A Palestinian political activist who campaigns for Palestinian-Israeli coexistence has written a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney urging him to help preserve the Nov. 28 Palestinian elections.

On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas postponed legislative elections as well as the presidential elections until September 2027, citing “obstacles ⁠posed by Israeli measures” as the reason for the postponement of “free, fair and inclusive elections.”

Samer Sinijlaw, who is head of the Palestinian political movement New Path (Masar Jadid), said in his letter to the PM, which was written the same day the postponement was announced: “I recognize the legitimate concerns regarding Israeli cooperation, access to polling stations, and the integrity of the electoral process, particularly in Gaza. These are serious challenges, but they must be addressed rather than used to justify another indefinite postponement of Palestinian democracy.”

He also wrote: “I am therefore appealing to you to intervene personally and urgently with President Abbas, together with Canada’s international partners, to ensure that the Palestinian Authority honours its commitment to hold elections.”

Carney announced his government’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state in July 2025 based on commitments made by the Palestinian Authority, including a promise to hold general elections in 2026.

In a statement at the time, the PM said: “Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.

“This intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms, including the commitments by Palestinian Authority President Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”

Global Affairs Canada released a joint statement with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the U.K. on Tuesday, saying they “deeply regret” Abbas’ decision to postpone the elections.

“Credible elections are an important element of the commitment that President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority made to reform, including democratic renewal and accountable governance, and are in line with the July 2025 New York Declaration,” it read. “Strengthening Palestinian governance is essential to continue building the institutional foundations of a viable two-state solution, which is the only path to lasting peace and security for both Israel and Palestine.”

The statement added that the nations will “continue to support efforts to deliver on these elections.”

In his recent letter, Sinijlaw said “Canada has a particularly important role to play” in preserving the November elections. “It was a commitment made directly to Canada and the international community, and one upon which Canada relied when recognizing Palestinian statehood,” he wrote.

Masar Jadid remains in the race. We oppose the delay and will use legal and administrative avenues to seek elections by spring 2027. We remain open to national dialogue and active among our people. We urge international partners to support Palestinians’ right to vote. pic.twitter.com/Zjq7MNA9z0

— Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي (@SSinijlawi) October 12, 2026

He added that an estimated 88 per cent of eligible Palestinian voters had already registered to participate, demonstrating how seriously Palestinians are taking the opportunity to choose their leadership.

“Postponing these elections would undermine precisely those Palestinians who are working to build a credible, peaceful political alternative,” he added.

The activist is asking Carney to take four steps to urge the Palestinian Authority to honour its commitment to 2026 elections: contact President Abbas; publicly reaffirm Canada’s expectation that the Palestinian Authority proceed with the elections; express Canada’s opposition to the decision to postpone; and review discretionary Canadian assistance linked to Palestinian Authority governance until a commitment to elections is restored.

“For the sake of our children, I ask Canada to stand firm. They deserve accountable leadership, a voice in their future, and a reason to believe that peaceful political change is possible,” he wrote.

Samer also shared a letter he wrote to the European Union , urging its member states to defend the Palestinian elections, and expressed his “profound shock and frustration” at the news of the postponement of them in a social media post following the decision.

I received with profound shock and frustration the decision to cancel the legislative elections scheduled for 28 November 2026 and postpone them until 11 September 2027. I know that millions of Palestinians share this feeling, especially an entire generation that has waited…

— Samer Sinijlawiسامر السنجلاوي (@SSinijlawi) October 10, 2026

Meanwhile, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is also calling on the Carney government to hold Palestinian leaders accountable for breaking its commitment to hold elections in 2026.

“While the Canadian government pursues punitive measures and sanctions against Israel, it must demonstrate that the Palestinians will also be held accountable for failing to honour their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” CIJA said in a statement shared on social media .

“Otherwise, the government risks a dangerous double standard that has implications for both the region and for the safety of Canadians as security experts warn that criticism of Israel has been exploited to fuel antisemitism, violence and even acts of terror.”

Elsewhere, in a post on X , ​Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Abbas’ decree “yet ​another ridiculous lie designed to evade responsibility and accountability.”

The November elections would have been the first Palestinian elections in more than 20 years.

• Carney government must hold Palestinian Authority to account for postponing elections: CIJA
• Aviva Klompas: Palestinians deserve the dignity of accountability

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Police have arrested a Toronto man in connection with an arson investigation after several Israeli flags were set on fire outside a church on Wednesday.

Toronto Police said in a news release on Tuesday that Syed Raza, 29, was arrested and charged with arson, mischief under $5,000, mischief interfering with the lawful enjoyment of property, and disobeying a lawful order of court.

It added that on Oct. 7, at approximately 1:02 a.m., Raza attended the area of Sunrise Avenue and O’Connor Drive and removed Israeli flags that were placed in front of the Word of Faith International Christian Centre and set them alight.

On Saturday, the accused was identified by investigators while at a demonstration in the area of Dundas Street East and Yonge Street at approximately 4:06 p.m.

He was scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Oct. 11.

The incident came on the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

A police spokesperson previously confirmed to National Post that the incident was being investigated by the TPS Hate Crime Unit.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto issued a joint statement on the day of the incident, calling it “disturbing.”

“Faith International Christian Centre has stood with the Jewish community and with Israel. To see that solidarity answered with fire is a disturbing reminder that hatred does not stop with Jews. Increasingly, those who stand beside us are being targeted too,” the statement read.

It went on to say that CIJA and UJA are “deeply grateful” for the “friendship and solidarity” from the Faith International Christian Centre, and called on leaders at every level of government to condemn the attack and “confront the extremism that is making intimidation and violence increasingly commonplace.”

“When simply standing with the Jewish community carries a cost — when allies are intimidated, threatened, or attacked because they refuse to turn away — this is no longer only a Jewish problem,” the two organizations said. “It is a threat to the kind of country we all want Canada to be.”

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate and city councillor Brad Bradford commented on the incident in North York on social media, describing it in a post on X as “an act of intimidation.”

“I’m thinking today of Jewish families across Toronto who have spent 3 years watching this kind of thing move closer to their homes, their schools and their synagogues, and who are tired of being told it’s being taken seriously while it keeps happening,” he wrote.

• Israeli flags set on fire in Toronto, police investigating as suspected hate-motivated attack
• Terry Newman: Accused in Israeli flag burning wears Hamas shirt to court in Montreal

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.

Police have arrested a Toronto man in connection with an arson investigation after several Israeli flags were set on fire outside a church on Wednesday.

Toronto Police said in a news release on Tuesday that Syed Raza, 29, was arrested and charged with arson, mischief under $5,000, mischief interfering with the lawful enjoyment of property, and disobeying a lawful order of court.

It added that on Oct. 7, at approximately 1:02 a.m., Raza attended the area of Sunrise Avenue and O’Connor Drive and removed Israeli flags that were placed in front of the Word of Faith International Christian Centre and set them alight.

On Saturday, the accused was identified by investigators while at a demonstration in the area of Dundas Street East and Yonge Street at approximately 4:06 p.m.

He was scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Oct. 11.

The incident came on the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

A police spokesperson previously confirmed to National Post that the incident was being investigated by the TPS Hate Crime Unit.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto issued a joint statement on the day of the incident, calling it “disturbing.”

“Faith International Christian Centre has stood with the Jewish community and with Israel. To see that solidarity answered with fire is a disturbing reminder that hatred does not stop with Jews. Increasingly, those who stand beside us are being targeted too,” the statement read.

It went on to say that CIJA and UJA are “deeply grateful” for the “friendship and solidarity” from the Faith International Christian Centre, and called on leaders at every level of government to condemn the attack and “confront the extremism that is making intimidation and violence increasingly commonplace.”

“When simply standing with the Jewish community carries a cost — when allies are intimidated, threatened, or attacked because they refuse to turn away — this is no longer only a Jewish problem,” the two organizations said. “It is a threat to the kind of country we all want Canada to be.”

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate and city councillor Brad Bradford commented on the incident in North York on social media, describing it in a post on X as “an act of intimidation.”

“I’m thinking today of Jewish families across Toronto who have spent 3 years watching this kind of thing move closer to their homes, their schools and their synagogues, and who are tired of being told it’s being taken seriously while it keeps happening,” he wrote.

• Israeli flags set on fire in Toronto, police investigating as suspected hate-motivated attack
• Terry Newman: Accused in Israeli flag burning wears Hamas shirt to court in Montreal

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

A mastermind behind the spectacular Toronto airport gold heist lost his share of the loot after fleeing to Pakistan, where he said he was kidnapped by police, blindfolded and tortured until he told them where he hid his gold and cash.

“I did everything for nothing,” Arsalan Chaudhary, 43, of Mississauga, Ont., testified Tuesday as a reluctant witness in court in Brampton, Ont.

Chaudhary said he was the man behind the gold heist, along with an inside man who worked with Air Canada, but after they split the stolen gold and cash, worth more than $22 million, he left Canada for Pakistan, where he was grabbed by men in police uniforms.

While he was in captivity and suffering torture and threatened with death, he was connected by FaceTime video calls to his kidnappers’ colleagues in Canada; he told them where to go to get his stash of gold hidden in a Toronto-area condo, and then to his family’s nearby home to collect his cash.

“Before they could do anything further, I pretty much told them, ‘I’ll give you everything. You don’t need to do anything. You have me. My life is worth more than any money.’ They had their people go where the gold was, and they got the cash and the gold, everything.”

Once they had his loot, a hood was pulled over his head and he was driven from the small room where he had been held. When the car stopped, he said he was told to lay down on the ground and count to 30 before looking up, or they would shoot him. He counted and then got up and walked to a family member’s home in Pakistan.

Chaudhary was asked by Crown prosecutor Jelena Vlacic how he felt at that point.

“I was just thankful to be alive,” he said, “and I wanted to get the F out of Pakistan ASAP.

“All of this was not even worth it. I destroyed people’s lives. I did everything for nothing.”

Chaudhary is the star witness at the trial for an alleged co-accused in the gold heist, Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee in the cargo warehouse where the crate of gold and cash was stolen in 2023 shortly after arriving on a flight from Switzerland.

Although the trial is for Sidhu, who has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy, Chaudhary said the Air Canada employee who was the key inside man at the cargo warehouse — who he planned the heist with — was Simran Preet Panesar, who is a wanted fugitive in the case, and believed to be living in India.

“I planned it,” Chaudhary said. “I pretty much planned the whole thing, with Mr. Panesar.”

Chaudhary said he and Panesar had worked on the heist for months before it came together. Their relationship was not a personal one.

“Strictly business,” Chaudhary said when asked to describe their connection. “Like, we were just talking about doing the heist.”

Chaudhary made it sound like they were a perfect match if you wanted to boost gold from airport. They each had a particular set of skills.

Panesar knew how the Air Canada cargo system worked and Chaudhary knew everything else.

“Mr. Panesar had a great idea,” Chaudhary testified. “I didn’t know nothing about how the inside worked. That was Mr. Panesar’s job to take care of that, and it was my job to take care of the outside, once it was put on the truck.

“He knew how to get the gold out, and I told them I’ll take care of the rest.

“They trusted me, and I had certain people that I knew who I could talk to and get the job done,” he said. “People call me for certain things because I could do certain things. People trusted me because I’m loyal.”

The pair were hooked up by a mutual friend, he said, but then seemed to regret saying that. He immediately couldn’t remember who the friend was, as if to prove he still had loyalty.

Chaudhary said he agreed to the job because he needed money.

“It was COVID. I was out of a job, kind of struggling. This topic came up. We started talking about it. I didn’t take it seriously in the beginning, but eventually, it got serious.”

Their plan worked ridiculously well.

Court heard earlier how insiders at the Air Canada cargo facility used the log-in credentials of Air Canada managers to change the coding on a high-value shipment of gold and cash while the crate was still in the air, en route to Toronto from Zurich on an Air Canada jet.

The change meant the automatic sorting of arriving cargo didn’t send the crate to a secure area that was locked and guarded, but into an area for general cargo. From there, an altered air waybill that was created inside the facility directed the crate of gold to be delivered to a truck that Chaudhary had arranged.

Once the crate of gold and money was loaded in the truck, Chaudhary said he followed behind the truck as it was driven to a farm up north; he couldn’t remember where, he said.

“I was behind the truck. Once we got somewhere up north, wherever it was, I cleared out the truck, and I took mine, went my way, and Mr. Panesar went his way.”

He said his share was 30 per cent of the gold. They didn’t count out the myriad of one-ounce bars, he called biscuits, they just divided the boxes that they were transported in. Each bar had a TD logo molded into it, he said. The gold was being sent to the Toronto Dominion bank and the foreign cash to a currency exchange in Vancouver before it was hijacked.

There were four men at the “north farm area,” he said: Chaudhary, Panesar, the driver, and someone he called Kiwi, but whose real name he said he couldn’t remember. The driver has been identified in court as Durante King-Mclean, a Cambridge, Ont., man who is in prison in the United States after he was caught trying to smuggle handguns into Canada, after the gold heist.

Asked why Panesar got to take 70 per cent of it, he said: “I don’t know. That’s the deal we made.” Did Panesar need to share his cut with others, he was asked. “That’s not my business,” he answered.

He said he was not testifying willingly. He is only there after being served a subpoena by the Crown. He pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 in March and in April was sentenced to four years imprisonment

Chaudhary remains in custody at Maplehurst Correctional Complex, and was escorted into court by an officer. He walked with casual confidence, almost a swagger.

His testimony was jagged, peppered frequently with him saying he didn’t recall key elements, such as most names and places, times and dates. He said he had post-traumatic stress disorder from his ordeal.

“Everything was going fine, and then I was kidnapped.“

“I was kidnapped by the police over there,” he told court. The men, who he said he knew they were police because they “were dressed as police,” took taken somewhere, but he doesn’t know where because he was blindfolded. “And when I got there, they abused me,” he said.

“Can we skip that part,” he asked.

He said he was betrayed by people he had contacted in Pakistan to help him move money he had from selling some of his gold and to melt him get two equipment for melting gold. Chaudhary said he melted down small batches of the stolen loot and had a friend sell the reformed gold through a jewellery store near the airport. His supposed friend also used an underground money movement system to get the cash to Pakistan where Chaudhary was heading.

Chaudhary said the man must have tipped off crooked cops to his situation. The police found him by tracking the SIM card in his phone, he said. He suspects his kidnappers let him live because he was a Canadian citizen. The man who moved the money for him also kept a million dollars he was supposed to pass to him.

He said he left Pakistan, briefly returned to Canada, but didn’t feel safe so moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

While Chaudhary’s testimony was dramatic and revealed information about the gold heist and what happened to a large portion of the gold, what he didn’t much to say about was the man facing trial.

Asked by Vlacic if he knows Sidhu, who sat in court beside his lawyers, he said he did but not well.

“I just heard of him through Mr. Panesar, but I don’t really know him,” Chaudhary said. “I spoke to him on the phone, but it was like a vague conversation,” he said, and mainly as a way of reaching Panesar.

“Basically, when I couldn’t reach out to Mr. Panesar, I knew I could reach out to Mr. Sidhu to reach out to Mr. Panesar. That’s all. That’s all I knew about Mr. Sidhu.”

Chaudhary’s testimony is expected to continue. Sidhu’s trial is scheduled for several more days.

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | X: AD_Humphreys

• Trial hears of two mysterious phone calls the day $22M in gold and cash stolen from Toronto Pearson airport
• The suspicious texts on day of Toronto airport gold heist between Air Canada workers accused of pulling it off

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

A mastermind behind the spectacular Toronto airport gold heist lost his share of the loot after fleeing to Pakistan, where he said he was kidnapped by police, blindfolded and tortured until he told them where he hid his gold and cash.

“I did everything for nothing,” Arsalan Chaudhary, 43, of Mississauga, Ont., testified Tuesday as a reluctant witness in court in Brampton, Ont.

Chaudhary said he was the man behind the gold heist, along with an inside man who worked with Air Canada, but after they split the stolen gold and cash, worth more than $22 million, he left Canada for Pakistan, where he was grabbed by men in police uniforms.

While he was in captivity and suffering torture and threatened with death, he was connected by FaceTime video calls to his kidnappers’ colleagues in Canada; he told them where to go to get his stash of gold hidden in a Toronto-area condo, and then to his family’s nearby home to collect his cash.

“Before they could do anything further, I pretty much told them, ‘I’ll give you everything. You don’t need to do anything. You have me. My life is worth more than any money.’ They had their people go where the gold was, and they got the cash and the gold, everything.”

Once they had his loot, a hood was pulled over his head and he was driven from the small room where he had been held. When the car stopped, he said he was told to lay down on the ground and count to 30 before looking up, or they would shoot him. He counted and then got up and walked to a family member’s home in Pakistan.

Chaudhary was asked by Crown prosecutor Jelena Vlacic how he felt at that point.

“I was just thankful to be alive,” he said, “and I wanted to get the F out of Pakistan ASAP.

“All of this was not even worth it. I destroyed people’s lives. I did everything for nothing.”

Chaudhary is the star witness at the trial for an alleged co-accused in the gold heist, Parmpal Sidhu, a former Air Canada employee in the cargo warehouse where the crate of gold and cash was stolen in 2023 shortly after arriving on a flight from Switzerland.

Although the trial is for Sidhu, who has pleaded not guilty to theft over $5,000 and conspiracy, Chaudhary said the Air Canada employee who was the key inside man at the cargo warehouse — who he planned the heist with — was Simran Preet Panesar, who is a wanted fugitive in the case, and believed to be living in India.

“I planned it,” Chaudhary said. “I pretty much planned the whole thing, with Mr. Panesar.”

Chaudhary said he and Panesar had worked on the heist for months before it came together. Their relationship was not a personal one.

“Strictly business,” Chaudhary said when asked to describe their connection. “Like, we were just talking about doing the heist.”

Chaudhary made it sound like they were a perfect match if you wanted to boost gold from airport. They each had a particular set of skills.

Panesar knew how the Air Canada cargo system worked and Chaudhary knew everything else.

“Mr. Panesar had a great idea,” Chaudhary testified. “I didn’t know nothing about how the inside worked. That was Mr. Panesar’s job to take care of that, and it was my job to take care of the outside, once it was put on the truck.

“He knew how to get the gold out, and I told them I’ll take care of the rest.

“They trusted me, and I had certain people that I knew who I could talk to and get the job done,” he said. “People call me for certain things because I could do certain things. People trusted me because I’m loyal.”

The pair were hooked up by a mutual friend, he said, but then seemed to regret saying that. He immediately couldn’t remember who the friend was, as if to prove he still had loyalty.

Chaudhary said he agreed to the job because he needed money.

“It was COVID. I was out of a job, kind of struggling. This topic came up. We started talking about it. I didn’t take it seriously in the beginning, but eventually, it got serious.”

Their plan worked ridiculously well.

Court heard earlier how insiders at the Air Canada cargo facility used the log-in credentials of Air Canada managers to change the coding on a high-value shipment of gold and cash while the crate was still in the air, en route to Toronto from Zurich on an Air Canada jet.

The change meant the automatic sorting of arriving cargo didn’t send the crate to a secure area that was locked and guarded, but into an area for general cargo. From there, an altered air waybill that was created inside the facility directed the crate of gold to be delivered to a truck that Chaudhary had arranged.

Once the crate of gold and money was loaded in the truck, Chaudhary said he followed behind the truck as it was driven to a farm up north; he couldn’t remember where, he said.

“I was behind the truck. Once we got somewhere up north, wherever it was, I cleared out the truck, and I took mine, went my way, and Mr. Panesar went his way.”

He said his share was 30 per cent of the gold. They didn’t count out the myriad of one-ounce bars, he called biscuits, they just divided the boxes that they were transported in. Each bar had a TD logo molded into it, he said. The gold was being sent to the Toronto Dominion bank and the foreign cash to a currency exchange in Vancouver before it was hijacked.

There were four men at the “north farm area,” he said: Chaudhary, Panesar, the driver, and someone he called Kiwi, but whose real name he said he couldn’t remember. The driver has been identified in court as Durante King-Mclean, a Cambridge, Ont., man who is in prison in the United States after he was caught trying to smuggle handguns into Canada, after the gold heist.

Asked why Panesar got to take 70 per cent of it, he said: “I don’t know. That’s the deal we made.” Did Panesar need to share his cut with others, he was asked. “That’s not my business,” he answered.

He said he was not testifying willingly. He is only there after being served a subpoena by the Crown. He pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 in March and in April was sentenced to four years imprisonment

Chaudhary remains in custody at Maplehurst Correctional Complex, and was escorted into court by an officer. He walked with casual confidence, almost a swagger.

His testimony was jagged, peppered frequently with him saying he didn’t recall key elements, such as most names and places, times and dates. He said he had post-traumatic stress disorder from his ordeal.

“Everything was going fine, and then I was kidnapped.“

“I was kidnapped by the police over there,” he told court. The men, who he said he knew they were police because they “were dressed as police,” took taken somewhere, but he doesn’t know where because he was blindfolded. “And when I got there, they abused me,” he said.

“Can we skip that part,” he asked.

He said he was betrayed by people he had contacted in Pakistan to help him move money he had from selling some of his gold and to melt him get two equipment for melting gold. Chaudhary said he melted down small batches of the stolen loot and had a friend sell the reformed gold through a jewellery store near the airport. His supposed friend also used an underground money movement system to get the cash to Pakistan where Chaudhary was heading.

Chaudhary said the man must have tipped off crooked cops to his situation. The police found him by tracking the SIM card in his phone, he said. He suspects his kidnappers let him live because he was a Canadian citizen. The man who moved the money for him also kept a million dollars he was supposed to pass to him.

He said he left Pakistan, briefly returned to Canada, but didn’t feel safe so moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

While Chaudhary’s testimony was dramatic and revealed information about the gold heist and what happened to a large portion of the gold, what he didn’t much to say about was the man facing trial.

Asked by Vlacic if he knows Sidhu, who sat in court beside his lawyers, he said he did but not well.

“I just heard of him through Mr. Panesar, but I don’t really know him,” Chaudhary said. “I spoke to him on the phone, but it was like a vague conversation,” he said, and mainly as a way of reaching Panesar.

“Basically, when I couldn’t reach out to Mr. Panesar, I knew I could reach out to Mr. Sidhu to reach out to Mr. Panesar. That’s all. That’s all I knew about Mr. Sidhu.”

Chaudhary’s testimony is expected to continue. Sidhu’s trial is scheduled for several more days.

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | X: AD_Humphreys

• Trial hears of two mysterious phone calls the day $22M in gold and cash stolen from Toronto Pearson airport
• The suspicious texts on day of Toronto airport gold heist between Air Canada workers accused of pulling it off

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

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling in to question whether the Liberal government did enough to secure job protections for steel workers at Stelco, after it approved its sale to American-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in 2024.

“It was up to the Liberal government to negotiate job protections when it approved the takeover of Stelco a few years back,” said Poilievre, during a press conference in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday.

“So, the question really goes to the Liberals: Did you do your job and protect the steelworkers when the foreign takeover happened?” asked Poilievre.

Poilievre’s comments come after Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Prime Minister Mark Carney have threatened legal action against Stelco’s Ohio-based parent company Cleveland Cliffs Inc., for laying off 500 workers at its plants in Hamilton and Lake Erie.

Stelco was acquired by Cleveland Cliffs in 2024, with the sale approved by Joly’s predecessor François-Philippe Champagne under the Investment Canada Act (ICA).

The approval was contingent on several binding commitments, including maintaining the same number of unionized employees and most non-unionized employees for a period of five years.

Stelco has cited the ongoing U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, which remain at 50 per cent, as one of the main reasons for the cutbacks.

Earlier this month, Carney called the layoffs a “betrayal” to workers and said there was still federal money on the table for Stelco to retain its employees.

On Oct. 5, Joly sent a letter to Stelco president Paul Simon, in which she listed the remedies available to the government should the investor fail to comply under the ICA.

Those remedies include “an application to the superior court for orders that may include directing compliance, divestiture, or monetary penalties.”

On Sunday, in an interview with CBC News’ Rosemary Barton Live, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves disputed the government’s claims.

“There is no provision in the contract that I have to keep employment at a certain level every single day of the five years,” he said. “If that was an imposition of the Canadian government, I would not have accepted.”

Goncalves has called the layoffs “temporary” until Canada and the U.S. reach a trade agreement. Goncalves is a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Section 232 tariffs and said he’s prepared to fight the Canadian government in court.

Joly has received a response to her letter from Stelco. On Saturday, she said a legal team is reviewing it and “all options are on the table.”

On Tuesday, NDP Leader Avi Lewis called on the federal government to nationalize the steelmaker.

“It’s a positive sign that the federal government is preparing to take legal action, but a court process will take years to resolve,” said Lewis, in a statement.

“If we’re serious about saving these jobs and the Canadian steel industry, we need immediate action,” he added. “That action must include nationalizing the plant.”

Poilievre said Conservatives are calling on the federal government to pursue legal action, but more importantly get back to the negotiating table with the U.S., to secure a tariff-free trade deal.

National Post

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 newsletters here.

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling in to question whether the Liberal government did enough to secure job protections for steel workers at Stelco, after it approved its sale to American-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in 2024.

“It was up to the Liberal government to negotiate job protections when it approved the takeover of Stelco a few years back,” said Poilievre, during a press conference in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday.

“So, the question really goes to the Liberals: Did you do your job and protect the steelworkers when the foreign takeover happened?” asked Poilievre.

Poilievre’s comments come after Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and Prime Minister Mark Carney have threatened legal action against Stelco’s Ohio-based parent company Cleveland Cliffs Inc., for laying off 500 workers at its plants in Hamilton and Lake Erie.

Stelco was acquired by Cleveland Cliffs in 2024, with the sale approved by Joly’s predecessor François-Philippe Champagne under the Investment Canada Act (ICA).

The approval was contingent on several binding commitments, including maintaining the same number of unionized employees and most non-unionized employees for a period of five years.

Stelco has cited the ongoing U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, which remain at 50 per cent, as one of the main reasons for the cutbacks.

Earlier this month, Carney called the layoffs a “betrayal” to workers and said there was still federal money on the table for Stelco to retain its employees.

On Oct. 5, Joly sent a letter to Stelco president Paul Simon, in which she listed the remedies available to the government should the investor fail to comply under the ICA.

Those remedies include “an application to the superior court for orders that may include directing compliance, divestiture, or monetary penalties.”

On Sunday, in an interview with CBC News’ Rosemary Barton Live, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves disputed the government’s claims.

“There is no provision in the contract that I have to keep employment at a certain level every single day of the five years,” he said. “If that was an imposition of the Canadian government, I would not have accepted.”

Goncalves has called the layoffs “temporary” until Canada and the U.S. reach a trade agreement. Goncalves is a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Section 232 tariffs and said he’s prepared to fight the Canadian government in court.

Joly has received a response to her letter from Stelco. On Saturday, she said a legal team is reviewing it and “all options are on the table.”

On Tuesday, NDP Leader Avi Lewis called on the federal government to nationalize the steelmaker.

“It’s a positive sign that the federal government is preparing to take legal action, but a court process will take years to resolve,” said Lewis, in a statement.

“If we’re serious about saving these jobs and the Canadian steel industry, we need immediate action,” he added. “That action must include nationalizing the plant.”

Poilievre said Conservatives are calling on the federal government to pursue legal action, but more importantly get back to the negotiating table with the U.S., to secure a tariff-free trade deal.

National Post

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Canada’s Wonderland has closed two of its roller coasters after one man was killed and four others injured on a similar ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, a theme park outside Atlanta.

Both parks are owned and operated by U.S.-based Six Flags, which has 34 properties in North America and two in Saudi Arabia. Canada’s Wonderland is its only Canadian location, after Montreal’s La Ronde was sold to EPR Properties of Missouri in May.

“I can confirm our coasters Leviathan and Behemoth were closed yesterday,” a Canada’s Wonderland spokesperson told National Post. “We do not have a timeline for reopening.”

The spokesperson added: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks. The safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority.”

The park remains open Thursdays through Sundays (its regular fall hours) this month.

The death at Six Flags Over Georgia happened on Monday, according to local news reports. A man reportedly fell from Goliath , which the park refers to as a “hypercoaster,” meaning it has a height of least 61 metres. The ride, introduced in 2006, reaches speeds of 112 km/h.

The man, who has been identified by police as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta, was reportedly thrown from his seat, fell, and hit the ride multiple times. The park was evacuated after the incident.

CNN reported that what caused Kariem to fall off the roller coaster remains unclear, and that the cause of death has not been disclosed, nor have details of other injuries in the incident.

The accident left a number of riders in the next train of cars stuck on a steep incline when the ride was halted. News footage showed park workers rescuing those riders and leading them down the steep, open-air stairwell to the ground.

Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six amusement parks on Monday, including the two at Canada’s Wonderland. Behemoth and Leviathan were both manufactured by Bollinger and Mabillard, the same company that made Goliath.

Montreal’s La Ronde amusement park also has a Bollinger and Mabillard-built Goliath roller coaster, and announced it would temporarily shut it down until an update is received from the manufacturer.

Canada’s Wonderland opened in 1981 in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto. It was acquired by Paramount and became Paramount Canada’s Wonderland in 1993, but reverted to its original name after it was purchased by U.S.-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. in 2006. Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged in 2024.

The park boasts 18 roller coasters. The Behemoth opened in 2008 and features a climb to a height of 70 metres, followed by a 75-degree drop with speeds reaching 125 km/h, and a track length of over 1.6 kms. The Leviathan , which opened four years later, has a climb 97.7 metres and an 80-degree drop, reaching speeds of 148 km/h.

• One person sent to hospital after reportedly falling 30 to 40 feet from Canada’s Wonderland ride
• A Canadian man is selling a 900-foot water slide on Facebook Marketplace for $150K

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 newsletters here.

Canada’s Wonderland has closed two of its roller coasters after one man was killed and four others injured on a similar ride at Six Flags Over Georgia, a theme park outside Atlanta.

Both parks are owned and operated by U.S.-based Six Flags, which has 34 properties in North America and two in Saudi Arabia. Canada’s Wonderland is its only Canadian location, after Montreal’s La Ronde was sold to EPR Properties of Missouri in May.

“I can confirm our coasters Leviathan and Behemoth were closed yesterday,” a Canada’s Wonderland spokesperson told National Post. “We do not have a timeline for reopening.”

The spokesperson added: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks. The safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority.”

The park remains open Thursdays through Sundays (its regular fall hours) this month.

The death at Six Flags Over Georgia happened on Monday, according to local news reports. A man reportedly fell from Goliath , which the park refers to as a “hypercoaster,” meaning it has a height of least 61 metres. The ride, introduced in 2006, reaches speeds of 112 km/h.

The man, who has been identified by police as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta, was reportedly thrown from his seat, fell, and hit the ride multiple times. The park was evacuated after the incident.

CNN reported that what caused Kariem to fall off the roller coaster remains unclear, and that the cause of death has not been disclosed, nor have details of other injuries in the incident.

The accident left a number of riders in the next train of cars stuck on a steep incline when the ride was halted. News footage showed park workers rescuing those riders and leading them down the steep, open-air stairwell to the ground.

Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six amusement parks on Monday, including the two at Canada’s Wonderland. Behemoth and Leviathan were both manufactured by Bollinger and Mabillard, the same company that made Goliath.

Montreal’s La Ronde amusement park also has a Bollinger and Mabillard-built Goliath roller coaster, and announced it would temporarily shut it down until an update is received from the manufacturer.

Canada’s Wonderland opened in 1981 in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto. It was acquired by Paramount and became Paramount Canada’s Wonderland in 1993, but reverted to its original name after it was purchased by U.S.-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. in 2006. Cedar Fair and Six Flags merged in 2024.

The park boasts 18 roller coasters. The Behemoth opened in 2008 and features a climb to a height of 70 metres, followed by a 75-degree drop with speeds reaching 125 km/h, and a track length of over 1.6 kms. The Leviathan , which opened four years later, has a climb 97.7 metres and an 80-degree drop, reaching speeds of 148 km/h.

• One person sent to hospital after reportedly falling 30 to 40 feet from Canada’s Wonderland ride
• A Canadian man is selling a 900-foot water slide on Facebook Marketplace for $150K

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 newsletters here.