Robert Wood, Author at Loonie Politics

OTTAWA — Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government is talking to mining and metals giant Rio Tinto about helping the company with cash flow problems caused by the United States’ global steel and aluminum tariffs.

During a visit to Saguenay, Que., on Thursday to meet with businesses in the province’s critical aluminum sector, Joly told reporters Ottawa had started talks with the firm earlier this week.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month doubled his administration’s global tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent.

Prime Minster Mark Carney said Canada will deliver its response to that latest volley in the trade war on July 21, based on how talks between the nations are proceeding by that time.

Rio Tinto says it employs some 4,000 people in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region and has plans to build a new $1.4-billion aluminum smelter in the area.

Quebec Premier François Legault is also set to announce support for the province’s aluminum sector this afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press

Click here for more

OTTAWA — The federal minister of Indigenous services says her government plans to reintroduce legislation to ensure First Nations’ rights to clean drinking water — despite calls from Alberta and Ontario for it to scrap the bill altogether.

Environment ministers from Alberta and Ontario sent a letter to their federal counterpart calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to abandon legislation they see as undermining competitiveness and delaying project development.

One of the bills they singled out is C-61, legislation introduced in the last Parliament that sought to ensure First Nations have clean drinking water and are able to protect fresh water sources on their territories.

That bill faced a lengthy committee process but was not passed into law before Parliament was prorogued.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says everyone in Canada should have access to clean water and the government intends to bring the bill back in the fall.

Livi McElrea says provinces and territories share responsibility for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and the federal government is calling on all jurisdictions “to support this critical legislation.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

Click here for more

OTTAWA — Military police have reopened an investigation into a Facebook group the Canadian Army’s commanding officer describes as “abhorrent.”

Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright said in a media statement Friday that he was made aware of allegations about a Facebook group called the “Blue Hackle Mafia” on June 25 and that they involved “members of the Canadian Army.”

Wright said the group’s posts featured “racist, misogynistic, homophobic and antisemitic comments and images.”

“The group was initially reported to the chain of command as recently as December 2024 and an investigation was launched into this alleged misconduct. As the investigation has not been finalized, I am not able to share any additional information at this time,” Wright said.

“However, I can share that I am disgusted by the content of some of the posts published on this group. Posting such content runs counter to our values and ethics. I have reinforced with the chain of command the importance of our military disciplinary and administrative processes in addressing reported misconducts.”

A spokeswoman for the Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal said in an emailed response to The Canadian Press that the case was originally transferred to the unit for a disciplinary investigation.

A disciplinary investigation can be conducted by a military police officer or a unit to determine if there are sufficient grounds to lay a charge related to a service offence.

The investigation was reopened by military police on June 27, according to an emailed statement from the provost marshal’s office.

The Canadian Armed Forces has been rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct throughout its ranks in recent years, culminating in a May 2022 report by retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour that issued 48 recommendations for change in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Wright said all members of the Canadian Army need to “hold themselves to the highest standards” and anyone caught engaging in this type of online behaviour could “face administrative and/or disciplinary consequences.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

Click here for more

On Monday, as the Prime Minister pulled the plug on the controversial Digital Services Tax one day before the deadline for the first payment, he proudly declared that this was a matter of

providing desirable regulatory certainty

for the dozen or so U.S.-based mega-businesses (Amazon, Uber, Meta, Google, et al.) targeted by the tax. Which raises a question: are pitiless algorithmic corporate giants capable of laughter, and, if so, can they laugh

bitterly?

The law implementing this tax was passed one year ago, and the entities subject to it were asked to provide special returns supported by vast quantities of accounting documentation. The deadline for the first payment was June 30 of this year. And on June 29

everyone was told, eh, don’t bother

. The new tax had become an inconvenient obstruction in trade negotiations with the United States, and the PM decided to instantaneously halt collection of the tax revenue — an action which the text of the law does provide for. He added that “It doesn’t make sense to collect tax from people and then remit [those payments] back.”

This is, as it now turns out,

exactly what will now have to happen

. The Canada Revenue Agency admitted on Wednesday that some companies foolishly submitted returns and payments before D-Day minus one—and the agency confirmed that it will stop demanding and collecting payments now. (Or “forthwith.” Why do I feel like I should say “forthwith”?)

But those who have already paid, it turns out, will have to wait for full parliamentary repeal of the DST legislation before they can get their money back. That relief, in turn, cannot be provided until Parliament comes back from summer vacation in mid-September.

This will come as something of a surprise to assiduous readers of this column, who will recall that when the (minority) Liberal government proposed to increase capital-gains taxes late last year, RevCan was quite content to start collecting the increased sums

in the absence of any legislation at all

. In this case they have collected money according to the terms of a proper, legitimate statute — which was intentionally written so as to be capable of immediate guillotining of this kind, but not to provide for repayments of sums kindly contributed before the deadline. There will, of course, never be any refund of the money spent on researching and filling out DST returns, or on the prospective DST returns that will never be filed.

Perhaps this is the sort of sharp practice that is necessary in a world of whimsical changes in trade policy largely caused by an implosion of the U.S. Constitution. Elbows up! And of course it’s hard to feel ordinary sympathy for the Amazons and Googles of the world, or even the accountants and lawyers who work for them, in the way that one would feel for a taxpaying Canadian physician or electrician. But it still seems a touch gratuitous for our head of government to play these sorts of games while explicitly celebrating Canada’s reputation as a place to do business, a place with a super-stable regulatory environment.

National Post

Click here for more Canada

A cellist’s quick trip from Baltimore to Montreal turned into a two-day odyssey after Air Canada refused to let him bring his instrument on the plane. This despite the fact that he had paid full fare for a second seat specifically for the instrument, crafted in 1695 and worth over a million dollars, to fly with him.

Amit Peled is an

Israeli-American cellist

, conductor and teacher who has performed at venues around the world and released more than a dozen recordings including The Jewish Soul and Cellobration.

He’s no stranger to travelling by air with his instrument propped up in the seat next to him. “Almost every week of my life,” he told National Post in an interview “That’s what I do. In the last 30 years, I’ve been traveling all over the world.”

This week he was on his way to the Orford Music Festival near Sherbrooke, Que., where he was due to perform and also teach a class. But after driving from his home in Baltimore to the airport in Philadelphia, he was told by an Air Canada employee that his cello couldn’t board the plane.

He was flabbergasted. He’d had issues before — often because his musical companion doesn’t have a passport — but they’ve generally been solved at the airport.

“However, this time in Philadelphia, the lady at the counter said: You can’t bring the cello with you because it was not named the right way in the computer.”

He said the employee informed him that she could make a change but that it would cost $700. “And I said, well, I already paid a full-price ticket. And here it is. It’s right here in front of you. You can see it. And she said: I’m really sorry.”

Peled decided to go through to the gate anyway, hoping someone there would help him, but he was given the same answer. “Everybody goes on the plane, and I told her, I’m going to miss my flight, and thus I’m going to not be in the festival where I have to teach and play,” he said. “She didn’t care. And then, of course, the door closed and I missed the flight.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amit Peled (@amitpeledcellist)

Angry and stranded, Peled shot a short video in front of the gate, showing his cello and suitcase and explaining his plight.

“I have a full class of students waiting for me there from all over the world,” he says in the video, posted to social media. “I have my cello ticket, my ticket, and just here at the gate I’m denied entrance because the procedure to ride for the cello was not right on the computer.”

He ends by saying: “I’m really really sorry and I hope to be able to teach the students on Zoom. I can’t perform on Zoom but I’ll teach them on Zoom. I’m going home and never ever ever fly Air Canada again.”

Peled then called his daughter to pick him up for the two-hour drive back to Baltimore. But as he got home, his phone rang. “I get a phone call from somebody from Air Canada, and I’m shocked. And that person is in charge of customer service, calling me,” he said.

The airline had seen the video. “Can you believe that? I mean, it’s the first time in my life, honestly, that social media did something good for me. I was absolutely shocked. I mean, it’s not just somebody from Air Canada. It’s like the guy who runs customer service calling me, and he says: I’m really sorry, but I saw the video, and first I want to apologize.”

Peled was then booked on the same flight the following day. “And the same people, the same people that were there the day before: ‘Hello, Mr. Peled, how are you and the cello? Here are the two tickets.’ I went on the plane, no problem. And I’m here now in Canada.”

Not every airline experience has been so bumpy. Peled recalled a trip on Austrian Airlines several years ago, during which he fell asleep leaning on his cello, and missed dinner. When he woke up he went to the galley and asked the attendant if he could still have a meal.

“And she looks at me says, ‘Oh, you’re the guy with the cello.’ And I said yes. She said, ‘Well, if you bring the cello here and play for us, I’ll give you dinner from business.’ So I did.” The attendant took a video of the performance, and Amit later

uploaded it to YouTube

National Post reached out to Air Canada. “We continue to review this matter as it appears the cello was not booked correctly using our process for transporting instruments in the cabin, creating uncertainty about ticketing at the airport,” a spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to recover in time for the flight, but we did reach out to this customer immediately afterward to rectify the situation.”

In addition to bringing instruments as checked baggage or (for smaller instruments) carry-on, Air Canada

has a policy

by which travellers may purchase a second seat at a 50 per cent discount. (Peled didn’t know about this, and paid full price for his second ticket.) The airline notes that “seated” instruments must be shorter than 162.5 cm (64 inches) and lighter than 36 kg (80 pounds).

Also, instruments cannot travel first class. “If you are seated in Air Canada Signature Class offering Executive or Classic pods, your musical instrument will, for safety reasons, be placed in Premium Economy or Economy Class,” the airline says.

But that’s better than not travelling at all. Last December, another cellist, Britain’s

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, had a similar problem with Air Canada on a flight from Cincinnati to Toronto. Barred from boarding, he had to cancel a concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto, and reschedule it in June. He too had purchased two tickets, after his flight with another airline was cancelled, but Air Canada requires 48 hours notice for such arrangements.

The New York Times

covered that incident

and reached out to Peled at the time for comment. His response: “Welcome to the club.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Click here for more Canada

A B.C. woman was brought back from the dead, so to speak, after she had been reportedly declared deceased by the Canada Revenue Agency.

June Miller said the mistake, although now resolved, caused her some distress as she tried to figure out how to navigate the situation,

CTV News reported

. The 65-year-old resident of Vancouver shared her story in a Facebook post on June 24.

“After losing my husband, I was wrongfully declared dead by the CRA,” she said.

“They cut off my pension, deactivated my SIN, and now I have no income, no access to support, and just $7 to my name. I can’t even prove I’m alive without documents I can’t afford.”

I never thought I’d have to write something like this.

After losing my husband, I was wrongfully declared dead by the…

Posted by Juna Miller on Tuesday, June 24, 2025

She decided to start a

GoFundMe fundraiser

, entitled “CRA Took My Life on Paper — Now I Can’t Pay to Stay Alive.” She raised $870 after less than a week and posted an update on the webpage thanking people for their support.

“Your kindness and support have reminded me that there is still humanity in this world, even when the system fails,” she wrote. “Because of your generosity, I’ve found the strength to keep fighting to reclaim my life after being wrongly declared dead by the CRA. Every single dollar you gave is helping me survive while I work to fix what should never have happened.”

In an emailed statement to National Post, CRA spokesperson TJ Madigan said the agency cannot comment on specific taxpayer situations. However, in general, he said, situations like these could happen for a variety of reasons, such as human error, a miscommunication from another government department, or an error made when a return is filed on behalf of a deceased person.

“Despite safeguards to ensure accuracy of its files, on very rare occasions an individual may erroneously be declared deceased with respect to their records with the Government of Canada,” the statement continued.

“The CRA regrets these types of situations and is committed to providing the best possible service to Canadians. We take this seriously and we continue to validate and analyze these errors, and implement changes as necessary, to ensure that, wherever possible, they are prevented.”

The agency said it understands that such errors can be “alarming” and have “financial implications.”

Last September, after the death of her husband Giorgio, Miller mailed his final tax return in May,

Daily Hive reported

. She included her own tax return in the same envelope.

She said she received a notice of assessment back from the CRA — but it was addressed to “the estate of the late June Miller,” per CTV News. When she went to verify her account online, she said she was locked out.

“So I called them and they said, ‘You’re deceased.’ I said, ‘You’re talking to me! Deceased, what are you saying? You have to change that.’ And they said, ‘Well, there’s a process. You have to prove that you’re alive,’” she told CTV News.

She provided Service Canada with documents in person that confirmed her identity, as well as a letter from her doctor. She said she was told that, even though she had just retired, she may not receive Canada Pension Plan payments while she was declared dead.

She said she also had to apply for a new social insurance number because her old one had been deactivated.

On Monday, the CRA and Service Canada called Miller to tell her the

issue was resolved

. She told CTV News she was “resurrected.” She expects to receive pension payments by the end of this month.

“In situations where it is determined that an error was made, the process is to simply remove the date of death from the taxpayer’s file and the taxpayer’s CRA account is restored,” per the CRA’s statement.

“This also reverses any letters or changes to taxes or benefits, which were issued in error. The reversal is immediate, though it can sometimes take a few weeks for letters to be re-issued and adjustments to be recalculated.”

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Click here for more Canada

The number of people leaving the country has been slowly increasing in recent years, according to

recent data

from Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, immigration levels are down in the wake of federal reductions. Both these trends are contributing to a larger picture of significantly slowing population growth, according to

StatCan analysis

StatCan includes Canadian citizens and permanent residents when it refers to emigration or emigrants — folks who leave Canada to reestablish their permanent residence in another country.

Immigrants, people who come to live in Canada, include permanent residents and landed immigrants.

How many people have been leaving Canada?

During the first quarter of this year, 27,086 people emigrated from Canada. It was

25,394 in the first quarter of 2022, then 25,536

in the first quarter of 2023 and up to

26,293 in the same quarter of 2024.

The number of emigrants peaked at more than 31,000 in the third quarter of 2017, and hit over 30K midway through 2018 and 2019.

The lowest emigration level in recent years was in the second quarter of 2020 — at just 7,431. Though, that’s unsurprising considering it is when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. After that, emigration started ramping up again.

What are the predictors of likely emigration?

2024 StatCan report

looked at the likelihood of departure by folks who had previously immigrated to Canada.

It showed that 5.1 per cent of immigrants admitted between 1982 and 2017 emigrated within five years of arriving. That number jumped to 17.5 per cent 20 years after entering Canada.

The report did not present data on eventual destinations as “

emigrants are not required to report their departure from Canada or their destination,” Jada Cormier a communications officer with Statistics Canada told
National Post in an email.

However, the 2024 StatCan report did outline several immigrant characteristics that have been linked to emigration from Canada. For example, immigrants born in Taiwan, the United States, France, Hong Kong or Lebanon have been more likely to emigrate. The contrary is true for people born in the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka or Jamaica.

Immigrants who did not have children were substantially more likely to emigrate than those who had children. This particular trend has been truer for people age 65 or older.

Immigrants admitted in the investor and entrepreneur categories have been more likely to emigrate, while those admitted in the caregiver and refugee categories are less likely.

Education level also has an impact, according to StatCan, with more educated individuals being more likely to leave than less educated immigrants. It notes that people non-permanent residents who received a study permit prior to being admitted are particularly likely to leave.

Why do they leave?

Immigrants that were admitted to Canada may turn around and emigrate for a variety of reasons. It will “depend on both the situation in their country of origin and in Canada,” says StatCan in a

2024 report

Some faced difficulty “in integrating economically in Canada” and adjusting to their new country of residence.

The StatCan report cites a study (

Barauch
et al.
2007) that stated f

amily and labour market conditions “are the main reasons that international students leave the United States and the United Kingdom.” The challenges faced by immigrants in the Canadian labour market — particularly recent immigrants— are well documented, says StatCan.

However, some may have personal reasons for leaving, such as the death of a loved one in their country of origin, Canada’s climate, and/or adjusting to Canada’s language(s) and culture. Older immigrants may return to their country to retire.

StatCan says emigrating may even be part of an immigrant’s overall migration strategy. It cites the rise of communication and transportation technology facilitating more than one residence, as well as ongoing family ties.

What about immigrants to this country?

On the other side of the ledger, the number of immigrants started to climb as the pandemic eased, peaking at over 145K in the first quarter of 2023. But Ottawa’s new, lower targets for permanent immigration have had a predictable impact.

The

federal government sets out annual plans

— looking three years out. I

n 2022, for example, Canada said it wanted to bring in 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. In late 2024, however, the Trudeau government drastically reduced these targets with the aim of to achieving “well-managed, sustainable growth and economic prosperity for the long term.”

The target for 2025 was reduced to 395,000 newcomers and 380,000 for 2026.

Canada admitted 104,256 immigrants in the first quarter of 2025. That’s the smallest number admitted during a first quarter in four years.

Every province and territory except for Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut admitted fewer immigrants in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same quarter in 2024.

What about residents who come to study or work temporarily?

As of April 1, there were 2,959,825 non-permanent residents in Canada, accounting for 7.1 per cent of the total population. StatCan includes residents with work or study permits in this category, as well as people who have claimed refugee status.

The decrease is unusual for this time of year, says StatCan. Typically, there is an increase in the first quarter. Further, this number is down from a peak of 7.4 per cent on October 1, 2024.

The largest decrease in non-permanent residents came from people with only a study permit (down 53,669). Most of it occurred in Ontario (down 30,160) and British Columbia (down 11,742).

The number of people who only have a work permit remained high (1,453,481).

However, the number of asylum claimants, protected persons and related groups increased for the 13th consecutive quarter, reaching a record high of 470,029 as of April 1.

What has the impact of these shifts been on Canada’s population?

These trends have contributed to the smallest quarterly growth in Canada since the third quarter of 2020. In the first quarter of 2025, the population of Canada increased by just 20,107 people to a total of 41,548,787.

Notably, it was the second-slowest quarterly growth rate in Canada since comparable records began (1946). StatCan says it was also the sixth consecutive quarter of slower population growth, driven by the federal government lowering temporary and permanent immigration.

However, despite the federal reductions, international migration still accounted for the entire increase in population in the first quarter of 2025. Natural population growth is declining. Births in Canada have been outnumbered by deaths, resulting in an overall decrease of 5,628 as of the first quarter of the year.

“This is consistent with an aging population, a decreasing fertility rate and the higher numbers of deaths that typically occur during the winter months,” says the StatCan analysis that accompanied the quarterly data release.

Any natural increase “has been negative in every first quarter since 2022.”

What has the population impact been across the country?

The population dropped slightly in Newfoundland and Labrador (115), Quebec (1,013), Ontario (5,664), British Columbia (2,357) and Yukon (15) during the first quarter of 2025.

While these are small decreases compared to the size of those provinces, they were the largest quarterly population losses for both Ontario and British Columbia since comparable records began to be published in 1951. Since then, the populations of those provinces decreased only three times.

Some areas of the country increased their numbers slightly: Prince Edward Island (749), the Northwest Territories (168) and Nunavut (158). Alberta’s population did the best, with an increase of 20,562.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Click here for more Alberta

First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here.

TOP STORY

A new European Union plan to exempt its heavy industry from carbon taxes could have ramifications for Canada, given that heavy industry is one of the only corners of the Canadian economy where carbon taxes will continue to apply.

According to reporting in the Financial Times, the European Commission is

reviewing a measure

that would exempt industrial sectors such as concrete and steelmakers from having to pay carbon taxes on exported products.

The idea is to avoid kneecapping European exporters competing with the likes of China and India, whose own heavy industry face no such taxes.

As the EU’s climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told the Financial Times, carbon pricing could not come “at the expense of our own companies (as they) face unfair competition on the global market.”

Such an exemption would effectively be the inverse of what Canada has been doing on carbon pricing.

Unlike much of Europe, Canadians are no longer required to pay a consumer carbon tax. The first action of Prime Minister Mark Carney upon his March 14 swearing-in was to cease collection of federally mandated “retail” carbon taxes on motor fuels and heating oil.

However, the Carney government has stayed the course on

a latticework of industrial carbon taxes

targeting “big polluters” in sectors such as steel, concrete and oil and gas.

Although industrial carbon taxes haven’t generated nearly the same amount of public ire as retail carbon pricing, Canadian exporters have argued that it puts them at a disadvantage in a world market filled with competitors who aren’t subject to carbon levies.

In March, the group Canadian Exporters & Manufacturers

issued an appeal

calling for the federal government to ensure that its industrial carbon taxes were not serving to “inadvertently weaken Canada’s manufacturing base or drive investment and production to jurisdictions with less stringent environmental standards.”

Around the same time, a letter signed by most of the major players in the Canadian oil and gas industry similarly

called for the abolition

of the industrial carbon tax, calling it a hindrance to Canada’s “only form of economic hard power.”

Ironically, the EU’s proposed carbon tax exemptions for heavy industry come at the exact same time that the European Commission is

unveiling new legislation

to reduce the trading bloc’s carbon footprint by up to 90 per cent by 2040. Nevertheless, the EU has promised its member states will be allowed “flexibilities” in reaching that goal.

The proposed EU exemption for heavy industry follows closely on another major EU concession on carbon pricing passed just last month.

Starting next year, the EU is set to implement a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBMA) that would place tariffs on imports coming from non-carbon priced jurisdictions. The idea being “to encourage greater climate ambition in non-EU countries.”

But in June, the EU announced that

90 per cent of its importers

would be exempt from the CBAM. Any firm importing less than 50 tonnes per year of foreign product wouldn’t have to worry.

The EU exemptions would seem to undermine one of the Liberal government’s signature defences of carbon pricing as being necessary to maintain competitiveness with foreign markets.

Just last summer, Canada’s ambassador to France, Stéphane Dion,

delivered an entire speech

entitled “carbon pricing as an asset for Canadian exports to Europe.”

“Carbon pricing is an export tool, and abolishing it in Canada would not only be an ecological mistake, but also contrary to the economic interests of Canadians,” said Dion.

In June, Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux

told the House of Commons

that the industrial carbon tax had to be maintained to preserve Canadian access to the “global market.”

“The new prime minister and the new government have made a decision to get rid of the consumer carbon tax, but we still understand the importance of having the industrial carbon pricing system,” said Lamoureux. “Let us be very clear on that, because we understand the global market and the critical role that has to play in it.”

IN OTHER NEWS

The Liberal government is sticking with its plan not to table a budget until at least the fall, so the eggheads at the C.D. Howe Institute took the liberty of doing it for them. They tallied up the government’s various new spending promises, estimated what tax revenue is going to look like for the foreseeable future, and

concluded that Ottawa is on track to rack up $300 billion in new debt over the next four years

, an average of about $75 billion per year (or, about $5 in new debt per Canadian, per day). And that’s under the most optimistic scenario. More likely is that it hits $350 billion.

This is way higher than any of the non-COVID spending charted under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Recall that it was only a few months ago that Trudeau was pressured into resigning in part due to shock that his government had

allowed the deficit to swell to $62 billion

. According to the C.D. Howe Institute, Canada is on a “troubling path.” “Adding $300 billion in federal debt while doing nothing to raise investment and productivity will make Canada more vulnerable, not less,” read the analysis.

Even though one of the only definitive acts of the 45th parliament thus far has been to pass a bill entrenching supply management,

the bill wouldn’t actually do much to protect the system from a U.S. government determined to destroy it.

That’s according to multiple trade experts quoted

in a CTV analysis

, who identified several ways Canadian negotiators could run around it should the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump decide to play hardball on Canadian import controls of U.S. dairy.

Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter.

Click here for more Alberta

Traffic congestion is reaching crisis levels across Canada’s largest urban regions, threatening the economy and eroding quality of life for millions. From Toronto’s notorious Highway 401 bottleneck — costing commuters over three million hours of delay each year — to traffic jams in Montreal and Vancouver, the country’s major corridors are consistently among the worst in North America.

One upstart, Argo, hopes to mitigate the problem with a made-in-Canada public transit concept.

Argo integrates with existing transit lines and fare systems, an approach that could serve as a template for municipalities from coast to coast, supporting federal and provincial goals to cut emissions, boost economic productivity, and improve access to jobs, health care and education.

Argo’s new busing line allows users to request a transit ride near their location, with an app or phone call. Argo’s smart routing system groups passengers going the same way. The rider is then taken to an existing transit connection, or close to their final destination — all under one standard fare.

In the three months since launching its service in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ont., Argo doubled ridership, having now replaced all fixed bus routes once operated by a private contractor.

This summer, Argo will roll out a 12-month pilot in Brampton, Ont., complementing an existing transit network with Brampton Transit and GO lines.

Praveen Arichandran speaks to the National Post’s Dave Gordon about Argo Corporation, the Toronto-based publicly traded company he co-founded last year. With degrees in computer engineering and economics from the University of Waterloo, Arichandran previously served as Tesla’s head of growth, and on Facebook’s international growth team. He was named to Forbes’ global “30 Under 30” list in 2019, and served as a key adviser to TikTok.

What’s unique about Argo?

We are building a future where public transit is more convenient than driving, but as affordable as taking the bus. We fully integrate with existing transit lines and fare systems, so that integration lets us deliver faster deployments, lower costs and a better quality of service. We’re dynamically routing our vehicles and grouping riders intelligently.

I think more broadly for society, that means a future where access to jobs, health care, education and our loved ones is democratized, and not just limited to those who can afford car payments, real estate next to major transit lines, or those mobile enough to walk to the bus stop and wait in the cold for the bus. Argo vehicles are fully electric and wheelchair accessible with an 18-passenger capacity.

How would a rider save time or money with Argo?

With traditional public transit, half of the time spent in transit is spent on 10 per cent of the distance. This is the “first and last mile” problem, of getting to and from a fixed route transit line, and waiting for the bus or the train.

With a typical ride share service, you get picked up directly at your door with a private driver, but the cost of that is prohibitive for most people to rely on for day-to-day mobility. So our smart routing technology dynamically routes the buses, and groups riders efficiently, so people can get picked up near their door, while still paying a standard transit fare, with the economics of traditional public transit.

How would Argo work in areas underserved by traditional public transit, and how do you integrate with those existing transit networks?

There are places in the city where public transit is less prevalent. That’s exactly the problem that our solution is best for. So regardless of whether there’s a high level of existing public transit lines in the area or a very low level, our system can dynamically route and pick people up near their door. And if it’s an area with sparse existing transit coverage, then our system can carry the full burden of the transit experience … we’ll take them all the way to their final destination.

This is a solution for municipalities where a transit line needs to run every 20 minutes, though there isn’t enough demand. In areas where there are existing high capacity transit lines, then we’ll focus more on solving that “first and last mile,” and feeding people into those transit lines.

It’s a hard technical problem to solve, because you need the hardware, the software, the routing, the operations, the supply, demand management. There’s a lot of technical complexity to building a system like this.

But you need a place where you can bridge the technical talent that can build something like this with a public-sector ecosystem that is willing to invest in innovation.

We work to partner with all levels of government in order to make that happen. We’re in active conversations with many other transit agencies to ensure that we can collaborate and solve this problem together.

How would Argo scale to larger municipalities?

It does require a combination of world-class technology talent, and a public-sector ecosystem willing to invest in that innovation. We’ve brought home some of the top executives and engineers from leading consumer technology and mobility companies. But in order to scale both through Canada and globally, we’re really excited to partner with all levels of Canadian government as we build a global standard for modern transportation infrastructure.

What kind of investment will governments offer?

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has said publicly it’ll spend $100 billion in the next decade on transportation infrastructure, and we believe that investment in innovation and solutions, like Argo, can deliver to the taxpayer extremely high ROI.

The municipality is already spending in partnership with the provincial and federal government, on transit infrastructure. So the value for the dollar, both from a capital perspective and an operational perspective, is more efficient than the alternatives, and can get reduced congestion, and help people have increased levels of access.

Can you describe the success so far?

Even the most robust transit networks in the country, for many people, aren’t accessible. Those who have mobility issues, and have trouble getting to the bus stop. Those who work off hours and on fixed route systems, have reduced service levels.

Even a healthy and active 25-year-old in a major city would find walking to the bus stop in the peak of winter, waiting for a bus, a major limiting factor to their mobility.

So in BWG (Bradford West Gwillimbury), we’ve seen so many inspiring examples of people who previously were isolated from their communities, finally being able to participate in society.

There’s a personal support worker who used to ride rideshare to and from work every day. She now can get to and from work for $1 each way, which is the transit fare, but now she can take her clients, many of whom have dementia or mobility issues, and have just been isolated in their homes for months at a time and just don’t have the ability to leave their homes. Now she’s taking them to the park, into the community centre and out to the mall.

There’s teachers who’ve been taking their special-needs kids out into town, just swimming in the community centre. There’s parents with disabilities. There’s a woman we met who has epilepsy who can’t drive, who can finally take her kids around town. There’s small business owners, a gentleman who produces honey locally, who now offers free delivery within the community during Argo service hours.

How does Canada win with Argo?

We are built and headquartered in Canada, so we’re repatriating several high-profile global technology executives and engineers. We’re creating a solution to a global challenge that Canada can export.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

This is the latest in a National Post series on How Canada Wins. Read earlier instalments here.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Click here for more Canada

Canada is at a crossroads. In the face of growing hatred and escalating threats toward the Jewish community, we must confront a difficult truth: antisemitic violence is no longer a fringe concern — it is now a coordinated and dangerous threat to public safety and national values.

Over the past year, antisemitic incidents have surged. In cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centres have been targeted with threats, vandalism, arson, and even gunfire. These are not isolated events — they reflect a disturbing pattern of extremism taking root in the public square, online spaces, and protests where hate speech and glorification of terrorism go unchecked.

The case for a national response is stark. After the Hamas-led October 7th massacre in Israel, Canada experienced a sharp rise in antisemitism. Toronto

recorded

443 hate incidents in 2024 alone — 40 per cent targeting Jews. Across Canada, there was a

670 per cent

increase in antisemitic incidents since the attack. In Vancouver, Jewish institutions were threatened and set on fire. Most shockingly, a Jewish girls’ school in Toronto was shot at three times. These are not abstract statistics — they reflect a wave of hate crossing into real-world violence.

In response, I’ve begun writing a White Paper for a new national conversation — working with friends and leaders in government and law enforcement to explore concrete actions that protect the Jewish community and reinforce the values of our democracy. The response to having the conversation has been overwhelmingly positive across the country.

One of the greatest concerns is deterrence. Hate groups and extremists feel emboldened, often because they believe they can act with impunity. This must change. Deterrence theory offers a clear path forward: offenders must know they will be caught swiftly. In other words, the response must be immediate and the severity must be strong and unambiguous, with meaningful penalties that reflect the seriousness of these crimes.

In order for this to succeed, first, we must reform how hate crimes are prosecuted. In Canada, charges require the consent of the Attorney General — a political hurdle that delays justice. That requirement should be removed, allowing police to lay charges based on evidence and the courts to determine outcomes.

Second, existing hate crime laws must be applied consistently as the law of the land. Canada already prohibits hate speech, incitement to genocide, and the promotion of violence, but enforcement appears to be timid and selective. These laws must be used fully and without hesitation.

Third, we need a dedicated national enforcement unit focused on antisemitic and ideological hate. Canada has long had units to combat organized crime — this is no less urgent. Hate groups are becoming more coordinated and violent against Jewish citizens. Law enforcement must be equally coordinated in its response.

Fourth, I’m proposing a new national security strategy — S.N.A.P.: Share, Notify, Act, Protect. It calls for improved intelligence sharing across agencies, real-time alerts for Jewish communities, swift legal action, and visible protection of high-risk institutions. This model moves us from a reactive stance to a proactive one.

Fifth, we must modernize protest laws. Inspired by recent U.K. reforms, Canada should adopt clear rules: require and enforce advance notice of protest marches; place limits on time, location, and methods; prevent seriously disruptive protests; and restrict demonstrations near Jewish events. Issue immediate and heavy fines. These measures preserve freedom of expression while safeguarding public order and safety.

Sixth, legal definitions must be updated to reflect modern threats. Online radicalization, glorification of terror, and hate propaganda must be addressed with new legislation, including reinstating

Section 13

of the Canadian Human Rights Act curtailing hate online and digitally.

Canada also rightly recognizes that free speech has limits — especially when it infringes on the safety and rights of others. Pro-Hamas groups may have the right to protest peacefully, but they are not free to block Jewish Canadians from attending events or entering synagogues. They are not free to harass, intimidate, or chant genocidal slogans. This is not free speech — it is hate speech. And under Canadian law, it is not protected.

These ideas are drawn from my extensive consultation with political leaders and law enforcement leaders. They are not the final word — but the beginning of a critical national conversation. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was primarily the Jewish community that helped

shape

Canada’s hate crime laws in response to a rising Neo-Nazi threat. Today, the threat is more lethal, more ideological, and more public — and reforms must rise to meet this moment.

The Jewish community, like all Canadians, deserves to live in peace. That requires courage, clarity, and coordinated action. The time to act is now.

Avi Abraham Benlolo is the CEO and Chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, a Canadian think-tank.

National Post

Author: Robert Wood

Click here for more

Click here for more

Click here for more

Click here for more Canada

Click here for more Canada

Click here for more Canada

How many people have been leaving Canada?

What are the predictors of likely emigration?

Why do they leave?

What about immigrants to this country?

What about residents who come to study or work temporarily?

What has the impact of these shifts been on Canada’s population?

What has the population impact been across the country?

Click here for more Alberta

TOP STORY

IN OTHER NEWS

Click here for more Alberta

Click here for more Canada

Click here for more Canada

loonie politics

premium content