Workers rally at MPs’ offices across Canada to defend right to strike - Canadian Labour Congress

Export Development Canada is set to open two new offices in Europe this year and another in 2027, the Crown corporation said in a statement Thursday. The move comes amid deepening ties between Canada and the European Union, including a proposal by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to make Canada the EU’s first “associate member.”As part of the next phase of its Europe strategy, EDC is opening new offices in France and Sweden, Canada’s federal export credit agency said in a statement. A third new office in Poland is being planned for 2027, the agency added. Along with the offices in the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey, these offices will help put EDC and Canadian businesses “closer to European buyers, investors, financial institutions and strategic partners,” EDC said. Story continues below advertisement

Honda employees work along the vehicle assembly line before an event announcing plans for a Honda electric vehicle battery plant in Alliston, Ont., on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Canada’s plan to fast-track major projects is putting mounting pressure on a workforce already struggling to meet demand, two Liberal MPs responsible for supporting Ottawa’s labour and industry agendas said Wednesday.  Leslie Church, parliamentary secretary to the minister of jobs, said the federal government’s push to develop key nation-building projects is making long-standing weaknesses in Canada’s labour force harder to ignore.

American officials have privately confided “concerns” with U. S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance towards Canada, MPs on the House of Commons’ foreign affairs committee were told Monday. Niall Cronin, the director general of Global Affairs Canada’s North America bureau, told MPs that Canada has a network of diplomats that spend a considerable amount of time arguing Canada’s side of the conflict with American politicians and business leaders. “What we’ve heard from our network in the United States is broad support for the Canada-U. S. relationship and affection for Canada and understanding of the benefits that a relationship with Canada brings to the United States,” Cronin said. “We’ve also heard people raise their concerns with some of the steps the (Trump) administration has taken, in private. Few are willing to be more public about it, and that’s their decision.”“But our network across the United States spends a lot of its time raising awareness about the benefits of the trading relationship, the security partnership and other aspects of the relationship, and has a very receptive audience from a number of sections across the United States,” Cronin added.