Politics
After 2 weeks, why the Kneecap ‘entry ban’ in Canada remains unclear – National TenX News
It’s been two weeks since a Liberal government official said the controversial Irish hip-hop group Kneecap was barred from entering Canada, and it remains unclear if the group is truly banned — or if the official went “rogue,” as some critics have questioned.
Kneecap’s management says it never received official word that its electronic travel authorizations had been denied after Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combatting crime, announced the apparent ban on social media on Sept. 19.
Conservative and NDP MPs are now demanding answers from the government and say they are open to pursuing investigations into Gasparro’s conduct, and whether his announcement was approved by immigration and public safety officials.
Gasparro has repeatedly declined to comment further on the matter and has deferred questions to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The department has declined to speak about Kneecap’s specific case, citing privacy reasons.
Here’s how the past two weeks have evolved.
In a social media video on Sept. 19, Gasparro said that “on behalf of the Government of Canada” the members of Kneecap had been deemed ineligible for entry ahead of scheduled concerts in Toronto and Vancouver, based “on the advice of our officials.”
Gasparro said Kneecap — who have been vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause and critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza — has “publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas” that goes beyond artistic expression and free speech.
His post remains online.
Gasparro cited a then-active terror-related charge in the United Kingdom against Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who was accused of flying a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year, as a reason for denying entry to Canada.
Kneecap responded to Gasparro on social media by calling his comments “wholly untrue and deeply malicious” and said it had initiated legal action.
The Belfast group said in a separate statement to its fans that the members — all of whom are Irish citizens — had already been approved for electronic travel authorizations ahead of Gasparro’s announcement.
Both Ireland and Northern Ireland, as a part of the U.K., are visa-exempt countries but citizens still need electronic travel authorizations to enter Canada.
Global News has asked the Irish foreign ministry and the Northern Ireland Executive Office for comment on the case.
Terror charge thrown out, and questions emerge
On Sept. 26, a London court dismissed the criminal case against Ó hAnnaidh, agreeing with his lawyers that the prosecutors had missed the deadline for the charge by a day.
Ó hAnnaidh had claimed the prosecution was a politically motivated effort to silence the band’s support for Palestinians, and that the alleged Hezbollah flag was thrown onto the London stage by an audience member. Kneecap says it doesn’t support Hezbollah and Hamas, nor condone violence.
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Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, another vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, celebrated the dismissal of the case.
It is not clear whether any discussion of the case took place when Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin visited Canada to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier that week.
In Ottawa, on the same day the case was dropped, Gasparro declined to comment when asked by reporters if the court decision meant Kneecap would be allowed into Canada. He said he was not worried about legal action from the group and that IRCC officials would provide comment going forward.
Kneecap says no word from Canada
Kneecap’s manager Daniel Lambert told Global News in an email on Sept. 29 that neither he nor the group’s members have received any official notice about their electronic travel authorizations being denied or revoked.
“No notice on anything, just Vince’s social media video,” he wrote, referring to Gasparro.
In a statement, IRCC said it could not comment on Kneecap’s specific case due to privacy reasons and did not confirm whether a formal entry ban was ever put in place, or if one remains.
Global News was included on an email chain between bureaucrats and a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Diab, who instructed the department’s media relations team to add a line to its “messaging for Kneecap moving forward” to note that “applicants are informed of their visa status through the email provided on their applications.”
The IRCC statement said anyone whose entry visa applications have been denied “can reapply for an eTA once they have addressed the reason(s) leading to the refusal of their application.”
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office declined to comment when asked by Global News if Gasparro consulted with the minister before his announcement.
Tories, NDP up pressure on whether Gasparro ‘lied’
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman told Global News in an interview on Oct. 1 that Gasparro “either doesn’t know what’s what’s happening within his own government or clearly lied.”
“I would suspect that in any other workplace you would be reprimanded for that,” she said. “And in this case, you wouldn’t be a parliamentary secretary anymore.”
Lantsman said she would support a parliamentary investigation into the actions of Gasparro and the government in the matter, “to expose what they are not telling us.”
A spokesperson for Gasparro’s office, when asked again to clarify whether a ban was approved by officials, said he had “no further comment” in an email.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab ignored questions from reporters on Kneecap’s case while heading into a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa that same day.
When asked again if Kneecap’s members or its team have heard anything from the Canadian government, manager Lambert replied in an email: “Not a thing.”
NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s immigration critic, has now sent a letter to Diab urging the minister to provide clarity on the case.
She said the lack of answers has given the appearance of “an arbitrary and politicized weaponization of public policy for political purposes.”
The letter asks Diab to confirm if Kneecap is indeed banned from entering Canada, whose approval Gasparro received to make his announcement, and whether the minister’s office or the Prime Minister’s Office had any advance notice.
Kwan, who called Gasparro a “rogue Liberal MP” on social media, also asks in her letter if there will be accountability if Gasparro acted unilaterally.
The NDP MP posed some of her questions to Diab directly during question period in the House of Commons on Oct. 2. The minister responded by reading nearly verbatim the IRCC statement from Sept. 29.
A spokesperson for Kwan says she will also submit a written order paper question on the issue, which will require the government to respond in writing within 45 days.
Kwan is also considering requesting a study at either the House of Commons ethics or immigration committee, but she will need a sitting member to support her call.
The NDP does not hold official party status and does not have a seat on either committee.
The possibility of a forceful U.S. takeover of Greenland is raising many unprecedented questions — including how Canada, the European Union and NATO could respond or even retaliate against an ostensible ally.
A high-level meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and U.S. officials this week did not resolve the “fundamental disagreement” over the territory’s sovereignty but did set the stage for more talks. The White House made clear Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to control Greenland has not changed after the meeting.
“He wants the United States to acquire Greenland. He thinks it’s in our best national security to do that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Denmark and European allies are sending more troops to the territory in a show of force and to display a commitment to Arctic security.
Experts say there are other, non-military measures available in the event of a U.S. annexation or invasion of Greenland, or which could at least be threatened to try and get Trump to back down.
Whether those economic measures are actually used is another matter, those experts say.
“I think it remains highly unlikely that we’ll get to that point where we have to seriously discuss consequences for a U.S. move on Greenland,” said Otto Svendsen, an associate fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“So it remains contingency planning for a highly unlikely event. That being said … Denmark would certainly do everything in its power to rally a very robust European response.”
Here’s what that could entail.
EU trade, tech disruptions?
Experts agree the biggest pressure points that can be used in the U.S. surround trade and technology.
The European Parliament’s trade committee is currently debating whether to postpone implementing the trade deal signed between Trump and the EU last summer to protest the threats against Greenland, Reuters reported Wednesday.
Many lawmakers have complained that the deal is lopsided, with the EU required to cut most import duties while the U.S. sticks to a broad 15 per cent tariff for European goods.
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An even bolder move would be triggering the EU’s anti-coercion instrument — known as the “trade bazooka” — that would allow the bloc to hit non-member nations with tariffs, trade restrictions, foreign investment bans, and other penalties if that country is found to be using coercive economic measures.
Although the regulation defines coercion as “measures affecting trade and investment,” Svendsen said it could feasibly be used in a diplomatic or territorial dispute as well.
“EU lawyers have proven themselves to be very creative in recent years,” he said.
However, David Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said in an email that economic measures against the U.S. are unlikely “given the massive asymmetry in the defence and economic relationship between the U.S.” and other western nations.
“Any kind of sanction against the U.S. doesn’t make sense for the same reason they can impose tariffs on others: they have the power,” Perry added.
Target U.S. tech companies?
The likeliest — and potentially least harmful — scenario for retaliation in the event of an attack on Greenland, Svendsen said, would be fines or bans against U.S. tech companies like Google, Meta and X operating in Europe.
That’s because the Trump administration has taken particular focus on preventing what they call “attacks” on American companies by foreign governments seeking to regulate their online content or tax their revenues, which has led to calls on Canada, Britain and the EU to repeal laws like digital services taxes.
“I think that would be a really smart and targeted way to get to economic interests very close to the president, while minimizing the direct impact on the on the European economy,” Svendsen said, calling such a move “low-hanging fruit.”
He also compared a future U.S. tech platform ban to how Europe moved to wean itself off Russian gas after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“If you told anyone back then that Europe would basically rid itself of its dependence on Russian gas basically within a two-year period … that would have been considered completely impossible,” he said.
“Weaning the European economy off of U.S. tech would certainly be painful in the short term, but they’ve proven that they can get off those dependencies quickly if there is political will behind it in the past.”
A U.S. hostile takeover of Greenland would mean the “end” of the NATO alliance, experts and European leaders have said.
Trump himself has acknowledged it could be a “choice” between preserving the alliance or acquiring Greenland.
There is no provision within the NATO founding treaty that addresses the possibility of a NATO member taking territory from another, and how the alliance should respond to such an act.
A NATO spokesperson told Global News it wouldn’t “speculate on hypothetical scenarios” when asked how it could potentially act.
“None of this would be actionable in a NATO sense,” Perry said. “It’s an alliance that’s organized to bind the U.S. to European security, and revolves around the U.S. So there’s no scenario of NATO doing that to the U.S.”
Denmark and other European nations could move to reduce or close U.S. military bases in their countries as a possible response, experts say.
Balkan Devlen, a a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and director of its Transatlantic Program, said in an interview that a U.S. annexation of Greenland would force Canada to focus entirely on boosting its defences in the Arctic.
That may include trying to decouple from NORAD, the joint northern defence network with the U.S., in favour of a purely domestic Arctic command, he said — although that process would take years and require Canada to increase defence spending even further.
“Never mind five per cent (of GDP) — we will probably need to go like seven, eight, nine per cent on defence spending to be able to do anything of that sort,” he said. “It’s not even clear that we’ll be able to have enough people to do that.”
Devlen added that any retaliatory action, whether military or financial, needs to be targeted and proportionate to what the U.S. does.
“The problem with nuclear options is that once you use it, it’s gone,” he said. “And if it doesn’t do the damage or make the change of behaviour on the other party, you’ve basically lost a lot of leverage and you might actually sustain a lot more loss yourself.”
A trip to the world’s most-visited museum is about to cost Canadians significantly more.
France has hiked ticket prices at the Louvre by 45 per cent for visitors from outside the European Union, a move that is fuelling debate over so-called dual pricing and the growing backlash against overtourism.
Starting this week, adult visitors from non-EU countries, including Canada, must pay €32 to enter the Paris landmark, up from €22. That’s an increase from about $35 to $52 Canadian.
Visitors from EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, will continue to pay the lower rate.
The price hike comes as the Louvre grapples with repeated labour strikes, a high-profile daylight jewel heist last October that prompted a costly security overhaul, and years of chronic overcrowding. The museum attracts roughly nine million visitors annually.
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Some Canadian tourists told Global News they feel unfairly targeted.
“We didn’t cause the robberies or some of the other issues that happened and we are paying the consequences,” said Allison Moore, visiting Paris from Newfoundland with her daughter. “[In] Canada we don’t discriminate over pricing like that.”
Others argue tourists already shoulder higher costs simply by travelling long distances.
“In general for tourists, I think things should be a little cheaper than for local people, because we have to travel to come all the way here,” said Darla Daniela Quiroz, another Canadian visitor. “It should be equal pricing, or a little bit cheaper.”
Even some Europeans question the two-tiered system. A French tourist interviewed outside the museum said there was “no reason” to charge non-Europeans more and that the fee should be the same for everyone.
Tourism experts say the Louvre’s financial pressures help explain the decision.
“The Louvre is really cash-strapped right now and needs to do something,” said Marion Joppe, a professor at the University of Guelph. “It can’t really look to the government, which is already struggling with its own budget.”
The move also reflects a broader global pushback against mass tourism. Anti-tourism protests have spread across parts of Spain, New Zealand has increased its entry tax, and the United States recently raised national park fees for foreign visitors.
“You take Paris — it gets about 50 million tourists a year,” said Julian Karaguesian, an economist at McGill University. “That’s roughly a million a week. The city simply wasn’t built for those kinds of numbers.”
Despite the higher price, many visitors say they will still line up to see the Mona Lisa and other of the museum’s famous artworks.
“It’s one of the main attractions. It’s on everybody’s list,” Moore said. “We’re still going to go, and hopefully it will be worth it in the end.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Politics
Trump calls Canada-China deal ‘good thing’ as U.S. officials voice concern – National TenX News
Canada’s new trade deal with China is getting a mixed reaction in Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump voicing support as administration officials warned Ottawa could regret allowing Chinese EVs into the Canadian market.
The deal signed with Beijing on Friday reverses course on 100 per cent tariffs Canada slapped on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, which aligned with similar U.S. duties. Canada and China also agreed to reduce tariffs on canola and other products.
Asked about the deal by reporters at the White House, Trump said Prime Minister Mark Carney was doing the right thing.
“That’s what he should be doing. It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said.
However, members of Trump’s cabinet expressed concern.
“I think they’ll look back at this decision and surely regret it to bring Chinese cars into their market,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at an event with other U.S. government officials at a Ford factory in Ohio to tout efforts to make vehicles more affordable.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters the limited number of vehicles would not impact American car companies exporting cars to Canada.
“I don’t expect that to disrupt American supply into Canada,” he said.
“Canada is so dependent on the United States for their GDP. Their entire population is crowded around our border for that reason. I’ll tell you one thing: if those cars are coming into Canada, they’re not coming here. That’s for sure.”
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Carney has said it’s necessary for Canada to improve trade ties and cooperation with China in light of Trump’s trade war and threats to let the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade expire.
The trade pact is up for review this summer, and Greer reiterated that the Trump administration wants to bring more auto manufacturing back to the U.S. and incentivize companies to do so.
Under the new deal with Beijing, Carney said he expects China will lower tariffs on its canola seed by March 1 to a combined rate of about 15 per cent.
Greer questioned that agreement in a separate CNBC interview.
“I think in the long run, they’re not going to like having made that deal,” he said.
He called the decision to allow Chinese EVs into Canada “problematic” and added: “There’s a reason why we don’t sell a lot of Chinese cars in the United States. It’s because we have tariffs to protect American auto workers and Americans from those vehicles.”
Greer said rules adopted last January on vehicles that are connected to the internet and navigation systems are a significant impediment to Chinese vehicles in the U.S. market.
“I think it would be hard for them to operate here,” Greer said. “There are rules and regulations in place in America about the cybersecurity of our vehicles and the systems that go into those, so I think it might be hard for the Chinese to comply with those kind of rules.”
Trump and officials like Greer have taken aim at Chinese attempts to enter the North American car market through Mexico by bypassing rules of origin under CUSMA.
The CUSMA review set for July is expected to address those loopholes that American and Canadian officials have said are being exploited by China.
Those concerns, which were also raised by the Biden administration, in part helped spur the steep tariffs on Chinese EVs, which are heavily subsidized by Beijing.
Trump, however, has also said he would like Chinese automakers to come to the United States to build vehicles.
Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have expressed strong opposition to Chinese vehicles as major U.S. automakers warn China poses a threat to the U.S. auto sector.
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, said at Friday’s event at the Ford plant that he was opposed to Chinese vehicles coming into the United States, and drew applause from the other government officials.
“As long as I have air in my body, there will not be Chinese vehicles sold the United States of America — period,” Moreno said.
—with files from Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
How could Canada, EU, NATO respond to a U.S. takeover of Greenland? – National TenX News
Louvre raises ticket prices for non-Europeans, hitting Canadian visitors TenX News
Trump calls Canada-China deal ‘good thing’ as U.S. officials voice concern – National TenX News
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