Good morning. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to Europe has moved to Germany today and will see a final stop tomorrow in Latvia. Keep reading to catch up on the trip so far, plus more on updated smoking guidelines and meeting the keepers of the coast. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Israel bombed Gaza’s Nasser Hospital twice, killing 20, including journalists and rescue workers
- Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week
- Treasure hunters in Cape Breton see therapy as the real prize, not lost pirate gold. Still, they hope for both
Prime Minister Mark Carney is met by a welcoming committee as he disembarks a government plane in Berlin on Aug. 25.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Politics
Catching up on Carney’s Europe trip
Hello, Bill Curry here. I’m The Globe and Mail’s deputy Ottawa bureau chief. Since Saturday, I’ve been travelling as part of the media delegation covering Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to Central and Eastern Europe. It’s his fourth trip to Europe since becoming Prime Minister.
The former governor of the Bank of England has a personal history with many of the leaders here and expanding Canada’s trade with Europe was a key part of his campaign pledge as a way to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
The trip started with a visit to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day. Carney said Canada has not ruled out the possibility of having Canadian troops on the ground in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached in the country’s war with Russia. Canada’s military already operates in the region by providing training to Ukrainian soldiers.
Mark Carney, at centre, shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 24.Efrem Lukatsky/The Associated Press
Calls for a ceasefire have dominated Carney’s conversations in Ukraine and Poland, where he met separately Monday with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Karol Nawrocki.
Today’s agenda includes a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, followed by a trip by helicopter to Kiel where Mr. Carney will tour a submarine manufacturing facility.
A final stop in Riga, Latvia, begins Tuesday evening when he will meet with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. On Wednesday he will visit members of the Canadian Forces at the Adazi Military Base before returning to Ottawa.
This morning, Carney said his government has shortlisted a German and a South Korean company as the two final contenders to supply submarines to the Royal Canadian Navy. He also announced an agreement with Germany to co-operate on critical minerals, including co-funding new projects
While the meetings are heavily focused on the war in Ukraine, it’s clear there’s an economic angle to the defence discussions.
At a NATO summit in June, Carney promised that Canada would join members in a dramatic defence spending hike, to 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035, from a current target of 2 per cent, as well as an additional 1.5 per cent on defence-related spending such as infrastructure.
Defence Minister David McGuinty is also on the trip. He told reporters that the Liberal government wants the increased defence spending to provide economic benefits to Canada.
“It is also aimed at generating a lot more economic activity in this area,” he said in French. “That’s exactly why we’re creating a Canadian industrial strategy in defence, for the first time in the country’s history.”
It will take some time to see how this plays out in terms of gains for specific Canadian companies. Carney announced in Kyiv that Canada and Ukraine would work together on the joint production of drones, which have emerged as an important factor on the battleground.
“Obviously, Canada has a very deep engineering and technological talent pool to draw on, and we’ll see how that evolves, whether that’s particular components of drones, or whether that’s the actual manufacturing of drones. That remains to be seen,” McGuinty said.
Catherine Godin, Canada’s ambassador to Poland, spoke reporters in Warsaw on Aug. 24.Bill Curry/Bill Curry
Catherine Godin, Canada’s ambassador to Poland, told reporters in a news conference in Warsaw Sunday that there are economic opportunities for Canadian and European companies that will flow from NATO’s new spending targets.
Poland hosts an annual Defence Industry Exhibition conference and Godin said Canadian companies can expand their markets at a time of high demand. She added that about 40 Canadian companies are participating this year and she expects that number to rise next year.
“It’s clear that what we see right now is a mutual appetite that is growing,” she said.
The Shot
‘Everything is so interconnected.’
Ryan Teremy, the Ahousaht guardian program director, stands on the top of Lone Cone, on Mears Island, in May.James MacDonald/The Globe and Mail
On Vancouver Island, First Nations guardians steward a changing landscape under threat. Established in 2008 and governed by a 500-year plan, Tribal Park Guardians are involved in vital projects, as seen in the most recent story from the Underexposed photography series.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: Vancouver’s integrity commissioner finds Mayor Ken Sim and his party broke the city’s code of conduct by holding private meetings.
Abroad: Armoured vehicles from a Canadian-owned company have been deployed by a Sudanese paramilitary force that stands accused of genocide, according to new photos and videos from the war-ravaged country.
Elsewhere: Wrongly deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been detained again by U.S. immigration authorities in Baltimore after a brief period of freedom.
Oil: Sources say Alberta is in early-stage talks with several Japanese crude oil refiners as it looks to diversify exports beyond the U.S.
Gas: New Canadian guidelines say people trying to quit smoking should not reach for e-cigarettes or vapes as their first choice.
Solid: A study has found that these four healthy habits can boost cognitive function in older age.