Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia will continue but he's not backing down on Canada's criticism of the kingdom over the arrest of several social activists last week.

The Ontario government says it's committed to clean and safe drinking water for Northern Ontario First Nations, but that the federal government should “step up to ensure this.”

The secret overtures offering a financial backstop to Kinder Morgan began in March, even though the Canadian government had made it clear, during its early negotiations with the Texas multinational, that it didn't want to buy the pipeline expansion project, says a new document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau doubled down on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, on Ottawa's message that the federal government will continue to stand up for Canadian values even as it finds itself at the centre of an ongoing diplomatic tumult with Saudi Arabia.