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Jun 25 2025

The Roundup: Defence spending. Unhappy Plett. Universe snaps.

WED JUN 25 2025
David Akin's Roundup
Defence spending. Unhappy Plett. Universe snaps.
Canada
Canada needs to spend $150B per year to meet new NATO target: Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada needs to commit $150 billion per year on defence to meet NATO's new spending target. NATO members are expected to vote to increase the alliance’s spending benchmark from two per cent of each country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to five per cent. Mackenzie Gray looks at how that money will be allocated, why Canadian officials are confident they're already partially meeting the commitment — and how U.S. President Donald Trump is casting a shadow over the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands. [Global National]
Since losing the April 28 election, top Conservative Party officials have been under intense criticism for failing to unseat the Liberals and about how recent candidate nominations were handled. For months, disqualified nomination hopefuls have been going public with allegations of favouritism, claiming senior officials either blocked them from entering the contests, or denied access to application portals. Some say they were encouraged to raise substantial amounts of funds with the impression it would help improve their chances—only to be turned down. Others claimed of having submitted complete applications and waiting for months, and then being told their papers were “incomplete.” In a number of ridings, the party failed to give the required two-week notice before closing nominations. In certain cases, candidates discovered they had been bypassed only after the party appointed someone else—sometimes individuals who had recently been Liberal supporters and donors. [Hill Times]

The Liberal government will table a bill this fall introducing stricter bail conditions and sentencing for some crimes, particularly those involving organized crime, human trafficking, home invasion and car theft, Justice Minister Sean Fraser said in an interview. "It's perhaps obvious, given the tenor around the criminal justice system, that reforms are in order," Fraser said. [CP]

The Canadian Meat Council says the bill could lead the federal government to recognize provincial rules for inspecting meat processing facilities as equal to federal standards. [Global]

Prime Minister Mark Carney expects high-ranking public servants to speedily carry out his ambitious nation-building agenda and is prepared to discipline anyone unable to meet his expectations, government and Liberal insiders say. To meet his stated goal of achieving “the largest transformation” in the Canadian economy since the Second World War, the sources say, Mr. Carney is also ready to recruit more outsiders like former Hydro-Québec chief executive Michael Sabia. [Globe and Mail]
Pierre Poilievre at Wainwright Stampede parade 2025
By-election has not yet been called for Battle River-Crowfoot but the Conservative candidate is there and has been busy meeting potential constituents. -DA
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The Provinces

The video says immigration is to blame for high housing costs and unemployment rates, adding that "many of the divisions and disputes that plague other countries have begun making their way into ours." [CP]
Aurora
Elsewhere
How Donald Trump Got NATO to Pay Up
The President’s threats to leave the alliance have spurred more defense spending, troop deployments, and other military preparations by European nations, particularly after Russia’s Ukraine invasion. Well-reported long read provides perfect context for today's NATO summit. [New Yorker]
As Nato leaders meet to agree big increases in targets for defence spending, some of them haven't yet met the existing ones.  [BBC]

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, under continued attack from President Trump, says the impact of tariffs on inflation should become clearer in the coming months. [NPR]
The Boikiy emitted a fake ID signal while sailing through the waterway alongside two sanctioned oil tankers. [BBC]
Media

As newsrooms continue to experiment with AI technologies, many are setting their sights on tools to help tackle declining news engagement and growing news avoidance, especially among younger audiences, while also cultivating loyalty among those who already rely on them. While personalisation is not new to the news industry, where many have implemented recommendation systems and tailored newsletters for some time recent developments in AI have drastically changed the kinds of personalisation that are potentially feasible at scale. [Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism]
The Lebanese-Australian journalist sued Australia's national broadcaster, saying she was unfairly fired. [BBC]
Science and Technology
World’s largest digital camera wows with 1st snaps of the universe
The first stunning images of the cosmos have been released from the largest digital camera ever built. 
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on in Chile’s Andes Mountains, unveiled images Monday of colourful nebulas, stars and galaxies that were shot during a trial run in April. The observatory hopes to track 20 billion galaxies, discovering new asteroids and other celestial objects. [Global]

Apple’s wired USB-C EarPods are on sale for an all-time low of $15.99. They’re identical to the Lightning model but work with Apple’s newer iPhones. [The Verge]
The Calendar
  • 0130 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney meets with New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon.
  • 0320 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney meets with Estonia PM Kristen Michal
  • 0400 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
  • 0710 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney meets with Greece PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
  • 0730 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney meets with Finland PM Alexander Stubb.
  • 0830 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney speaks to reporters.
  • 1030 : Quebec City - Public Works and Procurement Min Joel Lightbound and LPC MPs Jean-Yves Duclos and Steeve Lavoie make an infrastructure funding announcement. 
  • 1100 : Toronto - Energy and Natural Resources Min Tim Hodgson speaks to the Board of Trade.
  • 1100 : Millbrook FN, NS - Justice Min Sean Fraser speaks about Indigenous-led research
  • 1300 : Toronto - AI and FEDDEV Min Evan Solomon makes a funding announcement.
  • 1315 : The Hague, the Netherlands - PM Carney departs for Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • 1400 : Amsterdam, the Netherlands - PM Carney arrives at Amsterdam Schipol Airport.
  • 1420 : Amsterdam, the Netherlands - PM Carney departs for Ottawa.
  • 2150 : Ottawa - PM Carney arrives at Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Issued this day ...
in 1951. Sc 304. Prime Ministers: William Lyon Mackenzie King. Design: Herman Herbert Schwarz
No one has held the office of prime minister longer than WLMK (1874-1950). He was PM 1921 to 1926 then lost the job briefly to Arthur Meighen in the King-Byng Affair only to regain it in the election that followed in 1926. Then Bennett’s PCs beat King’s Liberals in 1930 — good fortune for the Libs who happily sat out the Great Depression only to return to power under King in 1935. King led the country through WWII before passing the baton to Louis St Laurent in 1948. Total time as PM: 21 years, 5 months and 16 days.

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