In the news: Ottawa hosting defence conference, Canada-India energy deal earns kudos

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

Anand to speak at Ottawa defence conference

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to speak at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute’s annual gathering in Ottawa today.

This year’s event is focused on how NATO allies will achieve their pledge to spend the equivalent of five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

Speakers at the two-day event also include Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, and Canada’s defence chief Gen. Jennie Carignan.

Another panel features the commanders of the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force.

The agenda includes discussions about defence spending and the Canadian Armed Forces’ efforts in recruitment and retention. 

Green energy orgs applaud Canada-India agreements

Some of Canada’s renewable energy organizations are applauding commitments Ottawa signed with India this week to advance development of solar, wind and hydrogen power.

Prime Minister Mark Carney spent four days in Mumbai and New Delhi, a trip which concluded with a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and signing a series of agreements, including a strategic energy partnership.

Canada also committed to joining the India-led International Solar Alliance, an organization dedicated to building solar capacity. All other G7 countries are already members.

Simon Fraser University also signed an agreement with the Hydrogen Association of India to collaborate with Indian researchers to advance hydrogen development.

Immigration could soon drive Canada’s growth

With Canada’s population growth now essentially flat, the country could be heading toward an unprecedented situation where population growth is driven entirely by immigration, one expert says.

Based on the federal government’s latest Immigration Levels Plan, the parliamentary budget officer projects 2026 will be Canada’s second consecutive year of zero population growth.

Canada saw rapid population growth as it emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. That growth, which was driven almost entirely by immigration, peaked at 3.1 per cent in 2023 — high above the historic average of 1.1 per cent going back to 1972.

Statistics Canada data shows the population grew by 816,000 temporary and permanent immigrants in 2024, while natural population growth — births over deaths — came to roughly 34,000 people.

Mother fears for son’s safety in Iraqi detention

The mother of a Canadian man says she fears for his safety behind bars in Iraq after receiving word from Canada’s foreign ministry he may have been transferred there from detention in northeastern Syria.

Global Affairs Canada has told Sally Lane that her son Jack Letts might be among the detainees recently sent to Iraq, but that Canadian officials are still working to confirm his identity.

Letts and several other Canadian men were among the many foreign nationals held in detention centres long run by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the strife-torn region from the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

It was revealed earlier this year that the decision to move prisoners to Iraq came after a request by officials in Baghdad that was welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State and the Syrian government.

Tax season can bring some respite to parents

Raising a family can be costly.

But tax season may offer relief to some parents, as credits and deductions can reduce their overall tax bill. The key is to file your taxes before the April 30 deadline, experts say, or risk missing out.

The tax-filing season for 2025 launched last week, and income tax returns help determine the benefits and tax breaks parents can get for their children.  

One such tax break could come from claiming child care expenses.

“This benefit is very significant for them, if they’re trying to deal with the costs of daycare and camp and everything,” said Sean Grant-Young, national director of tax for Baker Tilly Canada.  

Mixed reaction to extended retail hours in Quebec

Every Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., Charlie Whitley closes his vintage clothing store in Montreal’s Mile-End neighbourhood and feels frustrated.

He wants to stay open later, but that would be against the law. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said about the “ridiculous” rules.

“It pains me every weekend to close the door at that time.”

But the law is about to change — at least temporarily — with a one-year pilot project starting March 11 that would allow stores to stay open on weekends as late as the law permits on weekdays: 9 p.m. And while some retail owners welcome the change, others say the rise in online shopping makes extended operating hours irrelevant. Meanwhile, there are fears that the new rules will aggravate labour shortages.

Quebec is the only Canadian province that still broadly regulates retail opening hours year-round, Samuel Poulin, the province’s minister for small- and medium-size businesses, said in an email. Most retail shops, aside from pharmacies and grocery stores, must close by 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026