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OTTAWA — Canada’s largest public service union is facing at least three separate lawsuits filed by sidelined executives at its component unions, court documents show.

Two of the three lawsuits involve component union bosses who were suspended after initially supporting a campaign to vote against the tentative labour agreement that was reached between the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in May 2023.

According to documents filed in Ontario Superior Court, the national executive of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), one of PSAC’s 15 component unions, voted to campaign against the proposed deal that PSAC had negotiated with the employer.

Two of the CEIU executive members — President Eddy Bourque, and Executive Vice-President Sargy Chima — were accused of initially supporting a motion within their component union to campaign against the proposed labour deal, but then decided that they shouldn’t have taken part in the vote because of their involvement in PSAC.

PSAC accused the pair of breaching the broader union’s constitution, court documents show, and later conducted investigations of their actions. The punishment included suspensions of their PSAC memberships for one and two years respectively, which meant that they couldn’t fulfill their lucrative union executive jobs.

In separate legal actions, Bourque and Chima are each accusing PSAC of negligence and defamation and asking for compensation of more than $1 million apiece and for full reinstatement of their PSAC memberships and their jobs with the component union.

According to a statement of claim filed in June, Chima is accusing PSAC of “malicious, oppressive and high-handed behaviour.”

In the Bourque claim filed a month later, he accuses PSAC’s leadership of “abuse of power” for, among other things, announcing his suspension to members across the country and telling them that they could be disciplined or dismissed if they communicated with him.

The documents also state that his one-year suspension expired in June, but PSAC and CEIU have refused to reinstate him to his office “for no valid, or justified reason” even though his three-year term isn’t supposed to end until September 2026. The court may grant him an interim injunction early in the new year to get reinstated within the union.

Chantal Beaupré, the lawyer representing both Bourque and Chima, wouldn’t comment, instead referring National Post to court documents. PSAC hasn’t responded to numerous requests for comment.

The CEIU, a PSAC component, represents the majority of employees at a number of federal departments, including Service Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Ottawa-based PSAC represents nearly 240,000 workers across Canada and in other countries who work for the federal government, universities, casinos, community services agencies, Aboriginal communities, airports, and the security sector among others.

In the third case involving a PSAC union component executive suing PSAC, Alisha Kang, who was president of the Union of National Employees (UNE) until being effectively stripped of her role less than two months ago, said in court documents that she was set to expose “significant financial irregularities” and other union problems when she was suspended.

reported Wednesday in National Post

, Kang’s court statements say she would have blown the whistle on “irregularities (that) affected all of PSAC’s activities.”

Those irregularities, according to her claims, included a scheme involving the Alliance Employees’ Union (AEU), which represented UNE staff, and the former national executive of UNE. The documents allege that the AEU filed “spurious or artificially substantiated” classification grievances on behalf of union staff, which were then settled informally by granting “general damages for human rights.”

The AEU responded Thursday by saying that it “vigorously” denies any involvement in financial irregularities at either UNE or AEU. The AEU’s financial statements are audited every year by an external certified professional, the union said.

The union’s statement added that it’s “saddened” by Kang’s actions and “the propagation of false information.”

UNE represents 27,000 members who work for 76 different employers. Their members include foreign service employees, passport officers and other workers across the country and in embassies around the world.

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Tax changes reflective of inflation are afoot for Canadian workers in 2026, potentially leaving more money for them after federal and provincial taxes.

Last month, the Canada Revenue Agency revealed updated income tax brackets, basic personal amounts, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) thresholds and more changes set to take effect this year.

Here’s what to know.

Inflation down, tax bracket thresholds up

Income tax brackets are indexed to inflation data from Statistics Canada’s consumer price index (CPI) and the rate for 2026 was

recently announced as two per cent

— down from 2.7 per cent in 2025. As a result, thresholds for Canada’s five progressive tax brackets will increase as of Jan. 1, with certain credits, such as GST cheques and the Canada Child Benefit, going up on July 1.

In theory, and provided one’s income doesn’t increase drastically in 2026, it could mean a little more take-home pay after taxes.

In May, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his government would

cut the lowest incoming tax bracket

one percentage point — from 15 per cent to 14 per cent — making good on a promise made at

the outset of the federal election

. He said the move, which was estimated to cost $6 billion annually, could save the average family of two about $840 per year.

The

Parliamentary Budget Office later estimated

only $280 in savings for the same family.

Because the changes came in mid-year, the lowest tax rate was set at 14.5 per cent for the 2025 tax year.

In 2026, employees will be taxed 14 per cent on the first $58,523. Income from that amount up to $117,045 is taxed at 20.5 per cent; from $117,045 to $181,440 at 26 per cent; and from $181,440 to $258,482 at 29 per cent.

Anything above $258,482 is taxed at 33 per cent, the highest bracket.

Basic personal amount increased

As it has done in successive years, Ottawa is also increasing the basic personal amount (BPA), the amount of income you can earn without having to pay federal income tax. The non-refundable federal tax credit is automatically available to all taxpayers.

The new BPA limit for 2026 is set at $16,452, meaning if you earn that much or less, you won’t pay any tax. Using the 14 per cent rate as opposed to the tax bracket, anyone earning $181,440 or less gets the full amount of $2,303. People earning $258,482 or more are afforded the minimum BPA of $14,829, for a credit of $2,076, and those in between will be credited an amount somewhere in between.

For instance, someone earning a salary of $86,000 annually pays no tax on the first $16,452, 14 per cent on the next $42,071 ($5,889.94) and 20.5 per cent on the remaining $24,477 ($4,955.40). That means they’ll pay $10,845.34 in federal taxes.

Someone grossing $386,000, meanwhile, pays no tax on the first $14,829, but will end up paying roughly $93,000 in taxes.

CPP ceilings rise

Contribution rates for the

Canada Pension Plan

, for both employees and employers, are static at 5.95 per cent, but the year’s maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE) is rising to $74,600, up from $71,300 this year. The basic exemption amount of $3,500 is also unchanged.

Also known as the first earnings ceiling, YMPE is the maximum salary portion on which you need to contribute to the plan.

As of next year, the maximum annual employee and employer contribution is $4,230.45, up from $4,034.10 in 2025. Contribution maximums by self-employed persons are $8,460.90, up from $8,068.20.

Those over that $74,600 YPME will also pay an additional four per cent, to a max of $416, on earnings between $74,600 and $85,000 in what’s known as the

second ceiling.

For the self-employed, the rate is eight per cent, to a max of $832.

More money for parents

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) is going up again in July 2026.

Families with children under six can receive up to $8,157 per child, up from just under $8,000 in 2025. Families with kids between six and 17 are eligible to receive up to $6,883, an increase of $6,748 this year.

The actual payment depends on family income, ages and the number of children, with full benefits going to families below about $38,237 of adjusted net income, $750 more than in 2025.

Minor adjustments to EI premiums

Employment insurance premiums are also set to change a little in 2026,

according to Employment and Social Development Canada.

Premiums for everyone will only apply to the first $68,900 in gross earnings, up from $65,700 this year and $63,200 in 2024.

If you live anywhere but Quebec, your employer must deduct $1.63 for every $100 earned until you hit $1,123.07, the maximum contribution for 2026. That’s down from $1.64 and $1,077.48 this tax year.

For the Quebecois, where the province’s parental insurance plan allows for a lower rate, they must deduct $1.30 from every $100 until they hit $895.70. It was $1.31 and $860.67 in 2025.

The cross-Canada employer’s rate, 2.28 per cent up to a max of $1,572.30, remains unchanged.

RRSP and Old Age Security

CRA also

announced new limits on registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs)

in November, allowing Canadians to put a bit more in them.

The new maximum is $33,810, up $750 over last year, but is still limited to 18 per cent of your 2025 income.

Come 2026, the income threshold at which Old Age Security benefit clawback begins increases to $95,353. Any amount above that will result in reduced OAS payments.

Provincial tax changes

A few provinces also instituted tax changes in 2025 that will carry over into 2026 and beyond,

according to CRA.

Manitoba has frozen indexation of its BPA and tax brackets, with a 2026 basic amount of $15,780 and new brackets of 10.8 per cent below $47,000, 12.75 per cent from $47,000 to $100,000 and 17.4 per cent above $100,000.

Nova Scotia will drop its income-tested BPA and apply the maximum amount for everyone in 2026 and P.E.I. is raising its BPA to $15,000.

Saskatchewan, meanwhile, will continue scheduled $500 increases to basic personal, spousal, dependent and senior amounts, lifting its 2026 BPA to $20,381.

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday that efforts to see U.S. President Donald Trump remove or lessen tariffs on Canadian sectors will now be dealt with alongside their joint review of the trilateral trade agreement with Mexico.

Carney said there won’t be time to negotiate a tariff reprieve, given that Canada failed to reach a deal with the U.S. before the president broke talks off in late October and with both countries now heading into their first review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA), slated for 2026.

“We’re unlikely, given the time horizons coming together, to have a sectoral agreement,” the prime minister told reporters at a news conference, alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

“Although if the United States wants to come back on that, in those areas, we’re always ready there. We’re very ready.”

Before Trump suspended negotiations, Carney said on Thursday the two countries were “close” to reaching an agreement, which would have covered tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as energy.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told National Post in an interview last week that it would also have covered uranium, adding he believes that both parties would eventually restart their talks, with the question being only a matter of when.

On Thursday, speaking at a signing ceremony with Ford on an agreement to speed up the approvals process for major infrastructure projects, Carney said he believes “that is now going to roll into the broader (CUSMA) negotiation.”

Earlier this month, U.S. Trade Representative

Jamieson Greer

held a series of hearings and heard submissions on how the agreement was working, ahead of its first joint review, scheduled for July 1, 2026, six years after it came into effect.

That agreement replaced the former North American Free Trade Agreement, which had been in place since the early 1990s. Trump had blamed that deal for the loss of manufacturing jobs across the U.S.

His first term saw Canada and Mexico renegotiate their three-way trading relationship, resulting in the current agreement, which is scheduled to undergo the first joint review in 2026.

Under the agreement, countries could choose to extend it, including with specific changes, or withdraw from it completely.

Greer recently confirmed in interviews and other public appearances that withdrawal remains an option.

A transcript of recent remarks he made to a closed-door meeting of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee about the upcoming joint review also summarized the irritants he wants Canada to address as part of that process.

Greer named, as one of those conditions, market access for U.S. dairy products, taking direct aim at Canada’s supply management system, which Carney said on Thursday, “is never on the table,” speaking in French.

In his remarks, Greer also pointed to two major pieces of Canadian digital policy, the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act.

He also singled out provinces that have removed U.S. booze from their shelves as well as “discriminatory procurement policies” in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

Greer also said in his remarks his office “will keep the president’s options open,” but would only recommend a renewal of the agreement “if resolution can be achieved.”

He also added that he would work to determine which issues with Canada and Mexico could be dealt with on both a trilateral and bilateral basis.

Ford, who ordered the LCBO to pull American alcohol from its shelves earlier this year as Trump hit Canada with his first wave of tariffs, suggested on Thursday he has no plans on backing down.

“When the prime minister and President Trump come up with a great deal for both countries, we’d be more than happy to bring in some, maybe Kentucky bourbon,” Ontario’s premier said.

“But until then, we’re going to hold off.”

Ford also defended his decision to run a set of anti-tariff television and radio ads in the U.S., which Trump named as the reason he suspended trade negotiations with Carney.

Calling it a “great ad,” Ford added that it was Trump’s public remarks about the ad campaign that generated the attention it did.

The campaign nevertheless drew the ire of not only Trump, but also

Hoekstra

, who reportedly laid into Ontario’s provincial trade representative during a public event in Ottawa shortly after the ad was pulled.

Ford, at the time, called on

Hoekstra

to apologize.

Speaking to National Post last week, the U.S. ambassador, who said he speaks to Ford “every once and a while,” dismissed the notion of offering an apology for his behaviour, saying he believes in “direct communication.”

He called the decision by Ontario to run ads “unprecedented.”

“Am I going to apologize for calling out Ontario for interfering in an unprecedented way in American politics? Absolutely not.”

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The final Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) payments of 2025 will be in the mail — or deposited directly into bank accounts — on Monday. Here’s what to know.

Isn’t it earlier than usual?

Yes. Government pension payments usually go out closer to the

end of the month

— next year’s schedule lists dates between the 25th and the 29th of each month — but the December payments are always timed a little early so they don’t fall in the middle of the holidays and end-of-year closures.

Who gets these payments?

Anyone 60 years of age or older and retired is

entitled to CPP

as long as they’ve made at least one payment to the plan during their employment history. The benefit then continues for the rest of their lives. (This doesn’t include Quebec, which has its own pension plan.)

Similarly, OAS kicks in at age 65, provided you’ve lived in Canada for at least 10 years since turning 18.

Canadians living outside of Canada are eligible if they were a citizen or legal resident when they left the country, and also lived here for at least 20 years since turning 18.

What do these payments cost?

Employees

contribute to CPP

through payroll deductions, which are matched by employers. The contribution rate for the current year is 5.95 per cent of earnings up to $71,300, and maxes out at $4034.10. Self-employed individuals pay double since they don’t have an employer to contribute.

OAS is funded from general revenues, so there is no payroll deduction to cover it specifically.

How much do they pay out?

There are a

number of variables

for CPP, including an individual’s average income and when they started collecting the pension. But the maximum monthly payout throughout 2025 was $1,433 for a 65-year-old retiree.

There are variables

for OAS

as well, such as how long you have lived in Canada, but the maximum for those aged 65 to 74 is $740.09 a month. At age 75 is gets bumped up 10 per cent to $814.10.

Can you both pay into and draw from CPP?

Oddly, yes. If you’re under 70 and still working, you can contribute to CPP and also receive payments from it. The contributions results in a higher payout when you do retire. Contributions stop after you turn 70, whether you’re working or not.

When’s the next payment date?

After the early December payments the government returns to an end-of-month (or so) schedule, with the next payment due on Jan. 28, 2026.

Do pension benefits go up next year?

Yes.

CPP payments

will increase by two per cent in January. OAS will go up by just 0.3 per cent, but since those increases are calculated quarterly, it works out to a two per cent rise since last January.

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Toronto model Miriam Mattova says she has received death threats on social media since coming forward about an antisemitic incident involving an Uber driver last month.

“It affects me emotionally and psychologically, and it forces me to become more cautious in my daily life,” she told National Post.

“When you see what has happened recently in Sydney or at (Brown) University this week, it becomes impossible to dismiss these threats…These incidents show us exactly where unchecked hate and intimidation can lead.”

On Sunday, 15 people in Australia

were killed in a terror attack

while celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach. Two students were

murdered in another incident at Brown University

in Rhode Island over the weekend. Police have identified a person of interest in the Brown shooting but have not said whether they have determined a motive.

In late November, Mattova said she

was kicked out of a vehicle by an Uber driver for being Jewish

. She was left at an intersection in downtown Toronto in the middle of the night. The company told National Post earlier this month that it was “deeply sorry” for her experience and that they contacted Mattova “directly” and took “appropriate action on the driver.” Uber did not say what action was taken.

Since then,

more Canadian Jews have come forward

to share their experiences with Uber. That includes a Jewish couple who were travelling in Europe in August when they said an Uber driver wouldn’t take them because they were from Israel, and another Jewish couple who said an Uber driver refused to take them home from the Toronto airport in February after he heard them speaking Hebrew.

Although many people showed support for Mattova online, she also faced a deluge of antisemitic hate messages and death threats. “Should have just slit your throat lol,” one person wrote to her on Instagram.

“(I’m going to) kill you someday,” another person wrote.

She was called a “dirty Zionist Jew,” “baby killer” and an “unhuman terrorist” for sharing her support for Israel. One person sent her a private message with an image that said: “Murderer rot in hell.”

Another person commented that Mattova was a “shameless genocide lover,” and added, “one day you’ll reap what you sow.”

“So happy the Uber driver kicked you out for being a Jew,” one person wrote.

She reported the threats she received to Toronto police. She said it was “sobering” to learn how difficult it is to trace the people behind the accounts.

“Uttering threats is a serious criminal offence. All reported incidents will be investigated thoroughly,” Toronto police spokesperson Cindy Chung told National Post in an email. Anyone receiving a death threat via social media, email, or any digital platform should call 911 if it is believed to be an “imminent threat to your life or physical safety,” she said.

“Do not engage with or block the user until you have captured evidence. Take screenshots showing the sender’s handle, the platform, and the timestamp,” Chung said, who also advised people to file a report and notify police if personal information, including address or phone number, has been exposed.

Immediately “disable location services on your devices and review your privacy settings,” said Chung.

“They told me that I should either change my Instagram username or change my number, but I shouldn’t be doing anything to change my life because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Mattova said.

“Either social media companies take responsibility and implement meaningful verification and accountability mechanisms, or governments will have to compel them to do so.”

She added that what she’s demanding of companies doesn’t equate to silencing speech.

“It’s about ensuring that speech carries responsibility. Without that, the gap between online hate and real world danger will only continue to shrink,” she said. “When threats are ignored or impossible to trace, they become normalized. When they are normalized, someone eventually acts on them.”

As one solution that Canada could implement, Mattova pointed to a new law in Australia that bans teens under the age of 16 from top social media platforms. Companies such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are now blocking them from joining.

“It demonstrates that regulation and action is possible, and that when there is a political will, a meaningful safeguard can be implemented,” she said.

She also said that social media platforms need stricter policies when it comes to allowing people to create accounts. Although she reported the users who threatened her on Instagram to the platform, she continued to be harassed.

“If you go to a bar, you need to show a proof of identification. It should be the same for social media,” she said.

“Complete unaccountability has empowered keyboard warriors to normalize hate and escalate threats without consequences, which can empower certain individuals to much worse — incidents like we saw this week in Sydney.”

Accounts should be linked to verified identification or financial credentials “to ensure traceability and accountability.”

Meta, the company that owns Instagram, did not return National Post’s request for comment in time for publication. It says

online

: “We remove content that could contribute to a risk of harm to the physical security of persons. Content that threatens people has the potential to intimidate, exclude or silence others and isn’t allowed on our services.”

“Like many individuals who publicly advocate for Jewish causes, I receive a significant volume of death threats and online abuse, and I am actively working to shift the narrative from reaction to prevention,” said Mattova, adding that online hate doesn’t only stay online.

“The violent rhetoric…it becomes a casual thing, and even threats start to feel casual and acceptable for the people making them,” she said.

“We are already seeing the consequences.”

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OTTAWA — The sidelined president of one of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)’s component unions is suing PSAC, claiming the umbrella union took away her powers just days before she was set to expose “significant financial irregularities” and other problems throughout the union.

According to court documents made public on Wednesday, Alisha Kang, who was president of the Union of National Employees (UNE) until being effectively stripped of her role less than two months ago, had conducted a review of her union’s financial operations and policies. In late October, Kang was to present with financial auditors the audited financial statements for 2023 to the union’s board.

The presentation, according to documents filed in Ontario Superior Court, would have blown the whistle on “irregularities (that) affected all of PSAC’s activities and its components and, if revealed to the entire membership, could have had a devastating effect” on the careers of PSAC President Sharon DeSousa and other PSAC leaders.

Documents filed in court by Kang state that the financial irregularities included a scheme involving the Alliance Employees’ Union (AEU), which represented UNE staff, and the former national executive of UNE.

The documents allege that the AEU filed “spurious or artificially substantiated” classification grievances on behalf of union staff, which were then settled informally by granting “general damages for human rights.” The scheme, the documents state, allowed union staff to land extra pay without membership approval, while avoiding taxes and some deductions.

According to the court documents, Kang wrote a letter in March of this year to AEU president Louis Bisson where she expressed “deep discomfort” with the scheme. About two months later, the documents state, UNE self-reported to the Canada Revenue Agency and made a restitution payment of $69,000.

Employees were disciplined, the documents state, and Ottawa police were contacted.

But on October 24, just four days before Kang was to present her concerns and the audited financial statements, her component union was placed under trusteeship by PSAC’s board. That removed Kang and other top UNE executives from their roles and their right to take part in PSAC board meetings.

DeSousa, who was elected PSAC president in 2024 in a race where Kang finished second, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday through a spokesperson. Kang, who had vowed to run again for PSAC president, could also not be reached.

In an Oct. 24 press release, PSAC said it made the move to put UNE into trusteeship because it had “heard from many members who have raised concerns about the level of representation and support” from UNE. PSAC, Canada’s largest public service union, also said that there were concerns about UNE’s financial practices and accountability, high rates of staff turnover, and complaints about Kang and other members of the executive.

The release said the trustee would assume the elected officers’ roles and work to “restore the component’s capacity” and report to PSAC’s president and board.

According to the documents filed in court, PSAC had for several months conducted a campaign to oust Kang from her role. Kang had been elected in 2023 to a three-year term to lead UNE and soon thereafter became interested in its finances.

The documents state that the move to put the smaller union under trusteeship did not follow PSAC’s own rules and was never fully explained to Kang or other UNE executives. Kang also states that her executive team was never informed about any complaints about their work and was never given a chance to respond to the PSAC charges.

The court documents state that Kang is asking for her role at UNE to be fully restored as well as court costs and any other “relief” or compensation that the court deems fair.

In the documents, Kang states that DeSousa “exerts a hold on everyone” at PSAC and tries to eliminate her political opponents and those of her allies.

Kang is not the only component union executive to feel PSAC’s wrath. In 2024, court documents state, a DeSousa ally presented a motion at the PSAC board to impose disciplinary measures against the president and executive vice-president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU). Both were suspended from membership, prevented from holding office for one and two years respectively, documents state, before a DeSousa ally was appointed.

UNE represents 27,000 members who work for 76 different employers. According to PSAC’s website, UNE is one of 15 components within PSAC and represents foreign service employees, passport officers and other workers across the country and in embassies around the world.

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OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has Canada’s national boxing regulator in her corner as she spars with Skate Canada over the province’s policy on trans athletes.

Meanwhile, the federal government has thrown its support behind the Skate Canada boycott, which it describes as a battle against discrimination in sports.

Christopher Lindsay, executive director of Boxing Canada, said his organization would not be joining the national figure skating body in boycotting Alberta over provincial rules barring male-to-female trans athletes from competing in women’s divisions.

“Boxing Canada has no plans to stop holding competitions in Alberta,” said Lindsay in an email to National Post.

Lindsay said he hoped Alberta’s approach to navigating gender identity issues in competitive sport was the correct one.

“We are hopeful that the Alberta legislation protects the ability of all Albertans to participate in sport — while ensuring that the conditions during competition meet Boxing Canada’s priorities of safety, fairness, and then broad participation,” said Lindsay.

He added that the physicality of his sport, and dangers inherent to competitive boxing, make it necessary to err on the side of competitor safety.

“(Competitive boxing) is highly regulated with age, skill, weight, and gender-based categories. In competition, a random draw is used to match boxers so those regulations exist to build trust than an opponent’s abilities are within a prescribed range,” said Lindsay.

“We believe that access to recreation and fitness must be protected for all Canadians. But the access to competition requires attention to the existing rules to ensure safety and fairness,” he added.

The statement of support comes a day after Skate Canada announced it would

stop hosting national and international skating events

in Alberta and quickly saw support from the federal government.

Adam van Koeverden, the federal secretary of state for sport, backed Skate Canada’s Alberta boycott in

a statement on social media

“Our government believes in a sport system that provides opportunities for all Canadians to participate and excel without discrimination, including the transgender community, which is disproportionately vulnerable, excluded and marginalized,” wrote van Koeverden. “National sport organizations like Skate Canada operate independently from the government and make decisions with respect to the individual rights of athletes, based on science and evidence, specific to their sport.”

Skate Canada said in a statement that it was “unable to host events in the province while maintaining our national standards for safe and inclusive sport.”

Smith was quick to fire back, calling the Skate Canada boycott a “disgraceful” affront to “common sense and common decency.”

“We expect they will apologize and adjust their policies once they realize they are not only compromising the fairness and safety of their athletes, but are also offside with the international community, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is moving in the same direction as Alberta,” wrote Smith in a

Tuesday evening social media post

Alberta Minister of Tourism and Sport Andrew Boitchenko also

spoke out against the boycott

, calling it “disappointing.”

The

IOC signalled last month

that it was moving toward a complete ban on transgender athletes in women’s Olympic events, after weighing evidence of the enduring physical advantages of being born male. It’s expected to

issue a final decision

on gender eligibility in early 2026.

Women’s boxing was at the centre of a gender controversy that

rocked the 2024 Paris Olympics

, with suspicion encircling gold medalists Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who’d both failed disputed gender eligibility tests prior to the games.

Khelif became the subject of global speculation after she

dominated an early opponent

in a match that lasted just 46 seconds. The opponent said after the bout that she’d

feared for her life

being in a ring with Khelif.

Boxing Canada, which did not take a position on the Paris controversies, was one of twelve

national sporting organizations

National Post contacted on Wednesday. Three responded by the deadline for publication.

A spokesperson for Curling Canada said the organization had “no intent to move events out of Alberta.”

“The consequences would have a significant financial impact on Curling Alberta, as well as Alberta-based host clubs for events,” wrote the spokesperson.

A spokesperson for Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) said the issue was a moot point as Alberta doesn’t have any competition-ready tracks.

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down this week with two of Quebec’s leading television anchors to discuss a tumultuous year for him and for Canada.

The interviews with

LCN’s Paul Larocque

and

Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy

aired on Tuesday evening and touched on everything from his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump to his difficulties with the French language — and why his last tutor left.

The anchors also pressed Carney on why

Steven Guilbeault, who resigned from cabinet last month,

will not be ejected from caucus despite his repeated criticism of perceived climate setbacks. And the prime minister revealed whether or not he would plunge the country into another election in 2026.

Here’s what we learned from Carney’s end-of-year interviews in Quebec.

Carney has lots of ‘esteem’ for Guilbeault, who will remain in caucus

The prime minister has no intention of showing the door to his former minister, despite his open criticism of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Alberta.

“We have some differences, but we have the same values, Mr. Guilbeault and I, the other members of the Liberal party at the federal level, in terms of the environment and the prosperity of Canada,” said Carney in his year-end interview with Paul Larocque on LCN.

Guilbeault resigned from cabinet on the same day the MOU was announced, overshadowing the announcement. Since then, he has been vocal about his opposition to the rollback of climate policies Guilbeault implemented when he was environment minister.

Asked if Guilbeault could stay in caucus, Carney said “absolutely, he can continue.”

“I (have) esteem (for) Mr. Guilbeault. He has done a lot for Canada and for the party.”

His French is ‘far from perfect’ and he wants to improve

By the prime minister’s own admission, he has some work to do when it comes to his mastery of the French language. But he claims to be practising whenever he can.

Speaking to LCN, he said members of his senior staff, like chief of staff Marc-André Blanchard, as well as senior ministers, like Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, are francophones and speak to him in French.

“What is clear is that my French is far from perfect,” Carney told Paul Larocque.

Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy also pressed Carney on the issue, noting that the prime minister reportedly stopped taking private classes. Carney confirmed that and said that his French teacher had moved to British Columbia, so he had to find someone else to replace her.

Carney joked the loss of his French tutor was a “great scoop” during the interview.

“But I just found another one,” he said. His spokeswoman, Audrey Champoux, said the prime minister has another tutor lined up but the contract has not been finalized.

Carney believes his job requires him to travel as much as he does

Since he took office, the prime minister has been crisscrossing the planet — spending lots of time in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He has made no secret of his hope to sign more trade deals in order to reduce Canada’s dependency on the United States.

Does he need to travel as much as he does? “Absolutely,” he told Patrice Roy.

He said the issue at stake is not whether he enjoys travelling but whether he needs to.

“We need to travel because we need to make our country more independent, more prosperous and stronger. Canada has what the world wants. But we need to create agreements with the European Union. We did it with Indonesia, we did it with India,” he enumerated.

Carney also said his government had “settled” the commercial situation with China and is negotiating with other countries such as Thailand and the Philippines.

Last month, the prime minister wrapped up a visit to the United Arab Emirates with that country’s pledge to invest $70 billion in Canada as part of a bilateral investment agreement.

“That was the result of a trip,” he said.

Expect CUSMA to ‘change’ in the upcoming 2026 review

The next year marks the long-awaited review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement after Trump officials threatened to tear up the deal. However, Canadian officials have said they are confident the U.S. will ultimately keep CUSMA in place.

Asked by Radio-Canada’s Patrice Roy if the trade deal is in danger, Carney said he does not think that is necessarily the case. But he said he thinks CUSMA will “change” like all other trade deals and commercial relations with the Trump administration at the moment.

He described negotiations with this U.S. administration as “always interesting.”

Carney was also asked about Mark Wiseman, a close friend and financier who is widely rumoured as being his pick as Canada’s next ambassador to the U.S.

Carney said it was “not official,” but it is “a possibility.”

Wiseman’s nomination has been criticized

by opposition parties in Ottawa

but

also the Parti Québécois

because of his ties to the Century Initiative, which calls for mass immigration by 2100, but also Wiseman’s past criticism of the supply management system.

“I like supply management. I decide,” said Carney. “The next ambassador will be a member of the negotiating team. But the leader of the team will be me.”

Ma and d’Entremont approached his party — not the other way around

Carney is only one vote away from forming a majority government, now that former Conservative MPs Chris d’Entremont and Michael Ma have crossed the floor to the Liberals. And Liberal ministers have been hinting that others may follow.

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said that he and others have been hearing from a small group of Conservative MPs that they are “extremely frustrated” with the leadership of their party and how they enjoyed the spring session, when Pierre Poilievre was absent.

As for Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, who reportedly brokered the deal to convince Ma to join the Liberal ranks, he said this week that he is “getting lots of inquiries.”

In his year-end Radio-Canada interview, Carney was asked if he has his sights on other Conservative MPs who could be tempted to jump ship and give him a majority.

“That was the decision of the individuals, Mr. d’Entremont and Mr. Ma. They made their decision, they approached us,” he said. “So it wasn’t me, I’m not searching (for that).”

Should Carney fail to get a majority, could he be tempted to call an election in the spring?

“No, I don’t want to,” he said. “I want Parliament to work.”

The Carney family will be relaxing in Ottawa during the holidays

Usually very protective about his family, Carney opened up a little when asked by LCN’s Paul Larocque what his plans were with his loved ones during the holiday season.

Carney said it would be a “first break” for him and his family after an extremely busy year that saw him swept up in a leadership race and suddenly becoming prime minister.

“We have four children and all my children will be coming back to Ottawa,” he said.

Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney are runners and very active in general, so it comes as no surprise that they will be enjoying winter sports as a family. The prime minister said they will likely be cross-country skiing and skating, but there will be lots of eating and relaxing as well.

National Post

calevesque@postmedia.com

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Toronto launched its bid Wednesday to host a new defence-oriented world bank that could create up to 3,500 jobs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal are also vying for the headquarters of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), which will serve 40 member countries, including NATO members and their Indo-Pacific allies. It is slated to be established by the end of 2026.

“This would be great for Canada but it absolutely should be in Toronto,” said Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy.

“We’re the financial capital of Canada. We have the deepest talent pool, the biggest and most stable and strong capital market capability in all of Canada.”

Toronto also has the accountants, consultants, risk managers, as well as IT and legal experts the DSRB would require, Bethlenfalvy said. “It’s unparalleled and one of the top-ranked ecosystems in the world.”

He was joined for the bid launch at the TMX Market Centre by Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Julie Dzerowicz, who chairs the Federal Liberal Toronto Caucus, and industry partners.

“We’ve got deep defence and security expertise,” Bethlenfalvy said of the GTA.

Thirty per cent of the country’s defence sector jobs are in Ontario, he said. “We have some 900 defence organizations; so, we have a link there in various industries such as aerospace, (artificial intelligence), cybersecurity, (and) quantum robotics autonomy.”

There are several sites in the city that would be “first rate” for the DSRB headquarters, Bethlenfalvy said, though he declined to name them. “They need about 500,000 square feet is my understanding. We have multiple options.”

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport boasts flights from 200 destinations, he said, “the most of any airport in Canada, placing us within hours of the world’s major financial and political centres.”

He pointed out that Ontario is also home to multiple embassies. “We’ve got over 107 consular missions and 190 languages spoken. I think we’re one of the most multi-cultural cities on the planet.”

Canada’s reputation for “political and regulatory stability,” as well as “our geographic position” should bring the DSRB headquarters here, Bethlenfalvy said, noting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s brand “on the world stage” should help on that front.

A decision on the location for the defence bank’s new headquarters is expected early in the New Year.

“Ultimately, it’s the sovereign nations and the prime minister who will make the decision,” Bethlenfalvy said.

Toronto City Councillor Brad Bradford wrote a public letter to Carney recently advocating for Toronto as the ideal location for the headquarters.

“Toronto is the economic engine of Canada’s economy,” Bradford wrote in his letter, dated Dec. 10. “Our city produces roughly one fifth of the national GDP and anchors the country’s financial system. The institutions that finance the energy systems, logistics infrastructure, and digital networks of the DSRB will support (operations) here. Establishing the headquarters in Toronto puts the Bank in the necessary proximity to the vital partners it will need to attract capital and structure complex, multi-year investments.”

Announced this past spring, the DSRB could solve financial problems for countries, including Canada, that are under pressure to increase military spending.

The bank will be owned by its member nations, which would capitalize the bank so it would get a triple-A rating it could take to the bond market to raise money.

The theory is the bank would allow Canada and other countries to re-arm in the face of Russian and Chinese aggression.

“This multi-national bank would provide financing and guarantees (to countries that) are increasing their defence spending up to five per cent of GDP,” Bethlenfalvy said.

“Given the deep talent pool and the manufacturing and tech capabilities that we have here in Toronto and Ontario, it would lift everybody.”

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The Ontario Provincial Police on Wednesday announced the dismantling of an auto theft criminal organization and the recovery of more than 300 vehicles valued at approximately $25 million and destined for foreign markets including the Middle East and West Africa.

In addition, 20 arrests were made and 134 charges laid for offences contrary to the Criminal Code, the Customs Act and the Cannabis Act. Police also recovered firearms, licence plates, forklifts and tractor-trailer cabs, and more than $200,000 in Canadian and American cash.

Under the code name Project Chickadee, the OPP-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) team and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have been working together since August 2023.

The recovery of four stolen vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area at that time showed evidence of involvement by freight forwarding companies and drivers using registered businesses and fraudulent documentation to ship stolen vehicles to the Middle East and West Africa. Further investigation revealed the criminal organization had international reach and association to transnational organized crime groups.

As part of Project Chickadee, four search warrants were executed in Toronto, Vaughan, Woodbridge and Etobicoke on Oct. 16, and police seized $30,000 in currency, several vehicles, key programmers and various Ontario licence plates. One individual was arrested and charged with auto theft. Two others fled but were later apprehended.

Then on Nov. 27, search warrants were executed by multiple police forces at 23 residential and industrial locations and 13 vehicles in the GTA and surrounding area, as well as in Saint-Eustache, Quebec.

The 20 accused include owners/operators of several registered businesses within the freight forwarding sector, as well as individuals allegedly involved in the theft of vehicles across Ontario.

Police said most of the accused remain in custody, but three have been released on conditions. OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique called for changes to sentencing and bail.

“When it comes to dangerous and repeat offenders who continue to victimize communities, bail should be a reverse onus that is on the accused, and not the way it’s currently been running.”

“The OPP and partner agencies are to be commended on the tremendous success of Project Chickadee,” Bryan Gast, national vice president of investigative services at Équité Association, said in a statement. “These are financially motivated crimes, and organized criminal networks are at the root seeking to profit from the $1 billion of vehicles stolen every year in Canada.”

The OPP asks anyone with any information in relation to this investigation or auto theft activity to contact them at 1-888-310-1122, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

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Source: National Post (Politics)

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Carney has lots of ‘esteem’ for Guilbeault, who will remain in caucus

His French is ‘far from perfect’ and he wants to improve

Carney believes his job requires him to travel as much as he does

Expect CUSMA to ‘change’ in the upcoming 2026 review

Ma and d’Entremont approached his party — not the other way around

The Carney family will be relaxing in Ottawa during the holidays

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