Roundup: Cabinet retreat in Quebec City, China urges quick follow-through, and other national briefs
A two-day cabinet retreat in Quebec City focuses on the economy and tariffs, China pushes for rapid action after talks in Beijing, and updates on pipelines, recalls and retail legal disputes.
Copy link
By Torontoer Staff
Prime Minister Mark Carney is convening cabinet in Quebec City for a two-day retreat focused on the economy, affordability and national security. The meeting follows Carney's nine-day investment-seeking trip overseas and comes just ahead of Parliament's return on Monday.
This roundup summarises key developments from across Canada, including diplomatic follow-up with China, Indigenous concerns about an Alberta pipeline memorandum, a failed recall in Alberta and court and retail disputes making headlines.
Cabinet retreat in Quebec City centres on economy and tariffs
Ministers are expected to discuss internal priorities such as interprovincial trade and major projects, but external pressures are likely to shape the agenda. Officials returned as concerns grow over U.S. trade policy, including tariffs, and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement negotiations.
Fen Osler Hampson, an international affairs professor at Carleton University, said the retreat is an opportunity to prepare Canadians for a difficult year ahead. "What they should be focused on is what's the game plan for getting Canadians ready for what's going to be a very rough year, with the prospect of more tariffs, more pain and (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) negotiations that are clearly going to be taking place under the barrel of a tariff gun," he said.
China presses Canada to move quickly on agreed projects
China's ambassador to Canada, Wang Di, urged Ottawa to act swiftly on areas of collaboration the two countries agreed to during Prime Minister Carney's visit to Beijing last week, saying leaders set a direction that both sides should follow up on promptly.
As long as both China and Canada have adequate sincerity, both sides will be able to translate the important outcomes into reality.
Wang Di, Chinese ambassador to Canada
During the Beijing meetings, President Xi Jinping and Carney agreed to resolve a tariff dispute that prompted Beijing to impose levies on some Canadian agricultural goods in response to Ottawa's tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
First Nations chiefs question omission of water in Alberta pipeline deal
Some First Nations chiefs are demanding answers after the federal government signed a memorandum of understanding with Alberta that does not address fresh water. The MOU opens the door to a pipeline to move bitumen to the B.C. coast but does not mention water use for oilsands extraction or the risks posed by tailings ponds.
Ottawa established the Crown-Indigenous Working Group in 2021 to develop options alongside affected First Nations and Métis communities for managing and remediating polluted tailings ponds. The Privy Council Office declined to explain why water was omitted from the Alberta agreement, or whether the major projects office will require water quality standards and effluent treatment in Alberta's proposal.
Failed recall framed as a validation by Alberta education minister
Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta's education minister, called an unsuccessful recall petition against him a vote of confidence in the government's direction. In a letter to constituents posted on social media, he said the result validates the government's priorities and energizes him to continue work on education file reforms.
I view this result as a strong vote of confidence from the people of Calgary-Bow in the direction our government is taking and a validation of the work we are doing to build a more prosperous and resilient Alberta.
Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta education minister
Nicolaides was the first of more than two dozen members of Alberta's legislature targeted by recall petitions in the final months of 2025.
B.C. judge rejects dangerous-offender designation in robbery case
A British Columbia court declined prosecutors' request to have Christopher Prokopchuk designated a dangerous offender and jailed indefinitely. Prokopchuk has a roughly 30-year record of robbery, parole breaches and assaults in custody, and pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery in Surrey in 2021.
Justice Barbara Norrell noted aspects of his history, including what she described as leaving behind fingerprints at robbery scenes so he would be caught, and waiting for police after smashing a window. Prosecutors argued his problems were intractable and that an indeterminate sentence was the only way to adequately protect the public, but the court rejected that outcome.
Toys "R" Us Canada faces landlord lawsuits over unpaid rent
Toys "R" Us Canada is the subject of at least seven lawsuits from landlords claiming a combined $31.3 million in unpaid rent and damages. Court filings from last year allege the retailer defaulted on rent for several properties in 2024 and 2025.
Landlords involved include RioTrin Properties, part of the RioCan real estate investment trust, and Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust. The disputed spaces include locations in Saint John, New Brunswick, Belleville, Ontario, and Oakville, Ontario. The chain has closed dozens of stores in recent years and now operates roughly 40 locations.
These summaries were compiled from reports by The Canadian Press, first published Jan. 22, 2026.
Taken together, this week’s developments highlight trade and economic pressure points for Ottawa, ongoing disputes around resource projects and the legal and political challenges playing out at provincial and municipal levels.
Cabinet retreatTradeChinaPipelinesAlbertaToys R Us
