Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Liberal and Tory MPs from the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group are heading to Taiwan in the fall despite an angry reaction from the Chinese Communist Party. Judy Sgro, the Liberal chair of the group, said it's "extremely important" to visit the island democracy. Chinese Ambassador to Canada Wang Di, however, said the visit will be "hurtful" to Canada-China relations. Sgro said she has not been granted, and nor did she seek, permission from Mark Carney to visit Taiwan.
MPs plan official Taiwan visit as Beijing blasts 'hurtful' trips, bars New Zealanders https://t.co/RjbKP97iQM
— CTV News (@CTVNews) June 9, 2026
Mark Carney's talk of uniting "middle powers" such as Canada in opposition to US dominance is "colliding with a stubborn reality," according to a new article from Reuters. That reality is that "access to American markets remains a crucial part of Canada's appeal to prospective trading partners." According to Reuters, Canadian officials told the news outlet that "the main draw for many potential trading partners is the prospect of gaining tariff-free access to the world's largest market through Canada's participation in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement."
Mark Carney's trade push collides with reality of US dependence https://t.co/32bTpZSWSV https://t.co/32bTpZSWSV
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 9, 2026
According to the Financial Times, meanwhile, Mark Carney is now trying harder to get closer to the US after more than a year of giving the country the cold shoulder, with the prime minister "willing to accept tougher conditions to trade in North America" in exchange. Canada remains "frozen out" of talks over the CUSMA free trade deal, the paper adds, while the US has expressed displeasure at Carney's "rekindling" of relations with China.
Canada tries to edge back into US trade talks with Trumpian sales pitch https://t.co/EPDXtYpdmD
— Financial Times (@FT) June 8, 2026
In more US-Canada news, the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Ontario and Michigan is set to open at the end of this week, according to Mark Carney. The prime minister described the "positive news" as "a symbol but also a fact of co-operation between our countries." The bridge, paid for entirely by Canadian taxpayers, was put in doubt after Donald Trump said in February it would be blocked "until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them."
Confirming this week’s opening of Gordie Howe Bridge, Carney calls it ‘positive news’ https://t.co/1SrFOhb9ei
— AM800 CKLW (@AM800CKLW) June 9, 2026
Quebec separatists have said they will withdraw from the Alto high-speed rail line if they are elected in the province in October. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the Parti Québécois, said he will prevent the building of the Liberals' mega project – which is supposed to connect Quebec City to Toronto – because it's more important to connect Quebecers to each other than to Ontario.
UN GOUVERNEMENT DU PARTI QUÉBÉCOIS SE RETIRERA DU PROJET DE TGV FÉDÉRAL, UN FIASCO FINANCIER À 200 MILLIARDS DE DOLLARS, AFIN DE PRIORISER L’ENTRETIEN DES INFRASTRUCTURES VÉTUSTES
— Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) June 9, 2026
Au Parti Québécois, on se bat contre le gaspillage depuis des années. Et depuis des années, on… pic.twitter.com/oA0ReqhE8m
