Where is Lena Diab?

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Written by Hanna Lee Copy Editor, Digital News

Good morning. Members of Parliament and community organizations alike say they're having trouble reaching Immigration Minister Lena Diab, who was sworn in last May. We have the details below, as well as what's happening with Canadian travellers planning to go to Mexico, and why some Canadian ministers were left disappointed after a meeting with senior staff at OpenAI.

TRUMP'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

(Jessica Koscielniak/The Associated Press)

Trump sticks to celebratory script in state of the union, with one angry detour

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a state of the union address that, by his standards, came across as relatively focused and disciplined, giving a preview of how the Republicans may try to campaign to keep control of Congress in this fall's midterms.

Trump notably reined in the visceral anger he displayed just a few days ago toward the Supreme Court justices who struck down his global tariff regime. He also basked in the appearance of the Olympic gold medal-winning men's hockey team in the House for the speech.

But the generally triumphant tone of the address shifted markedly when he pivoted to go on the attack against two of his favourite targets: the Democrats and what he calls "illegal alien criminals."

For anyone who thought the president might be easing up in his mass deportation campaign following the backlash over the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Trump's speech suggested he is in no mood to pull back on enforcement.

Recap the key moments of Trump's speech.

Five fact checks from Trump's state of the union address.

Mike Crawley has more

THE LATEST

Trump's point man on trade talks says Canada needs to accept that tariffs will be a part of any deal with the administration, including renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Canadian airlines are resuming flights to and from parts of Mexico after service was paused by violence in the region, but travellers are weighing whether to go.
At least 30 people have died after heavy rains hit Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais, with dozens more missing.
The family of a Canadian University of Toronto PhD student is concerned after he was arrested in Pakistan while conducting research for his dissertation.
Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid is pushing back the release of her next hockey romance novel, citing the time demands of sudden fame and the worsening symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Is the immigration minister in over her head? Some MPs and community groups think so

Immigration Minister Lena Diab, who was sworn in nine months ago, has been conspicuously absent, say some members of Parliament and several organizations.

What's happening: Community groups also say Diab's availability has been limited. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, for example, has only spoken with her once, via videoconference in the spring, and hasn't been able to secure an in-person meeting with her. Organizations also note that she hasn't been very visible in the media — and when she has been present, her performance has been questionable.

What else: At a parliamentary committee meeting in October, Diab had difficulty answering a question from the Bloc Québécois about processing times for refugee status applications, seeking information from the civil servants sitting next to her. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner has called her a "very bad minister," in an exchange shared widely on social media. She told Radio-Canada she feels she knows Diab's file "far better than she does." Many of her own Liberal colleagues felt similarly. Of the 10 with whom Radio-Canada spoke, just one defended her performance. Diab declined Radio-Canada's request for comment.

Yasmine Mehdi and Laurence Martin have more

Canadian travellers with trips planned to Mexico weighing whether to stay home

Canadian airlines have resumed flights to and from parts of Mexico, but travellers are now weighing whether to board them.

What's happening: No new significant security incidents have been reported as of Monday, according to Global Affairs Canada, after a wave of violence broke out across the country over the weekend, including in the popular beach community of Puerto Vallarta. But Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said decisions on planned trips should be made on a day-to-day basis, as further incidents could occur, even as the situation appears to be improving.

For travellers: Those without insurance are likely on the hook for a trip if they cancel, said Will McAleer, of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada. While Ottawa is warning against non-essential travel to some parts of Mexico, tourists in popular destinations are only being urged to exercise caution. For those already in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, Global Affairs says to head to airports only if they have a confirmed flight and if it's safe to do so.

More about El Mencho's death: The operation that killed the cartel leader was a "high-risk bet" by the Mexican government, said analyst David Mora. It comes with significant risk as the country prepares to host the World Cup in a few months. But the decision involved pressure from the U.S., which supplied intelligence for the operation.

Abby Hughes has more