Good morning. Mark Carney is travelling for the first time on business as Prime Minister. We’ll have more about what he has planned (and what he doesn’t), along with Serbia’s massive protests and trade war trickle down. Let’s get to it.
Prime Minister Mark Carney after his cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
TOP STORY
Carney arrives in Europe for his first foreign trip as PM
The latest: Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, Mark Carney used his first weekend on the job to establish himself on the world stage. He is now on a trip to Europe that observers view as an opportunity for the former bank governor to highlight political priorities, including reasserting Canada’s economic and geopolitical strengths, before triggering a federal election.
The itinerary: As of yesterday, Carney embarked on a whirlwind two-day trip that will see him meet with King Charles III and the leaders of France and England. He is also scheduled to visit the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral. Upon his arrival home, he will touch down in Iqaluit to meet Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and members of the Canadian Rangers who patrol the territories.
What’s next: Carney has no plan yet to visit the United States, but said he is seeking to “forge a good and solid relationship” with President Donald Trump and dismissed talk of Canada’s annexation as “crazy.”
Read more:
- Analysis: How Mark Carney’s choice of finance minister shows he wants to shake things up.
- Andrew Coyne: Canada’s unprecedented election will turn on one question: Who can be the best leader?
- Shannon Proudfoot: No hugs or sunny ways as Mark Carney sells the idea of a lean, mean trade-war machine.
- Campbell Clark: The office, an election and the world are rushing at Mark Carney like no rookie PM before.
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Thousands of protesters hold up their mobile phones to light up the night sky in memory of those who died in the Novi Sad roof disaster while marching into Belgrade on March 15, 2025.Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images
World
Serbian students stage a historic protest
The latest: In what’s believed to be the largest protest in Serbia’s history, demonstrators gathered in Belgrade this weekend to demand accountability for the death of 15 people after a train station roof collapsed last November. The anti-government rally is the culmination of student-led protests that have evolved into a nationwide movement against corruption, media control and political repression.
What’s next: Students are also calling for transparency on secret contracts related to the train station renovation, prosecution of those responsible for violent attacks against protesters, the release of people arrested during the protests, and more funding for universities. President Aleksandar Vucic and his government have denied using a sonic weapon to disperse protestors, which would be illegal. However, social media footage suggests otherwise.
Take off, eh?Illustration by Drew Shannon
How We Live
Staycations are having a moment
The latest: Step aside, Vegas bachelor party: Trade tensions and patriotic sentiment are making staycations more appealing. Travel agency Flight Centre reported a 40-per-cent decrease in Canadian bookings to the U.S. compared with last February, while Air Canada is cutting back on flights to popular spring-break destinations such as Florida and Arizona.
Where to next: Exploring Canada isn’t always cheap: Domestic flight fares remain expensive and accommodation costs can be high. But cross-Canada road trips and home swaps could make for a more budget-friendly way to travel this spring.
Retail
Hudson’s Bay Co. may be forced to close all its stores
The latest: The Globe first started reporting last weekend that Canada’s oldest retailer was working on a restructuring plan that could keep roughly half of the stores open, if it could secure financial assistance from its landlords. Hudson’s Bay announced late on Friday that “despite exhaustive efforts,” the company has been able to secure only limited financing. HBC is continuing to look for alternatives to avoid a grim end to 355 years of history.
What’s next: The company will begin liquidation sales as early as this week and gift cards will be valid only until April 6. According to an affidavit filed in court, the lenders have indicated that liquidation is necessary to ensure the company pays back both the debtor-in-possession financing and other secured creditors.
Inflation
Central banking in a trade war
The latest: Like many Canadians, the country’s top central banker is disoriented by Donald Trump’s economic assault on this country. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem is aware that the range of possible outcomes is vast. “We can’t let a tariff problem become an inflation problem,” he told The Globe shortly after last week’s rate cut.
What’s next: Tomorrow, Statistics Canada releases inflation data for February. But if Trump sticks to his protectionist guns, a recession in Canada in the coming quarters appears likely.
Bookmarked
- North Macedonia: A fire likely caused by pyrotechnics during a concert in the eastern town of Kocani has killed 59 people and injured 155.
- Yemen: The United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels both vow escalation after the U.S. launched airstrikes to deter the group from attacking international shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
- Extreme weather: Multiple tornadoes, wildfires and blinding dust storms are sweeping across the U.S., as unusually vicious weather leaves at least 39 dead.
- The killing of David Holden: A case of mistaken identity, a murder in Cairo, and a decades-long investigation into the death of a journalist.
- For your finances: A small group of Canadians inspired by a movement to work hard and retire early say they’re now dealing with regret and feeling lost.
The Quote
Boys with perms. They’re everywhere you look. They’re boys of different races and ethnicities, of different cliques, cultures and subcultures – ranging from preadolescent to college age – all sporting the same curly mop.
Read more from The Globe’s generations reporter, Ann Hui, on what happens when boy meets curl.
The Shot
Astronauts greet each other after the SpaceX capsule docked with the International Space Station on Sunday.The Associated Press
A SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station delivering the replacements for NASA’s stuck astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Later this week, the two will return home after an unexpectedly long mission that began last June.