OTTAWA — As Canada looks for ways to see U.S. tariffs lifted, the country’s ambassador to Canada suggested the recent trade announcement with the United Kingdom could be a “template.”

“I think this will kind of be a template for how we go around the world,” U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told National Post.

Hoekstra made his comments as Trump was announcing on Thursday he had reached a deal with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The announcement, which has not yet been finalized into an agreement and with more

details yet to come

, would see the U.S. slash the rate of tariffs applied to its automobiles and zero them out on steel and aluminum products, in exchange for more U.K. market access for products such as American beef.

Trump teased that he would soon be announcing a deal — the first he has reached since unleashing tariffs on countries around the world — while Prime Minister Mark Carney was seated next to him in the Oval Office during their first official meeting earlier this week.

Canadian political and business leaders have celebrated the visit as a success, saying Carney hit reset on what had become a strained relationship between the president and his predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

During the meeting, the president made it clear there was nothing Carney could say that would convince him to lift tariffs on Canada. Carney also agreed, saying “this is a bigger discussion.”

Citing the president’s comments, Hoekstra suggested Trump is interested in a different type of deal.

“Is there an agreement that can be had that increases prosperity, safety and security for both countries— absolutely.”

Besides tariffs and trade, Carney travelled to Washington to talk security.

While details of the U.S.’s deal with the U.K. remain unknown, Hoekstra said it covers the same issues Canada is dealing with and checks the same boxes.

In terms of next steps, the ambassador says the U.S. and Canada need to keep talking, as Carney and Trump showed this week.

“They showed each other a tremendous amount of respect, and most importantly, they listened to each other,” said Hoekstra, who was among officials who attended their meetings.

“The president clearly listened to what the prime minister had to say, and the prime minister clearly listened to what the president had to say. They got a feel for who each one was. They created as much as you can in two hours, the beginning of a relationship that I think can be positive, that will go after tariffs,” he says.

Trump and Carney also discussed the issue of fentanyl, as well as military and security commitments, he added.

“There’s some work to do, but it’s not like the there’s this huge chasm that we have to overcome. I think we can get there relatively quickly, but the president’s very busy right now.”

Canada remains a priority, the ambassador said, and pointed to the fact the meeting took place within a matter of days and not weeks or months after Carney’s election. Senior members of the Trump administration were in attendance, he said, including Vice-President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Jamieson Greer, his trade representative, and Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff.

“The president had everybody in the room that needed to be there,” Hoekstra said. “I would look at that and say, ‘Wow, it’s clear the president sees Canada as a priority’.”

One issue that Hoekstra said he raised with the president’s team which he sees as being a part of negotiations would be on Canada’s digital services tax, with first payments from digital giants due next month.

While the Liberals introduced the three per cent tax to ensure tech giants pay tax on revenue earned from Canadian users, the ambassador called it a “significant tax” which “is targeted specifically at American companies.”

Former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration also took issue with the tax. Despite Trump’s stated concerns about the digital services tax, it does not appear the deal struck with the U.K. touches its own version of the policy.

When it comes to the free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which is due for review next year, Hoekstra says the president is evaluating different “concepts” that include having a three-way deal or two-way deal between Mexico and Canada, saying no decision has yet been made.

“Is it still USMCA? Is it USA-Canada?” the ambassador said. “These are the things that will be talked about in the coming days and weeks.”

Trump and Carney are next set to meet when the president attends the G7 in Kananaskis next month.

— With additional reporting from The Associated Press

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

• ‘It’s done’: Trump’s 51st state comments are ‘behind us,’ says U.S. ambassador to Canada
• Trump strikes a friendly tone, but says Carney’s visit won’t end tariffs

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up 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 politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

OTTAWA — Thousands of pro-life demonstrators gathered on Parliament Hill on Thursday to make their voices heard on abortion and MAID — and to take shots at political leaders on both sides of the spectrum.

While this year’s rally theme was “Protection at Conception,” another theme emerged: the recent federal election.

While according to the CLC, the number of pro-life MPs increased to 42, many of the organization’s members expressed disappointment about the election results.

“While (Prime Minister) Mark Carney throws up elbows, we defend the innocents,” said Jeff Gunnarson, the CLC’s national president, at the rally.

Criticism of Carney was constant throughout the event, with speakers taking aim at him and his party.

“Prime Minister Mark Carney presents a direct threat to every pre-born human being,” said Josie Luetke, the CLC’s director of education and advocacy, at a pre-rally press conference on Wednesday. “He is rejecting human equality and is repeating past mistakes of the party.”

Still, CLC members made a point that they are still willing to find some areas of agreement with Carney.

“Mr. Carney, will you at least meet us on the periphery by pledging a Born Alive Infant Protection Act to mandate the provision of life-saving neo-natal care and medical assistance for babies who survive abortion and prosecutions for medical staff who violate the law,” said Jack Fonseca, the CLC’s director of political operations, on Wednesday.

Pierre Poilievre was also put on the hot seat at the march.

“I would encourage you to denounce the corrupt practice of appointing Conservative candidates without a nomination vote by the party’s grassroots members,” Fonseca said. “In the 2025 election cycle, you allowed the cancellation of at least 110 nomination contests in favour of appointing your preferred candidates.

“This is one of the reasons you lost this federal election.”

Additionally, pro-choice demonstrators went to the hill as part of the “Rally for Choice.” In a statement about the rally, Defend Choice, the organization running the counterprotests, said that they were there to remind everyone that “choice is not up for debate.”

The National March for Life has become an annual tradition, with the Campaign Life Coalition holding the rally annually for 28 years. The event is held in early May, to mark the anniversary of the day abortion was decriminalized in Canada on May 14, 1969.

National Post

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up 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.

In 2013, when Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio became pope he chose the name Francis, a tribute to one of the most popular saints in the history of Christendom.

St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 13th century, was loved because of his deep devotion to the poor. Indeed, Pope Francis showed a great love for the most marginalized of this world, especially the millions of migrants who are the poorest of the world.

So what does the name Pope Leo XIV possibly indicate for this new papacy?

Pope Leo XIII, who served from 1878 to 1903, has not been declared a saint, but his influence on the Church and the world was immense. He, too, showed a great concern for working people everywhere who slaved away for a mere pittance and had little time for family or even to worship God. They were in many ways the dross of the Industrial Revolution, who, along with poor pay, were subject to the illnesses and diseases spewed out by factories.

If his new name is something to go by, we might expect our new Pope to also show great concern for those who labour under the dark cloud of exploitation.

On May 15, 1891, Leo promulgated the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which translates to “Of New Things.” For Catholics, and any observer of the plight of labour, the encyclical was considered — and still is — a landmark document on worker rights.

Last month, Fr. Joe Connelly wrote a beautiful essay on the Catholic website Guardian Angels in praise of Rerum Novarum, a document that was not just relevant to conditions in the late 19th century but to many parts of the world today.

“During an era marked by the rise of capitalism and the exploitation of labor, Pope Leo XIII boldly defended the rights of workers and the sanctity of the family,” he wrote.

“Rerum Novarum emphasized the importance of just wages, decent working conditions, and the rights of laborers to organize for their mutual benefit. Rejecting the extremes of unchecked capitalism and socialism, the encyclical called for a balanced approach that respects both the rights of workers and the principles of private property.”

He notes that the encyclical underscored the Catholic principle of “subsidiarity,” which reminded smaller groups in society to address social needs.

“Rather than relying solely on the state, the encyclical emphasizes the responsibilities of families, local entities, and voluntary associations in caring for the vulnerable and promoting the common good. This principle remains as relevant today as it was in Pope Leo XIII’s time, guiding Catholics in their efforts to foster solidarity and build thriving societies.”

The encyclical urged the owners of capital to give their workers decent pay, shorter workdays and workweeks, so that those who laboured would have time to spend with families and in worship.

Pope Leo XIII also told workers that they had the right to form unions in order to become a collective force in dealing with management.

At the heart of Catholic social teaching, of which Rerum Novarum is likely the greatest document, the emphasis is on moral values and the dignity of the human person.

In 2011, when I was the religion reporter for the National Post, I interviewed Thomas E. Woods, a conservative Catholic and libertarian, and author of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.

Many at the time of Pope Leo XIII, and even today, thought the encyclical smacked of socialism. Woods said that was never the case: “The Church is categorically opposed to socialism. Leo XIII said the right of private property is sacred and inviolable. Those are his words. That’s totally incompatible with socialism.”

Rather, Woods said, Pope Leo XIII was reminding Catholics and others that they have a responsibility to those around them.

“We’ve come to look to the state for so many aspects of life, we just instinctively think that anything that is important is something the state has to do,” Woods said. “Benedict XVI and John Paul II have both said the welfare state can have an enervating effect on people and communities because it leads us to think that we have no responsibility toward other people because the state will take care of it. That’s not good for anybody’s soul.”

Charles Lewis was the National Post’s religion reporter from 2007 to 2013. He is also this year’s recipient of the Archbishop Adam Exner Award, given by the (Canadian) Catholic Civil Rights League for “Catholic Excellence in Public Life.”

• Michael Higgins: Expect Pope Leo XIV to bring more liberal controversy
• What’s in a ‘papal name’ and what the new pope’s choice could mean for the Church

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.

In his first address, the newly elected Robert Francis Prevost, who will now be known as Pope Leo XIV, appeared before a crowd on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Thursday. His speech has been translated to English from Italian. Here’s what he said. 

Peace be with you!

Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.

This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarming and humble and preserving peace. It comes from God. God, who loves all of us, without any limits or conditions. Let us keep in our ears the weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome – the Pope who blessed Rome and the world that day on the morning of Easter.

Allow me to continue that same blessing. God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.

Thank you Pope Francis!

Thank you to my Cardinal brothers who chose me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a united Church searching all together for peace and justice, working together as women and men, faithful to Jesus Christ without fear, proclaiming Christ, to be missionaries, faithful to the gospel.

I am a son of Saint Augustine, an Augustinian. He said, “With you I am a Christian, for you a bishop.” So may we all walk together towards that homeland that God has prepared for us.

To the Church of Rome, a special greeting:

We have to look together how to be a missionary Church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone, like this square, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love.

(In Spanish): Hello to all and especially to those of my diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, a loyal, faithful people accompanying the bishop and helping the bishop.

To all you brothers and sisters of Rome, Italy, of all the world, we want to be a synodal church, walking and always seeking peace, charity, closeness, especially to those who are suffering.

Today is the day of the Supplication (Plea) to Our Lady of Pompei.

Our blessed mother Mary always wants to walk with us, be close to us, she always wants to help us with her intercession and her love. So let us pray together for this mission, and for all of the Church, and for peace in the world.

We ask for this special grace from Mary, our Mother.

Hail Mary, full of grace. You are blessed amongst all women and blessed be the fruit of your womb. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners and be present at the hour of our death. Amen.

• What we know about the first American Pope, Robert Francis Prevost
• What’s in a ‘papal name’ and what the new pope’s choice could mean for the church

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.

OTTAWA — The federal NDP will not be able to rely on hefty campaign reimbursements from Elections Canada to fill its party coffers after its worst-ever election result.

Only 46 NDP candidates out of 342 received 10 per cent or more of the votes that would make them eligible for a partial reimbursement of paid election expenses such as travel, salaries, accessibility expenses and other costs associated with the campaign.

This suggests that the party will receive possibly millions less in electoral expense refunds than in the previous two elections, where over 230 candidates met the threshold for reimbursements.

It will likely add to the party’s financial woes after a devastating election result.

The NDP did not have a full slate of 343 candidates on election day, as their candidate in the Nova Scotia riding of South Shore—St. Margarets

dropped out of the race in early April.

The NDP managed to get seven MPs elected: Don Davies (now interim leader), Jenny Kwan, Gord Johns, Heather McPherson, Leah Gazan, Lori Idlout and Alexandre Boulerice.

Incumbent NDP MPs who lost also managed to get a higher vote-share, with most near or above 30 per cent —  with exceptions being former leader Jagmeet Singh and Lisa Marie Barron, who finished with a little more than 18 per cent, and Bonita Zarrillo, who ended up with 15 per cent.

Star candidates who campaigned with Singh — such as former MPP Bhutila Karpoche in Toronto, former MLA Lisa Roberts in Halifax or former MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in Quebec — also got more than 10 per cent and are eligible to get their expenses reimbursed.

But the majority of NDP candidates across the country ended with single-digit results. In some ridings in the Greater Toronto Area, the party was almost wiped out.

The party’s representatives in the ridings of Brampton East, South and West each ended up with 1.7 per cent of the vote, whereas the party got 1.6 per cent in Eglinton—Lawrence, 1.2 per cent in Thornhill and the party’s smallest result, 1.1 per cent, in King—Vaughan.

At the national level, the party ended with 6.3 per cent of the vote.

Elections Canada typically remits millions of dollars to the main parties and candidates who qualify once they have submitted their paperwork in the months following the election.

The NDP can expect to receive a fraction of the candidate rebates. Since before the 2019 election the party has chosen to keep the money instead of distributing it to candidates and electoral district associations, and that policy is expected to remain.

“It’s going to hurt the party. There’s absolutely zero doubt about it,” said Cam Holmstrom, NDP strategist and founder and principal of public relations firm Niipaawi Strategies. “It’s going to be a big, big kick in the teeth when it comes to the party financially.

“And it worries me, because this, to me, is the worst-case scenario on that end of things.”

The agency reimburses up to 60 per cent of election expenses for candidates, and up to 50 per cent for parties. Accessibility expenses are reimbursed almost in full, at 90 per cent.

In the 2021 federal election, New Democrats had 237 candidates who were either elected or received 10 per cent or more of the votes. The party received a reimbursement of $12,095,431.94 whereas candidates received a total of $3,713,227.92.

In 2019, the party had 235 candidates who satisfied the criteria, and they were reimbursed a total of $3,855,478.27. The party, for its part, received $5,155,345.89 in election rebates.

Holmstrom said the party rebate depends on the amount the national campaign spent.

“If they spent more, it should be a larger rebate. But for the ridings, it’ll definitely be lower… because now they’ve got a bunch of ridings where they’d be getting nothing,” he said.

A spokesperson for Elections Canada could not offer an estimate of the amount the NDP could hope to get back in this most recent election based on its results.

“The actual amounts of the expenses are based on the expenses incurred by parties and candidates eligible for reimbursement, which we won’t know until the election financial returns are submitted,” said Matthew McKenna in an email.

He said candidates have until Aug. 28 to submit their financial returns, whereas the parties’ returns are due Dec. 29.

The New Democrats’ financial troubles are nothing new. Ahead of the 2019 election, the NDP mortgaged its national headquarters in Ottawa, Jack Layton Building, for $12 million to pay for Singh’s byelection and the upcoming federal campaign amid a drop in donations.

The party remained in the red until last year, when

CBC reported it had paid off its debt

from the 2021 general election.

In March, former NDP campaign director Jennifer Howard said the party’s fundraising numbers were up, that candidates were “smashing expectations” in terms of raising money, and the NDP could spend the maximum allowed under Elections Canada’s limits.

“This election, we will be on an even playing field with the Liberals and Conservatives,” said Howard.

Instead, the party has been reduced to seven seats and will be returning to the House of Commons later this month without official party status.

One NDP official described the party’s current financial situation as “not great” but said the party always finds a way to bounce back in time for the following election.

“We always figure it out.”

National Post,

with files from Christopher Nardi

calevesque@postmedia.com

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up 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 politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

OTTAWA

— U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the president has put the issue of Canada becoming a state “behind us.”

Hoekstra says the meeting U.S. President Donald Trump held with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House earlier this week allowed both sides to move past some of the issues that have coloured the U.S.-Canada relationship over the past 90 days. 

One of those has been Trump’s repeated comments that he would like Canada to become part of the U.S., referring to the country as the “51st state.”

“It’s done,”

the ambassador told National Post in his first-wide ranging interview in Canada since he was confirmed to the role last month. 

“From my standpoint, from the president’s standpoint, 51st state’s not coming back,” he said.

“The president may bring it up every once in a while, but he recognizes it’s not going to happen unless the prime minister engages with the president.”

During their Oval Office meeting, Trump told reporters that discussions about Canada becoming a state were not on the agenda.

He nonetheless repeated his desire for Canada to become a state when the issue was raised by press in the room. Trump, who referred to his background as a real estate developer, called the Canada-U.S. boundary an “artificially drawn line.”

Carney responded by citing Trump’s understanding of real estate to say “there are some places that are never for sale.” Carney also pointed to the recent federal election campaign, where he met with thousands of voters, whom the prime minister called the “owners of Canada.”

“It’s not for sale. Won’t be for sale ever.”

Trump also said “never say never.”

After the meetings between the two leaders, which included a private working lunch with senior members from both of their governments, Carney was also asked by reporters whether he had requested the president to stop making those comments.

He answered “yes,” adding he has been consistent both in his public and private comments.

On Thursday, Hoekstra pointed to the president’s remarks in the Oval Office to demonstrate how he believes the issue has been put to rest. 

“The president clearly acknowledged it takes two to tango. That’s behind us. It was never a barrier to discussing these other issues,” the ambassador says. 

“Now begins the framework.”

While Canadian political and business leaders have celebrated this week’s meeting as a reset of the Canada-U.S. relationship, which grew strained under former prime minister Justin Trudeau,

Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman and past chair of the House Intelligence Committee disagreed, saying there is a strong foundation that binds both countries. 

“We are great friends. We have been great friends for such a long period of time. You’re not going to change those personal relationships.

“Is it a little bit of: ‘OK, let’s get over what’s happened in the last 90 days?’ Yeah, we did that. But the relationship, from my perspective, and I think from the president’s perspective, was never in jeopardy.”

With U.S. tariffs remaining in place on Canadian steel and aluminum as well as goods and auto parts not compliant with the free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico,

Hoekstra acknowledged the countries’ economic relationship remains rocky. 

He defended Trump’s approach as fulfilling campaign promises he made when he was re-elected last November and that when it comes to changing the U.S.’s relationship to trade, he took a global approach.

Trump and his advisers have long argued tariffs were the way to attract more manufacturing to the U.S.

Industry and business leaders across the U.S., as well as in Canada, have said this approach is flawed and pointed to how Trump’s tariffs have threatened jobs, caused stock markets to fall and unleashed global uncertainty that has chilled investments.

“When you take a global approach, yes, Canada falls within that,”

Hoekstra said.

“Some of the people … have not liked that approach, but it is what the president campaigned on, and he’s doing exactly what he said he was going to do.”

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 politics newsletter, First Reading, here.

Amid heightened tensions and stricter travel policies between the U.S. and Canada, a new bill would extend the amount of time Canadians can spend in the United States.

The

Canadian Snowbird Visa Act

, which was introduced on April 29, would allow Canadian citizens who own or lease a residence in the U.S. to stay for 240 days annually. That is nearly two months longer than the current policy, which permits Canadians to be in the U.S. for 182 days a year.

“The

Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA)

has been working closely with members of the United States Congress in an effort to have the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act enacted into law. We are pleased to see it re-introduced in the current session of Congress,” the association said in an emailed statement to National Post on Thursday.

“Canada is the largest international tourism market in the United States, with annual spending in excess of US$20 billion. This policy is a step in right direction as it recognizes the pivotal impact Canadian snowbirds have on the U.S. sunbelt. If this bill becomes law, it will allow Canadian snowbirds, who frequent the United States, greater flexibility in their travel plans.”

CSA is a nonprofit organization with 100,000 members that advocates on behalf of Canadian travellers and works to improve their rights and privileges.

Majority of Canadians feel unwelcome and unsafe travelling to United States: new poll

Congressman Ken Calvert, who represents part of the Coachella Valley in California, cosponsored the act. He said it will “provide an important boost to the economic engine of the Coachella Valley, which is fuelled by visitors from Canada and all over the world,” in

a news release

on May 1.

He said it would ultimately lead to more jobs being created and would expand economic growth in the region.

“Canadians own an estimated seven per cent of all homes in the Coachella Valley. Even more lease a residence during the winter. The Canadian Snowbird Visa Act would allow them to spend more time here and make an even bigger contribution to our local economy,” he said on

a post on X

on Wednesday.

In April, California Governor Gavin Newsom

launched a campaign

to attract Canadian travellers. Last year, 1.8 million Canadians visited the state and spent US$3.72 billion. The governor wanted to make it clear that “California is a grateful partner.”

Another state where Canadians spend much of their time, especially in winter months, is Florida. Congresswoman Laurel Lee is a Florida representative who also cosponsored the bill.

“Canadian residents contribute billions of dollars each year to our small businesses, real estate markets, and local economies — especially here in Florida,” she said in

a statement to Desert Sun

. “By extending the time Canadian visitors who own or lease homes can spend here, we’re supporting job growth, strengthening our bond with our closest neighbours, and helping local communities thrive.”

In March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis boasted that

3.3 million Canadians visited the state in 2024

. However, reports from local news outlets in Florida revealed that its communities could feel the effect of Canadians leaving after it was

announced in February

that all foreign nationals would have to register to stay longer than 30 days.

“It’s not only having a negative impact on the tourism market, but business as a whole,” Cole Peacock, the owner of Seed and Bean market in Fort Myers,

told Gulf Coast News

.

One Canadian with a home in the Fort Myers area told the publication she’d be leaving on April 2. The registration policy came into effect on April 11. Another family told Gulf Coast News they would not return to the area next year.

New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said in

a news release

that Canada provides “more visits to the United States than any other country,” adding that Canadians “are critically important to North Country tourism and industry.”

According to tourism organization New York City Tourism + Conventions, roughly

one million Canadians

visited New York last year.

“Providing Canadians who own homes and property in the United States with extra time to visit and boost our economy will help revive Canadian tourism to the United States,” she said.

Per the news release, the bill still has safeguards in place. It prohibits Canadian snowbirds from working for U.S. employers or accessing public assistance programs, and clarifies that they will retain their nonresident tax status.

“This bipartisan bill reflects a shared commitment to supporting local economies, rebuilding cross-border tourism, and strengthening the U.S.-Canada relationship through smart, targeted immigration policy,” the news release said.

• California governor appeals to Canadians to please come back
• What was said in Trump’s meeting with Carney, including ‘never say never’ to Canada as 51st state

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.

Joe Rogan can’t pronounce Pierre Poilievre’s surname, but the podcaster said this week that he’d invited the then-Conservative Party of Canada leader to be a guest on his show.

However, the immensely influential and sometimes polarizing media personality said Poilievre turned him down.

“Wouldn’t do it, thought it was too problematic or whatever,” Rogan told his guest, bow hunter and endurance athlete, Cameron Hanes, in

Tuesday’s episode.

Joe Rogan says Pierre Poilievre turned down coming on his podcast 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/69e2vb0kK5

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) May 6, 2025

The Joe Rogan Experience sits atop YouTube’s podcast chart with almost 20 million subscribers according to

Rephonic

, almost the same number of followers as his personal Instagram. The podcast also tops Spotify’s chart with 14.5 million monthly listeners.

Poilievre spoke to the mainstream media sparingly throughout the federal election campaign, usually taking only a handful of questions at the conclusion of campaign stop speeches. He did, however, partake in at least two long-form podcast interviews —

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

and

The C Suite with Camila Gonzalez

Like his offer to interview Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris during the 2024 U.S. election, Rogan said he doesn’t seek out conflict with guests, nor is he interested in being the “gotcha guy.”

“Sometimes you have to be able to disagree in a way that’s forceful, but I’m never insulting or attacking people. Especially this Pierre ‘Polivette’ guy,” Rogan attested, admitting he doesn’t know how to pronounce Poilievre.

“How do you say it? It’s a weird way of saying it.”

• Jordan Peterson says Canadians choosing path of ‘severe pain’ with Mark Carney
• ‘Why are we upset at Canada? This is stupid,’ says American podcaster Joe Rogan

Without delving into specific topics, Rogan said the conversation would be about “real simple stuff.”

“I would just ask him questions like ‘What’s wrong with Canada. How did this happen, and why did it go this way? What can be done to reverse some of these things that have been put into place? How did you feel about this? What would you have done differently?

“I don’t know anything about Canada’s politics, right? It would have been fun,” he added.

Eight minutes later, following a discussion about his recent interview with British neoconservative political commentator Douglas Murray, who insisted Rogan he needed to visit Gaza to understand the effects of conflict there, the host said he doesn’t even go to Canada, repeating a statement he’s made at least twice before on his show.

In March, Rogan said he wouldn’t be attending this weekend’s UFC 315 in Montreal, nor would he return to the country any time soon.

“I don’t go to Canada anymore. I don’t. Nor should you,”

he advised guest Brendan Schaub.

Last summer, Rogan said he wouldn’t come back due to former prime minister

Justin Trudeau and “ridiculous free speech laws.”

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.

A cardinal appeared at the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony about 7:15 Roman time to announce the newest Pope. It is the first American pope, Robert Francis Prevost, 69, of Chicago.

He will be known as Pope Leo XIV. The last Pope Leo

was elected in 1878 and served until his death in 1903.

He was made a cardinal by Francis in 2023. He was the former leader of the Augustinian order and also appointed by Francis to the powerful Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops from around the world.

He has significant missionary experience in Peru, serving as bishop of the northern city of Chiclayo.

White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney about an hour prior to the announcement, alerting the crowd of faithful Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square that the College of Cardinals have elected a new Pope.

The sign came on the second day of voting and the fourth vote. The Cardinals reached the two-third majority required to elevate one of their ranks to be head of the church.

The gathered crowd cheered in elation as the smoke rose on a beautiful Thursday evening in Rome. Flags from all over the world were evident among them, including Canada’s.

For much of the past century, the conclave has needed between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.

• White smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney — a new pope has been elected
• What’s in a ‘papal name’ and what the new pope’s choice could mean for the church

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.