Showing Up Counts 🤝

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Last week, four astronauts blasted off aboard a NASA rocket on a long-awaited journey around the moon, including Canadian Colonel Jeremy Hansen. The 10-day Artemis II moon mission aims to kickstart a new era of sustained exploration and development on the moon. It also marks the first human trip there since 1972, with Hansen becoming the first Canadian in history to fly around the moon. He made his first space-to-earth video call over the weekend, sharing early impressions and what daily life looks like aboard the spacecraft. Listen to this pod to get the full story on the far side of the moon — and how Hansen landed one of the most exclusive seats out there.

The war between the U.S., Israel and Iran continues, with expletive-laden threats from U.S. President Donald Trump signalling potential escalation against Iran and its infrastructure. Iran, for its part, shows no signs of backing down, continuing strikes on infrastructure targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries, while Israel intensifies airstrikes in Lebanon. Amid the conflict, Prime Minister Mark Carney has used stronger language than his government has to date. He called Israel’s actions in Lebanon an illegal invasion and a violation of territorial sovereignty, and he urged a ceasefire to end the worsening conflict. Back home, rising fuel and food prices are adding pressure, with the Conservatives calling on the Liberals to suspend federal taxes on gas and diesel to provide Canadians some relief.

Legal Check: The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal challenging the constitutionality of Canada’s voting system. Fair Voting B.C. and the Springtide Collective for Democratic Society had argued that Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system violates the Charter of Rights and Freedom’s guarantee of effective representation, and contributes to the underrepresentation of women and other groups in Parliament. The Court did not provide reasons for its decision. Case closed, for now.

Nature Push: Canada has released a $3.8 billion nature strategy, titled A Force of Nature, outlining a plan to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030 — roughly double what’s currently protected. Hitting that target will require a serious acceleration of effort. The plan includes efforts to get businesses and investors to put private funding into conservation, and officially recognizing areas protected by local communities and private groups. Experts have flagged concerns about both approaches.

Trade Moves: Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has wrapped up a visit to China, where he and other top Canadian financial officials met with their Chinese counterparts. While Champagne left China with Chinese tariffs on Canadian pork products still in place, he emphasized the importance of relationship building. “You can’t expect to have more trade if you don’t show up,” he said. “Showing up is half the work.” Pep talk pending.

Prediction trading is coming to Canada. What’s that? It involves placing bets on real-world events, from Bank of Canada interest rate decisions to which song will top the Billboard Hot 100 this spring. Predictions trading has been popularized in the U.S. through platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, meaning Canadians previously had to access them quietly through VPNs. That’s changing, as Canadian fintech company Wealthsimple recently cleared regulatory hurdles to eventually launch prediction trading here. There will be rules in Canada — betting on elections or sports isn’t allowed — but experts warn predictions trading still blurs the line between investing and gambling. Check out this pod for a closer look at the tech turning real life into something that feels like a game. Proceed with caution.

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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