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WHAT’S THE SCOOP?
Big news from Ottawa… the gov has taken the first steps toward a social media ban for kids under the ages of 16. Culture Minister Marc Miller introduced an online harms bill in the House of Commons last week — called Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act — which would restrict young Canadians’ access to social media. But there’s an off-ramp for Big Tech, with companies able to seek an exemption to the ban if they can show they’ve made their platforms safe. The bill also puts some controls around AI chatbots, though currently there’s no age restriction for chatbots. Hear directly from Minister Miller about Canada vs. Social Media on this pod. And a little background for you: Australia became the first country to restrict social media access for children and teens last year, and now many other countries are proposing their own legislation. In Canada, the Liberals have long promised some form of legislation to address online harms. While this new legislation still has to pass through Parliament, mixed feelings from teens and parents are already pouring in, alongside plenty of unanswered questions, like when the ban would come into effect and how platforms will verify users’ ages.
Prime Minister Carney has a plan to lower food costs. The Liberal gov announced a national food security strategy last week, backed by more than $3 billion in investments over 10 years. The first-of-its-kind federal strategy aims to give Canadians more access to locally produced fruit, vegetables and other fresh items at lower prices. “We are an agricultural superpower. Yet for most Canadians, it doesn’t feel like that at the checkout counter,” said PM Carney. So how will it work? The strategy, called More Choice. More Control. More Canada., intends to change how food is bought, sold, transported and distributed in Canada — aka an attempt to fix some of the root causes behind spikes in food prices. As it stands now, according to the gov, five large retailers dominate 75 per cent of Canada’s grocery market. A central pillar of the strategy is creating new regional food hubs across the country, giving independent grocers and local farmers a way to bypass the big five retail chains. Ideally, “I’ll just grab a few things” will stop costing upwards of $50.
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NEWS NUGGETS
Main Match: Canada’s men’s national team played its first-ever World Cup game on home soil last week, and the opening match against Bosnia-Herzegovina ended in a 1-1 tie — meaning Canada earned its first-ever World Cup point. If you’re late to the party, head here for a World Cup guide, including the 13 games Canada is hosting in Toronto and Vancouver, and when and where Canada plays.
Main Characters: The Green Party of Canada has officially launched its leadership race to replace Elizabeth May. For the first time, candidates can officially run together as co-leaders, with the Greens accepting applications from both individual candidates and co-leadership pairs. Results from the race are expected to be announced in mid-November, and May has said she will remain leader until then. Has “looking for a work spouse” made its way into federal politics?
Main Concern: Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand recently announced $100 million in federal funding to support Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Anand’s office says the funding will go to United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and others, to address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and rising violence in the West Bank by extremist Israeli settlers.
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WHAT ELSE WE’RE NIBBLING ON
The opening of the long-delayed Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, was delayed again last week. A ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Friday was cancelled at the request of the United States, said PM Carney. Canada and the U.S. are now taking time to resolve outstanding issues, though PM Carney wouldn’t spill what exactly those issues are. He did, however, say they are different from discussions surrounding the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, aka CUSMA, which comes up for review July 1. Wait, what’s going on there? U.S. President Donald Trump is once again threatening to withdraw from the deal, even as his trade officials are in talks on renewing it. The bridge saga continues, now with bonus trade agreement drama.
CROSSWORD
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:
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