In the news today: Gas tax pause, Canada Post voting begins, Mary Simon visits UN

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

Federal pause on gasoline, diesel tax takes effect today, after Iran fuel price spike

Ottawa’s temporary suspension of some fuel taxes kicks in today, with Canadians likely to save 10 cents per litre on regular gasoline, and four cents on a litre of diesel.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last week a pause on those fuel excise taxes up until Labour Day, with his Liberals calling it a prudent way to tame prices at the pumps at a cost of roughly $2.4 billion.

The Opposition Conservatives argue this isn’t enough to meet rising energy costs, calling for the pause to extend to the end of the year, as well as an end to clean-fuel standards and the industrial carbon tax.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to wage a war against Iran alongside Israel has sent global energy costs surging.

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Postal workers start voting on 5-year contract, strike mandate after labour strife

Canada Post workers start voting today on a five-year contract agreement that follows years of labour strife and their union leader urging they reject the deal.

The 55,000 employees represented by Canadian Union of Postal Workers can vote starting today until May 30 on whether to ratify an agreement with the Crown corporation.

Canada Post and the union have sparred over wages and structural changes to the postal service for more than two years, and workers have taken to the picket line multiple times.

While 60 per cent of the union board endorsed the contract saying it ensures job security, the union’s president is asking members to reject the deal, saying it rolls back rights and compensation.

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Gov. Gen. Mary Simon at United Nations to talk Indigenous rights

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and other Indigenous leaders are heading to the United Nations today to stress the importance of its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The forum comes as the use of the declaration in Canada has come under fire and after some governments have attempted to water down its application following court rulings that cited it.

DRIPA’s use in Canada has come under fire and some governments have attempted to water down its application after courts cited it in their rulings.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the UN declaration affirms First Nations rights as human rights, and that no government can “extinguish, amend or suspend” them and remain a respected member of the international community.

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Canada, Mercosur aiming to sign free trade deal this year: Brazilian official

Eight years after Canada launched free trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc of South American nations, a Brazilian official says an agreement is on track to be signed by the end of the year.

Paula Barboza, with Brazil’s ministry of foreign affairs, says while negotiations have been ongoing for several years, there’s now a “political push” to move things along.

The Mercosur bloc includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said earlier this year that Carney accepted an invitation to visit Brazil in April, though Barboza says she does not have confirmation of when that visit might take place.

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Water levels on Ottawa River expected to peak as spring flood concerns grow

Dozens of homes and streets are at risk of flooding as water levels on the Ottawa River are predicted to rise this morning by roughly 30 centimetres.

Emergency officials in Gatineau, Que., have said 164 homes are at risk of flooding and 41 streets are closed as crews respond to the threat.

The city is among several communities in Quebec and Ontario watching closely as renewed rain forecasts put pSressure on flood-prone areas.

Some parts of northeastern Ontario, such as West Nipissing and Central Manitoulin, and central Ontario’s Minden Hills are under states of emergency, with officials asking residents to prepare for possible evacuations.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press