TRENDING TODAY
LIBERALS MOVE FORWARD WITH NOMINATIONS AS ELECTION TALK RAMPS UP — The Liberal Party told caucus Wednesday it is moving ahead with candidate nominations across the country, a sign of election readiness even as the party insists no snap election is imminent. The Liberals currently hold 169 seats — three short of a majority — with three winnable by-elections on the horizon. Conservatives, meanwhile, have already begun nominating candidates in roughly 30 ridings they don't hold, and some MPs are reportedly eyeing campaign office leases.
POILIEVRE TO FLY TO UK, GERMANY ON FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP AS OPPOSITION LEADER — As Carney embarks on a 10-day Indo-Pacific trade mission, Poilievre will head to London on Sunday before travelling to Berlin, his first official overseas trip as Opposition leader. He is expected to give several speeches and meet with European officials, with details still to be released. The trip is funded by Conservative Party donations, not taxpayers — there is no public allowance for opposition leaders to travel internationally.
JENEROUX ON CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS: 'NO BAD WORDS TO SAY' — Freshly minted Liberal MP Matt Jeneroux emerged from his first Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday taking the high road on his former colleagues, saying many remain close friends who still text him. Conservatives were less gracious — Poilievre said Jeneroux "betrayed" his constituents, while MP Frank Caputo wrote that he would "live with his decisions, character and broken relationships." Jeneroux has been tapped by Carney as an unpaid special advisor on economic and security partnerships and will join the Indo-Pacific trade mission.
INSOLVENCIES HIT 16-YEAR HIGH AS FOOD BANK USE SURGES — Consumer insolvencies rose 2.3% in 2025 to 140,457 — the highest volume since 2009 — as households continue to feel the weight of years of high inflation and elevated borrowing costs. Meanwhile, Food Banks Canada recorded nearly 2.2 million visits in March 2025, the highest ever, with usage doubling since 2019. Nearly one in five food bank clients are now employed, up from one in eight in 2019.
MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR BUDGET DEFICIT ON TAP AS ALBERTA INTRODUCES ITS 2026 BUDGET — Alberta tabled its 2026 budget today with a deficit Premier Smith had pre-signalled would be "significant," blaming low oil prices and rapid population growth. The UCP ruled out tax hikes and deep cuts, committing record spending on education ($10.8B, up 7%) and physician pay ($7.7B, up 22%). NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called it evidence of a government that "can't balance the budget and can't invest in the things people want."
CARNEY FOLLOWS UP SPEECH IN DAVOS WITH TRIP TO INDIA, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN — Carney left Thursday for a 10-day Indo-Pacific trade mission, his first major international trip since his Davos speech. Stops include meetings with PMs Modi, Albanese, and Takaichi, and Carney will become the first Canadian PM to address both houses of Australia's Parliament in nearly 20 years. The trip is as much about diversifying away from U.S. trade as it is about putting the "middle powers" strategy into concrete diplomatic action.
FIGHTER JETS AND SUBS EXEMPT FROM NEW DEFENCE INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY, FEDS SAY — Canada's new "Build-Partner-Buy" defence industrial strategy will not apply to the two largest procurements currently underway — submarines (Hanwha vs. TKMS) and fighter jets (F-35 vs. Gripen) — because both competitions predated the strategy's February 17 release. The carve-out is significant: Sweden's Saab and Germany's TKMS have made explicit offers to manufacture in Canada, while their American competitors have not.
POLICY DIGEST
OTTAWA COMMITS $1.55B TO JORDAN'S PRINCIPLE — The federal government is pledging $1.55 billion in new funding to ensure First Nations children maintain access to public services over the next year. The announcement addresses longstanding uncertainty around the program's future, against a backdrop of a 140,000-application backlog and tribunal action over sharp cuts to Ontario education funding in early 2025. The money buys time while reform talks with First Nations leadership continue.
GUN 'BUYBACK' DELAYS CONTRIBUTED TO 'DIMINISHED' SUPPORT, MINISTER SAYS — Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree acknowledged that years of delays launching the federal firearms compensation program have eroded support and sown public confusion. Owners of the 2,500-plus banned models have until March 31 to declare intent and remain eligible for compensation; after that, they must still surrender or decommission by October 30 or face criminal liability.
THE FIGHT OVER DATA CENTRES IS JUST GETTING STARTED — The CCPA flags the data centre boom as a coming flashpoint for Canadian policy. Global investment topped US$250 billion in 2025 and could reach half a trillion by end of 2026, with the federal government and several provinces actively courting large-scale facilities. The institute warns Canada has done little thinking about how these centres will be powered or how they'll affect communities — and signals new research is coming.
GOVERNMENT WORKERS IN B.C. EARN HIGHER WAGES THAN THEIR PRIVATE-SECTOR COUNTERPARTS — A Fraser Institute study found BC government workers earn 4.4% higher wages on average than comparable private-sector employees, with non-wage advantages even more pronounced: 84% have a registered pension plan vs. 16% in the private sector, nearly all defined-benefit, and government workers retire 1.4 years earlier and are seven times less likely to lose their jobs. The institute frames it as directly relevant to BC's record projected $13.3 billion deficit for 2026/27.
ONTARIO FACES RISKS IN RELYING TOO MUCH ON GAS POWER — A new Pembina Institute report warns Ontario's Integrated Energy Plan takes on unnecessary risk by leaning heavily on natural gas (70% from the U.S., an energy security liability) and nuclear (historically late and over budget). Wind, solar, and battery storage are now the lowest-cost new generation options available, but the province's plan underweights them — partly because gas generators are subsidized for 75% of network upgrade costs. Continuing on this path risks higher bills and lost economic competitiveness.
CANADIANS WANT STABILITY — CO-OPS DELIVER IT — An Abacus Data survey of 5,012 adults finds Canadians' belief in the co-operative model has remained strong through years of pandemic, inflation, and housing crisis — and may be more resonant now than in the last comparable survey in 2019. Fully 86% agree the institutions they rely on feel less stable than they used to, and large majorities see co-ops as uniquely positioned to deliver stability through shared ownership and shared risk. Useful context for understanding why co-op housing and credit unions are getting more political traction.
OECD CRITICIZES OTTAWA OVER 'PERSISTENT DELAYS' IN APPOINTING NEW BUDGET OFFICER — The OECD ranked Canada's Parliamentary Budget Office first globally on its Fiscal Advocacy Index but flagged a pattern of "persistent delays" in filling the PBO role, warning unchecked interim appointments could be exploited for partisan ends. Interim PBO Jason Jacques's six-month term expires Monday with no successor named — leaving the office potentially unable to publish any fiscal analysis until a new appointment is made.