Twelve-year-old Maya Gebala was shot in the neck and head in the attack in Tumbler Ridge on 10 February and remains in hospital.

An initial ChatGPT account linked to the suspect, 18‑year‑old Jesse Van Rootselaar, was banned by OpenAI in June 2025 due to the nature of her conversations with the chatbot, but Canadian police were not notified.

OpeanAI said it was committed to making “meaningful changes” to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Eight people were killed in the attack, including five young children and the suspect’s mother, in one of the deadliest shootings in Canadian history.

The civil lawsuit, brought by Gebala’s mother Cia Edmonds, alleges Rootselaar set up an account with ChatGPT before she turned 18 – something users can do with parental consent.

The plaintiffs allege no age verification took place on the site.

The lawsuit claims the suspect saw the chatbot as a “trusted confidante” and described “various scenarios involving gun violence” to it over several days in late spring or early summer 2025.

Twelve OpenAI employees then reportedly flagged the posts as “indicating an imminent risk of serious harm to others” and recommended Canadian law enforcement was informed, the lawsuit alleges.

Instead, it is alleged the request to contact the authorities was “rebuffed” and the only action taken was to ban Rootselaar’s account.

OpenAI has previously said it did not alert police because the account did not meet its threshold of a credible or imminent plan for serious physical harm to others.

The suspect was able to then open a second ChatGPT account, despite being flagged by OpenAI systems in the past, and “continue planning scenarios involving gun violence”.

The lawsuit claims the company “had specific knowledge of the shooter’s long-range planning of a mass casualty event,” but “took no steps to act upon this knowledge”.

The plaintiffs state as a result of the company’s conduct, Gebala, who was shot at three times after trying to lock a library door to keep out the shooter, has suffered a “catastrophic brain injury”.

OpenAI’s response

In a statement, an OpenAI spokesperson called the events an “unspeakable tragedy”, adding its thoughts remained with the victims, their families and the community.

“OpenAI remains committed to working with government and law enforcement officials to make meaningful changes that help prevent tragedies like this in the future,” a spokesperson said.

On 4 March, the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, virtually met Canada’s artificial intelligence minister, Evan Solomon, and the premier of British Columbia, David Eby.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Altman “pledged to strengthen protocols on notifying police over potentially harmful interactions” and to apologise to the Tumbler Ridge community.

In an open letter to Canadian officials on 26 February, penned by OpenAI’s vice-president of global policy and shared with media outlets, the company said it had implemented a series of changes in recent months, including enlisting the help of “mental health and behavioural experts” to assess cases and making the criteria for referral to police “more flexible”.

Because of the changes, OpenAI said it would have reported the suspect’s ChatGPT account under the new guidelines.

“We commit to strengthening our detection systems to better prevent attempts to evade our safeguards and prioritize identifying the highest risk offenders,” the company wrote.

OpenAI said it would also establish a direct point of contact with Canadian law enforcement so it can quickly flag any possible future cases with “potential for real world violence”.

Canada’s AI minister Evan Solomon said on 27 February that while legislators saw a willingness by the tech firm to improve its protocols, “we have not yet seen a detailed plan for how these commitments will be implemented in practice”.

Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that the rescue began around noon (16:00 GMT) on Sunday after “winds and current moved the ice shelf away from shore” approximately 2km (1.2 miles).

The rescue involved two helicopters making multiple trips to pluck people off the shelf as it continued to fracture into more pieces in the Owen Sound, about 200km north-west of Toronto.

One member of the group said that he only realised the ice he was fishing on had detached from shore when he noticed that his GPS showed him moving.

Members of the rescued group described harrowing moments, with several of them becoming partially submerged in the cold waters as they sought out the thickest ice on the floe, or sheet.

“I looked at my GPS. We were moving,” fisherman Kevin Fox wrote, identifying himself on Facebook as one of those who were caught up in the incident. “I turned around and saw waves forming behind us.”

He said that he and several others started running towards a route that they hoped still connected to shore.

“We decided to run toward one side of the bay, but when we got there the ice had already separated from shore. We turned and ran the other way, but the ice there was breaking apart too,” he wrote.

Some started phoning their families, said Fox, adding: “It’s something I will never forget – seeing grown men crying while saying goodbye to the people they love.”

Fellow fisherman Alfie How told The Owen Sound Sun Times that they eventually “just sat down as a group and said this could be the end”.

Fox told the paper that the rescue occurred during high wind, and the group was concerned that the helicopters would not be able to fly.

“It was being eroded,” Fox said. “It kept getting smaller, and smaller.”

Police say several members of the group suffered hypothermia, but that everyone was expected to make a full recovery.

“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” police added.

Last month in the US state of Vermont, police rescued a group of ice skaters who had also become trapped on floating ice.

Using kayaks and ferry boats, rescuers brought the group back from the icy Lake Champlain.

Officials warn that ice fishing conditions can change rapidly during the relatively warm daylight hours.

Following a meeting in Mexico City, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also expressed their commitment to a shared partnership with the US.

“We complement the United States, we make them stronger, and we are all stronger together,” Carney told reporters.

Both Canada and Mexico have been hit by US tariffs – 50% on Canadian steel, and 25% on some Mexican pharmaceuticals. President Trump has also levied a 25% “fentanyl tariff” on Mexico, citing border security.

This is Carney’s first official visit to Mexico as prime minister, and it marks an effort to reset relations after tensions flared last year when Canadian officials were accused of seeking a separate trade deal with the US during tariff talks.

At the time, Sheinbaum’s response was that “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners”, and that Canada “could only wish they had the cultural riches that Mexico has”.

The tone between Carney and Sheinbaum on Thursday appeared much warmer, with the two exchanging gifts and later pleasantries at a joint news conference.

“Our agreement today will expand and deepen the partnership, so that the next 30 years hold even greater promise than the last 30 years have delivered,” Carney said.

Canadian officials told reporters earlier that Canada also aims to boost trade with Mexico. Trade between the two was valued at C$56bn ($40.5bn; £30bn) in 2024.

Carney and Sheinbaum also discussed border security and “transnational organised crime” – an issue Trump has cited to justify tariffs on both countries.

Observers say the renewed co-ordination is expected, as the two “don’t want to be pitted against one another when negotiations start”.

“It’s a subtle dance,” said Sebastián Vallejo Vera, a political scientist at Western University. “Canada and Mexico want to show unity, without appearing to gang up on the US.”

The two leaders find themselves facing the same challenge: a protectionist US president who has redefined global and North American trade by imposing widespread tariffs on most countries.

Those levies have been especially disruptive for Canada and Mexico, whose economies have been largely shaped by the United States-Canada-Mexico (USMCA) free trade agreement – a version of which has been in place since 1994.

The USMCA is up for review in 2026. Early stages of that are already underway, with Washington now soliciting feedback from American businesses on the changes they’d like to see.

Canada and Mexico have both supported the agreement, arguing it has helped boost the competitiveness of the North American market.

• In his first public appearance since his Liberal Party won a fourth term in Canada’s federal election earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney says he he will meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington DC
• Carney also says King Charles III to deliver a speech from the throne in Canada’s Parliament on 27 May
• Having the King attend Parliament’s return “underscores the sovereignty of our country”, says Carney
• His election campaign focused on standing up to Trump’s tariff plans and threats to make Canada the 51st US state, which Carney has said will “never ever” happen
• The Liberals won 168 seats out of 343 in Canada’s House of Commons in Monday’s election, enough to form a minority government but falling short of the 172 necessary for a majority

The rare history of royal Parliament openings in Canada

While Canada is an independent country, it is a members of the British Commonwealth with King Charles III as the official head of state.

And as the head of state, he has been invited to open parliament and give the “speech from the throne”.

This is a rare occurrence for the royals.

Queen Elizabeth II was the only royal to have opened Parliament in person twice.

The last time she did was in 1977, and before that in 1957.

Typically, instead of the royals attending, the governor general takes up the role and delivers the speech from the throne as the representative of the Crown in Canada.

In case you missed it

In case you missed it, here is what we learned from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first news conference since his Liberal Pary won the election on Monday:

• Carney will meet Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House in Washington
• Canada’s new cabinet will be sworn in the week of May 12
• King Charles III will visit Ottawa to open Parliament and lay out the new government’s formal agenda in a May 27 speech
• Carney, who will head a minority government, will not seek official support in a formal governing pact from the New Democratic Party’s MPs
• Carney is open to a by-election that could allow Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre to be elected in a different constituency. Poilievre lost his seat on Monday.

Royals confirm visit to Canada to open Parliament

King Charles III – who is also the head of state of Canada, in addition to Britain – and Queen Camilla have confirmed via a post on X that they will visit Ottawa from May 26-27.

Whilst there, they will attend the state opening of Canadian Parliament, where it’s expected King Charles will make a speech.

Carney discusses cabinet plans

Just before the news conference ended, Carney was asked if his next cabinet might be larger, and whether François-Philippe Champagne would remain as the finance minister?

He said he is committed to an efficient cabinet with gender parity, but that final decisions on appointments had not yet been made.

As a reminder, Carney said his cabinet will be sworn in on May 12.

News conference ends

The huddle of reporters try and ask more questions of the prime minister, but they are cut off by the moderator.

Carney says they “have to respect” the rules of the news conference.

“We’ll remember that,” a reporter shouts. Carney makes a joke and heads out the door, signalling the end of the news conference.

We’ll bring you more updates and analysis, so stay with us.

Carney defends lost majority

Carney is asked why he thinks his party lost seats in Ontario, and if those seats cost him the majority.

He says arithmetically yes, but the Liberals lost other seats that went various ways.

They will reflect on it, he tells reporters, but says voters have clearly chosen the Liberals to deal with issues such as affordability and the US relationship.

No formal pact with the NDP

Carney says his Liberals will not pursue a formal governing pact of any kind with the New Democratic Party.

When asked why, he says the Liberal Party received the “highest number of votes in Canadian history”, and in order to do “what we need to do” they will need to work in partnership with all the provinces.

Can Carney expect good faith discussions with Trump?

Carney is asked if he expects good faith negotiations in Washington after Trump has repeatedly called for Canada to be the 51st state of the US.

He says we should not be expecting “white smoke” out of that meeting but the high-level dialogue indicates seriousness of the conversation. Trump respects strength and the electoral results reflect that Canadian want that, he says.

Did Trump repeat 51st state comment when speaking with Carney?

Carney is asked if President Trump said or insinuated that Canada should be the 51st state during their second call, a comment he has made multiple times in recent months.

“He did not,” Carney says.

The reporter then asks if Carney has seen respect from the Trump administration towards Canada.

“It’s always important to distinguish want from reality,” Carney says.

The reality is that Canada becoming a US state will “never ever happen”, he adds.

Carney says when he meets Trump, he is not “pretending those discussions will be easy… I will fight for the best deal for Canada”.

Later, he says in French that the discussions about tariffs will be complex, and that he does not want to negotiate in public.

Carney will meet Trump in Washington on Tuesday

Carney is asked what he wants out of his first meeting with US President Trump.

Carney confirms he will head to Washington DC on Tuesday to meet with Trump.

When there, he says there are two sets of issues to discuss: the immediate tariffs and the broader relationship.

He will want to address both sets of issues, he says, and it has always been his intention to address this immediately.

‘Canada has what everyone wants’ – Carney

“Canada has what everyone wants,” Carney says.

He describes it as a confident, diverse nation, that practices free speech and respects the law.

It has a “vibrant democracy”, he says.

He tells Canadians abroad that there has “never been a better time to come home”.

Carney presents economic plans for tax cuts, housing crisis

Carney is outlining some specific goals for his government now.

He says the middle class tax cut will take affect by Canada Day, July 1, “putting more money” in people’s pockets.

They will expand the Canadian dental care plan, protect programmes like Pharmacare, and cutting the Goods and Services Tax on new homes under Can$1m.

He says these tax measures will “provide immediate relief”, but to make housing affordable again, they will have to build more homes.

Canada is currently being rocked by a housing affordability crisis.

Carney outlines government’s priorities

Carney is outlining his government’s priorities, though he says more details will come later.

First on the list is the US. He says the old relationship with his country’s southern neighbour is over.

Now the question is how we will move forward and uphold other relationships including with France, Europe, the UN, Japan, Ukraine, and others, Carney says.

Parliament to sit later this month

The new cabinet will be sworn in on the week of May 12, Carney tells reporters, and the recall of Parliament is on May 26.

The “new path for Canada” will be set out when the cabinet is sworn in, he adds.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend on May 27, with the king delivering a speech from the throne then.

Carney calls this “an historic honour”.

Canadians made their voices heard – Carney

In opening remarks, Carney says Canadians made their voices heard, including to stand up to Donald Trump.

He also praised Canada’s democracy.

“We disagreed agreeably” and everyone accepted the results, he says. As democracy is under threat around the world, Canada’s remains strong, he adds

Carney says King Charles to formally open Parliament on May 27

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has invited King Charles III to formally open Canada’s 45th Parliament later this month.

The King is Canada’s head of state and is represented in Canada by Governor General Mary Simon.

After an election, the new parliamentary session is usually opened by the governor general who reads The Speech from the Throne on behalf of the prime minister. The speech, read in Canada’s senate, sets out the government’s agenda.

While it is not unprecedented, the last time this happened was in October 1977 when Queen Elizabeth II read the speech for the second time.

Carney says the king’s visit will be a great ‘honour’.

Carney begins first speech outlining government’s priorities

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is now speaking at a news conference, as he is set to outline the priorities for his new government.

It’s his first news conference since Monday’s election. You can follow along by clicking watch live at the top of this page, and we’ll bring you text updates here.

Stay tuned.

Rumours swirl of Carney-Trump meeting next week

This morning reports have emerged in US media that Mark Carney will head to the White House on Tuesday next week, to meet with US President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, Trump told the media he would be meeting Carney within the next week.

We haven’t been able to independently confirm the meeting on Tuesday, but the BBC has reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment.

We’ll be watching to see if Carney confirms this news this morning, and bring it to you then.

Trump disliked Trudeau – why Carney may fare better

The victory-party din for Mark Carney and his Liberal Party had only just faded when Donald Trump chimed in with a less than ringing endorsement of the winners.

“It was the one that hated Trump, I think, the least that won,” the US president said on Wednesday of Carney, whose party had just retained power by winning a near outright majority of the seats in Canada’s general election.

The Canadian prime minister may accept being the lesser of two evils in Trump’s mind, however. The US president also said that he thinks the former Bank of England governor “couldn’t have been nicer” in the first post-election phone conversation.

The two men are expected to meet at the White House sometime within the next week.

For Trump, politics is often personal. Trump’s distaste for former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was palpable practically from the US president’s first day in office in 2017.

Carney heads into his first full term in office with a somewhat cleaner slate in dealing with the US president, but it will still be a precarious situation.

“We will have a partnership on our terms,” Carney told the BBC on Tuesday. “I would distinguish between what the president wants and what he expects.”

Carney went on to say that Trump’s “territorial views” on his country are “never, ever going to happen”

What will Canada’s new parliament look like?

To win an outright majority, Carney and his Liberal Party needed 172 seats out of the 343 in Canada’s Parliament.

But after Monday’s election, the party has 168, falling short by four. As such, the Carney minority government will need support from other parties to pass major legislation.

Here is what it will look like when Parliament is reconstituted on May 26:

• Liberal Party – 168 seats

• Conservative Party – 144 seats

• Bloc Québécois – 23 seats

• New Democratic Party – 7 seats

• Green Party of Canada – 1 seat

With Canada’s businesses reeling from a trade dispute with the US, Carney – a former two-time central banker – is expected to pitch himself as the candidate best equipped to take on Donald Trump.

The 60-year-old political newcomer took over as leader of the Liberal Party after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down from his nine-year term.

The prime minister’s announcement to call an election and request the dissolution of Parliament will kick off a five-week campaign for Carney and his political opponents.

While the timing of the request to dissolve parliament is clear – the exact election date is not.

The prime minister is leaning towards setting April 28 as the voting date, the Globe and Mail and the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing sources in the government.

Some suggest a shorter campaign could work in Carney’s favor, since much of the current national discourse revolves around the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada, particularly after President Trump’s threats and actions.

The election is “almost certain to focus on US President Donald Trump’s trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st state”, The Globe and Mail wrote.

Carney has promised to uphold Canada’s reciprocal tariffs, if Trump maintains 25% universal tariffs on Canadian goods not covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) trade deal.

Trump has vowed to impose a sweeping range of tariffs on 2 April on top of the 25% tariffs already imposed on Canada’s steel and aluminium.

The race will likely come down to a choice between Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

Before the threat of tariffs, Conservatives enjoyed a 20-point lead in some election polls. Now polls are indicating a much closer race.

When Canadians next go to the polls, the Liberals will face not only the Conservatives – who are the official opposition with 120 seats in the House of Commons – but also the Bloc Quebecois, who have 33 seats, and the New Democrats (NDP), who have 24.

All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to “stop making irresponsible remarks”, as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain.

China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted “in accordance with the law”, while the embassy said there was “solid and sufficient” evidence for their crimes.

Beijing had “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned”, the embassy said, urging Canada to respect “China’s judicial sovereignty”.

China does not recognise dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes. However, it’s rare for the death penalty to be carried out on foreigners.

Joly said she had been following the cases “very closely” for months and had tried with other officials, including former prime minister Justin Trudeau, to stop the executions.

In a statement to Canadian media, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said Canada had “repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere”.

China imposes the death penalty on serious crimes including those related to drugs, corruption and espionage. While the number of executions are kept secret, human rights groups believe China has one of the highest execution rates in the world.

“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” said Ketty Nivyabandi from Amnesty International Canada. “We are devastated for the families of the victims, and we hold them in our hearts as they try to process the unimaginable.”

“Our thoughts also go to the loved ones of Canadian citizens whom China is holding on death row or whose whereabouts in the Chinese prison system are unknown.”

In 2019, Canadian national Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling, in a high-profile case condemned by the Canadian government. He was not among the Canadians that were executed.

“We’ll continue to not only strongly condemn but also ask for leniency for other Canadians that are facing similar situations,” Joly said on Wednesday.

Relations between Canada and China have been icy since 2018 after Canada detained a Chinese telecom executive, Meng Wanzhou, on a US extradition request. China arrested two Canadians shortly afterwards, both of whom have now been released.

In 2023, Canadian media released reports, many based on leaked intelligence, about detailed claims of Chinese meddling in the country’s federal elections. China denied the reports, calling them “baseless and defamatory”.

More recently, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm and food imports after Ottawa levied Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminium.

The remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran were recovered at the Prairie Green Landfill, north of the city of Winnipeg, said officials. Authorities had been searching for the bodies of Ms Harris and Ms Myran, both of Long Plain First Nation.

The two victims were among four indigenous women killed in 2022 by convicted murderer Jeremy Skibicki.

The search of the Prairie Green Landfill began late last year following a lengthy pressure campaign by indigenous leaders.

Ms Myran’s remains were officially identified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Manitoba on Monday, while the remains of Ms Harris were identified earlier this month.

In a news release, the Manitoba government said Ms Myran’s family has been notified of the discovery and has asked for privacy.

Cambria Harris, Morgan Harris’s daughter, said in a Facebook post earlier this month that the discovery of her mother’s remains was a “very bittersweet moment”.

“Please keep our families in your hearts tonight and every day going forward as we trust this process,” she said.

Police and province initially declined to search the landfill for the remains of the women, and a federal government study concluded that a search could take three years and cost up to C$184m (£100m; $128m), with workers exposed to hazardous chemicals.

Following pressure from the families and a change in government, Manitoba’s new premier, Wab Kinew, eventually pledged C$20m for the search. The funds were matched by the federal government.

The search officially began in December. In late February, search crews recovered human remains, later identified as that of Ms Harris and Ms Myran.

The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives, who had rejected a landfill search when they formed government, issued a formal apology in the legislature to the families this month.

“Our government erred. It’s as simple as that,” said interim PC Leader Wayne Ewasko.

Premier Kinew has said that “many Canadians always understood that this was the right thing to do to search the landfill”.

“But now, we can also say with confidence, that this was also the realistic and reasonable thing to do,” he added.

Skibicki was convicted last July of the murders of Ms Harris,39, and Ms Myran,26, as well as of killing a third woman, Rebecca Contois, 24, of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation. A fourth victim is still unidentified, and has been given the name Buffalo Woman.

Their murders went undetected for months until a man looking for scrap metal in a bin outside Skibicki’s apartment found partial human remains, identified as belonging to Ms Contois.

Canada has long faced a crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, indigenous women make up 10% of the population of missing women in Canada and 16% of female homicides. Indigenous women make up about 4% of the female population in Canada.

It was another symbolic gesture of support for Canada from a King, wearing a red tie, who has to send coded signals rather than spell things out in words, as Canada faces threats from US President Donald Trump.

But the King has sought to make clear his commitment to Canada – and if it had not been for his cancer diagnosis, the BBC understands he would have travelled there for an intended visit in 2024.

There are also suggestions that once Canada’s election is out the way, a visit to Canada will be a priority, where he can further demonstrate his support.

The new Canadian prime minister told the King that his Order of Canada pin had broken this morning. The King joked: “Do you want another one?”

“There’s much to catch up on,” said the King, ushering Carney to a seat, and perhaps hoping that the broken pin was not a symbol of a Commonwealth relationship under strain.

“These are important matters,” said the King, ahead of a 30-minute conversation with no one else in attendance.

The meeting with Carney is the latest scene in an intricate diplomatic balancing act for a King who is head of state of both the UK and Canada.

King Charles has to show solidarity with Canada without disrupting the UK’s relationship with Trump, who is antagonising Canadians with his economic threats and calls for Canada to become the US 51st state.

The King also has to avoid getting directly involved in politics – and has to speak on advice of ministers. Whatever he might personally believe about Trump’s comments about taking over Canada, the King has to keep his thoughts to himself.

Adding to this complicated choreography is that the royals are one of the strongest cards the UK can play with President Trump. He seemed delighted by his second state visit invitation from the King.

So messages from the King are sent in symbolic displays. In case anyone missed the signs over Canada, there have been multiple moments. And then some more.

When the King visited aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, he appeared wearing a set of Canadian medals.

The 60th anniversary of Canada’s maple leaf flag might usually have passed without any royal intervention, but there was a fulsome message sent by the King, praising the “proud, resilient and compassionate country”.

A ceremonial sword for Canada became an event at Buckingham Palace with a formal presentation by the King.

At a tree planting ceremony in Buckingham Palace, the tree chosen was a maple. And when the King sat down at the Commonwealth Service last week, it was on a Canadian chair.

If any of these moments were accidental, they were not being rejected by Buckingham Palace, with royal sources emphasising the King’s commitment to Canada.

But there is no avoiding the tensions and contradictions in this balancing act. Emails from Canadians to the BBC’s Royal Watch newsletter show that many want a much more robust defence from the King.

“What a cop out! Throw Canada to the wolves. Giving us back pats for our flag’s anniversary doesn’t quite cut it. Here sits a monarchist who is seriously rethinking his allegiance to the crown!” emailed Brian, a Canadian military veteran.

Carol in Vancouver was unhappy at the invitation from the UK for a second state visit by President Trump.

“I feel ashamed for the Brits feeling they have to follow through with inviting such a boor for dinner. For the life of me I do not understand why he has this power over you,” she wrote.

“As a Canadian, the invitation is a slap in the face to the people of Canada. If the King is our King (as we are a Commonwealth country), and Trump is basically at war with us, how dare King Charles give him any credence?” emailed Patricia.

“As a Canadian I am saddened, appalled, disgusted and angry that King Charles appears to be joining the conga line of supplicants,” said Jo-Ann in Ontario.

But King Charles will have to keep to the line set by ministers, and if that means maintaining good relations with Trump, he is unlikely to be saying anything more outspoken.

Canada and Mexico are forecast to see the biggest impact as they have had the harshest tariffs imposed on them, but US growth is also expected to be hit.

The OECD has more than halved its growth outlook for Canada for this year and next, while it expects Mexico to be pushed into a recession.

Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports. The US has also imposed 25% tariffs on other imports from Mexico and Canada – with some exemptions – and a 20% levy on Chinese goods.

In response, Canada and the EU have both announced retaliatory tariffs.

The Paris-based OECD said the higher trade barriers and “increased geopolitical and policy uncertainty” was hitting investment and household spending.

In the OECD’s latest forecast:

• Canada’s economy is predicted to grow by just 0.7% this year and in 2026, compared with the previous forecast of 2% for both years
• Mexico is now forecast to contract by 1.3% this year and shrink a further 0.6% next year, instead of growing by 1.2% and 1.6% as previously expected
• Growth in the US has also been downgraded, with growth of 2.2% expected this year and 1.6% in 2025, down from previous forecasts of 2.4% and 2.1%
• Despite the US imposing tariffs on China, the OECD has increased its growth forecast for the country slightly to 4.8%.

The OECD said the developing trade war was set to push up inflation, which will mean interest rates are likely to remain higher for longer.

“Significant risks remain,” it warned. “Further fragmentation of the global economy is a key concern.

“Higher and broader increases in trade barriers would hit growth around the world and add to inflation”.

The OECD said that for the world economy, growth would slow from 3.2% in 2024 to 3.1% in 2025, largely as a result of the trade tensions.

In a letter to the US trade representative, the firm said US exporters were “exposed to disproportionate impacts” if other countries retaliated to Trump’s tariffs.

The OECD cut its growth forecast for the UK’s economy to 1.4% in 2025, from its previous forecast of 1.7%, and to 1.2% in 2026, down from 1.3%.

However, the forecast is more optimistic than the Bank of England, which earlier this month cut its UK growth forecast for 2025 to 0.75%.

Also signalling support was King Charles, who planted a red maple tree on the grounds of Buckingham Palace and wore his Canadian medals during a high-profile visit to a naval warship.

Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived in Paris before heading to London on Monday – a day after his 60th birthday – for his first foreign visit hoping to achieve more than symbolic encouragement. He wants solid support from allies.

Not only is Canada being targeted, like Europe, by a raft of swingeing US tariffs, but Donald Trump is making it clear he wants to take over his northern neighbour.

“We appreciate all the symbolic gestures but we need more public backing,” a Canadian official told me in a voice which underlined the nervous disbelief shared by most Canadians – Trump is not joking when he calls Canada the United States’s “51st state”.

The official messaging from Ottawa about Carney’s trip underlines his priorities – finance and fortifying security – a natural fit for the economist who headed the central banks in both Canada and the UK. A statement from his office said his visit is meant “to strengthen two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships”.

His itinerary is full of great symbolism too.

Carney revealed it on Friday during his first speech as prime minister when he hearkened back – with a shiny polish – to the origins of this former colony. He hailed “the wonder of a country built on the bedrock of three peoples: indigenous, French and British”.

So there’s a third destination on this whistle-stop tour – Iqaluit, the capital of Canada’s northernmost territory of Nunavut and homeland of its Inuit people. That stop, the statement emphasised, was to “reaffirm Canada’s Arctic security and sovereignty”.

Spectacular Arctic and northern terrain makes up 40% of the land mass of the world’s second largest country. Protecting it is a critical Canadian concern in the midst of intensifying rivalry among world powers in the Arctic region, which has drawn in the US, Russia, China and more; it’s the cold war of all cold wars.

And there’s a personal twist. Carney was born in the small town of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories, which lies next to Nunavut.

His schedule underlines that he also needs to be a quick study in a new skill – retail politics. A federal election, which has to be held by October, is expected to be called very soon. Carney needs to prove that he can engage with voters, in English and French, as naturally as he does with bankers and finance bosses.

And he needs a proper political mandate. He secured a whopping 86% of the vote when his Liberal Party chose to replace Justin Trudeau, who stepped down as prime minister amid growing calls to resign from his own party after a decade at the top.

But Carney doesn’t have a seat in parliament; he still doesn’t have the vote of Canadians.

His Liberal party has just experienced a dramatic reversal, a “Trump bump” as well as a Trudeau one. The party which seemed certain to lose, and lose badly, is now tied with its main Conservative rivals in the polls.

Looking like a world leader, and understanding the world of tariffs and trade, is a good look when you are running for high office in the dark shadow of an external threat.

“I think part of the purpose of Mark Carney’s trip to Europe is to show that he can talk internationally to other like-minded powers at this very important moment,” reflects the eminent Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan.

Back home, voters will decide if that is what counts.

Carney is certain to talk Trump tactics, in private, with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. They’ve both taken great pains to flatter the US president in public, and press their case behind closed doors.

Many will be watching to see how Trump addresses Mark Carney – he recently referred to Canada’s former prime minister as “Governor Trudeau”.

Canada’s new top talker has been talking tough.

A week ago, when Carney won his party’s leadership contest, he invoked Canada’s national sport, ice hockey, which has long been locked in rivalry with US teams. “Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” Carney declared to rousing applause.

“Make no mistake, Canada will win.”

But everyone knows this is no game. Carney described this escalating trade war as “the greatest crisis of our lifetime”. More than 80% of Canada’s exports cross the border to the US.

And while there have been a few reports of Canadians flying the US flag, a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute underlined that a thumping 91% of Canadians reject becoming the 51st state.

On Friday, in Ottawa’s icy cold weather, Carney struck a warmer tone, highlighting how he and Trump share a background in business, including real estate.

“The president is a successful businessperson and dealmaker. We are his largest client in so many industries,” he remarked. “Clients expect respect and working together in a proper commercial way.”

Carney says he “looks forward” to speaking with President Trump. But the fact it will be a call, not a visit, is a measure of this moment. Traditionally, the first foreign visit of a Canadian leader is to the US – its closest neighbour and most trusted partner.

On Monday, Carney is expected to sit down with King Charles, Canada’s head of state. The British monarch recently expressed his “deepest affection” for Canada, and is said to have already penned a private letter to the new prime minister.

In his non-political role, showing love in public may be the limits of the King’s power. But even that sends a message to the American president.

Sir Keir has described Canada as “an ally, and a very important ally too”. But last week, the head of Britain’s Liberal Democrats Ed Davey called on him to show more public support for Canada to oppose the “shocking attacks” on its sovereignty.

This may be a week of that old adage in diplomacy and politics – “to do something and be seen to be doing it”.