Substance Season 🌸

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Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking his message straight to Canadians — via YouTube. In a nine-minute video posted Sunday morning, he said Canadians’ close ties to the United States have become “weaknesses” that must be corrected. PM Carney promised to strike new partnerships abroad, and he’ll keep Canadians in the loop with regular updates on Canada’s diversification efforts. The YouTube video comes just days after Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, suggested the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade — aka CUSMA — may need to be substantially reworked. Lutnick also slammed PM Carney for Canada’s growing trade relationship with China. Against this backdrop, PM Carney has invited 100 of the world’s biggest investors to a summit in Toronto this September, hoping to unlock trillions in global investment and convince others that Canada is cool again.

It’s time to get serious. That was the tone after PM Carney’s byelection sweep last week, which handed him a majority government with 174 seats in the House of Commons. Translation: the Liberals can now pass legislation without leaning on support from opposition parties. PM Carney said Canadians can expect “more substance” and less “showboating” from the federal gov, and added his immediate focus was passing affordability measures and a bill designed to supercharge home construction. With a majority secured, all eyes are on whether Carney can actually move the needle on key issues. Listen to this pod for more. Meanwhile, over in question period, PM Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre traded education-themed jabs, in their first face-off in the House since the Liberals secured a majority gov.

Money Moves: Remember how the NDP lost official party status in last year’s federal election, and the parliamentary funding that comes with it? Well, plot twist: the party has been allocated nearly $670,000 in additional funding to support its parliamentary work. Why? A committee made up of Liberal, Conservative and Bloc MPs agreed to a new funding formula, and to lower the required minimum seat count to get funding.

Tech Talk: Canada’s heritage minister Marc Miller says the government is very seriously considering whether it should restrict young Canadians’ access to social media platforms and AI chatbots. His comments follow two non-binding resolutions passed by Liberal Party members at their recent policy convention. While no decision has been reached yet, Miller says there’s work to do to get it right.

Charter Check: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms turned 44 last week! When the proclamation of the Constitution Act was signed on April 17, 1982, it brought the Charter into law, becoming an essential part of Canada’s democracy. On this year’s anniversary, Justice Minister Sean Fraser shared his concerns about provinces increasingly invoking the notwithstanding clause to override Charter rights. Aging well, but under pressure.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after diplomatic talks in Washington. More than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, including a Canadian citizen. Meanwhile, with a fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran set to expire this week, tensions are high, and conflict around the Strait of Hormuz continues. The fighting has sent global energy costs surging, and in response, Canada is pausing excise taxes on gasoline and diesel for nearly five months. The fuel tax holiday went into effect Monday and is expected to cost an estimated $2.4 billion.

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:

DESSERT

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