Canada
Conservatives' lead in the polls shrinks amid Trump tariff threats
U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs and his repeated comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state have hit a nerve with Canadians. And there are new signs that the U.S. president’s comments are threatening to upend Canada’s political landscape as well. Conservative MPs met in Ottawa on Friday for the first time since December. And as Mackenzie Gray reports on Global National, it’s happening at the same time that new numbers suggest the Conservatives' huge lead in the polls is shrinking against a mounting Liberal comeback.
[Political ad] If Carney wins, Canada loses
The CPC has got oodles of cash -- and this is what they're spending some of it on. Just dropped. "Today's ad is just a taste. Expect to hear much more", a source in the Poilievre OLO says. Meanwhile, Carney has invited the media to a photo opp and brief remarks at a 'watch party' he's hosting for supporters to join him cheer on Canada's NHLers against the USA tonight. -DA
[Poliitcal ad] Poilievre says Canada is broken
Within a few hours of the Conservative release of an ad attacking Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney, the Liberals unveiled their own 30-second spot "Broken". -DA
Eliminating ‘scourge’ of fentanyl main goal of Canada’s new czar
The new position was created by Ottawa in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat earlier this month to impose broad-based 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Over a pound of fentanyl seized at U.S. border, and it came from Canada
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Seattle seized over a pound of fentanyl crossing the border from Canada, just days after Canada announced it's 'fentanyl czar.'
The Provinces
N.S. government says U.S. tariff threat ‘wake-up call’ as legislature opens
Nova Scotia’s legislature has opened with a throne speech describing the threat of United States tariffs as a “wake-up call” to do more to diversify the province’s economy.
Only independent Ontario MPP to win in 2022 says PC ‘big machine’ targeting her riding
The former Progressive Conservative chose to run an independent campaign after a disagreement over how the local Tory candidate was appointed before the last election -- and won.
Ontario NDP candidate withdraws in Eglinton-Lawrence, citing close PC-Liberal race
Natasha Doyle-Merrick wrote in a statement that Eglinton-Lawrence is a "clear two-party contest" and she is stepping aside in the hopes of preventing another PC win.
Elsewhere
Zelenskyy characterizes US security support as unreliable, calls for creation of ‘Armed Forces of Europe’
The United States can no longer be relied on to ensure security in Europe, which is at risk of being pulled apart by Russia without a continent-wide military force of its own, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said Saturday.
‘A new sheriff in town’: JD Vance pushes Europe on migration, free speech
“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” Vance said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference. “What I worry about is the threat from within — the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.
German chancellor hits back at US at security conference as Trump administration upends norms
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday shot back strongly in defense of his stance against the far-right and said his country won’t accept people who “intervene in our democracy,” a day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance scolded European leaders over their approach to democracy.
A plan is taking shape — quietly — to send European troops to Ukraine -
Alarmed that U.S. security priorities lie elsewhere, a group of European countries has been working on a plan to send troops into Ukraine to enforce any peace settlement.
Democrats want a more moderate party, new Gallup survey finds
Forty-five percent of Democrats want a more moderate party, a Gallup survey conducted after Trump’s inauguration found, pointing to growing dissatisfaction among Democratic Americans.
Media
FCC chair Brendan Carr is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech
Nilay Patel: So it’s been fairly disconcerting these first few weeks of the second Trump administration to realize, suddenly, there’s a nonzero chance the government will punish our work. All that talk about the media being the enemy of the people is turning into concrete legal action against publishers, broadcasters, and platforms that don’t do what the Trump White House wants.
How Trump Beat Out Harris Among News Influencers in 2024
Trump’s ultimate advantage came from the sheer number of posts from his supporters. Consequently, twice as many posts about Harris on the social media site X were critical of the Democratic candidate than supportive of her. Trump’s numbers, on the other hand, were more evenly split, according to Pew.
Science and tech
AI used to design a multi-step enzyme that can digest some plastics
A new paper today describes a success in making a brand-new enzyme with the potential to digest plastics. But it also shows how even a simple enzyme may have an extremely complex mechanism—and one that's hard to tackle, even with the latest AI tools.
Record-breaking neutrino spotted tearing through the Mediterranean Sea
A neutrino with more energy than we've ever seen before was picked up by a detector on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, and it seems to have a distant cosmic origin
The Calendar
- 0135 ET: Munich, Germany - Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly speaks about Arctic security at the Munich Security Conference.
- 0830 ET: Saguenay, QC - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet and BQ MPs Mario Simard and Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe meet with union leaders.
- 1030 ET: Munich, Germany - Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly speaks at a Munich Security Conference event.
- 1200 ET: Munich, Germany - Foreign Affairs Min Melanie Joly speaks to reporters.
- 1400 ET: Ottawa - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters.
- 1400 ET: Surrey, BC - Veterans Affairs Min Darren Fisher presents commendations.
