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May 19 2025

The Roundup: Candidate security. CAQ's friends. Romanian runoff.

MON MAY 19 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Candidate security. CAQ's friends. Romanian runoff.
Canada
Mark Carney meets Pope Leo XIV after inaugural mass at the Vatican
Carney was seated in the second row with his wife Diana for the mass, in a section amongst other world leaders and heads of state. The prime minister, who is a devout Catholic, was one of the few world leaders to kneel during the blessing of the Eucharist, and was spotted at two instances taking a picture of the Pope on his phone to mark the occasion — before the mass started and after it had concluded. [Global]
Speaking to reporters in Rome, Carney defended his decision not to present a budget this spring, saying there is little value in rushing the process. [Global]

This was the first federal election during which the federal government offered private security services to candidates. The program was geared toward politicians who believe their security is at risk during the campaign but where the level of threat does not meet the threshold for police protection. [National Post]
The Conservative Party’s national council is scheduled to meet in mid-June in Ottawa for its quarterly meeting, and will decide on the date and location of its next policy convention. Some senior Conservatives are advocating for moving the convention to Western Canada. At that meeting, the council will also receive a post-election debrief explaining how the party failed to secure victory, despite holding a massive lead in the polls and raising a record $35-million in 2024. [The Hill Times]

The spring real estate market is having a slower start than previous years due in part to concerns about the economy, including the trade war with the United States, experts say. [Global]

O'Rourke is set to enter the House of Commons at a seminal moment for her midwestern Ontario city — a report from the Conference Board of Canada said Guelph is the most vulnerable to the impact of US. tariffs. [iPolitics]
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The Provinces

Notre Bureau d’enquête révélait que le gouvernement de François Legault a réalisé près de 30 nominations partisanes depuis 2018. [TVA]
Aurora
Elsewhere
Pro-Western Bucharest Mayor Wins Romanian Presidential Runoff; Simion Concedes
Centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan has won the presidential runoff over ultranationalist candidate George Simion amid high turnout, a surprising outcome that will likely keep Romania on its pro-Western path. [Radio Free Europe]
“This was not an off-the-cuff decision by the president. The possibility had been discussed for months, but Trump barreled far beyond what was happening at the working level,” said a source familiar with the discussions. [CNN]
Media

We created Indicator because our digital information ecosystem is under attack. Scammers, state actors, disinformation peddlers, unscrupulous marketers, and purveyors of AI slop are all clogging our online spaces with lousy, harmful content. [Indicator]
Science and Technology
Research: Gen AI Makes People More Productive—and Less Motivated
Whether it’s drafting a performance review, brainstorming ideas, or crafting a marketing email, humans collaborating with gen AI achieve results that are both more efficient and often superior in quality. However, our research reveals a hidden trade-off: While gen AI collaboration boosts immediate task performance, it can undermine workers’ intrinsic motivation and increase feelings of boredom when they turn to tasks in which they don’t have this technological assistance. [Harvard Business Review]

Google is set to debut a new feature that The Information describes as "Pinterest-like" at its annual I/O developer conference next week. [Endgadget]
The Calendar
  • 0300 : Rome - PM Carney departs for Ottawa.
  • 1300 : Ottawa - PM Carney arrives at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Issued this day ...
… in 1987. Sc 953pa. Coil Stamps. Design: Rolf Harder.

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