David Akin's Roundup: Extortion hunt. Halloween massacre. Provincial budgets.
TUE FEB 17
Canada
Canadian immigration officers investigating hundreds identified by extortion task force
Canadian immigration officials are investigating hundreds of foreign citizens identified by B.C.’s anti-extortion unit, according to new figures released to Global News. The Canada Border Services Agency said it had launched probes into 296 people who were “brought to our attention by B.C Extortion Task Force partner agencies as persons of interest.” The latest statistics, which are as of Feb. 4, represent a sharp increase from just a month ago, when the task force said that just over 100 CBSA investigations were underway.
Janice Charette to be Canada’s top trade negotiator during CUSMA review
Charette is a two-time clerk of the Privy Council and was high commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2021. She was also the top adviser on the transition team that ushered Carney into office. Her appointment comes at a critical juncture in Canada-U.S. trade relations, in the lead-up to a major review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement that is due to start by July. It also comes just a day after Mark Wiseman, a global investment banker and pension fund manager, took the reins as Canada’s next ambassador to Washington. | Globalnews.ca
Anti-feminist ideology ‘increasingly relevant’ to national security: CSIS
enior officials at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) say anti-feminist ideology is becoming “increasingly relevant” to Canada’s national security landscape and may lead to radicalization and violent extremism, but added that the ideology alone does not yet rise to the level of a security threat. The comments came during testimony last week to the House of Commons standing committee on the status of women, which is conducting a study on the anti-feminism movement that has sprung up in some online circles and advocates for regressive roles for women in society and relationships. In a rare move, the two witnesses were only identified by their first names and titles, which committee chair and Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu said was meant to “protect their identity.” | Globalnews.ca
At least 20 combatants from this country have been killed in action on the front lines of Ukraine
At least 20 combatants from this country have been killed in action on the front lines of the brutal war, says Jean-Francois Ratelle, a University of Ottawa adjunct professor who is tracking the foreign-fighter experience. His estimates point to a shockingly high, 15-per-cent death rate for those Canadians, even as their sacrifice receives scant attention here. During heavy fighting in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province in 2006, by contrast, the Department of National Defence estimated that 1.6 per cent of Canadian soldiers serving there lost their lives. | National Post
Carney set to announce defence industrial strategy today
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to publicly release today his new Buy Canadian plan for supplying the military and growing Canada’s domestic defence industry. The $6.6-billion plan promises to prioritize building military equipment at home, hike the share of defence contracts awarded to Canadian firms and add up to 125,000 new jobs over the next decade. The strategy aims to grow out small and medium-sized businesses and help more enter the defence sector. | TorStar
Inside the Halloween Massacre
Great behind-the-scenes story about how Finance Minister Mark Flaherty ended income trusts, one of the major financial stories of the Harper government’s first years in office. As told by the man who was Flaherty’s chief of staff at the time: David McLaughlin: Mark Carney, then our Associate Deputy Minister, was the point person to advise us on whether any unexplained market activity was occurring the day of the announcement. This had been the catalyst for the RCMP investigation. We were primed to avoid such a repeat. Joining Mark in his office just before market closing at 4 o’clock on October 31st, I closed his office door, and he and I privately watched the market tickers in real time. Hunched over his shoulder, peering at the computer screen, I asked for his verdict. All normal, was the conclusion. Relieved, I reached around Mark, picked up his phone and called Flaherty who was sitting in the government lobby of the House of Commons waiting for our word. | Governance Matters
The Provinces
Health, education, safety to be protected in B.C. budget: Bailey
British Columbia’s finance minister describes the government’s budget being unveiled today as disciplined, focused and serious. Brenda Bailey says the government will protect the core services of health and education, while there will also be money for public safety in response to numerous shootings connected to extortion threats.
Canada’s provinces contend with fresh shocks ahead of 2026 budget season
The outlook for Canada’s provinces is difficult to chart but some surprising resilience to U.S. trade pressures and historical revisions to economic data have most provinces on better footing heading into the 2026 budget season, argues a new analysis from Desjardins. British Columbia kicks off provincial budget season on Tuesday with Alberta on deck next week and other provinces expected to follow with their own fiscal updates in the coming months. The federal government shifted to a fall budget schedule last year, which it justified in part as a way to give provinces more clarity on Ottawa's spending plans in advance. | CP via Yahoo
Elsewhere
The Break Is Over. Companies Are Jacking Up Prices Again.
Companies had raised prices last year after tariffs hoisted costs. Yet starting in the fall, many firms held off on increases and sometimes offered discounts to capture holiday shoppers. The pricing break is over. Many companies typically raise prices at the start of the new year. Yet increases appeared to be stronger than normal for January for electronics, appliances and other durable goods, said UBS economist Alan Detmeister. Some companies have pointed a finger at tariffs for their increases, while others, especially small businesses, also blame higher wages and hefty health-insurance costs that firms said they can’t absorb or share with suppliers. | WSJ via MSN
Note to readers
Subscription updates
Many of you recently received a notice that your “free subscription” to this Roundup is ending and I am very pleased to say that many of you responded by upgrading with a paid subscription and some who did that upgraded with some kind comments about this Roundup. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
Now some of you may not wish to financially support the Roundup via Substack but would prefer to do so via an e-mailed Interac transfer or via my Patreon page. Click through on the button below for “Other ways to donate to The Roundup”
For those contributing $50 or more via e-transfer, your “free subscriber” status will be extended for a year. Those contributing monthly via Patreon will have their “free subscriber” status maintained monthly with their Patreon contribution.
A good portion of this Roundup will remain free but, in the coming days, parts will remain behind a paywall accessible only to those paid Substack, Patreon or e-transfer subscribers.
If you’ve got questions, please e-mail me and I’ll try to sort it out. Thanks for reading! - DA
Media
Anderson Cooper exits from ‘60 Minutes,’ staying with CNN
His decision comes at a time of turmoil at “60 Minutes.” Cooper appeared on the show Sunday night, introducing a brief piece on filmmaker Ken Burns. It’s not likely to be his last time on the show; he’s expected to finish the current broadcast season, which ends in May. “Being a correspondent at ‘60 Minutes’ has been one of the great honors of my career,” Cooper said in a statement. “I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors and camera crew in the business. For nearly 20 years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs and CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.” | AP
Science and Technology
Microsoft’s AI boss says AI can replace every white-collar job in 18 months
Microsoft AI chief executive Mustafa Suleyman said that artificial intelligence can replace most white-collar work in the 12 to 18 months. The Microsoft head said this during a YouTube interview with the Financial Times, where they talked about the company’s aims to achieve “humanist superintelligence.” During this conversation, the topic steered into artificial capable intelligence, which was the term that Suleyman coined for the phase in AI development between basic large language models (LLMs) and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). | Tom’s Hardware
The Calendar
1015 ET : Montreal - PM Carney makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
1100 ET : 135B West Block, - Representatives of The Montreal Institute for Global Security speak to reporters.
1130 ET : Windsor, ON - Jobs and Families Min Patty Hajdu and Secretary of State John Zerucelli announce support for workers.
1200 ET : Whitehorse - Crown-Indigenous Relations Min Rebecca Alty and LPC MP Brendan Hanley make a funding announcement
1300 ET : Calgary - PRAIRIESCan Min Eleanor Olszewski makes a funding announcement
Issued this day …
… in 2000. Sc 1829 pane of 4. The Millennium Collection — 12 — Great Thinkers.
Featuring, from top left, Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), philosopher design by Ian Drolet; Literary critic Northrop Frye (1912-1991) designed by Brian Tsang; historian Hilda Neatby (1904-1971) designed by Stacey Zabolotney; and novelist Roger Lemelin (1919-1992) designed by Pierre Fontaine.
Harper's Minister of Finance was Jim Flaherty.