Good day,

Friday’s here and we’ve made it to the long weekend.

Today, some of America’s largest industrial unions are warning Trump that tariffs on Canada could hurt their own workers. We’re also looking at a work-permit dispute affecting international graduates, another profitable quarter for Loblaw and a possible new Canadian defence plant.

Major American industrial unions are urging the Trump administration to rethink its growing trade fight with Canada.

The United Steelworkers and International Association of Machinists argue that Canada and the United States should protect North American manufacturing together instead of placing tariffs on each other.

Their point is not that every tariff is bad. It is that Canadian and American factories often rely on the same steel, aluminum, auto parts and aerospace components.

A tariff may protect one American producer while raising costs for another company using Canadian materials. That can lead to higher prices, delayed investment or fewer jobs.

The criticism matters because it is coming from unions representing the workers Trump says his tariffs are designed to protect.

Canada’s strongest allies in this dispute may therefore be American workers, businesses and state politicians who begin feeling the consequences themselves.

Hundreds of international graduates say they completed Canadian programs expecting to qualify for post-graduation work permits, only to be rejected after finishing school.

Reports suggest roughly 1,500 graduates may be affected, although Ottawa has not confirmed a final national number.

The refusals say some programs were considered non-credit and therefore ineligible.

A post-graduation work permit can allow eligible graduates to work in Canada for up to three years, depending on the length of their program.

The dispute is about what students were told. Many say colleges or recruiters presented their programs as eligible when they enrolled and paid international tuition.

Ottawa says a study permit never guarantees a work permit. That is legally true, but it does not answer whether schools marketed programs inaccurately or whether immigration officers applied the rules inconsistently.

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Loblaw reported quarterly earnings of $751 million, up $37 million from the same period last year.

The growth came from more than grocery stores.

Pharmacy and health-care sales increased 7.5 per cent, while customers continued moving toward discount banners such as No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore.

Loblaw also said some Canadians are buying more frozen produce to avoid the higher cost and waste of fresh fruits and vegetables.

A large profit does not automatically prove grocery prices are excessive. Loblaw operates grocery, pharmacy, financial and health-care businesses, and its overall profit must be compared with its revenue and margins.

Still, rising earnings will be difficult for many households to accept while food remains expensive.

Bombardier says it expects to choose a Canadian site by late 2026 or early 2027 for a facility that would convert business jets into military surveillance aircraft.

The plant would initially support the Saab GlobalEye program, which uses a Canadian-built Bombardier jet fitted with radar, sensors and military communications equipment.

Those aircraft can track planes, ships, missiles and activity on the ground across large areas.

This is more than a single aircraft order. A Canadian conversion plant could support a larger industry building surveillance, maritime patrol and command aircraft.

It could also create specialized jobs in engineering, electronics, software and aircraft maintenance.

No location, job total or government subsidy has been confirmed. The project may also depend heavily on future Canadian and NATO orders.

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Canada and Ukraine are discussing a long-term energy partnership that could last up to 30 years.

The talks could include gas purchases, infrastructure repairs, nuclear cooperation and Canadian investment in Ukraine’s energy system.

Ukrainian officials have also discussed as much as $650 million in possible Canadian support for winter natural-gas purchases, but that money has not been finalized.

Canada and Ukraine already signed an energy-cooperation agreement in February covering natural gas, nuclear fuel, renewable energy and infrastructure protection.

Canada cannot easily ship Western Canadian LNG directly to Ukraine. Support could instead involve financing European purchases, supplying equipment or helping rebuild pipelines and power systems.