Canada
Conservatives still on top, but race tightens after Trudeau’s departure: Ipsos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s upcoming resignation and the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump among factors in tightening race, according to Ipsos Public Affairs CEO.
Menaces de Donald Trump: un regain de vie pour le PLC
Avec l’ex-gouverneur de la Banque du Canada à sa tête, le PLC atteint carrément des sommets à 38 %! Est-ce l’effet de nouveauté ou son CV qui semble fait sur mesure dans ce moment d’anxiété économique? Visiblement, son français hésitant et son absence d’expérience politique ne le disqualifient pas aux yeux de l’électorat. Du moins pas encore. Il faudra voir à l’usure, en commençant par les débats dans la course à la chefferie.
Trump tariffs: Canada ‘not out of the woods yet,’ says Trudeau
“Our work doesn’t take the proposed tariffs off the table,” Trudeau told reporters, flanked by members of Canada’s Big City Caucus. Trudeau said he was “blown away” by how Canadians have responded to the economic threat from the United States. "We all need to keep that spirit up because we’re not out of the woods yet. Because we don’t just want to get through this challenging moment. We want to emerge from it stronger than ever before,” he said.
Canada's new Fentanyl Czar will be appointed within 30 days
McGuinty has characterized the role as a liaison between the Canadian and U.S. governments to better combat the flow of fentanyl, as well as to improve collaboration
Karina Gould vows to meet NATO defence pledge by 2027
Liberal leadership candidate Karina Gould is vowing to ramp up defence spending to meet NATO's target by 2027. Gould says she would hike salaries in the Canadian Armed Forces and appoint a "procurement czar" to speed up backlogged purchasing.
Chrystia Freeland to set aggressive timeline for 2% defence spending by 2027
Successive Canadian governments have for years failed to make NATO’s defence spending targets, drawing the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trudeau Office Hit by Network Outage Day Before Tariff Deadline
A failed fiber-optic link crippled the computer network at the highest level of the Canadian government throughout the day on Jan. 31.
[Press release] Government of Canada introduces new National Cyber Security Strategy
The new NCSS: Securing Canada’s Digital Future focuses on a whole-of-society approach to cyber security. This, considering that all segments of society have a role to play in building our collective resilience to Cyber threats. The Strategy outlines Canada’s long-term plan to improve partnerships across all levels of government, law enforcement, industry, Indigenous communities, academia and our international allies to reduce critical infrastructure disruptions to services that people in Canada rely on every day.
Tourism minister won't seek re-election, vies for Montreal municipal party leadership
Martinez-Ferrada shared her resignation letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media, which says she intends to run to become mayor of Montreal. "This was not an easy decision, but it is one that I know is right, in which I will continue to fight for progressive values," Martinez-Ferrada wrote in her resignation letter. Martinez-Ferrada had been the co-chair as well of the Liberal re-election campaign. Wow. She is also -- let me count -- the 10th member of Trudeau's cabinet in the last several months to say they are not running again.
[Press release] Prime Minister announces a change to the Ministry
Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, will act concurrently as Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.
The Provinces
U.S. tariff threat: Quebec furniture company lays off 115 workers after sales drop
The company says the uncertainty around Trump's motives has significantly affected sales, adding that 70 per cent of its products are shipped to the United States.
Alberta Auditor-General confirms probe into government health contracts after allegations of interference
Leaders in politics and health care both called for investigations after the allegations were revealed. New Democratic Party Leader Naheed Nenshi, in a statement to The Globe, said the allegations are “exceptionally troubling.” The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, meanwhile, called the allegations scandalous and evidence that private surgical facilities undermine public health care. “There must be a full RCMP investigation, an Auditor-General investigation, and a public inquiry,” Mr. Nenshi said. (🎁 link)
Marathon’s mayor is now a Progressive Conservative candidate
Rick Dumas, mayor since 2006, will be on the ballot in Thunder Bay-Superior North. A Progressive Conservative has not won the riding that includes the north part of Thunder Bay (Port Arthur), Nipigon, Marathon, Geraldton, etc. since 1963. PCs came close in 2022 when Peng You finished less than three points back of New Democrat incumbent Lisa Vaugeois. Federally, this is Liberal Patty Hajdu's riding.
Quebec tables bill to formally make hockey its ‘national’ sport
Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe’s bill, tabled Thursday, also names the first Saturday in February as national ice hockey day. The bill recognizes that the 150-year-old sport has a special place in Quebec culture — the first official hockey game was played in Montreal on March 3, 1875.
Elsewhere
Ford goes protectionist as EV losses top $5B
Farley warned that the proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would cause “billions of dollars” of industry profits to be “wiped out,” would have an “adverse effect on the U.S. jobs” in the auto sector, and would mean “higher prices” for customers. If those tariffs are implemented and sustained — a big “if,” considering Trump has already punted the deadline to implement them a month — Farley said they would have a “devastating impact.”
UK leader Starmer signs '100-year partnership' agreement with Ukraine during trip to Kyiv
Starmer said that the landmark century-long agreement commits the two sides to cooperate on defense — especially maritime security against Russian activity in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov — and on technology projects including drones, which have become vital weapons for both sides in the war. The treaty also includes a system to help track stolen Ukrainian grain exported by Russia from occupied parts of the country.
German election: CDU, Merz drop in poll after AfD vote
The slide in popularity comes after the CDU's candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, used the backing of the far-right to pass a non-binding resolution on border policy last week. This was a a historic breach of taboo.
Trump's choice for chief trade negotiator says tariff threat is about fentanyl
Jamieson Greer, Trump's choice for U.S. trade representative, told his Senate confirmation hearing that America doesn't want to see another fentanyl death. Greer added it looks like Canada and Mexico have come to the table.
The Panama Canal Treaty Declassified
The NSC ‘memcon’ is featured in a new Electronic Briefing Book published today by the National Security Archive [of George Washington University] as confrontation over the Panama Canal escalates into a central U.S. foreign policy and international issue.” Fascinating read
Media
Finland trains six-year-olds to spot fake news – and they might be better at it than you
Finnish schools have made media literacy a key part of education, equipping even six-year-olds with the skills to spot fake news and online manipulation. Finland has consistently ranked as Europe’s most media-literate country. Since 2013, media education has been integrated into the national curriculum, ensuring that children learn from an early age how to identify misinformation, analyse sources, and critically assess online content.
Federal government ends boycott of advertising spending on Meta platforms
The social media giant continues to block news content for Canadian users, but the Privy Council Office confirms the federal government spent $100,000 for space on Facebook and Instagram for a campaign launched in January.
DOGE targets government media subscriptions after MAGA attacks
A fake theory about Politico being funded by the government is catching fire in right-wing circles. It’s a prime example of how false information sweeps through social media — and it could spell trouble for Politico and any other media organization that has contracts for subscriptions with the government.
Reader Notes
Who writes this stuff?
A reminder that: The headlines, excerpts, and photos here are generated by the publishers of the clipping. The publisher is at the bottom left of the clipping. If I've got a comment, you''ll see that in italics. But if I've generated the headline and the excerpt, you'll see me taking attribution by finishing with -DA in bold. The stamp stuff at the bottom are scans from my collection and, if there’s a stamp blurb, I’ve written that bit. -DA
You can help keep this newsletter going with 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.
Science and tech
Microsoft tests new PowerToys app that can pull audio from videos
Microsoft is currently developing an update to its killer PowerToys collection of Windows apps that can extract audio from a video file, allowing you to sample music or lines of dialogue from videos. Or download Audacity -- it's free and it's the best audio editor out there -- and then just drag and drop your video file onto a track in Audacity and - voila! - there's your audio track.
Leica Announces $329 'LUX Grip' Camera Accessory for iPhone
Leica today introduced the Leica LUX Grip, a MagSafe-compatible iPhone camera grip designed to provide photographers with a more tactile and precise shooting experience, incorporating physical controls and modes inspired by classic Leica cameras. Want!
The Calendar
- Toronto - PM Trudeau hosts the Canada-US Economic Summit.
- 0830 ET: St John's - Seniors Min Joanne Thompson makes a funding announcement
- 0915 ET: Longueuil, QC - Environment Min Steven Guilbeault speaks about the CSA WildFireSat mission.
- 0930 ET: Shediac, NB - Families and Social Development Min Jenna Sudds speaks about the National School Food Program
- 1030 ET: Newmarket, ON - Housing and Infrastructure Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and LPC MP Leah Taylor Roy make an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1300 ET: Vancouver - PACIFICCan Min Harjit Sajjan makes a funding announcement
- 1700 ET: Vancouver - PrairiesCan Min Terry Duguid makes a funding announcement
