Latest news with #TheCanadianPress
Winnipeg Free Press
11 minutes ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘We cannot waste any time': Anand promises ‘action' and reform in foreign affairs
OTTAWA – Faced with escalating conflict in the Middle East, a collapsing global trade system and a department struggling to reform itself, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she relishes the job of helping Canada navigate a turbulent world. In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with The Canadian Press, Anand said her experiences in both politics and academia can help her streamline Canada's approach to global issues, allowing it to pursue its interests without losing sight of its values. 'How do you ensure, when you have these large departments, that you're actually able to execute? That is the heart of government. It's the hardest thing to do,' Anand said. 'I enjoy difficult responsibilities.' She cited her time as defence minister, when she pushed the Canadian Armed Forces to address sexual misconduct and organized donations of military supplies to Ukraine's front line. Previously, as procurement minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, she pushed one of Ottawa's largest and most unwieldy departments to deliver vaccines across the country within days. Anand spoke of 'how hard it was to say, like, we gotta buy this stuff today.' 'That's kind of the same frame that I'm bringing to foreign affairs and it's super exciting,' she added. Anand said her job involves listening closely to what the foreign service says, even if she doesn't always follow its guidance. 'You have to think independently, taking into account the advice that you receive, but also ensuring that you're discharging your obligations to the Canadian public,' she said. 'I welcome the advice that my officials provide, but at the end of the day, the decisions that I make are based on an independent judgment about what is best for our country in terms of our diplomatic relationships and our foreign policy.' Much of her job, she said, involves supporting Prime Minister Mark Carney's quest to make Canada less dependent on the U.S. for trade and defence. 'We are considering every option to strengthen our collaboration with reliable trading partners and allies around the world,' she said. 'My role as foreign minister is to stand up for Canada in that process and to ensure that we are also standing up for peace, the safety of civilians and the respect for international law.' Carney has set the tone for much of Canada's foreign policy and Anand is accompanying the prime minister on a diplomatic trip to Europe next week. Canada will sign an agreement Monday in Brussels with the European Union that largely focuses on defence procurement. Carney and Anand will then head to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, where they hope to use new spending pledges from Canada and allies to keep the United States committed to collective defence. Carney's approach to foreign policy features a major tilt toward Europe and might include more outreach in Asia and Africa ahead of summits he is set to attend this fall on both continents. While his government is heeding allies' calls for a steep increase in defence spending, it's also bucking an international trend by promising not to cut foreign aid. 'We are deeply committed to multilateralism over unilateralism, to global co-operation over increased protectionism,' Anand said. 'We must showcase Canada's values in terms of peace, safety of civilians, and respect for international law. But we're at a time where we also need to strategically advance our economic interests here at home, and to ensure that we have defence and security arrangements in place for the protection of our own country.' She said her ministerial background in defence, procurement, transport and the Treasury Board — which oversees all other departments' spending — gives her a unique perspective on how governments can actually follow through on their promises. At the recent G7 summit in Alberta, she had a front-row seat as Canada's closest peers drafted statements on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to transnational repression. The summit allowed her to meet face-to-face with both representatives of Ottawa's traditional allies and officials from emerging nations with increasing clout — including her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The Carney government is moving to restore diplomatic relations with India — a controversial move, given the recent history between Ottawa and New Delhi. In 2023 and 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police force had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service identified India as one of the main drivers of foreign interference in a report it released this week. Anand said Ottawa is trying to restore parts of 'a long-standing relationship that has been put on hold for the last couple of years,' while respecting the law and institutions like the RCMP. 'The global strategic environment is very volatile and we need to carefully ensure that we are respecting the foundations of our democracy,' she said. Anand was born and raised in Nova Scotia by parents who immigrated from India. As a lawyer and professor in Toronto, she focused on the field of corporate governance — on how companies can reform the way they operate. Global Affairs Canada itself is under heavy pressure to change the way it works. The department launched a reform plan in February 2024 that included an admission that it can be 'slow to react or not focused enough' when major crises erupt, and that its staffing policies aren't keeping up with its growing responsibilities and tighter budgets. Things have only grown more complex since then, with Washington cutting back on foreign aid and moving closer to a revanchist Russia, while China pitches more trade with Canada and other countries. Canada has meanwhile promised to appoint new ambassadors across Africa and to open new embassies in Fiji and Benin, while somehow containing spending across government. Canada's critics have a history of claiming it's all talk when it comes to international relations. Trudeau was frequently criticized for raising human rights issues and inserting environmental policies in trade deals while failing to meet his government's defence spending targets or supply allies with liquefied natural gas. Foreign diplomats and departmental staff describe Anand as cautious, attentive and focused on results. While she's taking some time to get thoroughly briefed, she wants to deliver a lot — and soon. 'We have so much work to do and we cannot waste any time doing it,' she said. 'I am action-oriented myself and the prime minister knows this about me. And that's why we will make a good team on the foreign affairs front.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian men win again at ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier
KING CITY - Dilpreet Bajwa scored 55 runs and fellow opener Yuvray Samra added 25 Thursday as Canada defeated the Cayman Islands by 42 runs in a rain-shortened match at the Americas Qualifier for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The weather restricted both teams to five overs, instead of the normal 20. Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands are competing in an eight-day double round-robin format that will see the group winner advance to next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Thursday's win improved Canada's record to 4-0-0. The Caymans won the toss and elected to field at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground. Bajwa slammed three fours and four sixes in his 21-ball inning as Canada finished at 81 not out. In response, the Cayman Islands were 39 for five in their five overs. Opener Jermaine Baker led the Caymans with 15 runs. Shivam Sharma took two wickets for Canada, which faces the Bahamas on Saturday and Bermuda on Sunday. Canada made its T20 World Cup debut last year, failing to advance out of the group stage after beating No. 11 Ireland and losing to No. 8 Pakistan and co-host U.S., ranked 17th. A match against No. 1 India was abandoned due to inclement weather. The Cayman Islands and Bahamas were recently promoted from the Subregional Qualifier. Canada is ranked 19th in T20 play by the International Cricket Council, compared to No. 27 for Bermuda, No. 41 for the Cayman Islands and No. 52 for the Bahamas. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian men win again at ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier
KING CITY – Dilpreet Bajwa scored 55 runs and fellow opener Yuvray Samra added 25 Thursday as Canada defeated the Cayman Islands by 42 runs in a rain-shortened match at the Americas Qualifier for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The weather restricted both teams to five overs, instead of the normal 20. Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands are competing in an eight-day double round-robin format that will see the group winner advance to next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Thursday's win improved Canada's record to 4-0-0. The Caymans won the toss and elected to field at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground. Bajwa slammed three fours and four sixes in his 21-ball inning as Canada finished at 81 not out. In response, the Cayman Islands were 39 for five in their five overs. Opener Jermaine Baker led the Caymans with 15 runs. Shivam Sharma took two wickets for Canada, which faces the Bahamas on Saturday and Bermuda on Sunday. Canada made its T20 World Cup debut last year, failing to advance out of the group stage after beating No. 11 Ireland and losing to No. 8 Pakistan and co-host U.S., ranked 17th. A match against No. 1 India was abandoned due to inclement weather. The Cayman Islands and Bahamas were recently promoted from the Subregional Qualifier. Canada is ranked 19th in T20 play by the International Cricket Council, compared to No. 27 for Bermuda, No. 41 for the Cayman Islands and No. 52 for the Bahamas. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quebec dials back emissions projections due to global uncertainty
MONTREAL – The Quebec government is scaling back its projections for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions due to the arrival of the Trump administration. An annual report published today says actions being taken by the province to reduce emissions should account for 65 per cent of the cuts needed to reach the government's 2030 emissions target. That's down two points from an estimated 67 per cent last year. The report says the change is due to the Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs, which has had the effect of slowing investment in decarbonization, and its attempts to challenge carbon pricing mechanisms of various U.S. states. It also says the Canadian government's decision to scrap the federal consumer carbon price could harm the competitiveness of Quebec businesses. Still, it says that greenhouse-gas emissions dropped in Quebec between 2022 and 2023, and that Quebec reported record sales of electric vehicles in 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Man seen ‘speeding toward' dolphins in B.C. waters fined $5,000
PORT HARDY - A man seen speeding on a Jet Ski towards a pod of Pacific white sided dolphins has been fined $5,000 and has been banned from posting anything related to marine mammals on social media. The man was found guilty last November in B.C. provincial court for violating marine mammal regulations after his trial heard he raced towards the pod and came within metres of them while filming on his cellphone. Witnesses said the man, who was in the waters near Port McNeill off northeastern Vancouver Island in August 2022, was much closer than the 100-metre legal distance required to stay away from dolphins. The Fisheries Department says in a statement released Thursday that the court ruled in a decision last month that the man's actions were 'negligent and reckless.' In addition to the fine and not posting about marine mammals on social media six months, he also faces a six-month prohibition from operating any motorized vessel on water. The department says the case is the first successful prosecution in Canada under Marine Mammal Regulations over distance provisions keeping vessels away from marine wildlife. The statement says dolphins and killer whales relying on echolocating to navigate their environment and close encounters with a vessels can disrupt their natural behaviour and interfere with signals they use to forage and socialize. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
