A Lot of Unity 🌍

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Prime Minister Mark Carney’s summer travel itinerary is looking a little different than most people’s. After time overseas attending a two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey and travelling to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, PM Carney was back in Alberta, flipping pancakes at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday. In Turkey, NATO’s world leaders renewed their vow to defend each other should any member come under attack, as U.S. President Donald Trump first lashed out at allies, then later declared there had been a lot of love and a lot of unity. Meanwhile, PM Carney admitted his gift of maple syrup to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “kind of undermatched” the custom engraved revolvers the Turkish president gave to every NATO leader. Next stop: Saudi Arabia, marking the first visit by a Canadian PM in 26 years. Listen to this pod to hear why PM Carney is looking to strengthen ties, nearly a decade after relations between the two countries went into a deep freeze, largely over human rights.

To the Senate, where PM Mark Carney is putting his own stamp on things. His predecessor, PM Justin Trudeau (who recently made his TikTok dancing debut) worked to create a more independent Senate, including establishing an independent appointments advisory committee. Now PM Carney is shaking things up, rejigging the committee and dropping the non-partisan criteria for Senate appointment. The announcement came alongside four new Senate appointments: Tom Pitfield, Carney’s principal secretary, and Conservative MP Richard Martel, both representing Quebec, New Brunswick cancer researcher Dr. Rodney Ouellette and Manitoba chartered professional accountant Geeta Tucker. Wait — a Liberal PM appointed a Conservative MP? Yep. It also means the Conservatives lose a vote in the House, and another by-election is on the horizon that the Liberals could potentially win. For more on the Senate’s role — and how the upper chamber has changed over the past decade — consider this your Upper Chamber refresher.

Legal Moves: The B.C. government has hired lawyers to pursue legal action against OpenAI and says it is exploring all legal avenues to hold the company accountable. The case centres on OpenAI’s failure to notify law enforcement of threats made on its platform, before the mass shooting in February at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Previously, families of the victims filed lawsuits against OpenAI and its co-founder Sam Altman.

Northern Focus: All eyes are on Canada’s Arctic. Questions about national sovereignty and defence continue to put Canada’s North in the spotlight, amid Russia and China’s growing Arctic presence and U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of Canada becoming the 51st state. But Canada needs to let northerners lead the way, argues a new Maclean’s magazine longread. The writer joins this pod to discuss what it will actually take to defend Canada’s Arctic.

Court Clash: Lawyers and opposition lawmakers are accusing the federal gov of hypocrisy. That’s because the Carney gov continues to fight First Nations in court — to deny Canada has a legal duty to ensure First Nations have safe drinking water on reserve — but simultaneously the Liberals are advancing legislation aimed at guaranteeing safe drinking water on reserve. So…what gives? CBC unpacks the contradiction here.

We’re learning more about Canada’s big home reno project: 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the prime minister in Ottawa. Since PM Carney launched a national crowdfunding campaign to restore the long-neglected heritage property, more than 2,000 donors from across Canada have contributed, donating more than $460,000 as of July 9. It’s a solid start, though there’s still a long way to go toward the $50 million fundraising goal. Meanwhile, Canadian firms interested in renovating and modernizing 24 Sussex Drive have until August 15 to register their interest. And while one famous gov house is getting attention, another is waiting its turn. Stornoway, the historic residence of Canada’s Official Opposition leader, also needs major repairs, but there’s no firm plan for what happens next. Still probably easier than buying a starter home?

And now it’s time for dessert...your weekly crossword! A little hint for you: make sure you review last week’s edition to complete the crossword:

IT'S SWEET TREAT TIME

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