Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
First things first: oil and gas. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her province and Ottawa are likely to miss the first set of deadlines set out in the memorandum of understanding the two parties signed in November. The deal, which gave Alberta permission to build another oil pipeline in exchange for concessions to the federal government on energy taxes and investment in carbon capture technology, included a series of April 1 deadlines on impact assessments, cuts to methane emissions, carbon tax and the Pathways project. Pushing hikes to the carbon tax onto oil companies is proving difficult, however, with some saying they put Canadian industry at a global disadvantage and damage the feasibility of new projects. Separately, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson has announced that "Canada is back in the energy business" and touted his support for oil and gas developments off the coast of Nova Scotia. He wrote: "With an estimated 47–148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 19–49 billion barrels of oil, Nova Scotia’s offshore conventional potential is significant and largely undeveloped."
Canada is back in the energy business and we’re working with provinces and territories to turn potential into projects.⁰⁰With an estimated 47–148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 19–49 billion barrels of oil, Nova Scotia’s offshore conventional potential is significant… pic.twitter.com/FR2BsQGi76
— Tim Hodgson (@timhodgsonmt) March 23, 2026
A "style advisor" who has helped dress British Columbia premiers from both sides of the aisle has lashed out at David Eby over his criticism of Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew's attire, which the provincial leader described as disrespectfully casual. Dale Olsen, who owns Outlooks for Men in Victoria, said it's "ironic" that Eby attacked Dew's clothing because "he could use some help" himself. He added: "His clothes don't fit him. His jackets are too big. His shirts look saggy." Olsen added that he reckons Mark Carney is Canada's best-dressed politician.
'Hoodie-gate': Is David Eby qualified as fashion police after dressing down B.C. MLA? https://t.co/YHltXrR5OX
— Times Colonist (@timescolonist) March 24, 2026
As the Israel-US war against Iran continues, some leaders – including Ontario Premier Doug Ford – have warned that "sleeper cells" loyal to the Islamic Republic are ready to kick into gear in Canada and around the world and spread mayhem. In a CBC News article authored by three of the corporation's crack reporters, however, Canadians are being told that "counterterrorism experts say the threat of Iranian sleeper cells is largely overstated." One expert told the CBC that Iranian leaders "don't use them," instead preferring to use "local criminal networks for targeted intimidation and violence." CSIS added that the most likely scenario involved a "violent extremist attack" carried out by a "lone actor whose intent to mobilize is unknown to authorities."
Are Iranian 'sleeper cells' a threat to Canadians? Here’s what intelligence experts say https://t.co/lnK3LC1Vg5
— Phil Gurski (@borealissaves) March 24, 2026
The auditor general has said the Liberal government failed to investigate or follow up on the vast majority of 150,000 student visa cases flagged as "high risk" in 2023 and 2024. The federal immigration department launched about 4,000 investigations into the 150,000 cases, Karen Hogan said on Monday, and 1,600 of those were marked as "inconclusive" because the students did not respond to questions. Hogan's audit also found that Ottawa has no way of knowing how many international students actually leave Canada when their visas expire. It found that of 549,000 students with expiring permits in 2024, 93 per cent were allowed to stay in Canada, while officials could confirm that only 16,000 of the remaining 39,500 left the country.
ICYMI: Auditor General Karen Hogan says the immigration department isn’t keeping up with the demand for investigations of student visa holders in the International Student Program #cdnpoli #ParlCA https://t.co/fTSdrNBvjI
— iPolitics (@iPoliticsCA) March 23, 2026
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said more gun owners have reported more than 51,000 firearms to the federal government as part of the Liberals' so-called "gun buyback" scheme. That number is far short of the 136,000 firearms the government had prepared to "buy." The scheme has one week left to go, after which there will be no compensation for any prohibited firearms.
Feds say more than 51,000 firearms reported as compensation program nears close https://t.co/g2kNoWLGRy #nationlnewswatch via @natnewswatch
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) March 23, 2026
