In the news today: James Smith offers condolences to Hollow Water

By Canadian Press on September 5, 2025.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

James Smith offers condolences to Hollow Water

Messages of condolences and support poured in for a Manitoba First Nation after a mass stabbing on Thursday, including from a First Nation in Saskatchewan that experienced one of its own exactly three years earlier.

Police say eight people were found severely injured in two homes on Hollow Water First Nation, northeast of Winnipeg.

An 18-year-old woman died while the suspect, her 26-year-old brother, died after the stolen vehicle he was driving collided with a vehicle driven by a police officer responding to the attack.

The attack took place exactly three years after a mass stabbing on the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and the nearby community of Weldon that left 11 people dead and 17 injured.

The First Nation says it stands with Hollow Water in solidarity during its time of grief.

“From our nation to theirs, we send strength, compassion and the reminder that they are not alone,” the First Nation said Thursday in a statement posted on social media. “We walk together in spirit.”

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Statistics Canada to release August jobs report

Statistics Canada will release its latest reading of the country’s job market this morning.

The agency is set to release its labour force survey for August.

A Reuters poll of economists heading into the release expects a gain of 10,000 jobs and the unemployment rate to rise to seven per cent for the month, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

The July labour force survey showed a loss of 41,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent.

The jobs report comes ahead of the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision set for Sept. 17.

Carney kicks off TIFF’s 50th edition with patriotic speech

Prime Minister Mark Carney opened the 50th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival with a patriotic speech that celebrated Canadian culture — and included a subtle swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney took the stage to a standing ovation ahead of the screening of opening-night film “John Candy: I Like Me,” a documentary celebrating the late Canadian comedian.

He quipped he was there to “take credit” for the Trudeau government’s support of TIFF — including a $23-million investment last year in its upcoming content market — before stressing he’s reaffirming those commitments.

TIFF is “a testament to part of what makes Canada unique,” said Carney.

He noted that in many of Candy’s movies, the comic played characters who confronted their bullies.

“Don’t push a Canadian too far,” Carney said with a grin, alluding to Canada’s fraught relationship with the U.S.

Carney in GTA following cabinet retreat

The prime minister is expected to remain in the Greater Toronto area today after meeting with his cabinet for two days to prepare for the return of Parliament.

Mark Carney’s itinerary says he’s planning to make an announcement about Canada’s “strategic sectors” at 11:00 a.m. ET.

On Thursday, Carney and his cabinet concluded their retreat at a hotel in Toronto’s North York area after two days of discussions about fast-tracking large projects and providing help to sectors suffering under heavy U.S. tariffs.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday the federal government will be making announcements “in the coming days” on help for sectors that have been hurt the most by the tariffs.

Joly said Ottawa is looking for ways to help companies re-tool so that they can supply other industries and gave the example of helping steel makers pivot away from U.S. automakers and toward products for the domestic construction and defence industries.

G7 officials meeting in Ottawa region today

Canada is hosting U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and other officials from G7 countries and Ukraine in the Ottawa area today.

Speaker of the House of Commons Francis Scarpaleggia will be in meetings with his counterparts until Saturday as part of Canada’s G7 presidency.

Scarpaleggia’s office says officials are gathering to discuss the challenges facing legislators worldwide and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy.

The meetings involve working sessions on themes like online disinformation, “fostering respectful debate” in a climate of political polarization and violence against lawmakers.

The first meeting of the Speakers of the Lower Houses of the G7 was hosted by Canada in 2002.