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.

Are you viewing from a web browser? Click 'listen to this article' (either in the top or bottom left-hand corner of your page) for this newsletter's audio.

WHAT'S THE SCOOP? 

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent China trip ended with a significant trade agreement, quickly followed by mixed reactions. Let’s unpack this. The agreement would allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market each year at a low tariff rate, in exchange for China dropping duties on Canadian canola. PM Carney called it a “preliminary but landmark” deal, and it’s part of a broader strategic partnership with China. Some people are cheering — like Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and the province’s canola industry — while others are not, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the auto sector. U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration sent conflicting signals about the deal, first warning Canada may regret the move, then later backing it. The next stop on PM Carney’s trade diversification tour is India, sometime next month. We’ll be watching.  

PM Carney is reportedly accepting an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join the so-called “Board of Peace”. What’s that? It’s a U.S.-led effort overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and planning Gaza’s future reconstruction. The White House recently announced Trump would chair the board, and other members on the founding “Executive Board” include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank president Ajay Banga and former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair. Carney was not mentioned in the White House statement, so it’s not totally clear yet what role he’ll play. Under Trump’s plan, the Board of Peace would oversee a Palestinian committee responsible for Gaza’s day-to-day governance. 

The Feed is now powered by YOU!  Donate here

NEWS NUGGETS

Streaming Win: The Canadian TV show Heated Rivalry has a lot of fans, including Culture Minister Marc Miller. He recently called the show a Canadian content triumph, praising its great plot and role in breaking down stereotypes. Shot largely in Toronto and Hamilton, the love story about rival pro hockey players is based on romance novels by Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid. Consider this you sign to add it to the watchlist. 

Power Shift: It’s the end of an era in Quebec politics. Premier François Legault is stepping down after more than seven years in power. He made the surprise announcement last week, saying he’ll stay on as premier until his party chooses a new leader. Legault co-founded the Coalition Avenir Québec party and led it to election wins in 2018 and 2022. But with bleak polling ahead of this fall’s provincial election, the party is ready for a reset. 

Automation Oops: An NDP leadership candidate concerned about artificial intelligence replacing workers recently apologized for using AI to answer Reddit questions. Users flagged several responses from union leader Rob Ashton during an AMA as AI-generated. After the slip-up, other candidates were pressed on their own campaign AI use. “It's frustrating that this leadership race only seems to make the news when there's drama, not when we're talking about affordability, climate justice, workers' rights and ending poverty,” said candidate Tanille Johnston. 

WHAT ELSE WE'RE NIBBLING ON

Time for a political throwback. Remember the WE Charity scandal circa 2020? It involved the Liberal government under then-PM Justin Trudeau awarding WE Charity a $43-million contract to run a $912-million student service program, followed by scrutiny over the Trudeau family’s close ties to the organization. The federal ethics commissioner cleared Trudeau of a conflict of interest in 2021, but the advocacy group Democracy Watch challenged that decision. They lost at the Federal Court of Appeal, but Canada’s top court agreed to hear the case. What’s next? The court is expected to issue a written decision, and if the challenge succeeds, it could reshape how Canadians hold elected officials to account. 

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!

Share Your Feed-back!
Fill out this survey to tell us what you think of The Feed.