In the news today: Partial U.S. tariff pause offers little relief

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

Partial U.S. tariff pause offers little relief

U.S. President Donald Trump’s stiff duties have been temporarily paused on some Canadian products, bringing little relief as the tariff threat continues to hang over America’s closest neighbour.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday delaying tariffs on goods that meet the rules of origin requirements under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, and lowering levies on potash to 10 per cent, until April 2.

Ottawa responded by suspending a planned second wave of retaliatory tariffs.

Markets have been in turmoil since Trump followed through Tuesday on his threat to impose a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, with a lower 10 per cent charge on Canadian energy.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says businesses on both sides of the border need more certainty.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

StatCan set to release February jobs numbers today

Statistics Canada is expected to release unemployment figures for February today.

Economists polled by Reuters expect a gain of 20,000 jobs in the month, and for the unemployment rate to have ticked higher to 6.7 per cent.

RBC Economics expects the unemployment rate held steady at 6.6 per cent in February and calls for a gain of 15,000 jobs.

Canadian employers have largely kept up the pace of hiring in recent months, bringing the unemployment rate down from a recent high of 6.9 per cent in November.

The labour force survey will offer a glimpse of how Canadian businesses were reacting to threats of a trade war with the United States before tariffs came into effect earlier this week.

Top court to weigh in on Ontario election ad rules

The Supreme Court of Canada is set to release its decision today about third-party election advertising rules in Ontario that limit spending.

Before 2021, third parties in Ontario could spend up to $600,000 on advertising in the six months before a provincial election call.

That year, Premier Doug Ford’s government stretched that restricted spending period to one year while keeping the spending limit the same.

The Progressive Conservative government argued the extended restriction was necessary to protect elections from outside influence, but critics said it amounted to the government trying to silence criticism ahead of the 2022 provincial election.

Teachers’ unions challenged the law, which a lower court struck down and the province responded by tabling a new bill with the controversial notwithstanding clause – but that decision was then successfully challenged on appeal.

N.B. wrongful conviction details expected today

Police in New Brunswick are expected to release long-awaited details today about an investigation into why two men spent years in prison for a murder they didn’t commit.

The Saint John Police Force says it will publicly release a summary of the report from the investigation later today.

Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie were convicted of a 1983 murder in Saint John, N.B., and exonerated in January 2024 after a court ruled they had been victims of a miscarriage of justice.

Innocence Canada, which led the fight to exonerate the men, has alleged that the convictions were the result of police tunnel vision, non-disclosure of important evidence, recantations by the Crown’s key witnesses, and a disregard for the men’s strong alibis.

Gillespie spent 21 years in prison and died last April, months after he was exonerated.

Tech workers stepping back from Women’s Day events

When International Women’s Day arrives on Saturday, Christa Hill won’t be at any of the many celebrations marking the occasion.

The Calgary-based co-founder of tech education company Tacit Edge is abstaining from the March 8 gatherings because she finds they often create a “veneer” that falsely makes attendees feel corporate Canada is working together to improve conditions for women.

Hill and many others in the tech industry backing away from the events this year say their choice isn’t meant to give the impression that women shouldn’t be celebrated. In fact, they think the opposite: women should be supported more.

They maintain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts should be year-round and touch every level of corporate Canada rather than be hived off as “performative,” annual celebrations hosted and attended by women instead of the people most able to make change.

If the country sticks with this pattern, they fear it won’t just be stalled progress they’re coping with but an outright regression.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 7, 2025.

The Canadian Press