David Akin's Roundup: Plane pick. Split Alberta. Bathroom news.
THU MAY 28
Canada
Canada looks to buy Sweden’s early warning planes instead of US jets
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is considering purchasing Arctic surveillance planes from Swedish manufacturer Saab instead of American-made jets. Mackenzie Gray explains how it’s part of Carney’s promise to rely less on the U.S., what the aircraft are capable of and how many Canadian jobs the deal could create. | Global National
Guilbeault resignation marks adjustment in Carney government’s policies
Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault will leave politics this summer after being an MP for nearly seven years. Guilbeault led many of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s climate policies that angered many in Western Canada, but he remained popular in Quebec and among climate activists. “After seven years, almost seven years in this wonderful, amazing, challenging place, it’s time for me to move on.” Guilbeault said. David Akin explains what Guilbeault’s departure means for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s razor thin majority government – and how it signals a further shift in the Liberals’ environmental policy compared to those of Trudeau. | Global National
Germany, Canada sign LNG deal as Europe pursues energy security
Canada has agreed to sell one million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) per year from a proposed export terminal in northern British Columbia to Germany. “This contract represents the first agreement that we see long-term low-carbon LNG from Canada being shipped to our allies in Europe.” Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said. However two B.C. First Nations are challenging the project in court, and environmentalists argue the government’s claims of low-emissions LNG are just lip service. Jillian Piper explains how the deal highlights both countries’ desire to diversify and why the plan has several hurdles ahead. | Global National
Lawful access bill not ‘optional’ but will see privacy amendments: minister
Gary Anandasangaree defended Bill C-22 as necessary for investigators as the legislation faces growing privacy concerns and pushback from major internet service providers and tech companies, including Apple and Google, who have called for amendments to clarify and reign in what they called “boundless” powers. | Globalnews.ca
Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Canada a ‘positive sign’: trade minister
Wang Yi arrives in Canada on Thursday for a three-day visit that will include meetings with both Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Prime Minister Mark Carney. The last time a Chinese foreign minister visited Canada was in 2016. | CP via Yahoo
Three in Conservative candidacy race for Yorkton-Melville riding
Three people have put their name forward to be the next Conservative candidate in the Yorkton-Melville riding after Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall announced she won’t be running again in the next federal election. Yorkton town councillor and school principal Quinn Haider has announced his bid for the candidacy, as has Albert Duff and Nelson Pohl. This CPC nomination race is almost certainly the race to pick the actual MP who will replace Cathay Wagntall. The last time a non-Conservative won this part of Saskatchewan was 1988 when New Democrat Lorne Nystrom won. A Liberal has not won the riding that includes Melville since Louis St Laurent was the leader in 1957. In the 2025 general election, 77 per cent of voters here picked Wagantall. | World Spectator - Moosomin
Youth Employment in Canada
The 10th Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. | House of Commons
“An Extraordinary Opportunity for Canada”: The Development of Critical Minerals
The 3rd Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources. | House of Commons
The Provinces
A separatist and a former premier agree: Smith’s party will split
“If we go into this spiral of massive division and uncertainty, the only political winner would be the Liberal Party of Canada,” [Jason] Kenney told the crowd. He said he believes public opinion polls show the federal Liberals riding high in Alberta, an anomaly in the province, partly out of fear Kenney says has been stoked by the “secessionist movement,” coupled with the “rally around the flag effect” that helped elect Carney in the first place, in light of threats coming from U.S. President Donald Trump. | National Post
Ontario’s solicitor general defends new powers to direct police boards
Michael Kerzner said the new powers in the province’s recent omnibus legislation will be used to align local police priorities with what the province wants to focus on. “If we’re concerned about getting drugs out of our communities and out of parks, if we’re concerned to get illegal guns out of our communities, we want to have a way to communicate that to the boards so the alignment of their local priorities are reflected in seeing what is important to the government,” he said. | TorStar (🎁 link)
‘The north is always neglected’: Manitobans frustrated by yearly road washouts
“We know that there is a problem — there is an issue — but address it so it doesn’t continually happen,” O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shirley Ducharme said, calling on the province to address the annual issue. “Do the proper work that needs to be done because it’s evident that this happens every spring,” The spring thaw, which resulted in flooding for several Manitoba communities earlier in the season, has been problematic on the highways in her area, namely Highways 391 and 493, she said. | Globalnews.ca
110 years later, female politicians in Saskatchewan will get a designated washroom
Male politicians have had their own bathroom since the legislature opened in 1912. The men’s room is a spacious area, featuring larger stalls with marble dividers and oak doors. There’s also five sinks and a dresser. Meanwhile, female members have been using the smaller, austere public washrooms. | Globalnews.ca
Elsewhere
Trump won big with the White working-class. Now they’re souring on him.
White voters without college degrees like Dombrowski, who have powered Trump’s victories since 2016, are growing frustrated with his second term. In a striking shift, the group that voted to reelect Trump by a huge margin is now net-negative on how Trump is handling his job in several polls. They join other Americans across demographic lines souring on the president’s second term, especially his handling of the economy. The swing is stark: 54 percent of White voters without a college degree disapproved of Trump’s performance in a CBS News poll this month, up from 32 percent in February 2025 and 45 percent in February of this year. It’s a sobering sign for Republicans heading into the midterms and working to turn out the voters who carried Trump to victory in 2024. | WaPo (🎁 link)
Media
Fear, Anger, and Mistrust: How Right-wing Alternative Media Influences Political Trust and Emotions about Politics
This study investigates the role of anger and anxiety in the nexus between right-wing alternative media use and political trust. Results suggest that right-wing alternative media use increased political anger over time. Further, anger reduced political trust over time. For anxiety, the picture is more nuanced: Political anxiety was not affected by right-wing alternative media use. Neither anger nor anxiety increased right-wing alternative media use over time. Implications are discussed. | The International Journal of Press/Politics
Science and Technology
No Pathways, no pipeline: How Alberta’s massive carbon storage project would work, if built
The project has been in the works for around four years, but the companies proposing it, the province and federal government have yet to figure out how they’ll share the costs and the risks. The Alberta-Ottawa agreement set an April 1 deadline to reach a three-way deal, but the matter remains unresolved. The Pathways project is being proposed by the Oil Sands Alliance (formerly the Pathways Alliance), which is made up of five major oilsands players: Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., Suncor Energy Inc. and ConocoPhillips Canada. | Globalnews.ca
Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres
The 4th Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on
Agriculture and Agri-Food. | House of Commons
The Calendar
0815 ET : 425 Wellington - Canadian Heritage (CHPC) | Meeting 39 | State of Creative and Performance Spaces Across Canada
0815 ET : 025B West Block - Finance (FINA) | Meeting 41 | 2026 Budget consultations
0815 ET : 420 Wellington - Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 38 | Jobs and Families Min Patty Hajdu testifies on FY27 Main Estimates
0815 ET : 415 Wellington - Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAN) | Meeting 34 | S-2
1000 ET : New York City - PM Carney meets with business leaders.
1100 ET : 420 Wellington - Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) | Meeting 37 | Business Risk Management Programs in Canada’s Agriculture Sector
1100 ET : 225-A West Block - International Trade (CIIT) | Meeting 39 | Canada and the Forthcoming CUSMA Review / International Trade-related Activities of Certain Federal Entities
1100 ET : 415 Wellington - Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) | Meeting 40 | Environment Min Julie Dabrusin testifies on FY27 Main Estimates
1100 ET : 425 Wellington - Industry and Technology (INDU) | Meeting 40 | Opportunities, Risks, and Regulation of AI in Canada’s Strategic Industries / Economic and Supply Chain Impacts of U.S. Tariffs on Canada’s Metallurgical and Advanced Manufacturing Sectors
1100 ET : 410 Wellington - Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) | Meeting 42 | FY27 Main Estimates / Comprehensive Expenditure Review
1100 ET : 035-B West Block - Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) | Meeting 35 | C-25
1100 ET : 125-B West Block - Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting 38 | Briefing: Chief Statistician of Canada
1200 ET : New York City - PM Carney speaks to the Economic Club of New York.
1215 ET : NPT - Emergency Preparedness Min Eleanor Olszewski , Environment Min Julie Dabrusin, Indigenous Services Min Mandy Gull-Masty, and LPC MP Corey Hogan speak about the 2026 wildfire season.
1530 ET : 035-B West Block - Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting 43 | Committee Business
1530 ET : 225-A West Block - Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) | Meeting 36 | C-219
1530 ET : 420 Wellington - Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting 40 | Role and Capacity of Women’s Shelters and Transitional Housing to Support Women and Girls in Canada
1530 ET : 410 Wellington - Official Languages (LANG) | Meeting 36 | Draft Regulations on the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses
1530 ET : 125-B West Block - Natural Resources (RNNR) | Meeting 39 | Canada’s Electrification, Energy Self-Sufficiency and Domestic Energy Security
1530 ET : 415 Wellington - Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 39 | Public Safety Min Gary Anandasangaree testifies on FY27 Main Estimates
2000 ET : New York City - PM Carney departs for Ottawa
2110 ET : Ottawa - PM Carney arrives at Macdonald-Laurier International Airport
Issued this day …
… in 1984. Sc 1013. Canadian Red Cross. Design: William H. Tibbles.
How does "Canada" sell natural gas to Germany ? Am I wrong in thinking that the Government of Canada does not own the company that is bringing the Natural Gas out of the ground or the pipeline or the LNG plant ? Further do not Provincial Governments grant the rights to develop a gas field ?