In the news: Canada-U.S. trade talks, High-speed rail, Processing unwanted gifts

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

Canada to begin formal talks with U.S. in January on review of free trade deal

Prime Minister Mark Carney said late Thursday that Canada will enter into formal discussions with the United States in January to review their free trade agreement.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says Internal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will meet with his American counterparts to discuss the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal.

The announcement came just hours after Carney met with provincial leaders to update them on trade talks with the U.S.

Carney has said he sees “tremendous benefits” for Canada and the U.S. if they work co-operatively in key economic sectors.

NDP needs to break out of the Ottawa ‘bubble’ to rebuild: Davies

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says his party needs to focus less on the bubble of Parliament Hill as it looks to rebuild next year. 

Davies says the NDP lost touch with voter priorities that contributed to the party seeing its worst-ever electoral result in April. 

He says this includes pharmacare – a policy the NDP had to try and get voters on board with, instead of focusing on grassroots priorities.

With just a few more months leading the party, Davies says his best advice for his successor is to listen to a wide variety of perspectives. 

The NDP will choose its new leader on March 29 at the party’s annual convention in Winnipeg. 

Toronto—Quebec City high-speed rail could see dozens of daily trains: documents

Internal documents show a planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City could dramatically increase the number of trains that travel the corridor each day. 

Alto, the Crown corporation responsible for the project, estimated in 2023 that 72 trains per day could travel through Canada’s most densely populated region if the proposed network is built. 

The federal government announced last week the first segment of the network will connect Montreal and Ottawa, with construction expected to start in 2029.

Trains would travel at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour along dedicated tracks, powered by electricity. 

Inside the warehouse poised to process your unwanted gifts this holiday

When Old Saint Nick steps off his sleigh this year, the busy season will just be getting underway at an Ontario warehouse. 

Ahmed Saeed (SAYD’), head of operations at ReturnBear, says staff at the Mississauga company will work well into February to process thousands of unwanted gifts.

The company handles returns for businesses such as Kim Kardashian’s Skims and T-shirt retailer True Classic.

ReturnBear usually sends items in flawless condition back to retailers to be put back on store shelves, while damaged or unwanted goods are donated to charities.

James Cameron rejects ’51st state’ talk as he brings ‘Avatar’ home to Canada

James Cameron doesn’t mince words when it comes to Canada’s sovereignty.

While in Toronto this week to promote his new film “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the famed filmmaker said the Trump administration “doesn’t understand” that Canada will never become the 51st state.

Cameron’s new movie, the third instalment in his blockbuster sci-fi series, continues the story of the Sully family on the world of Pandora as they encounter a hostile new Na’vi tribe.

The director says he traces the roots of Pandora not to Hollywood, but to the small Ontario village of Chippewa, near Niagara Falls, where he spent his childhood roaming the woods.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2025.