Good morning – I’m subbing in for Sierra today. Mark Carney popped up on YouTube to reassure Canadians who are frustrated that he hasn’t cut a trade deal with Donald Trump. More on that below, along with Iran’s meme wars and Doug Ford’s private-jet U-turn. Let’s get to it.
Mark Carney posted an address to the country on YouTube yesterday.Supplied
Top story
Carney tries to manage expectations
The latest: Mark Carney once again reminded Canadians that our close ties to the United States have become “weaknesses” that need to be corrected. In a 10-minute, FDR-style fireside chat posted on YouTube yesterday, the Prime Minister promised to “strike new partnerships abroad, so we can sell into new markets” while the video cycled through photos of Carney’s many international trips meeting world leaders.
The context: Carney seemed to be asking for patience as Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten the jobs of Canadian auto, lumber and steelworkers. The pre-recorded video came two days after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slammed Carney for striking a trade deal with China and said the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement could be allowed to lapse this summer.
What’s next: As Ottawa expands its pitch to attract more foreign investment to Canada, Carney’s office announced that it would invite more than 100 of the world’s largest investors to a summit in Toronto in September.
What else: “Nostalgia is not a strategy,” Carney said in his address, taking aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s desire to maintain a stable relationship with Washington. Meanwhile, a new poll found that 57 per cent of recent Conservative voters want to maintain a stable relationship with Poilievre, believing he should lead the party into the next election.
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One of the AI-generated animations created by a pro-Iran studio.Sam Mcneil/The Associated Press
World
Iran is out-trolling Trump
The latest: Iranian content creators – funded by the government and fluent in American internet culture – are churning out AI-generated videos that mock U.S. President Donald Trump. Often set to a hip-hop diss track, they usually feature a Lego-style Trump looking weak or ridiculous, along with nods to the Epstein files or soaring oil prices. The White House’s own memes haven’t managed to keep up.
What’s next: Trump said peace talks with Iran would continue in Pakistan this week, although Tehran rejected the meetings and vowed to retaliate after the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The tenuous ceasefire between the two countries is set to expire on Wednesday.
What’s next at the pump: A tax break from Ottawa on diesel fuel won’t make up for the sharp rise in prices driven by the war.
Shoulders back, little shrimp!Illustration by Heidi Berton
How We Live
Tech-neck support
The latest: Let’s all do a quick posture check. Are you hunched over your screen right now? (Guilty.) Is there a stubborn pain in your neck or along your spine? (Both, because I’m writing this on the couch.) Good news for those of us who’ve made poor ergonomic choices: It is possible to get your posture back on track.
What’s next: Start by doing these three simple moves for better body alignment – one of which, conveniently enough, is called “the couch stretch.”
Politics
Doug Ford ditches the “gravy plane”
The latest: Just days after the Ontario government confirmed it had bought a private plane for the Premier, Doug Ford announced he planned to sell the $28.9-million jet. The purchase set off a wave of criticism across the political spectrum, and yesterday, Ford said he understood “that now is not the right time for the expense of a government plane.”
What’s next: Ford pledged to work with Quebec company Bombardier – which made the 12-seat jet – to find a buyer as quickly as possible. He’ll have to find another way to get to Ottawa, where he’s meeting today with other premiers for a business summit.
Justice
Kenneth Law will plead guilty
The latest: Ontario prosecutors agreed to settle the case against Kenneth Law, whom police allege sold toxic salts through his online business to people looking for a way to kill themselves. Law will soon plead guilty to 14 counts of aiding suicide, after the Crown dropped the greater charges of first-degree murder in the death of 14 Canadians.
What’s next: The murder charges collapsed largely because of court rulings in a separate case, which drew a distinct line between murder and assisting suicide. The Crown is still expected to secure a strict sentence in the plea deal.
Bookmarked
- At home: The B.C. government will likely table legislation today to suspend key parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
- Abroad: A gunman killed eight children at two different homes in Louisiana yesterday in the deadliest U.S. mass shooting in more than two years.
- Classified: Outside legal experts will help decide what sensitive intelligence should be held secret from the trial over the slaying of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
- Declassified: A post-Cold War operation kept enriched uranium out of Iran’s hands decades ago.
- Finances: Dwindling jet-fuel supplies could upend summer travel, but don’t rush to cancel your trip just yet.
- Conversation starter: One simple question can help reduce homelessness among young people.
The Quote
We are at the nuclear-blast stage of AI.
— Peter W. Klein, journalist, professor and documentary filmmaker
There’s already a rapidly growing body of evidence about the risks of autonomous AI – and just like atomic weapons or the pesticide DDT, its destruction can spread even further than people anticipate. Peter W. Klein wonders if we’re approaching the Silent Spring of artificial intelligence.
The Shot
Susie Pearce helps Kayla Tikivik train for the Arctic Games while Naja Pearce looks on.Dustin Patar/The Globe and Mail
From an informal club in Iqaluit to the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, Inuit sports are helping athletes connect to both their culture and fellow competitors across the North.