In the news today: Trade war to dominate meeting with premiers, PM

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Trade war to dominate meeting with premiers, PM

The growing trade war with the United States will be top of the agenda when Canada’s premiers meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney today.

The premiers say they want to hear more about Carney’s plans to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Aug. 1 deadline to get a trade deal done.

In a letter to Carney on July 10, Trump threatened to impose 35-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods by Aug. 1, setting a new deadline for trade talks that were supposed to have wrapped up by now.

Carney said last week a trade deal with the U.S. will likely include some tariffs, and that he expects talks to intensify ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline.

The premiers also say they hope to learn more about possible nation-building projects Carney is considering.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Thousands fled Jasper wildfire one year ago

Today marks one year since roughly 25,000 tourists and residents of Jasper, Alta., were forced to flee on a single highway, after several runaway fires were discovered in Jasper National Park.

There’s expected to be solemn reflection in the beloved mountain town, as events are held to remember the evacuation and the flames that incinerated neighbourhoods two days later.

A third of the town’s structures were destroyed despite firefighters’ best efforts.

It’s estimated about 2,000 people were displaced by the fire.

A ceremony is scheduled with Mayor Richard Ireland and federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski.

Volunteers missing work to fight Newfoundland fire

Volunteer firefighters are on the front lines of a roaring wildfire that has forced hundreds to flee their homes in rural Newfoundland, and some battling the flames are missing work to be there.

Jason Chaulk says he was supposed to fly on Monday for Saskatchewan, where he is a rotational worker at a mine.

But the volunteer mayor and deputy fire chief in Musgrave Harbour, N.L., says he stayed home to fight the fire and help his community.

Chaulk says others in the 30-member volunteer fire crew have flown home from rotational jobs to be on the ground helping out.

The wildfire near Musgrave Harbour ignited Saturday and officials ordered residents to evacuate the following day when it crept within a kilometre of the town.

Why ‘consent’ videos show misconceptions about law

As five former Canadian world junior hockey players await a ruling in their sexual assault trial, legal experts say videos shown in court of the complainant saying she was OK with what had happened highlight a broader misunderstanding of consent and sexual assault law in Canada.

Two cellphone videos in which the woman says she’s “OK with this” and that “it was all consensual” were presented as evidence during the trial of Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Callan Foote.

All five men have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault after an encounter in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia is expected to deliver her ruling on Thursday in the case that saw consent emerge as a central issue.

Video statements such as the short clips shown in this trial aren’t necessarily evidence of consent, said University of Ottawa law professor Daphne Gilbert.

Lisa Dufraimont, a law professor at York University, said such videos could also be seen as hearsay because they don’t contain statements made under oath in court.

Alta. mom wants all eligible to get measles shot

Months after fearing she would lose her baby girl to measles, Morgan Birch says she wants Canadians to educate themselves more about the importance of vaccines.

Birch’s daughter, Kimie Fukuta-Birch, was too young to be eligible for the vaccine, which is not routinely given to children under a year old. But she feels her baby would not have been infected if more people around her had received the vaccine.

Birch, who lives in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., said she is also worried that her daughter may suffer long-term health complications as a result of her getting measles at such a young age.

Alberta has become a hot spot for measles, with the province reporting nearly 1,380 infections since the beginning of March.

This is more than the total number of cases reported in the United States.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.

The Canadian Press