5 Things posted Feb 25, 2026 @ 08:00am by Iain Burns

5 things you need to know this morning: Feb. 25, 2026

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. USMCA will include tariffs, Trump trade rep warns

Donald Trump's trade representative has said Canadian goods will be subject to tariffs as part of any deal agreed with the US, including under a renewed Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Speaking just after Trump delivered his State of the Union Address in Washington, DC, Jamieson Greer said: "If Canada wants to agree that we can have some level of higher tariff on them while they open up their markets to us on things like dairy and other things, then that's a helpful conversation." He added that when the US talks with other countries, "they agree that we can have a tariff on them." Greer also said the US doesn't want "a situation where countries like Vietnam or China can send a bunch of stuff to Canada," and urged Canada to make concessions to the US by, among other things, putting American alcohol back on sale. "It's quite a contrast with Mexico," he said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on trade with Canada — and his desire to seek a higher tariff in order to reshore more jobs to the U.S. pic.twitter.com/TuGh281Xoy
— Katie Simpson (@Katie___Simpson) February 25, 2026

2. Australia ships LNG to Canada along extraordinary 25,750 km route

In the modern version of shipping coal to Newcastle, Australia is sending liquefied natural gas to Canada. Eastern Canada is due to import its first batch of LNG from Down Under on Thursday, according to economic analysts. The tanker transporting the fuel will have journeyed about 25,750 kilometres to reach its destination.

Australian LNG is going global 🇦🇺🚢🌍

🇨🇦 A shipment is slated to be delivered to East Canada for the first time this week. And earlier Australia sent a cargo to Turkey and Chile

⚠️ This is a pretty big shift. 99.9% of Australian LNG was delivered to Asian ports last year pic.twitter.com/A1pwQuHObh
— Stephen Stapczynski (@SStapczynski) February 25, 2026

3. Keystone XL could be repurposed under new plans

South Bow Corp is weighing up an expansion of its pipeline system, potentially leading to the revival of the cancelled Keystone XL project designed to pump more oil from Alberta to the US. It comes after Bridger Pipeline LLC filed plans in Montana to build a pipeline that could transport 550,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada to Wyoming. That plan relies on using existing Keystone XL equipment in Alberta, allowing the project – killed by Joe Biden – to be partly resurrected.

New cross-border U.S. pipeline proposal could revive idle Keystone XL assets: analysts https://t.co/X7UqtfWYCG
— Financial Post (@financialpost) February 24, 2026

4. Transport Canada approves more planes after Trump threat

Transport Canada – which Liberal ministers had claimed was an independent regulator that could not be instructed to make decisions – has given the green light to the rest of the American planes Donald Trump demanded be approved when he threatened Quebec manufacturer Bombardier. Gulfstream's G700 and G800 jets are now certified, according to Transport Canada's database, though Ottawa is yet to make a formal announcement. It comes a week after Transport Canada approved two other Gulfstream aircraft that Trump had highlighted. The US's Federal Aviation Administration warned in 2024 that it had concerns about the ability of the G700 and G800 planes to function in icy weather.

Canada approves latest Gulfstream business jets after Trump tariff threathttps://t.co/FBmAMCqbnY
— Derek Karikari (@news_scout) February 24, 2026

5. Eby says he wants OpenAI staff to 'look in the eyes' of Tumbler Ridge families as blame game continues

David Eby has continued his public campaign of attempting to blame US tech firm OpenAI for the Tumbler Ridge massacre, saying on Tuesday that he wants "them to meet with the families. I want them to look in the eyes of these families and tell them why they made the call they did." Liberal AI Minister Evan Solomon, meanwhile, said federal officials expressed "disappointment" after they met with OpenAI representatives on Tuesday. OpenAI did not offer any "substantial new safety measures," Solomon said.