In the news: NATO spending target hit, MP criticized over misheard comments on China

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

Canada met two per cent spending pledge: NATO

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Canada is spending roughly two per cent of its GDP on national defence — a key NATO alliance benchmark Ottawa previously failed to meet.

NATO’s annual report, released Thursday, contains estimates stating Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government met the key spending benchmark for 2025 by shelling out just over $63 billion.

Canada has come under heavy pressure in recent years from its allies — and especially from the U.S. — to dramatically ramp up its military spending.

“For the last 10 months, Canada’s new government has been working with unprecedented speed and scale,” Carney told a press conference in Halifax on Thursday. “We’re just getting started.”

Liberal MP sorry over China forced-labour remarks

MP Michael Ma, who left the Conservatives to join the Liberals, has apologized after appearing to cast doubt on reports of human rights abuses in China.

Ma said he regretted making a mistake with his remarks, while pointing out that he had referred to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, and not Xinjiang, where the Communist government has been accused of widespread abuses.

The misunderstanding about where Ma had been talking about lasted hours, consuming the rest of the parliamentary committee hearing where he made the remarks, spilling into question period and dogging Ma around Parliament Hill.

New Democrats gather to choose new leader

New Democrats from across the country are gathering in Winnipeg for the party’s convention, where a new federal party leader will be chosen by the end of the weekend.

After a six-month leadership race, voting closes on Saturday and the new leader will be announced Sunday morning.

The candidates are union leader Rob Ashton, social worker Tanille Johnston, filmmaker Avi Lewis, Alberta MP Heather McPherson and farmer Tony McQuail.

The new leader’s main job will be to lead the process of rebuilding the NDP after the party suffered its worst-ever election result last year.

Bodies of Air Canada pilots repatriated

The bodies of the two Air Canada pilots who died in a collision on a runway at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday have returned to Canada.

Pilots carried the casket of Jazz Aviation first officer Mackenzie Gunther off a plane at the Ottawa International Airport on Thursday afternoon. Capt. Antoine Forest’s body was then flown from Ottawa to Montréal Trudeau International Airport.

Hundreds of pilots and flight staff waited in the rain, lined up in front of Air Canada’s Montreal headquarters to honour Forest. The procession rolled through after sundown.

Captain Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association Canada, told journalists that the pilot community is mourning the two young aviators.

Lower cocoa prices won’t trickle down to consumers

Cocoa prices have fallen back from a price spike in recent years, much to the relief of chocolatiers — but that doesn’t mean consumers will see lower prices.

Chocolate manufacturers made fundamental changes in recent years after a perfect storm of conditions wiped out cocoa yields and pushed prices to historical highs. Cocoa futures were over US$12,000 a tonne in 2024 — four times what they had been worth a year earlier. While the initial sticker shock and shrinkflation stunned shoppers, higher prices for chocolate bars eventually became the new norm.

Then, raw cocoa became cheaper again. Cocoa futures have fallen back closer to where they were before the spike — a little over US$3,000 per tonne — as weather improved and producers saw better yields. But experts warned that the raw ingredient’s price decline is unlikely to show up at your grocery store.

Jays host A’s in anticipated 2026 season opener

The Toronto Blue Jays look to build on a captivating Major League Baseball season when they host the Athletics tonight in their 2026 season opener.

The Blue Jays took a lead into the ninth inning of Game 7 of last season’s World Series before losing 5-4 in 11 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The defending American League champions bolstered their pitching staff in the off-season with the additions of Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers, and got another potentially big bat in Japan’s Kazuma Okamoto.

They also have a big hole to fill after star shortstop Bo Bichette left for the New York Mets in free agency.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2026

The Canadian Press