In the news today: Trudeau set to visit King Charles before trip home

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

Trudeau set to visit King Charles before trip home

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planned to meet with King Charles today before leaving London for Ottawa.

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Trudeau was in London for a weekend security summit, making Canada the only non-European nation represented in talks on how to ensure a possible Ukraine ceasefire actually holds.

Analysts say Trudeau’s visit was meant to maintain Canada’s role in the transatlantic alliance, despite U.S. President Donald Trump pulling back from NATO and blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion.

Trudeau said he would raise matters with the King that are most important to Canadians, adding that Canada’s sovereignty and independence seem to be atop the public’s mind.

The visit would likely involve a helicopter ride to the Sandringham estate before Trudeau makes his way home to Ottawa.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canada braces for Trump’s expected tariffs

Canada is bracing to see whether U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his threats of economy-wide tariffs — or whether another last-minute pause materializes, averting a North American trade war.

Trump’s executive order to implement 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian products, with a lower 10 per cent levy on energy, was delayed until Tuesday after Canada agreed to introduce new security measures at the border.

Despite boosted border efforts and a weeks-long diplomatic push by Canadian officials in Washington, Trump said last Thursday the steep duties would move forward.

It remains unclear what Canada could do to persuade the U.S. president to drop the tariff threats for good.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said if the levies go into force, Ottawa will revive its previously announced plan for retaliatory tariffs.

Can B.C. budget cushion shock of Trump earthquake?

British Columbia’s government has had plenty of early warning about the economic earthquake — epicentre, Washington, D.C. — that could rock the province on the same day Finance Minister Brenda Bailey delivers her first budget in Victoria.

While the exact magnitude remains uncertain, experts and economists say the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs will have Bailey handing down one of the most consequential budgets for the province in recent memory on Tuesday.

It’s the same day that Trump has said he will impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian exports, in what Premier David Eby has called a “declaration of economic war.”

The province has already cancelled a promised $1,000 grocery rebate and frozen some public-sector hiring as it braces for a trade war against what Eby called an “outsized and significantly more powerful foe.”

Jairo Yunis, director of policy with the Business Council of British Columbia, said members are anxious about the tariff uncertainties, and many are looking to the budget to “walk the talk” of strengthening B.C. as a value proposition for investors.

Infrastructure Bank touts energy, trade projects

The head of the Canada Infrastructure Bank says the power and export-enabling projects the Crown corporation backs are more crucial than ever as trade tumult intensifies with the United States.

“In the face of lots of uncertainty, the one thing you can know is that we’re going to need that electricity, energy and trade infrastructure in the future even more,” said Ehren Cory.

Cory’s comments come against the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose sweeping tariffs on his country’s neighbours and musings about making Canada the “51st state.” A federal election call is also looming in Canada.

The infrastructure bank, created in 2017 with $35 billion in capital, invests in revenue-generating projects that are deemed to be in the public good, but would have trouble getting off the ground with private-sector money alone. Ottawa sets out broad priorities for the arm’s-length agency, and one of its current focus areas is clean power generation, storage and transmission.

The bank has allocated $10 billion to the clean power sector and expects to invest in some 30 renewable projects over the next three years. Its investments in the clean energy space include hydroelectric, wind, solar and nuclear projects in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the three northern territories. Two in Nova Scotia involved loans to Indigenous communities for ownership stakes in energy projects.

Nurses, midwives can help treat perinatal depression: study

A new study says nurses, midwives and doulas can treat depression and anxiety symptoms experienced during pregnancy and after delivery.

The clinical trial, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, suggests training non-mental health specialists in short-term behavioural therapy can make treatment available for people who don’t have a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Lead author Dr. Daisy Singla from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says depression and anxiety symptoms affect one in five women who are pregnant or postpartum in Canada and the U.S.

The researchers randomly assigned 1,230 participants to eight sessions of behavioural activation therapy delivered by either a mental health specialist or a non-mental health specialist who had received training on the treatment.

The participants were also randomly assigned to receive the therapy — where the provider helps patients to refocus negative thoughts and behaviours into positive actions — either in-person or virtually.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press