900: Stellantis, one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, has temporarily laid off 900 US workers at plants that supply parts for its Canadian and Mexican factories, where operations have been suspended for two weeks amid uncertainty about the nature and impact of Trump’s tariffs.
4: Within Canada’s large South Asian diaspora, people who trace their origins to the Punjab region have long enjoyed greater numbers and political representation than those who hail from the Indian state of Gujarat. But that could be starting to shift, as the April 28 election will see four Gujarati candidates on the ballot. In Calgary, Sunjiv Raval is running for office on the Liberal Party ticket, while Ashok Patel and Minesh Patel are running as Independents. In Brampton, Ontario, Jayesh Brahmbhatt is running with the People’s Party.
30: Things are always a bit fluid in US-Mexican relations, but the next big clash between the two countries could literally be over water. Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico is obligated to share the waters of the Rio Grande but has met only 30% of its obligations over the past five years. Mexico says this is due to drought, but a fight is brewing as the treaty is set to expire later this year.
60: By a vote of 60 to 37, the US Senate confirmed Pete Hoekstra as the new ambassador to Canada. The Dutch-born Hoekstra is a former congressman from Michigan and ambassador to the Netherlands. He assumes his new role at a tough time: His boss has launched a tariff war with his host country and threatened to make Canada “the 51st state.” Hoekstra said he will “work with the Canadian government” on trade and border security.
