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Apr 15 2025

Alberta separatists. CPC gains. Ford v Poilievre.

Tue April 15 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Alberta separatists. CPC gains. Ford v Poilievre.
Canada
Growing number of Albertans want to separate from Canada
Top of Global National Monday

The federal Liberals' resurgence ahead of the 2025 election campaign has led to an increasing number of Albertans wanting to break up from Canada. Dawna Friesen speaks with a prominent separatist about why he thinks Alberta should gain independence. Plus, Dawna looks at how the movement is putting Premier Danielle Smith under increasing pressure.

Alberta's energy sector hoping for change
U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to tariff Alberta's oil exports has highlighted Canada's need to become more energy independent and rely less on the U.S. Heather Yourex-West looks at how the oil and gas industry is hoping for change from the winner of the 2025 federal election.

Carney promises to revamp defence procurement
Liberal Leader Mark Carney is promising to improve Canada's defence procurement process if his party wins the 2025 federal election. David Akin reports on Carney's strategy to make the Canadian military less reliant on the U.S., and how the Liberals have previously made similar promises.

Poilievre vows to use notwithstanding clause for mass murder sentences
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to go to extraordinary lengths to toughen prison sentences for mass murderers, by restoring consecutive life sentences. Touria Izri explains how this would involve Poilievre using the notwithstanding clause, and the reaction from both victims' families and critics. 
[Global National] 
Liberal lead softens as focus on Trump slips; gender divide widens, CPC make gains among men over 34
For the CPC, these data represent the first glimmer of hope in several weeks, as their support ticks up ever so slightly, while Liberal support remains statistically unchanged, though down a point to 45 per cent. [Angus Reid Institute]
Disclosure reports filed to the Office of the Conflict of Interest show that seven Conservative MPs, including deputy leader Melissa Lantsman and two former shadow ministers, disclosed owning stock in investment firm Brookfield Asset Management and related companies since 2024. [IJF]
Carney, who was born in Canada, acquired Irish citizenship decades ago through his family ancestry and got his U.K. passport in 2018 while working overseas as the governor of the Bank of England. Carney's wife is also British-born. "His other citizenships were renounced before Mr. Carney was sworn in as prime minister," the campaign spokesperson said. [CBC]
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From the provinces
New Brunswick will lose between 2,100 and 6,600 jobs over four years and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will drop by about $3.5 billion if the current slate of U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports stands, according to Premier Susan Holt. [T-J]

The provincial government issued a directive to redirect some expiring electricity export contracts with the United States to provide power to homegrown projects here in Canada.  [Global]
Ford: "Sometimes the truth hurts."
Click through to watch Ontario Premier Doug Ford on comments his own campaign manager Kory Teneycke has made about the Poilievre campaign. -DA
Kouvalis: "People in the CPC universe - most senior people - have worked tirelessly to damage Ford"
Cick thorugh to read the long X post from Nick Kouvalis, the polling partner of Kory Teneycke and pollster to PC Party campaigns. **-DA**

Narrative Research poll released Friday found that 66 per cent of Halifax residents said they would be “as welcoming” to American tourists this season and nine per cent said they’d be “more welcoming.” [Chronicle-Herald]
Aurora
Elsewhere
El Salvador president says he won’t be releasing man wrongly deported by US
The meeting came as El Salvador has been a critical linchpin of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation sweeping the country. [Global]

The administration's demands included auditing viewpoints of the student body to address antisemitism at the expense of federal funding.
Media
NY Times says WH press office refusing to respond to journos displaying pronouns
A New York Times report this week disclosed how the White House press office has refused to answer questions from reporters with pronouns displayed in their email signatures. [Fox News]
Science and Tech
Stella Vita: The fully solar-powered campervan that just toured Europe
Solar Team Eindhoven 2021, a group of students from the Netherlands, have designed and driven a two-person camper powered solely by sunlight. [CNN]

The cost to prompt high-end AI LLMs has plummeted from $20 per million tokens to $0.07 per million in just 18 months, according to Stanford’s 2025 AI Index Report. A panoramic view of the worldwide AI landscape, Stanford’s annual report also reports a serious need for more responsible AI guardrails and a tightening race between the US and China’s emerging AI tech. [Tom's Hardware]
The Calendar
  • 0900 ET: Montreal - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
  • 0900 ET: Saint Eustache, QC - LPC Leader Mark Carney makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
  • 0915 ET: Montreal - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
  • 1100 ET: Montreal - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
  • 1530 ET: Kitchener, ON -  Kitchener Centre incumbent and Green Party candidate Mike Morrice makes an announcement and speaks to reporters.
  • 1800 ET: Saint Adele - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet speaks to supporters.
Issued this day ...
… in 2024: Sc 3420 souvenir sheet of 2. Endangered frogs. Design: Jocelyne Saulnier, Joce Creative. Illustration: Emily S. Damstra.
The two stamps feature the Oregon spotted frog and Fowler’s toad. Both on Canada’s endangered species list, the frogs have experienced habitat loss from human activity, invasive organisms and pollution.
Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
In Canada, Fowler’s toads are found only on the north shore of Lake Erie (in Ontario), often on its sandy beaches and dunes. The primarily nocturnal animals are also found in much of the eastern United States.
Adults range in size from about 5 cm to over 8 cm in length and breed in shallow ponds, pools and marshes. They are grey to buff-coloured, with small dark spots and warts on the back, and have a white or cream-coloured belly.
Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa)
In Canada, Oregon spotted frogs live exclusively in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. In the United States, their California population has disappeared; however, they are still found in Oregon and parts of Washington state. 
The webbing on their hind feet extends to the tip of their toes, making them efficient swimmers. Unlike most other frogs, their eyes are angled upward, allowing them to be almost entirely submerged while seeing above the water. Adult Oregon spotted frogs are brown or reddish-brown, with light‑centred black spots on their heads, backs, sides and legs.

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