was seen as more favorable to their party.
Alaska, separated from the mainland U.S. by about 500 miles (800 kilometers) of Canadian territory, was eventually admitted as State No. 49 in January 1959. That opened the door for Congress to approve Hawaii’s statehood that March, and Hawaiians voted to join the union on Aug. 21, 1959.
It turned out that Alaska has backed Republicans in every presidential election except 1964, while Hawaii has voted Democratic every presidential cycle but 1972 and 1984.
Edmonton Elks sign Tyrell Ford and others as club makes big splash on Day 2 of CFL free agency
The Edmonton Elks made a huge splash on the second day of CFL free agency.
Edmonton announced Wednesday that it had signed five veteran CFL players: defensive back Tyrell Ford, defensive linemen Jake Ceresna, Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, and offensive lineman David Beard. Ford, Smith, and Beard are all Canadian.
The moves are significant for a franchise that’s not made the CFL playoffs since 2019. GM Ed Hervey, now in his second stint with the Elks, first served as general manager from 2013 to 2016, winning a Grey Cup in 2015.
Ford reunites with his twin brother, Tre — Edmonton’s starting quarterback — after the two played together at the University of Waterloo. Tyrell Ford had 51 tackles and seven interceptions — one off the league lead — last season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
![Click to play video: 'Tre Ford speaks at news conference after re-signing with the Elks']()
Ceresna returns to Edmonton after helping Toronto win a Grey Cup last season. The six-foot-four 295-pound Ceresna spent four seasons with the Elks (2018, 2021-23) before being dealt to the Argos.
Ceresna was a CFL all-star for the second time last year after finishing in a five-way tie for the league lead in sacks (eight).
Beard also rejoins the Elks following two-plus seasons with Hamilton. The native Albertan spent his first seven CFL campaigns with Edmonton (2015-19, 21-22), winning a Grey Cup as a rookie, before being traded to the Tiger-Cats in September 2022.
![Click to play video: 'Edmonton Elks hosting Fan Appreciation Night']()
Smith heads to Edmonton following five seasons in Toronto. The six-foot-one, 245-pound Brampton, Ont., native’s blocked field goal preserved the Argos’ 2022 Grey Cup win over Winnipeg and he’s recorded 126 tackles and 20 sacks over 72 career CFL contests.
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Brinkman recorded 31 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble in 22 regular-season games over three seasons with Toronto.
Prolific receivers Kenny Lawler and Eugene Lewis also changed uniforms Wednesday. The veteran players signed two-year deals with Hamilton and the Ottawa Redblacks, respectively.
![Click to play video: 'Edmonton Elks player Eugene Lewis says recent trip to Africa changed his life']()
Lawler, 30, joins the Ticats following CFL stints with Winnipeg (2019, 2021, 2023-24) and Edmonton (2022). Last season, Lawler had 41 catches for 662 yards and four touchdowns as the Blue Bombers made a fifth straight Grey Cup appearance.
Lawler also helped Winnipeg capture CFL championship wins over Hamilton in 2019 and ’21 The six-foot-one, 180-pound Lawler has 256 catches for 4,108 yards and 25 TDs in 63 career CFL regular-season games.
![Click to play video: 'RAW: Blue Bombers Collaros & Lawler Interview – Nov. 9']()
Lewis, a three-time CFL all-star, returns to the East Division following two seasons with the Edmonton Elks. The 31-year-old began his career in Canada with Montreal (2017-19, 2021-23) and was the conference’s outstanding player in 2022.
The six-foot, 200-pound Lewis had 74 catches for 1,070 yards and a league-best 10 TDs playing in all 18 regular-season games last year. He’ll open ’25 needing TD catches in his first two games to tie Hall of Famer Terry Evanshen’s CFL mark for consecutive matches with a touchdown grab (10).
Hamilton also signed veteran defensive back Reggie Stubblefield to a three-year deal and defensive lineman TyJuan Garbutt to a two-year contract. Both are American.
Stubblefield, 26, spent the last two seasons with Montreal, registering 42 tackles, five special-teams tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 14 regular-season contests. The 25-year-old Garbutt recorded 19 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and had a defensive TD in 12 regular-season games last year with Winnipeg.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders bolstered their offensive lineman by signing Canadian centre Sean McEwen. The six-foot-two, 295-pound Calgary native is a three-time CFL all-star who played previously with Toronto (2016-19) and the Stampeders (2021-24), winning a Grey Cup in 2017.
![Click to play video: 'GNM – Rob Vanstone on the Riders off-season so far']()
Winnipeg again kicked things off by agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with American quarterback Shea Patterson. The six-foot, 212-pound Patterson enters his fourth CFL season, having also spent time with Montreal (2021) and Saskatchewan (2023-24).
Patterson appeared in 18 regular-season games last year with Saskatchewan, winning two of six starts. That included a 19-9 home victory over Winnipeg where he threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for 35 yards.
Patterson completed 131 of 217 passes (60.4 per cent) for 1,655 yards with six TDs and five interceptions last season while rushing 38 times for 134 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns.
Calgary signed Canadian defensive Godfrey Onyeka, who spent the last four seasons with Saskatchewan, and American defensive lineman Miles Brown, who played for Saskatchewan in the last three campaigns. The Stampeders also re-signed American offensive lineman Kyle Saxelid, who started three of five games with the club in 2024.
![Click to play video: 'Stamps getting ready for CFL free agency day']()
The six-foot-one 200-pound Onyeka appeared in 18 regular-season games with Saskatchewan, posting 10 special-teams tackles. He began his CFL career with Edmonton (2018-19).
The six-foot-two, 320-pound Brown registered 56 tackles (six for loss), eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 41 regular-season games with Saskatchewan.
Calgary also released veteran American defensive back Demerio Houston, who is reportedly facing a misdemeanour domestic violence charge in North Carolina. Houston had a team-high 74 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble in 15 games last season, his first with the Stampeders.
![Click to play video: 'Calgary Stampeders’ Demerio Houston success leads back home']()
Dead geese spark bird flu fears as migration fuels outbreak risk in Canada – National
Dead Canadian geese are turning up more frequently across southern Ontario, and experts say bird flu is likely to blame.
As migratory birds return to Canada this spring, health officials are bracing for a potential surge in bird flu cases.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), subtype H5N1, has already impacted both wild and domestic birds, and even a human case in British Columbia, raising concerns about its rapid spread as flocks move across the country.
The situation gained attention after Parks Canada confirmed last week that a Canada goose in Rouge National Urban Park in Scarborough, Ont., tested positive for the virus. The bird’s remains showed clear signs of infection, and five other geese in the area have exhibited bird flu symptoms.
The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), told Global News on Tuesday that a growing number of bird flu cases have been detected across southern Ontario in recent weeks, primarily affecting Canadian geese, which are particularly vulnerable to the virus.
And as more birds start migrating north for the spring, Shayan Sharif, professor at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, said the avian flu will likely spread even more.
“There’s always a chance for migratory birds to spread the virus. I would say that’s really one of the main modes of transmission for this particular strain of virus,” he said.
“The virus seems to be hitchhiking with migratory birds and there are different kinds of migratory birds. Canada geese are included among those migratory birds. There are also others, like ducks and so forth, that could potentially carry the virus from one place to another place.”
![Click to play video: 'Screening for bird flu in Canada as U.S. cases soar']()
Since Canada — especially Ontario — lies within major migratory flyways (large routes birds follow between their breeding and wintering grounds), like the Mississippi Flyway and, to some extent, the Atlantic Flyway, it could receive birds traveling from the south, some of which may be carrying the virus, Sharif added.
This concern appears to be playing out in real time.
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A TikTok user posted to the platform last week a video of what appeared to be several dead Canada geese half-submerged in the ice at a park in Brampton, Ont.
Days later, the user posted another TikTok video showing more geese in the park, some lifeless and others appearing weak or incapacitated.
The CWHC said the dead geese found in Brampton are suspected cases of avian flu and testing is currently underway to confirm the cause.
Avian flu is common among waterfowl, such as geese and ducks, but it can also spread to birds of prey that consume infected birds.
While rare, the virus has been detected in some terrestrial mammals, such as foxes. Domestic poultry, including chickens and turkeys, are also at risk, though transmission to humans remains uncommon.
Although a few bird flu outbreaks are currently ongoing in Canada, Sharif noted that the large outbreaks seen in British Columbia last fall have subsided for now.
That’s because experts are beginning to recognize a seasonal pattern in avian flu, with outbreaks typically occurring during migration periods in the fall and spring.
“Avian influenza viruses up until the most recent set of outbreaks that we’ve been witnessing since 2021 or 2022 … we always felt they don’t have a seasonal pattern of transmission,” Sharif said.
“But over the last three years or so, it’s become quite clear that this particular strain, because it hitchhikes with migratory birds, it does actually have a seasonal pattern and the seasonal pattern is fall and spring.”
However, he added that this doesn’t mean bird flu outbreaks can’t occur at other times of the year.
![Click to play video: 'Health Matters: Concerns over bird flu and Global measles cases jumped 20% in 2023']()
Migratory birds, like ducks and geese, spread bird flu by carrying the virus over long distances along their migration routes, Sharif explained.
They can get infected through contact with other sick birds or by spending time in contaminated environments such as wetlands and water sources. Once infected, they shed the virus in their droppings, saliva and nasal secretions, which can then contaminate food, water and habitats along their way.
What’s tricky is that some infected birds don’t show symptoms, so they can unknowingly spread the virus to others as they travel. When they stop at familiar places like ponds and wetlands during migration, they can introduce the virus to new bird populations, causing it to spread even further.
“The risk to the average person remains rather low, but what’s really important is that people exercise extra vigilance if they come across dead animals, especially wild birds,” said Matthew Miller, director of DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research at McMaster University.
“They should avoid handling those animals and be extremely cautious with off-leash pets, particularly in open areas.”
Sharif echoed this warning.
![Click to play video: 'Hastings Prince Edward Public Health issues warning of bird flu in pets']()
If a bird infected with avian flu is consumed by a domestic animal, like a dog or cat, it could potentially pass the virus to the pet, causing it to become infected.
“For animals, especially for dogs, I would highly suggest that dogs be kept away from any dead birds or any potential areas where birds might have landed because we never know what kind of birds are carrying the virus,” he said.
When it comes to bird feeders, he added that while songbirds may not carry the virus, the feeders could attract waterfowl that do.
“If those feeders are attracting unwanted guests in the form of ducks and geese, I highly suggest thinking twice about having those feeders installed,” he said.
— With files from Global News’ Megan King
4 Nations Face-Off tournament set against backdrop of Canada-U.S. political tensions
Canada and the United States share the world’s longest border at nearly 9,000 kilometres.
The countries have interlinked economies and plenty in common culturally. The Peace Arch, straddling British Columbia and Washington state, is meant to symbolizes that friendship. The Peace Bridge, meanwhile, links Ontario and New York state.
The last few weeks haven’t felt all that peaceful.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced crippling tariffs — a 30-day reprieve was negotiated Feb. 3 — and continues to muse about making America’s northern neighbour its 51st state.
![Click to play video: 'Trump declares new tariffs, repeats threats to annex Canada']()
Despite the pause on a blanket tariff on Canadian goods, Trump said on Sunday that he will formally announce 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. on Monday, including those coming from Canada.
There have been, of course, plenty of disagreements and flashpoints in the past. Away from the political arena, that rivalry has perhaps been the fiercest when the countries’ athletes compete — especially on the ice.
The 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament involving NHL players and featuring the North American rivals, starts Wednesday in Montreal.
Canada players (left to right) Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby talk on the bench during 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Montreal on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Canada will face Sweden on February 12.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
So what will the current unease and tit-for-tat threats mean for a matchup that already has plenty of fuel?
“Canadians are nationalistic and proud,” said Daniel Rubenson, a political science professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. “They don’t want to be told they’re going to be subsumed by another country. The chances are pretty slim, but that rhetoric puts things on edge.”
Canadian crowds booed the American anthem at both NHL and NBA games in response to Trump’s tariff threats.
![Click to play video: 'Majority of Canadians think less of U.S. amid Trump tariff threat: Ipsos']()
That trend slowed after both sides — Canada indicated it would respond with retaliatory tariffs if the U.S. followed through — took a step back from the ledge. Fans in Halifax didn’t jeer the anthem ahead of the countries’ recent women’s Rivalry Series hockey games.
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The crowd in Montreal for a pair of Canadiens’ contests over the weekend were largely respectful of the anthem.
But the city, where the Canadians and Americans square off Saturday in 4 Nations action, has a history of booing The Star-Spangled Banner, including in 2003 after the U.S. invaded Iraq.
“The political landscape is so unstable in the United States,” said Amy Bass, a professor of sports studies at Manhattanville University in Purchase, N.Y. “Having a definitive idea of what this game is going to mean and how it’s going to go down … we don’t know.”
![Click to play video: 'Trump’s tariff threats making border towns nervous']()
Aaron Ettinger, an associate political science professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, said nationalism is always the subtext of international sports.
“That’s what makes it fun,” he said.
“It’s our country and our people against your country and your people.”
Ettinger, whose published work includes the intersection of sports and politics, added pride can play a big factor.
“Canadians like beating Americans at sports because we’re not really going to beat them at much else,” he said. “This time around, there’s some real stakes because the United States and its president are (threatening) something harmful to Canadian national interests.”
Canada’s main hockey rival was once the Soviet Union. Russia picked up the banner, but the U.S. has nudged its way to the top of the list over the last 30 years.
![Click to play video: '1972 Summit Series: Marking 50 years since iconic Team Canada-Soviet Union battle']()
Canada hasn’t been unseated in the men’s game — at least not yet. The women have gone back and forth, while the Americans own three of the last the world junior hockey championships.
“That’s one place, maybe the only place, where Canada has been the big brother,” Rubenson said of the rink. “It’s been easy for Canadians to be generous toward Americans there.”
The rivalry has been tough yet friendly, he added, but the change in tone from the White House might signal a change in that relationship.
“Political and social issues can spill over,” Rubenson said.
Fans and politicians could get riled, but will the players actually care?
Many Canadians suit up for American-based teams. U.S. captain Auston Matthews, meanwhile, wears the ‘C’ for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I don’t know if they live in the real world,” Ettinger said of NHL stars. “They generally live in the elite republic of hockey without much sense of what’s going on in the real world.”
Rubenson, whose specialization includes sports and politics, doesn’t expect much change in terms of the on-ice clash.
“That rivalry is already super intense,” he said. “Hardcore fans don’t need excuses. The media is going to drum this up and the fans are going to get riled up.
“Might make for great atmosphere — nothing wrong with that.”
While not a direct comparable or on the same scale, Bass said a Canadian victory at the 4 Nations could have a feel north of the border similar to the Americans’ triumph over the Soviets — the “Miracle on Ice” — at the 1980 Olympics.
“It was a Cold War victory,” she said. “Has the United States become the ‘big bad’? Taking down the United States is going to feel good for a whole new reason.”
Ettinger said that, in the end, the current cooling of relations is not so much Canada versus U.S. as Canada versus Trump.
“Americans, generally, have very favourable views of Canada,” he said. “The economic relationship is extraordinarily beneficial to both. It just happens to be that the guy manning the White House has really antagonistic orientations towards most foreign countries.
“Especially Canada.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
This Toyota brand is disappearing from driveways in Ontario. It’s not the only one
A man was watching TV in Guelph, Ont., around 4 a.m. on Thursday morning when police say he heard a noise outside of his home.
He went outside to see what was going on and found that someone was driving off with his Toyota Tundra.
The man was not alone in his loss. Ten Tundras have been stolen in Guelph since Nov. 1 while thieves have also taken a crack at stealing eight others, according to local police.
Police services in southern Ontario are reporting similar crimes. Waterloo Region said there have been 12 thefts and attempted thefts of Tundras while Barrie reported 10 thefts since Jan. 1.
“There are certainly trends that come and go, and criminals might target certain vehicles just because they have a market for them,” said Amanda Dean, vice-president of Ontario and Atlantic for the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
But both police and the insurance industry representatives say the Tundras are not alone in being targeted by thieves.
A couple of Tundras have gone missing in the New Tecumseth area over the past month while between Jan. 23 and Jan. 28, four trucks went missing, including a Tundra, two Dodge Rams and a Ford F-150 Raptor.
“It’s not necessarily specific to Tundras,” said Nottawasaga OPP Const. McKayla Cotey. “New luxury vehicles are being targeted as they can provide higher rates of profit.”
![Click to play video: 'Auto theft report warns of increase in violence, organized crime involvement']()
Cotey also said more common vehicles are being stolen, as well, as they may be resold or used in the commission of other crimes. But Dean figures that a large portion of the vehicles are headed out of the country.
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“The vast majority are being sent to overseas markets and resold or used in whatever manner,” she said. “There is a portion of vehicles that do stay within the province and within the country.”
Équité Association, a national organization focused on insurance crime and fraud, publishes an annual list of the most-stolen cars in Canada. In 2023, it reported the 2021 Toyota Highlander was the most stolen vehicle, with 3,414 reported thefts.
The Dodge Ram was second on the list with a reported 3,078 vehicles. Rounding out the top five were the Lexus RX series, the Honda CR-V and the Toyota Rav-4.
The prominence of Toyotas on the list is similar to what police are seeing in Guelph.
“I am not aware why Toyotas are particularly popular right now, but we have noted Toyotas (and related Lexus vehicles) have been the most commonly stolen brands in Guelph for the past two years, when considering thefts believed to be tied to organized crime,” Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey told Global News.
In a statement to Global News, Toyota Canada noted the theft problem plagues the entire auto industry in Canada.
“It’s a uniquely Canadian problem, as it is a low-risk/high-reward opportunity for organized crime groups operating in Canada,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, higher demand for certain vehicles in overseas markets leads to increased targeting of these vehicles by criminals in Canada.”
The company said it has been taking a multi-tiered approach to protect customers.
“We’re adapting technology at a rapid pace — throughout the lifecycle of the vehicle — to quickly respond to new theft methods and tools,” the statement read. “This approach includes the redesign of vehicles to harden access to critical systems and components, the deployment of new connected services like our stolen vehicle locator system, and the addition of new onboard technologies to combat electronic attacks on vehicles.”
Police say the thieves are using a wide variety of tactics to steal cars and trucks in Canada such as relay and reprogramming technology, hacking into the onboard diagnostics and identity fraud.
The relay and reprogramming technology seems to be the most prevalent situation in Barrie and other areas.
“It would appear that that cloning of the ignition system and rekeying is how the are being stolen as many victims are still in possession of both sets of keys,” a statement from Barrie police noted.
While there are financial costs to having one’s vehicle stolen, Dean says the loss creates other issues for clients.
“It impacts the consumer’s mental state and health,” she said. “When you think about it, it’s a very stressful situation to go through that feeling of violation.”
Dean says her group is lobbying the federal government to ensure that the border guards are paying as close attention to items as they leave the country as they come into the country.
Insurers have said a majority of stolen vehicles are boosted from two provinces – Ontario and Quebec –before they float away from the country through the Port of Montreal. Two years ago, around 1.3 million shipping containers filled with goods, including 70 per cent of Canada’s legal vehicle exports, travelled through the port, port authorities said.
The IBC is also looking to Transport Canada to adjust its policy surrounding anti-theft technology.
“The last update to that piece of legislation was in 2007,” Dean said. “That’s long before a lot of technology that we see in today’s cars. We need the rules and regulations tightened so that these things can be standard within vehicles.”
She noted that both the Ontario and Quebec governments have attempted to clamp down on the issue of late.
While thieves will always look for ways to steal vehicles there are countermeasures owners can take to protect their sizable investment.
“We encourage all owners to park indoors when possible or at least in a well-lit area. Make sure doors and windows are closed and locked and utilize anti-theft devices such as a kill switch or brake lock to make vehicles more difficult to steal,” Tracey said.
Police in Waterloo also recommend getting a tracking device for your vehicle. Such a device was recently credited with helping Waterloo police recover 20 stolen vehicles in Hamilton.
They also recently released a video in which a suspect brushed away the snow from a truck window and then left after spotting a tracking device.
The police spokesperson in Barrie also recommended “adding a steering wheel-locking device. Park another car in front of your truck and ‘pin’ it if you can.”
*With files from The Canadian Press
Auto sector faces ‘uncertainty, instability, chaos’ amid Trump tariff pause
As Canada scrambles to avoid tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump amid a month-long pause, union leaders say there is growing uncertainty in the auto manufacturing sector — an industry that could be forced to shut down within mere days if those tariffs are implemented.
That’s because the North American auto sector is highly integrated, with parts and components frequently crossing the Canada-U.S. border alone before vehicles are fully assembled.
A 25 per cent tariff on Canadian auto parts would upend that international assembly line, manufacturers say.
“Uncertainty, instability, chaos: those are the words I’ve been using to describe the moment we’re in,” said Lana Payne, the national president of Unifor, whose members include nearly 22,000 Canadian autoworkers.
“In the auto industry alone, you would see a mass industrial interruption unlike [anything] I’ve seen in my lifetime. It potentially would shut the industry down in a week at least.”
![Click to play video: 'Trump’s tariffs can impede Canada’s auto industry — here’s why']()
The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association (CVMA), which represents automakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, says parts and components can cross the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico up to eight times before final vehicle assembly.
That highly integrated regional production model, which dates back decades, has been replicated with success by other auto manufacturing countries like Japan and South Korea, which employ southeast Asian countries to produce parts and supply critical minerals for batteries.
Yet American unions like United Auto Workers have criticized the regional approach, claiming North American free trade rules have allowed automakers to invest more in Canada and Mexico while hollowing out the U.S. auto sector.
Trump has vowed to bring those jobs back to the U.S. — a point frequently raised by Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Doug Ford, who is running for re-election as premier on the promise to protect an industry that employs as many as 100,000 workers in the province alone.
“The threat of tariffs is still very real,” Ford said at a campaign stop in Ottawa on Tuesday.
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“Trump is on a mission. He wants to take Ontario’s auto jobs and send them to Michigan and North Carolina.”
Auto exports account for nearly 30 per cent of Ontario’s foreign trade output, according to the CVMA. It also notes over 90 per cent of vehicles made in Canada are exported to the U.S., at a value of $51 billion in 2023.
The federal government says auto exports account for 10 per cent of manufacturing GDP and 21 per cent of manufacturing trade.
Trump has said repeatedly in recent weeks that “we don’t need” Canada’s vehicles or auto parts, and that he wants vehicles purchased in America to be built entirely domestically.
That’s not currently possible, Payne says.
“About 50 per cent of the parts that go into cars built in the United States come from Canada and Mexico,” she said. “And if you don’t have parts, you can’t build cars.
“A lot of these parts companies would not be able to withstand a 25 per cent tariff. It would just make it impossible for them to operate.”
![Click to play video: '‘It’s terrible’: Auto parts manufacturers worry about impact of tariffs']()
Manufacturers and unions have also pointed out that tariffing North American auto parts will ultimately raise the cost of vehicle production and the sale prices of vehicles sold within the region.
That could open the door for foreign automakers to offer cheaper alternatives to the market, those groups say — something Trump has also vowed to stop by cracking down on Chinese incursions into the auto sector through Mexico.
“In the end, tariffs increase cost, hinder trade, reduce economic efficiency, limit growth, and critically hurt consumers and workers,” said David Adams, president and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada, which represents companies including Toyota, Honda and BMW.
A joint statement from the Unifor Auto Council and Unifor Independent Parts Supplier Council, representing local autoworker and parts manufacturer unions in Canada, said tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles and parts “presents a disaster scenario for autoworkers in all three countries” in North America.
“The cost of building vehicles will rise exponentially. Production lines will freeze, and the effects will ripple to workers across the supply chain. Consequently, and with the cost of new vehicles rising, consumers will shift to relatively cheaper, imported vehicles – those built in non-North American assembly plants,” the statement said.
Examples of how disruptions to the North American auto supply chain can upset the industry have been seen in recent years, including during the “Freedom Convoy” protests that blocked the Ambassador Bridge border crossing between Ontario and Michigan.
![Click to play video: 'Frustration rises as Canada-U.S. border blockade in Ontario forces diversions']()
The CVMA says 2.5 million truck container crossings were recorded in 2023 — a “significant portion” of which were carrying auto components back and forth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a Windsor, Ont., manufacturing plant that builds engines for pickup trucks was forced to shut down for “many, many weeks” because it could not source necessary bolts from China that had locked down, Payne said.
As the countdown to possible tariffs ticks down yet again, Payne and manufacturing groups say Canada needs to look at increasing auto investments within the country to mitigate against reliance on the U.S.
That could include more electric vehicle manufacturing facilities like the ones being built by Honda and Volkswagen, which were lured to Canada by multi-billion-dollar government incentives.
As with other sectors that will be impacted by U.S. tariffs, diversifying trade relationships will also be crucial, Payne says.
“I think we would be in a stronger position as a country right now had we been doing some of this earlier,” she said.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
