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Canada just spent half a billion dollars poaching 64 academics, three-quarters of them from the U.S., and then CTV put the most revealing quote on TV Talia Bettcher (trans philosophy / gender studies) is leaving Cal State LA for a taxpayer-funded chair at Waterloo because, in her words, it “felt unsafe for me even in Los Angeles given the increase in anti trans sentiment.” That’s not a materials scientist fleeing grant cuts. That’s an identity-politics scholar being paid by Ottawa to relocate over a political climate she dislikes The program is sold as “doubling down on science.” Some recruits are doing storms, solvents, and health. Fine. Mixing those with “trans community resilience” chairs and equity-framed geography shows the real filter: Canada is importing people who share the government’s moral posture, then calling it “talent strategy.” Minister Joly said they saw an “opportunity to seize.” Opportunity for what—research output, or a subsidized ideological transfer? If the U.S. is cutting unstable grants, compete on labs and results. Don’t write eight-year, million-a-year cheques so someone can feel safer doing gender theory north of the border Taxpayers should ask how many of these 64 chairs would exist if the selection criterion were “what actually scales Canada’s productivity,” not “who is fleeing the culture war.” Mélanie Joly
cbcwatcher797,640 views • 2 days ago
Carney: US last-minute demands to “limit Canada’s ability to do trade deals” killed talks. “Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals with.” CUSMA/USMCA Article 32.10 already does this for non-market economies (China): notify 3 months before talks, share the text, and the U.S. can terminate the whole agreement on 6 months’ notice and go bilateral How did the new language differ from the clause already signed by Canada? Reporters never acknowledge this nor do they ask. Are they directed not to? Mark Carney
cbcwatcher103,695 views • 16 hours ago
Scott Bessent on CNBC replayed by CBC "Well, I don't think you can be in a tit for tat with someone who's 13 times larger than you are." "I mean, we're not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada? What are they going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton mall and sick them on us?" "(Carney) came to power the on a anti American, anti Trump agenda. He was 20 points behind in the poll and then he started this." "And it's unfortunate that he's not doing what's best for the Canadian people. He's doing best what is best for the Liberal party, what's best for Mark Carney." "And in the long run, the Canadian people are going to see through that." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
cbcwatcher103,838 views • 1 day ago
After playing Scott Bessent's remarks, Todd van der Heyden "Of course, Canada has a lot more submarines than in the West Edmonton Mall." 🤦♂️ Canada has only one operational submarine. It is 35 years old. And Canada has 3 that are undergoing refits or repairs... just as old "Little awkward of course, given those comments." Apparently CTV has no fact checking department
cbcwatcher84,885 views • 1 day ago
Lutnick "It was manufactured. So there's the Sovereignty Party trying to run and they're in the lead in Quebec." "And so this was Mark Carney manufacturing something that would try to keep them from winning." "So (Carney's) making this a political thing for Canada." "...These were things they put in in order to make it end." Howard Lutnick
cbcwatcher297,977 views • 5 days ago
Blanchet " I believe that Mark Carney, you know, has created a story to make himself the hero of all of this negotiation." "When there's a report in the New York Times which we can certainly not suspect of being dishonest or not respecting the rules of the job of being a journalist, I tend to believe neither Mr. Lutnick or Mr. Carney because they both have an interest in what people will believe or not." "At the end of the day, I will rely on reporters and mainly I will rely on the only persons who carry Quebec culture and it's the good judgment of Quebecers." Yves-F. Blanchet 🎗⚜️ Mark Carney
cbcwatcher225,590 views • 4 days ago
On CNBC, Joe Kernen reminds Dom LeBlanc of some stark economic realities in Canada "Minister LeBlanc, this is the last thing Canada needs. And I'm not sure whether you have a good feel for, for changes that need to be made in the economic approach of Canada." "The OECD projects that Canada out of 38 OECD members will rank 38 dead last in GDP per capita growth through 2060. And I'm trying to figure out why." "I looked to see and I do find one thing it says here, tax and regulatory competitiveness." "There's a gap even with the US where we think regulate, you know, permitting." Joe Kernen Dominic LeBlanc
cbcwatcher391,311 views • 7 days ago
Peter MacKay yesterday "And who walked away from the deal now is not really the most important thing." "The more important calculus is how do we walk it back and how do we get back to the bargaining table?" "Well, it is reminiscent of the dispute that we got into with India, but this has far more consequences just because of the sheer dependence that we have on the US Economy." "And quite frankly, actually, I think there needs to be more transparency so Canadians can see for themselves if they're being told that there was last minute changes by the Americans or by Canada." "So recall Parliament, you know, show Canadians the draft deal that was placed before the Americans and then let's honestly bear down and try to get everybody pointed in the right direction again." Peter MacKay
cbcwatcher150,962 views • 3 days ago
Poilievre: Release the deal. Hold the leverage. Lake Ontario stays Lake Ontario Pierre Poilievre used a scrum to hammer Mark Carney on the collapsed U.S. trade talks, Google’s “Lake America” stunt, and Monday’s by-elections.On the talks: “We need to see the deal. What’s the deal?” Carney “had accepted that there was going to be a deal,” told premiers to put American liquor back on shelves and buy U.S. goods, then “about 90 minutes before the deadline, he decided to change his mind.” “All we’ve seen is changing stories.” He also flipped on Gordie Howe Bridge tolls “The only way Canadians will ever know what deal we might have had… is if we just release the deal.” On Google renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” for U.S. users: “Google’s made a mistake. Google is wrong. Google should restore the name to what it always was and what it is, always will be. It is Lake Ontario. It is Lake Ontario today and it will be Lake Ontario always.” What he would have done differently: Liberals made “six or seven preemptive concessions before they even got to the negotiating table. You never make concessions before the negotiations begin. You hold your leverage close to your chest.” His leverage list: * Critical minerals (10 of 12 NATO-defined military minerals; enough refined cobalt for 75,000 F-35s; tungsten, gallium) * Oil in a “gigantic reserve” available to tariff-free partners * Military purchases tied to tariff-free access * Canada as the biggest buyer from ~25 U.S. states “Fight for tariff-free trade.” On tomorrow’s by-elections: “It’s a chance for Canadians to send a message. They’re tired of paying too much for groceries, gas and housing. The cost of the Carney Liberals is adding up… Vote to take all tax off gas. Vote to reverse Liberal inflation. Vote to make this a country where hard work pays off” Pierre Poilievre
cbcwatcher101,519 views • 2 days ago
Ian Lee "I hope that people in the premier's offices start to cool their jets, pull back and read books like that, how, how things can run out of control because this could trigger a very, very deep recession in Canada." "And this could cause small business failure across the country, massive small business failure and unemployment and secondly, capital flight of firms to the United States." "So the consequences could become very ugly very quickly." Sprott School of Business at Carleton University
cbcwatcher234,280 views • 5 days ago
Carney tells Canadians to buy Canadian and stay home. His disclosed holdings are overwhelmingly US companies. And weeks ago flew to Tuscany while a serious tariff deadline loomed The claims: Jobs at 4× the U.S. — He also says “twice,” depending on the speech and audience. July looked good here; early 2026 did not. Selective memory Highest FDI in two decades — Nominal inflows in 2025 were the best since 2007. After inflation and as a share of the economy, 2007 still wins. A lot of it is takeovers, not new factories. The U.S. is still the biggest source Non-U.S. exports “on track to double” — That’s a 10-year slogan. Last year’s jump was real, but a big chunk was gold and energy prices, not any new auto or lumber markets Strongest G7 growth last quarter — Q2 was actually first. One good quarter after a flat start is not the plan “working” Lecture Canada on loyalty. Keep the portfolio and the villa abroad for yourself. That’s the Carney double standard Play fast and loose with the facts and figures. That's the Carney blarney "Do as I say, not as I do" Mark Carney
cbcwatcher31,174 views • 16 hours ago
Reporter: "Did Doug Ford have any role in killing the negotiations?" Carney: No 'We consult with them. We take their views into account. But the decisions on trade are the decisions of the Government of Canada' 'I’m the Prime Minister. Ultimately I am responsible with Cabinet. We take those decisions in the round. We took those decisions. I enumerated them on Saturday. Those of us who were at the table, or next to the table' (while he was in Tuscany?) Then the vague list: * language and culture — enough not to have a deal * restrictions on future deals / sovereignty — enough not to have a deal * locking in an uncompetitive arrangement in autos — enough not to have a deal * plus the “attitude” of the United States No quotes from the table. No text. No specific clause. Just “an accumulation of issues” and “we viewed that we had that deal and it diverged towards the end” Closes with the sloganeering: first and foremost about building strong at home, diversifying with reliable partners, building Canada strong for all yada yada That’s the whole answer. Take Mark's word-salad for it Mark Carney
cbcwatcher28,271 views • 17 hours ago
“Someday this war’s gonna end.” —Apocalypse Now Pollster David Coletto just said the quiet part: much of the Carney government’s goodwill “is driven by” how people judge its handling of the US fight. Canadians who like that file are “almost six times more likely” to like the government overall. As long as all eyes stay on Washington, it lifts Liberal support The vulnerability is obvious. When the trade war ends, affordability, housing, and health care come back into view—the files where the public is “not as convinced” the government has done a good job. Comes the realization that they have been played Carney has been PM for 1 year, 5 months and 17 days and the honeymoon is over. He campaigned of getting a deal, then in the House a better deal: documented. Result: no signed comprehensive deal; talks repeatedly collapsed. Carney's claim of having already “dealt with Trump” in a personal, proven-negotiator sense before 2025: not supported by anything in the public record Regime pollsters, state media, Liberal pundits, and paid spinmeisters all know it. Trump didn’t build most of the wreckage, Liberals did... many of whom continue to stand around Carney. The alibi only works while the war is on It's almost like a deal is the last thing Carney and the Liberals need politically David Coletto
cbcwatcher45,319 views • 1 day ago
For the first time, Canadians hear the US side of the collapsed trade talks In a CBC interview with Rosemary Barton, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said America felt “very, very confident in the deal we had struck late Tuesday night.” They believed they had offered “the best deal available to any country on the planet with respect to Canada.” Then Ottawa returned with more demands. “They had some additional requests… that were too much for the United States,” Greer said. “Giving them the best deal in the world would have been enough.” He rejected claims of last-minute U.S. additions: the president’s comment was “off the cuff.” The core rates (autos toward 15%, steel and aluminum cuts) were agreed Tuesday and did not change On the president’s comment that last-minute U.S. additions “sound like me,” Greer pushed back: the remarks were “off the cuff.” The last conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Carney was Tuesday night, with “some meeting of the minds” on specific rates and percentages. “Hard to change those things after a given time.” On specific Canadian flashpoints: * Medium- and heavy-duty trucks fell under a separate national-security measure, not the auto deal. * “Fortress North America” coordination was about preventing Canada from becoming a backdoor for third-country steel and aluminum—not dictating Ottawa’s future deals. * French-language discoverability was “the farthest thing from a red line” Greer repeated that Canada has been the only country (besides a settled China dispute) to retaliate with bans and caps Channels are currently closed. “We have a trade policy. It’s global in nature. We’re proceeding with it.” That’s the American account of why the talks fell apart Jamieson Greer Rosemary Barton
cbcwatcher171,002 views • 6 days ago
Mike Froman, former US Trade Rep on CNN yesterday afternoon "I think the new issue is that the Trump administration is pressing Canada, as well as other countries, to adopt a common approach vis a vis China, whether it's a common external tariff or export controls, or ensuring that Chinese products inputs don't get inserted into products in Canada, that will then be imported into the United States." "And Prime Minister Carney has noted that that goes against their sovereign right to establish relationships with other countries." "So that's going to be an issue of contention that the administration is going to continue to have to have dialogue with Canada and with other countries over time." Michael B.G. Froman
cbcwatcher223,013 views • 9 days ago
Mark Warner on the Canada-U.S. talks: “The Americans wanting a say over who Canada does free-trade deals with (especially non-market economies) isn’t some shocking new demand — it’s already in CUSMA Article 32.10.” “Bigger partners always ask for more discipline when they feel competitive pressure. The EU did the same thing decades ago.” “Canada isn’t walking around in white gloves on trade. Our partners know that.” “Don’t stoke the nationalism. Free trade has never been popular here — the real test comes when more people actually feel the tariff pain.” Clear-eyed, non-emotional analysis from someone who lived through 1988 negotiations Mark Warner
cbcwatcher175,056 views • 8 days ago
Dan Kelly with David Cochrane earlier "But David, I got to tell you, the programs, the federal government, the 25 billion that they've already dedicated to, programs that they are garbage." Cochrane immediately goes on the Liberal defensive... he is unable to help himself And he was shortly thereafter disconnected... "accidentally" Dan Kelly
cbcwatcher196,030 views • 10 days ago
In the wake of JD Vance's praise for Jamil Jivani, Poilievre says "I told all my members of Parliament to use every single contact they had to fight for Canada and Canadian jobs and I reiterate that to any of our MPs or any Canadian." "If you have contact south of the border, use those to put pressure to fight for tariff free trade so that we can protect our industries and have renewed access to the biggest and most lucrative market anywhere on Earth." Pierre Poilievre Jamil Jivani
cbcwatcher222,672 views • 11 days ago
CBC’s David Common says the quiet part out loud “Look at this map of Trump swing states! Darker colors mean more Canadian tariff pain! Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Maine—perfect for flipping those close Senate races and deciding Trump’s control of Washington!” Common spent the whole segment salivating over how Ottawa’s counter-tariffs could kneecap Republican seats, tank auto and steel jobs in the Midwest, and maybe even flip Ohio. Election-night graphics and everything. Davey’s basically auditioning for the role of foreign election interference correspondent… for the other country Meanwhile Canada just spent years examining “foreign meddling” in our elections. Suddenly it’s fine when the meddling is coming from us and aimed at the guy Canadians love to hate? The hypocrisy is thicker than Common's hair paste You can envision him doing it for the judges who need a little "nudge" to support Canada's entry in Carney's Eurovision gambit David Common Brodie Fenlon
cbcwatcher122,655 views • 6 days ago
Kate Harrison on Doug Ford pressuring Smith to leverage oil and gas in a trade fight "If Danielle Smith had suggested publicly that removal of the French language packaging, labeling requirements, anything really to do with Quebec cultural sovereignty was on the table and something that the prime minister should consider, premiers would rightly be outraged." "I think it is irresponsible to ask Daniel Smith and Scott Mo to leverage their own energy assets without considering what's those in your own province." "That's how you have more division in this country and not how you try to get back to the table and approach things in a unified manner." Kate Harrison
cbcwatcher114,163 views • 8 days ago