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Morning Brief

Friday, September 12, 2025

Good morning. This is Hanna Lee.

The SIG Sauer P320 pistol has been the centre of much turmoil in the U.S., involved in a flurry of suits and counter-suits over safety allegations. Meanwhile, in Canada, the military has acquired more than 19,000 of them. We'll have more below.
 

A correction: Yesterday, I referenced the 2021 U.S. election. That should have said 2020. 
 
 

THE LATEST

  • The union representing Canada Post employees is set to update the public on contract talks this morning.
     
  • Two ministers are directing the public service to review all current and planned federal contracts, part of a larger push to reduce spending.
     
  • Ottawa is expected to introduce a bill as soon as Tuesday meant to protect people entering religious and cultural buildings, CBC News has learned.
     
  • Missed most of TIFF? Our film critic, Jackson Weaver, has a list of the seven best films of this year's festival.
 
 

Handgun at centre of RCMP misfiring investigation widely used by Canadian military

 

(Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The SIG Sauer P320 has been at the centre of an RCMP investigation on Prince Edward Island and has also been involved in a flurry of lawsuits and counter-suits in the U.S. — and the Canadian Armed Forces has acquired more than 19,700 of them.

What's happening: In Charlottetown, a police officer was exiting his vehicle when his pistol went off; no one was injured, but the interim police chief described it as deeply disturbing. Several U.S. law enforcement agencies have either suspended or discontinued using the pistol this year over alleged safety concerns. Meanwhile, in 2020, a Canadian special forces soldier was wounded when their pistol was accidentally discharged. SIG Sauer and its Canadian distributor have been adamant that all accidental discharges are due to user error or incompatible equipment and have challenged bans in court.

What's next: The Canadian military says there haven't been any misfires since the pistol's mass introduction, and that it's since improved training. But a Connecticut lawyer who's litigated cases related to P320 misfires is urging further precautions. "This is really not an attack on SIG Sauer," he said. "It is addressing a problem with one particular gun that has shown enormous problems across the United States. And it's really foolish to act like it's not happening."

 
Get the full story from Murray Brewster
 
 

Why Charlie Kirk appealed to a growing movement of young conservative men

 

(Jeffrey Phelps/The Associated Press)

What was it about Charlie Kirk that captured the hearts and minds of young conservative men? It was mainly his way of balancing the traditional conservative world and the new, expanding digital landscape, experts say.

What's happening: Kirk used his public speaking talent to promote some provocative beliefs, from questioning whether Black people were qualified to be pilots to calling for Nuremberg-style trials for doctors who perform gender-affirming care. He was also known for his advocacy for a return to 1950s-era conservative and Christian gender norms. And to an audience of young people struggling to find their footing in an increasingly uncertain and chaotic world, Kirk's certainty could provide some comfort. Some fear his killing may have only further radicalize an already polarized America.

 
Verity Stevenson has more
 
More updates: 
  • The search continues for Kirk's assailant, as the FBI posted photos of a person of interest.
     
  • A Toronto retiree woke up from a nap to find out he was being falsely accused online of being Kirk's killer.
     
  • The shooting may have caused some in the U.S. to look inward, as political violence has increased in the country.
     
  • A student journalist who once debated Kirk publicly says he feels a wave of grief over his killing.
 
 

Popular support for more immigration has cratered. Politicians are taking note

 

(Ben Nelms/CBC)

Nanos Research, Abacus Data and Environics Institute have all recently found that public support for more immigration in Canada is crumbling. Politicians are noticing, with Prime Minister Mark Carney recently saying the country needs a more "focused" approach to immigration.

What's happening: The change in opinion is largely a reaction to government policy. Under Justin Trudeau, Ottawa loosened certain restrictions due to a pandemic-induced labour shortage, resulting in a massive spike in international students and temporary foreign workers. Canada's population grew by about a million a year for three years in a row from 2022 to 2024 — unusual for a developed country.

Looking to the future: Young people are more likely to be against more immigration, as they face the worst of high unemployment rates and a sky-high housing market. And though migrant advocates point to other factors — like corporate landlords or abusive employers — public opinion has soured on the issue in an almost unprecedented manner.

 
John Paul Tasker has more
 
 
 

PICTURE THIS

 

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced the first five so-called nation-building projects that will be sent to the Major Projects Office. Meant to boost the Canadian economy in a precarious time, the first five, seen above, will generate $60 billion, Carney said. Read more here.

 

In case you missed it

  • If you want in on the $500-million bread price-fixing settlement, the claims process is now open.
     
  • Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for plotting a coup to stay in power.
     
  • Peter Mandelson, Britain's ambassador to U.S., has been relieved of his duties after his long-term association with Jeffrey Epstein became a larger distraction for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
     
  • Ottawa is committed to working out pharmacare deals with all provinces and territories, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, ending months of speculation.
 
 

IN LIGHTER NEWS

 

Kentucky nurse gives CPR to drunk baby raccoon trapped in a dumpster

 

(Brandy Slone)

One day, Misty Combs of Kentucky came across some baby raccoons. They were stuck in a dumpster that belonged to a distillery, and one was drowning, drunk on fermented peaches. It was sopping wet and reeked of booze, but thankfully, Combs, a nurse, administered chest compressions to get the liquid out. They are fine now, and don't worry — these American babies are 21 in raccoon years. "I guess he may have had a small hangover," she said of the drunk one. "Hopefully, he learned his lesson."

 
Get the full story here
 
 

Today in History: Sept. 12

 

1940: Four teenage boys and their dog discover the Lascaux Cave paintings in Dordogne, France. The cave is renowned for its sophisticated prehistoric art, including paintings of horses and bulls.

2003: Johnny Cash dies at age 71 in Tennessee.

2016: A team from the Arctic Research Foundation announces that it has found the second lost ship of the Franklin expedition, HMS Terror, in Nunavut's Terror Bay.

 
(With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)

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