Good morning. Federal party leaders gear up for French and English debates this week, and trade uncertainties make it hard to estimate the coming rate decision. More on all that below, along with National Canadian Film Day and cherry blossoms. Let’s get to it.
New vehicles are stored at a logistics supplier for Stellantis, in Windsor, Ont., April 9.Dax Melmer
TOP STORY
New tariffs, exemptions and uncertainty expected this week in the U.S.’s global trade war
The latest: U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting that a separate set of tariffs on Chinese-made smartphones and other electronics could be announced as soon as today after granting exemptions for them just before the weekend, while his administration also prepares a new pharmaceutical tariff that could hammer Canada.
What else: Asylum seekers turned away at the Canadian border and returned to the U.S. are increasingly being detained, a shift in policy that critics say calls into question the Safe Third Country Agreement.
What’s next: Financial markets and analysts are split on whether the Bank of Canada will deliver another quarter-point interest-rate cut on Wednesday. The coming federal election and erratic U.S. trade policy are making economic forecasting almost impossible.
From Windsor: A sense of betrayal festers in Windsor, Ont., where Trump’s tariffs could wreak havoc on the local economy.
From New York: Why Wall Street power brokers are, somehow, still optimistic about Trump and tariffs.
From the polls: Nearly three-quarters of Canadians support an East-West pipeline for oil and liquefied natural gas, a new poll suggests.
A serviceman walks at the site of a Russian missile strike, in Sumy, Ukraine April 13, 2025.Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters
World
Russian missiles attack the Ukrainian city of Sumy
The latest: As people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, Russian missiles struck the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing at least 34 people, officials said. The dead included two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement. A further 117 people were wounded, including 15 children, it said.
What’s next: The Kremlin said that contacts with Donald Trump’s team were moving ahead but that it was too early to expect results because of the damage done to Russia-U.S. relations under Joe Biden.
The Queen of My Dreams, Fawzia Mirza’s 2023 cross-cultural, cross-generational Pakistani-Canadian romance.Andria Wilson/Supplied
How We Live
National Canadian Film Day embraces the elbows-up era
The latest: Reel Canada organizes screenings of Canadian films for high-school students and new Canadians. Now, in the “elbows-up” atmosphere, it’s more popular than ever. They are offering about 200 different titles and expect 100,000 people to attend in-person screenings. Streamers and broadcasters are also expected to draw an estimated two million viewers.
What’s next: At the event scheduled for Wednesday, organizers expect to break their 2017 record, when they got extra funding for Canada 150 and boasted 1,800 screenings.
Next read: At CinemaCon, lessons on how Hollywood and theatres can make moviegoing great again.
Election 2025
Can leaders keep their promise on getting major resource projects done faster?
The latest: The federal Conservatives and Liberals are in a bidding war to cut red tape for major resource projects that will help Canada weather the economic storms brought by the U.S. tariff war. But similar promises have been made before, and many changes are needed if Canada is to secure investments in its own resource development.
Last night: Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre appeared on a popular talk show in a play for Quebec voters.
A report: A digital research group’s analysis shows TikTok influencers’ political posts are going viral in Canada as the election nears.
What’s next: Leaders’ debates ahead of the federal election will take place in Montreal on Wednesday and Thursday.
Water
The largest First Nation reserve in Canada files a lawsuit over unsafe drinking water
The latest: In Six Nations of the Grand River, located in Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe, a modern water-treatment plant reaches only 30 per cent of the community’s 13,000 residents. “Bacteriological contamination in wells and cisterns causes physical health harms including gastrointestinal illnesses, skin infection and respiratory infection,” the lawsuit states.
On the campaign trail: Mark Carney has committed to enshrining First Nations’ rights to safe drinking water, while Pierre Poilievre has proposed a new tax mechanism that would allow First Nations to fund water infrastructure development through revenues from industry.
What’s next: The lawsuit requests an injunction requiring an immediate remedy to unsafe drinking water and sewage conditions throughout Six Nations.
Bookmarked
- Investigation: After a Toronto woman was found dead in a ravine, police delays prompted her friends to start their own detective work.
- Middle East: A wave of Israeli strikes across Gaza hit a hospital, a municipal building, a home and a vehicle as bombings intensified on Palm Sunday.
- For your finances: It’s okay to unfollow Trump. It may even be good for your finances, Tim Shufelt writes.
- For your health: This U of T doctor and researcher says journalling may help ease the burden of chronic pain.
- Conversation starter: How did Canada’s deadliest killer go unpunished?
The Quote
I’ve lived, laughed, cried, and, like you, I will die one day – but I’m nowhere near ready yet. So I’m urging people to care about care, before it’s too late.
— Karli Drew
For profoundly disabled people like Karli Drew, home-support workers are a lifeline.
The Shot
Cherry blossom season at Larry Berg Flight Path Park draws crowds, traffic jams and many happy and wonderfully dressed folks out to enjoy the seasonal splendour.The Globe and Mail
Usually, Larry Berg Flight Path Park in Richmond, B.C., is among the Lower Mainland’s most barren public grounds. But the short and sweet cherry blossom season turns this plane-watching park into a busy floral attraction.