Donald Trump: As goes fuel, so goes everything

Canada is shut out of CUSMA talks while the U.S. and Mexico hold a second round of negotiations. Industry Minister Joly is flying to Shanghai to convince Chinese automakers to build in Canada, a move U.S. officials have repeatedly warned would trigger tariff retaliation. And a 1992 CSIS memo warning that Islamic extremists would bypass security checks by filing refugee claims has resurfaced alongside current terrorism proceedings in Montreal, Toronto and Scarborough. Parliament rises for summer recess tomorrow with Bill C-36 tabled one day before the break, a new digital privacy bill creating a commission to replace the Privacy Commissioner's private-sector oversight role. B.C.'s decriminalization experiment has been confirmed by Health Canada's own figures to have increased overdose deaths 12% during its operation and reduced them 22% once enforcement resumed, yet the Health Minister refuses to call it a failure. And an 87-year-old Richmond man is sleeping at Tim Hortons every night because he cannot afford rent. ►G7 leaders gather in Évian-les-Bains with CUSMA renegotiation, Ukraine aid, AI regulation and the Iran-U.S. peace deal all on the agenda, as the U.S. and Mexico hold a 2nd round of CUSMA talks focused on agriculture and energy while Canada remains shut out of formal negotiations ►The U.S. is demanding 50% American content in North American vehicles and 82% regional content overall, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith urges Ottawa not to panic over Trump's demands, saying Canada's "overwrought" response is undermining its own position ►Industry Minister Mélanie Joly flies to Shanghai to convince BYD, Chery and Geely to build EVs in Canada, as U.S. officials have repeatedly warned the strategy would trigger tariff retaliation if Canada becomes a backdoor for Chinese vehicles into the American market, with BYD insisting it will only build in Canada if it can fully own and operate the plant without a Canadian partner ►AI Minister Evan Solomon tabled Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, creating a new Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission to replace the Privacy Commissioner's private-sector oversight role, with fines of up to 5% of global revenue, tabled one day before Parliament rises for summer recess ►A declassified 1992 CSIS memo warned that Islamic extremists would bypass federal security checks by filing refugee claims, with claimants from countries including Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan facing no mandatory security screening, a concern now surfacing alongside current terrorism proceedings against foreign nationals in Montreal, Toronto and Scarborough ►Health Canada figures confirm overdose deaths in B.C. rose 12% during decriminalization from 2022 to 2024, then fell 22% in 2025 once police resumed enforcement, as Health Minister Marjorie Michel refused to call the experiment a failure, saying "the crisis is complex," while only 15% of British Columbians supported the public health approach in the government's own focus group research ►Statistics Canada is revising its Consumer Price Index basket effective June 22, giving greater weight to auto insurance, used car prices, eggs and clothing, while reducing weight given to mortgage interest, cigarettes, alcohol and travel, reflecting how Canadians are actually spending money in 2026 ►RBC forecasts Newfoundland and Labrador will be Canada's fastest growing province at 4% in 2026, the only province where growth is accelerating, as oil output surges nearly 30% year to date and record gold prices boost the newly opened Valentine Gold mine ►An 87-year-old Richmond man says he sleeps at Tim Hortons every night because he cannot afford rent despite receiving a pension, as outreach workers describe a growing wave of senior homelessness driven by Canada's housing crisis ►B.C. is considering 2 new hydroelectric dams, Site E on the Peace River at 750 megawatts and a Bute Inlet project at 900 megawatts, as Energy Minister Adrian Dix says surging electricity demand requires major new generation capacity ►Canada has paid $13.5 million in foreign aid to Cuba since February while warning Canadians to avoid the country, as MPs heard prison rations have fallen to 300 calories a day and 89% of Cuban families live in extreme poverty ►The CRTC says Bell's new $40 device handling charge and Telus's new $15 SIM fee appear to violate federal rules banning activation and change fees that took effect Friday, with one advocacy group calling the last-minute fees "shady used-car dealer behaviour" ►The Senate is considering Bill C-234 to create a federal medal for living organ donors, as more than 300 Canadians died waiting for a transplant last year and 4,700 remain on waiting lists, with Canada the only Commonwealth country without a specific honour recognizing organ donors When Canada is frozen out of trade talks, its Industry Minister is courting Chinese automakers in Shanghai, and an 87-year-old is sleeping at Tim Hortons,