As uncertainty remains around North American trade relations, one automotive player is saying the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is “very important” to keep the industry well-integrated.

Speaking to Global News at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, Jack Uppal, president and managing director of General Motors Canada said CUSMA protects the North American industry against other global players and “makes it stronger.”

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump said his country would not be renewing the agreement in its entirety to 2042 (the termination date of the pact’s potential 16-year extension) and instead would require an annual review.  If no extension is agreed upon, the agreement will expire in 2036.

Last month Trump suggested that the U.S. is “better without” CUSMA, and that he’d even prefer to see it “terminated.” When asked by Global News, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra would not say if the administration is considering ripping up the deal, which can be done by any party with six months’ formal notice.

“All options are on the table,” Hoekstra said. “ clearly is allowed for within the agreement.”

CUSMA has largely shielded Canada and Mexico from the effects of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Uppal said tariffs is something GM has been monitoring closely, but so far the company has been able to protect its go-to market price points.

“What we need to focus on really is ensuring that we keep our customer in the lens and we manage the affordability piece,” he said.

GM finished the first half of 2026 as Canada’s best-selling automaker, with 15.4 per cent market share and 148,640 vehicles delivered. That includes more than 30 per cent in growth of electric vehicle (EV) sales year-over-year. Even in Alberta, which has some of the lowest uptake of EVs, GM EV sales increased around 30 per cent.

“We are in an environment that is quite uncertain from a geopolitical perspective; we’ve got tariff noise, but at the heart of it is affordability,” Uppal said. “So that’s where I would really respond to those challenges. We have to double down and really focus on ensuring that we’re delivering value across our product portfolio to our customers to dampen the noise that nobody can really change.”

Despite shifting significant production to the U.S., Uppal said many of GM’s values still align with Canadian consumers.

“We are seeing the consumer really demanding more choice, more tech, more connectivity,” he said. “Choice is absolutely critical.”

Uppal said he does believe the uncertainty surrounding the trade agreement will “sort itself out” as talks continue among the three countries. But Canadian government officials are less certain.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told The Canadian Press he asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer how he intended to structure discussions as part of the annual review. He said the request was made jointly with Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.

“There wasn’t an answer at the meeting … It was agreed that we would continue the conversation over the coming weeks,” LeBlanc said.

The renewable annual review process, set in motion by the Trump administration, could last up to 10 years. At the end of that period, the agreement would expire if no path forward is found to extend it beyond its 2036 expiry date.

Exactly how those annual reviews will be conducted has yet to be determined.

– with files from Mackenzie Gray, Global News and The Canadian Press

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

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin to a two-year contract extension, the NHL club announced Sunday.

The deal has an average annual value of US$1.75 million.

Mukhamadullin, 24, came over to Edmonton as part of the trade that sent defenceman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks.

The six-foot-four, 200-pound Mukhamadullin had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 50 games for the Sharks last season.

Edmonton also signed defenceman Spencer Stastney to a one-year extension with an AAV of $1.525 million.

The 26-year-old was acquired by the Oilers in a trade with Nashville last season. He totalled 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 66 regular-season games between the two teams in 2025-26.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2026.

Note to readers:Corrects the spelling of Stastney. A previous version had it spelled as Statsney.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires in Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugal to help with a massive blaze burning for more than three days.

Authorities urged residents in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, to remain indoors and shut their windows and doors due to toxic smoke from a burning recycling plant that was engulfed by a wildfire.

Another major wildfire broke out Sunday afternoon west of the Greek capital, Athens. The fire department said 210 firefighters, backed up by volunteers, specialized teams and 29 aircraft, including water-dropping planes and helicopters, were deployed to battle the blaze burning through pine forest in the Mandra area. Authorities were racing to contain the blaze before nightfall, when aircraft can no longer perform firefighting operations.

In central Portugal’s Vouzela area, more than 1,200 firefighters backed up by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft tried to put out a blaze that broke out Thursday, according to the Civil Protection authority. The wildfire had burned across an area of 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) by Sunday, information from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite mapping agency showed.

The EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid said that Spain sent 120 firefighters and 45 vehicles as reinforcements to Portugal on Friday, while three firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were also dispatched to help.

By Sunday afternoon, the fire appeared to be abating somewhat, with Portuguese media quoting officials as saying it no longer had major active fronts but that some hot spots remained.

In Spain, a wildfire burning since Friday in the northeastern Girona region had burned nearly 2,200 hectares (5,400 acres), the EFE news agency said. Catalan Fire Service head of operations Eduard Martinez said the blaze had a perimeter of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and firefighters may not be able to bring it under control on Sunday, EFE said.

Toxic smoke from wildfire in northern Greece

On the other side of southern Europe, in Greece, a fast-moving blaze at a recycling plant broke out Saturday evening near the Oraiokastro suburb of Thessaloniki, triggering evacuation alerts for three suburbs and a facility housing 157 people with disabilities.

Strong winds fanned the flames, and around 160 firefighters were deployed to battle the flames through the night until water-dropping aircraft could take off at dawn, the fire department said.

Oraiokastro Mayor Pandelis Tsakiris said on Greece’s state broadcaster ERT that several businesses and homes were damaged but a clearer picture would emerge after authorities conduct a full evaluation.

A 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having started the blaze through negligence by generating sparks with his vehicle that set vegetation near the road alight, the fire department said. He was due to appear before a prosecutor Sunday.

The fire came days after another wildfire in a nearby area killed a 12-year-old boy and his father.

Most fires in Greece caused by negligence, fire department says

Fire department spokesman Brig. Ioannis Artopoios, speaking on ERT TV on Sunday, said that about 85% of wildfires in Greece were caused by negligence, including through sparks generated through the use of agriculture machinery, discarded cigarettes and the use of outdoor barbecues. “This means most of them could have been avoided,” he said.

Greece suffers frequent, often devastating, wildfires during its hot, dry summers. In 2018, a blaze east of Athens killed more than 100 people, while a massive fire in 2023, which tore through a remote nature reserve in northeastern Greece, was the largest wildfire recorded in the EU.

The country has increasingly turned to technology to combat the threat of fires, exacerbated by climate change. It is integrating an array of four satellites, launched into low orbit in May, that will monitor for wildfires.

So far this summer, Greece has been spared the heatwaves that have scorched much of western Europe in recent weeks. But it has still seen dozens of blazes across the country, both on the mainland and the country’s islands.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Health officials in Toronto are warning the public they may have been exposed to measles if they visited a Scarborough hospital or walk-in clinic last week.

Officials say the exposure is linked to a travel-related case of measles but did not give further details.

Toronto Public Health says the public may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus at the Scarborough Health Network General Hospital emergency waiting room on June 28 from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the hospital’s kids out-patient clinic on June 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Officials say exposure may have also occurred at the Markington Family Care and Walk-in Clinic on June 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Anyone exposed to measles should check that they’ve been fully vaccinated against the disease, officials say, and monitor for symptoms like fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and rashes until July 21.

Parents and guardians of infants under one year old who may have been exposed are urged to contact Toronto Public Health or 311 immediately for possible treatment.

The health agency says measles spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks and can stay in the air or on surfaces for more than two hours.

Toronto Public Health says it’s confirmed five cases of measles linked to international travel this year.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The union representing workers who operate and maintain regional services in Metro Vancouver says it is now considering a full-blown strike.

The announcement from the Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union comes as part of escalating job actions, which on Sunday included news that union members responsible for taking care of parks were walking off the job.

The union says the workers responsible for 25 popular regional parks such as Grouse Mountain and Capilano Regional Parks in North Vancouver are on strike indefinitely.

Union president Jesse Medeiros says the parks will be without the workers who fix trails, collect garbage and provide immediate first aid for injuries, among other duties.

Medeiros says a full-scale, indefinite strike by all its regional services members is possible if the union does not see “significant movement toward a new, reasonable collective agreement.”

The union represents about 700 workers operating various regional services such as park and wastewater facilities and it says it has been without a new contract for 18 months.

A statement from the union says that 15 staff deemed essential by the Labour Relations Board will perform services at the regional parks now part of the strike.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A Canadian search and rescue team helped locate a young survivor trapped beneath earthquake rubble in Venezuela, where the country’s official death toll has climbed to 3,342. Another 16,470 people have been injured, while 17,345 have been left homeless.

In a speech commemorating Venezuela’s 215th Independence Day, interim President Delcy Rodriguez defended the government’s response to the earthquakes saying security forces were deployed immediately after the quakes and announcing the creation of a new military unit to help respond to future emergencies.

Tens of thousands of local and international relief workers continue search and recovery efforts.

Among them were seven members of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue and two search dogs, who spent four days searching for survivors in some of the country’s hardest-hit areas.

In an interview with Global News after returning home, Ryan Berry, president of Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue, described the destruction his team witnessed.

“If I were to describe it in one word, I’d say it was devastating,” Berry said. “We were in areas where entire blocks were all collapsed. Anywhere from low-rise to high-rise buildings at all pancaked and collapsed completely. So devastating.”

The Burnaby-based team deployed as a light urban search and rescue unit, allowing members to reach the disaster zone quickly.

Deployment director Shawn Mohammed said that rapid response is one of the team’s biggest strengths.

“Being light compared to medium to heavy teams gives us the operational agility to get into country sooner,” Mohammed said. “Within that first 48 to 36 hours, it’s imperative to get someone in country to start understanding where the needs are.”

Working in sweltering heat, the team searched collapsed buildings for signs of life using specialized search techniques.

“We start with our drone, and then our canine teams go onto the pile,” Berry said. “Our canine team are trained for live and deceased indications, so they can distinguish between the two.”

One of those searches led to a breakthrough.

“Both our K9 units, separately, both indicated a live hit,” Berry said. “From there, we deployed our DELSAR, which is acoustic listening equipment.”

The team later learned a young boy had been rescued alive.

Despite the successful rescue, Berry said it was difficult to celebrate a life saved while they were surrounded by so much loss.

“But when you’re in that situation and you’re working on sites where family members are digging with their bare hands trying to find their loved ones, it’s a very limited feeling (of) celebration,” he said.

Many Venezuelans have questioned their government’s response, citing delays in relief supplies and a lack of heavy machinery to clear the rubble.

Mohammed said responding to a disaster of that scale required flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing conditions.

“We become very crafty in getting around and finding ways to connect with people,” he said. “If there’s work to be done, we don’t shut down, we keep moving and working.”

Although Burnaby’s deployment has come to an end, Mohammed said the people of Venezuela remain on the team’s minds.

“I know that our time frame in Venezuela is short but our hearts and our thoughts are still with the Venezuelan people,” Mohammed said. “It’s a long road ahead.”

Scenes from Venezuela from the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team. Courtesy of the Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue Team.

While Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue has since returned home, Canada’s humanitarian response continues. Speaking with Global News before deploying to Venezuela, Canadian Medical Assistance Team leader Jackson Raoul said his team’s mission is to help relieve pressure on hospitals treating people affected by the earthquakes.

“Our mission, our task, is to establish a Type 1 fixed emergency medical team,” Raoul said. “We’ll be providing primary and urgent care integrated with a local hospital in the Caracas region of Venezuela.”

The team will provide outpatient care for patients who do not require hospital admission, helping local hospitals focus on more serious cases.

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

Two people were taken to hospital in critical condition after being pulled from Montreal’s Lachine Canal late Saturday night.

According to Montreal’s fire department, one person fell into the canal and a second entered the water in an attempt to help.

Emergency services were alerted shortly before midnight and a joint search was conducted by the fire department and the Canadian Coast Guard using three boats near René-Lévesque Park.

Fire officials say sonar equipment eventually helped locate the two people. Officials have not stated how long they were believed to have been in the water.

Steve Macduff, a spokesperson for Urgences-santé, told Global News that six paramedics were deployed to the scene. He said responders provided medical intervention on scene and transported both patients to hospital.

Macduff said both people were in their early 20s. One was confirmed to be a man while the gender of the other was not known.

He said there was no update on the status of the patients.

Paramedics and firefighters referred follow-up questions to the coroner’s office, who did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The case comes as Quebec’s water safety organization is calling on the province’s next government to permanently fund its school swimming program and strengthen drowning prevention efforts.

Twenty-two people have drowned in Quebec so far this year, according to data from the Société de sauvetage. That is on par with 2025; however, approximately 60 per cent of the drownings this year have occurred in rivers, compared with 27 per cent during the same period last year.

This number is a stark decrease from the near 200 drownings Quebec would see per year approximately 40 years ago, Raynald Hawkins, executive director of the Société de sauvetage, told Global News. But he said the majority of drownings are still preventable.

Data from the Canadian Drowning Prevention Research Centre show that in more than half of accidental drowning deaths, a rescue attempt is made, and about two-thirds of those who try to help have no rescue training.

“People will say I don’t have any choice, I have to jump in the water and try and reach them before I lose them. This is a kind of reaction we can have, particularly if it’s a very close person to us,” Hawkins said. “But don’t take a risk.”

He said that unless you are a trained swimmer, the best thing you can do is call 9-1-1.

In addition to permanently funding school swimming programs, Hawkins said he also supports calls from the Boating Safety Council to make wearing a lifejacket mandatory.

“Going in this direction we’re gonna see our numbers going down to 20 drownings in Québec and close to 100 in Canada and the average will be in the future maybe close to 40,” he said. “But again, when we have one drowning … is too much for us.”

-with files from The Canadian Press

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

The City of Brandon has declared a state of emergency over provincial forecasts predicting water levels in the Assiniboine and Shellmouth river basins will rise this week, peaking at levels near those seen during historic flooding in 2014.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the declaration allows the city to take “necessary actions” to protect the community as it prepares for rising water.

“This is very precautionary. We do have a bit of time,” he told Global News. “One thing about river flow, and we’ve gotten used to this over the past few decades, is it does give us a bit time.“

However, he said declaring a state of emergency allows the city to access supports to maintain the safety of residents and essential municipal services.

“While there are currently no evacuation orders in place, we are taking a proactive approach to ensure the safety of residents and to maintain essential municipal services,” Fawcett said in a media release.

The city says its emergency operations centre remains fully activated and flood response is being coordinated across municipal departments with assistance from provincial agencies, emergency services and local partners.

On Friday, the city announced a temporary dike closure at Grand Valley Road and 18th Street to aid in flood mitigation. The city said minor site cleanup may occur Monday as crews continue to monitor conditions.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms ripped though western parts of Manitoba last week, with Brandon recording over 50 mm of rain on Monday alone. At times, more than 60 highways were closed across the province.

Even with a bit of uncertainty in the forecast, Fawcett said he is “very confident” in the city’s ability to respond.

The city is still faring better than other communities a little further north.

The Town of Swan River evacuated 150 residents Wednesday after heavy rainfalls that Environment Canada said reached 107 mm in just a few days. The typical amount of rainfall in the region for the entire month of June is 80 mm, the agency said.

That storm came before the municipality could recover from a devastating flood in early June.

“Everywhere that we had flooding three weeks ago, we have the same flooding, except more,” said Bill Gade, Swan River’s reeve. “(The flooding) was so bad, and now it’s just so much worse. It’s hard to even imagine it.”

Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson said Friday that water levels appeared to have dropped approximately 30 cm, but they remain elevated by a couple of metres in some places.

The town says it is stuck waiting for water levels to recede before it can begin cleanup efforts. Gade said he believes repair costs will begin around $10 million.

Eleanor Olszewki, the federal minister for emergency management, confirmed Friday that the federal government had approved assistance for flood-ravaged regions in western Manitoba. That support will include the deployment of a small team from the Canadian Armed Forces to help with logistics and resource co-ordination.

Rain is expected to continue throughout western Manitoba on Sunday before Monday brings some relief.

–With files from Tavi Dhillon, Global News

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

Indonesian Gado Gado Salad

(“Gado Gado” means mix mix in Indonesian)

Recipe (Serves 3-4 ppl)

For the vegetables:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 medium green cabbage, 1/4 medium purple cabbage
• 1 medium carrot (shredded)
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 2 cups of  bean sprouts
• 1 cup of drained firm tofu (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1 cup tempeh (fermented soya bean cake)  from Tempea
• 1 handful of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cucumber (sliced or cubed)
• 1 medium lime
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, divided
• Fried shrimp chips (cooked according to package directions if needed) can be found in any Asian stores  (optional)
• Fried shallots, for garnish ( optional)

Make the vegetables:

1. Place 4 large eggs in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to fill the saucepan about three-quarters full. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make an ice water bath by filling a medium bowl halfway full with ice and cold water. Core and slice 1/4 medium green and purple cabbage into 1/2-inch wide shreds (about 5 cups). Trim the stem ends from the green beans.
3. When the eggs are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to the ice water bath.
4. Return the water in the saucepan to a boil. Blanch the vegetables one at a time in the boiling water in the following order, transferring each one with a slotted spoon to the baking sheet when cooked and returning the water to a boil in between each:
   1. Cook the cabbage until tender, about 2 minutes.
   2. Cook the green beans until crisp tender and bright green, 1 to 2 minutes.
   3. Cook bean sprouts until tender, about 45 seconds.
   4. Cut the tempeh and firm tofu into 1-inch cubes.
   5. Shred the carrot and put aside
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the tempeh until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate.
6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the pan. Pat dry the tofu as much as possible and then cook until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to the plate with the tempeh.
7. Cut cucumbers crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds or into cubes. Cut 1 medium lime into wedges. Remove the eggs from the ice water bath, peel, and halve lengthwise.  Wash cherry or grape tomatoes.
8. Arrange all the vegetables, eggs, tempeh, and tofu on a platter or wide shallow bowl. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the sauce. Garnish with fried shallots. Serve with the lime wedges, fried shrimp chips, and the remaining sauce.

Recipe Notes:

• Make ahead: The vegetables and sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in separate airtight containers. Cook the tofu and tempeh when ready to serve to keep the crisp texture in adding to salad.
• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

For the Peanut Sauce:

• Introducing Bali Bites Authentic Mild traditional peanut sauce; Available in vegan style (contains soya bean and seaweed)
• Spice levels – mild, medium and hot in the traditional style ( contains fermented shrimp paste)

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

Days after the Trump administration decided to require annual reviews of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement instead of renewing it in its current form until 2042, the Canadian government says significant uncertainty remains over the next steps in trade negotiations.

“We don’t have any more predictability about the annual review process because this is somewhat uncharted territory. It’s not typical for this kind of agreement,” Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a telephone interview Friday.

LeBlanc said he asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer how he intended to structure discussions as part of the annual review. He said the request was made jointly with Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.

“There wasn’t an answer at the meeting. … It was agreed that we would continue the conversation over the coming weeks,” the minister said of the July 1 meeting, when the United States confirmed it would pursue annual reviews of CUSMA.

Canada and Mexico had hoped the agreement, in its current form, would remain in place for another 16 years. Instead, Washington wants changes, saying the current version has run its course.

The U.S. decision set in motion a renewable annual review process that could last up to 10 years. At the end of that period, the agreement would expire if no path forward is found to extend it beyond its 2036 expiry date.

“At the conclusion of the (July 1) conversation, we suggested bringing some structure and rigour to the review process the Americans have proposed,” said LeBlanc.

Exactly how those annual reviews will be conducted has yet to be determined.

Ebrard said in a video posted to X on July 1 that the road map outlining what the annual review will include has yet to be defined.

“We’re not in a hurry, but we’re also not interested in having uncertainty,” he said in Spanish.

So far, CUSMA has largely shielded Canada and Mexico from most of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump because a broad exemption remains in place for goods that comply with the agreement.

That protection is not complete, however, and Canada and Mexico are each pursuing bilateral agreements with the United States alongside the three-country negotiations.

From Canada’s perspective, the bilateral talks could help reduce U.S. tariffs that fall outside CUSMA’s protections, including those on steel, aluminum and softwood lumber.

Asked Friday how Canada would distinguish between issues to be addressed through the annual CUSMA review and those that would be handled in bilateral talks, LeBlanc acknowledged he did not yet have all the answers.

“One of the difficulties since Mr. Trump arrived is precisely these uncertainties,” he said. “The goal of our conversations with the Americans is, obviously, to reduce the sectoral tariffs that are hurting the economies of all three countries and, at the same time, to try to bring some predictability or some rigour to the conversations on the CUSMA review.”

Mexico expects to host a U.S. delegation during the week of July 20 as part of its own bilateral negotiations with the U.S.

Canada has not yet announced a date for a similar meeting.

On that point, LeBlanc said he was encouraged that on the same day as the July 1 meeting, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Goettman contacted Canada’s chief negotiator, Janice Charette, “to discuss the agenda for the next bilateral discussions.”

“It was to discuss their next meeting in Washington in the coming weeks,” the minister said.

He also said he and Greer agreed to “resume bilateral discussions soon.”

“Over the course of — I would say — the next few weeks,” he added.

“I remain confident that we’ll reach a bilateral agreement and that we’ll reduce the uncertainty surrounding the CUSMA review, but we’ll do the work over the summer to put ourselves in that position,” LeBlanc said.

Asked whether Ottawa is concerned the Trump administration could use bilateral talks to weaken a common front between Canada and Mexico during the trilateral discussions, LeBlanc said he was not particularly worried.

“My conversation on July 1 was encouraging in the sense that all three countries recognized the importance of having a North American economy that will be competitive with other economic blocs in other parts of the world,” he said. “One of the common points we discussed, for example, is how to have a North American economy with integrated supply chains that could compete with other regions of the world that are competing with us.”

LeBlanc said he had heard that, several years ago, the idea of weakening a united front “was a scenario that came up in discussions.” At the time, CUSMA was being negotiated to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement after the first Trump administration threatened to withdraw from the pact while pushing to renegotiate it.

“That didn’t happen,” he said. “We have issues in common with Mexico, just as there are bilateral issues that are different.”

© 2026 The Canadian Press