Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
The leader of the separatist Parti Québécois has said he is worried the federal government is spying on his party. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he has no proof of any espionage taking place, but said: "We know that each decade, the Government of Canada has taken ethically and legally very questionable steps to monitor elected PQ members." He added: "It’s much easier than back in the day when someone had to tape a recorder to their stomach."
PQ leader says he believes Ottawa may be spying on party, offers no proofhttps://t.co/yCoa75FuvO
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) May 13, 2026
The United Nations has told the Canadian government to eliminate the second-generation cutoff in the Indian Act. Changes to the law in 1985 prevent the transfer of First Nations status to anyone with at least one non-status grandparent and one non-status parent. The UN said the cut-off "has the effect of forcibly assimilating Indigenous individuals … it will lead to diminishing numbers of persons with legal Indian status who are recognized by Canada as having treaty, Aboriginal and inherent rights, as well as being persons to whom Canada owes a fiduciary duty." Status under the Indian Act confers various benefits and privileges, including certain tax exemptions, health coverage, education support, treaty payments, reserve land rights and access to certain programs.
UN, First Nations leaders say Liberals must pass Indian Act changes as 'priority' https://t.co/bZ2gUgX0GL
— CTV News (@CTVNews) May 12, 2026
An Ontario Liberal Party leadership hopeful has said Canada should cut its "enormous" temporary resident population by 80 per cent and "substantially" reduce asylum, student and temporary worker quotas. Eric Lombardi said he realizes that "likely means a prolonged period of near-flat population growth." He added that immigration "is not primarily a humanitarian program" but rather a means to ensuring Canada is a "prosperous, cohesive, high-trust society."
Canadian leaders are too afraid to engage seriously with the frustration many normal people feel about immigration after the last few years.
— Eric Lombardi (EricForOLP.ca) 🇨🇦🚀 (@EricDLombardi) May 11, 2026
But I share many of their concerns.
We have made honest conversation too difficult. And in Ontario especially, we have been naive about…
Ukraine has begun preparations for a military drone deal with Canada, according to the country's leader. Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal "is a very significant expansion of our security co-operation." The federal government has not commented on Zelensky's claim.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has a 'drone deal' with Canada in the works https://t.co/dRTLbD7u1M
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) May 12, 2026
The Liberal government's claim that its attempts to diversify Canada's trade away from the United States is "bearing fruit" is not supported by economic data, according to a new report. Bloomberg found that, excluding precious metals, Canada's exports to countries other than the US "remained essentially flat relative to December 2024." The article highlighted that Canada's claimed 36 per cent increase in non-US exports "has been driven by two price-volatile commodities — gold and oil." It added: "Some of the gold counted among Canada’s exports isn’t even leaving the country" but "simply changed owners without physically moving."
The increase in Canadian exports to countries outside the US has been driven by two price-volatile commodities — gold and oil — rather than businesses breaking ground in new markets https://t.co/ZuicKPnXz7
— Bloomberg (@business) May 13, 2026
