Weekly Roundup - January 23, 2026
Top Federal Stories
Prime Minister Mark Carney used the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to deliver a pointed message to world leaders: the old rules-based international order is dead, and middle powers must now band together against economic coercion from larger nations. The speech, which stopped short of naming the United States directly, was widely interpreted as a rebuke of President Donald Trump's trade policies. Carney warned that in this new era, countries that fail to assert themselves will be treated as subordinate. His assessment drew praise from European leaders and attracted bipartisan support at home.
In his own address at the forum, Trump accused Canada of being insufficiently grateful for American protection, claiming Canada receives "a lot of freebies" from the United States. By Thursday night, Trump had rescinded Carney's invitation to join his newly announced "Board of Peace," a body initially conceived to oversee the Gaza ceasefire but has since expanded in scope.
Speaking at the cabinet retreat on Thursday, Carney fired back. "Canada doesn't live because of the United States… Canada thrives because we are Canadian." Carney also delivered a speech on the Plains of Abraham, the historic site of the 1759 battle that brought Quebec under British rule. He made a pointed case for Canadian unity, arguing that the country's history of choosing "partnership over domination" offers a model for the current moment. The speech was implicitly directed at the Parti Québécois, which is leading in provincial polls and has promised another sovereignty referendum if elected.
The question of Canadian unity also surfaced south of the border, where U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent waded into Alberta’s separatist movement by calling Alberta a "natural partner" for the United States. Organizers of the Alberta independence movement have claimed to have met with members of the Trump administration and that their message has begun circulating among MAGA influencers and Republican members of Congress.
Parliament returns on Monday, though the most consequential developments may continue to unfold beyond the chamber. The Liberals are back to being two seats shy of a majority following Chrystia Freeland's resignation earlier this month. Speculation continues about the Prime Minister attempting to court additional floor-crossers to attain a majority.
In other news, the Federal Court reversed a government order requiring TikTok to wind down its Canadian operations. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly will now conduct a fresh national security review.
Top Alberta Stories
The first citizen-led recall petition under Alberta’s new rules has officially failed, falling thousands of signatures short. Elections Alberta confirmed this week that the recall effort targeting Calgary-Bow MLA Demetrios Nicolaides, did not meet the legal threshold required to trigger a vote. Of the 16,006 signatures needed (equal to 60 per cent of votes cast in the riding in the last election) only 6,519 signatures were submitted. As the debate over recall continues, New West CEO Monte Solberg joined CBC’s The Eyeopener to talk about why these tools only work when there is broad, genuine public buy-in. Listen to his comments here.
While MLA recall efforts struggle to gain traction, Alberta’s separatist movement is gaining momentum on the ground. Hundreds of people braved sub-zero temperatures in Stony Plain this week to sign a petition calling for a referendum on Alberta independence, with organizers from Stay Free Alberta and the Alberta Prosperity Project continuing to host town halls and signing events across the province. The group needs 177,000 signatures to meet the legal threshold, but has publicly set a far more ambitious goal of one million signatures to demonstrate political strength. Participants cited frustration with Ottawa, economic concerns, and a sense of alienation from federal decision-making as key motivators.
If a referendum is triggered, Albertans would be asked to vote on whether the province should pursue separation from Canada - a result that, while not automatically leading to independence, would create significant political pressure and open the door to complex legal, constitutional, and economic negotiations. New West Partner Matt Solberg joined CTV’s Your Morning to weigh in on why this public frustration, and how governments choose to channel it, could carry lasting political consequences. Watch his analysis here.
As the conversation around separatism continues, Premier Danielle Smith focused on Alberta’s role within Canada this week. Speaking at CIBC’s Western Institutional Investor Conference on Tuesday, Smith shared “Canada is changing and Alberta is leading the way in energy, technology, investment, and infrastructure, while creating the most competitive business environment in the country.” She outlined a similar message at an EnergyNow Insights event, stressing the importance of building energy infrastructure, improving market access, and providing greater policy certainty to support investment.
Her remarks come as the April 1 deadline for key elements of the Canada–Alberta memorandum of understanding approaches, including the need to finalize agreements on carbon pricing equivalency and progress on the proposed Pathways carbon capture project - timelines that will test whether recent commitments translate into concrete action.
As the government works on the details of the agreement, it’s also exploring the role nuclear energy should play in the province’s future. The Nuclear Engagement and Advisory Panel will host in-person town halls across the province, giving residents the chance to ask questions, learn more about nuclear power and provide direct feedback to panel members. The feedback will be used to shape the panel’s final report to the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, which will help inform Alberta’s long-term nuclear energy roadmap. The final town hall will take place in Edmonton on February 17.
The nuclear road show will wrap up as MLA’s prepare to return to the legislature on Tuesday, February 24. Budget 2026 is expected to be tabled shortly after, with the spring sitting scheduled to run until May 14.
Top Ontario Stories
While the temperature is dropping, budget consultations are heating up. Ontario's post-secondary institutions and hospitals are making their pre-budget pitches with urgent warnings about their financial sustainability. Universities and colleges are asking for a combined $2.7 billion increase in funding for the coming fiscal year, along with unfreezing domestic tuition fees, which have been frozen since 2019. The sector, which has been shaken by a sharp decline in internation student enrolment, is projecting a funding shortfall to the tune of billions of dollars. According to the Council of Ontario Universities, Ontario now provides the lowest per-student funding in Canada, while colleges are warning more campuses and programs face closure.
Hospitals are sounding similar alarms. The Ontario Hospital Association says member hospitals are facing a combined structural deficit of nearly $1 billion. The OHA says deficits stem from years of funding increases that haven't kept pace with inflation, population growth, and the rising cost of delivering care. Hospital leaders are pressing the Ford government for sustainable multi-year funding commitments, warning that all low-risk options to find savings have already been exhausted.
The province's housing ambitions continue to collide with reality. New data shows housing starts in Ontario have dropped from more than 85,000 in 2023 to just 62,561 in 2025. That rate of building is far below the roughly 100,000 annual starts needed to meet the government's 1.5 million homes by 2031 target.
Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy indicated “all options are on the table,” as Premier Ford mused about expanding the province’s HST waiver for first-time homebuyers. Meanwhile, Housing Minister Rob Flack told a crowd at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association conference this week that the government was working on another package of measures aimed at boosting housing construction in the province, including reducing development charges.
Premier Doug Ford took aim at Chinese-made electric vehicles again this week, as he urged Ontario consumers to boycott Chinese EVs. The federal government’s agreement allows Chinese automakers to establish operations in Canada by partnering with Canadian companies, provided they meet domestic content requirements and create jobs. Ford argues this opens the door to vehicles assembled with Chinese components that will undercut Ontario-made cars and trucks.
Premier Ford says he has offered Diageo – the makers of Crown Royal whiskey – an “olive branch” to avoid being pulled from the shelves at the LCBO. Ford says he is willing to reverse his decision to pull the whiskey from the shelves if the company presents the government with a plan to replace the 160 jobs that are being impacted by the closure of the facility in Amherstburg.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard called Ontario's actions misguided and that now is not the time to disrupt Canadian supply chains, warning it could trigger retaliation. Despite the Ontario facility closure, Diageo’s footprint in Canada includes a Crown Royal bottling plant in Quebec and distillery facility in Manitoba, in addition to other facilities in the Greater Toronto Area. Both provinces have been critical of Ontario’s decision and warn it risks jobs in their own provinces.
Upcoming Events Calendar
January 29-31, 2026: Conservative Party of Canada National Convention
January 30 - February 1, 2026: Ontario PC Convention
February 24, 2026: Alberta legislative assembly resumes
March 23, 2026: Ontario legislative assembly resumes
March 29, 2026: Federal NDP Leadership Race Results Announcement
