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Carney to bring his pro-Canada campaign to Edmonton with referendum just days away
Carney to bring pro-Canada campaign to Edmonton
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Prime Minister Mark Carney continues his pro-Canada campaign in Alberta as the clock ticks down to a referendum on whether the province should break up with Confederation.
He is set to visit Red Deer with Premier Danielle Smith today and later rally in Edmonton with the federalist group Forever Canadian.
Carney spoke Thursday at one of the group's rallies in Calgary, telling the crowd of roughly 5,000 that a vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that could lead to years of lost opportunities.
He says frustrations in Alberta are real but that Canada is working in the spirit of co-operative federalism.
Smith has put 10 questions on Monday's referendum, including one on whether Alberta should stay in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on leaving.
Meanwhile, Smith and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will both speak at a conference in Calgary about keeping Alberta in the Confederation fold.
With voters just days away from the polls, those who attended Thursday's rally said Albertans in favour of separation have valid concerns, but Canada is worth fighting for.
"We've got everything we need here and we're stronger together than we are apart," said Bill Chan, who lives in Calgary.
Chan said he heard from Carney's remarks a more "conciliatory" tone in how Ottawa would treat provinces and territories going forward, notably Alberta.
He also said parts of the prime minister's speech hit home.
"What he said about Canada being a country that was built historically by people banding together really stuck out for me," Chan said.
"Because if history is any guide, going separate ways has never proven to be as strong and as impactful as doing things together."
Carney told those gathered that the referendum comes at the worst possible time.
The world has grown more dangerous and divided, he said, and some outside Canada's borders were working to "break us so they can own us."
"At this pivotal moment, Albertans have a choice: to build a stronger Alberta and an even greater Canada to leave for our children or we can burden them with years of deep division and great uncertainty," he said.
"What we need is a decisive result on Monday to settle this question."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
— With files from Dayne Patterson in Calgary
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Stellantis workers set to vote on potential strike action this weekend
Stellantis workers set to vote on strike mandate
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Stellantis workers in Canada are set to vote this weekend on whether to authorize a strike as their union says contract negotiations with the automaker remain at a standstill.
Unifor is holding the votes on Saturday and Sunday and plans to announce results at the start of next week.
However, the union representing more than 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada said it is hoping to avoid a potential strike. It said authorization for job action would provide leverage to help reach a negotiated agreement.
"A strike authorization gives the bargaining committee the authority to call a strike if necessary, it does not automatically mean a strike will take place," said a statement last week signed by Unifor national president Lana Payne and other members of the union's bargaining committee.
"Strike action remains a last resort, but the ability to strike is an important part of collective bargaining and can help create the conditions for an agreement."
The previous collective agreement between Stellantis and the union expired Sept. 20 without the two sides coming to terms on a new tentative deal.
Unifor's bargaining committee and the company are at an impasse over several key issues, including job security and the future of the Brampton, Ont., assembly plant Stellantis wants to sell.
The fate of the Brampton plant, which has been idled since 2023, has been a central issue. Talks came to a standstill on Sept. 11 when Stellantis signed a memorandum of understanding with defence contractor Roshel for a potential sale of the facility.
Stellantis Canada president and CEO Trevor Longley said in a September letter to employees that “market and trade conditions have directly impacted the original business case” for the plant, but that the move to sell could support future operations at the site.
"Stellantis remains committed to bargaining in good faith and is prepared to continue discussions toward a negotiated agreement that recognizes the contributions of our employees while supporting the long-term competitiveness of our Canadian operations," the automaker's spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin in a statement this week.
More than 2,000 workers were laid off from the Brampton plant when it halted operations in 2023.
The facility had been slated to be retooled for Jeep production, a process that began early in 2024, before the company paused the plan in early 2025. It later announced it was moving production of the Jeep Compass to Illinois., leaving the plant idled indefinitely.
Unifor has filed a grievance over that move, alleging it violated the previous collective agreement.
For its part, Roshel has said it is willing to consider hiring laid-off workers from the plant as soon as this year “through the federal government’s Light Utility Vehicles procurement program and other automotive and defence opportunities.”
Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said the company plans to establish a Canadian Centre of Excellence for Defence Manufacturing in Brampton in addition to automotive production, which would involve more than 2,000 jobs.
Payne has written to federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urging the government to block the potential sale and clarify whether the MOU breached Stellantis' previous commitments to Ottawa.
Last fall, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had expressed disappointment during a conversation with the global head of Stellantis over the company moving Jeep Compass production to the United States. At the time, the prime minister said he reminded Stellantis of its commitments to the government under funding deals — such as keeping the Brampton plant — and warned there would be consequences if it failed to meet those obligations.
Joly's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Contract talks began Sept. 1 in Toronto after Unifor ratified new collective agreements with Ford Motor Co. and General Motors in Canada earlier in the summer, as part of its pattern bargaining process with each of the Detroit Three.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
By Sammy Hudes | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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At Toronto event, Margaret Atwood reiterates need for due process in Galloway case
Atwood defends Galloway at Toronto event
As Steven Galloway concluded his testimony in his defamation trial in Vancouver, in Toronto, author Margaret Atwood reiterated her stance as a defender of due process in his case.
Atwood, who was receiving an award at a Journalists for Human Rights event, spoke about her decision to sign an open letter in November 2016 calling for an investigation into how the University of British Columbia handled the Galloway case.
Atwood faced intense backlash and scrutiny from the public after expressing support for the former UBC professor, comparing the online criticism to the French Revolution.
“Luckily, I couldn’t be fired from the university or blacklisted from festivals,” she said. “Or if I was, I didn’t notice.”
She also referred to Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which calls for “the right of every human being to a fair, open and impartial trial.”
She lamented the Canadian media's reluctance to cover the case over the last eight years. Atwood has written opinion articles, most recently in the Vancouver Sun this week, in support of Galloway. She added that legacy media publications face growing pressures and dwindling revenue, which make it difficult to “defend against lawsuits.”
“This has made them more cautious,” she added.
Atwood also worried that social media has made the public more distrustful with a growing tendency to believe anything posted online.
Galloway, known for the award-winning novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” is in the middle of a defamation trial against several people who he alleges published unproven allegations of sexual assault.
One of the defendants includes a former student, known as A.B., who made sexual assault allegations against him that later spread on social media. Galloway was fired from UBC shortly after rumours of the accusations spread in late 2015.
He was a tenured professor and the former chair of UBC’s creative writing program.
A report produced by a former judge for the university concluded that the accusations against Galloway were unsubstantiated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Sadeen Mohsen | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Un ours noir a été aperçu dans les rues d'une municipalité de Lanaudière
La Ville appelle à la prudence.
Des résident.es d'une petite municipalité de Lanaudière ont eu toute une surprise durant leur lunch alors qu'iels ont vu un ours noir roder dans la ville. L'animal aurait été aperçu dans les environs du rang de l'Église et du domaine du Villageois, à Saint-Liguori, vers midi, le 12 juillet 2022.
Dans une publication sur Facebook, la Municipalité a tenu à rappeler aux citoyen.nes les consignes de sécurité et les gestes à prendre afin de diminuer les risques : « Soyez prudents dans les secteurs boisés de la municipalité. Assurez-vous de faire du bruit pour signaler votre présence. »
Contacté par Narcity Québec un employé du bureau municipal a affirmé que l'ours n'aurait pas été revu depuis hier. Bien que les agent.es de la faune aient été contacté.es par la Ville, ceux-ci et celles-ci ne se sont pas encore déplacé.es sur les lieux au moment d’écrire ces lignes.
Selon le ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, il y aurait 70 000 ours noirs sur le territoire de la province. Ce mammifère est connu comme un animal craintif, à priori rarement agressif, mais très glouton. Il ne faut donc surtout pas laisser de la nourriture à des endroits qui lui serait facile d'accès.
Voici les consignes de prévention du ministère afin de diminuer les risques d'attirer un ours noir :
La Ville de Saint-Liguori invite les citoyen.nes à communiquer toute information utile pour signaler l'animal par téléphone au bureau municipal, soit au 450 753-3570 poste 0.