In the news today: Canada-China relations, Kenneth Law to enter plea, Habs vs. Canes

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

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi set to meet Carney, Anand today

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi is in Ottawa today, the first such visit in a decade.

He is in Canada for a three-day trip that will include meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The prime minister visited China in January and met with President Xi Jinping.

Canada and China reached a preliminary trade deal after Carney’s visit, when Beijing agreed to lower or eliminate some tariffs on Canadian agriculture products and Canada agreed to reduce tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles.

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A car is charged at a charge station for electric vehicles on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 1, 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

$122M in EV rebate claims made since start of new program as dealers wait to be paid

Canadians have claimed more than $122 million in federal subsidies for new electric vehicles since Ottawa reintroduced its rebate program in February.

A Transport Canada database shows more than 24,000 claims in the first two and a half months, but some car dealers say they’re still waiting to get the money from the federal government to cover the rebates.

The Canadian Auto Dealers Association says some dealerships are waiting for more than $200,000s in rebates to be paid, which is hurting their cash flow.

EV sales in Canada plunged after the original federal rebate program was paused due to a lack of funding in January 2025, but sales jumped back up again in March after the rebate program was restored.

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Kenneth Law appears in court in Brampton, Ont., on May 3, 2023 in an artist’s sketch. Law, accused of selling a lethal substance to people at risk of self-harm, is expected to have the murder charges against him withdrawn on Friday as he pleads guilty to the lesser charge of aiding suicide.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould

Kenneth Law expected to plead guilty today to 14 counts of aiding suicide

Prosecutors are expected to withdraw more than a dozen murder charges against Kenneth Law today, with the Ontario man at the heart of an international investigation instead pleading guilty to aiding suicide.

Law, 60, is accused of selling deadly substances online to people at risk of self-harm, some of whom went on to take their own lives.

However, Law’s lawyer Matthew Gourlay indicated last month that first-degree murder charges would be withdrawn and his client would plead guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide.

Police have alleged Law ran several websites that were used to sell sodium nitrite and other items that can be used for self-harm, shipping some 1,200 packages to people in more than 40 countries, including the United Kingdom.

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A pumpjack draws out oil and gas from a well head near Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and is the world’s fourth largest oil producer.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

StatCan to reveal early economic impacts of Iran war in first quarter GDP report

Statistics Canada will reveal this morning how ongoing tariffs and the start of the Iran war affected the economy in the first quarter of the year.

The agency’s initial estimates suggest the economy rebounded somewhat after a mild contraction in the final quarter of 2025.

StatCan said the economy was growing modestly in January and February, but its flash estimate for March anticipates momentum stalled.

StatCan suggested last month that seasonal maintenance in the oil and gas sector weighed on the industry in March even as the war in Iran sent global energy prices soaring.

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Montreal Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki (14), Cole Caufield (13) and Kirby Dach (77) watch the final minutes of play in front of head coach Martin St. Louis against the Carolina Hurricanes during third period of Game 4 of the NHL Eastern Conference final Stanley Cup playoff series action in Montreal on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Habs enter Game 5 of Eastern Conference final down 3-1 to dominant Hurricanes

The Montreal Canadiens are fighting for their playoff lives tonight as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.

The Canadiens enter the game in Raleigh down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series after the Hurricanes skated to a dominant 4-0 win at the Bell Centre in Game 4 on Wednesday.

It’s the first time in these playoffs that Montreal has faced a two-game series deficit.

If Montreal loses, it would ensure a 32nd straight season that an American team has won the Stanley Cup.

The 1992-93 Canadiens are the last Canadian team to win the trophy.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2026.

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