Flag football and the 2028 Summer Olympics aren’t proving to be a distraction for quarterback Nathan Rourke.

The CFL’s top Canadian and outstanding player last season has started playing flag football to acclimate himself with the sport should Canada qualify when it debuts at the Los Angeles Games. But he’s doing so with the B.C. Lions’ approval.

“They know (flag football) won’t take away from my (CFL) preparation,” Rourke said recently. “I do this on weekends for a couple of hours.

“I wouldn’t do it without their blessing.”

Last season, Rourke became the first Canadian quarterback since Russ Jackson in 1969 to win both the top Canadian and outstanding player awards in the same season. He  joined Jackson, Brady Oliveira, Jon Cornish and Tony Gabriel as the only players to win each honour in the same year.

Rourke, of Victoria, established career-highs in passing yards (5,290, most ever by a Canadian), touchdowns (31), rushing yards (564, tops among quarterbacks) and rushing TDs (10). B.C. (11-7) finished its regular season with six straight wins to take second in the West Division.

After dispatching Calgary 33-30 in the West Division semifinal, B.C.’s season ended with a 24-21 road loss to eventual Grey Cup-champion Saskatchewan. That defeat drastically tarnished Rourke’s lofty individual accomplishments.

“That’s always the case and always will be,” he said. “The season is a means to get to the playoffs and that’s where you make your strides of determining what kind of team, what kind of player you want to be.

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“Certainly there’s plenty of work to do.”

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And for Rourke, there’s no better place to start in 2026 than by cutting down on his interceptions. Last season, Rourke and Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros were tied for the most picks at 16 apiece.

“I had too many last year,” Rourke said. “My goal is to be in single digits … I don’t want to continue to give our defence short fields to work with.”

B.C. led the CFL last season in offensive points (31.1 per game), net yards (430.2) and passing (325.4 per game). Receiver Keon Hatcher was tops in targets (145), catches (102), yards (1,688) and yards after catch (611) while adding nine TD grabs and running back James Butler was third in rushing (1,213 yards, 5.3-yard average) and tied for first in rushing TDs (11).

But gone are stellar offensive lineman Jarell Broxton (free agent, Winnipeg) and receiver Ayden Eberhardt (free agent, Ottawa) who had CFL-best 19.3-yard average per catch.

“Eberhardt and Broxton are big losses for us on offence but we’ll find ways, we have to,” Rourke said. “We’ve still got a really good receiver room with Hatcher, Justin McInnis, Jevon Cottoy and Stanley Berryhill III and we’ve got James and Zander Horvath in the backfield so we’ve got some really great weapons.

“We’ve got to figure out who’s going to be the guy up front or in the receiver room but that’s what training camp is for. That’s what’s great about pro sports, the opportunity to compete every single day and earn your spot regardless of how many seasons you’ve played or what you did last year.”

Rourke heads into training camp with a full season under his belt in head coach Buck Pierce’s offence. Instead of learning new schemes, Rourke will be able to build upon what worked — and fix what didn’t — in 2025.

He hopes that helps B.C. finish atop the competitive West Division and host the final rather than be on the road for it.

“I’m not saying that’s why we lost in the West final last year but it doesn’t make it any easier,” Rourke said. “If we could host that playoff game and get a bye late in the year, that would be a huge get for us and be very helpful.

“Every game will be tough but that’s what makes it fun and we’ll be doing some good things if we’re able to host that second game.”

But it’s sustained success Rourke is chasing with the Lions.

“That’s why you look at people like Zach, (Hamilton starter) Bo Levi Mitchell and (Saskatchewan’s) Trevor Harris,” Rourke said. They’re guys who’ve have incredible careers and sustained success, which is why they’re great players.

“If I want to be a great player and to win championships, I have to reach that level of sustained success and do it over multiple seasons. Who cares about one? In pro sports, if you’re not great every year, your job isn’t safe.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

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Yet another Canadian Border Services Agency dog has helped seize kilograms of meat at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The CBSA said in a post on X Thursday that Moby intercepted more than 40 kilograms of undeclared beef and chicken recently; the goods were found in a traveller’s luggage arriving from Nigeria.

Travellers are required by law to declare all food, plant and animal products they bring into Canada, including live animals and animal products, such as cooked or raw meats, hides, skins, trophies, milk, fat, butter, cheese, eggs, fish and seafood.

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Failure to declare any of these products or to provide required permits/certificates can lead to detention of those products, a penalty of up to $1,300 and/or prosecution.

“Travellers may not realize the hazards associated with food, plant and animal products,” the CBSA said on its website.

“These products may carry invasive species and diseases and may cause risks to Canada’s food supply, economy, environment and our health.”

The products Moby helped find were seized and the traveller was fined, the agency said.

Last month, detector dog Dharla sniffed out 2.5 kilograms of raw meat during an inspection. The items, which included raw duck, pigeon, chicken and rabbit, were found in a traveller’s luggage arriving from Egypt.

They were properly declared, the CBSA told Global News, so no enforcement actions were taken against the traveller.

However, the products were refused entry into Canada as they were contrary to Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations, the agency added.

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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday he understands U.S. President Donald Trump’s “disappointment” in the alliance for not immediately helping him with his war with Iran, but also backed Trump’s decision to not inform allies ahead of time.

Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington a day after meeting with Trump privately to discuss the president’s criticisms, Rutte expressed support for U.S. military actions in Iran while acknowledging Trump’s frustration with the alliance.

“When it came time to provide the logistical and other support the United States needed in Iran, some allies were a bit slow, to say the least,” Rutte said.

“In fairness, there were also a bit surprised. To maintain the element of surprise for the initial strikes, President Trump opted not to inform allies ahead of time, and I understand that.”

He further explained later: “There was not a lot of prior consultation. So then they had to scramble to understand what was happening and then to step up.”

3:13
Trump will hold Iran accountable for keeping Strait of Hormuz open, White House says

Prime Minister Mark Carney and other NATO leaders have suggested they did not join the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran because they were not consulted ahead of time.

Several European allies have since provided logistical support for U.S. military assets in the Middle East, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is leading international efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Rutte said this support is evidence of a “mindset shift” he said is necessary to accompany Europe’s move away from “unhealthy codependence” on American security “to a transatlantic alliance grounded in true partnership.”

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While Rutte appeared to sympathize with Trump’s criticisms, he did push back on previous comments by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met separately with Rutte on Wednesday, that NATO cannot be “a one-way street.”

“It was not a one-way alliance when U.S., European and Canadian troops fought and sacrificed shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan,” Rutte said.

“And I am heartened by the knowledge that every day as I speak, that U.S., European and Canadian troops continue to train and deploy in support of our shared security. I am confident that a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO will not take U.S. leadership for granted.”

1:52
‘This was a was a war of choice’: Trump pushes for NATO and European allies to open Strait of Hormuz

Asked about the meeting Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read out a statement she said was from Trump, who said the alliance had been “tested and they failed.”

“It’s quite sad that NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks, and it’s the American people who have been funding their defence,” Leavitt added.

After the meeting, Trump issued an all-caps statement on social media suggesting he remained aggrieved.

“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN,” Trump said in his post. “REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!”

Rutte said his meeting with Trump on Tuesday was “very frank and open,” and that he “sensed his disappointment about the fact that he felt that too many allies were not with him.”

“I explained to him yesterday, I said, ‘Hey, Mr. President, clearly the overwhelming majority of Europeans have done what the U.S. asked of them and what was previously agreed in these circumstances,’” he said.

“And yes, sometimes it takes a bit of time, but hey, guess what? We have coalitions in Europe. We have sometimes the political (situation) to take care of, sometimes it takes a couple of days, but then we pull together. And almost all of Europe did.”

2:16
Canada meets 2% defence target for 1st time amid shifting NATO priorities

Rutte later added: “It was a good conversation. It was open and candid, and I clearly felt his disappointment, which again, to a certain extent, I understand.”

The NATO chief repeatedly refused to directly answer questions from the event moderator and the crowd about whether he felt Trump might follow through with his threats to pull the U.S. out of the alliance.

He instead pointed to increased defence spending and the move by European allies to take the lead on their own security, which he said will allow the U.S. to better balance its European defence commitments with the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific.

Every NATO member, including Canada, has finally met the alliance’s old target of spending at least two per cent of GDP on defence, NATO confirmed earlier this month. NATO agreed last year to boost that target to five per cent by 2035, including 3.5 per cent on “core” military spending.

This growing strength and commitment, Rutte claimed, ran counter to fears about the survival of the alliance.

“Why, then, does everyone in this room have a knot in their stomach about the future of the transatlantic alliance?” he asked. “Why, when we turn on our televisions or are scrolling our phones, do we see eager early drafts of NATO’s obituary?

“Let me be clear: this alliance is not whistling past the graveyard, as you would say in the United States.”

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Construction has officially started on a port expansion near Montreal — the first so-called nation-building project that was fast-tracked for approval by the federal government.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was on hand Thursday at the terminal in Contrecœur, Que., about 45 kilometres northeast of Montreal, to announce the start of work.

It’s the first major project, deemed by the federal government to be in the national interest, to get off the ground since Carney became prime minister in March 2025.

Carney’s government had chosen Contrecœur and a series of other “nation-building” projects to be fast-tracked as a way to strengthen and diversify the economy amid trade uncertainty with the United States.

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The Port of Montréal’s expansion at Contrecœur was referred in September to the government’s major projects office, which helped streamline approvals, develop a financing model and speed up permits.

The government says the project is the largest port expansion in Canadian history and will increase the Port of Montreal’s capacity by approximately 60 per cent and create thousands of jobs.

In a news release, the federal government says the project had been first proposed 40 years ago and had faced delays ever since.

Ottawa said it provided the Montreal Port Authority with $1.16 billion in financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Residents and environmentalists have expressed concern about the project, describing it as harmful to the aquatic ecosystem and economically unnecessary. The construction site is in the feeding ground of the copper redhorse, a freshwater fish found only in a few rivers in the St. Lawrence Plain.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada authorized the project in the fall after accepting the Montreal Port Authority’s mitigation plan, which includes building a new feeding area for the endangered fish.

The government says a second phase of construction is expected to begin in 2027 and full operations could begin in 2030.

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Grocery store giant Sobeys is recalling a number of products containing cheese due to a possible listeria contamination.

A recall notice from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency states that the products are sold across Canada, except in Quebec. The list of Sobeys–owned stores carrying the products include:

• Atlantic: Coop, Foodland, Sobeys
• Ontario: Foodland, IGA, Safeway, Sobeys
• Western Canada: IGA, Safeway, Sobeys, Thrifty Foods

Below is the list of products being recalled.

• Creamy Carbonara Pasta Salad with Bacon and Peas: PLU 34512 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Creamy Garlic and Spinach Pasta Salad: PLU 60079 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Carbonara Pasta Salad with Ham and Bacon: PLU 26727 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Parmesan Cauliflower Cakes: PLU 27079 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Parmesan Cauliflower Cakes: PLU 36327 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Spinach Feta Cauliflower Cake: PLU 68468 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Spinach Feta Cauliflower Cakes: PLU 46370 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Parmesan Cheese Cauliflower Cake: PLU 36012 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Spinach Feta Cheese Cauliflower Cake: PLU 35709 (Sold at Sobeys banners in Atlantic, Ontario and Western Canada)
• Chicken & Black Bean Wrap: PLU 86322 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))
• Stuffed Mushroom Caps with Spinach & Artichoke: PLU 60190 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))
• Halibut Stuffed Phyllo Pastry with Spinach & Artichoke, raw, Ocean Wise: PLU 29541 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))
• Stuffed Sole Filets with Spinach & Artichoke, raw, Ocean Wise: PLU 60524 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))
• Sockeye Salmon Stuffed Phyllo Pastry with Spinach & Artichoke, raw, Ocean Wise: PLU 38014 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))
• Salmon Pinwheel Spinach & Artichoke, raw, previously frozen, Ocean Wise: PLU 28900 (Sold at Thrifty Foods stores (BC))

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The recall notice states that food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes “may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick.”

Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.

There have been no reported illnesses.

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Liberal party members are gathering in Montreal and, for the first time in more than a decade, Justin Trudeau and his personal brand of politics won’t tower over the party’s proceedings.

Party faithful will gather as Mark Carney’s ever-expanding big tent of MPs stands on the cusp of achieving a majority government following a series of floor-crossings in Parliament.

The convention, which runs Thursday through Saturday, starts just ahead of three byelections set for Monday, and a day after a fifth opposition MP crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus.

It comes at a high point for the Liberals, who a little more than a year ago felt like they were marching their way out of office. Polling aggregator 338 Canada has the Liberals at a staggering 45 per cent support nationally.

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Longtime Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu crosses floor to Liberals

“There’s strong support across the country right now for the prime minister and for the party,” said Jonathan Kalles, a consultant with McMillan Vantage who formerly served as Quebec adviser to Trudeau.

“It’s not about patting themselves on the back, but momentum and energy are important in a political party. Right now the Liberals have it, so it’s an opportune time to get everyone together.”

While Carney handily took the party’s helm at a leadership convention in Ottawa last year, the last party policy convention was held in 2023 — when Trudeau issued a rebuttal to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s claims that the Liberals were too “woke” and were ignoring the real challenges facing Canadians.

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Then the Liberals ousted Trudeau and won the 2025 election, and Poilievre lost four of his own caucus members to Carney, who pointed to his economic agenda as a reason to switch.

Carney is set to address the convention on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET — the first time he has done so since winning the leadership.

Kalles said many at the party level still know little about Carney and the convention offers a way for them to get to know him, and for party brass to check the pulse of the grassroots.

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NDP floor-crosser brings Carney’s Liberals to brink of majority

That’s key as the party becomes more diverse and more challenging to manage as MPs from widely different political persuasions join Team Carney.

“With people that have such diverse points of view and are fairly ideological, that becomes a challenge. Most Liberals may lean one side or the other, but I would say they are not particularly ideological,” Kalles said. “I don’t know that it’s sustainable in the long term.”

Zita Astravas, a consultant with Wellington Advocacy and Trudeau’s former director of issues management, said Liberals from across the country are “feeling pretty good” right now.

“There’s a spring in people’s steps being a Liberal in politics right now,” she said.

The party needs just two more seats to govern with a clear majority, and it’s all but certain to get them.

Two of the byelections are Toronto-area seats considered safe for the Liberals, while the third is a hot contest with the Bloc Québécois for Terrebonne — an off-island Montreal suburb that’s conspicuously close to where the party convention is being held.

The party machine is expected to crank out a steady stream of canvassers and several francophone cabinet ministers have already knocked on doors in the riding.

But after the latest floor crossing, the byelections are no longer make-or-break for Carney. The Liberals now face what looks like an easy path to a 173-seat majority in the 343-seat House of Commons as of Monday.

Other guest speakers at the convention include Carney’s wife Diana Fox, accessibility activist and former athlete Rick Hansen, and one of godfathers of artificial intelligence, Yoshua Bengio, who is slated to appear on a panel with AI Minister Evan Solomon.

Several top cabinet ministers are also scheduled for panel talks. Friday’s panel on Carney’s economic agenda and Buy Canadian policies includes Canada-U.S. Relations Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Finance Minister François‑Philippe Champagne and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly.

1:53
3 byelections called as Liberals near majority

For seasoned party brass, such conventions are schmooze-fests. Government backroom denizens and lobbyists gather for friendly behind-the-scenes meetings while party activists take the stage to push for the adoption of new policies, though such resolutions are non-binding.

The convention will feature policy discussions on electoral reform, strengthening social media restrictions for minors, and limiting the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause by provinces.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser has already shot down the idea of restricting provincial governments’ use of the notwithstanding clause through the constitutional provision known as “disallowance,” which can serve as a federal veto. Disallowance hasn’t been used in some eight decades, though before that point it was used fairly frequently.

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B.C. Premier David Eby has announced nearly $7 million in funding for several manufacturers across the Interior.

“This is an incredibly unstable and challenging time globally and certainly British Columbians are feeling that,” Eby said while making the announcement in Kelowna Wednesday.

“One of the key responses that we’ve had as a province to the challenges that we face globally and nationally is to find ways to create jobs and opportunity here in the province that are resilient to outside shocks.”

The four manufacturers include Good Way Homes in Malakwa, which builds prefabricated homes; Dinoflex in Salmon Arm, which produces recycled rubber flooring; Penticton-based Kinetic Custom Trailers, which manufactures custom heavy-duty industrial trailers; and Mako Wood Furniture, a Surrey company building a new facility in Merritt.

“By creating opportunities to get more value out of the resources we can produce here, we’ll be creating opportunities for all British Columbians,” Eby said.

Eby made the announcement at Farming Karma Fruit Company, which produces sparkling fruit soda.

The farming operation has seen tremendous growth over the past year since it received $2 million in funding last year.

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“We were able to really accelerate our growth and almost double our beverage production, and it’s still going up,” said Binny Boparai-Gill, co-founder and president of Farming Karma.

The money is part of the province’s $180 million B.C. Manufacturing Jobs Fund for companies meeting certain criteria.

“The quality of jobs that it creates, the additional economic investments that we can see come to the region,” said Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth.”As well as how does it align with our Look West Economic Strategy around making sure that British Columbia is resilient, that British Columbia is strong.”

In Farming Karma’s case, the funding allowed the family-owned business to create 20 additional jobs in the past year and purchase more advanced equipment to ramp up production.

“Right now, we’re producing over five million cans a year, whereas before, it was less than half of that,”  Boparai-Gill said. “But the current equipment that we have, it can actually produce up to 20 times the volume we originally used to produce, so there’s lots of room for growth.”

4:33
Eby says mining and LNG leading B.C.-India trade mission talks

The company is now getting its product into major retailers, including Walmart and Costco and continuously tapping into new markets across the country.

“We really should be always looking at local manufacturing, because it keeps the dollars within B.C., within Canada,” Boparai-Gill said.

According to Eby, the $7 million investment is expected to create about 100 new jobs.

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What do U.S. tariff developments mean for B.C.?

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Calgary city council has voted in favour of repealing citywide rezoning after weeks of public feedback and debate.

Council voted 12 to 3 in favour of repeal with councillors Nathaniel Schmidt, Myke Atkinson and Andrew Yule the sole votes against.

The vote comes after eight public hearing sessions over two weeks where 411 Calgarians addressed city council, and nearly 3,300 written submissions were also received.

“This vote was about restoring the voice in the community, understanding that change will continue to happen,” Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said following the vote. “But on a go forward, Calgarians will have more of their voices heard and respected through that process.”

The move means 306,774 residential properties across the city will be redesignated back to their original low-density residential districts.

Approved back in 2024 by the previous city council after the longest public hearing in city history, citywide rezoning made residential grade-oriented infill (R-CG) the default residential zoning district across the city.

It allowed a variety of housing types to be built on a single property, including rowhouses and townhouses.

“Blanket rezoning does not reduce the cost of building, it hasn’t sped up development timelines, it does not get homes built faster or cheaper,” said Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean in his debate. “What it has done, however, is divide communities.  It has created uncertainty, it has eroded trust and it’s attempted to fundamentally change the character of communities across our city.”

2:01
Calgary city council wraps up citywide rezoning public hearing

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According to city administration, there have been 639 development permits enabled through citywide rezoning including 386 rowhomes, 41 single detached homes, and 53 semi detached homes.

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City data shows most of those permits, 165, were approved in Ward 7, followed by 86 in Ward 11, 83 in Ward 9 and 78 each in Wards 1, 4 and 6.

Wards 2, 3 and 12 had zero development permits enabled by citywide rezoning, according to city data.

“Too often we spoke of housing like it’s pollution, something that needs to be relegated to places that are less desirable and kept away from places we value now,” Schmidt said during the debate. “That’s not how we build a vision for the future and that’s not how we build communities.”

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, who introduced the motion to repeal citywide rezoning, said council’s decision opens the door to a new plan to enable housing in growth in a more targeted way.

“Ultimately, we need to increase our intensity of use to make our city more affordable and more sustainable,” he told reporters. “We can’t just continue to grow out, we have to grow up as well so a made-in-Calgary solution, I think, is going to be the best path forward and that’s going to require a lot of work.”

Calgary’s mayor also ran on a platform to find a replacement for citywide rezoning.

Some city councillors expressed frustration the housing policy was being repealed without a replacement plan.

“I believe in good governance,” Atkinson said. “This wasn’t good governance. You don’t repeal and then figure something out later.”

After nearly two years of concerns around the impacts from citywide rezoning, the group Calgarians for Thoughtful Growth was encouraged that city council “really did listen” to the feedback from residents.

Chris Davis, a representative from the group, told reporters Wednesday that they recognize there needs to be meaningful planning work to get housing built.

“I don’t think any of us are so naive as to think we don’t have to respond positively and effectively to density, it was all about how we did it,” Davis said. “This is an opportunity now for all Calgarians to come together and work collaboratively to find solutions.”

Housing advocates like More Neighbours Calgary said there wasn’t much surprise by council’s vote, but there remains disappointment and concern over the impact the repeal will have on housing.

“We should be trying to build as much as we can… we should be letting the market meet the housing needs of Calgarians,” said the group’s co-founder Kathryn Davies. “We just seem committed to restraining that as we can.”

According to city administration, the changes and repeal won’t take effect until August.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney praised astronaut Jeremy Hansen during a call with the Artemis II crew, saying he was proud to see a Canadian in space and to hear French spoken.

Carney called the mission “hugely inspiring” and said Canadians “couldn’t be more proud” of Hansen and the collaboration with the United States.

“We look forward to seeing you here in Canada, for maple syrup on pancakes,” the prime minister said from Ottawa.

The call marked the third and final space-to-Earth connection organized by the Canadian Space Agency, livestreamed from the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Que., and co-ordinated by astronaut Joshua Kutryk.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly attended in person, addressing Hansen after Carney spoke.

“I’ve heard, time and time again, people from across the country saying, ‘We’re not only proud, but it’s good news. We’re following because they’re providing hope. Jeremy is actually helping us go through our days,’” Joly said.

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She asked Hansen if the mission had changed his perspective on humanity.

“I launched with the expectation that I would see the proof (of humanity’s purpose) with my own eyes, and I definitely have,” he said. “I think that’s really reassuring.”

Elder Bryan Akwirente Deer of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake delivered a prayer of thanksgiving to open the event.

4:56
Carney’s long-distance call to space: PM speaks with Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II crew

Students from across Canada were also able to ask questions, including via pre-recorded messages.

When asked how missions like Artemis II could shape life on Earth in the next 20 to 30 years, Hansen said, “Space exploration pushes innovation, and when we set really big goals, it focuses us on getting things done, creating technologies that help us live better together.”

Hansen also reflected on Indigenous teachings, saying, “Sit with your elders and ask questions. Every time I’ve listened, I’ve learned amazing things.”

Hansen described how his mission patch reflects seven attributes —courage, humility, respect, love, honesty, wisdom and truth — that guide him in life and in space.

His patch was designed by Manitoba artist Henry Guimond of Sagkeeng First Nation.

Hansen and his three American crewmates are returning to Earth after completing a six-hour lunar flyby on Monday, going farther into space than any humans before and breaking Apollo 13’s distance record from 1970.

It’s a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south pole in just two years.

Carney has said that, with Artemis II, Canada became the second country in the world ever to send an astronaut on a lunar mission, and that it’s a testament to Hansen’s “exceptional skill.”

The crew, after capturing images and other geological observations of the moon, is set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.

12:12
Chris Hadfield on Artemis II and the colonization of space

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