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Ottawa gives Stelco owner 15 days to address alleged violations or face legal action
Ottawa gives Stelco owner 15-day deadline
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn
Ottawa is giving the U.S. owner of Stelco Inc. a 15-day deadline to address alleged violations of binding commitments it made when it purchased the Ontario steelmaker two years ago or face potential legal action.
In an 11-page letter Thursday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly accuses Cleveland-Cliffs of failing to honour six binding commitments made when it acquired Stelco, including employment guarantees.
She also accuses Cleveland-Cliffs of advocating for U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel despite its commitment to support Canada's steel industry, then using those same tariffs to justify layoffs.
Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans on Sept. 28 to lay off up to 500 workers at Stelco's Hamilton Works and Lake Erie Works in Ontario, citing U.S. tariffs and challenging market conditions.
Joly says the company must address its alleged violations, prove it has not broken its commitments or explain why it has failed to meet them.
If the company fails to comply, she says the federal government may apply to a superior court for remedies including an order requiring Cleveland-Cliffs to divest control of Stelco.
The letter discloses the exact employment commitments Cleveland-Cliffs agreed to in 2024, including to maintain an annual average of at least 1,766 full-time-equivalent unionized workers and 603 full-time-equivalent salaried workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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National security screening system can be strengthened, senior adviser to Carney says
Security screening can be improved: PM's adviser
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A senior federal adviser says a government-wide registry of security clearance information would improve efficiency, reduce duplication and help departments identify where relevant personnel security data may already exist.
David Morrison, senior diplomatic and international affairs adviser to the prime minister, told MPs on a House of Commons committee Wednesday such a registry would be one way to strengthen Canada's national security screening process.
The Commons public safety and national security committee is holding hearings on the screening process following the arrest of a Canadian NATO intern on espionage allegations.
A federal source not authorized to speak publicly about the issue has said that officials in Canada were proceeding on the basis the suspect is Biwei Zhang — also known as Claire Zhang — who was previously employed by Canadian government agencies.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree previously told the Commons committee the woman arrested in Belgium had received a security clearance from Global Affairs Canada.
The clearance was granted even though court records said the federal Public Service Commission found in 2023 that Zhang committed fraud in an appointment process for a position with the Canada Border Services Agency.
The Federal Court dismissed her application for judicial review of the decision the following year. She submitted a letter of apology during the investigation into her actions.
Morrison, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs, pointed out that individual federal departments are accountable for deciding to issue security clearances, informed by centralized expertise.
The Treasury Board Secretariat establishes the policy framework, the Public Safety portfolio — through RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service — contributes criminality checks and national security assessments, and individual departments collect relevant information, assess risks and make security clearance decisions, he said.
Morrison declined to discuss specific cases, but he said a person screened to work at NATO would likely have a secret-level clearance.
He indicated that open source checks, such as internet searches of a person's history, are now being done for secret-level security screening — a tightening of the system following the arrest in Belgium.
Morrison told the MPs that open source verification should be used more consistently across government for a wider range of security levels. "Its use would also benefit from common tools, training standards and methodologies across departments," he said.
Morrison also suggested human resources-related information relevant to an assessment of an individual's reliability or loyalty should be available to personnel security decision makers without compromising privacy protections or procedural fairness.
Finally, he said a robust personnel security effort should extend throughout a person's employment in the form of insider risk programs, recurring screening, reporting obligations and security awareness. He said these measures would help identify emerging risks, ensure clearance holders remain reliable and loyal, and confirm that clearances reflect current information.
Security expert Wesley Wark said CSIS "shoulders the main burden" of security screening for the federal government, essentially through assessing loyalty to Canada and reliability as it relates to that loyalty. CSIS provides advice related to immigration files as well as on security clearance checks.
Wark, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said the current system for security screening in Canada "is simply unsustainable," noting CSIS handles hundreds of thousands of screening requests annually.
"The dual burdens of immigration and security clearance screening on CSIS are simply too great and threaten, in my view, to erode the operational effectiveness of CSIS as it addresses its core missions," Wark said.
"An intelligence service should not be a security screening shop."
He suggested Canada follow the United Kingdom's lead and set up a separate, centralized organization for security clearances.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Jim Bronskill | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Police service officially replaces RCMP in northern Alberta city
New police service in Alberta city replaces RCMP
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
A new police service has officially taken the reins from the Mounties in a northwestern Alberta city.
The Grande Prairie Police Service said the RCMP is no longer responding to calls coming from within city limits starting Wednesday.
The service said it has completed its transition into becoming the city's official police force two years ahead of schedule.
It said the city's roughly 71,000 residents should still call 911 for emergencies.
Grande Prairie councillors voted not to renew a contract with the RCMP in 2023 after a cost analysis found that having a municipal police service wouldn't be as expensive.
Mayor Jackie Clayton said the transition is a significant milestone.
"This transition reflects years of planning, collaboration, and commitment from many people and organizations," she said in a statement Wednesday.
"We are proud to welcome the Grande Prairie Police Service as our police service, marking a new chapter in public safety built on local oversight, strong community partnerships, and a shared commitment to keeping Grande Prairie safe."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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