Good morning. A carbon rebate, which technically isn’t a rebate anymore, becomes the latest pre-election handout. More on that below, along with U.S. tariff updates and Alexander Ovechkin’s hockey record. Let’s get to it.
Vehicle are shown gas station north of Newcastle, Ont. on April 1, 2025.Doug Ives/The Canadian Press
TOP STORY
Canadians set to receive payments for cancelled carbon price
The latest: Canadians will receive a payment from the federal government that will reimburse them for a carbon levy that they no longer have to pay, since Ottawa removed the federal fuel charge on April 1.
What’s next: Millions of Canadian will receive the payment days before the April 28 election in a move that one economist characterizes as “buying goodwill.” In total, close to $4-billion will be distributed to roughly 13 million people for the Canada Carbon Rebate.
Behind the scenes: Who are the people steering the Liberal and Conservative election campaigns? And how are the parties treating the media?
Catch up: What happened on Day 15 of the campaign.
World
More than 50 countries have reached out to the White House to talk trade
The latest: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said more than 50 nations had started negotiations with the U.S. since last Wednesday’s announcement. Meanwhile, over the weekend, thousands of people in cities across the U.S. gathered to protest President Donald Trump’s actions to wage a global trade war.
What’s next: Negotiating with multiple countries at once could be logistically challenging for the Trump administration and prolong economic uncertainty.
What’s next, for us: Recent interviews with industry leaders and experts point toward 10 areas where actionable strategies are needed – and toward the sorts of policy actions that may be required.
Canada’s move: As Canada’s relationship with the U.S. deteriorates, the nation must carve its own new and uncertain path.
VanDusen Botanical Garden in VancouverVanDusen Botanical Garden/Supplied
How We Live
Old-fashioned garden flowers are back in style
The latest: COVID-19 sparked a worldwide gardening boom, but the nostalgia garden was initially borne out of necessity to use every inch of land. Today, gardeners are falling back in love with “old” plants like peonies, fragrant roses and clusters of phlox.
What else: Here are five stylish buys for your spring garden that are all made in Canada.
What’s next: We are digging into a garden trend with professionals each week in April. Next week’s theme: The Joyful Garden.
Labour
Trade war rattles labour markets
The latest: Canadian union leaders are calling out their American counterparts for supporting U.S. auto tariffs, which have already led to layoffs in the sector. Canada shed 33,000 jobs last month, according to a Statistics Canada report on Friday. It was the worst month for the labour market in three years, as the tariff threat weighed on business confidence and slowed hiring.
What’s next: Canada’s largest hospital network is launching a campaign to recruit 100 “world-leading early career scientists” as an investment strategy during the trade war.
Sports
Ovechkin can overcome Gretzky’s record, but not his own past
The latest: Alexander Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record for most goals in a career, surpassing the long-standing mark of 894 tallies. Yesterday, Ovechkin netted the record-breaker in the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky’s career total.
Lookback: A timeline of Ovechkin’s hockey career highlights some of the key milestones.
What’s next: The Russian hockey star’s ties with Vladimir Putin and the Great One’s warmth with Donald Trump make the goal-scoring acumen hard to celebrate. Mark Mackinnon reflects on what brought us to this complicated moment.
Bookmarked
- Ottawa: An hours-long lockdown on Parliament Hill came to an end after police arrested a man who had barricaded himself inside the East Block.
- Middle East: The Israeli military changed its initial account of the killing of 15 emergency aid workers in Gaza after video surfaces.
- Tax season: Where are your tax slips? Why so much information is missing from CRA accounts this year.
- For your finances: These Air Canada passengers faced the same flight disruption. So why did their compensation differ?
- Conversation starter: Nearly a century ago, Canadian engineers conducted the first iron ring ceremony, and now it is part of Canada’s national identity.
The Quote
Many are already calling our island paradise lost. But Thailand is seemingly always going through this process of being “discovered.”
Even if the crowds recede after the “White Lotus effect,” there’s a sense this place has been changed forever, writes Julie Anne Pattee.
The Shot
Rob Frith, the owner of Neptoon Records, poses for a photograph with the rare Beatles demo he found, at his shop in Vancouver. April 4, 2025.Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail
A lost Beatles demo tape turned up in Vancouver. The circumstances of the tape’s rediscovery are as chaotically charming as the session itself.