Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
The federal government is refusing to give up after twice being found to have violated the constitution in its use of the Emergencies Act in 2022 to forcibly end a protest in Ottawa. A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Sean Fraser said on Tuesday that Ottawa "has sought leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada to review the use of the Emergencies Act during the convoy protests and blockades that caused serious disruptions across the country." The Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act was ruled to have breached Charter rights in a 2024 Federal Court decision. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld that decision in January, confirming that the government lacked the legal basis to invoke the extraordinary law because there was no threat to national security, nor a national emergency.
Feds appealing use of Emergencies Act during "Freedom Convoy" at Supreme Court. https://t.co/sfqgWxz64y
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNewsTO) March 18, 2026
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said today that Canada is lagging behind Mexico when it comes to talks ahead of the review of the CUSMA pact. He told Fox Business: "We’re having talks separately with Canada, but we’ve moved along with Mexico. Canada is behind on this with Mexico." An annual review of CUSMA is scheduled for July 1.
Trump trade chief @jamiesongreer singled out Canada (again) for what the US says is slow progress on USMCA talks. Carney has signaled he's not in a particular rush.
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) March 18, 2026
Via @SkylarWoodhouse: https://t.co/DqRrp13hnG
Heritage Minister Marc Miller has railed against "having the news cannibalized and regurgitated" and insisted Canada must "have a serious conversation" with companies, including "AI shops," guilty of the practice. He made the statement in the context of the Liberal Party's Online News Act, which led to the devastation of the Canadian media landscape after it prompted Meta to ban news on its platforms. Miller, asked whether the controversial law should extend to AI firms, said the legislation needn't be expanded, instead insisting that companies must act responsibly.
Culture minister says 'serious conversation' needed about AI systems and news media https://t.co/dm4MMmrDhY
— CTV News (@CTVNews) March 18, 2026
The German and French foreign ministers have caused something of a stir after suggesting that Canada could "maybe" join the European Union "at some point." Jean-Noel Barrot and Johann Wadephul mentioned Canada during a discussion of Iceland and Norway potentially becoming members of the bloc, prompting some applause from the audience. Mark Carney has previously rejected the idea that Canada could join the troubled union.
“It’s now time to deliver” on EU enlargement, says German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Next enlargement round could be done within the next two years, he adds.
— Hans von der Burchard (@vonderburchard) March 17, 2026
Besides Iceland considering to join the EU, Norway and perhaps Canada (suggestion of French FM) could do so, too. pic.twitter.com/zNmkjUaWVb
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has warned that his country will suffer from a lack of missiles as the US continues to wage war against Iran in the Middle East. Speaking to the BBC, Zelensky said Russia wants a "long war" between the US and Iran, because then Ukraine would be deprived of in-demand military equipment. He also said US President Donald Trump is not on Ukraine's side – or "any side" – in the Ukraine-Russia war.
Ukraine faces missile shortage due to Middle East war, says Zelensky https://t.co/D46pqkjnit
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 18, 2026
