What the Ronald Reagan ad that got Trump so angry was really all about
Okay, moving on….
The days and weeks before a federal budget are always interesting. There used to be a time when it was almost a crime to even hint at what might be in a budget. In the eighties, on the day before a budget, a cameraman caught a glimpse of a sentence in the budget papers lying on the finance minister’s desk during a photo op. There was such a commotion that charges were considered, and a few budget details were even changed before the document was released the next day.
Not today. Since the nineties, consecutive governments have tested out certain budget ideas by selective leaks. At other times, good budget news is leaked to try and get people on side, while the tough stuff is released for another reason. Leak that it’s going to be tougher than it really is, so when it does come out, it somehow doesn’t seem quite so bad.
Mark Carney seems to have a different approach – lay out the basics early with promises of what’s to come.
That’s what we got this week with talk of the need for sacrifices, the push for new, massive non-US export trade, and some bold risk-taking.
Lisa van Dusen talked budget in her piece in Policy magazine shortly after the Carney speech:
When is a Budget More Than Just a Budget?
Could a risk-taking budget lead to an election?
With a minority government, anything is possible, but who wants an election? Susan Delacourt at the Toronto Star had some thoughts on that:
🔒 Opinion | Mark Carney promises a generational budget even though his government’s lifespan could now be measured in weeks
While Mark Carney seems more on the offense, it’s the reverse for Pierre Poilievre.
While trying to be on the attack, he seemed to spend more time in front of microphones trying to explain his comments (which he said he didn’t make).
All this has led to a strange situation. While his most ardent supporters say the media is being unfair or even biased, some of the toughest talk about Poilievre is coming on the record, from conservative strategists, past and present. They are openly challenging Poilievre’s approach to going after the Carney government.
Two pieces on this on The Buzz… the first from former Harper communications guy, Andrew MacDougall:
🔒 Opinion | I worked in a Conservative PMO and I worry Poilievre is chasing the wrong audience
And well-known Ottawa Conservative strategist, Tim Powers, clearly didn’t want to be left out on this.
Here’s what he wrote:
🔒 A message to Conservatives: it’s time to cut the cord with Trudeau
Now, a helicopter view, if you will, on Poilievre’s current struggles, from someone with no ties to the party – The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Urback:
🔒 Is Pierre Poilievre okay?
Lots more on all this, and the latest on the trade talks, from our two Bridge podcasts this week.
The YouTube version of Friday’s Good Talk with Chantal Hebert and Bruce Anderson can be found right here.
And the audio version of Tuesday’s Reporter’s Notebook with Althia Raj and Rob Russo is available here.
Bruce was a busy guy this week doing research on the Royal Family, and who Canadians like and who they’re not so fond of.
His latest polling data has some interesting results. And Charles, if you’re a Buzz subscriber, you may want to skip to the next piece:
Royal Family among Canadians? Affection is much stronger for the next King and Queen, than those we have today.
Remember the U.S. air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facility a few months ago?
That was just one of the things that one can argue led to the apparent peace deal this month in the Middle East.
What we still don’t know is what was the real damage levelled on the Iranian complex. Donald Trump says American bombs obliterated the facility; Iran’s Supreme Leader says Trump is dreaming. Neither side is offering evidence. Agence France Presse this week had its say:
Khamenei Tells Trump To 'Keep Dreaming' Over Claims Of Destroying Iran Nuclear Sites
Here’s some bad news about jobs.
Half a million people who have jobs at Amazon could soon be replaced by robots. Now you may not think much about jobs at Amazon, but those who work there consider themselves lucky to have a job, and this news is not what they want to hear. Check this out in the New York Times:
Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots
Here’s another one of our AI updates.
This isn’t good news either. Literally. This media study, reported on Barrons, shows that when AI reports the news, it gets a lot of information wrong:
AI Not A Reliable Source Of News, EU Media Study Says
When you go to a restaurant, do you specify tap water or speciality water?
Well, if you are planning to go to certain fine dining restaurants, you might want to give that some serious thought. The Wall Street Journal explains why:
🔒 Restaurants Are Pitching Water as a Fine-Dining Experience
This has got to be my favourite story of the week.
How to turn a robbery into a marketing opportunity. I love it:
🔒 Plotting a Heist? This German Company Wants to Give You a Lift.
Have you checked the price of orange juice lately?
Of course, a lot of things have skyrocketed in the last year, but OJ is certainly one of them.
I’m in Scotland again this week, and the orange juice issue is one the BBC decided to do a deep dive on. (Keep in mind a British pound is worth just under two dollars Canadian). Here’s what they found:
