The United States has pulled out of the 2026 Canadian International Air Show in Toronto amid escalating trade tensions, with its absence being announced by the organization on Thursday.

“The F-16 Demonstration Team will no longer be able to participate at the 2026 Canadian International Air Show,” wrote the CIAS in a social media post, adding that the decision was beyond the institution’s control.

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CBC changed its story about a groundbreaking surgery on baby Theo, replacing references to an “unborn baby” with “fetus” and referring to him as “it.”

Theo underwent experimental surgery at 26 weeks while still in the womb to treat gastroschisis, a rare birth defect, and is now five months old and healthy.

CBC defended the change, saying its editorial standards call for neutral, fact-based language and that “fetus” more precisely matched its definition of the term. Keep Reading

CBC platforms condemnation of Canadian law that would convict Clancy

A CBC article examining how Lindsay Clancy’s trial might have unfolded in Canada highlighted an expert’s criticism that the country’s infanticide law would not apply to her two older children.

UBC law professor Isabel Grant called the age restriction a “shortcoming,” while another American law professor described Canada’s infanticide provisions as “far more just and merciful” than life sentences in the United States.

The article did not include an expert defending the age restriction or arguing for tougher penalties, instead focusing on arguments for leniency in cases involving postpartum illness. Keep Reading

Indian food with fake nutrition and expiry labels potentially headed for Canada

Indian authorities seized more than $110,000 worth of products, chemicals and printing equipment from a Mumbai warehouse allegedly used to create fake nutrition labels and replace expiry dates on products from major brands.

The products were being prepared for export, including a PepsiCo Kurkure package with fake nutrition information in English and French that closely resembled Canada’s required labelling format.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now monitoring the situation, but says it has no information indicating that products linked to the operation actually entered Canada. Keep Reading

U.S. Admiral TORCHES reporter over question about Trump invading Canada

Admiral Samuel Paparo dismissed a reporter’s question about whether Donald Trump could order an invasion of Canada as “absolutely and utterly preposterous,” comparing it to asking about U.S. attack plans for Martians, while stressing that Canada remains a “close” and “indispensable” American ally. Keep Reading

Liberals extend gas tax holiday following months of Conservative pressure

The Carney government is extending its 10-cent-per-litre federal gas tax holiday into 2027 after months of Conservative pressure, keeping the tax suspended until Jan. 31 before gradually bringing it back as Canadians face soaring prices at the pump. Keep Reading

Army pay-equity plan deadline missed despite following a two-year extension

The Canadian Armed Forces has missed its deadline to complete a pay equity plan covering roughly 90,000 members, despite already receiving a two-year extension, with the Treasury Board now asking for more time and potentially facing retroactive compensation costs with interest. Keep Reading

Carney investment pick keeps Rio Tinto chairmanship after millions from taxpayers

Mark Carney’s new chair of Invest in Canada, Dominic Barton, will keep his role as chair of mining giant Rio Tinto while helping Ottawa attract investment in critical minerals and other sectors where the company has major interests, despite the federal government providing Rio Tinto with millions in financial support. Keep Reading

Military moves to acquire low-cost drones, unmanned ground vehicles

The Canadian military is moving to acquire new low-cost drones and unmanned ground vehicles as it expands its use of unmanned systems. The Department of National Defence posted procurement notices seeking “Low-Cost Uncrewed Aircraft Systems” classified as military drones and “Complex Terrain Uncrewed Ground Vehicle” systems. Keep Reading

New $20 banknote unveiled featuring King Charles III

The Bank of Canada has unveiled the new $20 bank note, which features the portrait of King Charles III and the Vimy Ridge memorial monument on the back. The new bill will gradually enter circulation in late February 2027. Keep Reading

OP-ED: The Jewish case for free speech

“When it comes to present-day threats to our most important individual freedoms, Jewish organizations should be leading the fight to protect our basic rights, not cheering on Big Brother.” Keep Reading

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The CBC is facing criticism after editing a story about a groundbreaking surgery performed on a baby in the womb to replace references to an “unborn baby” with “fetus.”

The Aug. 3 As It Happens story detailed a pioneering operation performed on Theo, who was diagnosed with gastroschisis, a rare birth defect in which the intestines develop outside the body.

Theo’s mother, 29-year-old Maisie Savage, learned of the condition during her 20-week scan.

At 26 weeks, surgeons at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston performed an experimental operation while Theo was still in the womb, placing his intestines back inside his body as part of a clinical trial.

Theo is now five months old and healthy, according to the CBC report.

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The Bank of Canada has unveiled the new $20 bank note, which features the portrait of King Charles III and the Vimy Ridge memorial monument on the back. The new bill will gradually enter circulation in late February 2027.

“This new $20 bank note is striking, symbolic and secure,” said BoC Governor Macklem on Thursday. “The note’s advanced and dynamic security features are combined with images that reflect Canada’s beauty and its history. I hope it evokes pride in Canada and confidence in its bank notes.”

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What would happen if Lindsay Clancy’s trial took place in Canada? That’s the question CBC put to experts in a recent article. One expert called it a “shortcoming” that Clancy could not use infanticide as a defence in Canada.

Isabel Grant, a criminal law professor at the University of British Columbia, made the comment when examining how the Massachusetts mother’s case might have unfolded if it were held on home turf.

Clancy was accused of strangling her three children, aged five, three, and eight months, with exercise bands while her husband was away running an errand. After the deed, she attempted suicide by jumping from a second-floor window, leaving her paralyzed.

Her defence acknowledged the killings but argued she was not criminally responsible due to bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis while prosecutors sought convictions on three counts of first-degree murder, arguing she planned the killings and arranged for her husband to leave the house.

Had she been tried in Canada, Grant said Clancy could have raised infanticide as a defence in the death of her eight-month-old son, Callan.

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The Carney government is extending its 10-cent-per-litre federal gas tax holiday into 2027 following months of Conservative calls for Ottawa to keep taxes off fuel as Canadians face soaring prices at the pump.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced Wednesday that the federal fuel excise tax will remain fully suspended until Jan. 31, 2027.

The tax will return at half its normal rate — five cents per litre on gasoline — for February and March before returning to the full 10-cent rate on April 1.

“This is the most impactful measure we can put together,” Champagne told reporters. “Reducing the federal fuel excise tax is a direct measure. It’s applying across the country from coast to coast.”

Asked why the suspension was not being made permanent, Champagne said the government was “quite happy to do our part.”

“We’ve done a lot,” he said when pressed on Conservative calls to permanently eliminate the tax. “That’s my message to Canadians.”

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A variety of food products imported from India with fake nutrition labels and expiry dates has prompted an investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as to whether the country poses a risk to the Canadian market.

Last week, Indian authorities raided a warehouse in Mumbai and seized more than $110,000 worth of products, chemicals and printing machines designed for the purpose of making fake nutrition labels and replacing old expiry dates on products from companies such as PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Unilever.

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Author: Lynne Cohen

Lynne Cohen is an author and non-practicing lawyer based in Ottawa. The original and longer version of this story first appeared in C2CJournal.

The history of Judaism can be said to be the history of the power of free speech.

Going back thousands of years, ancient Jewish scholars debated everything under the sun – from criminal and civil law and theology to astronomy, mathematics, geography, ethics and science. No topic, regardless of how controversial or obscure, was off-limits to these great thinkers as they probed the depths of human, physical and metaphysical nature. Their debates and arguments were codified in the Talmud, which Orthodox Jews still study intensely to this day.

Today, with the federal Liberals currently seeking to place ever-greater limits on what Canadians can say or think, it seems beyond puzzling that many prominent Jewish groups have lined up in support of Ottawa’s campaign of official censorship. This is not how religious Jews see the world.

A variety of new legislation, much of it recycled from the Justin Trudeau era, has been enacted or proposed by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to allegedly stamp out hatred in Canada. This includes the Combatting Hate Act (given royal assent this summer) and what was once called the Online Harms Act, now retitled the Safe Social Media Act (currently awaiting debate in the House of Commons).

Many secular Jewish groups, including B’nai Brith Canada and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, have been vocal in their support of these bills. In fact, they frequently clamour for even more restrictions.

The fact that Jewish groups are upset with the status quo is understandable. With the Holocaust still a living memory for some, many Jews have understandably assumed a collective victim mentality. This intensified following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel and the subsequent surge in anti-Semitism worldwide. Since that massacre, Canada has experienced multiple attacks on Jewish synagogues, schools, and individuals.

Jews may be right to feel threatened. But is the solution to create more laws that limit what Canadians can say? Definitely not. Efforts to regulate and punish speech will end up making things worse for everyone by weakening Canadians’ fundamental freedoms.

The right to free speech has always been hard to define. We should be clear, however, that incitement to violence or terrorism is and has always been illegal. There is a huge difference between criminality of this kind and the expression of legitimately held, if controversial, viewpoints. Real crimes should be investigated and punished. Not thought crimes

We must also keep in mind that the current spate of hate crime legislation is not Canada’s first brush with trying to regulate speech. Canada has criminalized hate speech beginning in 1970, and since then various governments have gone after public figures who promoted anti-Semitism, such as Bill Keegstra and Ernst Zundel. Then in 2022, Holocaust denialism was also made illegal. Now the Carney government is planning further speech restrictions.

Yet according to Kenneth Grad, a law professor at the University of Manitoba, there’s little evidence to suggest any of Canada’s previous hate-speech laws or prosecutions served their stated purpose. As Grad observed in a study he wrote: “Hate speech prosecutions work in theory, but not in practice.” He argues they fail to protect vulnerable communities, do not serve the criminal justice system, and impede the search for truth.

This is not just a problem in Canada. “There is a worldwide trend in favour of increased use of the criminal law to combat hate speech,” Grad noted, citing examples from the past two years including Australia, South Africa, Scotland, Sweden, Ireland and Nigeria. Troublingly, while all these efforts have been presented as targeted strikes against “hate” speech, Grad observed that most have eventually turned into broader-based attacks on free expression and political speech.

The belief that further changes to hate speech laws will significantly reduce anti-Semitism in Canada is sheer folly. Nonetheless, it has become a matter of fundamental belief for many large Canadian Jewish groups. The vast number of letters, press releases, reports, and documents published by such groups on a weekly basis attest to that.

Difficult as it may be, a democratic country such as Canada must find ways to protect free speech while punishing overtly criminal acts. That means learning to live with speech that may be “lawful but awful.” We can consider that to be the price of living in a free society. And no one should appreciate the importance of protecting freedom more than Jews, the most persecuted group in history.

When it comes to present-day threats to our most important individual freedoms, Jewish organizations should be leading the fight to protect our basic rights, not cheering on Big Brother.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly appointed chair of Invest in Canada will keep his job chairing mining giant Rio Tinto as the federal government courts foreign investment in critical minerals and other major projects.

Dominic Barton, the former global managing partner of McKinsey & Company and former Canadian ambassador to China, was appointed chair of Invest in Canada for a three-year, part-time term.

However, Barton will simultaneously remain chair of Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, as first reported by The Logic.

Rio Tinto said Barton remains “fully committed” to chairing the company as his new federal role seeks billions in investment in sectors where the mining giant has major interests, including critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence and infrastructure.

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A top U.S. military commander dismissed the prospect of an American invasion of Canada as “absolutely and utterly preposterous,” comparing the scenario to launching an attack on Martians.

Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, was asked during a press conference in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday whether he would obey an order from U.S. President Donald Trump to launch military action against Canada.

“I find that scenario to be absolutely and utterly preposterous,” Paparo responded. “I follow the orders of the commander-in-chief, but that is a needlessly emotional question.”

“Would you ask me, please, also, what my attack plans are for the Martians?” he added.

The reporter pressed Paparo after accusing him of failing to answer the question.

“I said I follow the orders of the president,” Paparo responded before again invoking the Martians comparison.

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The Canadian military is moving to acquire new low-cost drones and unmanned ground vehicles as it expands its use of unmanned systems.

The Department of National Defence posted procurement notices seeking “Low-Cost Uncrewed Aircraft Systems” classified as military drones and “Complex Terrain Uncrewed Ground Vehicle” systems.

The ground vehicles are intended for “tactical load carriage and operational experimentation in complex terrain environments,” according to DND.

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The Canadian Armed Forces has missed its deadline to complete a pay equity plan covering roughly 90,000 members, despite already receiving a two-year extension to finish the work.

The government’s Pay Equity Act requires federally regulated employers to identify pay gaps between jobs predominantly held by women and comparable jobs predominantly held by men.

For the armed forces, that means evaluating military jobs based on factors including skill, responsibility, effort, and working conditions. They then calculate the compensation for those jobs and compare pay going to predominantly female and male job classes.

If that process identifies differences between the two, framed as an inequity, affected CAF members could be entitled to higher compensation.

Treasury Board was originally supposed to complete the plan in 2024 but received an extension from the Pay Equity Commissioner until August 31, 2026.

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Researchers examining nearly 2,000 Canada Research Chairs found that increasingly stringent diversity targets were associated with lower research output, even after accounting for factors including career length, discipline, and year of appointment.

The study estimates the productivity gap costs the program roughly $18 million annually, while another $18 million was directed toward what researchers describe as scholarly activism in the social sciences and humanities.

Together, researchers estimate the impact at roughly $36 million, or 12 per cent of the program’s $300 million annual budget, raising questions over whether Canada’s diversity targets are delivering value for taxpayers. Keep Reading

NO SANCTION: Carney MP broke ethics rules by directing taxpayer funds to family businesses

The federal ethics commissioner found Liberal MP Lori Idlout violated parliamentary conflict-of-interest rules by claiming taxpayer reimbursements for purchases from businesses owned by herself and her spouse.

The expenses included more than $2,000 in purchases from Idlout’s own Iqaluit gallery, along with accommodation at a bed and breakfast wholly owned by her spouse. The commissioner found each transaction furthered the private interests of Idlout or her spouse.

Despite finding the violations were neither trivial nor inadvertent, the commissioner recommended no sanction, citing Idlout’s repayments and characterizing the conduct as a good-faith error in judgment. Keep Reading

Another church fire, this time in Vernon, B.C.

A church in Vernon, B.C., has sustained “substantial damage” after a fire broke out Monday, with crews from four fire departments working to extinguish the blaze.

No one was injured, and the church said it was “incredibly grateful that everyone is safe.” Its offices will remain closed until further notice.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, with Vernon Fire Rescue Services and RCMP continuing their investigation as the latest incident adds to a string of church fires across Canada. Keep Reading

Two more B.C. Conservative MLAs quit as caucus exodus deepens

Donegal Wilson and Scott McInnis have both quit the B.C. Conservative caucus, bringing the number of MLAs who have left under Kerry-Lynne Findlay to nine just weeks before the crucial Abbotsford-Mission by-election. Keep Reading

Smith’s immigration crackdown wins majority support in Alberta: poll

A majority of Albertans back Premier Danielle Smith’s push for tougher immigration rules, with a new poll showing all five of the province’s immigration referendum proposals have majority support. Keep Reading

Canada awarded millions to Iranian ex-VP’s son investigated over alleged IRGC ties

Canadian governments handed more than $2 million in contracts to an Iranian ex-VP’s son despite national security concerns and allegations tying him to military projects and procurement benefiting the IRGC. Mohammad Reza Ghafouri Fard, who does business as “Sal Ghafouri,” received more than $2 million in federal and provincial contracts through two Alberta companies, including from the RCMP and the Department of National Defence. Keep Reading

Carney hands Century Initiative co-founder Barton a cozy federal gig

Mark Carney has appointed Century Initiative co-founder Dominic Barton to a top federal role, bringing back a former Trudeau adviser who has advocated for growing Canada’s population to 100 million by 2100. Keep Reading

Élections Québec to provide voter information in French only

Élections Québec will provide voter information in French only ahead of the election, despite the agency’s failed attempt to secure an exemption, leaving eligible English-speaking voters to request separate documentation. Keep Reading

‘I’m not optimistic’: Ontario mom warns parents after years-long fight with school board

Ontario mom Catherine Kronas spent two years fighting her school board over land acknowledgements, was investigated and suspended twice, and ultimately cleared, but now warns that parents have little power to challenge the education system. Keep Reading

Bank of Canada maintains policy rate for seventh consecutive decision

The Bank of Canada announced that its benchmark interest rate will remain at 2.25 per cent on Wednesday, marking the central bank’s seventh consecutive hold. The decision was widely expected by economists as uncertainty around the escalating Canada-U.S. trade war and instability in the Middle East continues to persist. Keep Reading

Why has Enbridge’s Line 5 been shut down for a week?

Enbridge’s Line 5 has been shut down for a week after an unoccupied subcontractor truck struck the pipeline in Wisconsin, releasing roughly 1.3 million gallons of natural gas liquids. The Aug. 25 accident near Saxon, Wis., occurred when a parked flatbed truck rolled into an open excavation and struck the pipe, forcing Line 5 itself to shut down while crews responded to the release. Keep Reading

Alto high-speed rail price tag rises to $150 billion with operating costs

The Alto high-speed rail project’s projected price tag has ballooned to as much as $152.7 billion when operating and maintenance costs are included, far above the government’s previously cited $90-billion estimate. Keep Reading

A church in Vernon, B.C., has sustained “substantial damage” caused by a fire; fortunately, no one was injured in the blaze. It took approximately 35 firefighters from four fire departments to extinguish the fire, and an RCMP investigation into its cause is underway.

“We’re incredibly grateful that everyone is safe, and we’re so thankful for the prayers and support we’ve received tonight,” wrote Vernon Alliance Church in an update on Monday. “We have limited details at this time, but we know that the building has sustained substantial damage.”

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Editor’s Note: MLA Scott McInnis left the BC Conservative caucus after publication, making him the ninth MLA to leave the party under Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s leadership.

This data is brought to you in partnership with Polymarket.

A majority of Albertans back Premier Danielle Smith’s push for tougher immigration rules, with a new poll showing all five of the province’s immigration referendum proposals have majority support.

The five Oct. 19 questions ask whether Alberta should cut immigration and prioritize economic migrants; restrict taxpayer-funded services by immigration status; impose a one-year wait for social supports; charge non-permanent residents for health care and education; and require proof of citizenship to vote.

A Research Co. poll conducted between Aug. 24 and 26 found 66 per cent support requiring proof of Canadian citizenship to vote in provincial elections — the highest of the five proposals.

Another 65 per cent back Alberta taking greater control over immigration to reduce immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritize economic migrants and give Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities.

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B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has lost yet another MLA, with Donegal Wilson becoming the eighth caucus member to bolt in less than three weeks as the party’s internal turmoil intensifies.

Wilson, the MLA for Boundary-Similkameen, announced Wednesday she would leave the Conservatives and sit as an Independent, delivering a scathing assessment of Findlay’s first three months as leader.

“When Ms. Findlay became Leader, I promised myself I would keep an open mind and give her three months to show us how she intended to lead,” Wilson wrote in her resignation letter.

“Three months later, I have my answer. I never imagined things could go this wrong, this quickly.”

Wilson also said she could not campaign for Findlay, who is preparing to face voters in the crucial Abbotsford-Mission by-election on Sept. 26.

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Canadian governments handed more than $2 million in contracts to an Iranian ex-VP’s son despite national security concerns and allegations tying him to military projects and procurement benefiting the IRGC.

Mohammad Reza Ghafouri Fard, who does business as “Sal Ghafouri,” received more than $2 million in federal and provincial contracts through two Alberta companies, including from the RCMP and the Department of National Defence, according to records obtained by Global News.

Ghafouri, 45, is the son of Hassan Ghafouri Fard, a former Iranian vice-president and member of parliament.

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Élections Québec will only be sending out voter information in French for the province’s upcoming election. The decision was made to comply with language laws.

While voter information cards have long been printed in both French and English, legislation adopted in 2022 made French the sole language of Quebec regarding any communication involving public institutions. The provincial elections authority is no exception.

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A Hamilton mother who spent two years fighting her school board over land acknowledgements says the experience convinced her that parent councils are failing to hold the education system accountable.

Catherine Kronas, former chair of the Ancaster High School Council, published a detailed first-person account of her years-long battle with the school system that paints a bleak picture of the state of public education.

She described how her objection to land acknowledgements escalated into a public spat over free expression and the role of parents.

“I saw the board imposing a land acknowledgement on an elected parent council as compelled speech,” Kronas told Juno News.

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