One more thing… – iPolitics

Canada is coming off of a high from yesterday’s match against Qatar, much thanks to Ottawa native Jonathan David and his hat trick.

Here’s what we got on tap today.

The federal government must offer clear guidance to prosecutors to ensure the new anti-hate law doesn’t trample on Canadians’ Charter-protected right to protest, says a coalition of human rights and faith groups.

They said in an open letter released on Friday that they were “deeply troubled” by the Carney government’s decision to end debate and force a final vote on Bill C-9 this week, warning the legislation “raise significant concerns” about the impact on free speech and peaceful assembly.

“While the objective of combatting hate is both legitimate and necessary, legislative measures should be precise, evidence-based, and accompanied by appropriate safeguards to minimize risks of overbreadth and inconsistent application,” read the letter, which was signed by 65 organizations.

The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, Ligue des droits et libertés, Centre for Free Expression and Canadian Civil Liberties Association were the first listed signatories.

Marco Vigliotti has more.

*Justice Minister Sean Fraser rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld*

An advocacy group for Canadians with intellectual disabilities says a new parliamentary report should encourage Ottawa to walk back the most recent expansion of medical assistance in dying.

The highly anticipated joint House and Senate committee study released on Wednesday called on the federal government to indefinitely pause a planned expansion of MAiD to people with mental illnesses.

Krista Carr, the CEO of Inclusion Canada, said the report’s findings could also be used to justify repealing Track 2, which allows people with disabilities to access MAiD.

She noted that it raised concerns about the lack of supports or services available for people with mental illnesses, which could also apply to Canadians living with disabilities.

“There’s lots of things about the lack of services and supports, the lack of access to things that people really need to thrive, and that those just aren’t there, Well, that’s all the same stuff, right?”

Vigliotti’s got this one too.

Also, a parliamentary committee began its review of the forced labour bill Thursday, against the backdrop of U.S. criticism that Canada has lagged in enforcing its import ban.

The proposal comes after the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office launched investigations into 60 countries who failed to enforce and prohibit imported goods from forced and child labour.

Canada was one of six places the U.S. listed to have “failed to effectively enforce prohibition” on imported goods.

The legislation would overhaul Canada’s existing regime by allowing the government to create a public list of goods, regions and entities suspected of being linked to forced labour, while placing greater responsibility on importers to demonstrate their products are free of it.

Much of the committee’s discussion quickly descended to Chinese electrical vehicles, as Conservative MPs questioned whether products linked to forced labour in automotive supply chains could still be entering Canada, and whether that issue could become a flashpoint in the upcoming CUSMA review.

Sydney Ko’s got more.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin ,left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney take part in an announcement in Wakefield, Que., Tuesday, March 31, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

When Varme Energy set out to build a business converting waste into electricity while capturing carbon emissions, it was banking on two things: a strong carbon price and methane regulation credits.

Then the federal government announced new headline prices for carbon and revised its methane regulations.

The changes, announced in the span of a few months, wiped $265 million in anticipated revenues off the books, according to Varme CEO Sean Collins.

Varme is part of a coalition of Alberta-based carbon capture companies that travelled to Ottawa this week to tell the federal government their projects are “economically underwater” and they are running out of time.

Collins says that without a solution, some projects could be cancelled within months, including his own.

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Elsewhere, cabinet ministers loyal to Keir Starmer have told him he faces being forced out of office by his party if he does not set a timetable for his departure by the end of the weekend.

Andy Burnham, who won a compelling majority in the Makerfield byelection overnight, is expected to travel to London on Monday to meet MPs in the expectation of becoming prime minister within weeks. One cabinet minister – who has not previously told the prime minister to go – said his departure was now inevitable.

One MP said they believed there were about 200 Labour MPs prepared, if necessary, to sign Burnham’s nomination papers for a challenge, though his supporters are hoping for a coronation.

Starmer called members of the cabinet on Friday afternoon to set out his determination to fight on. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, is said by sources to be among those who expressed concerns in a call on Friday.

At least two ministers, Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood, have previously suggested to Starmer that he should set out a timetable for his departure.

The Guardian has more.

Meanwhile, Iran has announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the strait would not be welcome. The US on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the critical channel.

Tehran’s warning came as the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had said Israel “will maintain the security zone in south Lebanon as long as our security needs require it”, referring to the more than 600 sq km of Lebanese territory occupied by Israeli troops along the border.

On Iran, Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue to “adhere to the supreme objective” of not allowing Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran insists the deal referring to territorial integrity of Lebanon requires a full Israeli withdrawal, making Donald Trump accountable for Israel’s withdrawal.

The Guardian’s got this one too.