Afternoon front page: Trump says Canada working hard on a trade deal; Canadian emigration to U.S. soars; and more

It’s Friday, October 23. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

The new tariff exemptions were announced by Republican Sen. Susan Collins from Maine, who is currently fighting to keep her seat in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. There has been very little movement on the trade file between the two countries after negotiations fell apart in late August. On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “We could sign (a trade deal) this afternoon if the U.S. were there.”

Civic group Build Canada notes that 120,640 people left Canada last year, the highest number since records began in 1952. It adds that 34 per cent of immigrants with PhDs leave Canada within 25 years. The group is warning of a potential brain drain from Canada to the U.S., where wages are higher and taxes lower. However, a Build Canada report suggests some “bold policy choices” that could help tackle the problem.

As the two now battle for re-election — Chow as Toronto mayor and Eby as B.C. premier — Tristin Hopper argues that they find themselves in very similar predicaments. “Both are NDP or NDP-aligned incumbents. They both entered elections they assumed would be an easy win. And as their early momentum has stalled, they’re both turning to fear tactics in what looks to be a desperate bid to stave off defeat.”

Russia has turned Ukraine’s entire food system into a target. Its missiles and drones have struck at supermarkets, food warehouses, farms and distribution routes. It is little wonder that in wartime Ukraine, food has become part of the resistance. “The world is on fire, and here we are serving up fancy dishes,” says a Ukrainian writer.

The short-lived revolution in Hungary, a totalitarian Soviet satellite state, took place only 11 years after the end of the Second World War. This is the story of how antisemitism, and Russia’s brutal crackdown, drove one family’s desperate escape to Canada.