In the news: Canada-U.S. trade talks, Restoring electricity, Premiers reflect on 2025

By Canadian Press on December 22, 2025.

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

A tariff exemption was Canada’s salvation in 2025. It’s ‘absolutely’ at risk in 2026

Economists and trade lawyers are warning a key tariff exemption for Canada is in jeopardy heading into 2026.

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, is up for review in the new year, and U.S. President Donald Trump is already threatening to walk away unless Canada and Mexico make certain concessions.

International trade lawyer William Pellerin says that puts Canada’s key tariff exemption under the free-trade pact at risk.

Outside of steep tariffs on industries like steel and aluminum, the vast majority of Canada’s exports are currently entering the U-S duty-free because of their compliance with CUSMA.

Tony Stillo with Oxford Economics says Canada would face long-term economic scarring if trade talks don’t go Ottawa’s way and the CUSMA exemption ends next year.

U.S. carbon capture firm says Alberta ticks boxes to get technology off the ground

The chief executive of a U.S.-based carbon capture startup embarking on a project in Alberta’s oilsands says Canada ticks a lot of the boxes needed to bring the emissions-reducing technology into widespread use.

Mantel Capture, which makes equipment that can be bolted onto many types of industrial plants and grab the carbon dioxide they emit, has begun an early engineering and design study for a commercial-scale project in Alberta’s oilsands.

C-E-O Cameron Halliday says Canada and Alberta have a lot going for them when it comes to getting carbon capture technology off the ground.

He says the right policies are in place to support it and there are professionals based in the province who understand how the process works.

Power being restored to thousands in the Atlantic region following weekend winds

A few thousand homes and businesses across the Atlantic region were still without power early Monday as the area recovers from extremely high winds over the weekend.

On Friday, Environment Canada issued weather warnings for all of the Atlantic provinces, forecasting gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour in some areas.

At one point, more than 186,000 customers in Nova Scotia were without electricity, while 54,000 homes and businesses in New Brunswick were in the dark.

Manitoba premier plans to target ‘differential pricing’ for groceries in new year

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he is looking at new measures to control grocery prices and crack down on so-called “differential pricing.”

The practice involves online shoppers being charged different prices for the same product from the same store, and the premier says third-party apps, for example, could adjust prices based on demographics or shopping history.

The Retail Council of Canada, which represents major grocers, says its members offer prices that are available to all customers, but there may be discounts for people enrolled in membership programs.

Kinew says his N-D-P government is also looking at expanding its control over the price of milk, as it already sets a wholesale price and a maximum retail price for one-litre containers.

B.C.’s David Eby ‘not seeking’ a 2026 election, after year that tested NDP coalition

Premier David Eby says voters in British Columbia will go to the polls if the Opposition blocks legislation to grow the economy and improve services, but he isn’t seeking an early election in 2026.

Eby says his NDP is ready if necessary, as it has been fundraising and is debt-free, but he is firm that British Columbians “don’t want an election” right now.

Turmoil in the B-C Conservative Opposition that saw John Rustad resign as party leader this month has stirred talk of an early election.

Eby says while the “chaos” in the Conservative party has helped the government politically, it’s also been corrosive in undermining public trust.