Canada

The long story short is that in nine years, over the lifetime of the Trudeau government, federal subsidies to business more than doubled through the introduction of over 100 new programs. Every Canadian went from paying just over $310 to businesses large and small to over $800 per year in 2023/24.

A group representing major foreign streaming companies told a hearing held by Canada's broadcasting regulator on Friday that those companies shouldn't be expected to fulfil the same responsibilities as traditional broadcasters when it comes to Canadian content.

The Motion Picture Association-Canada, which represents large streamers like Netflix, Paramount, Disney and Amazon, said the regulator should be flexible in modernizing its definition of Canadian content.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is holding a two-week public hearing on a new definition of Canadian content that began Wednesday. The proceeding is part of its work to implement the Online Streaming Act — and it is bringing tensions between traditional players and large foreign streamers out in the open.

China has emerged as the top customer for Canadian oil shipped on the expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline, ship tracking data shows, as a U.S. trade war has shifted crude flows in the year since the pipeline started operating.

China's new interest in Canadian oil comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war has strained relations between longtime allies Washington and Ottawa. It also reflects the impact of U.S. sanctions on crude from countries like Russia and Venezuela.

Canada is the world's fourth-largest oil producer, but its main oil-producing province of Alberta is landlocked with limited access to tidewater ports. That means the bulk of Canadian oil — about four million barrels per day or 90 per cent — is exported to the U.S. via pipelines that run north-south.

The 160 page report: https://infopost.ca/wp-c/u/2025/05/canada-post-iic-report-2025.pdf

Report key findings: https://infopost.ca/wp-c/u/2025/05/f1-iic-key-findings.pdf

1. Amend the Postal Charter. It cannot continue to require impossible-to-meet delivery standards. Daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual addresses should be phased out and community mailboxes established wherever practicable. Daily delivery to businesses should be maintained.

2. The moratoriums on rural post office closures and community mailbox conversions should be lifted. There is no persuasive case for a moratorium on closure of once rural, now urban, post offices. Canada Post already has the Delivery Accommodation Program in place for Canadians who cannot access community mailboxes. It should be reviewed and, if need be, enhanced, and it should continue.

3. Include in the two collective agreements all items agreed to in collective bargaining prior to the labour dispute. Parties should attempt to narrow differences in all partially agreed-upon items. New collective agreements should include and reflect tentative agreements (subject to agreement as a whole) reached in Commission-facilitated mediation (RSMC and STDP).

4. Negotiate changes to the collective agreements. Canada Post must have the flexibility to hire part-time employees working part-time hours to deliver parcels on the weekend and to assist with volume during the week. These employees should be paid the same rates and be subject to the same terms and conditions as regular employees, including access to pro rata benefits, or payments in lieu, and pension. Priority for these positions should be given to existing employees.

5. Negotiate changes to the Urban collective agreement. There is no justification for collective agreement provisions that preclude an employer from assigning work for hours already paid (except by voluntary overtime).

6. Negotiate changes to the collective agreements. Pilot and then introduce dynamic routing. Canada Post must also be able to change routes daily to reflect volumes to avoid trapped time and overtime.

7. Amend the time-consuming approval process for postage increases

Nouvelle dinguerie pour Postes Canada: arrêt des livraisons du courrier (sauf aux entreprises)

The Canadian military insists it's getting a handle on its recruiting crisis, but a new leaked internal report obtained by CBC News suggests many of those who come through the door quickly leave in frustration over the inability to get trained and into the job they want.

In addition, the effort to retain experienced soldiers, sailors and aircrew was dealt an important blow recently when a Department of National Defence office — set up to find ways to keep people — was defunded.

The struggle to recruit new members to both the regular and the reserve force has been a major preoccupation as the Forces face a shortage of up to 14,000 qualified personnel.

But the flip side of the equation — that has gotten less attention — is the effort to hold on to people, especially in critical technical trades.