Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
There's been a wee bit of news concerning US-Canada trade negotiations in recent days. On the negative side, the Trump administration has expanded its trade investigations – designed to find out whether countries are doing anything "unreasonable or discriminatory" that could "burden or restrict US commerce" – to include Canada. Also on the negative side, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra has said the US team has been "facing some headwinds" in its negotiations with Canada, complaining of a lack of "substantive talks." He also said Canada should do everything it can to persuade the US to put it in the lowest tariff bracket, including by developing its energy and minerals industries. On the positive side, some commentators have suggested that Canada could have considerably more "leverage" in its talks with the US courtesy of the Iran war putting a strain on American markets and fuel prices. Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University, said: "If you're sitting in Washington and you're seeing what's happening to global markets, you're going to be looking at your secure producers and suppliers perhaps slightly differently from the way you … might've been looking at them before the conflict began, which was solely in tariff terms."
Price shocks from Iran war could give Canada leverage in CUSMA talks: experts. https://t.co/7FFVd4eLoB
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) March 13, 2026
The Tories have accused the Liberal government of "really shameful" behaviour after ministers failed to inform the public that a missile hit an airbase in Kuwait where Canadian soldiers were stationed. No Canadian personnel were hurt in the strike on March 1, but the Conservatives have insisted the government should nonetheless have been "transparent" about the incident. Questioned about the controversy on Thursday, Mark Carney said: "I'm not the only spokesperson for the government."
Ottawa's 'failure' to disclose attack on military in Kuwait 'shameful': Tory MP https://t.co/cpPKO4tUai
— insauga (@insauga) March 13, 2026
Canadians are strongly in favour of limiting benefits to new immigrants, according to a new poll. The Leger survey found that 72 per cent of respondents support requiring temporary residents to live in a province for at least 12 months before accessing provincially funded social programs. It also found that 69 per cent back the idea of charging reasonable fees to temporary residents for public health care and education, while 73 per cent support ending supplemental health benefits for unapproved asylum seekers.
Le Québec ne se distingue pas tant en matière d’immigration.
— Joanne_Marcotte (@Joanne_Marcotte) March 12, 2026
SONDAGE LÉGER: Tous les Canadiens coast-to-coast veulent que l’immigration soit plus contrôlée par leurs provinces.
Provinces should have greater say on immigration, poll finds (National Post)
https://t.co/rSt7wEBWCm
Canada's emergency departments seem to be permanently stuck at "breaking point," a new CBC News article has declared, with the national broadcaster asking: "Is it the new normal?" Dr. Michael Herman, an emergency physician in Ottawa, told the outlet: "We've been telling the same story coming up on decades now," Herman said. "I think we're making it the new normal. I don't think it has to be the new normal."
Canada's hospital emergency rooms have hit a breaking point. Is it the new normal?https://t.co/xuoSNV6tzG @CBCMontreal
— Shuyee Lee (@SLeeMtl) March 13, 2026
British Columbia has a growing "tax competitiveness problem," according to the Fraser Institute think tank. Its latest analysis found that BC has the fourth-highest personal income tax rate across Canada and the US at 53.5 per cent. It added: "This is substantially higher than the rate in most nearby states. It is 16.5 percentage points higher than the top PIT rate in neighbouring Washington State and Alaska." The think tank warned that a lack of competitiveness on tax could result in the province struggling to attract both workers and capital.
