Evening audio brief for Saturday, September 12, 2026 — tap play above to listen with slides and subtitles. Here's what happened on a day when trade-war talks warmed, Gander remembered, and a Canadian icon returned to the stage:
Speaking during a visit to Ireland, U.S. President Donald Trump said a trade deal with Canada could be reached "fairly soon," adding that Canada "wants to make a deal very badly." The conciliatory tone marks a notable shift after a bruising stretch: Washington imposed 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion in Canadian goods, and Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs took effect earlier this week. Trump also repeated his long-running grievance that the U.S. has been "ripped off" for decades — but for the first time in days, the conversation is about a deal rather than escalation. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he still speaks regularly with the president, and analysts note his hardball stance is backed by Canadian public opinion. A deal isn't signed — but the temperature dropped today.
Twenty-five years after stranded passengers found shelter in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien returned to the town and delivered one of the most pointed speeches of the anniversary: "We bow to no one." Addressing Americans directly, the 92-year-old warned, "Never mistake our generosity for weakness." The ceremony honoured the community that nearly doubled in size for five days in 2001 as 38 planeloads of travellers were grounded there. Chrétien, who was prime minister on 9/11, blended tribute with defiance — a message landing with extra force amid today's trade tensions. Fellow leaders and commemorations across Canada and the U.S. marked the quarter-century milestone alongside him.
The buy-Canadian movement is no longer a protest — it's a supply-chain reality. Reuters reports that grocers across the country are reworking sourcing strategies and hunting for non-U.S. suppliers as shoppers systematically avoid American products. Retailers describe the shift as durable rather than a temporary spike, with shelf space rebalanced toward domestic and international alternatives. The changes ripple outward: tariffs on U.S. homebuilding materials are raising construction costs, and industry groups warn the new normal will keep reshaping prices. What began as a consumer response to tariffs and annexation talk is now changing what — and from where — Canadians buy.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will welcome global investors to Toronto on September 14 and 15 for the inaugural Canada Investment Summit — and Canadian finance is arriving with commitments. Some of the country's biggest financial players are promising billions ahead of the event, and the Northwest Territories is pitching critical minerals to attract capital. Coming at the end of a week dominated by tariff fights, the summit is Carney's counter-narrative: Canada as open for business, diversified, and investable. The Star's analysis calls next week one of the biggest tests of his young premiership.
Stellantis has signed a memorandum of understanding to sell its idled Brampton assembly plant to Roshel, a Mississauga-based armoured-vehicle manufacturer. The move follows a breakdown in talks between the automaker and Unifor over the plant's future — the union called the impasse a blow for Brampton's auto workforce, which has been in limbo since the plant was idled. A sale to an Ontario manufacturer could preserve some industrial use of the site, but workers and union officials say they're seeking firm commitments on jobs before calling it good news. The MOU is the first concrete step in the plant's post-Stellantis chapter.
Six years after her last full concert, Céline Dion returned to the stage in Paris, opening a sold-out residency with an emotional set that brought the crowd — and nearly the singer herself — to tears. "I promised not to cry," she told the audience, after stepping away from performing to battle stiff-person syndrome. Fans travelled from Montreal to be there, and thousands more sang her catalogue at an outdoor karaoke event in the city. The comeback is official, and for Canadian music fans it's the feel-good story of the night.
Maple Leaf Beat Audio · 2026-09-12 · evening · Narrated edition, compiled from CTV News, Toronto Star, Reuters, CBC.
