Good evening, readers.
It’s a gloomy day in Ottawa, proof that spooky season is in full swing. Here’s what we got.
Catherine McKenna says she was the cabinet minister on the receiving of Justin Trudeau’s lecture over the use of the word crazy, as retold in Chrystia Freeland’s memoir, Unreliable Boyfriend.
In the book, Freeland says an unnamed female cabinet minister was subjected to a lengthy reprimand from Trudeau for using the term, which he viewed as a “derogatory adjective” that was “insulting to people with mental health issues.”
Trudeau said he instead preferred the term “bananas.”
Freeland described comments during the cabinet meeting as a “long, harsh public scolding.”
During an interview for a bonus episode of iPolitics‘ No Talking Points podcast, McKenna admitted that she was the subject of the anecdote and said she was simply referring to the world as being crazy, as opposed to applying that label to any person.
Ottawa is changing how it selects skilled immigrants, giving an edge to candidates who have Canadian work experience or a job offer in well-paid fields such as engineering, health care and the skilled trades.
Starting early November, candidates in Express Entry, the system that manages applications for Canada’s main economic immigration programs, will be able to earn extra points for Canadian work experience or a job offer in a “high wage” occupation.
“Canada is competing globally for people with the skills we need to build a prosperous economy and stronger public services. These changes will help us identify, attract, and retain the skilled newcomers who are best positioned to succeed in Canada,” Immigration Minister Lena Diab said on Friday.
The announcement also comes weeks before Ottawa is expected to release its 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which sets annual targets for new permanent residents.
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that Canada’s nuclear regulator is not empowered to decide how to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a decision that could have wide repercussions for major projects.
The case involves Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) planned waste site on the Ottawa river, near Kebaowek First Nation.
The project involves building a facility that would contain one million cubic tonnes of low-level radioactive waste from the CNL research facility and other sites.
That community asked for a judicial review of the nuclear regulator’s approval of the project, arguing the administrative body should ensure free, prior and informed consent, as defined in Canada’s UNDRIP law.
The lower court ruled in Kebaowek’s favour, asking CNL to renew the consultation process with a goal of meeting an enhanced standard ahead of the nuclear commission hearing slated for 2027.
In Other Headlines
- Hajdu announces $258.6M fund for skilled worker training in critical sectors (iPolitics)
- Lobby Wrap: Beef company seeks clarity (iPolitics)
- Danielle Smith has said no to a second referendum. But that decision might not be her to make (CBC)
- Pierre Poilievre urges Albertans not to leave their fellow Canadians behind (Toronto Star)
- Snowbirds prepare to say goodbye to iconic 63-year-old jets in final airshow (CBC)
- Hamilton woman is charged with mischief in Toronto bike lane protest (The Spec)
- Flaws in CPP legislation have left billions of dollars at stake ahead of Alberta’s referendum (The Logic)
- Danielle Smith is making Alberta great for Trump (The Walrus)
- Tribunal to reconsider complaint of former union president (Ottawa Citizen)
- Former CSIS chief warns that China ‘will acquire’ all information about you in Chinese EVs (National Post)
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Internationally
Elsewhere, the leader of the Cockroach Janta party (CJP) youth movement, Abhijeet Dipke, was detained by police on Friday as authorities cracked down on fresh anti-government protests in the Indian capital.
Dipke was detained before a planned Friday evening demonstration he had called in central Delhi, urging supporters of the movement to come out and hold up the Indian flag.
The Cockroach movement initially emerged back in May as online satire, but has since grown into one of the most substantial challenges to the powerful Modi government over its 12-year rule.
Alongside student groups and opposition parties, its supporters have in the past month been out on the streets across India’s biggest cities calling for the resignation of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, who is accused of overseeing a revision of India’s electoral rolls that allegedly favours the ruling Narendra Modi government with the deletion of 130m names. The election commission and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) deny the claims.
Meanwhile, Katie Zacharia is “transitioning out” of her role as press secretary, according to a White House official not authorized to speak on the record, marking a stunning turn of events for the spokeswoman who officially started Monday and is out by Friday.
Zacharia’s first briefing was Tuesday morning where she faced scrutiny both over her performance – during which she delivered a lengthy and halting opening statement read from notes and called on only three reporters – and her legal credentials.
President Trump on Friday cast doubt on the future of Zacharia, saying he had a discussion with her just before leaving for a campaign rally in Georgia.
“I just spoke to her about it. I said, ‘Katie, is this for you?’,” he told reporters. “She’s been treated, I would say, pretty nastily. And I said to Katie just two minutes ago, I said, Katie, you know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”
In Other International Headlines
- Hegseth’s TV instincts backfire as Trump rejects execution livestream (Reuters)
- Pope pictured for the first time since surgery and cancer diagnosis (BBC)
- Starlink access still not fully restored for Ukraine’s military, says Zelenskyy (The Guardian)
- Palestinians, U.S. journalist attacked in West Bank pogram: What we know (Al Jazeera)
- One Singapore ship was sunk, but here’s why others are still transiting the Strait of Hormuz (CNBC)
- Donald Trump turns to Vladimir Putin for relief at the pump (The Economist)
- China pushes back as U.S. lawmaker seeks blacklist of universities and tech labs (SCMP)
- ‘You should be ashamed of yourself’: Heated Senate debates in Alaska and Maine become personal (CNN)
- Canada should be cautious about deepening trade with China, says Tokyo-based academic (The Globe and Mail)
The Kicker
Another White House press secretary, another goodbye: Katie Zacharia has been… fired.
It was a good run, or at least a memorable entrance. This newsletter writer still can’t stop quoting her bubbly “Good morninnn” from her first White House briefing.
Perhaps an Instagram AMA à la Karoline Leavitt is next. We have a few questions.