Budget signals strong economic focus, but falls short in details like regulatory burden or clarity on defence spending, say experts, economists
‘There’s an urgency that if we don’t go big, then we’re going to fall short,’ says Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada.
‘Empty hands’ at COP30 and LNG ‘nation-building’ project pick signifies climate backsliding, say advocates
Prime Minister Mark Carney won’t attend the UN’s climate change convention in Brazil, and announced an LNG project as part of his next tranche of projects being referred to the Major Projects Office.
Liberals’ ‘quiet confidence’ the best move as budget ‘dominoes’ fall with the Conservative caucus count, say politicos
‘If you’re the Liberals, you let this play out,’ and don’t get in the way of any opposition mistakes that may ultimately ease the passage of the budget, says Summa Strategies’ Tim Powers.
MPs to vote on $10.8-billion spending boost in new estimates
The Canadian Dental Care Plan will receive the largest portion of the funds at $1.6-billion, with Indigenous Services, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and National Defence each requesting over $1-billion.
Meeting feds’ ‘ambitious’ RCMP hiring pledge will require ‘imaginative’ ideas, says advisory board chair
The Liberals have pledged $1.7-billion to hire 1,000 RCMP personnel over the next four years as the force faces a vacancy rate of 7.7 per cent, representing more than 1,400 jobs outside of that hiring push.
Budget 2025 and the perfection of managerial politics
Mark Carney’s first budget displays the prime minister’s administrative instincts: control the narrative, project calm, and preserve credibility in bond markets.
Party supporters ‘tapped out’ as post-election donation dip deepens with Grits and Tories deadlocked at $4M range in third quarter
Liberal strategist Dan Arnold says ‘money follows enthusiasm’ as waning donations contradict all parties’ election-ready posturing.
Will the budget kill Carney’s honeymoon?
Watch for provincial governments to attack Carney for not doing enough in the budget. Mind you, none of this means Carney won’t survive the onslaught. It just means, after the budget, he can no longer be all things to all people. He’ll need to decide how to redefine himself.
The case for a Christmas election: bring it on
For many Canadians, if an election would rid the country of Pierre Poilievre’s snarky social media hits, his obsessive focus on enemies, his hypocrisy—lamenting the growing number of families using food banks, while living in a taxpayer-funded mansion with chef, driver and domestic help—they could hold the election on Dec. 25.
What lessons can be drawn from Doug Ford’s adventures in advertising?
Three questions flow from the mess: Was it helpful? Was it co-ordinated? How is it possible that Ford beat the Democrats to it?
