Victoria Mboko. What a story! And you know there’s a lesson for us all in what she achieved this week. Give me a moment.
I know how important the trade issue is, but here at The Buzz, I’m going to move it down the lineup for a bit. Lately, some columnists have been declaring Canada (that means Carney) has already lost the tariff fight against the U.S. (that means Trump). Isn’t it a little early to make that declaration? Sure, expectations were set high, and some believed we’d see results by Canada Day, and when that day passed and nothing, well, some people got antsy. But have we even reached halfway in this game yet? Sure, we may end up losing, but let’s allow the game to play out first, fully remembering that as long as the Trump-signed USMCA deal still exists, the vast majority of goods moving back and forth between the two countries do so tariff-free. When that renegotiation starts, the real game (I know, it’s not a game) begins.
So, to my opening thought, let’s not forget the lesson of the newly crowned Canadian tennis queen, Victoria Mboko. Beaten badly in the first set of her last two matches, written off by some at that point, she stormed back winning both the next two sets and eventually the title. It’s not over till it’s over. Thanks, Yogi.
Meanwhile, there is something else staring us in the face which is having a real effect on all of us, right now, even on those of us who still aren’t sure about what it is.
I’m talking AI, artificial intelligence. It’s so important that the government even created a new department with a new minister to oversee AI’s role in the Canada of the future. Hopefully, Evan Solomon has found a workspace by now, as one didn’t even exist for an AI bureaucracy before he was sworn in back in May.
AI is changing everything, including how we work, where we work and even IF we work. And just this week, a new wave of AI technology has begun hitting us. It’s called ChatGPT-5. You’ve almost certainly heard of ChatGPT, but as amazing as it is, it’s nothing compared with the 5th version. This is already blowing the minds of those who are knowledgeable about AI, so you might want to start taking this new development seriously. You can start with this piece by Don Lenihan in National Newswatch:
ChatGPT-5 Could Be AI’s “iPhone Moment”: Are You Ready?
Wab Kinew was in Washington this week, and I’m sure the Manitoba premier was impressed with the sights one sees when visiting.
It’s an eyeful, quite a city. Driving by the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, and the list goes on. One thing Kinew wasn’t impressed with was some of the dumb stuff being said by elected U.S. officials, like about the smoke coming from Canadian wildfires. And he wasn’t shy about telling them so. Canadian Press had the story:
Kinew accuses group of Republicans of pitching 'timber tantrum' over wildfire smoke
Not to be outdone in trash talking the American political elite, Ontario premier Doug Ford went right to the top with his criticism.
Here’s how Joshua Freeman of CTV News wrote it:
‘Probably the most disliked politician in the world:’ Doug Ford on how Canadians view Trump
Wab Kinew and Doug Ford are one thing, but Peter Baker is quite another.
Baker is one of the most experienced political journalists in Washington, and when he talks, people listen. And you will too if you read this piece of his in The New York Times about where the Orange Man has brought the U.S. this year:
🔒 Trump’s Efforts to Control Information Echo an Authoritarian Playbook
Some of us are old enough to remember the first TV weather person who made a name for himself in Canada.
Percy Saltzman, in the late fifties, used to toss his chalk in the air at the end of his forecast. Imagine, chalk to tell the weather on a blackboard! Percy used the best tools they had in those days to predict the weather, but those tools were pretty shaky. A lot of days he got it wrong, but he was Percy, and everyone loved him anyway. Present-day weather people are trained in the science and have access to the best predictors, but even they don’t always get it right. Loved this piece on the BBC this week from one presenter giving her side of the story:
Carol Kirkwood: Why weather forecasters (like me) often appear to get it wrong
Many of you know my Churchill, Manitoba roots so it’s no surprise to you that I’m a Churchill booster when it comes to possible nation building projects.
But what clout do I have? Not as much as the federal energy minister who it seems is an even bigger Churchill booster than I am:
🔒 Canada eyes Arctic Ocean port to ship gas, commodities to Europe?
Want to better understand the controversial world of COVID vaccines?
This was a great little Q and A in The New York Times this week that may answer some of your questions about vaccines, and the man who doubts them, RFK Jr.
🔒 Targeting a vaccine
Ever wondered what the gifts are that prime ministers get when they’re on the road visiting other countries, or when they’re visited here at home by other leaders?
Mark Carney has only been PM for a few months but he’s racking up quite the cupboard full. Thanks to Politico for this:
