Canada – Winnipeg Free Press

President Donald Trump speaks as Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, left, and Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, listen during a tour of the Ford River Rogue complex on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump says Americans ‘don’t need’ Canadian products, calls CUSMA ‘irrelevant’

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:05 PM CST

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade is "irrelevant" to him and Americans don't need Canadian products.

"It expires very shortly and we could have it or not," Trump said while touring a Ford plant in Michigan. "It wouldn't matter to me. I think they want it. I don’t really care about it."

Trump statements have rattled Canada and Mexico ahead of a mandatory review this year of the future of the continental trade pact, known as CUSMA. The president told reporters that "Canada wants it" but the United States doesn't need anything from its northern neighbour.

The three countries have started domestic consultations on the review and Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. relations, is set to meet with U.S. counterparts in mid-January to launch formal CUSMA talks.

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Construction on second leg of high-speed rail line slated for 2032: CEO

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Construction on second leg of high-speed rail line slated for 2032: CEO

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:13 PM CST

MONTREAL - The CEO of a planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City says construction on the eastern and western parts of the line is expected to begin by 2032.

Following a speech in Montreal on Tuesday, Martin Imbleau told reporters the portions connecting the two provincial capitals will likely start to be built two years after shovels hit the ground on an earlier segment.

Construction of that first phase, set to kick off in 2029 or 2030, would link Montreal and Ottawa and act as a test case for a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project intended to transform rail travel in Canada's most densely populated region.

"Construction of the western part and eastern part will start probably a couple of years after the initial construction period," Imbleau said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:13 PM CST

Martin Imbleau, CEO of Alto, speaks during a luncheon at Montreal's chamber of commerce, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

2025 was the third warmest year on record. What does that mean in Canada?

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

2025 was the third warmest year on record. What does that mean in Canada?

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:08 PM CST

This past year was the third warmest on record and stood on the cusp of surpassing a major climate threshold globally, according to new data from the European climate agency.

The Copernicus data indicates 2025 was about 1.47 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels, following the previous year's record-setting 1.6 degrees. When 2023 is added to the mix, it's the first three-year period on record to exceed 1.5 degrees, the data suggests.

At the current rate, the 2015 Paris Agreement's long-term global warming limit of 1.5 degrees could be reached by the end of this decade, about a decade earlier than predicted when the climate pact was signed, the agency said in a press release.

Canada is warming even faster than the global average. The loss of snow and sea ice – reflective shields against the sun – is leaving more of the country's vast northern lands and seas exposed, which in turn drives up temperatures.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:08 PM CST

An aerial crew works on the Dryden Creek fire, an a out-of-control wildfire, just north of Squamish, B.C., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

TSB says seaplane had faulty repair job months before 2025 crash in Quebec

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

TSB says seaplane had faulty repair job months before 2025 crash in Quebec

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:07 PM CST

MONTREAL - The Transportation Safety Board says there was a faulty repair job on the flight controls of a small seaplane a few months before it crashed into the Richelieu River last year.

On May 2, a float-equipped De Havilland DHC-2 Mk. I (Beaver) aircraft took off from the St-Mathias aerodrome, on the Richelieu River, for a local flight with two people on board.

The TSB says during takeoff, the pilot lost control and the right wing struck the water, detaching from the aircraft, which then overturned underwater in St-Basile-le-Grand, east of Montreal.

The pilot was found dead in the aircraft after it was returned to shore but the passenger managed to free himself and escape through a window.

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:07 PM CST

A De Havilland DHC-2 MK. I (Beaver) aircraft that crashed in the Richelieu River in St-Basile-le-Grand, Que., is shown in this handout photo following its removal from the river, on May 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - TSB (Mandatory Credit)

Some Canadians manage to contact family in Iran for first time in days amid protests

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Some Canadians manage to contact family in Iran for first time in days amid protests

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 4:48 PM CST

Before the latest anti-government protests in Iran began, Shadi Dashmiz was in contact with her father every day, exchanging calls, texts and pictures.

But she suddenly lost touch with the 70-year-old who currently lives alone in the country, after the Iranian government disabled the internet and blocked landlines from placing international calls.

For nearly a week, Dashmiz didn't know what was happening with her father.

But that changed on Tuesday morning, after some people in Iran managed to make international calls and Dashmiz’s father seized the opportunity to speak with his family in Toronto.

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Yesterday at 4:48 PM CST

Attendees are seen during a rally to voice support for the Iranian people, in Montreal, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Quentin Dufranne

Ex-journalists lament closure of Ming Pao, Canada’s last Chinese-language daily paper

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Ex-journalists lament closure of Ming Pao, Canada’s last Chinese-language daily paper

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:25 PM CST

VANCOUVER - British Columbia legislator Teresa Wat says she cried upon hearing of the impending closure of Ming Pao Daily News, the only Chinese-language daily newspaper in Canada.

Wat, who worked as an assignment editor at Ming Pao's Richmond, B.C., newsroom in 1996, leading a team of 10 reporters, said the publication has been more than a newspaper -- it's been a lifeline for Chinese-speaking immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and beyond.

"It also provides practical guidance on housing, on employment, language barriers and cultural integration," said Wat, the B.C. Conservative MLA for Richmond-Bridgeport.

She said the newspaper, whose parent publication is based in Hong Kong, focused "on the perspective of immigrants, really blending Asian insight to local Canadian issues, and also challenge the stereotypes of the Chinese community."

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:25 PM CST

Why an Ontario couple is leading a court battle to change MAID in B.C.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Why an Ontario couple is leading a court battle to change MAID in B.C.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:22 PM CST

OTTAWA - Gaye and Jim O'Neill have spend countless hours thinking about their daughter's final hours in April 2023.

It's a memory they say they'd wish on no one — and it's the reason why they joined a years-long legal campaign to change the way medical assistance in dying is delivered in British Columbia.

The O'Neills are at the centre of a Charter of Rights challenge, now before the B.C. Supreme Court, that seeks to end the practice of so-called "forced transfers" — compelling patients to leave faith-based medical facilities before receiving medical assistance in dying.

Sam O'Neill died with medical assistance at age 34, roughly a year after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer that had spread to other parts of her body.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:22 PM CST

Gaye O’Neill, the mother of Samantha O’Neill, speaks before the start of the B.C. Supreme Court trial in Vancouver on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

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Manitoba Premier Kinew asks Ontario counterpart Ford to rethink Crown Royal boycott

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Manitoba Premier Kinew asks Ontario counterpart Ford to rethink Crown Royal boycott

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:27 PM CST

GIMLI - Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called on Ontario Premier Doug Ford Tuesday to drop plans for a boycott of Crown Royal whisky, and wrote Ford's name on a barrel outside the plant north of Winnipeg where some of the whisky is mashed, distilled and aged.

"We understand, Doug, that you get fired up and you say things in public. But we also understand that you do the right thing when you have a chance to reconsider," Kinew told reporters as he stood in from of several barrels and a truck adorned in Crown Royal's signature purple.

"I'm asking you to reconsider because this is about sticking together as Team Canada. We know that we're standing together against the U.S. But a house divided against itself cannot stand. We've got to stick together as provincial leaders."

Ford has said that in retaliation for parent company Diageo deciding to close its bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont., he will pull Crown Royal from Ontario liquor store shelves starting next month. The Amherstburg closure will affect about 200 jobs.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:27 PM CST

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew signs barrels outside the Diageo plant where Crown Royal whisky is produced, in Gimli, Man., on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Kinew is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to cancel a planned boycott of the whisky. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert

Watchdog rebukes Quebec auto insurance board after $500M online platform scandal

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Watchdog rebukes Quebec auto insurance board after $500M online platform scandal

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 3:04 PM CST

QUÉBEC - Quebec's scandal-plagued auto insurance board has been hit with another blow, this time from an independent government agency that oversees the province's public procurement markets.

The Autorité des marchés publics says the auto board — Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec — failed to manage public funds responsibly in its development of the online platform known as SAAQclic.

The board was the subject of a public inquiry last year after the auditor general revealed the platform was expected to cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion, or $500 million more than anticipated.

The watchdog says that among its failings, the auto board had modified essential elements of the framework agreement that changed the nature and cost of the work.

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Yesterday at 3:04 PM CST

Signage for Quebec's auto insurance board is photographed in Montreal on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov, The Canadian Press

Fact File: Canadian store’s security photo manipulated to show mountain lion break-in

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Fact File: Canadian store’s security photo manipulated to show mountain lion break-in

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:42 PM CST

Social media posts this month claimed a mountain lion played with toys and got high on catnip after breaking into a Colorado pet store. In fact, the shop pictured in the post appears to be an Edmonton convenience store, which has never reported a mountain lion encounter but was the scene of a notoriously unsuccessful attempt to evade police in 2018.

THE CLAIM

"A mountain lion raids a Colorado pet store, gets high on catnip, and naps in the toy aisle," reads the caption on a photo posted Jan. 3 to the X platform, formerly Twitter, with around 37,000 likes and 361,000 views.

The accompanying photo seems to show a mountain lion standing in a store aisle lined with colourful products. An inset image shows the lion curled up in a ball with something next to its mouth.

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Yesterday at 2:42 PM CST

Social media posts claimed a mountain lion raided a Colorado Springs, Colo., pet store for catnip and included an image supposedly captured by the store's security camera, seen in a post on X in this handout image. The store's layout is nearly identical to that of an Edmonton convenience store, where no lion encounter took place. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - X, @TRHLofficial (Mandatory Credit)

B.C. RCMP Const. Mersad Mesbah fired with immediate effect over ‘vulgar’ group chats

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

B.C. RCMP Const. Mersad Mesbah fired with immediate effect over ‘vulgar’ group chats

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:30 PM CST

A police conduct adjudicator fired a B.C. RCMP officer with immediate effect on Tuesday, finding he "put aside" the oath he took when he joined the federal police force by making vulgar, sexualized and offensive comments on police computer terminals and in a private group chat with fellow officers.

Louise Morel said Coquitlam RCMP Const. Mersad Mesbah's conduct amounted to discreditable conduct, finding he "abandoned several of the essential core values of the force."

"He failed to act with integrity, show respect and demonstrate compassion," Morel said. "I simply cannot justify retaining Const. Mesbah as a member of the RCMP."

Mesbah is one of three officers from the Coquitlam detachment who faced code of conduct proceedings over the comments made in a group chat on the encrypted Signal messaging app, and over police mobile data terminals.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:30 PM CST

Coquitlam RCMP constable Mersad Mesbah returns to an RCMP code of conduct hearing in Richmond, B.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Carney off to China, Qatar and Davos to court investment, mend fences with Beijing

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Carney off to China, Qatar and Davos to court investment, mend fences with Beijing

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:57 PM CST

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney left Tuesday for a nine-day trip that will see him circle the globe to drum up investment and trade in three places that have attracted the scrutiny of voters.

His visit to Beijing — the first trip to China by a sitting prime minister in more than eight years — will be followed by a stop in Qatar and a visit to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest said by visiting these destinations, Carney risks being seen as a member of a global elite making deals with countries that have troubling human rights records.

"I don't think there's any way to fully manage for any potential outcome, because you are making choices that are going to win you plaudits in some quarters and lead to frustration in others," said Prest, whose research touches on international relations.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:57 PM CST

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives for the meeting of the

Trial begins in 2021 drive-by shooting that killed Montreal teen Meriem Boundaoui

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Trial begins in 2021 drive-by shooting that killed Montreal teen Meriem Boundaoui

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:22 PM CST

MONTREAL - An argument over parking spots between family owned businesses is at the heart of a fatal 2021 shooting that cost 15-year-old Meriem Boundaoui her life, the Crown told the start of a murder trial on Tuesday.

In her opening statement, Crown prosecutor Katerine Brabant laid out the events that led to two men being charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Boundaoui and the attempted murder of four other people on Feb. 7, 2021.

"The evidence will reveal that Meriem lost her life because of a conflict that doesn't concern her, a conflict that wasn't hers, that was foreign to her," Brabant told the Montreal courtroom.

"In fact, you'll learn that Meriem lost her life because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:22 PM CST

The Palais de Justice in Montreal, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Feds to contribute money to the fight against extortion in southern Ontario

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Feds to contribute money to the fight against extortion in southern Ontario

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:09 PM CST

OTTAWA - The federal government says it will give Peel Regional Police up to $1 million to support the force's efforts to fight extortion, provide services to victims and build on the work of a task force.

The police service, which serves the Ontario cities of Brampton and Mississauga, created the Extortion Investigative Task Force in 2023 in response to threats against members of the South Asian business community.

Ottawa says criminal networks use intimidation tactics and threats to fund and exert control over illegal markets for drugs, automobiles and firearms.

The federal government said Tuesday it is also setting up a Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team in partnership with Ontario and local authorities. The effort will be backed by $4 million in federal money over four years.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:09 PM CST

Police say person arrested following anti-regime protest at Iran’s empty embassy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Police say person arrested following anti-regime protest at Iran’s empty embassy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:29 PM CST

OTTAWA - One person was arrested on trespassing-related charges after Iran's shuttered embassy was defaced during an anti-regime protest Monday that saw the country's national emblem torn from the entrance.

Ottawa police said they were called to the embassy around 5:50 a.m. on Jan. 12, after someone reported a person had jumped a fence at the embassy in the city's downtown.

The building has been vacant since Canada cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012.

A video posted to social media shows a protester behind a security fence removing Iran's national emblem from above a set of exterior doors and prodding around a gated window.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:29 PM CST

The Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, closed since 2012, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Iran's national emblem has been removed from above the doorway and a sign and a flag used by anti-regime protesters can be seen attached to the fence. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dylan Robertson

Federal bill criminalizing sexual deepfakes wouldn’t cover X images: expert

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Federal bill criminalizing sexual deepfakes wouldn’t cover X images: expert

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 3:37 PM CST

OTTAWA - The Liberal government’s legislation to criminalize sexual deepfakes would not cover most of the images that have proliferated on X in recent weeks, a law professor said.

Suzie Dunn, an assistant professor of law at Dalhousie University, said the bill wouldn’t necessarily apply to the wave of sexualized images created by Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot and shared on X.

"That law would not actually address the majority of the adult content that's been created on Grok," Dunn said.

Bill C-16 would criminalize the non-consensual sharing of images which show the subject nude, exposing their sexual organs or engaged in explicit sexual activity.

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Updated: Yesterday at 3:37 PM CST

January 14, 2026

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