Canada
London Liberal MP: It's time for Justin Trudeau to resign
Veteran London Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos has joined the growing chorus of colleagues urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down.
Déboires de Justin Trudeau: «Tout le monde le dit, le gouvernement libéral est fini» – Pierre Paul-Hus
«Tout le monde le dit, le gouvernement libéral est fini. On a beau changer de Justin Trudeau, ça ne changera absolument rien au fait que l’équipe qui est en place, c’est l’équipe qui a causé les problèmes qu’on vit actuellement», a dit l’élu de Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint-Charles. Les députés conservateurs entendent toujours déposer une motion de censure le 30 janvier, soit quelques jours après la rentrée parlementaire.
Mark Carney songe sérieusement à se présenter pour remplacer Justin Trudeau
L’ancien gouverneur de la Banque du Canada, mais aussi Chrystia Freeland, candidate potentielle à la succession de M. Trudeau, ont appelé des membres du caucus.
The Provinces
Nearly 30 years later, is Quebec headed for another independence referendum?
Legault is deeply unpopular after six years in power, and the Parti Québécois, with a young, charismatic leader, has been ahead in the polls for more than a year.
Elsewhere
Elon Musk goes global with his playbook for political influence
The X owner and tech billionaire has boosted far-right figures in Britain, Germany and Canada with a blizzard of social media posts in recent days. (🎁 link)
How the Democrats Lost the Working Class
The theory seemed sound: Stabilize financial markets, support the poor and promote a more secure, integrated world. But blue-collar workers were left behind. A Sunday long read with some lessons Canadian Liberals could learn but some lessons some western New Democrats, IMO, have figured out. (🎁 link)
The Religious Composition of the 119th Congress
Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session. I remember looking at Canadian parliamentary directories in the 1980s and 1990s that reported the religious affiliation of members of Parliament but, so far as I know, that information is no longer collected.
Moldova's Breakaway Transdniester Region Braces For Power Cuts, Freezing Cold
Moldova’s pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniester region was bracing for additional rolling power cuts and business closures after the supply of Russian natural gas was stopped on January 1 due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine.
Media
Journalism needs better representation to counter AI
The authors share recommendations from journalists, technologists, and content stewards on addressing the opportunities and threats that AI presents to traditional journalism. Another Sunday LongRead...
Reader Notes
More thank yous
This newsletter is curated by me, David Akin, the chief political correspondent at Global News thought I put it together every day independently of my employer.
Over the holiday season, many readers of this newsletter have made a generous contribution to this newsletter either via direct deposit or by signing up for a monthly contribution at my Patreon page. These donations help cover the costs of operating this 7-day-a-week newsletter.
So today, I'd like to thank Gordon R, Hugh O, Leon L. Howard M, Linda R, Andrew G, Douglas J and Johanna S for their recent contributions as well as the dozens of you who have been steadily contributing every month via Patreon.
And a special thank you to our sponsor, Aurora Strategy Global.
If you can help, we're always grateful for more support. Please consider a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com.
Today's my last day of a Christmas break. I'm back on the Hill Monday for what I think will be a very eventful week in our federal politics.
Science and tech
Elon Musk: “We’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction.”
During the last 10 days, Musk has begun airing some of these private thoughts publicly. On Christmas Day, for example, Musk wrote on X, "The Artemis architecture is extremely inefficient, as it is a jobs-maximizing program, not a results-maximizing program. Something entirely new is needed."
