The Supreme Court is once again hearing arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily.

The Wednesday case stems from an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term ending what’s known as birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil.

While the concept has been part of U.S. law for well over a century, it is relatively rare around the world.

Birthright citizenship is based on the legal principle of jus soli, or “right of soil.”

In the U.S., the right was enshrined in the Constitution after the Civil War, in part to ensure that former slaves would be citizens.

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States,” the 14th Amendment states.

In the late 1800s, birthright citizenship was legally expanded to the children of immigrants.

Wong Kim Ark, who was born in the U.S. to Chinese parents, sued after traveling overseas and being denied reentry into the U.S. The Supreme Court eventually ruled that the amendment gives citizenship to everyone born in the U.S., no matter their parents’ legal status.

There are only a handful of birthright exceptions, such as for children born in the U.S. to foreign diplomats.

Only about three dozen countries, nearly all of them in the Americas, guarantee citizenship to children born on their territory.

Most countries follow the principle of jus sanguinis, or “right of blood,” with a child’s citizenship based on the citizenship of their parents, no matter where they are born.

None of the 27 member states of the European Union, for example, grant automatic, unconditional citizenship to children born on their territories to foreign citizens. The situation is similar across much of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Some countries use a combination of principles, such as parenthood, residency and ethnicity, to decide a child’s citizenship.

Australia, for example, allowed birthright citizenship until 1986. But starting that August, children born there could only become citizens if at least one parent was an Australian citizen or a permanent resident.

Things shifted the other way in Germany, which changed its citizenship laws in 2024.

Until then, citizenship by birth required that at least one parent was German. Starting in 2024, though, children born in Germany to non-German parents are automatically granted German citizenship if one parent has been legally living in the country for more than five years with unlimited residency status.

Citizenship laws were liberalized because “studies have shown that the education prospects of children and teenagers with a migration background are better, the sooner they were granted German citizenship,” the government wrote at the time.

Supporters of birthright restrictions in the U.S. focus on a handful of words in the constitutional amendment: “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

That phrase, they argue, means the U.S. can deny citizenship to children born to women who are in the country illegally.

A series of judges have ruled against the administration and the order has been repeatedly put on hold by lower courts.

Wednesday’s case originated in New Hampshire, where a U.S. district judge ruled the order “likely violates” both the Constitution and federal law.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Mark Carney told a closed-door fundraiser crowd Monday night that floor-crossing MP Michael Ma represents “Liberal values,” after the former Conservative politician drew controversy over comments about forced labour in China.

In video obtained by Global News, Carney told the crowd at the GTA fundraiser that the Liberals were “glad” to welcome Ma to their ranks after the MP crossed from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in December.

“(Ma) joined, he said, because he was guided by the values of building up others, delivering results — he’s a results-oriented individual — and choosing the path that creates opportunities for Canadians,” Carney said.

“These are fundamental Liberal values, fundamental Canadian values and that’s why Michael Ma has found a home in our party.”

The $1,775 per ticket fundraiser was closed to the media and the public, but Global News obtained video from a source who was in the room. The material reviewed by Global includes extended speeches from both Carney and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.

Ma was forced to apologize publicly last week after grilling a witness about forced labour in China at a House of Commons committee meeting on electric vehicles. The witness was suggesting that Chinese-made electric vehicles include parts produced by slave labour.

Ma demanded to know if Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa, had witnessed the practice with her own eyes.

“Have you witnessed forced labour in (the Chinese province of) Shenzhen? Have you witnessed forced labour? Just a short answer — have you witnessed forced labour in Shenzhen, yes or no?” Ma asked, suggesting the alternative was “hearsay.”

Ma’s brusque remarks were initially misinterpreted by media outlets as referring to the western province of Xinjiang, which had been a major topic during the meeting. Human rights abuses against Xinjiang’s Uyghur Muslim population have been well-documented by international monitoring groups.

Several hours after his questions, Ma issued an apology and indicated he “inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour.”

“To be clear, my line of questioning referred to auto manufacturing in Shenzhen, China, and not in Xinjiang,” Ma’s statement read.

“I regret this mistake and apologize to Ms. McCuaig-Johnston and my fellow committee members.”

Ma added that he opposes forced labour “in all its forms.”

Earlier Monday, Carney was repeatedly asked by reporters about Ma’s comments.

“Mr. Ma has apologized for his comments, as he should have,” Carney said.

“He’s recognized the seriousness of the issue in that apology.”

Ma joined the Liberal caucus in December, one of three MPs to leave Poilievre’s Conservatives to join Carney’s team since November.

The Markham-Unionville MP accompanied Carney on his trade mission to Beijing in January, shortly after joining the Liberal caucus.

At Monday’s fundraiser, Carney boasted about his Liberal party attracting floor crossers like Ma not only from Poilievre’s Conservatives, but also from the federal New Democrats and the Ontario NDP.

“The Liberal party is a big tent, and it’s getting bigger,” Carney said in video reviewed by Global News.

Carney has put an emphasis on diversifying Canadian trade away from the United States under President Donald Trump, whose unprovoked tariff war has led to a year of chaos for Canadian businesses heavily dependent on American trade.

That includes thawing relations with China and other economically important but dubiously reliable partners. Canada-China affairs have been frosty in recent years, after Beijing detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on national security grounds — largely perceived as retaliation after Ottawa arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant.

The prime minister’s January trip to Beijing was successful in reducing Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola and agricultural exports, and Carney agreed to let a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market.

Carney was pressed on the Uyghurs’ situation at a press conference on Tuesday, and whether he believes — as the House of Commons unanimously agreed in 2021 — that it constitutes a “genocide.”

“There are serious issues that remain,” Carney said.

“That is why I’ve raised human rights issues with my Chinese counterparts in our engagements, and it’s why it’s essential in our dealings with China, in commercial dealings with China, that we have transparency in terms of where goods come from, the treatment of those workers, and that they fully meet our standards in terms of child labour, slave labour, human rights.”

Carney’s comments came as Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne departed for a five-day visit to China to meet with government and business leaders. Champagne’s office said the trip was an effort to “build strategic partnerships” and drum up investment “as part of Canada’s broader diversification imperative.”

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that Ma will be “moving forward” focusing on the government’s priorities, including addressing affordability issues, public safety and housing.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Toronto Victim Services is launching a campaign on gender-based violence as the city prepares to welcome 300,000 people for the FIFA World Cup.

The organization announced its campaign will see the expansion of its Ask for Angela community-based safety initiative to give people facing gender-based violence the ability to discreetly ask for immediate help.

Ask for Angela first started in 2023 in Toronto.

Carly Kalish, CEO of Victim Services Toronto, says the campaign is being expanded ahead of the World Cup because gender-based and intimate partner violence can increase during major sporting events.

“Internationally, research has linked high-profile televised sporting events, similar to those that we’ll be hosting here in Toronto this summer, to a significant increase in intimate partner violence,” said Kalish.

“We know this from Calgary; there was a 40 per cent increase of intimate partner violence calls directly to law enforcement during major sporting events.”

The Canadian study Kalish referenced was conducted by the University of Calgary in 2017, analyzing almost 70,000 domestic violence reports to the police and the Connect abuse help line between 2011 and 2014.

It found domestic violence calls increased by 40 per cent when the Calgary Stampeders were in the Grey Cup final. The team played in the final in both 2012 and 2014.

To combat that, Victim Services says it will create strategic partnerships with retail, hospitality, health care, transit and tourism to provide training to 8,000 additional frontline staff and volunteers.

But the campaign will involve more than just people, posters disguised as traditional product advertisements will include QR codes people can utilize and a new website to increase accessibility in high-traffic areas. An online interactive map will be a part of this, allowing victims to see where they can access assistance.

How does Ask for Angela work?

Given the danger people could face in domestic violence situations, Kalish said someone can utter a simple phrase that thousands of staff and volunteers will immediately recognize.

“It’s a code phrase that you can use at sites that are part of the program to ask for discreet help,” she said.

“You can simply go into the CN Tower or speak to a Toronto paramedic or go into a Shoppers Drug Mart and talk to the pharmacist and say, ‘Is Angela there?’ and they’ll know what you mean.”

This will prompt people to potentially take the victim to a separate location or a back room and ask if they’d like Victim Services or Toronto police, which they will then help victims make the call.

“They call us, we operate 24 hours a day and we can come on scene to support the person in that moment for whatever they need,” Kalish added.

Some of the partner agencies set to be a part of the campaign include the CN Tower, Sheraton Central Toronto Hotel, Hilton Toronto, the PrEP Clinic, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Toronto Paramedic Services.

April Hugh, acting commander for Toronto Paramedic Services’ education development unit, said it’s supporting the program because of how it can help those in a way that protects them.

“The fact that it’s discreet and it provides an opportunity for survivors of intimate partner gender-based violence to reach out in a discreet way is so important,” Hugh said.

“We can provide that environment in the services we provide as well to our patients in their homes, in the ambulance, at the hospital.”

It’s not just victims of intimate partner violence for whom Toronto police said they’re on the lookout. They’ll also be available to help potential victims of human trafficking.

“It’s a limited window, often, when a victim is away from a trafficker,” said Insp. Carrie Fernandez with Toronto police’s sex crimes unit. “A program like Ask for Angela allows the victim the opportunity to seek help somewhere that a trafficker wouldn’t have control over them.”

—with files from Global News’ Caryn Lieberman

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

A man has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire was lit inside a Downtown Eastside grocery store.

Vancouver police said that at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Monday, a man walked into Nesters at 333 Abbott Street and lit a fire.

No one was injured, police said, and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services were called and put out the flames, but the fire, smoke and water caused extensive damage to the store.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services Chief, Karen Fry, told Global News that they have ruled it an incendiary fire. 

The man remains in custody at this time, police said.

Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said he spoke to the owner of Nesters, who said it was a serious and deeply concerning incident.

“Nester’s is an important community asset serving residents in and around the Downtown Eastside,” Hoyt said in an email.

“Any disruption to that service has real impacts on people’s daily lives. Our immediate concern is the safety of staff and customers. We’re relieved there were no reports of serious injuries and are supporting those directly affected as much as possible.”

Hoyt said he has been told that Nesters is committed to reopening as soon as possible, pending inspections and safety so they can continue serving as a community grocer.

“Support for business owners as well as individuals in the neighbourhood experiencing mental health crises is critical now and must be part of an overall strategy for the neighbourhood,” he added.

More to come

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

U.S. farmers plan to plant less corn and more soybeans in 2026 than last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, as the Iran war drives up fertilizer and fuel prices in the latest blow to the struggling agricultural sector.

The agency published on Tuesday its first survey-based crop acreage estimate of the year in a prospective plantings report, along with quarterly U.S. grain stocks data.

Analysts cautioned that plantings estimates, gleaned from farmer surveys conducted in the first half of March, could not fully account for disruptions and price impacts caused by the war. The agency may further reduce its estimate for corn acreage, they said.

“Because of what’s happening in the fertilizer market, and the timing of when the survey went out, this is probably the highest number in planted acreage we’ll see in corn this year,” said Jake Hanley, managing director and senior portfolio specialist at Teucrium Trading.

Corn and wheat require more costly fertilizer, making them less attractive for growers to plant than soybeans with the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran cutting off critical nitrogen supplies from the Gulf to the world’s farmers.

Spiking fertilizer costs are the latest hurdle for farmers grappling with weak grain prices, rising bills for other inputs and uncertainty over China’s demand for U.S. crops. A trade war launched by the Trump administration last year dramatically disrupted U.S. soybean export sales to China, the world’s largest importer.

Farmers intend to plant 95.338 million acres of corn this year, down from 98.788 million acres in 2025, and 84.7 million acres of soybeans, up from 81.215 million acres last year, USDA said.

Analysts expected disruptions from the Iran conflict to curb corn acreage even further. They expected corn plantings of 94.371 million acres in a Reuters poll and soybean plantings of 85.549 million acres.

USDA’s lower-than-expected estimate for soy acres rallied soybean futures.

“Speculative money likes to own soybeans, so to have that number come in less than expected helps,” said Angie Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting.

Most Midwest farmers grow corn and soybeans, alternating what is planted on each field every year to preserve soil health. Some acres can break from the traditional rotation if growers see an opportunity to turn a better profit or lose less money.

U.S. net farm income is forecast to turn lower this year despite near-record government aid payments, marking the fourth straight year of tight margins, high production costs and low commodity prices for crop producers.

Farm groups have urged Congress to approve additional aid for crop growers as the repercussions of the Iran war rattle the broader economy. President Donald Trump’s administration is already distributing US$12 billion to farmers after his trade dispute with China hurt U.S. soybean sales.

U.S. stocks of corn, soybeans and wheat as of March 1 were up from a year ago, USDA said, reflecting ample supplies after bumper harvests and trade disruptions last year.

U.S. corn stocks reached 9.024 billion bushels as of March 1, compared to 8.147 billion bushels a year earlier and analysts’ expectations of 9.104 billion bushels.

Stocks were 2.105 billion bushels for soybeans, compared with 1.911 billion a year earlier, and 1.3 billion bushels for wheat, compared with 1.237 billion bushels a year ago, USDA said.

Plentiful stocks weigh on prices for crop farmers and ease costs for livestock producers and biofuel manufacturers.

“There’s plenty of corn right now to be had,” Hanley said. “But all the elements right now are building that the risk is to the upside here.”

© 2026 Reuters

A Winnipeg-based criminal defence lawyer is facing charges after allegedly trying to sneak cannabis into a correctional facility in Manitoba.

The investigation began one year ago when correctional officers in the Headingley Correctional Centre smelled cannabis and began looking for its source, according to Manitoba RCMP.

“Officers from the MILET (Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team) East Team took charge of the probe about a week later, and subsequently identified a male working as a criminal defence lawyer as a suspect in the case,” Mounties said in a news release.

The 43-year-old lawyer has been charged with conspiracy to distribute cannabis, conspiracy to commit mischief and conspiracy to to possess a prohibited firearm, police said.

He remains in custody.

In addition to the lawyer, two other suspects were charged last year with two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in relation to the investigation.

Both cases remain before the courts.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to hire a “data-centric” visionary as they move on from a disappointing NHL season that led to the firing of general manager Brad Treliving.

Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment president and chief executive officer Keith Pelley faced the media Tuesday to answer for a season gone wrong and give an idea of how the Leafs will move on in an increasingly competitive Atlantic Division.

“They have to be data-centric,” Pelley said of whoever will replace Treliving as the head of Toronto’s hockey operations. “They have to really understand the importance of data and where data is moving.”

“Every single decision we make will be evidence based,” he added. “Evidence-based decisions are never wrong.

“That’s not to say there’s not room for the heart, that doesn’t mean there’s not room to check culture, but it’s evidence based.”

Pelley said the misfortunes of the Maple Leafs, who entered the day in third-last place in the Eastern Conference standings, could not be placed solely on Treliving’s shoulders.

But after firing him Monday following three seasons on the job, Pelley said the team must “chart a new course” under different leadership, calling Treliving a “good man” and an “excellent hockey executive.”

“The team is blessed with the best resources in hockey,” Pelley said. “I can emphatically tell you, with the greatest of confidence, that there are many teams competing next month in the Stanley Cup playoffs that their expenditures on hockey operations pales in in comparison to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“But without the right structure, without the right processes in place, without the right culture, without the alignment and accountability among everyone inside the operation, we will not be successful.”

Pelley said the search for the Maple Leafs’ new head of hockey operations will begin immediately, but assistant general managers Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy will share the duties on an interim basis for the rest of the season.

Pelley did not say whether the Leafs’ hockey operations would be led by a president, a general manager or a combination of the roles.

“There’s no right or wrong way to actually run it,” he said.

But perhaps Pelley can find clues from division rivals Montreal and Buffalo, two teams he lauded for making big leads this season.

“We definitely didn’t see the train coming, which was the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens,” Pelley said, adding they are young and energetic teams that are “going to be here for a long time.”

Buffalo entered Tuesday in second place in the Atlantic Division, tied on points with Tampa Bay, while the Canadiens were third while riding a five-game winning streak.

Treliving was hired by former Toronto president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan after he handed Kyle Dubas his walking papers as GM in May 2023.

Treliving took over a top-heavy, high-priced roster led by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares originally pieced together by Shanahan, Dubas and former GM Lou Lamoriello that was never able to get over the playoff hump. Dating back to 2017, Toronto is 2-14 with a chance to eliminate an opponent and 0-7 in winner-take-all contests, including 0-6 in Games 7s.

Pelley, who took over as president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment in April 2024, declined to renew Shanahan’s contract after last season’s second-round playoff exit that was accented by consecutive 6-1 losses to the Florida Panthers on home ice in Games 5 and 7. Shanahan’s position in the hockey brain trust wasn’t subsequently filled.

Treliving’s tenure, meanwhile, will be marked by the loss of Marner — there was a window where the organization could have traded the hometown forward before his contract’s no-movement clause kicked in — and the high price paid for defenceman Brandon Carlo and centre Scott Laughton ahead of last season’s NHL trade deadline.

The Maple Leafs shipped prized forward prospect Fraser Minten, a top-5 protected first-round pick this June and a fourth-rounder last year for Carlo, a veteran blueliner yet to meet expectations. Minten is 21 years old and centring Boston’s top line in the middle of a playoff race.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Laughton was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2026 conditional third-round pick — much less than what Toronto paid 12 months earlier — at this season’s deadline.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Two years after the Ford government launched its signature fare integration program, the eventual opening of the Hurontario LRT is driving a fresh push to expand the program to bring more standard fares and schedules.

As part of omnibus legislation tabled Monday, the Ministry of Transportation will begin working out how to harmonize transit fares in a variety of Toronto-area municipalities, as well as bring more uniformity to schedules.

“We’ve seen the success of one fare, which has been the integration, from an affordability perspective. We’ve seen over 72 million transfers,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said on Monday.

“We (want to create) a structure, between municipal transit agencies that are collaborating, working together, whether it be on schedules, whether it be on fares.”

The original policy was launched in February 2024 with a promise to eliminate the barriers for commuters switching between transit systems in and around Toronto.

It scrapped second fares for anyone travelling on any of Toronto’s or the GTA-905’s various transit agencies, charging customers a single fare and reimbursing transit agencies for the funds they would have collected.

The next stage will see the government begin consultations across Toronto and the surrounding area on how to get fares in line with one another. Schedule alignment will also be considered.

The government indicated to Global News that the new Hazel McCallion Line, set to run along Hurontario Street from Mississauga into Brampton, helped catalyze the next step.

The new light rail route will begin in Port Credit and eventually run all the way into downtown Brampton, crossing municipal boundaries served by two different transit systems.

Currently, Mississauga’s MiWay service charges people tapping a Presto card $3.50, while Brampton Transit costs $3.55. The cash fare in Mississauga is $4.50, compared to $4.75 in Brampton.

If the Hurontario Street LRT were currently operational, that reality would mean customers boarding it in Brampton could pay more than those in Mississauga — or the light rail route costing less than the bus in Brampton, if it only operated on MiWay’s fares.

Ahead of the route’s completion — the date of which is not currently public — the province asked Brampton and Mississauga to work to harmonize their fares so the line could serve both cities.

The two sides,  however, couldn’t organically come to an agreement. That, the government suggested, prompted them to ramp up its work to create uniformity for fares across the Toronto area under its OneFare program.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re getting on in Markham or say Mississauga or Brampton, York Region — we (should) have a structure between municipal transit agencies that are collaborating, working together, whether it be on schedules, whether it be on fares,” Sarkaria added.

The omnibus legislation will allow Ontario to write as-yet undecided regulations to bring uniformity to transit fares — and potentially schedules — around Toronto. It will apply to all cities currently involved in fare integration, as well as Hamilton and Halton Region.

The potential next stage, allowing transit services to operate across municipal boundaries, could be the most challenging. A web of complicated union agreements, where operators earn different salaries in different jurisdictions, stands in the way.

The Toronto Transit Commission’s chief strategy and customer officer, Josh Colle, said at a recent Toronto Region Board of Trade event that work is underway for further integration, but barriers remain.

“The collective agreements are our barrier and one we are working through,” he explained. “I think the positive take on that is this is only going to work if we bring everyone along, including the people who actually operate the buses, and so that’s something we’re working on.”

The government is yet to give a timeline for when it could introduce regulations to enable the next step — or how much its target standard fare would be — but said work on consultation will begin quickly.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Nova Scotia’s auditor general says the province’s health authority has not followed rules around the use of public contracts without competitive bids.

Kim Adair’s new report says that since 2020 Nova Scotia Health has awarded more than $3.7-billion worth of sole-sourced contracts, referred to as alternative procurement.

She says alternative procurement can lead to higher costs, unfavourable contract terms and an overreliance on a single vendor.

Adair’s report examined six sole-sourced health contracts and found that important terms and conditions were missing and four of the contracts contained “weak” justifications for the use of alternative procurement.

In one of the six contracts, the provincial health authority paid out a vendor for work involving international nurses before the agency had approved a contract with that vendor.

Adair says government agencies must have clear justifications for tendering contracts without competitive bids and those contracts must be approved before money is paid out.

The health agency says it is implementing Adair’s recommendations but notes that her report did not find any real or perceived conflicts of interests involving the contracts.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The new CEO of Nova Scotia’s private electric utility says the firm has hit key milestones in its recovery from last year’s cyberattack.

Vivek Sood says Nova Scotia Power is turning its attention to rebuilding trust with customers.

Sood told reporters today the utility has reconnected every smart meter in the province after a cyberattack disrupted communications last March.

The disruption had caused the utility to estimate power usage with many customers complaining their bills jumped significantly.

The company has also deleted all customer social insurance numbers it had on file, a commitment it made to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Sood says trust is earned, not given, and acknowledges the utility has a lot of work to do, including fixing those inflated bills.

The company is also in the middle of a rate increase process, with a final ruling expected in less than a month.

© 2026 The Canadian Press