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May 21 2025

The Roundup: Donald's dome. Quebec breakthrough. Drone factory.

WED MAY 21 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Donald's dome. Quebec breakthrough. Drone factory.
Canada
Canada in talks to join Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence plan: PMO
Trump said it 'automatically' makes sense to include Canada in the new defence system, but insisted that Canada will 'pay their fair share.' [Global]
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is leading three days of meetings with top finance officials from the world's largest economies, where tariffs are set to dominate. [Global]
Supply Management (SM) reduces farm-level productivity. ...  SM production restrictions make producers collectively worse off due to constraints on export opportunities, ... Several studies examine the welfare consequences of SM, attributing higher consumer dairy and poultry prices to SM regulations and identifying regressive distributional effects that derive from higher food prices  Despite these welfare, productivity and distributional effects, SM policies are supported by all federal political parties with seats in the Canadian House of Commons. [Canadian Journal of Economics]
Five urgent steps for Canada to de-fend its sovereignty and rebuild global influence in an era of authoritarianism and disruption. [Policy Options]
There’s no understating the importance of being the lone Alberta Liberal cabinet minister. Olszewski has to represent the interests of a province which has filed numerous court challenges against the federal government, and where the spectre of a separation referendum in 2026 has the country as a whole talking about national unity. Meanwhile, Canada is under threat from the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. [Edmonton Journal]
MPs and their travel
Taxpayers cover the cost of travel that MPs have to make back and forth between their ridings and Ottawa -- and there are provisions for MPs to travel with their families. Some taxpayer watchdogs have issues with this -- i.e. the traveling salesman who might be your neighbour doesn't get to make business trips with his family so why should ... and that's where I jump in to say:  Hold on: We open up opportunities for more people, women primarily but not exclusively, to become MPs when we try to provide this kind of assistance to keep families together. I hope MP Goodridge's travel 👆 -- she and her family are travelling from Fort Mac, Alberta -- went smoothly. -DA
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The Provinces
Quebec’s openness to pipelines ‘a massive breakthrough’: Danielle Smith
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith believes the conversation around pipelines is shifting, following recent comments by Quebec Premier François Legault sharing an openness to develop projects in his province. [CTV]

Quebec has had some of the highest gas prices in the country since Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer price on carbon in April. [Global]
Newfoundland and Labrador's newest premier says he's cutting a controversial tax that was meant to deter people from buying sweetened beverages — a move he says is motivated by public concerns about affordability. [CBC]
Aurora
Elsewhere
King and Queen visit Canada House in London to mark historic anniversary
Their Majesties explored a giant floor map of Canada created by Canadian Geographic Education in partnership with Parks Canada, one week before the King is set to open the new Parliamentary session in Ottawa. [Canadian Geographic] 
The right allows people to legally challenge their detentions by the government and is guaranteed in the Constitution. [NYT] (🎁 link)
Note to Readers
A reminder that the headlines and excerpts here are, for the most part, written by the publishers of the item to which I’ve linked. If I’ve written the headline and excerpt, I’ll take authorship by finishing the note with a bold - DA. If I’ve inserted my own comment in an excerpt written by the publisher, I’ll put that in italics. You can always find my disclosure statement and biography at www.davidakin.com

And a reminder as well that you can help keep this newsletter going with [a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. 
Media

The Chicago Sun-Times, a daily non-profit newspaper owned by Chicago Public Media, published a "summer reading list" featuring wholly fabricated books — the result of broadcasting unverified AI slop in its pages. [Futurism]
Science and Technology
Inside a secret Ukrainian drone factory
Welcome to the weapons factory of the future. For this is not just the sort of place where the war in Ukraine might be lost or won. These fast-evolving drones are changing the way that battles are now fought the world over. “In places like this, we are pushing the boundaries of warfare and reconnaissance,” says Sas, who started his career in technology as a teenager linking dumbbells to fitness trackers. “Because of the war, both Russia and Ukraine have developed their drone technology incredibly quickly.” [Unherd]

What is unfolding is more than a new tactic — it is a systemic rupture in the conduct of modern warfare. First-person view drones are unleashing the most significant transformation in land warfare since the rise of the Spanish tercio in the 16th century. Just as firepower reshaped European warfare by influencing the creation of new formations like the tercio, first-person view drones force armies to reorganize, rethink, and relearn how to fight and survive. Modern armies should now realize that they can create their own 21st-century tercios by inserting drones into every infantry formation down to the lowest level. Those who fail to transform to adapt to this military revolution will not just lose battles — they will be shredded on the battlefield and suffer total defeat in war. [War on the Rocks]
The Calendar
  • 1000 : 135B West Block, - NGO representatives speak about Canada's G7 agenda.
  • 1100 : 135B West Block, - NGO representatives speak ahead of the First Annual Digital Resilience Forum
  • 1200 : Banff, AB - Finance Min François-Philippe Champagne meets with G7 Finance Ministers and Bank Governors.

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