In the news: Canadian perceptions of U.S. changing as new tariffs loom

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

Poll says 27% of Canadians see U.S. as an ‘enemy’

A new poll suggests that more than a quarter of Canadians — 27 per cent — now see the United States as an “enemy” country, while another 30 per cent still say they consider the U.S. an ally.

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Another 27 per cent of respondents to the Leger survey said they consider the United States to be a “neutral” country.

The poll comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to impose economically devastating tariffs on Canada and has repeatedly pushed the idea that Canada should become a U.S. state.

Sébastien Dallaire, Leger’s executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, said he was surprised “to see Canadians so divided on that front when the United States has been an ally for such a long period, and a strong ally at that.”

He said “enemy” is a “strong word.”

Trump eyeing spring start for lumber tariffs

The list of potential American tariffs that could affect Canada grew Wednesday night when U.S. President Donald Trump dropped the idea of a 25 per cent levy on lumber and forest products.

Speaking to the media onboard Air Force One, Trump said his administration was eyeing some time around April for the latest announced duty.

If the threatened 25 per cent tariff is added on top of current duties already in place, the combined total on softwood exports to the United States will be closer to the 50 or 55 per cent estimate.

Grocers respond to tariffs by seeking alternatives

Canadian grocers, large and small, are seeking alternatives to U.S. products ahead of a potential trade war while highlighting homegrown products already available on their shelves.

The two countries are in the midst of a truce that’s set to end in early March, but grocers aren’t waiting around to see what happens.

“I think this is just the new normal that we’d better get used to working with, and in some cases, ‘working with’ just means finding other, better long-term solutions that are reliable and stable,” said Gordon Dean, who owns and operates five grocery stores in Ontario and Quebec.

Crashed Delta plane cleared from Pearson runway

The wreck of a crashed Delta Air Lines jet has been cleared from a runway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The airline says removing the wreckage took several hours on Wednesday.

Delta says it could be weeks before bags from the plane are returned to their owners because of the inspection and cleaning process.

The airline has offered US$30,000 in compensation to passengers who were on the plane, saying the money “has no strings attached.”

All 76 passengers and four crew members survived when Delta Flight 4819 crash landed at Pearson on Monday.

Suspect arrested in Saskatchewan stabbings

A man has been arrested days after stabbings at three different homes on a northern Saskatchewan First Nation.

Ryan Lachance had been wanted by RCMP for charges including aggravated assault and robbery in the stabbings last Saturday on Big River First Nation.

The 29-year-old was arrested at a home on the First Nation and is now facing additional charges.

RCMP said on Tuesday that the third stabbing victim was determined to be a suspect in the first two stabbings.

Twenty-five-year-old Jacky Lachance of Big River First Nation was arrested after being released from hospital.

Bob Ezrin, Graham Greene among performing arts laureates

Music producer Bob Ezrin and actors Graham Greene and Patrick Huard are among the latest recipients of Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts.

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation announced the laureates this morning for its lifetime artistic achievement award.

They include Sandra Laronde, the founding artistic director of the Indigenous performance company Red Sky Performance, and classical composer Denis Gougeon, whose array of works includes music for solo instruments, chamber groups, orchestra, ballet and opera.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2025

The Canadian Press