TORONTO (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to launch a mass deportation of millions of undocumented people is a top focus for Canada, its deputy prime minister said Friday, as the country plans to deal with a possible influx north.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau re-established a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration’s concerns about another Trump presidency this week.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is chair of the revived committee, said what Trump's deportation plan would mean for Canada is a key priority for the committee.
"I do want Canadians to know it is one of our two central points of focus," Freeland said after the group met for the first time since Trump's first term in office.
Freeland said controlling Canada's border is fundamental. “Canadians are right to be concerned about it,” she said.
Freeland said Canada has a plan, but she did not share any details.
She said she spoke to the leaders to Canada's provinces about the issue this week and said it is intentional that the country's immigration and public safety ministers are members of the committee. The deputy prime minister said the committee will meet often including early next week again.
Canada saw an increase in the number of irregular border crossings between 2016 and 2023, which the the Royal Canadian Mounted Police attributes in part to the first Trump presidency.
The national police service has said they have been working through multiple scenarios in case there is a change in irregular migration - which is trending down this year
Trump has talked about creating “the largest mass deportation program in history.” And Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort.
Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden announced last year a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement that allowed thousands of asylum-seeking immigrants to move between the two countries along a back road linking New York state to the Canadian province of Quebec.
The policy says asylum seekers without U.S. or Canadian citizenship who are caught within 14 days of crossing anywhere along the 3,145-mile (5,061-kilometer) border will be sent back.
Trump's deportation plan a key focus for Canada's Cabinet committee on US-Canada relations
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk prior to a NATO round table meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Dec. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
Trump's deportation plan a key focus for Canada's Cabinet committee on US-Canada relations
TURIN, Italy (AP) — His beard is full of gray hair. His knees have no cartilage left in them. And his fitness routine requires daily yoga sessions and midnight ice baths.
At the age of 44, Indian doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna is still going strong, though.
Strong enough that he’s finishing up a breakthrough season in his 21st year on tour. A season that included Bopanna’s first Grand Slam men’s doubles title with partner Matthew Ebden at the Australian Open in January — which made him the oldest man to win such a trophy and the oldest to reach No. 1 in the doubles rankings.
This week, Bopanna and Ebden are playing at the ATP Finals, the season-ending event for the year’s top eight teams.
So how does Bopanna, now ranked 12th in doubles, keep in shape?
“The important part is to just focus on yourself and keeping yourself healthy,” he said, adding that the physical trainer who travels with him full time is sometimes more important than his coach.
“It’s before and after making sure you do all the right kind of warmups, the cooldowns, the recovery with ice baths,” Bopanna told The Associated Press. “Everything is a part of the journey before you even play tennis. Playing tennis becomes the easiest part.”
Ebden, who won gold at the Paris Olympics with Australian partner John Peers, sees up close how dedicated Bopanna is.
“He’s been doing all the work before, after, late into the night. We play up until midnight (and) he was still going in the ice bath,” said Ebden, who is no spring chicken himself at 36.
“Bops brings the power, I bring a bit of the speed,” Ebden added.
So how long will Bopanna keep playing?
“I’m waiting for India to get the Olympics in 2036,” he said with a smile about the declared bid. “Why not?”
Bopanna contemplated having his yoga instructor travel the circuit with him. Then realized that would be “pretty expensive.”
“I try and do about 20-30 minutes every morning of yoga,” he said. “When I’m back home I do a longer session, which is about 90 minutes of Iyengar yoga. It has really helped me and changed my fitness goals as well.”
After the finals, Bopanna will host a training camp in Mumbai for other Indian doubles players.
The country has nine other players in the top 150 of the doubles rankings and Bopanna hosts a yearly retreat for the group.
“Since we have so many in the country, why not come together and have a good training camp at the end of the year to start the new season (strong),” he said.
Bopanna was the third Indian man to reach No. 1 in the doubles rankings after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. Bopanna and Bhupathi won two titles together.
Also, Sania Mirza was No. 1 in women’s doubles.
Bopanna — who has an orange, white and green design on his racket as a tribute to his country’s flag — attributes the speed of the courts at home to India's doubles prowess.
“Not many rallies happen,” Bopanna said. “Even the clay courts are really dry because of the weather conditions in India. So it’s very slippery. No matter where you go, which part of the country, all the courts play pretty fast. So automatically as a junior your hand-eye coordination picks up much better and I think that’s what has transitioned to doubles.”
Still, to have that hand-eye coordination intact at an age when most players are long retired, is quite an accomplishment.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori talk during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against India's Rohan Bopanna and Australia's Matthew Ebden, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Simone Bolelli, right, and Andrea Vavassori return the ball to India's Rohan Bopanna and Australia's Matthew Ebden during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
India's Rohan Bopanna, right, and Australia's Matthew Ebden return the ball to Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
India's Rohan Bopanna, left, and Australia's Matthew Ebden talk during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
India's Rohan Bopanna, right, and Australia's Matthew Ebden talk during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
India's Rohan Bopanna, right, and Australia's Matthew Ebden return the ball to Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
India's Rohan Bopanna returns the ball with his teammate Australia's Matthew Ebden to Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori during their doubles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
