In the news today: Carney to meet other leaders at United Nations

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

Carney to meet other leaders at United Nations

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday after joining other nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood as the institution faces pushback from the Trump administration over efforts to condemn the turmoil in the Middle East.

The United Kingdom, Australia and Portugal joined Canada in recognizing an independent Palestinian state on Sunday before leaders from around the world descended on New York City for the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly this week. Other nations are expected to join the internationally co-ordinated effort.

Israel and the Trump administration have condemned the move, saying it will embolden Hamas — the group that led the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — and make it more difficult to negotiate a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

The United States has blocked multiple UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages saying they doesn’t go far enough in condemning Hamas. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials ahead of the General Assembly.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Canada and other U.S. allies recognizing a Palestinian state by saying that “will not happen” and accusing the countries of offering a “prize” to Hamas.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canada needs new markets for food, drinks: report

Farm Credit Canada has identified $12 billion in food and beverage exports that could be shifted away from the U.S. market as cross-border trade comes under continued strain.

The Crown corporation, which provides financing and other services to the agriculture industry, says U.S. tariffs have introduced uncertainty to a relationship that has historically been of benefit to Canada’s agriculture and food sector.

The proposed strategy outlined in a new report aims to reduce Canada’s U.S. market dependence for food and beverage exports to half of 2023 levels.

FCC says it can be done by strengthening interprovincial trade, leveraging existing trade agreements and establishing new international trading partnerships.

The agency estimates $2.6 billion in current food and beverage exports to the U.S. could be redirected to meet Canadian demand, and $9.4 billion to European and Asian markets.

Fossil fuel output threatens climate target: report

Canada and other major fossil fuel-producing countries are derailing the world’s chance to hit key targets to rein in climate change, a new international report suggests, with 2030 production levels expected to be more than double what would be compatible with the Paris Agreement.

While some countries have committed to a clean energy transition, others appear to be turning back to “an outdated fossil-fuel dependent playbook,” the report says.

“The continued collective failure of governments to curb fossil fuel production and lower global emissions means that future production will need to decline more steeply to compensate,” reads the Production Gap Report produced by three climate research non-profits.

The report suggests countries are now planning to produce 120 per cent more fossil fuels in 2030 than is consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees, and 77 per cent more than what’s aligned with a two-degree limit. That production gap – the difference between the cuts required to keep emissions in check and planned production – is even bigger than two years ago, the report said.

Coal still has the biggest gap, with 2030 production levels expected to be 500 per cent above a pathway to 1.5 degrees, and 330 per cent above two degrees, the report found. Global oil and gas production are 31 per cent and 92 per cent higher, respectively, than what’s consistent with a 1.5-degree target, or 16 per cent and 33 per cent higher than a two-degree pathway.

Those temperature guardrails enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement are intended to avoid some of the most catastrophic and irreversible climate impacts. The more ambitious 1.5-degree target was pushed by small island nations and backed by an emerging scientific consensus, which showed it would reduce the risks of extreme heat, sea level rise and coastal flooding.

Ten years later, studies suggest that 1.5-degree target could soon be breached, with scientists urging countries do whatever they can to reduce further warming and put in measures to eventually bring down global temperatures.

Trump officials praise Charlie Kirk’s faith and his mark on the conservative movement

President Donald Trump praised Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom as he and other prominent conservatives gathered Sunday evening to honour the slain conservative political activist whose work they say they must now advance.

The memorial service for Kirk, whom Trump credits with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory, drew tens of thousands of mourners, including Vice President JD Vance, other senior administration officials and young conservatives shaped by the 31-year-old firebrand.

Speakers highlighted Kirk’s profound faith and his strong belief that young conservatives need to get married, have children and pass on their values to keep building their movement. They also repeatedly told conservative activists, sometimes in forceful tones, that the best way to honour Kirk was doubling down on his mission to move American politics further to the right.

Kirk’s assassination at a Sept. 10 appearance on a Utah college campus has set off a fierce debate about violence, decency and free speech in an era of deep political division.

The shooting has stirred fear among some Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents.

Top court weighing $2M Kanesatake debt

Canada’s top court is currently weighing a $2-million dispute that has embroiled a Quebec lawyer and a Montreal-area Mohawk community for more than two decades.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the case, which may be handed down this fall, could effectively cancel a debt owed to the lawyer by the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake since 2004.

Alternatively, the court could rule that the lawyer’s bill still stands, though the council says it has little hope of paying off a debt that’s now worth roughly three times its original amount.

The origins of the dispute date back to 2001, when the band council hired Louis-Victor Sylvestre to help it fight a planned niobium mine in Oka, Que. Sylvestre did work for the band between 2001 and 2003, including representing the council during a 32-day tribunal hearing. The mine project never materialized.

Sylvestre charged the band $536,000 for his work. Five experts retained to help with the case charged an additional $162,000. Simon claimed the council had expected a much smaller bill, and was unable to pay what Sylvestre asked.

Kanesatake has never paid the bill. With interest, the total owed to Sylvestre and the other experts is now around $2 million.

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

The Canadian Press