I’ve been lucky enough to hit both coasts in the last month, dipping toes in both the Atlantic and Pacific. So far this year, I have not made my almost annual trip to our third ocean, the Arctic, but it’s only August! This weekend is just another reminder of how exciting and diverse our country is. No wonder so many others (well, some, anyway) wish we were theirs.
We’ll talk about him later, but let’s start with another “him”.
It was a mixed week of news for Pierre Poilievre.
On the plus side, he’s heading back to the House of Commons after an easy win in the Alberta riding he parachuted into after losing his long-held Ontario seat in the April election. It was always a slam dunk that he’d win in Battle River-Crowfoot, but it’s just one step in his political recovery. He still has to get through his party’s leadership review slated for January, and there are indications that that may not be easy.
So, let’s track his week with some smart reading, starting with the always sharp Aaron Wherry from the CBC:
Pierre Poilievre's (brief) exile is over. Now what?
Over at CTV, the analysts were giving their thoughts on what Poilievre is likely to encounter on his return to Ottawa.
Stephanie Ha and Spencer Van Dyk had this assessment:
Poilievre will have to ‘soften the edges’, act prime ministerial as he returns to Ottawa: experts
Poilievre is already trying out some new themes that he hopes will give Canadians some sense of how he’s going to offer different policies than the Carney Liberals.
One of them is already not pleasing everyone, especially Christopher Holcroft, writing for The Tyee:
Poilievre’s New Gaslighting Campaign
Pollster Angus Reid was crunching numbers too on what Poilievre can expect from Canadians in general as he tries to make his case for the future:
Poilievre’s Prospects: CPC voters back him; those who could’ve put him over the top are far less supportive
Enough about Pierre Poilievre. It’s been a busy past week at the White House, as the U.S. President is focused on trying to bring peace to the world.
That’s certainly an honourable goal, and anyone would wish him luck. But it’s Donald Trump, so you are often left wondering: what is he really trying to accomplish?
Remember when, during the election campaign, he said he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours? Well, he didn’t. But really, did anyone think he could? In 24 hours? Of course not. There have been a couple of hundred “24-hour” periods since then, and still no end to the war. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from claiming all sorts of things in his not-so-subtle bid for a Nobel Peace Prize, like his remark that he's ended six other wars. So, is that true? The Guardian is not a fan of Trump, but they did try to at least wrap their assessment of his claim with some context. Here it is:
Trump claims to have ended six wars – is that true?
Okay, here’s something different.
An argument for Canada not to make a new deal with the U.S. on trade. In fact, these two analysts, who know their trade policy, think it may be better for Canada not to do a deal. They wrote this for the latest Policy Options:
Why no trade deal with Trump might be good for Canada
Time for some thoughts on the Air Canada strike.
Like many of you, I had relatives trapped by the labour dispute. My daughter and grandson were trying to get from Toronto to Winnipeg when their flight was cancelled. So, they grabbed a Porter flight that was supposed to get to Winnipeg with a stop in Ottawa. They got to Ottawa but no further, and the best Porter could do was fly them back to Toronto (after they spent a night in an Ottawa hotel at their own expense). They were considering a flight to Thunder Bay and driving eight hours to Winnipeg when Air Canada settled, and they got the first flight back to the ‘Peg. There must be a thousand stories like that across the country, stories that were maddening in the moment, but will probably be worth a few laughs when they’re told months or years from now.
But what was the lesson of the strike? Catherine Ford has never been shy about opinion, and she had one on this in The Calgary Herald:
Ford: 'Women's work' is never done and rarely appreciated
Perth, Ontario, is a sleepy little city in the middle of the Rideau Lakes area of the province.
The people in Perth are proud of their town, and some of them think they just may have come up with the answer to Canada’s housing crisis. The Toronto Star went to find out what’s working for Perth:
🔒 I’m part of one of the first housing developments to break ground using a new federal program. Here’s what it really takes to succeed at getting homes built
Surprise. Guess who’s leading the polls in Quebec these days?
If you said the “I thought they were dead” Parti Québécois, then you win an order of poutine. But polls, as we saw this year, can be so misleading. Cue The Gazette:
The Parti Québécois would win an election if it were held today, new poll says
Here is a story where the outcome is, at this moment, unknown.
On the one hand, it is chilling and scary, while at the same time, it’s a comforting tale of community. Tanya Talaga is the storyteller for The Globe and Mai
🔒 In their search for a missing Norwegian hiker, First Nations have shown the meaning of community
How often have you heard that reading stuff on your cell phone at night before you nod off will cost you sleep?
Something to do with “blue light”. Not true, apparently. Stay awake for this:
🔒 Why Do Screens Keep You Up? It May Not Be the Blue Light.
Buckingham Palace. We all know it.
Many of us have been there, if only to have driven past it while visiting London.
I was reporting outside the palace the day Charles and Diana were married. I was in almost the exact same spot the day they moved Diana’s casket along the same path nearly two decades later. And I’ve been there many, many times in the years before and after.
However, there’s a big question these days for those who have a special affection for the palace. Could Charles be the last monarch to call it home? Maybe. Check this out:
🔒 Prince William's New Home Sows Doubt Over Buckingham Palace's Future
