In the news: Canadian consulate in Greenland to open Friday, Canada’s Black history

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

Greenland consulate could boost ties with Canada

The launch of a new Canadian diplomatic mission in Greenland is sparking hopes for more collaboration on climate change, Inuit rights and defence in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to officially open the new consulate Friday in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, where the Canadian consulate has been operating quietly for several weeks.

“This should have happened 300 years ago,” said Aaju Peter, an Inuit lawyer and artist in Iqaluit who was born in Greenland.

“We can learn so much from exchanges and working together.”

Trump not to blame for all Canada’s woes: Harper

Former prime minister Stephen Harper says Canada must adapt to new geopolitical realities, arguing that many of the country’s difficulties can’t be blamed on U.S. President Donald Trump.

Harper made remarks in front of a crowd of conservatives in downtown Ottawa on Wednesday for a gala dinner marking the 20th anniversary of his government.

In his speech, Harper said Canada is facing a unique challenge — a hostile U.S. government that has openly questioned Canadian sovereignty, broken trade commitments and that regularly makes threats against the country.

However, he said that while Canadians have been “shocked, bewildered and angry,” the country must focus on policy, not emotion.

Feds expected to announce EV strategy today

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce new electric vehicle policies today, including a revival of the popular EV rebates for consumers.

Government and industry sources, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details ahead of the announcement, say the strategy will scrap the electric vehicle sales mandate in favour of new vehicle emissions standards.

The mandate was to have required 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold be electric starting this year, rising to 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.

But under pressure from provinces and automakers, Carney paused that plan last fall and ordered a review, resulting in today’s announcement.

Auto repair costs rising amid tech advancements

Independent auto repair shops are increasingly facing roadblocks in offering cost-effective services and maintenance as vehicles become more technologically advanced, a new report suggests.

The study the Automotive Industries Association of Canada commissioned MNP to undertake shows a lack of repair information is keeping independent shops from providing timely services to their clients. Repair information can also often be paywalled or hidden, which increases repair costs, showed the report published Thursday.

“Traditionally, consumers have always had the right to choose where they get their vehicle serviced,” said Emily Holtby, the association’s vice-president of government relations.

“That is becoming harder and harder for independent shops because they need to access very specific data to service those vehicles,” she said, adding that manufacturers often decide how to disseminate data to independent shops.

Canadians feel health care has deteriorated: survey

A new survey suggests Canadians feel the health-care system has deteriorated over the last decade as they increasingly struggle to access family doctors and encounter hurdles to seeing specialists.

The Angus Reid Institute survey released Thursday compares the results of more than 4,000 respondents between Nov. 26 and Dec. 1, 2025, to a survey it conducted in 2015.

The latest results say half of respondents reported that they either don’t have a family doctor or struggle to see the one they do have.

That marks a 25 per cent increase in difficulty accessing a family doctor since 2015.

Carney cites ‘injustice’ in Canada’s Black history

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the history of Black Canadians is one of “injustice met with resilience.”

Speaking at an event marking 30 years of Black History Month in Canada on Wednesday night, Carney said that while Canadian principles now celebrate diversity, the country hasn’t always lived up to that promise.

He acknowledged in his speech at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., that slavery existed in the colonies that would become Canada, and even when that dark period ended, segregation did not.

“It’s a story that must reckon with both the shadow and the light. The challenges of Black history are not chapters we can consign to another country’s past,” Carney said.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2026

The Canadian Press