In the news today: Trump’s tariffs remain in effect, Canadians critical of Israel

“The Trump administration is legally using the powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address our country’s national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai in an emailed statement Tuesday.

“The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ stay order is a welcome development, and we look forward to ultimately prevailing in court.”

Poll suggests Canadians critical of Israel

A new poll suggests that nearly half of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza almost two years after the current conflict began.

In a survey conducted last weekend, the polling firm Leger asked Canadians and Americans a series of questions about the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The polling comes as the federal government is under pressure to take concrete steps to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

Leger asked respondents whether they “agree or disagree that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip” based on how they “define what constitutes a genocide.”

Feds look to boost weak summer jobs market

The federal government is moving to shore up a historically weak summer job market for students — even as one economist argues tough employment prospects for young people suggest broader softness in the job market.

Statistics Canada shone a light on the difficult employment prospects for students heading back to school this fall in its May jobs report last Friday.

Roughly one in five returning students aged 15 to 24 was unemployed in May, the agency said. The last time the jobless rate for students was this high outside the pandemic was in May 2009.

Also on Friday, the federal government announced an expansion of the Canada Summer Jobs program, which offers wage subsidies to businesses hiring young people for seasonal work.

Concern in Canada after U.S. vaccine panel fired

Canadian doctors and scientists say Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s firing of an immunization advisory committee south of the border is worrisome.

On Monday, the U.S. health and human services secretary — a longtime anti-vaccine advocate — said he will appoint new members to the scientific group that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccination.

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, said Tuesday that the move will foster more false anti-vaccine beliefs, not only in the U.S. but also in Canada.

“It creates a culture in which anti-vaxx beliefs are more accepted and challenged a lot less. And also it creates an environment where there’s an alternative to an evidence-based recommendation framework,” she said.

N.S. miners strike a century ago still resonates

During Nova Scotia’s storied 300-year history of coal mining, one deadly riot in 1925 proved to be pivotal for workers’ rights in Canada.

One hundred years ago today, William Davis — a 37-year-old Cape Breton coal miner and father of nine — was shot to death by a special constable hired by the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO) — a monopoly mine owner that had repeatedly turned to violence to end strikes over poor wages and unsafe working conditions.

“William Davis’s story highlights the many sacrifices that those unionized workers made when they stood up against oppression,” says Danny Cavanaugh, president of the 70,000-member Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. “It serves as a reminder of a historic struggle that workers faced to secure their rights.”

Davis’s death on the outskirts of New Waterford, N.S., commemorated every year in Nova Scotia on June 11, was the painful culmination of a long series of strikes and chaotic skirmishes.

CRTC holds hearing on internet choice

Canada’s telecommunications regulator is expected to hear today from major providers and consumer advocacy groups at a hearing on shopping for internet services.

Wednesday marks Day 2 of the four-day hearing, which is part of a CRTC consultation launched in December on how to help consumers shop for home internet plans following complaints it was difficult to compare their options.

The regulator is considering a requirement for providers to display relevant information — such as price and speed — through a standardized label, similar to nutrition labels on food products that contain serving size and calorie data.

The Canadian Telecommunications Association industry group, along with Telus Corp., Bell Canada and internet accessibility advocacy group OpenMedia are scheduled to present today.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In the news today: Trump’s tariffs remain in effect, Canadians critical of Israel

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