Her office confirmed that police are looking into a possible arson attack at the Scarborough home of an MP, after several cars were set ablaze early on Thursday morning.
Salma Zaid, MP for Scarborough Centre and Don Valley East said in a statement released Thursday that “someone” had set her vehicle as well as another on fire over night.
Both vehicles are destroyed. The house was not damaged. “My family and me are safe”, her statement read.
I don’t wish to speculate about a motive. She said that we will wait for the outcome of the investigation.
Toronto Police say that three vehicles were totaled damaged by a fire around 1:20 am in the vicinity of Bellamy Road N.
Stephanie Miceli, Toronto Police spokesperson said in an email update on Thursday that officers were canvassing video surveillance to find witnesses and are looking for them. Police are asking anyone with any information to get in touch.
Carney calls incident ‘unacceptable’
Zahid is a Liberal MP from Scarborough Centre. She has held this position since 2015. She is currently the chair of the Standing Committee on Science and Research and vice-chair for the Canada-China Legislative Association.
Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, posted a message on social media site X saying he was “relieved that Salma is safe and so are her family.” He called this incident “unacceptable.”
He said: “This is an act of cowardice and violence.”
Toronto’s Mayor Olivia Chow said that she is also glad Zahid, her daughter and family are safe.
Chow wrote in a blog post that “cowardly violence and intimidation can’t be tolerated, and I support the police in their efforts to find those who are responsible.”
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles also weighed-in on X. She called the news, “deeply troubling.”
She said that “no one should face intimidation or violence at home in this country. Whoever did it must be brought to justice and fully held accountable.”

As his trade dispute with Canada intensifies, Donald Trump used a Sharpie in a video to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.
A clip uploaded to President Trump’s TikTok page on Wednesday showed him sitting in the Oval Office, displaying a lake Ontario map that straddled the U.S./Canada border.
The 80-year old president announced, “We are going to make a small change. We’re going to call it something else than Lake Ontario.” We’re going to call it Lake America. All you need is a sharpie and a little intelligence. Former real estate mogul Donald Trump has a passion for branding and used a Sharpie on the lake to write LAKE AMERICA above.
He said that the Gulf of America was now the new name for the Gulf of Mexico, following his decision to change the brand last year. Now we can say Lake America, without adding the “of”. Enjoy Lake America.
This clip was released a day following the Republican President’s suggestion that he may officially rename Great Lake as the relations between Washington, Ottawa and the United States continue to worsen since Trump assumed office.
He wrote Tuesday on Truth Social that the United States was seriously considering changing Lake Ontario’s name to Lake America, as they don’t anticipate doing many business deals with Ontario.
A government agency oversees federal use of geographical names. However, even if the Board on Geographic Names approved the change, it would not require other countries to adopt the new name.
Trump’s proposed brand relaunch comes in the midst of a bitter trading war between Canada and the U.S. – both longtime friends and allies. After last-minute negotiations broke down, the U.S. placed 50 percent tariffs Saturday on 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian products. Mark Carney of Canada, who compared the action to an act or war, responded by imposing retaliatory tariffs up to 50%.
In addition to the economic dispute, a verbal war has broken out. In a Truth Social posting, Trump called out Ontario Premier Doug Ford as an arrogant “flunky” who needed to “fall into line”.
Ford called Trump “a dictator” and the “king of bankruptcy,” saying that he could “kiss [my] a **.”
Trump’s Sharpie use in the recently released video is not surprising. The marker is a favorite of his and he uses it frequently in both official and non-official situations.
He went off on a tangent during a cabinet meeting held in March about Sharpie. This is a U.S. based company that belongs to Newell Brands.
Trump held up a black marker and said, “This pen, although it is inexpensive, writes very well. I like it.” But I cannot have it the way that it used to be — do you know what this is? Sharpie treats me very well. I’m not going to make too much of it, though.
Trump then told his deputy and the media how he was able to get custom black markers for a fraction of what he paid for them before. He said that he would have previously spent $1,000 on the markers but only pays $5 now for these “hot” markers.
Newell Brands’ spokesperson told The Washington Post later: “We have no information regarding the conversation described.”
Trump reportedly also used Sharpie during his first term to change a forecast chart that showed the path of hurricane Dorian.
In September 2019 at a White House press conference, a black curve line appeared on the chart to indicate the projected track of the storm in Alabama. Meteorologists had disputed his previous claim that the storm would hit Alabama.
Bloomberg reported that sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the fact that the line was drawn by Trump.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, loomed over the Quebec provincial election campaign as the discussion over a possible third referendum for independence was pushed to the back.
Christine Frechette, Premier of Quebec, launched the campaign on Thursday. She declared that Mr. Trump was her biggest adversary. Major opposition parties in the province jockeyed for position to best defend Quebec from the ongoing trade war.
This election is going to be unlike any other. The world is different. What we once thought to be a fog, has now become a hurricane,” said Ms. Frechette at a Quebec City press conference. Our main economic partner is attacking us in full force, as never before.
Trump’s campaign began less than one week after the collapse of trade talks between Canada and the U.S., which led him to impose tariffs of 50 percent on Canadian products worth $28 billion. Ottawa’s response was to announce dollar-fordollar tariffs that will go into effect Sept. 8th.
Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said that the Quebec elections played a part in the failure of the negotiations. He accused Prime Minister Mark Carney, of “manufacturing”, a disagreement over French-language requirement for political purposes.
Konrad Yakabuski says Carney cannot cross the red line he set to protect French.
Quebeckers are scheduled to vote on October 5.
The Parti Quebecois’ promised referendum on sovereignty, currently in the lead, was barely mentioned by anyone Thursday. Last week, PQ leader Paul St.Pierre Plamondon pledged that he would not hold a referendum before Mr. Trump left office in 2029.
Ms. Frechette- who replaced former Premier Francois Legault as premier in April- tried to portray the ruling Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) as the most qualified candidate to lead Quebec at this time of uncertainty. Her opponents, however, accused her of trying to use Mr. Trump’s tariffs as a way to divert attention from the record her government has achieved after eight years.
Under Mr. Legault’s leadership, the CAQ has seen its support plummet in recent years. However, it is now regaining some ground under Ms. Frechette.
St-Pierre Plamondon, during a Montreal press conference said: “After two years with a majority of government, Legault and Frechette have unfortunately brought us to a precipice.”
He said that his economic team is “well-positioned” to deal with tariffs vis-à-vis Americans.
While the Parti Quebecois is leading the polls, support for sovereignty still remains low at around 30%. This number has decreased since President Trump’s return to the White House in 2017.
Analysts say that the election of Quebec will be largely determined by issues such as Trump’s sovereignty and his support for Quebec.
When questioned by reporters about the referendum, St-Pierre Plamondon stated that he had been open and transparent in his proposal. Quebeckers are now interested to know what position is taken by the PQ on other matters. The PQ published its complete plan for independence in the summer.
Marc Andre Bodet is a professor at Laval University who teaches political science. He said that the PQ had a strategy to put its sovereignty cards out in the open before the election and then try to divert attention to other issues after the ballots were cast, since most Quebeckers do not want to vote again on independence.
He said: “You’d expect that the campaign would start off with a discussion about whether or not we’re going to hold a referendum.” “This doesn’t appear to be the situation.”
Frechette reminded Quebeckers, however, that the Parti Quebecois had not abandoned its promise to hold a referendum on sovereignty. She said, “On October 5, you will have to choose between a full-time government working for your priority or one that is too busy with its referendum preparations.”
On Thursday, the CAQ leader tried to distance her from Legault’s legacy by asking for “a first mandate for a Frechette Government.”
Quebec’s Gen Z sovereigntytists are focused on having fun, but they bristle when the PQ’s old guard sends a message.
Ms. Frechette has also adopted a more diplomatic tone in her dealings with Ottawa than did her predecessor, stating that she is able to cooperate with Ottawa “whenever it benefits Quebec.”
Carney said that the U.S. was concerned about French language requirements for streaming services, and other online platforms.
Lutnick claimed on Thursday that the prime minister fabricated the language issue to prevent the PQ winning the Quebec elections. Do I really care how Quebecois talk? What could be more important to America than that? “We don’t really care,” he said to reporters in Washington.
Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative, denied that his team would have let the deal fall through because of a language problem in an interview conducted by CBC News on Wednesday.
Dominic LeBlanc said that in a post on social media, he was pleased to hear that future U.S. actions regarding trade will not affect measures taken to protect French.
Charles Milliard, Quebec Liberal leader and speaking to reporters in Quebec City said that Ms. Frechette uses the trade conflict to help her party gain support at the last minute. He said that the CAQ was “the queen of political theater”.
Since February, when Mr. Milliard became leader, the Liberals have tried to come back. They have not been able to increase their support among Francophone voters living outside of Montreal.
Canadians are ready for a trade war against the U.S.
Professor Bodet believes that the Parti Quebecois will likely win the most ridings. In a field crowded with parties, Prof. Bodet said it was “very hard to predict” what would happen.
Professor Bodet stated that the PQ has a narrowed lead, and there is a high percentage of voters who are undecided – anywhere between 30% to 40%.
The Quebec Conservatives are also hoping to make a break, with only one seat. This is especially true in regions surrounding Quebec City.
Quebec Solidaire (a leftist party) will attempt to hold onto its few seats.

Trump’s chief trade negotiator disputes Ottawa’s claim that U.S. demands at the last minute derailed last week’s trade agreement between Canada and the U.S., claiming Canadian negotiators’ concerns over the “implementation of the deal” caused Ottawa to withdraw the plug.
Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative in an interview on CBC News Wednesday said that the Canadian side made new demands when Dominic LeBlanc, Canada-U.S. Commerce Minister returned to Ottawa from Ottawa following the tentative agreement reached on August 18.
Greer said to CBC News’ chief political reporter Rosemary Barton that he had reached an agreement with Canada, which he shared in previous interviews. This was his first interview one-on-1 with a Canadian media outlet after trade negotiations broke down Friday.
When [LeBlanc] returned, the group had some new views. “They had some other requests.” “They had a few additional requests that they felt were excessive for the United States.
Greer is the member of the Trump cabinet in charge with implementing the tariffs. She also disagrees with Prime Minister Mark Carney who said that these terms could have impacted Canada’s trade deals, undermined French-language protections, and threatened the key industries.
He said that it was unclear when both countries would return to negotiations. The ambassador confirmed that he had not been in touch with LeBlanc as of Wednesday.
Greer stated that “currently, I would not say there are open channels.” “I enjoy a close relationship with Minister LeBlanc but, at the moment, it seems that Canada is deciding on its next step.”
The White House retaliated last week with another round of tariffs after failed negotiations. On Tuesday, Canada announced dollar for dollar retaliatory duties against hundreds of American goods. Both sides have a new tone of political discourse and retaliatory measures that are a far cry from last week’s conciliatory rhetoric, in which the countries seemed closer to an agreement than they had been for months.
Greer, his Canadian counterpart and Greer appeared side-by-side in front Greer’s offices last week. They assured the cameras that they only had to dot their I’s and cross T’s for the deal to be completed. The tariffs were extended that night by Donald Trump, the U.S. president.
By Friday the agreement had collapsed. Carney claimed that his government left the table when the U.S. delegation tried to impose last-minute amendments which were “unfair and uneconomic” as well as calling into question any agreement.
In an interview this week with CNN, Trump was asked about his last-minute requests and said “That sounds just like me.”
Greer stated Wednesday that President Obama did not interfere with the negotiation and called the comment “off-the-cuff.” Greer denied the U.S.’s desire to limit Canada’s freedom to negotiate trade agreements with other nations.
Greer said, “We did not have any such text.” Greer served during Trump’s initial term, when Trump’s predecessor was in charge of the original U.S. trade war against China, and American talks to complete Canada-U.S.Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
I think this characterization is far more than what we have discussed in the past year-and-ahalf. “We’ve seen Canadians at the federal and provincial level come to America saying we want To create Fortress North America,” said he, in reference to a concept proposed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, to prioritise continental cooperation to counter Chinese economic threats.
The French issue, he said, was brought up but it wasn’t an important factor for the government.
President Trump, I and the U.S. Government recognize the importance of and sensitivity to the French language, whether it is in Canada, Quebec, the Maritimes or other areas. He said: “We know this is a sensitive issue and important.”
We would never let such a deal pass. It’s not something we would do if it was a redline or if there were conditions. “It’s the furthest thing away from a line.”
According to the White House, an agreement included a reduction in tariffs for steel, aluminum and lumber, as well as Canadian automobiles.
Carney said on Saturday that he’d rather suffer the pain of an extended trade war, than accept the conditions proposed by the United States.
The government, he said, will focus on building trade relations with allies around the world and strengthening the domestic economy. This is to move Canada from its dependence on the United States towards a new global order.
The prime minister stated that it will take some time before the benefits of this plan and transformation are fully realized.
Later, the president threatened to raise tariffs again on New Year’s Day.
Greer has not ruled out further measures by the U.S.
We won’t just accept a retaliatory response from Canada. We say, “Don’t retaliate.” However, I am aware of how Canadians feel and think. He said, “It’s unfortunate but that is the way it is.”
We have our own policy on trade and will follow it as best suits the United States.

In a recent address, Prime Minister Mark Carney claimed that “Canada fuels American Growth,” using U.S. bound natural gas exports to prove his claim. The remarks raise the question of what would happen if Canada stopped shipments south.
Energy products like oil and gas, haven’t been used to leverage the trade war between Canada and United States. This idea is controversial. The Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is a consistent opponent, while Ontario Doug Ford believes that all options should be considered.
Carney stated on Saturday morning, after the trade talks between Canadians and Americans in Washington broke down.
The Canadian government has stated that “[Canada] supplies] 99% of the natural gas, 85% of electricity, and 60% of crude oil to these countries.”
Imports is a powerful word when it comes to describing natural gas. U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that U.S. gas imports to America from Canada will average 8.6 billion cubic foot per day by 2025. This represents virtually the entire non-domestic American supply. This is only about 8% of the total U.S. gas consumption, according to EIA figures.
Dulles W. Wang, Director of Americas Gas and LNG for the Energy Research Firm Wood Mackenzie says this last figure is as low as 5%, according to his estimates.
He told CBC News that the amount of money was “relatively small”.
The natural gas pipelines that cross the Canada-U.S. Border in approximately two dozen places are spread across North America, like a spider’s web. The commodity is used to power industries and heat homes.
Enbridge is the largest provider of natural gas in North America. The company acquired three U.S. utility companies for $19 billion in 2024.
Gas crosses the border constantly every day and every hour. Wang added that “we’re not talking only about a one-way flow of trade.”
The U.S. imports Canadian products, mainly for western and Midwest markets. The U.S. exports gasoline, which is also sold to Canadians, mainly on the east side.
Wang points out that while Canadian natural gas shipments to the U.S. are small in comparison with America’s own production, it is important where they take place.
He said, “You won’t see Canadian gas make its way to Texas because Texas produces more than it consumes.”
In places such as the Pacific Northwest – Seattle, Oregon and Northern California, for example – over 90% of gas comes from Canada.
These regions, driven by the increasing use of artificial intelligent, have witnessed a boom in the construction of data centres backed by American tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Natural gas is often used as an energy source for these energy-hungry data centres to complement clean energy.
Wang stated that “not only would people be freezing, but your data centers wouldn’t run either.”
Canada is a’shooting its own foot’
According to Wang, halting natural gas exports bound for the United States would hurt Canada’s industry. Wang predicts that a surplus of natural gas trapped in Canada will cause prices to plummet as the storage capacity is reached.
Wang stated that a stop to gas exports to the U.S. would have a severe impact on the economy. By eliminating Canada’s only client and driving up prices, Canada would “shoot itself in the back,” Wang said.
He added, “There is no winner here.”
The Canadian federal government is looking for more buyers outside the United States. The first LNG Canada shipments to Asian markets left Kitamat in B.C. last year.
Major Projects Office of the government is supporting the second phase, and the floating Ksi Lisims LNG Export Facility that awaits approval to be built off the coast of B.C. coast.
Wang stated that “that level of commitment is needed to support these project, otherwise, we will probably continue to be stuck or dependent on U.S. markets.”