In the news today: Carney’s campaign presses pause as new U.S. auto tariffs announced

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/03/2025 (227 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Trump’s tariffs derail Carney’s campaign plans

Liberal Leader Mark Carney is back in Ottawa today to deal with the fallout of new auto tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Carney said he was suspending his campaign plans for the day and would return to Ottawa to hold a meeting of the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee.

It’s unclear when Carney will be back on the road to continue campaigning. 

Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all automobile imports to the United States next week but the deep integration of the North American industry is resulting in confusion about how those duties will affect the Canadian auto sector.

New U.S. auto tariffs major hit to sector: leaders

Canadian auto industry leaders say the latest tariffs announced today by U.S. President Donald Trump will raise the prices of cars for consumers and devastate the sector. 

“This is nuts,” said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association.

“It seems he’s bent on doing the things that he’s been warned will shut down the American auto sector,” he said.

Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on all automobile imports effective April 2, which will begin being collected on April 3.

“What we saw (Wednesday) are unjustified and unwarranted and potentially illegal tariffs that have been applied on the auto industry in Canada,” said Lana Payne, national president of Unifor — which was formed from a merger including the former Canadian Auto Workers union in 2013. She noted auto workers have been an important part of the Canadian economy for more than a century.

Poll suggests Canadians’ job anxiety is declining

A new poll suggests that Canadians are feeling less anxious about losing their jobs as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to pursue his trade war with Canada and much of the world.

The Leger poll for The Canadian Press, which sampled 1,599 Canadian adults from March 21 to March 24, suggests that 38 per cent of employed Canadians are worried about losing their jobs over the next year.

That’s the lowest percentage of respondents reporting employment anxiety in a Leger poll since Jan. 26.

The survey was conducted just days before Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all automobile imports to the United States next week.

Companies alter labels to draw Canadian shoppers

As Canadians scour grocery store shelves for maple leaves amid the trade war with the U.S., some companies are changing their packaging to make their domestic roots more obvious. 

Crosby Foods is one of them. The New Brunswick-based company, which sells molasses and other products and employs just under 100 people, was founded in 1879 by the great-great-grandfather of its now-president, James Crosby. 

The Canadian-owned company packages its molasses here, where it also undergoes some processing. 

But the company can’t display the “made in Canada” or “product of Canada” declaration that many manufacturers, American and international ones included, are able to use. 

How AI is creating the ‘Wild West’ of crime

Canadian police patrolling corners of the dark web are well aware of the commonly nefarious ways criminals exploit artificial intelligence. 

There’s deepfake pornography. Voice impersonation. Romance scams that turn into financial fraud.

But recently, there’s been a new twist — criminals offering to “jailbreak” the very algorithms that form the architecture of AI’s large language models, or LLMs, tearing down their safeguards so they can be retasked for criminal purposes.

Call it tech support for cybercriminals.

“There are also these LLMs that cyber criminals themselves build,” said Chris Lynam, the director general of the RCMP’s National Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.

Blue Jays set to open their 2025 season

The Toronto Blue Jays kick off their 2025 Major League Baseball season this afternoon against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays are confident they can get back to their winning ways after finishing last in the American League East last season with a 74-88 record.

The pressure is on to deliver this season as their window to remain competitive could be closing.

Stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are both entering the final year of their respective deals and can become unrestricted free agents after the season.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025