A mother recounts her dangerous journey across the border to escape Trump’s America

MONTREAL - At times, a 25-year old woman said the snow reached her knees as she trudged through a dark, icy forest near the Quebec border in mid-January.

With temperatures hovering around -11 C, her left hand clutched her daughter and her right held up a cellphone, as they listened to a voice transmitting instructions on which direction to go and where they needed to stop. Four other Haitian migrants were travelling with them.

“It felt like a race with time,” the woman recalled in a recent interview.

Weeks after this ordeal, the woman and her daughter are seeking asylum in Canada.

Is the concept of Canada as a ‘middle power’ meaningless?

Does the middle power concept have any relevancy today?

When you read through Prime Minister Mark Carney’s notable Davos speech, he makes a number of references to the term “middle power.” This was no accident for sure.

Government officials, commentators and journalists often refer to Canada as a middle power as if it’s supposed to mean something important. But it is really little more than a term of convenience — and a self-serving one for Canada.

Does the concept still have any meaning today? Does it denote a certain status, influence or position in the international hierarchy of states? More to the point, what makes Canada a so-called middle power?

Extreme cold perfect for Operation Nanook

What do you get when you ask more than 40 troops with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery to load a pair of M777 Howitzers into the back of a C-130 Hercules amid extremely cold Manitoba temperatures?

Family from the Democratic Republic of Congo navigates chilly firsts alongside IRCOM supports

All Clever Ganza wants to do this winter is build a snowman.

He’s not yet had the chance, as it hasn’t been the right kind of snow — although to the eight-year-old, all snow is snow.

It’s his second winter in Winnipeg after arriving in Canada with his parents and younger brother Travor, 5, in December 2024.

Clever has acclimatized pretty quickly.

Churchill’s future has looked bright in the past, then politics dimmed the lights

The future of the often-troubled and chronically overlooked Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay railway looks exceedingly bright.

The road not taken: lowest number of Manitobans in three decades cross border at Pembina in July, August

Many Manitobans appeared to skip U.S. road trips over the summer as the number of southbound travellers hit at least a 30-year low — excluding COVID-19 pandemic years — at a major border crossing south of Winnipeg.

The benefits of national service

“Build, baby, build” is the new mantra of governments across the country.

‘We cannot waste any time’: Anand promises ‘action’ and reform in foreign affairs

OTTAWA - Faced with escalating conflict in the Middle East, a collapsing global trade system and a department struggling to reform itself, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she relishes the job of helping Canada navigate a turbulent world.

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with The Canadian Press, Anand said her experiences in both politics and academia can help her streamline Canada's approach to global issues, allowing it to pursue its interests without losing sight of its values.

"How do you ensure, when you have these large departments, that you're actually able to execute? That is the heart of government. It's the hardest thing to do," Anand said.

"I enjoy difficult responsibilities."

Peacemaking and Canada’s international reputation

For many years, Canada had a much-lauded and highly respected reputation for peacekeeping — it helped define our national identity.

It started back in 1956. That’s when Lester Pearson, then minister of external affairs, proposed the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping force to resolve a crisis in Egypt when Great Britain, France and Israel attacked that country after it nationalized the Suez Canal.

The introduction of peacekeeping troops, including from Canada, stabilized the situation and allowed the belligerents to work out an agreement to end the fighting. For his efforts, Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize.

For decades after that crisis, Canada remained at the forefront of international peacekeeping operations. Altogether, the country sent about 125,000 trained peacekeepers on over 50 peacekeeping missions around the globe.

‘We can set the agenda:’ Carney continues middle power pitch in Australia

SYDNEY - In Australia, Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his argument that middle powers should band together, saying Canada and Australia share the advantages of legitimacy and trust.

"Australia and Canada can’t compel like the great powers; but we can convene, we can set the agenda, shape the rules, and organize and build capacity through coalitions that deliver results at speed and global scale," Carney said in a speech at the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney.

Carney hit on many of the same points as he did in his headline-making Davos speech in January.

"Middle powers have more power than many realize," he argued.

Local Iranians bittersweet about war

Farimehr Hakemzadeh is communicating with loved ones in Iran and refreshing news and social media feeds as often as possible for updates on the escalating war in the Middle East.

The Iranian-Canadian, who lives in Winnipeg, has gone through a range of emotions since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Tehran’s repressive Islamic regime Saturday — from hope for change and peace, to fear for the safety of family and friends.

“It’s very obvious that there’s a lot of fear in all of our hearts for the people, for the innocent lives that are being affected,” she said Tuesday.

“For nearly half a century the Iranian people have been living under this fear. They have been living under fear for executions, imprisonment and trauma (by Iran’s regime).”

The sidelines: perhaps the safest place to be

The military power of the United States — and of Israel — is brought to bear on Iran, and the Canadian response is well, muted. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Drumming program connects Southeast Asian students with traditional instrument, heritage

For many young musicians at Arthur E. Wright School, tabla class begins with a bow and tapping their music teacher’s toes.

Amjad Sabir isn’t all that fussy about formalities, but he recognizes his students’ families have taught them these gestures are important to show respect towards their Indo-Canadian elders.

“I just want to spread this art,” said Sabir, who is affectionately known as “guruji” — meaning esteemed teacher in Hindi and Punjabi — inside the kindergarten-to-Grade 8 building in the Maples.

The art in question? A pair of hand drums, known as tabla, that create a wide range of tones.

Big dreams, cold reality: Buzz builds for Port of Churchill, but risks could outweigh rewards

The marine town of Churchill, cherished for its wildlife, landscapes and history, has recently taken on a new sense of national importance. Plans to expand Canada’s lone deepwater Arctic port on the shores of Hudson Bay have gained momentum — and investment — in the last year as the country looks north for solutions to an unprecedented conflict with its southern neighbour.

Premier Wab Kinew has pitched the Port of Churchill as an answer to Canada’s trade concerns, and a means of galvanizing both provincial and national economies.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has designated a plan to upgrade the port facilities as “transformative,” committing millions in federal dollars to the project and touting its merits in meetings with European trade partners.

In late January, Kinew announced the province was in talks with several companies, including at least one major energy company, about investing in port expansion.

Persian Gulf War vets still fighting for better recognition after 35 years

For Denis Cote, one of the worst parts of the Persian Gulf War was entering the conflict zone not knowing what to expect as sirens blared in the dead of night, warning of a missile attack.

"We didn't know when we were coming home. We didn't know where we were staying," said the 62-year-old veteran from Edmonton.

"We didn't know any of the situations or the setup — we were walking into just unknowns."

The former aircraft technician was deployed to Doha, Qatar, where Canada sent 16 fighter jets and more than 100 military personnel.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk unhappy with White House AI video that insulted Canadians

OTTAWA - Brady Tkachuk’s first game back with the Ottawa Senators wasn’t an easy one.

The Senators captain returned to the nation’s capital riding the high of a gold medal with Team USA at the Olympics, but his on-ice performance hasn’t been the headline.

Earlier this week, Tkachuk was one of 20 American players who visited the White House and attended the State of the Union following an invitation from President Donald Trump.

But what many Canadian and Senators fans took issue with was an AI-doctored video shared by the White House that made it appear he was disparaging Canadians. The altered clip, shared by the White House's TikTok account, inserted fabricated audio of Tkachuk referring to Canadians as “maple syrup eating f---s,” with the expletive bleeped in the video. The video carries a note saying it “contains AI-generated media.”

Trump plays games with Canada’s sovereignty

What in God’s name is U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doing commenting publicly about sensitive national unity matters in Canada?

Sikh Canadians say state violence a continued threat as PM prepares to visit India

OTTAWA - Some Canadian Sikhs are calling on the government to take a firmer stand on India as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to travel there this week on a mission to expand Canada's non-U.S. trade.

B.C. Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who received a warning from Vancouver police on Sunday about a credible threat to his life, said he suspects that threat is linked to the Indian government.

Singh said this is the first duty-to-warn report he's received from police since 2022. This one is different, he added, because it's the first warning to be extended to his wife and children.

"No other Sikh activist, with a dozen plus of us having (received police warnings) across the country, has had the family brought into it," Singh said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.

Belated Lunar New Year party a feast of Korean culture

For the last month, Andrea Kitano has been spending her weekends hosting hanbok fashion shows at shopping centres across Winnipeg.

Four years after full-scale Ukraine invasion, Canada faces tough choices on defence

OTTAWA - As the world marks four years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, analysts say Moscow has contributed to global instability that will force Canadians to spend more — and more quickly — to defend their territory.

"People need to understand why defence is extremely important right now, and why we're going to have to make sacrifices financially to make sure that we stay protected and safe in the long run," said Anton Sestritsyn, a lobbyist who has helped to organize civil society support for Ukraine.

"It's time for world leaders to start talking to their people and explaining to them what kind of situation we really find ourselves in."

Sestritsyn was speaking at a panel last month staged by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank funded by German governments to promote transatlantic relations.

Olympic fans basking in warm embrace of Italy; our neighbours to the south endure frostier reception

MILAN — It was a scene that could have quickly turned ugly.

A handful of young men, clad in red, white and blue jerseys and likely a tad over-served, were revelling in their men’s hockey team’s 5–1 group-play win over Latvia. Aboard a crowded shuttle bus departing the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, they wanted everyone to know it.

“USA! USA! That was a Latvian beatdown!” they took turns shouting. “A BEATDOWN! USA! USA!”

Dozens of fans in Latvian jerseys — some smiling politely, others scowling — remained silent. Biting their tongues, perhaps.

U.S. International Trade Commission launches CUSMA rules-of-origin auto investigation

WASHINGTON - The U.S. International Trade Commission has launched an investigation into rules-of-origin regulations for automobiles under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade.

A news release on the commission's website says the investigation will analyze the regulations' "impact on the U.S. economy, effect on U.S. competitiveness, and relevancy considering recent technology changes."

It's the third investigation of the rules since the trilateral trade pact, widely known as CUSMA, was adopted during the first administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The commission is required to conduct an investigation every two years until 2031.

The report on automobiles must be delivered to Trump and the U.S. Senate by July of next year.

Modern, historic letters showcase love in dangerous times

Love is in the air at Oseredok.

The Ukrainian cultural and educational centre’s current exhibition, Love Letters: A Timeless Experience, bears witness to the fraught and emotional journeys of past and present Ukrainian-Canadian couples through historical love letters, digital declarations and personal artifacts as they navigated courtship, separation and reunion.

Spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, the exhibition draws on a combination of archival material, including the cultural centre’s collection of rare wedding photographs and studio portraits, and visual installations to trace the love lives of Ukrainian-Canadians across the decades.

A letter-writing manual penned in 1913 by linguist and author F. Dojacek forms the backbone of the immersive show.