Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Ukrainian government adviser Chrystia Freeland has announced she will resign as a Canadian MP on Friday after intense public pressure over her new job working for a foreign government. The former deputy PM, finance minister, foreign affairs minister and envoy to Ukraine was announced as an employee of the Ukrainian government by the country's president earlier this week. Freeland, and her prime minister and boss Mark Carney, did not initially comment on the appointment, but she later said she'd be resigning as a Liberal MP in the "coming weeks." That has now been revised to tomorrow.
It has been an immense honour to serve my constituents and all Canadians in Parliament since 2013.
Last fall, I stepped down from Cabinet and announced that I would not be seeking re-election, and that I would be taking on new full-time professional roles outside politics…— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 7, 2026
The federal government has revealed that the six-week gun buyback trial run last autumn resulted in the collection of 25 banned firearms. The pilot in Nova Scotia was beset by problems, including when a recording of the man responsible for implementing it, Gary Anandasangaree, was released in September. In the recording, the minister said police don't have the resources to enforce the program, implied it was only being implemented to ensure the Liberal Party won votes in Quebec and also pledged to personally protect one individual who was concerned about their guns being seized. Ottawa has budgeted more than $740 million for the policy.
Federal government confirms 25 guns collected in 'buyback' pilot, as Quebec pledges support https://t.co/EFjzTTZX8L pic.twitter.com/VOTYy2YCzI
— National Post (@nationalpost) January 8, 2026
A man who defaced the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa with the words "FEED ME" last year has avoided jail after being handed a suspended sentence by the Ontario Superior Court. Iain Aspenlieder, a former City of Ottawa lawyer, pleaded guilty to mischief relating to war memorials, had been held in custody for 101 days after the incident and prevented from seeing his children, leaving his home without permission and discussing the Israel-Palestine conflict with anyone but his doctor and lawyer. Justice London-Weinstein said Aspenlieder's crime was "consistent with emerging mental health issues." The judge also compared Aspenlieder's crime to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots in Washington, DC, but said Aspenlieder was not motivated by hatred.
Former City of Ottawa lawyer sentenced for defacing Holocaust Memorial https://t.co/dZSGy57gNd pic.twitter.com/RhvcCvIPSq
— Ottawa Sun (@ottawasuncom) January 7, 2026
The CBC has released an "analysis" of US President Donald Trump's latest actions in Venezuela and utterances about Greenland. What, the public broadcaster asks, does the White House "have in mind for Canada?" Answer: "Whether he would be prepared to use military force against Canada — previously dismissed as wild speculation — is now a subject that's up for debate." Adam Gordon, a former adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and her predecessor Melanie Joly, is also quoted in the article: "We can't take off the table anymore the idea that it is at least plausible that there would be some use of force or threat of use of force, and we need to be prepared for that."
With Trump’s Venezuela move and Greenland threats, are Canadians vulnerable? https://t.co/A3TS0edkQx
— Radio Canada International - RCI (@RCInet) January 8, 2026
In more Trump news, the US president has announced his country will be withdrawing from 66 international entities that he said "operate contrary to US national interests." Among the groups are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. The US said many of the organizations supported "radical climate policies, global governance and ideological programs that conflict with US sovereignty and economic strength."
Trump withdraws US from key climate treaty and dozens of other groups https://t.co/kde0ZFPoHr
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 8, 2026
