The Canadian economy added only 1,100 net jobs in February, all of which were part-time positions. According to a report released today by Statistics Canada, the labour market remained sluggish last month, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 6.6 percent. This followed a more robust gain of 76,000 jobs in January. Statistics Canada reported that Canada lost 19,700 full-time jobs in February, which was offset by the addition of 20,800 part-time jobs, resulting in the modest net increase of 1,100 jobs. The wholesale and retail trade sector, along with the finance, insurance, real estate

A lawyer for the former head of Alberta Health Services says his client is happy R-C-M-P have launched an investigation amid allegations of corruption related to health contracts. Former A-H-S head Athana Mentzelopoulos (ment-zeh-LOH'-poh-luss) is suing the province for wrongful dismissal, alleging high-level arm twisting, possible conflicts of interest, political interference and corruption in multimillion-dollar deals. None of her allegations have been tested in court. R-C-M-P say they received a complaint a month ago relating to A-H-S and have decided to begin an investigation, but w

A federal judge has dismissed a legal challenge of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's move to prorogue Parliament. Two Nova Scotia men had asked the Federal Court to declare the current suspension of Parliament illegal because there must be a "reasonable justification" for hitting the pause button. David MacKinnon of Amherst, N.S., and Aris Lavranos of Halifax sought an order setting aside Trudeau's January decision to advise Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to exercise her power to prorogue Parliament until March 24. Federal lawyers argued that Trudeau's advice to Simon was not subject to review by the cou

U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended tariffs on Mexican imports until April 2. Along with this, he once again accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of using the trade war as an opportunity to stay in power. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that despite putting Canada in a crisis, Trudeau is exploiting the tariffs as a way to further his own political agenda, which Trump argued is the cause of the problem. Trump accused Trudeau of taking this approach to secure his re-election as Prime Minister. Meanwhile, regarding Mexico, Trump stated that after discussions with President Claudi

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has begun charging a 25 percent tariff, or surtax, on goods imported from the United States. This move is in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian imports, meaning these goods may now be more expensive when brought back to Canada after cross-border shopping. The US goods subject to Canada’s retaliatory surtax include items such as groceries, cosmetics, clothing, and alcohol. Personal exemptions for travellers depend on the duration of their stay in the US. For those staying more than 24 hours, up to $200 worth of goods c

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested there is no immediate resolution to the trade war with the United States. During an announcement on a child care program in Ottawa today, Trudeau responded to reporters’ questions, stating that his government is focused on minimizing the impact of tariffs. He added that Canada will remain steadfast against the trade war initiated by the US as long as it continues. The Prime Minister also spoke about his conversation with President Trump yesterday. He emphasized that tariffs would harm both American workers and businesses, urging the US to collabor

President Donald Trump has granted a one-month waiver on auto tariffs for Canada and Mexico, as confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Leavitt stated that the waiver would apply to any car covered under the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. She explained that the request for the waiver came from three major automakers. Leavitt added that the companies President Trump spoke to included Stellantis, Ford, and General Motors. The White House press secretary further mentioned that the president granted the one-month waiver at the request of the companies to prev

Trump criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a post on Truth Social following a phone call with him. He accused Trudeau of attempting to use the tariff issue to maintain political power. Trump stated that Trudeau had called him to ask what could be done to stop the tariffs, and Trump responded by mentioning the ongoing issue of fentanyl deaths linked to drugs coming through the Canada-Mexico border, noting that he wasn’t sure if the situation had improved. Trump also said that Trudeau claimed there had been significant improvement, but Trump insisted that it wasn’t enough. Additional

Canada’s two largest banks suggest that interest rates could be reduced more quickly amid the trade war with the United States. The Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Montreal note that the economic impact of this trade conflict could compel the Bank of Canada to continue cutting rates. Douglas Porter, chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, stated that the central bank is expected to reduce rates by 25 basis points at each of its next four meetings through July, potentially lowering the key interest rate to 2 percent. Prior to the trade war, the banks had anticipated only two rate cuts,