Canada’s first female defence chief, a UK vote and this week’s top stories – National
The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, swept the polls in the UK this week, while Canada is set to appoint its first female chief of defence staff.
And who is Count Binface, the “intergalactic space warrior” who ran against former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak?
Here are some of the top stories this week.
What will Canada-UK relations look like under a Labour government?
The election of a new Labour government will take place on Thursday. British elections may come with the promise of change in the UK, but the immediate impact on Relations with Canada is less clear.
Relations between Canada and the United Kingdom, while generally strong, have hit some bumps this year. The recently defeated Conservative government unilaterally suspended trade talks with Ottawa in January and recently put renewed pressure on NATO allies, including Canada, to further increase their defence spending.
In the short term, these tensions could persist, analysts say, although shared priorities between Labor and the Liberals could lead to an easing in the future.
Meet the ‘intergalactic space warrior’ who challenged Britain’s Rishi Sunak
One of the candidates was the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and currently leads the Conservative Party.
Another claims to come from spacehas promised to “build at least one affordable house, which is more than all the other parties can muster” and wants to force all former prime ministers to join the military.
They were both running for the same constituency in the north of England, although one did so in a more satirical manner than the other.
TRUDEAU AND BIDEN: QUESTIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP
Trudeau says ‘many discussions’ underway after surprise byelection defeat
Last week’s crushing defeat in a Toronto riding in by-elections has sparked “lots of conversations” within the Liberal Party, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday, as questions also swirl around his political future.
Since the Conservatives’ surprise victory in Toronto-St. Paul’s — a Liberal stronghold for more than three decades — Trudeau said the party has “engaged in many important conversations.”
The email you need for the day
the main news from Canada and around the world.
“Let’s be very clear, the defeat in the by-election last week, without wanting to sugarcoat things, was difficult, it’s something we have to take seriously,” he told reporters in Montreal.
Should Biden step down? Calls mount after debate sparks fitness concerns
Calls are growing louder for an American president Joe Biden to abandon his re-election bid after last week’s shaky debate performance raised concerns among Democrats about his fitness and ability to beat the former president Donald Trump.
But political analysts say that as long as Biden refuses those calls, replacing him with another candidate before the November election will be difficult and unlikely.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to publicly urge Biden to withdraw from the party’s presidential nomination, saying “too much is at stake” for Biden to stay in the race and lose to Trump.
Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan will be the first woman to serve as Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff
Lieutenant General Jennie Carignan will become Canada’s new Chief of Defence Staffmaking her the first woman to be chosen for the position.
Carignan, who currently serves as chief of professional conduct and culture, will replace Gen. Wayne Eyre, who is set to retire this summer.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced Carignan’s appointment on Wednesday, said she was the “right person” to lead Canada’s military at a “pivotal moment” with “complicated geopolitics and heightened threats,” particularly in the Arctic.
Carignan is set to officially take command of the Canadian Armed Forces at a ceremony on July 18.
David Vigneault, head of Canada’s spy agency, retires
After seven years in this position, David Vigneault East outgoing as director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the news on X Thursday, wishing Vigneault the best in his next chapter.
“David Vigneault has dedicated his entire career to serving Canadians, protecting them and our national interests from those who seek to harm them,” LeBlanc wrote.
Unemployment rate climbs to 6.4% in June. Here’s how the Bank of Canada could respond
The Canadian labour market continued to slow in June, with younger workers particularly struggling during the typically busy summer season.
The unemployment rate climbed to 6.4% last month as the country lost 1,400 jobs. The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24, however, is more than double that at 13.5%, the highest level since September 2014, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greece to introduce 6-day workweek. Could Canada follow?
Workers in Greece will have to work slightly longer hours starting this week, the country Presentation a six-day work week for some.
Under new labor laws passed last year, some Greek workers began working 48 hours a week from Monday, a move that union representatives across sectors have called “barbaric.”
However, the movement is does not find many takers here in Canada.
The Digital Services Tax has come into effect in Canada. How could it affect you?
THE Digital Services Tax is now in force.
Foreign tech giants now have to pay a three percent tax on Canadian users’ revenues, retroactive to 2022, after the federal government enacted the measure with a decree in council June 28.
Many of these large companies are based in the United States, and the U.S. government and business communities on both sides of the border have called on Ottawa to end the measure.
Electric vehicles could become more expensive in Canada. Are e-bikes right for you?
As a federal government consults stakeholders on the advisability of imposing higher tariffs on electric vehicles from China, some experts warn that this could lead to Electric vehicle prices rise.
With surveys suggesting Canadians are already feeling the pressure of vehicle ownership costs, such as payments, gas and insurance. Many may be looking for an alternative. For some, that could mean downsizing or even buying a new vehicle. electrically assisted bicycle.
Hurricane Beryl forces Canadian airlines to cancel flights
Several Canadian flights have been cancelled due to current travel warnings due to Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall on the Mexican coast on Friday after leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean islands.
Air Canada has cancelled 10 flights to and from Tulum and Cancun, Mexico, which were scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Meanwhile, four WestJet flights between Toronto and Montego Bay and Vancouver and Cancun have been cancelled for Thursday.
Is Hurricane Beryl a sign of the coming ‘threat’ to Atlantic Canada?
Hurricane Beryl is making its way toward Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and while meteorologists point to record warm waters as its driving force, some say those temperatures could lead to stronger and longer-lasting storms — including for Canada.
The storm has already broken several records, including that of the earliest Category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic and, according to Philip Klotzbach, a professor at Colorado State University, hurricane researcher, the easternmost location where a hurricane has formed in the region.
