Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
The industrial carbon tax is eroding Canada's competitive edge at a time when the world is desperate for energy, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has argued. “We’re still talking about an industrial carbon tax when no other producing and exporting nation does that to their producers," the group's head, Lisa Baiton, said. She added: “Instead of seizing the moment and taking the mantle of that responsibility, we are focusing on things that add cost and make us less competitive.” Energy expert Heather Exner-Pirot, reacting to the statement, said: "They are telling you the new industry consensus position: they don’t want any industrial carbon tax and they don’t want to pay for carbon capture."
Read the comments from oil & gas CEOs from the BMO / CAPP conference. They are telling you the new industry consensus position: they don’t want any industrial carbon tax and they don’t want to pay for carbon capture.
— Heather Exner-Pirot (@ExnerPirot) April 14, 2026
We have crossed the threshold from Canada blocking O&G… pic.twitter.com/sjITzzFgGU
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said he can "envisage" a future in which Canada joins the EU – but insists that will be "up to Canada to decide." Stubb, who has been visiting Canada, also spoke of his "tight" relationship with Mark Carney, adding: "I think Finns and Canadians are quite similar. We're cool, calm and collected except in the ice hockey rink."
Finland's President @alexstubb says Canada could eventually join EU, praising shared values during Ottawa trade/defence talks with PM @MarkJCarney — CBC News pic.twitter.com/3nluVYeetp
— TrendingPolitics.ca (@TrendPolCa) April 15, 2026
Indians are no longer looking at Canada as their preferred destination to study, with one consultancy in the country saying: "People don't want to apply to Canada anymore." Shobhit Anand told the BBC: "Until 2023, most of our applications were for Canada" – but have now dropped by 80 per cent as students face "a very high visa rejection rate." According to data out of Ottawa, Indians made up 8.1 per cent of the international student population in September last year, compared to 51.6 per cent in 2023. Anand said cost-of-living concerns are also putting off Indian applicants, explaining: "There's real fear. Even if you get there, can you make it work?"
Canada was once a dream destination for Indian students. Is that changing? https://t.co/C9YpGkv1fb
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) April 14, 2026
In another immigration story from the BBC, fraudulent asylum seekers and their helpers in the UK have been caught on camera lying about being gay or atheist in an attempt to boost their claims for settlement. Among the tricks employed by the fake refugees are paying to write articles in atheist magazines and employing someone to pretend to be a gay partner. A BBC reporter went undercover as a Bangladeshi student who had dropped out of university and wanted to claim asylum as a way to stay in the UK and was told by a self-described lawyer that he had to "choose whether he wanted to pretend to be gay, an atheist or a political activist."
Legal advisers help migrants pose as gay to get asylum, undercover BBC investigation finds
— WeGotitBack 🏴🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@NotFarLeftAtAll) April 15, 2026
No 💩 Sherlock pic.twitter.com/6XQATpEIkz
What do most Canadians think threatens their quality of life and the future of Canada? Donald Trump and the US, according to a new poll from Abacus Data. Trump and the US topped the list of threats "by a wide margin," the pollster said, with 31 per cent of respondents picking Canada's southern neighbour as their first choice. Other threats chosen by the respondents included government cuts, health care, immigration and government overspending.
A new Abacus Data survey shows a clear hierarchy of risk in Canadians’ minds.
— Abacus Data (@abacusdataca) April 15, 2026
At the top: Donald Trump and U.S. economic policy.
31% say it’s the biggest threat.
46% rank it in their top two.
Everything else trails well behind.https://t.co/aNedLTH0s0 pic.twitter.com/XZNC5l1SUu
