The News Rundown

Canada proposes joint police force with US to tackle Trump’s border concerns

Amid the turmoil in Ottawa this week we got news of the federal border plan in addition to Alberta’s border plan from last week.
This comes at a time where incoming President Trump is referring to Canada as the 51st state with Governor Justin Trudeau at the helm.
Doug Ford has been coronated by the media as king of Team Canada and Pierre Poilieve is leading the federal Canada First operation.
In Friday’s press conference Pierre Poilievre said that Canada will never be the 51st state and is the best friend in the world to the United States which is the greatest military and economic super power the world has ever seen.
He continued, “The President has raised some concerns about the border and military. I will rebuild our border and our military to put those concerns to rest but I will also defend our economy… All of that will be good for Canadians and will be good for Americans. President Trump has made it clear he wants to put America First, I’m going to put Canada First.”
This press conference culminates a week of chaos with the Chrystia Freeland resignation and the cat being on the roof, more than ever, for Justin Trudeau.
In the dust, Ottawa will create a joint strike force at the border to target transnational organized crime.
This also comes with a $1.3b border security package announced in the fall economic statement.
The border plan includes building surveillance towers along the Canada-U.S. border to provide around-the-clock surveillance. There are also plans to arm the Canada Border Services Agency with more helicopters, drones and workers.
In total it can be thought of as a 5 pillar plan covering disruption of the fentanyl trade, new tools for law enforcement, enhanced coordination with US law enforcement, increase information sharing, and limiting traffic at the border
The agency will also receive new powers that allow it to inspect exports in an effort to crack down on fentanyl production from within Canada.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced the changes and incoming Public Safety Minister David McGuinty will meet with Trump border czar Tom Homan in the coming weeks.
It is said that the plan was discussed with Tom Homan earlier in the week on the phone.
Republicans south of the border are not sure if the plan will be enough to stop the entire tariff weight of 25% from coming down on Canada.
President-elect Trump himself has been quiet and we’re unlikely to know until the new year as to whether or not our efforts have been successful.
With that being said though let us question how much time was wasted in the last 3 weeks with the media and others questioning just what industries we should be targeting for retaliatory tariffs.
There’s still the question if Trudeau plans to put an export tax on Canadian oil targeting Alberta which would spur the biggest national unity crisis yet in the name of combating the US.
We would have been far better served if the focus had been on the border and what we could do from the beginning as some have been pushing for like Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
The end goal of this first phase of the Canadian offering shows just how out of place and out of touch the media are when it comes to the Trump administration.
We could’ve been in the spot we are now 3 weeks ago had everyone acted like adults and approached the situation as a negotiation on the border.
Supplementals:

Canada's medical assistance in dying, or MAID, is receiving negative headlines around the world recently, and this week a renewed spotlight was shone on the issue after a wrongful death claim was filed by the family of a 52-year-old man who was euthanized in a Vancouver clinic while out on a day pass from a hospital psychiatric ward.
The lawsuit says that Canada’s assisted-death law is unconstitutional and exposes people with coexisting physical and mental illness to “heightened risks of premature death” facilitated by the state. It is the latest case involving a family challenging the lawfulness of an assisted death provision in Canada. Among those named is Dr. Ellen Wiebe who practices in Vancouver, one of Canada’s most prolific providers of medically assisted death who has administered life-ending drugs to more than 400 people.
Identified only as J.M.M., the B.C. man had a long history of mental illness and was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder around 2013, according to a statement of claim filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia by the man’s former spouse, his father and his three children. He also suffered from “remediable,” meaning treatable, chronic back pain, the family alleges. His back pain “was neither grievous nor irremediable and therefore did not meet the statutory eligibility criteria for MAID,” according to their claim.
The current assisted-death law also temporarily excludes people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness from accessing MAID until at least 2027. But the law doesn’t exclude people with concurrent mental and physical illness from accessing an assisted death.
The family claims that J.M.M. lacked the capacity to make decisions about his health or consent to MAID due to his mental illness, which would render him ineligible for MAID. His request for MAID was also influenced “by external pressure including concerns about personal finances,” they allege.
The family said they didn’t receive a response when they raised concerns over the legitimacy of the approval for MAID. In late 2022, the family obtained a court order committing J.M.M. to the psychiatric ward of St. Paul’s Hospital, where his treating doctors “opined that J.M.M. should not receive MAID due to his mental illness, which impaired his capacity to consent,” according to the claim.
“Nonetheless, the defendants negligently or recklessly” allowed J.M.M. to leave the hospital on a day pass, the family alleges. The man went to Wiebe’s clinic that afternoon and died “through the improper administration of MAID,” according to the claim. The family said they only learned of his death afterward.
In addition to Wiebe, the lawsuit includes the Attorney General of Canada, B.C.’s minister of health, Wiebe’s Willow Reproductive Health Centre (in addition to MAID, Wiebe provides reproductive health care and medical abortions), Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and Providence Health Care Society.
It is the second case in as many months involving Wiebe. In October, a B.C. judge granted an urgent injunction stopping a woman’s death by MAID the day before it was scheduled to take place. The injunction granted to the woman’s common-law partner prevented Wiebe or any other medical professional from helping end the 53-year-old Alberta woman’s life within 30 days.
The woman, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was convinced she had akathisia, an inability to sit still that can be a side effect of different medications, especially antipsychotic drugs. Two Alberta specialists with expertise in the condition felt the akathisia was treatable and could resolve with treatment within two to six months.
Even the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the same civil liberties group that led the push for the 2015 decriminalization of physician-assisted suicide in Canada is now warning it has become too easy to obtain MAID, and the government must enact safeguards.
Liz Hughes, who has served as BCCLA executive director since June 2023, said in a statement to the National Post the group is “aware of concerning reports of people being offered MAID in circumstances that may not legally qualify, as well as people accessing MAID as a result of intolerable social circumstances.”
Hughes called for government action: “Governments must put in place, actively review, and enforce appropriate safeguards to ensure that people are making this decision freely.”
It's monumental for the BCCLA to modify its position on this, because In April 2011, it was the group that filed the lawsuit that led to the 2012 Taylor decision that decriminalized euthanasia in British Columbia and eventually led to federal MAID legislation. The BCCLA’s statement reflects longer standing concerns at the group. While it still believes in MAID as a concept, it's clear to everyone, even proponents of the program that there needs to be more stringent measures involved.
Health Canada’s Fifth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada last week revealed that over 15,300 Canadians died by MAID in 2023, representing a 15.8 per cent increase in deaths from the previous year. In 2023, MAID accounted for 4.7 percent of deaths in Canada.
Canada is among a few countries that have introduced assisted dying laws in the past decade. Others include Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Austria.
Quebec accounted for 36.5 percent of all Canadian MAID deaths in 2023. Quebec’s 5,601 MAID deaths represented 7.2 per cent of the province’s total deaths — about one in every 14. B.C. is not far behind; MAID now represents 6.1 per cent of all deaths in that province.
As recently as 2018, Health Canada estimated MAID provisions wouldn’t exceed 2.05 per cent of total deaths — a ratio that has now more than doubled.
Health Canada’s report reveals that 47.1 percent of non-terminally ill Canadians who applied for MAID reported “isolation or loneliness” as one of the causes of their suffering. Just under half of all Canadian MAID cases (terminal and non-terminal) indicate that they want an early death in part lest they become a “perceived burden on family, friends or caregivers.”
For the first time, the report delved into race and ethnic data of those who died by euthanasia. Around 96% of recipients identified as white people, who account for about 70% of Canada's population. It is unclear what caused this disparity.
UK MPs voted late last month to pass a similar bill that gives terminally ill adults in England and Wales the right to have an assisted death, though it will face months of further scrutiny before it could become law. As British MPs debated the legislation, Canada was cited by some as a cautionary tale due to its perceived lack of safeguards.
A report released in October by Ontario has since shed some light on controversial cases where people were granted assisted dying when they were not nearing their natural death.
One example included a woman in her 50s with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts who had a severe sensitivity to chemicals. Her request for euthanasia was granted after she failed to secure housing that could have met her medical needs.
Another case made headlines in recent months of a Nova Scotia cancer patient who said she was asked if she was aware of assisted dying as an option twice as she underwent mastectomy surgeries. There have also been cases where people with disabilities have considered assisted dying due to lack of housing or disability benefits.
The fact that almost 5% of Canadian deaths last year were due to MAID is troubling, and shows that not only is the healthcare system failing Canadians not only in treating health problems before they get worse, but having doctors like Ellen Wiebe who put MAID ahead of actual health care, but the government as well, for passing this legislation without having a much higher barrier of entry.
Not only that, but that the social and living conditions in Canada have deteriorated to such a point that people are considering dying because they can't get housing or benefits or health care, might be one of the biggest black marks on the Trudeau government's record over the past decade. For a government with as many scandals as they've had, that's really saying something.
Supplementals:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j1z14p57po
https://nationalpost.com/news/group-that-led-campaign-for-maid-now-calling-for-safeguards
https://www.denisonforum.org/daily-article/euthanasia-is-now-the-fifth-leading-cause-of-death-in-canada/

Province delivers new Green Line plan for Calgary

A couple months ago we talked about Calgary’s Green Line and that the Province would be developing a new alignment, a new plan as it is.
The 165-page report, put together by infrastructure project firm AECOM, outlined the consultant’s assessment of various options to build the Green Line aboveground through the Beltline and downtown.
AECOM looked at 10 different at-grade or above ground alignments as part of the assessment. Most were eliminated and in the end focused on an elevated track that would run west from a future “Grand Central Station” in Victoria Park.
Benefits of the province’s chosen 10th Avenue/2nd Street alignment are that the city already looked into reducing travel lanes to accommodate head houses on its previous tunneled alignment along 2nd Street; proximity to employment and residential centres; a curve radii of more than 60 metres, (which means the train wouldn’t have to slow down too significantly when turning onto 2nd Street); and the fact transmission poles along 10th Avenue were removed and utility lines relocated below ground.
The report also highlights drawbacks including impacts to 10 properties along the route, the need to remove a parkade ramp north of the CPKC train tracks and a plus-30 pedestrian walkway on 2nd street.
Other challenges include space constraints at the 7th Avenue/2nd Street S.W. station, which would have low horizontal clearance from existing adjacent buildings on the west side of 2nd Street. A preliminary assessment revealed less than one metre of clearance between the building and the station’s structural edge, the report states, in addition to three other locations where the clearance would be less than 2.5 metres.
The report redacts cost figures and AECOM’s preferred alignment.
The entire 160+ page report can be viewed on the Alberta government website linked in our supplementals.
The line put forward by the province is similar in the downtown core but bears east instead of west after the Lynwood stop.
The province views their plan as one that more closely aligns with the business case from 2021 and the overall cost of the project remains at $6.2b by cancelling downtown tunnelling.
The province estimates that the revamped project will serve 60% more Calgarians with it being 76% longer with 5 more stops.
You can find a full map of the project in our supplementals.
At this point it is up to Calgary city council to approve the project by March 31, 2025 to meet a federal funding deadline.
The province is willing to commit its support going forward should another city council in the future want to pick up the project.
Some city councillors have voiced concern that the project leaves out the north and provincial Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said that a northward expansion could be in the cards but not for many years.
The province picking up the planning mantle on this project resulted from City Council not being able to effectively lay out a plan.
The province has been considering taking charge on major infrastructure projects, even in cities.
This for the municipal government types is alarming because for the last few decades it has been up to the cities to determine what they do on such a project.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who plans it or who gives final approval.
These projects mean nothing if they don’t get built and don’t get built in a timely and economic manner.
The province thought the city wasn’t accomplishing that, this is their chance. They need to ensure shovels are in the ground and that the city council approves this plan.
If they don’t it looks like a political maneuver to limit the power of city council in a crucial election year.
Are the UCP serious about this project? We’ll see.
Are they serious about transit and trains? We’ll see.
This is their chance and if not Alberta and others need to find a way to build big transportation infrastructure projects efficiently.
Supplementals:

Firing Line

Feds deliver fall economic statement with $61.9B deficit for 2023-24, amid political turmoil

There has been a lot of whirlwind news in Canada from the federal government, specifically within Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet, right before Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland was supposed to deliver the fall economic statement, which we'll get to later. Freeland, who has been one of Justin Trudeau's staunchest political allies and supporters, abruptly resigned from cabinet with a letter so scathing in nature it seemed to catch everyone off guard.
In the letter she says: "On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the cabinet."
This position, according to inside sources, was supposed to be a ministry with reduced scope and spending ability, related to the Canada US relationship. The letter also points to a growing deterioration in the relationship between Freeland and Trudeau. The letter continues: "To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it. For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada."
Freeland points to the incoming Donald Trump presidency as one of the reasons for her departure: "Our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 per cent tariffs."
The move may push Trudeau's already shaky minority government to the brink . After nine years in power, the prime minister has faced growing calls to resign over concerns he is a drag on his party's fortunes. The Liberal leader's approval rate has plummeted from 63% when he was first elected to 28% in June of this year, according to one poll tracker.
Following Freeland's departure on Monday, five sitting Liberal MPs publicly called on Trudeau to step down. Helena Jaczek, an MP from Markham-Stouffville in Ontario, told reporters before saying that Trudeau should resign: "Let's put it this way - firing the minister of finance who has served you extremely well is not what I'd call a trustworthy move."
Within hours of Freeland's announcement, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as her replacement. LeBlanc, who has been close friends with the prime minister since childhood, is considered one of his most loyal allies.
Trudeau was present at the swearing-in - his first appearance in front of media since Freeland's announcement - but he did not provide any statements. His office and the finance department both did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
As for the fall economic statement, the numbers look far worse than they were expected to be. The Department of Finance on Monday unveiled the long-anticipated fall economic statement, which reports a deficit of $61.9-billion for 2023-24. The release of the fiscal update -- which Government House Leader Karina Gould hastily tabled in Freeland's stead -- is already coming later in the year than is typical.
The latest round of frustration between their two offices was reportedly connected to disagreements over measures such as the two-month GST/HST pause and the in-limbo $250 workers' benefit cheques, as well as the government’s ability to abide by its fiscal anchors.
Freeland in last year’s fall economic statement laid out self-imposed fiscal guardrails, namely keeping the debt-to-GDP ratio on a declining track, maintaining the deficit-to-GDP ratio below one per cent, and maintaining the deficit below the $40.1-billion target. The projected deficit for this fiscal year, as laid out in the fall economic statement, however, is $21.8 billion beyond that $40.1-billion pledge.
The 270-page document, meanwhile, touts what it considers economic victories, namely being the first G7 country in which the central bank cut interest rates, and inflation “anchored” at two per cent, chalking both up to “the government’s prudent fiscal management.”
The document also lays out the government’s economic plan, broken down into “four key pillars” of focus: “generational investments,” such as child care and dental care, “securing Canada’s AI advantage,” “overcoming geopolitical risks and uncertainty,” and investments for the industrial transition, namely when it comes to critical minerals.
While the document acknowledges much has changed in recent months, namely the re-election of Trump in the U.S., the projections in the fall economic statement are based on private sector economists’ forecasts from September.
But according to fiscal policy expert Fred O’Riordan, the tax policy leader for EY Canada, the reality is perhaps more grim. He said: “The forecast is quite likely overly optimistic, even the downside scenario, in light of the threat of tariffs from the U.S. and how Canada may respond.”
Today, as of recording, Trudeau has shuffled his cabinet, akin to shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic. Several cabinet ministers are picking up new roles, and others are new to the cabinet altogether. Anita Anand remains minister of transport, but adds the internal trade portfolio. Gary Anandasangaree remains minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs, and becomes minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. Steven MacKinnon becomes minister of employment, workforce development and labour. Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes president of the Treasury Board.
In total, 7 MPs are no longer in cabinet. Trudeau is facing less and less confidence from his caucus, and while he said he will not resign, he says he is "reflecting" on the issues. There are a few things he can do, either heed the calls for him to resign, hang on and weather the storm, lose a no-confidence vote launching an election, or prorogue parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said today "Justin Trudeau failed in the biggest job a Prime Minister has: to work for people, not the powerful. The NDP will vote to bring this government down, and give Canadians a chance to vote for a government who will work for them."
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called that bluff, asking Governor General Mary Simon to recall Parliament so a no-confidence vote can be held immediately.
While Western Context goes on its winter break now, it's clear that this story will still have more to unfold over the coming weeks. We'll be back to talk to you about it all as soon as we can.
Supplementals:

Quote of the Week

"On Friday, you told me you no longer want me to serve as your Finance Minister and offered me another position in the cabinet. To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence. In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it. For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada." - Chrystia Freeland, on resigning from Trudeau’s cabinet.

Word of the Week

Turmoil - a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty

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Show Data

Episode Title: Chaos in the Cabinet
Teaser: Canada proposes a new border plan, a BC lawsuit highlights the problems with assisted death, and Alberta delivers a new Green line plan for Calgary’s LRT. Also, Chrystia Freeland resigns from cabinet before the economic statement showed a $61.9B deficit.
Recorded Date: December 20, 2024
Release Date: December 22, 2024
Duration: 1:00:33
Edit Notes: Shane pause first story

Podcast Summary Notes

Duration: XX:XX