Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has followed his boss in making a dramatic shift in tone when it comes to the United States, praising the country as a permanent friend and ally determined by geography and family relationships and explaining that Donald Trump is simply keeping his promises on tariffs. Coming after Mark Carney's extraordinary recent comment – that Canada could help "make America great again" – it represents a new approach from the Liberal Party, which has dedicated much of its energy since Trump's re-election in 2024 to treating the US as an antagonist and a threat to Canada's independence. LeBlanc, speaking at the US-Canada Summit in Toronto on Thursday, also said bilateral deals between Canada, the US and Mexico are also likely "adjacent to the trilateral framework."
Bilateral deals likely to be negotiated alongside continental trade pact: LeBlanc https://t.co/Bp7eF3lWa5
— CTV National News (@CTVNationalNews) June 11, 2026
Meanwhile China, widely considered the world's most consequential abuser of free trade, has urged the G7 to voice support for free trade. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing told the G7 countries – including Canada – on Thursday that "all countries should uphold openness and cooperation," adding that they should "take an objective view of the comparative advantages of different countries, foster a free and facilitative trading environment, and practice true multilateralism."
China urges economic cooperation on Macron-led call ahead of G7 summit https://t.co/Tyhedf5Fmc
— Nikkei Asia (@NikkeiAsia) June 12, 2026
Mark Carney, apparently not satisfied with declaring Canada an "energy superpower," has now declared the country an "agricultural superpower." Speaking in Toronto, the prime minister pledged $3 billion of taxpayers' cash he said would help make groceries cheaper in the long run, including by encouraging the building of greenhouses to expand the year-round domestic production of fruit and vegetables. "We are an agricultural superpower. Yet for most Canadians, it doesn’t feel like that at the checkout counter," he said.
Carney unveils $3.2 billion food security strategy to lower grocery costs https://t.co/mdWUW3aFlt
— Western Standard (@WSOnlineNews) June 11, 2026
Toronto police are in mourning today after one of their officers was killed during a raid linked to a shooting outside the US consulate in March. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, had served as an officer for 18 years before he was shot on Thursday. A 19-year-old man, Zara Jabbi, has been identified as one of the suspects, but he remains at large and considered "armed and dangerous." Another 19-year-old suspect, Nicholas Bennett, was shot during the incident and is set to be charged. The US has linked the shooting in March to a dual Iranian-Iraqi man who has been accused of leading a terror network in Western countries including Canada.
A Toronto Police Officer Is Dead, a Toronto Jail Official Was Marked for Murder, a Hells Angel Was Indicted as Tehran's Hired Gun: Inside Canada's State-Cartel Violence Marketplace https://t.co/o8XkfARMjq
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) June 12, 2026
The "grace" shown to Mark Carney by Canadians is "waning," according to a new study by Angus Reid Institute. The think tank's survey found a "third straight decline" in approval for the prime minister among voters, though his rating still remains high at 55 per cent. "The gap between Carney's approval and the share who believe Canada is on the right track — just 31 per cent — points to deeper unease about the country's direction even among those who like the prime minister personally," the pollster said. The survey puts the Liberal Party on 41 per cent, ahead of the Tories on 36 per cent.
Federal Politics: Canadians cooling on Carney as gap narrows between Liberals and CPC - Angus Reid Institute https://t.co/yEmNildLzA
— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) June 12, 2026
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