A very, very good summary. Note the points about China and defence spending but also read right to the end.

perfect leave it up let the world see

Le PIB réel du Canada a reculé pendant deux trimestres consécutifs – ce qui correspond à la définition d'une récession technique – bien qu'un examen attentif des données dresse un tableau plus contrasté de l'économie, selon Statistique Canada. ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/fr/nouve...

it’s 1997 again….

Never a dull moment out there in AB…

m.youtube.com/watch?v=3CN6... What will Premier Smith’s version sound like?

Note: Canada is a far more decentralized federation than the US, so the exercise of power is always circumscribed by provincial counterparts.

there are no short cuts

The courts are sending a pretty clear signal that “duty to consult” isn’t a negotiable.

Strangely relieved to see that the Starmer v Lettuce countdowns are well underway. Internet remains victorious.

some good news. But doesn’t change the s232 sectoral tariffs AFAICT www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05...

23 had full list 550 accessed it that they know of, so far…. Given that it was public, would be interesting to know how they can be certain on count of persons.

cripes Ottawa! Sometimes you are so darn pretty.

A year ago it seemed that Sheinbaum had Trump figured out. More recently, some in Canada have worried that Mexico is beating us at the CUSMA renegotiation. Maybe not. A very difficult corner to be edged into. apple.news/A6gPqyZyRRTq...

Ourworldindata is hiring a writer ourworldindata.org/hiring-write...

Also, no, I’m not yet back in my office

I really did think the next floor crossing wouldn’t be until after the by elections.

The definitive reax:

I’m hearing that there’s nothing left of Iran and the U.S. is going to keep bombing it until there’s nothing left and the U.S. could reopen the Strait of Hormuz but is choosing not to because it has all the oil it needs so don’t worry about high gas prices.

Not a lot of great news these days. This launch was beautiful to watch. Yes, NASA-led but a result of huge international cooperation in science and with 25% 🇨🇦 crew (which I appreciate US media seem to noting). Science is awesome. When we work together, humans can do big things.

Currently listening to the ON Housing Minister explain today's windfall policy announcement and I think it's probably just a good idea to read any "affordability" measure as a stimulus package for the housing construction sector.

conflict of interest & ethics laws/regs are going to need to be updated pronto The recent experience in the US suggests the big problems are not so much “ordinary” consumers as the consumers w/ insider knowledge of / influence on the very events they are betting on

The Western snowpack is dire for late March. Less so in Montana but it's not great anywhere. And in most cases it's simply bad.

The Covid-19 pandemic’s early death toll was much higher than the official US count, according to a new study that spotlights dramatic disparities in the uncounted deaths. https://cnn.it/3NtbZYM

Evergreen it seems

How do we get an « I like this extra much » button on here???

For those of you in #cdnpoli who find themselves trying to calculate the labour costs of a federal government meeting, may I point you to this wonderful tool: meetingcostcalculator.ca Not sure if the payscales have been updated, but the spirit is there.

Me writing this is a bit like the head of an engineering school saying « probably too many engineers out there » - maybe not career-advancing, but evidence matters. open.substack.com/pub/robsonj/... #cdnpoli

A strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children may be the ‌result of US use of outdated targeting data, two sources told Reuters, providing new details about what would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts reut.rs/4s6g18j

🙄

By mid-2025, US establishments in areas w/ the highest share of Canadians among visitors employed roughly 6% fewer workers relative to establishments in less exposed markets, w/ a 25% overall decline in Canadian visits to the US in 2025. A Kurmann, E Lalé, J Martin cepr.org/voxeu/column... #EconSky

Markets are *very* unhappy about developments in Iran.

Maybe, ..now just hear me out,..if you start a war without due process, that you can’t explain, where your objectives seem unclear, and contagion seems to be underway, maybe markets will see risk? Just spitballing here…

still so cool

wtf is this?

When we talk about Baby Boomers not getting off the stage: In 1997, the US president was born in 1946. In 2007, the US president was born in 1946. In 2017, the US president was born in 1946. And next year in 2027? The US president will have been born in 1946.

worth noting…

“Affordability” is a “hoax”

Rupee falls to one-month low, equities slump as Iran war jolts markets reut.rs/4r5YHz5

The war on Iran likely brings a new oil price shock and windfall profits. So, who stands to win? Our research shows: Last time around (2022), the US reaped the largest fossil fuel profits of any country ($377bn). 50% went to the top 1%, only 1% to the bottom 50%. A🧵

Britain's Royal Air Force base Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by a suspected drone strike overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties, Cypriot authorities and the UK's Ministry of Defense said reut.rs/4rNRFQP

Thread

Years ago, I worked with my MPM students to create this site. politicalmgt.wordpress.com TBH, life got really busy & I let it get dormant. I just heard through the grapevine that it might be attracting readers in some political offices as a resource for new staff. Time to update it.... #todolists

I unsubscribed from Open AI and moved over to Anthropic because I was finding the coding & dataviz outputs were much more reliable. This just adds to their competitive advantage, IMHO.

Narrative, I’d like to introduce you to data.

not an easy question, but one worth asking

Who had Canada's Chief Trade Negotiator to the U.S. in her classroom today? Oh, and also one of Canada's top policy/political advisors? Thank you to Janice Charette & Marci Surkes for sharing your time and insights with MPM students today. Sorry media, it was a Chatham House-style event. #cdnpoli

concepts of a plan…

The performative role of women - as grateful or grieving - is really striking in this SOTU. Only the First Lady gets elevated as an agentic actor, but mainly for having become “a movie star”

Trump announces access to gov matched retirement savings for eligible workers without a pension to a max annual match of $1k There’s something here, but the math isn’t great. Assume $1k gov for 40 years and worker puts in at 1:1. At 4% annual return, you have $200k. Not nothing, but too small.