Juno News - May 21, 2025


Carney's stance towards Israel earns praise from Hamas


Episode Stats

Length

10 minutes

Words per Minute

163.42142

Word Count

1,645

Sentence Count

85


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Hamas has thanked Canada, the UK, and France after they threatened Israel,
00:00:09.780 drawing international backlash, earning the praise of a terror group.
00:00:13.720 Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne claims most U.S. tariffs remain,
00:00:17.940 despite Prime Minister Mark Carney's order to exempt many affected products.
00:00:21.920 A week after his housing minister said real estate prices don't need to drop,
00:00:26.180 Carney dodged the question, calling it, quote, not a yes or no issue.
00:00:30.820 Hello, Canada. It's Wednesday, May 21st, and this is the True North Daily Brief.
00:00:35.240 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:36.580 And I'm Jeff May.
00:00:37.600 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.
00:00:40.460 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:48.660 After the leaders of Canada, the UK, and France sent out a joint statement condemning Israel
00:00:54.600 and threatening, quote, concrete action if it doesn't stop military operations in Gaza,
00:01:00.140 the globally recognized terrorist entity Hamas publicly expressed its gratitude to the Western leaders.
00:01:06.240 Hamas released an official statement thanking Prime Ministers Mark Carney,
00:01:10.580 Keir Starmer, and President Emmanuel Macron for their joint statement of condemnation against Israel on Monday,
00:01:17.660 marking the second time Hamas has publicly thanked Canada.
00:01:21.240 The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel plans on, quote,
00:01:27.040 taking control of all of Gaza on Monday and to open a humanitarian supply of food into Gaza from its borders.
00:01:34.320 Hamas said it, quote, welcomed the joint statement and called it a significant step in the right direction.
00:01:39.720 The terrorist group said the declaration reflects a, quote,
00:01:42.620 principled stance against the Israeli occupation and Zionist plans of genocide and forced displacement.
00:01:48.100 It said the statement from the world leaders was, quote,
00:01:51.100 an important step towards restoring the principles of international law,
00:01:54.640 which it said have been systematically undermined by the terrorist government of Netanyahu.
00:01:59.720 Carney released a statement Monday saying the leaders, quote,
00:02:02.560 strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza
00:02:06.400 and that Israel's stating it would allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate.
00:02:11.860 The leaders also called on Hamas to release hostages it has held since October 7th, 2023.
00:02:18.320 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released his own statement condemning the joint declaration by Canada, the UK and France.
00:02:25.100 It said the leaders are offering a huge prize to Hamas for its, quote,
00:02:28.980 genocidal attack on October 7th.
00:02:31.080 So, Jeff, is Carney treading a similar path to that of his predecessor,
00:02:35.040 former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, when it comes to foreign policy in the Middle East?
00:02:38.800 Mark Carney's approach to Middle Eastern foreign policy diverges significantly from Justin Trudeau's more balanced stance during his tenure.
00:02:46.580 Trudeau's government, while critical of Israel at times, often sought a middle ground,
00:02:50.380 condemning Hamas's actions while supporting Israel's right to self-defense.
00:02:54.440 For instance, Trudeau's administration voted against UN resolutions condemning Israel's violations of Palestinian rights until 2019,
00:03:01.900 when it began supporting them and welcomed in the 2020 Abraham Accords as a positive step towards Middle Eastern peace.
00:03:08.440 Trudeau also convened the Incident Response Group in 2023 to address Hamas's attacks on Israel,
00:03:14.640 unequivocally condemning the group while expressing concern for civilian lives on both sides.
00:03:19.340 Carney, however, appears to be taking a more assertive stance against Israel,
00:03:23.180 aligning with progressive international voices but risking criticism for tilting too far.
00:03:27.460 His statement with Starmer and Macron not only strongly opposes Israel's operations,
00:03:31.820 but threatens concrete action, which is a sharper tone than Trudeau's typically adopted.
00:03:35.980 While Carney also called for Hamas to release hostages taken on October 7th,
00:03:40.600 the statement's focus on Israel's actions and Hamas's subsequent gratitude suggests a shift towards a more critical view of Israel,
00:03:47.480 potentially at the expense of the balanced diplomacy Trudeau pursued.
00:03:50.740 Carney's approach seems to prioritize international law and humanitarian concerns.
00:03:57.380 Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne insists that the federal government has retained the bulk of its retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.
00:04:04.160 despite an order by Prime Minister Mark Carney to exempt a large swath of impacted products.
00:04:09.240 While the tariffs are still technically in place, Oxford Economics revealed that the carve-outs announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney
00:04:15.360 effectively nullified most of the levies Canada had imposed on trade with America.
00:04:19.920 Canada hit the U.S. with several retaliatory tariffs in March,
00:04:23.160 implementing 25 percent across-the-board tariffs with a further round of tariffs levied in April.
00:04:27.880 The first suite of tariffs involved new import taxes of 25 percent on about $60 billion in U.S. goods,
00:04:34.260 before adding additional levies against American vehicles in early April.
00:04:38.260 Despite previously pledging to support maximum impact trade measures,
00:04:42.320 Carney decided with his cabinet to exempt certain goods while still on the campaign trail.
00:04:46.640 Carney's exemptions cancel out nearly all of the retaliatory tariffs that both he and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had introduced in response to the Trump administration.
00:04:54.660 Champagne said that 70 percent of the counter-tariffs implemented in March currently remain in place
00:04:59.460 after Conservative leader Pierre Polyev shared Oxford's findings.
00:05:03.080 The tariff exemptions mark a stark contrast from Carney's heavily-pushed elbows-up message.
00:05:07.940 While on the federal election campaign trail, which was well-received by many Canadians,
00:05:12.320 Champagne quietly implemented a six-month tariff exemption during the middle of the campaign on April 15th,
00:05:18.100 with the Government of Canada only officially publishing the announcement on May 7th,
00:05:22.040 more than a week after the federal election concluded.
00:05:24.220 The exemptions included products used in Canadian manufacturing, processing, and food and beverage packaging.
00:05:29.720 Automakers such as General Motors were also permitted to import select vehicles into Canada without being tariffed.
00:05:35.200 Isaac, were there any other interesting findings that Oxford Economics pointed out in their report?
00:05:39.440 Yeah, Jeff. Obviously, the most important thing raised and highlighted in the report was that
00:05:44.900 retaliatory tariffs were more of a slogan and a mirage than a tangible substance that Carney quickly and quietly removed.
00:05:52.460 However, many retaliatory tariffs remain on food, which have been negatively affected by counter-tariffs,
00:06:00.100 an issue explained in depth online by Dr. Sylvain Charbois, a.k.a. The Food Professor.
00:06:07.420 Food inflation rose at a greater rate than any other industry.
00:06:11.020 In fact, overall inflation in Canada rose more slowly in April than it did in March,
00:06:16.940 thanks to the consumer carbon tax being lowered to zero dollars.
00:06:20.600 However, food prices saw a 3.8% annual increase in April,
00:06:25.040 and prices for food have increased ahead of the rest of the consumer price index for the past three months.
00:06:30.240 And meanwhile, food inflation has cooled in the United States while it has skyrocketed in Canada.
00:06:35.540 The food professor said, quote,
00:06:37.460 The root causes are increasingly evident.
00:06:40.420 Ottawa's earlier decision to implement counter-tariffs disrupted long-standing North American procurement systems.
00:06:46.420 In response, Canadian grocers began pivoting away from U.S. suppliers,
00:06:50.860 particularly in categories like fresh produce and frozen foods,
00:06:54.480 and turned to costlier or less efficient alternatives.
00:06:57.680 The results are now showing up on the grocery bill.
00:07:00.520 Taking it back to Oxford Economics, though,
00:07:02.660 they predict that the Canadian economy will enter a recession this year,
00:07:07.320 while predicting that inflation will actually rise to 3% in 2026,
00:07:11.940 despite the consumer carbon taxes removal lessening the blow for now.
00:07:18.640 A week after Canada's new housing minister said housing prices don't need to go down,
00:07:24.160 Prime Minister Mark Carney said it isn't a yes or no question when pressed on his own position on the cost of housing.
00:07:29.640 Despite his recent appointment as housing minister under Carney,
00:07:33.340 Gregor Robertson stated last week that lowering housing prices was not his goal.
00:07:38.580 When questioned about lowering housing prices,
00:07:40.960 Minister Robertson disagreed with that idea.
00:07:44.380 He emphasized that his main goal was to increase the number of homes available and stabilize the market.
00:07:49.680 At the same time, Robertson said his government would make housing more affordable.
00:07:54.160 Asked in Rome during a media event at Pope Leo XIV's inaugural mass whether housing prices should decrease,
00:08:01.060 Carney evaded the question, saying that it's not a simple yes or no issue.
00:08:05.960 He explained that the answer depends on the time frame and the specific type of housing.
00:08:10.820 Carney said his government's priority is to make housing more affordable rather than solely bringing costs down.
00:08:17.300 He vowed several policies to lower prices,
00:08:19.600 including some borrowed from the Conservative platform during the election.
00:08:22.860 So, Jeff, how do most Canadians view housing prices and what do recent polls on the issue say?
00:08:29.360 Most Canadians view housing prices with significant concern,
00:08:32.500 seeing them as a major barrier to affordability and home ownership.
00:08:36.360 A 2024 survey by Habitat for Humanity Canada revealed that 70% of Canadians believe owning a home has become impossible,
00:08:44.260 with Gen Z particularly worried, 73% expressing anxiety about saving enough for a down payment.
00:08:49.900 The survey also found that 78% think the inability to own a home is widening the wealth gap,
00:08:55.460 and 82% say the lack of affordable housing is shrinking the middle class,
00:08:59.680 reflecting widespread frustration with high housing costs across demographics.
00:09:04.020 Recent polls further underscore this sentiment.
00:09:06.380 A Leger poll from August 2024 showed that 67% of Canadians feel housing prices are too high,
00:09:11.940 with 45% specifically calling for government action to bring prices down,
00:09:16.080 rather than just increasing supply or stabilizing the market, as Gregor Robertson emphasized.
00:09:21.220 Additionally, a WAHI survey from earlier this year indicated that 61% of Canadians prefer single-family homes with backyards,
00:09:28.540 which are often the most expensive and least available, adding a pressure on prices.
00:09:32.520 These polls highlight a clear public demand for lower housing costs,
00:09:36.840 contrasting with Carney's nuanced, not-a-yes-or-no stance,
00:09:40.560 and Robertson's focus on supply over price reduction,
00:09:43.700 suggesting a disconnect between the government's approach and Canadians' expectations.
00:09:50.940 That's it for today, folks.
00:09:52.640 Thanks for tuning in.
00:09:53.920 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify.
00:09:58.980 Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a 5-star rating and please leave a review.