Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Donald Trump's tariff guru has been at it again, accusing Canada this morning of "election interference." Pointing to Canadian counter-tariffs on politically sensitive sectors of the US economy, Peter Navarro said: "They are trying, the Canadians, to influence our election – we don't appreciate that, Canada, okay? We don't like it when you do that." Canada, Navarro added, is trying to "pick off" Republican senators, including Susan Collins in Maine.
Canada's chief US trade negotiator has finally weighed in on the breakdown of talks earlier this month. Janice Charette, in an interview with CBC News, contradicted claims made by the US side in the aftermath of Mark Carney's decision to kill the discussions. She said she had been "resolute through these negotiations" that "the entirety of our automotive sector" was on the table, rejecting claims made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that certain trucks "were raised in these negotiations on Friday at 4 o'clock," mere hours before deadline, adding: "Howard Lutnick was not at the negotiating table." Charette also said the Canadian side had agreed to accept tariffs on some goods going into the US, but added: "It was clear that there was an interest on the part of the United States in constraining or limiting Canada's ability to enter into future free trade agreements for important products like primary steel that would come into the Canadian market." Neither the US nor Canada has yet released the actual draft agreement, leaving the publics in both countries in the dark about what was discussed.
What went wrong with U.S. trade talks, according to Canada's chief negotiator | CBC News https://t.co/CpZ68B2OVo
— Ken J Haley (@KenJayHaley) August 28, 2026
It's voting day in three federal ridings. By-elections are taking place in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec in the North Vancouver-Capilano, Beaches-East York and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord constituencies. The tightest of the races is expected to be Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, which was won by the Conservatives in 2025.
Voting to begin in federal byelections in Toronto, Vancouver and Chicoutimi ridingshttps://t.co/JUpq9oD58R
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) August 31, 2026
More good news for the Liberals, with the latest Abacus Data poll showing 10 points ahead of the Tory opposition. But digging beneath the surface reveals more detail: when looking at specific issues, Prime Minister Mark Carney is not so beloved as he might seem. On defence and US relations, he enjoys strong approval ratings, but on cost of living, immigration, crime, housing and government debt, he is languishing in negative territory. The pollster explains: "Taken together, the findings suggest the Carney government’s political standing is built primarily on how Canadians judge its management of the American relationship, the one file where strong performance and high political stakes coincide."
Donald Trump has given hope to lobbyists that a special program might be devised to allow Canadian Jews easier access to the US. The president on Sunday posted a link – without comment – to a story about a plan from the National Association of Christian Lawmakers to create a "legal pathway" for Canadian Jews to move to the US. The leader of the association, Jason Rapert, told Fox News that he wants Trump to put pressure on Mark Carney over "roadblocks" put in the way of Jews that want to move south, adding: "Canada should be embarrassed and ashamed of these perceived roadblocks."
President Donald Trump amplified a Christian lawmaker-backed plan to create expedited immigration pathways for Jewish Canadians fleeing antisemitism — sharing the proposal with millions on Truth Social.
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) August 30, 2026
Canada has reported nearly 7,000 antisemitic incidents in a country of… pic.twitter.com/Fz2URrGSfS
