In the news today: Health ministers meeting, more tariffs could be coming

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

Health ministers to speak after meetings

The country’s health ministers are wrapping up two days of meetings in Halifax today with a busy agenda.

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The in-person talks come as health systems are strained, and millions of Canadians don’t have a family doctor.

Ministers are set to talk about health data, mental health substance use and pharmaceuticals, among other topics.

The NDP is pushing federal Health Minister Mark Holland to sign deals with his counterparts to begin the first phase of pharmacare coverage.

The health ministers are set to hold a press conference this afternoon.

More tariff threats could be coming, senators hear

The man U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen to oversee his tariff agenda says hitting Canada with 25 per cent across-the-board duties would be an emergency measure to achieve border security — and could be followed by more tariffs in the future.

During Wednesday’s Senate hearing on his nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce, billionaire financier Howard Lutnick said the plan to impose duties on Canada and Mexico is distinct from Trump’s long-term tariff plans.

He said the threatened 25 per cent tariff is not a “tariff per se” but a type of domestic policy meant to force America’s neighbours to take action at the borders.

Ottawa responded to Trump’s initial threat with a $1.3-billion border security plan and some provinces have separately boosted border enforcement. But the president has since expanded his complaints about Canada far beyond border security.

Smith wants Ottawa to appoint ‘border czar’

As the threat of 25 per cent tariffs looms over Canada, Alberta’s premier says Ottawa should appoint a “border czar” to work collaboratively with the United States.

Danielle Smith told reporters Wednesday that a Canadian border czar would work with American counterpart Tom Homan to crack down on fentanyl and illegal crossings — something U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said is a major issue.

Smith said having a border czar, on top of a $1.3-billion border security plan pledged by Ottawa, would further help Canada’s chances to avoid the tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose on Saturday.

Sentence for ex-priest who abused Inuit children

A judge is set to sentence a former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to indecent assault against seven Inuit children more than four decades ago.

Crown and defence lawyers have jointly recommended a six-year prison sentence for Eric Dejaeger, who is 77.

Court heard the assaults on six girls and one boy took place between 1978 and 1982 in the hamlet of Igloolik, Nvt.

In victim impact statements last week, the five surviving complainants gave harrowing accounts of the abuse and described how it caused addiction, mental-health struggles, poor self-esteem and mistrust.

CRTC looking into inmate phone call rates

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is looking into the rates for phone calls at correctional facilities across the country, spurred by high long-distance charges that families of inmates at Ontario jails had to pay for years.

A proposed class-action lawsuit against the province and Bell, which ran the phone system in the province’s jails from 2013 to 2021, alleges that the charges were exorbitant, with a flat rate of $1 for local calls and about $1 per minute plus a $2.50 connection fee for long-distance calls.

One of the lead plaintiffs in the proposed class action had some monthly phone bills of over $1,000 from the collect calls he received while his son was in solitary confinement, he wrote in an affidavit.

Clandestine climbers flock to St. Joseph’s Oratory

A Catholic shrine that is one of Montreal’s most recognizable landmarks is attracting a new kind of pilgrim.

Since last summer, St. Joseph’s Oratory has been struggling to deal with a steady stream of urban explorers — trespassers, often young, looking to scale the cross that sits atop the church’s massive dome.

Adventurers and thrill-seekers have been surreptitiously climbing the dome and other historic structures around Montreal for years. But Céline Barbeau, spokesperson for the oratory, said now people are breaking in almost every weekend, likely drawn to the site by social media posts from other climbers.

“It’s one of the iconic monuments of Montreal,” she said. “The oratory is the highest point in the city. It’s a heritage building that everyone knows. So to climb this dome … and even manage to go up the cross, I think it’s just an act of daring.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025

The Canadian Press