In the news today: U.S. midterms today, Carney in Antigua, is AI stealing youth jobs?

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

Americans head to the polls for midterm election referendum on Trump’s tenure

Americans head to the polls Tuesday to vote in U.S. midterm elections that will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s chaotic and controversial second term.

The outcome will decide which party controls Congress and whether there will be a check on Trump’s unprecedented use of executive power over the remainder of his time in office.

Republicans have been on defence throughout this turbulent midterm campaign season, with polls showing Trump’s approval plummeting due to rising gas and diesel prices, high inflation and the war in Iran.

Polling shows Democrats are close to taking the House, where a net gain of three seats would give them a narrow majority, though control of the Senate is much less clear and the Michigan race could prove critical to Democrats’ chances of securing the net gain of four seats they need for a majority.

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‘Screwed either way’: Republican senator fights backlash over Trump tariffs in Maine

U.S. tariffs on Canada have played an outsized role in the Senate race in Maine, but experts say there may not be any relief coming for Canadians regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s midterms.

Maine, a Northeastern U.S. state bordering both Quebec and New Brunswick by land, relies heavily on Canadian trade, importing $4.1 billion in goods from Canada each year.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump started the trade war, Maine’s forest product exports to Canada have dropped by 20 per cent and caused job losses, the state’s Gov. Janet Mills said in a column in August.

Amy Fried, a former political science chair at the University of Maine, said people in Maine are appalled by what’s happened, and that Canada has played a role in this election in a way she hasn’t seen in decades.

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Carney in Antigua for Commonwealth leaders meeting

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Antigua and Barbuda today for a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government.

Carney has a full itinerary for his one day in Antigua, which will kick off with a meeting with Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

Carney will then host a working breakfast for Caribbean leaders before the Commonwealth meeting begins.

Much of the focus of the Commonwealth meeting will be on trade, though experts say it is also an opportunity to boost diplomatic ties with a variety of countries that belong to the 56-member organization.

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AI data centre proponent in Nova Scotia makes its pitch to Cape Breton communities

The proponent of a major artificial intelligence data centre proposal in southern Cape Breton is slated to make its pitch to local residents in person.

EverWind Fuels is hosting two information sessions this week, starting with an event this evening at a community centre in D’Escousse, N.S.

Last month, EverWind Fuels announced it intends to set up a $10-billion, 18,600-square-metre AI data centre in Point Tupper, N.S., that would come online by the end of 2027.

The announcement has prompted skepticism from many local residents who are opposed to the scope of the project and concerned whether there is enough oversight.

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Little evidence AI is to blame for decline in youth hiring, new StatCan study finds

A recent study from Statistics Canada suggests that while it may be more difficult for youth to land a job, AI is not necessarily to blame.

The study published last week said it found “no broad evidence” that the rise of AI has led to substantial decreases in hiring or increases in job separation rates in Canada.

Tahsin Mehdi, a senior research economist at the agency and co-author of the study, said AI is no doubt reshaping workflows and redefining jobs, but it may not be eliminating entire jobs right now.

Still, the study lands amid ongoing fear over AI’s possible impact on jobs.

Viet Vu, the manager of economic research at The Dais, a think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Statistics Canada’s findings are part of a growing body of evidence that “you just can’t detect AI’s impact on the Canadian labour market just yet.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press