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U.S. won’t drop digital issues in trade talks: former negotiator
U.S. won’t drop digital issues: former negotiator
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Canada’s former chief trade negotiator says that while digital issues will continue to be a source of trade tensions with the U.S., Canada can gain strength if it teams up with other allies that have similar interests.
Steve Verheul says the United States won’t simply drop issues like the Online News Act and digital sovereignty that it has identified as trade irritants.
He says the cultural exemption Canada has under the current trade agreement can only go so far because it allows the Americans to automatically retaliate if it is used.
Verheul says the United States views policies targeting big tech companies as discriminatory, and it’s difficult to design non-discriminatory policies because of how many of the largest digital companies are American.
He says Canada needs to work more closely with allies like the European Union to develop a more united position on digital issues.
Canada cut off the latest round of trade negotiations with the United States in August, citing American demands related to rules on Canadian content on streaming platforms.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
By Anja Karadeglija | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Stellantis workers give union authorization to strike as talks with automaker stalled
Stellantis workers endorse strike mandate
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Stellantis workers in Canada have voted to give their union a mandate to strike.
Unifor says 97.3 per cent of members who took part in the vote over the weekend were in favour of authorizing a potential strike.
The union is not yet in a legal strike position as neither it nor Stellantis have requested a “no board” report, which is one of the steps necessary under labour law required for a job action.
Unifor, which represents more than 9,000 Stellantis workers in Canada, said it still believes there is a path to reaching a new collective agreement with Stellantis "so long as the company honours its commitments and does right by its workers."
“Strike action is always a last resort, but we will not back down and accept a deal that weakens Stellantis’ footprint within Canada’s auto industry due to broken commitments that further cause devastation for our members, families and communities that rely on good union auto jobs," said James Stewart, Unifor's Stellantis master bargaining chairperson.
The previous collective agreement between Stellantis and the union expired Sept. 20 without the two sides coming to terms on a new tentative deal.
The union's bargaining committee and the company are at an impasse over several key issues, including job security and the future of the idled Brampton, Ont., assembly plant Stellantis wants to sell.
In response to the Unifor vote, Stellantis spokesperson LouAnn Gosselin reiterated the company's previous statement that it hopes to return to the bargaining table.
"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," she said.
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 Brampton facility.
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.
The union 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.
Unifor ratified new collective agreements with Ford Motor Co. and General Motors in Canada during 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. 19, 2026.
By Sammy Hudes | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Former broadcaster Pamela Wallin steps down from Senate
Pamela Wallin steps down from Senate
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
Pamela Wallin has resigned from the Senate, according to her biography on the Senate website.
Wallin was appointed to the Upper Chamber in 2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
She had a trail-blazing career as a broadcaster and became the first woman to be named bureau chief for CTV News in Ottawa in 1985.
After she became embroiled in the Senate expenses scandal that started in 2013, she was asked to leave the Conservative caucus in the Upper Chamber.
An audit determined that about $140,000 in expenses she charged to the Senate were improper as they covered travel related to her positions on corporate boards.
Wallin has represented her home province of Saskatchewan and is two years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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