Welcome to The Feed, your weekly resource to Canadian politics and policies broken down into itty bitty (super witty) bite-sized knowledge by Apathy is Boring.
Pun intended.

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WHAT'S THE SCOOP?

After weeks of PM Trudeau and cabinet ministers touring the country previewing key pieces of the federal budget, announcing over $37 billion in new spending and loans, the full budget is here! Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled Budget 2024 yesterday (wearing her new budget shoes of course, a tradition in Canadian politics). A significant amount of spending will go to the housing market, with the Liberals releasing their plan to tackle Canada’s housing crisis last week. Canada’s Housing Plan involves expanded tax incentives for homebuilding, more than a billion dollars to tackle homelessness and a national effort to build more housing on public lands. PM Trudeau called the strategy the most comprehensive and ambitious housing plan ever seen in Canada. It comes just after the parliamentary budget officer released a report estimating Canada needs to build 3.1 million homes by 2030 (!!) to close the housing gap. 

Concerns are growing over a wider war in the Middle East. Iran launched its first-ever direct attack into Israel over the weekend, firing drones and missiles as a response to Israel striking Iran’s consulate in Syria earlier this month. Find out what could come next here. And those developments come amid broken promises for more aid into Gaza. More than a week ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised U.S. President Joe Biden the flow of aid would increase, following an Israeli airstrike killing people from a food charity. But that aid has failed to materialize, workers say, with a key port not yet open to aid shipments, and a new crossing into northern Gaza open but not allowing access to UN agencies. Now a U.S. aid official says people in part of northern Gaza have begun facing famine — marking the first American official to confirm publicly that famine has started. 

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NEWS NUGGETS

Grim Anniversary: One year since fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Canada is committing $132.2 million in humanitarian funding for Sudan. Violent conflict in the country has killed thousands and forced millions to flee their homes, and about a third of the country’s population faces acute hunger. Amid this humanitarian crisis, there are calls for Canada to offer more help.  

Tax Troubles: Controversy continues to swirl over the federal carbon tax. What’s the latest? Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre tabled a motion in the House of Commons, demanding Trudeau sit down with provincial and territorial leaders to discuss the tax at a first ministers' meeting. And the New Democrats, who have long championed putting a price on pollution, seem to be having second thoughts, something PM Trudeau says he doesn’t entirely understand. 

Final Straw: Alberta has just tabled what the premier describes as a stay-out-of-my-backyard bill. The law seeks to block municipalities from negotiating deals directly with the federal government, and it mirrors similar legislation in Quebec. Premier Danielle Smith says recent unilateral federal housing grants to some Alberta cities were the final straw. But academics say the new bill poses a risk to academic freedom, and some mayors are also opposed.

WHAT ELSE WE'RE NIBBLING ON

As the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference continues its examination into allegations that foreign countries like China and Russia interfered in our elections, a high profile person testified at the open hearing last week… PM Trudeau. He expressed frustration that intelligence leaked to the media had been “sensationalized” and taken out of context. Such leaks were concerning, Trudeau says, because in some cases the gov could not correct them without revealing how interference is detected. Listen to this pod to hear what we’ve learned from the inquiry so far, and this pod to hear what it all could mean for our next election.

CROSSWORD

And now it's time for dessert...your weekly crossword! A little hint for you: you can find all these words in last week's newsletter!

Click here to solve

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