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5 Things to Know Today: BoC Decision Looms, TSX Sits Near Record Highs

  Saturday, July 11, 2026 Here's what Canadians need to know heading into the week, as markets brace for the Bank of Canada's rate decision and the CUSMA trade file keeps grinding along. 1. The Bank of Canada decides Wednesday, and a hold is all but locked in The Bank of Canada's next rate announcement lands July 15, and virtually every economist on Bay Street expects the overnight rate to stay parked at 2.25% — what would be a sixth straight pause. A stronger-than-expected June jobs report has taken away any urgency to cut, while cooling inflation and lingering trade uncertainty argue against a hike. Expect the accompanying statement to lean on familiar language: steady as she goes. 2. June's jobs report beat expectations, and the jobless rate ticked down Statistics Canada reported employers added roughly 18,000 jobs in June, ahead of forecasts and building on May's much larger 88,000-job gain. The unemployment rate slipped to 6.5%, back to where it stood in Januar...

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Hunter Biden's Legal Troubles and Presidential Pardon

 

Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, faced legal issues related to firearms and tax convictions. In June 2024, he was convicted of lying on a federal form when purchasing a gun in 2018, falsely stating that he was not a drug user. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes for the years 2016 to 2019. These charges stemmed from a period in his life when he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before becoming sober in 2019.

Despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant clemency to his son, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for Hunter Biden on December 1, 2024. This pardon not only covered the gun and tax offenses but also any other federal offenses Hunter Biden may have committed from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. President Biden justified his decision by stating that raw politics had infected the legal process, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

A presidential pardon is an expression of forgiveness granted by the President of the United States for federal criminal offenses. The power to pardon is derived from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which allows the president to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. A pardon forgives federal criminal offenses and exempts the individual from punishment, but it does not signify innocence.



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