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Prime Minister Mark Carney greets Alberta Premier Danielle Smith during the 2025 summer meetings of Canada's Premiers at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

OTTAWA — Leaders in Alberta’s energy sector saw some things to like

in Tuesday’s federal budget

, but say it doesn’t quite prime Canada to become a global energy superpower.

Sprinkled in the 493-page budget, Mark Carney’s first as prime minister, are partial climbdowns on the

oil and gas emissions cap

and federal provisions against “greenwashing”, two of

the nine bad laws

critics say are throttling Alberta’s oil and gas sector.

Calgary-based energy analyst Heather Exner-Pirot said she was “pleasantly surprised” to see these concessions in the document.

“I actually feel like we got more information than what I was expecting … Carney showed his cards and weakened his hand on purpose, and I think it was out of good faith,” said Exner-Pirot.

“If you’re (Alberta Premier) Danielle Smith and you’re reading this, Carney’s trying to say, ‘yeah, we’re still playing ball’,” she added.

The two leaders have signalled that they’d like

to strike a deal

on resource development by mid-November.

Smith said in a statement that she was withholding comment on the budget amidst “sensitive negotiations” with the federal government.

Exner-Pirot also detected a subtle shift in language in sections of the budget relating to the industrial carbon tax and the Impact Assessment Act, conveying a focus on working with the provinces.

Adam Legge, the president of the Business Council of Alberta, says he agrees that Carney’s first budget signals a welcome break from predecessor Justin Trudeau’s focus on social spending.

“This prime minister understands the imperative of an economy, the imperative of investment (and) the imperative of productivity. So doing things that are actually in an effort or in a spirit to grow our economy is a welcome change from social transfers and redistribution of the Trudeau era,” said Legge.

But Legge added that there’s still too much “couching and caveats” in operative sections of the budget to give would-be investors the certainty they need.

“They muse. They muse about amendments to the green washing provision. They muse about, if all of this other stuff works, well, we may not need the emissions cap,” said Legge.

The budget’s update on the emissions cap, for example, says that scaling up carbon markets, oil and gas methane regulations and carbon capture would create conditions where it would “would no longer be required as it would have marginal value in reducing emissions.”

Legge also panned the budget’s focus on “climate competitiveness,” the notion that Canada will need to reduce its emissions intensity to meet the growing global demand for low-carbon goods and services.

“Frankly, I think everything we’re seeing is that Europe and other places are putting less emphasis on, sort of the green credentials, versus more … my members are telling me that they’re not seeing the stringency of environmental standards in the capital markets that they used to see,” said Legge.

Legge noted that even some of the world’s most environmentally conscious jurisdictions, like California, are

rolling back environmental regulations

.

He called the focus a “holdover of (the Trudeau) government’s excessive lens on clean or zero emission energy and the transition to net zero.”

Tim McMillan, a partner at Garrison Strategies and former head of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, was more blunt, calling Carney’s climate competitiveness strategy “a Trudeau-era climate policy in a business suit.”

McMillan said he saw no indication that large-scale decarbonization efforts, such as the

oil sands’ Pathways project

would be “anything but a drag” on Alberta’s energy industry.

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said she was disappointed that Carney didn’t use the occasion to kill the electric vehicle mandate, with the end of the

prime minister’s 60-day review

of the suspended policy serendipitously falling on budget day.

“I absolutely think this is a missed opportunity for the federal government … One would expect, if they were being strategic and thoughtful, and purposeful about the direction that they are choosing to go in, that they would be clear about repealing this mandate,” said Schulz.

Carney paused the scheduled

20 per cent sales target for 2026 model year electric vehicles in early September, after lobbying from the auto sector, and said he’d take the next 60 days to evaluate the mandate’s viability.

A short excerpt in the budget said the government will “announce next steps on electric vehicles in the coming weeks.”

Schulz added that it was “encouraging” to see the walk-backs on the emissions cap and greenwashing provisions but stressed that the language used in the budget was too muddled to send a clear signal.

“The devil’s going to be in the details,” said Schulz.

National Post

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Prime Minister Mark Carney with MP Chris d'Entremont, who crossed the floor from Conservative caucus to join the Liberals on Budget Day, as they walk to a meeting of the Liberal Caucus on Parliament Hill, Nov. 5, 2025.

Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont

crossed the floor on Tuesday

to join the ranks of the Liberal Party, saying he felt disconnected from the Conservative party’s direction.

Describing himself as a “Red Tory,” d’Entremont said he was

drawn to priorities set out in the 2025 federal budget

, such as infrastructure, fisheries, agriculture, and defense, all of which are integral to voters in his rural riding of Acadie-Annapolis in southwest Nova Scotia.

His riding includes a Canadian Armed Forces base that stands to benefit from increased military spending outlined in the Liberal government’s 2025 budget.

Meanwhile, the lobster industry is a fundamental part of the economy there. The industry faces significant challenges that dominate voter concerns. d’Entremont expressed belief in working to address such community and economic challenges, feeling that was not possible under Pierre

Poilievre’s “negative” leadership style

.

His move has been met with mixed reaction. Some Conservative MPs have criticized d’Entremont for betraying the party and misrepresenting voters who elected him as a Tory.

Late on Tuesday, Sebastian Skamski, former director of media relations in the Opposition Leader’s office, posted on X, stating: “Just 40 days ago, Chris d’Entremont said his constituents were hurting under Mark Carney’s government & warned that another massive Liberal deficit would make things worse. Today he turned his back on Canadians & betrayed them to advance his own personal ambitions.”

The X post includes a clip of d’Entremont rising in the House of Commons on Sept. 25 to support a Conservative motion regarding “food taxation.”

His comments followed Poilievre’s in the House on Sept. 16, when he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to “keep his election promise and ensure the deficit is not larger than $62 billion” in order “to lower the cost of food.”

d’Entremont levelled

similar criticism when he rose in the House

, while also urging the government to be responsive to opposition MP suggestions.

“Canadians are hurting. Families are being forced to cut deeply into their grocery budgets just to get by. And, frankly, that leaves me a little bit angry and a little bit sad.”

Canada is a wealthy country, d’Entremont said, but he suggested that under the Liberal government it’s being mismanaged.

“Since I was first elected in 2019, the cost of living has skyrocketed. And families (in his riding have been) struggling. We warned the Liberals that out-of-control spending and massive deficits were irresponsible. But, of course, they didn’t listen. And now after six months under a new prime minister who promised financial discipline, Canadians are still waiting.

The prime minister said he’d be judged by the costs at the grocery store, states d’Entremont.

“Well, Mr. Speaker, Canadians are judging him, and they are not impressed. Instead of delivering relief, this government delayed its budget.

At that point in time, a federal budget was still in the offing, noted d’Entremont. “We haven’t seen a budget in a year and a half. Why? Because (Carney) is projecting an over $92 billion deficit. That’s a monstrous, irresponsible burden on future generations.

“We’ll hear about “a generational investment. But what it really is, is a generational debt that my kids, their kids and their kids’ kids are going to have to try to pay in one way or another. That causes inflation and extra costs to future generations.

He went on to say: “

People find themselves pinched. They are having to make tough decisions on whether to feed their children, heat their homes or buy the things that school requires, and then get their kids into sports, if they are lucky. Unfortunately, the food basket is far too expensive.
In my riding, food banks are overwhelmed, and I am sure food banks across Nova Scotia are experiencing the same thing. Food bank usage is up 142% across Canada. While the government claims to be putting money back into taxpayers’ pockets, it continues to take it away through many other means.

“I urge members to vote with us. Let us work together. We hear a lot of that here in the House of Commons, especially from the government side, where members say that we should just work with them.
A number of suggestions have come from the opposition side, whether from the Conservatives, the Bloc or other opposition members, for finding ways to work with the government, but the government continues to close its ears and not listen to the good ideas that come from opposition members.”

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Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne shakes hands with Prime Minister Mark Carney after delivering his budget speech in the House of Commons, in Ottawa, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.

OTTAWA — In early September, Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Canadians that his first federal budget would include austerity measures.

The former economist pointed to what he described, not for the last time, as “unsustainable” government spending hikes over the last decade.

Six weeks later, during what was billed as a pre-budget speech at the University of Ottawa, Carney warned that his government would turn back the annual spending increases that averaged more than 7 per cent a year during the Trudeau years.

“Our new government is changing that,” he told the audience of mostly students, while adding that Canadians should be prepared for upcoming sacrifices.

Tuesday’s budget, however, seemed to sing a different tune.

Spending during this fiscal year, which overlaps almost completely with the start of the Carney government, is expected to jump by $37.6 billion, or 6.9 per cent, just a hair off the 7 per cent increases that the prime minister had seemed to abhor.

The one notable exception was cuts to the public service, both programs and jobs. The Liberals say they’ll trim $59.6-billion over the next five years, mostly from an expenditure review where each department was tasked with finding 15 per cent in savings over the next three years.

Don Drummond, a former high-ranking executive at the Department of Finance and chief economist at TD Bank, said the Carney government’s first budget showed a commitment to large spending increases and deficits for the next few years, despite Canada’s trade woes and other looming threats.

“It’s definitely not an austerity budget,” he said.

With the government’s various spending plans that are being described as “investments” and annual increases to debt interest, overall spending will still jump significantly this year and over the next half-decade. The government’s projections call for a spending jump of $101.1 billion between 2024-25 and 2029-30, an annual increase of $20.2-billion or 3.5 per cent.

Spending levels — and the notion of austerity — are of course highly charged in political circles.

With the addition in recent hours of former Tory MP Chris d’Entremont to the Liberal caucus, Carney’s budget will need only two non-Liberal votes — or abstentions and absences — later this month to pass, and to therefore avoid triggering an election.

But the NDP, seen as perhaps the Liberals’ best hope for support for the budget, have insisted they won’t support an “austerity” budget. Economists say the NDP has nothing to fear on that front.

“I don’t call this austerity at all,” said Emmanuelle Faubert, economist at the Montreal Economic Institute, of the budget. “I call this spending.”

According to the budget, the government expects to post a deficit this fiscal year of $78.3-billion, the third-highest in Canadian history and the largest ever in a non-pandemic year. The Carney government’s forecast calls for modest dips in the annual deficit over each of the next four years, although the cumulative effect will be another $320-million of new debt before the end of the decade.

The federal government has now accumulated $1.27 trillion in debt, almost half of which has been added over the last five years. With the budget’s updated forecast for this fiscal year, Ottawa is now on pace to amass $593.1-billion in debt over that five-year span, or 46.7 per cent of the total debt accumulated since Confederation.

Many of the new budget’s measures are linked to efforts to make the Canadian economy better able to export beyond the United States. The big pots of spending include allocations for new infrastructure, defence, housing, and skills upgrades.

While the forecasted annual increases over the next four years may be within screaming distance of expected inflation, at least compared to the spending hikes of the last decade, they don’t include any new spending ideas that have yet to be put in the plans, or responses to future crises.

National Post

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If you're the type who still deposits paper cheques in the ATM (or hands them to a bank teller) there's good news.

Now that the dust has settled on the

2025 federal budget

announcement, it’s time to see how ordinary Canadians might see their everyday lives affected by some of the

government’s decisions

. Here are a few takeaways.

More money from a deposited cheque

If you’re the type who still deposits paper cheques in the ATM (or hands them to a bank teller) there’s good news.

The budget proposes

raising the amount of money immediately available from a just-deposited cheque to $150 from the current $100.

“Access to cheque fund rules are now over a decade old and have not kept pace with cost-of-living increases or technological advances,” the budget document notes.

It also plans to reduce the number of days banks may hold deposited cheque funds before releasing them to customers, and to raise the current threshold of $1,500, below which shorter hold periods apply.

 Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, left, shakes hands with Prime Minister Mark Carney after delivering the federal budget in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Less tax on a plane or boat

At the other end of the financial scale from a $150 cheque, the budget

removes a tax

that was introduced in 2022 on airplanes with a value of more than $100,000 or boats worth more than $250,000. This luxury tax was equal to the lesser of 10 per cent of the total value of the vehicle or 20 per cent of the value above the threshold.

It should be noted that cars worth more than $100,000 are still subject to this tax.

Higher penalties for predatory debt advisors

The budget notes that unlicensed debt advisors, also known as lead generators, can deceive consumers into filing for bankruptcy in exchange for payment.

“When filed unnecessarily, insolvency proceedings can increase the costs of unnecessary fees and fines, and the longstanding perpetuation of a borrower’s cycle of debt,” it says.

It plans to add remedies, including restitution, for non-compliance with the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, and to increase the

maximum criminal fines

under that Act to $100,000 from the current $5,000, and to $1 million for corporations.

 A Canada Post worker empties a mailbox in Toronto.

Canada Post can set its own postage rates

The Canada Post Corporation Act restricts Canada Post from increasing stamp prices without Governor-in-Council approval, a process the crown corporation calls

“lengthy and cumbersome,”

taking up to nine months.

The new budget proposes amendments to the Act that will let Canada Post set postage rates on its own.

“This measure is expected to benefit all Canadians by helping improve the future financial sustainability of Canada Post operations,”

the budget states

.

Banks must give more notice of closures

According to the

Canadian Bankers Association

, the number of bank branches in Canada has been falling in recent years, dropping 9 per cent from 2012 to 2022. As of last October there were 5,460 branches in Canada, compared to 5,605 the previous year, and 5,783 in 2020.

The budget proposes to

amend the Bank Act

to require that banks provide public notice of branch closures on their websites, and to prohibit the charging of certain account switching or closure fees from the time the bank gives notice of its intent to close a branch until 12 months following the closure.

 Prime Minister Mark Carney’s 2025 federal budget titled Canada Strong was tabled on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The budget also says the government will review fees charged by banks, including Interac e-transfer fees and ATM fees. “We will use every tool and agency at our disposal to address any unjustified fees and pain points for Canadians,” it says. “We will provide an update on this work in 2026.”

Less income tax for the middle class

Under the heading “Delivering a middle-class tax cut,” the government is

moving forward

with the proposal to reduce the lowest marginal personal income tax rate to 14 per cent from 15 per cent, effective July 1, 2025.

This is the tax rate applied to the first $57,375 of an individual’s taxable income. The maximum tax savings will be $420 per person and $840 per couple in 2026.

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.


New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Queens borough of New York City on Nov. 5, 2025.

Zohran Mamdani used his victory speech after being elected mayor of New York City to speak directly to Donald Trump.

“After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said late Tuesday night. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”

The U.S. president has been an outspoken critic of Mamdani,

threatening to pull federal funding

from the city if Mamdani won and saying that there was no chance of success with a “communist” like him in charge.

Mamdani was declared the winner of the mayoral race not long after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET. He had garnered 50.4 per cent of the votes, the Associated Press reported. More than two million voters took part in the mayoral election for the first time since 1969, the New York City Board of Elections

said

. Mamdani will be

sworn in as mayor

on Jan. 1, 2026.

In his victory speech, Mamdani thanked the city, its residents and campaign volunteers for his win. He repeated promises he made on the campaign trail about tackling the cost of living, mental health and homelessness crises. But he also used his moment in the spotlight to address Trump.

“So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” he said.

“We will hold bad landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like Trump to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks. We will stand alongside unions and expand labor protections because we know, just as Donald Trump does, that when working people have ironclad rights, the bosses who seek to extort them become very small indeed.”

New York City would remain a city of immigrants, Mamdani said, adding that after his win, it would also be “led by an immigrant.”

“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he said.

Mamdani, 34, was

born in Uganda

and moved to New York City with his family when he was seven years old. “I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” he said on Tuesday night.

Trump

posted

on Truth Social around the time of Mamdani’s speech. “…AND SO IT BEGINS!” the president wrote.

Before the win, on Tuesday morning, Trump

said

Mamdani was a “Jew hater” and any Jewish person who votes for him is “stupid.” Members of New York’s Jewish community have called out Mamdani for accusing Israel of genocide and for

refusing to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,”

which

encourages violence

against Israelis and Jews. More than a thousand rabbis signed a

letter

against his candidacy. New York is home to the

largest Jewish population

outside of Israel.

Mamdani briefly addressed antisemitism in his speech. “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism,” he said.

There were

976 antisemitic incidents

in New York City in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey — the highest amount out of any American city last year. The group said that the incidents seen already in 2025 — including harassment, vandalism and physical violence — were “alarming.”

After Mamdani’s win, several Jewish groups shared their concerns in a joint statement.

“We cannot ignore that the Mayor-elect holds core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values. As we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,” said a

statement

by the American Jewish Committee, the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey and the New York Board of Rabbis.

“We will hold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive. We will continue to confront, without hesitation, the alarming rise in antisemitism and hate crimes, and loudly call out any rhetoric or actions that delegitimize Israel or excuse antisemitism.”

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.


New Liberal MP Chris d'Entremont.

OTTAWA — The Liberals’ newest addition to caucus, Chris d’Entremont, said on Wednesday that he was not “aligned” with his former leader Pierre Poilievre’s political ideals and hinted that other Conservatives may be following his example.

D’Entremont appeared at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s side during a press conference in Ottawa, the morning after

his surprise decision to leave the Conservative caucus

and cross the floor to join the minority Liberals just hours after the tabling of their budget.

“I’m honoured to welcome him as the newest member of our government caucus,” said Carney. “Chris’s decision to join the government caucus at this crucial moment for our country is exceptionally valuable and important.”

The minority Liberals are just two seats away from a majority which could guarantee the passage of their budget without the help of opposition parties.

Speaking to reporters, d’Entremont said he has been mulling over this decision to leave Poilievre’s Conservatives for a long time.

“Over the last number of months, I wasn’t feeling that I was aligned with the ideals of what the leader of the opposition had been talking about. So, I’ve been sort of relooking at what my career is bringing, and what I can do for my constituency,” he said.

D’Entremont said he held many conversations with his “friends” in the Liberal benches — relationships he formed when he was Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons — and came to the conclusion that he was better off joining their ranks.

“In my case, as a Nova Scotian, we’re always trying to find ways to work together to solve issues that are important to our communities. And I didn’t see it by sitting in the opposition. I saw it by being a part of the government caucus,” he said.

“It’s time to actually try to lead a country, to try to make it better and not try to knock it down, not to continue to be negative,” he added.

D’Entremont said that other Conservative MPs may be feeling the same way he did.

“I would suggest that there probably are those that are in the same boat, but I will let them tell their stories if that time comes,” he said.

Carney declined to say how many Conservatives his party had approached to join the Liberal ranks.

“We’ll speak to anyone, publicly, or otherwise, that can support us,” he said.

D’Entremont said Poilievre’s leadership style ultimately played a role in his decision.

“I didn’t find I was represented there that my ideals of an Easterner, of a red Tory, quite honestly, of trying to find ways to find solutions and help your community rather than trying to oppose everything that’s happening,” he said.

When asked if he was promised a minister portfolio, he simply said “no.”

In response to Conservative leadership’s suggestion that he was sour grapes after the party did not support him in his bid as Speaker of the House of Commons last spring, d’Entremont admitted it was an “awkward time” for him, but he did ultimately “move on.”

Conservative MPs reacted with a mix of anger and disappointment to the news of d’Entremont leaving their caucus, with some calling him a “coward” or an “idiot.”

“I think they should look at themselves and see if they’re offering the right thing to Canadians of trying to build for the world,” said d’Entremont.

“We have a great opportunity here in Canada, and rather than knocking people down, we should try to find ways to work together. And that’s what I’ve always tried to do in my career.”

On Wednesday, Liberals were tight-lipped about the efforts behind the scenes to poach some more disgruntled Conservatives.

“I’m becoming used to waking up to surprises every day,” said Government House leader Steven MacKinnon.

— With files from Stephanie Taylor and Christopher Nardi

National Post

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US President Donald Trump shakes hands with US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after he was sworn in during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Are President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs legal? We’re about to find out.

It’s a big day for the United States, especially for those interested in the separation of powers. Today, the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., begins hearing arguments in two cases that will determine whether the president was within his constitutional rights to impose tariffs on countries around the globe — or whether it was executive overreach. Trump declared national emergencies related to fentanyl trafficking and the trade deficit as justification for his tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and now the justices must decide whether that was legal and, if so, whether the conditions for declaring national emergencies were met.

IEEPA tariff rates today range from 10 to 35 per cent, depending on the country and product. By the end of this fiscal year, if they remain in place, the tariffs are expected to rake in US$195 billion in revenue for the U.S. government.

What is IEEPA? 

The statute was adopted in 1977 to regulate presidential emergency powers previously exercised under the broader Trading with the Enemy Act, which lacked limits and oversight. It empowers the executive to use economic powers “to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States, if the President declares a national emergency with respect to such threat.”

In its nearly 50 years of existence, it has been a tool for sanctioning countries and terrorist groups, but it has never been used to impose tariffs — until now.

Courting matters

The legal argument centres on whether IEEPA gives the president the authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval — and whether delegating that power is constitutional. 

The president’s team argues that Trump has broad powers to “regulate importation” during a national emergency and that this includes tariffs. But opponents note that the term “tariffs” is absent from the IEEPA statute, and that the constitutional authority to impose tariffs has long been exclusively vested in Congress.

According to Thomas Berry, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the CATO Institute, IEEPA enables a president to take various actions in the case of a national emergency. The statute lists various verbs and nouns, and by “plucking two of them,” the administration is focused on the words “regulate” and “importation.”

“(The White House) is arguing that the authority to regulate importation to deal with a national emergency includes the authority to impose tariffs essentially as leverage in negotiations,” explains Berry, noting that it’s a “novel” interpretation of the law. 

Trump’s lawyers argue that the congressional approval for the president to impose tariffs under IEEPA came when the law was passed and that the statute can be read broadly. But if that’s deemed to be true, such authority would have to be granted under one of two doctrines: nondelegation or the major questions doctrine. 

The nondelegation doctrine, Berry says, “holds that Congress can’t pass a law that’s so vague that it effectively allows the president to fill in the gaps and decide policy by himself.”

Opponents argue that even if the court decides that IEEPA grants the president authority to levy tariffs, the statute is so broad that it violates the nondelegation doctrine. But that will be a “tough argument” to make, according to Berry, “because no law has been struck down by the Supreme Court under the nondelegation doctrine in 90 years.”

So the justices’ decision will likely hinge on their statutory interpretation of IEEPA — on whether they believe that the words “regulate” and “importation” constitute legal authority for the president’s tariffs during a declared emergency.

The White House believes IEEPA grants the president broad authority to respond to foreign threats, including economic and national security concerns, and that tariffs are a tool for protecting the U.S. economy.

Many legal experts, including CATO’s Berry and Clark Packard, a research fellow in the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, believe the Supreme Court will rule against the president. 

Berry points to the major questions doctrine that has been developed in recent years by the conservative-leaning justices. It says the courts should be very skeptical when a president tries to use an old statute to enact a new policy that’s never been used before or that no one anticipated when it was enacted. This doctrine was applied when President Joe Biden tried to use an old 2003 HEROES Act to enact student loan forgiveness, and the court struck that down, 6-3.

“So I think all of the precedents and reasoning of those decisions apply just as much here, and the conservative justice certainly should, by the same reasoning, strike this down,” says Berry.

Packard says the “law is pretty clearly on the 

anti-tariff side.” He gives it a 60:40 chance, but like many of his colleagues across Washington, he notes that “it’s certainly not a slam dunk.”

Trump’s best chance for winning? His legal team is arguing that this is a national security and foreign affairs case because it involves international negotiations and alleged drugs crossing the border, for which his legal team says he needs more leeway and deference. 

“It’s possible that he might win over some justices who are particularly concerned about national security issues,” says Berry, pointing to Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. “But I don’t see that winning over a five-justice majority.”

Whatever the justices decide, the ruling could come quickly, with some experts pointing to as early as a month from now. 

The president is clearly concerned that this will not go his way. He posted on Truth Social on Sunday that if his ability to move quickly and nimbly on tariffs is removed, “we would be defenseless, leading perhaps even to the ruination of our Nation.”

Trump and his team have also warned that refunding the IEEPA tariffs could cause an administrative nightmare and hurt the U.S. economy. 

Trade experts point out that Customs and Border Protection are accustomed to processing duty refunds — and that the president has plenty of other, clearly legal levers he can pull to impose such tariffs.

Looking for cues

Everyone who has been affected by the tariffs, from world leaders to small business owners, will be watching to see what the justices ask the legal teams on Wednesday.

One rule of thumb, Berry says, is to see whether a justice gives more questions to one side. “That usually means they’re more skeptical of that side,” he says.

“The more justices raise national security, the more they might be sympathetic to the administration. But the more they raise separation of powers, major questions, and statutory interpretation concerns, I think the more sympathetic they are to the challengers.”

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Toronto Maybe Olivia Chow released this photo Tuesday on Facebook.

The mayor of Toronto has made good on a promise she made to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Olivia Chow was spotted in Toronto on Tuesday riding her bike in a blue-and white Dodgers jersey. The sight came just a few days after the Blue Jays were defeated in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, as the Dodgers won the championship for the second year in a row.

“I make good on my bets,” Chow said on Facebook late Tuesday. “Congratulations to the Dodgers and Karen Bass. The Blue Jays made you fight for every inning, and our city showed what teamwork looks like.”

https://www.facebook.com/MayorOliviaChow/posts/694263100395178

A few weeks ago on Breakfast Television, it was revealed that the Toronto mayor made a friendly bet with Bass, one rooted in their love for baseball and cycling: The mayor of the city that loses wears the jersey of the opposing team on a bike ride.

“If Toronto loses, I’ll ride in miles. If L.A. loses, she’ll ride in kilometres,” Chow previously told

CityNews

.

The final game in the World Series between the Jays and Dodgers was a highly anticipated event, one that draw an audience of 26 million viewers, according to data released by the Fox Corp. broadcast on Monday. The audience number was most since 2017, when the Houston Astros defeated the Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, a game watched by 28.3 million viewers.
“While we battle at the plate, we’re two resilient cities with one shared spirit — standing up for the communities that make us strong. See you at the next World Series, Mayor Bass. Come visit anytime, you’re always welcome in Toronto!” Chow said on social media.

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Handout photo of damage at Kehillat Shaarei Torah, a synagogue in Toronto’s north end, which has been hit by vandals for the 10th time in just over a year and a half. Photo provided.

Early Tuesday, antisemitic vandals hit Kehillat Shaarei Torah, a synagogue in Toronto’s north end, for the 10th time in just over a year and a half.

Police officers responded to reports of smashed windows, finding four shattered panes. Rabbi Joe Kanofsky said the community is shaken but determined not to be silenced.

“It’s very important to acknowledge nobody in our synagogue was hurt. This took place off hours when the building was not occupied,” he said.

Kanofsky described how the synagogue had already taken steps to protect itself, installing a steel fence and locked gate last year after previous attacks. Federal funding through the Canada Community Security Program has helped the temple add barriers and a CCTV system.

He emphasized that the synagogue’s response will be to double down on positivity, prayer, and commitment to good, even in the face of repeated hostility.

The suspect — described as being in their late teens to early 20s, with a thin build, short dark hair, and wearing dark clothing — remains at large as the investigation continues.

Kanofsky spoke to Dave Gordon for National Post:

Q: What was your congregation’s reaction to this latest vandalism?

The sad reality is, we’ve been through this quite a number of times already in the last 18 months.

So while it’s been a quiet period over the last few months since we put up a fence, you know, I cannot say anyone including myself seemed as surprised as the first, second, third, or fourth time that the synagogue was vandalized.

Q: What kind of security precautions or defence mechanisms have been installed in incidents one through nine?

The main point in addition to improving our lighting and all the things that should go with security, we have a perimeter fence with a locked gate that we lock when we’re away from the building. You know, really something you don’t find on too many businesses or houses of worship or places of business around town.

You lock the front door at the end of the day and you hope that’s it. So that worked for us for a number of years until it didn’t, about April of 2024 when the first attacks took place.

 Rabbi Joe Kanofsky of Kehillat Shaarei Torah, a synagogue in Toronto’s north end, which has been hit by vandals for the 10th time in just over a year and a half.

We feel like we’ve done quite a bit. We’re not a hardened facility like an embassy abroad or anything like that, nor I think we should be expected to be. Since the attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2019, I believe, we’ve had private security on premises every time we have a worship service.

Now, I want to put a shout out to Toronto Police Service who, for the last two years, has been a very visible, and supportive, presence every day at our synagogue. And, as far as I know, every other synagogue and Jewish school and institution around town. In addition to that, we have hired a paid duty constable to come and be here during our busier seasons of worship. It is a little bit mind-boggling that this is what’s required for people to feel relatively safe attending a prayer service at their local congregation.

There was this terrible shooting in Pittsburgh where a number of people lost their lives on a Sabbath morning,  and then there was something else in California. Every synagogue thinks we could be next. There was a hostage taking at a very small Jewish synagogue in Texas a couple of years ago.

Q: What do you think the long-term effects of this attack will be?

This is a drain and a distraction, which, of course, it’s meant to be. For how many years did how many millions of people have to take off how many millions of pairs of shoes at the airport just to get on a plane because of one guy?

That’s what these off-balance attacks are really meant to do. Thankfully, our attendance at the synagogue hasn’t declined. It’s actually improved. People have come out more to show their support, so that’s a good thing.

The long and the short is, we won’t be daunted. We, as our local community, have been through this before, and the Jewish people, we’ve been through some harassment over the years. So, it’s not going to stop us.

Q: Have any of your neighbours in an area, nearby residences, nearby businesses, nearby houses of worship, extended a hand of outreach or support?

Yes, very much so. A number of synagogues in our area, and across town, a few Christian-Jewish dialogue groups. Probably less in terms of our neighbouring houses of worship, but certainly from the Jewish community. A few from across Canada.

Actually, just on October 7th, we received a lovely, handwritten, long, heartfelt note from a Christian neighbour who passes us every day on the way to work. They saw the security go up, and extended the really warmest supportive, friendly feelings that you can ask for.

 Police officers responded to reports of smashed windows, finding four shattered panes. Rabbi Joe Kanofsky said the community is shaken but determined not to be silenced.

The silence from others is also a message.

Q: Is there a message for the Canadian public?

A number of perspectives on this. One is to say that, if someone is determined to do something, they will certainly do it.

So, you know, a fence and a lock and the motion detectors couldn’t stop this person from getting here. If we’re determined to do good things, perhaps nothing should stand in our way also. Those of us who are trying to bring peace in the world, trying to bring peace in the community, trying to bring more dialogue and understanding among people in Toronto…

Just like this person who came to do damage, you know, to do good, surely nothing can stand in our way.

Because for those of us who believe, and I do, that good is exponentially, if not infinitely, more powerful than bad, we should feel like we have the wind in our back, number one.

Number two, without over-dramatizing it, it can fairly be said, I think, at some point in history in our civil and western civilization, that the Jews are often the canary in the mine shaft.

We are an early warning system, and if these things are not addressed, if they’re not dealt with, they don’t get easier over time.

But again, for those of us who believe that good is really the overwhelming balance of power, we just have to lean into it and embrace it.

Q: What do you think it would take for the public to have more courage to fight antisemitism?

Whether we like it or not, the public looks to the leaders, and the leaders have to tell the story and have to say, “we will not tolerate it, we will not accept it, we will not stand for it.”

I have heard politicians over the last couple of years say things which to me ring like platitudes, where they say, “violence has no place in our society.” Violence has quite a big place, because violence is what people use to intimidate others and to harm and to disrupt.

 The suspect — described as being in their late teens to early 20s, with a thin build, short dark hair, and wearing dark clothing — remains at large as the investigation continues.

So to say it has no place in our society is really inaccurate and misleading, because it has quite a great place.

What they should say is, “we will not tolerate, we will not stand for, we will not permit, and we will not rest until we stamp out as best as we can those forces in our society.”

When we stand together, when our leaders, religious and civic leaders, are together and united against hatred, not just antisemitism, but hatred of any minority group, of any small group within our society, it doesn’t stand a chance.

And when people are silent, people take that as acquiescence. It’s not a complicated equation.

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A line of trucks wait to cross the Bluewater Bridge border crossing between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan on January 29, 2025.

An Ontario judge has sentenced two Indian immigrants to house arrest for running fraudulent truck driving schools that offered sub-standard training for newcomers from South Asia.

After a five-week trial at Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, a jury convicted Gurvinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh of one count each of fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document.

“Their convictions arose from the fraudulent mandatory entry-level training that each offered to students seeking a Class A driver’s licence,” Justice Pierre Roger wrote in a recent decision.

He gave both men conditional sentences of two years less a day, to be served in the community.

“The magnitude, complexity, duration, number of victims, and degree of planning involved in the offences is aggravating,” Roger said in his decision, dated Oct. 29.

“This was an elaborate scheme by the offenders. It involved close to 50 truck driver students each and lasted over two years. The offences impacted the community and the truck driver students. The truck driver students were robbed of the proper training they had paid for, and their lack of proper training created an additional risk to the welfare of road users, impacting the community and the reputation of truck drivers.”

The Crown argued unsuccessfully that the men should be imprisoned for five years.

“They argue that a penitentiary sentence is the norm in cases of large-scale fraud, and that the range in such cases is at least three to five years,” said the decision.

“The offenders argue that this is not a large-scale fraud. Alternatively, they argue that the circumstances of this case, including proportionality and parity of sentences, warrant departing from the range. They say that a fit sentence for each of the offenders is a conditional sentence of 12 to 18 months.”

In 2017, Ontario brought in “mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for residents of Ontario seeking to obtain a Class A licence,” said the decision. “A Class A licence is the licence required to drive large commercial trucks.”

An important goal of the training “is to increase safety for road users,” it said. “MELT strives to increase safety by implementing minimum entry-level standards which commercial truck drivers must meet before they can attempt their Class A licence road test. MELT includes a minimum of instructional hours offered by qualified instructors teaching specific standardized skills deemed required by the Commercial Truck Driver Training Standard (Class A) of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation … to safely drive large commercial trucks. MELT may be offered by registered private career colleges.”

Without proof of it, people who want to become commercial truck drivers can’t schedule a road test.

The court heard that, between January 2019 and May 2021, Gurvinder and Gurpreet Singh, “occasionally paid an interpreter, Hanifa Khokhar, to facilitate some of their respective students to cheat on their Class A knowledge tests. Ms. Khokhar suggested some of the answers during her interpretation services.”

Hanifa’s husband, Mohamed Khokhar, was also involved in the scam, by assisting his wife and collecting the money.

Gurvinder Singh, 69, of Laval, Que., and Gurpreet Singh, 37, of Saint Eustache, Que., both “operated a truck driver school (not registered as a private career college nor authorized to offer MELT) that fraudulently did not offer its students the minimum training required to satisfy the MELT standards,” said the decision.

“Instead, each of the offenders, at his respective truck driver school, obtained payment from its commercial truck driver candidates or students yet offered only basic truck driver training that did not comply with the MELT course standards.”

Both men “then circumvented the MELT certification process by paying for unlawful access to the (Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s) database to falsify their students’ MELT completion,” said the decision.

“Each paid Charanjit Deol and her husband, who operated a registered private career college authorized to offer MELT, to access the (ministry’s) database and upload information which falsely confirmed that the offenders’ respective commercial truck driver candidates or students had completed the MELT.”

Gurvinder and Gurpreet Singh “generally charged their students between $4,000 and $5,000 for the truck driver training that they offered,” said the decision.

“This is slightly less than what was charged for MELT training by approved or registered private career colleges.”

Their students “were of South Asian ethnicity, largely new immigrants,” said the decision. “The language spoken during training was mostly Punjabi.”

The Singhs “supplied trucks, trailers, instructors (frequently unqualified), and offered some commercial truck driver training which, however, did not meet the MELT standards,” said the decision.

Most of the students who testified “were satisfied with the training and services that they received from the offenders,” said the decision. “Some were thankful for the services they received and for their truck driver career.”

The court did not hear any evidence that anyone was hurt due to the scam.

“Moreover, despite the risks posed by licenced Class A drivers driving commercial trucks without having completed the MELT, there is no evidence that the Class A licence of any of the offenders’ students was revoked or made subject to additional MELT training or related conditions,” said the decision. “Similarly, there is no evidence why such measures were not put in place by the relevant authorities.”

All four of their co-accused plead guilty to fraud.

Gurvinder Singh works as a commercial truck driver, said the decision. “He immigrated to Canada from India in 2002 and is a Canadian citizen.”

Gurpreet Singh immigrated to Canada as a student, said the decision. “He owns and operates a delivery company and is the only source of income of his family.” The Crown confirmed Tuesday that he’s a Canadian citizen.

Their students were “tricked and deceived by the offenders into paying for substandard truck driver training,” said the decision.

The decision notes that “leaves truck driver students ill-prepared, could lead to dangerous situations, and jeopardizes road safety. This puts the public at risk.”

The court heard that Gurvinder and Gurpreet Singh “were respected in their community, and most of the students were referred to them by acquaintances,” said the decision.

As part of their conditional sentence orders, both men must each perform 200 hours of community services

“Both offenders are in stable relationships, work, and contribute to their family and to society,” Roger said. “Neither pose a risk to the safety of their community, including a risk of reoffending, and both have demonstrated that they can abide by conditions.”

The judge also granted a forfeiture order against Gurpreet Singh for the tractor portion of three Volvo trucks, with a combined market value of about $100,000, after the Crown argued “that they were used in the commission of the offence of fraud.”

Canadian provinces have experienced their share of troubles with immigrant truckers.

In 2018, 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos Junior A hockey team were killed when Jaskirat Singh Sidhu drove his semi-truck through a Saskatchewan highway stop sign at 100 km/h after ignoring its multiple preceding road signs and flashing lights.

 The wreckage of the Humboldt Broncos hockey bus crash is shown outside of Tisdale, Sask., on April, 7, 2018.

The Broncos tragedy inspired a number of jurisdictions to introduce MELT into their licensing regimes, which require drivers to complete more than 100 hours of instruction.

Two years earlier in Ontario, Sarbjit Singh Matharu, driving on two hours of sleep and with a falsified logbook, caused an 11-vehicle pileup on Highway 400 and killed four people.

In 2017, a year after Matharu’s collision, transport truck driver Baljinder Singh, also a permanent resident, rammed a queue of vehicles that had slowed to a stop in a construction zone, killing four.

In 2019, Gurdeep Singh Dhaliwal was charged with stunt driving his semi on the 401, travelling less than 10 metres behind another transport truck. In 2022, Mehakdeep Singh received five years in prison for killing two young children and their grandmother on the same highway when he rammed them at full speed.

Just last year, Balwinder Dhaliwal was charged with driving his transport truck the wrong way on the 401. Another trucker, Ravinder Rai, was caught driving drunk that year on Highway 11.

Earlier this year, Jagmeet Grewal was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing four people by crashing into a line of vehicles on a Laval highway.

A similar collision happened near Brossard, south of Montreal, in 2022, killing two and injuring 10. Driver Baljeet Singh fled to the United States and only returned to Canada recently after several months of extradition hearings.

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