Canada
Jenni Byrne's Big Gamble
Throughout her career, Byrne has embodied a spiky, gut-based conservatism, one that makes few concessions to the political centre and defends itself with brass-knuckled ferocity. Her world view is rooted in a sense of aggrieved class solidarity, a belief that progressive and centrist elites don’t know or care about ordinary people ...
Byrne will fight until the end. Everyone I spoke to for this story—colleagues, acquaintances and observers—characterized her as a political operator who has consistently and defiantly stuck to her principles, even when they’ve thrust her into conflict with allies or landed her on the wrong side of public sentiment. Friends and enemies alike describe her as focused, ruthless, tactically brilliant, detail-oriented, loyal to a point and merciless beyond that point, and perhaps the best practitioner of grievance politics in Canadian history. Her reputation is fearsome; some people were afraid to talk or be quoted. One figure in the Conservative Party said,
Trump wants NATO to spend 5% on defence. What do Canada party leaders say?
Trump’s calls have increased pressure on Canada, which is among eight out of 32 NATO members that currently fall short of the two per cent target. It spent 1.37 per cent last year.
Tories drop candidate who said Quebec massacre survivor plays ‘victim game’
Liberal candidate Nathalie Provost says she wants to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre call out 'shameful' comments by dropped Conservative candidate Simon Payette.
Rod Loyola seeking to run as independent after being removed by Liberals
I did not think that an intro at a hip-hop segment 16 years later would get me 'cancelled' after close to a decade of serving as an elected representative at the legislative assembly of Alberta, but here we are," a statement from Loyola reads
[Press release] Electors Can Vote by Mail or Vote Early at a Local Elections Canada Office
For the federal general election now under way, electors can vote by special ballot and return it by mail or in person at their local Elections Canada office if they apply by the deadline. The deadline to apply to vote by mail or to vote at a local Elections Canada office is Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 6 p.m. Electors should visit elections.ca or call 1-800-463-6868 for more details. Click through for this helpful bit of information from Elections Canada and share with your family and friends.
The Provinces
Moe foresees 'significant problem' if Liberals win federal election
As conversations of Western secession re-emerge, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says “we are going to have a significant problem moving forward” if the Liberal Party wins the upcoming federal election.
Quebec government tables bill to combat election disinformation and interference
The bill tabled by Jean-François Roberge, the province's minister for democratic institutions, would make it an offence to knowingly spread false information to influence or disturb an election or compromise the public’s trust in the electoral process.
Elsewhere
Why did Trump impose tariffs? Inside the advice that shaped his decision
The president’s decision to impose tariffs on trillions of dollars of goods reflects two key factors animating his second term in office: his resolve to follow his own instincts even if it means bucking long-standing checks on the U.S. presidency, and his choice of a senior team that enables his defiance of those checks.
Media
Carney, Singh pledge support for CBC/Radio-Canada amid U.S. threats
Liberal Leader Mark Carney and the NDP's Jagmeet Singh expressed support Friday for federal spending to ensure a strong national public broadcaster, a notion Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed as something Canada simply can't afford.
Science and tech
RISC Architecture Really Did Change Everything
Even coders who can speak assembly or C, the so-called low-level languages, still do just that: They talk. Computer architects need to go deeper. Much deeper. All the way down to a preverbal realm. If they’re speaking at all, they’re speaking in gestures, motions: the way primitive circuits hold information. Computer architecture isn’t telling a machine what to do. It’s establishing the possibility that it can be told anything at all. The work is superhuman, if not fully alien. Put it this way: If you found the exact place in a human being where matter becomes mind, where body becomes soul—a place that no scientist or philosopher or spiritual figure has found in 5,000 years of frantic searching—wouldn’t you tread carefully? One wrong move and everything goes silent. Geek out fellow nerds! Great piece! #LongRead
The Calendar
- 0915 ET: St John's, - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
- 1000 ET: Toronto, - LPC Leader Mark Carney makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
- 1330 ET: Osoyoos, BC - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
- 1600 ET: Halifax, - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh campaigns in the riding of Halifax.
- 1900 ET: Penticton, BC - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to supporters.
