Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Canada's media has been universal in its praise of Mark Carney's pancake-flipping abilities, with the Canadian Press news agency saying he had perfected the art. The prime minister posed for photographs at a Stampede breakfast in Calgary on Sunday. He told journalists he had "been training all year" after his unimpressive efforts last year. He also told onlookers he had a "big head," while one female fan was told to "say it a little louder" after she shouted: "Carney, we love you!"
Carney perfects flipping Stampede flapjacks as separatists host similar breakfast https://t.co/4lnPgY7rRq #nationlnewswatch via @natnewswatch
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) July 13, 2026
In more serious news, meanwhile, a former public servant has been charged with seeking to share government documents with China. Dennis Lu, 65, was a researcher at Natural Resource Canada’s Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology for decades, specializing in carbon capture and so-called "decarbonization." He was fired in August 2023 during the week he was supposed to be retiring. His defence argues that there is no evidence he actually shared any of the thousands of documents he downloaded. Court records also show that CSIS warned NRC about Lu on at least three occasions between 2000 and 2021.
Former public servant accused in foreign interference case involving China: CSIS briefed Natural Resources Canada about Lu at least three times between 2000 and 2021 - and he is only been accused now??? https://t.co/mVvkrjqJGh
— Phil Gurski (@borealissaves) July 13, 2026
Applications for federal government jobs collapsed between 2025 and 2026, according to newly released data, representing a decline of about 30 per cent. The official figures show there were 735,000 applications between 2025 and 2026, far fewer than two years previously, when more than a million applications were received. It comes amid cuts to the public service overseen by the Carney government.
Applications for federal public service jobs drop by almost 30 per cent https://t.co/Ioun0M80cc
— insauga (@insauga) July 10, 2026
Mark Carney has defended concessions made to the US to persuade Donald Trump to allow the opening of the $6.4 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan, which was paid for by Canadian taxpayers. The prime minister said: "We get the revenues. Then the servicing of the costs of the bridge and paying the debt of the bridge, and then what’s left over, there’s a split of that for 15 years. There’s not going to be a lot of net to split." The bridge is set to open on July 27, with reports claiming Canada will now get 50 per cent of the bridge's profits in the first 15 years, rather than 100 per cent. Canada will also reportedly need the US's permission to change toll pricing by more than 10 per cent. Trump wrote on social media that he had obtained a "MUCH BETTER DEAL" for the US, but neither the president nor Carney has released detailed information about the new arrangement.
NEW: PM Carney tells CTV Calgary that the Gordie Howe Bridge agreement is a ‘good deal for Canada’ and insists not a lot of revenue will be split with the U.S. #cdnpoli
— Stephanie Ha (@stephanie_ha) July 12, 2026
More: https://t.co/jmjYyWPrOG pic.twitter.com/0uIHOrfFa0
The Liberal government is under fire from a Uyghur activist who claims Ottawa's response to the latest move by China to persecute his ethnic minority has been "vague and very weak." Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, added: "Our reaction to China is fading away, day by day, week by week. And then we don't hear too much about transnational repression or gross violations of human rights." Tohti said he thinks the Liberals have "given up" talking about the Chinese government's abuses ever since Mark Carney visited Beijing in January, explaining: "Now we almost drop all of this important leverage from our agenda, and so we are talking softly now. We don't talk too much about China's human rights."
Uyghur group asks Canada to go beyond 'vague' response to China ethnic-unity law - Yahoo News Canada https://t.co/1QYAKkWeUN
— Anwar (@Anwar144583) July 13, 2026
