Politics
After Ottawa cancels Ukraine military contract, pressure grows to explain – National TenX News
The federal government is refusing to say why it quietly cancelled a contract for refurbished military vehicles for Ukraine that the Canadian company involved says it is still “ready, willing and able to supply.”
Defence Minister David McGuinty told the House of Commons defence committee this week that his department had cancelled the contract with Armatec Survivability in Dorchester, Ont., near London, to refurbish 25 light armoured vehicles, but said he couldn’t explain the reason behind the decision.
Conservatives say the contract’s cancellation risks making Canada appear as an unreliable ally to Ukraine and undermines the Liberals’ commitment to bolstering the domestic defence industry.
“Until just in the last week, everybody thought this project was just delayed but was still on track for delivery, and Armatec was still saying that they just needed the funds to start flowing so they could start refurbishing the vehicles,” defence critic James Bezan said in an interview Thursday.
“I blame the government on this one.”
Conservatives tried to get answers from Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, at the House of Commons defence committee Thursday on why the contract was cancelled, but Fuhr deferred to McGuinty and the Department of National Defence (DND).
“I don’t know” why the contract was cancelled, Fuhr repeatedly said.
Conservative MP Scott Anderson asked Fuhr how much of the $250 million he said the contract was worth has been lost, and whether the money was included in Canada’s plan to reach two per cent of GDP in defence spending this fiscal year.
Fuhr said he didn’t know and that Ukraine military assistance contracts are not within the jurisdiction of the new Defence Investment Agency he’s been tasked to lead.
A DND spokesperson said the department could not comment on the contract with Armatec “due to confidentiality obligations.”
The Canadian Commercial Corporation, which has facilitated government procurement contracts for Ukraine aid, deferred questions to the DND.
Armatec has been awarded millions of dollars in Canadian defence contracts since 2007, according to government records. It mainly refurbishes and enhances military vehicles for the Canadian Armed Forces, and has also supplied parts to the U.S. military and other allies.
Armatec CEO Karl Pfister told Global News his company stands ready to keep doing that work, but would not comment beyond a written statement he said was approved by lawyers.
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“What I can say is Armatec is ready, willing and able to supply infantry fighting vehicle upgrades and associated technology to Canada and our allies in support of self-defence efforts and the need to re-arm Europe,” he said.
“I also can say that Armatec is a Canadian company using Canadian workers to advance Canadian innovation and technology with a view to the deployment of infantry fighting vehicles that surpass current Canadian capabilities.”
Bezan said the company is under a non-disclosure agreement with the government that prevents it from saying anything more, putting Armatec in “an impossible position” as its “long-term survivability” is in danger.
He said it’s the first time he’s seen a contractor prevented from speaking after a contract is cancelled.
“I’ve never seen the Government of Canada gagging a contractor that’s trying to deliver equipment to support Canada and our allies. This is bizarre,” he said.
“The question is, what are the Liberals trying to hide?”
Why could a defence contract be axed?
Richard Shimooka, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who studies defence policy and procurement, said there are several reasons why a contract like the one with Armatec could be cancelled, but couldn’t speak to the specific details.
He noted that most of the light armoured vehicles in question had previously been deployed by the Canadian military in Afghanistan, and were “probably pretty beat up” during the decades-long war there.
“It’s possible these vehicles are in much worse condition than was anticipated and (Armatec) may say ‘it’s no longer financially possible for us to do it under the contract terms,’ and the government put its foot down,” he said in an interview as an example of a factor that could spur cancellation.
“Given the Canadian penchant for operating vehicles well past their prime, so to speak, it’s worth asking what kind of material condition were they delivered in?”
Shimooka doubted the cancellation spoke to a broader cost-cutting strategy by the Liberal government or a shift in its approach to aiding Ukraine. Rather, he said it’s more likely the government wanted the project done “quickly” and decided that was no longer possible.
Bezan said clear answers are needed.
“Up until the summer, the Ukrainians were still waiting and wondering where these vehicles were, and still wanted them,” he said. “And there’s no commitment by the government to actually replace this with anything else.
“It just shows the hypocrisy of government that they say they support Ukraine, but don’t deliver. They say that they are going to support defence industry and are walking away from them, costing jobs. And, you know, this is about ensuring that we have the defence capability.”
The DND told Global News that Canada “remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine and its priority to provide military aid that is both timely and immediately operational for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.”
“As part of the $2 billion in additional military assistance announced by Prime Minister Carney, Canada is also looking at providing additional armoured capabilities to Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
“We are expediting other contracts through the Canadian Commercial Corporation to get effective capabilities into Ukrainian hands as soon as possible.”
The Prime Minister’s Office says the additional $2 billion in military aid includes $835 million for armoured vehicles and other critical equipment.
Canada is in the process of delivering 50 armoured vehicles built by London, Ont.-based General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada under a separate $650 million contract signed in 2023.
The first vehicles were delivered to Europe in June 2024, and McGuinty said Tuesday that the remaining vehicles are on track to be delivered by the end of this year.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to China is being framed as a win for British Columbia’s economy.
Carney announced a new deal with Beijing on electric vehicles and canola at the end of a high-profile trip on Friday.
“The inroads Canada has made this week are a sign that the government gets it and is showing Canadians and the world that we are open for business,” Alexa Young with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said.
The trade deal would allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into Canada yearly at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
An expanded auto terminal on Annacis Island will be able to handle the additional volume of cars that could be more affordable than what is currently on the market, with prices expected to be under $40,000.
The New Car Dealers Association said in a statement to Global News that, “We look forward to reviewing the full details of this announcement and engaging constructively with governments to ensure that affordability, competition, and long-term market stability remain central considerations.”
In British Columbia, the overall reaction to the news on Friday is positive.
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“China’s economy is important,” Alex McMillan with the B.C. Chamber of Commerce said.
“Having trade deals like this — and diversifying our markets — is important. Providing certainty is important.”
There are concerns with the agreement, including privacy issues and China’s human rights record. But Ottawa’s goal is to double trade with partners outside the United States, which is a goal that would be impossible without China.
“We do want to see more trade and more diversification of our markets and know that China is an important nation and important economy, so having better trade relationships with them, I think overall is going to be good,” McMillan said.
–with files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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
Canada-China trade deal framed as a win for B.C.’s economy TenX News
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