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? 

The race is on. Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation on January 6, we now know more about the leadership race that will choose his successor as Liberal leader — and Canada’s next PM. Like what? The race will end March 9, the Liberal Party's national council decided, and the party is setting the entry fee for potential candidates at $350,000 (up from a $75,000 fee for the previous leadership race). Voting will be limited to Canadian citizens and permanent residents (a tightening of the rules), and people 14 years of age or older can vote. Candidates have until January 23 to declare their intention to run and pay the entry fee. Here’s what we know so far about who’s in the race to replace PM Trudeau, who’s considering, and who’s out! 

The Liberal leadership race comes at a rather tricky time, as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump re-takes the Oval Office next week. Trump is not backing down from his promise to impose punishing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian products, and he’s also made repeated comments about annexing Canada. (Listen to this pod to unpack what’s going on when Trump talks about making Canada the 51st American state.) As for the tariffs, PM Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond with counter-tariffs against the U.S. if Trump follows through. Steel, plastics and even Florida orange juice are all on Canada’s list of potential retaliatory tariffs. And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence, as the guest of Canadian celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary. She is cautioning Ottawa against blocking energy exports to the U.S. in response to Trump’s threats, but not everyone agrees. 

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NEWS NUGGETS

Uphill Battle: The Liberals are picking a new leader, continuing to run the gov as Trump takes office, and also trying to repair their reputation with voters. Whew! Listen to this pod for more on some recent post-Trudeau resignation polling by Abacus Data, while this pod’s got you covered on the existential questions the party is grappling with as they try to rebuild.

Quit Playing Games: Rewind to last October, when we told you about why the Assembly of First Nations voted to reject a $47.8-billion deal with the federal gov that would have funded long-term reforms to child welfare for First Nations children on reserve. Now First Nations leaders are urging Canada to reconsider its decision not to renew national negotiations after the rejection. 

On the Brink: A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is on the brink of being sealed, says U.S. President Joe Biden, meaning the war could pause after more than 14 months of violence. The war has devastated Gaza, and a new study says the death toll in Gaza has been significantly underreported. 

WHAT ELSE WE'RE NIBBLING ON

A newish task force — set up in 2019 to protect Canada’s electoral process from foreign interference — will monitor the Liberal party’s leadership race for foreign interference. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, aka SITE, includes representatives from CSIS, the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada and the Communications Security Establishment.  Meanwhile, another concern for the leadership race and Canada’s next federal election rests with social media giant Meta — who recently announced it’s ending its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram in the United States. Find out here what that decision could mean for voters in Canada, and find out here why the move has perplexed those who study the spread of misinformation. 

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!

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