Over the past week, more Canadian industries, including the electronics, furniture and honey sectors, have expressed concern over the recent 50 percent U.S. import duties scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19. Tariffs have become an unfortunate word that has sadly entered our daily conversations. They should not be part of our daily reality.

After his election, Prime Minister Mark Carney assured Canadians that he would sit with President Donald Trump immediately and “find common ground.” He promised to “begin comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship immediately following the election.”

Canadians were also promised a series of deadlines for a Canada/U.S. agreement, but instead they have watched deadlines come and go without little explanation by our prime minister. We were told that our relationship with the U.S. was experiencing a rupture, not a transition. We were told that our long-standing close ties with America had now become our weakness. Mr. Carney even suggested our mutual benefit of integration had become the source of our subordination – only to announce Canada remained open to deeper integration.

Last week, I wrote how Canadians first learned through President Trump’s social media that the original 2012 Gordie Howe International Bridge agreement had been scrapped in favour of the United States sharing revenue from the first toll onward. This occurred, after Mr. Carney assured Canadians that paying the debt of the bridge would happen before splitting the tolls with the Americans. It is not the first time Mr. Carney’s statements have been in contradiction with reality. While in the House of Commons, PM Carney promised Canadians he could “handle” Mr. Trump claiming, “he would get an even better deal.” However, he later retracted and suggested it was only his “desired” outcome. Desired outcomes, however, require negotiations—negotiations require getting to the table. Carney’s continued insults and disrespect to our American friends have not achieved any appreciable results. Time to change course.

Dozens of books have been written about former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s time in office. These range from lengthy tomes by professional academics to the memoirs of Trudeau himself.

Whether one likes Trudeau or not (and I am certainly not a fan), no one can deny that he had a huge impact on our country. Official bilingualism, the patriation of the Constitution, and Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms were just a few of Trudeau’s most significant achievements. As the third longest serving prime minister in Canadian history, Trudeau led our country through a tumultuous era.

Serving alongside Trudeau throughout most of that time was Jim Coutts, his principal secretary. Coutts regularly met with Trudeau, interacted with cabinet ministers, helped negotiate key agreements, and provided plenty of political advice. And now we have access to some of his innermost thoughts.

Considering that Coutts died in 2013, this might seem like an odd statement. After all, he didn’t write an official memoir, nor did anyone recently write a biography about him. We have something better—Coutts’s personal diary from that era.

I am writing this letter to bring the never-married single without children (people) into the limelight. Myself and a never married single friend without children had a conversation about how those of us fall between the cracks in society, government, church and charities but all others that have children in particular are recognized or helped. (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day).

Sometimes divorced, widowed, separated people get help from their children.

Married people also share the financial burden as well.

A lot of people say it’s our choice but not always.

Summer in the Southeast is one of my favourite times of year. There is just so much to see and do.

Summer is when southern Manitoba truly shines—when the very best of rural Manitoba is on display.

It has already been a busy start to the season. As your MLA, I make it a priority each summer to attend as many local festivals, fairs, sporting events, and community celebrations as I can. Every community has something unique to offer, and together they showcase the incredible spirit of our region.

For me, summer really begins with La Broquerie’s Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste Days. First celebrated in 1897, this long-standing tradition celebrates the rich Francophone heritage of our region and brings families together to enjoy great food, entertainment, and community spirit.

Steinbach city council put off making a decision as to how they’d spend a $200,000 provincial grant on security upgrades, citing the need for more information.

City manager of corporate services Adam Thiessen presented council with a recommendation on how the funds could be spent at their July 21 meeting.

It included a truck for a community safety officer and a total of 50 security cameras divided between city hall, the operations building, curling club, outdoor rink, K.R. Barkman Park, A.D. Penner Park and the soccer park. Currently there are two CSOs who share a single truck.

The report stressed the need for security cameras.

SAC officially releases season ticket packages for its upcoming 2026-2027 concert season, offering the community great value on live performance packages.

Save money when you purchase a season ticket package for all five concert series performances—bringing world-class entertainment, award-winning artists, and symphonic traditions close to home. With limited seating available for the concert series, SAC encourages audiences to lock in their season packages early before individual tickets sell out.

Save with the five show concert series package

A season ticket package includes admission to all five concert series performances: