Ottawa and the provinces were busy this week. Prime Minister Mark Carney embarks on a major Indo-Pacific trip aimed at resetting strained relationships and diversifying trade, as Canada prepares for a high-stakes CUSMA review and navigates awkward LNG optics at home. In Alberta, Budget 2026 projects a $9.4 billion deficit. Meanwhile, in Ontario, the Ford government is facing criticism from multiple angles.

Alberta’s 2026 budget is not designed to surprise anyone. It is designed to stabilize. This is not an election budget, and it does not read like one. Instead, it reflects a strategic decision by Premier Smith and Minister Horner to hold a line through a period of pressure and uncertainty, while keeping future political options open. We dig into the politics of what this budget shows.  

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a major blow to Trump's tariff regime this week, but Canadian exporters aren't entirely relieved. In Alberta, the Premier took her immigration fight directly to voters, while Ontario's Premier juggles defence manufacturing ambitions with a student debt firestorm. Here's what mattered this week in Canadian politics.

Canada’s week was shaped by tragedy after a mass shooting in B.C. prompted national mourning. In Ontario, the Ford government unveiled a major post-secondary funding reset, and in Alberta, debate over separatism continues.

Stephen Harper marks 20 years since his government, while Prime Minister Carney rolls out a federal automotive strategy and works with Poilievre on affordability. Out west, Alberta is bracing for a tough budget, while in Ontario, MPP Doly Begum's resignation triggers by-election speculation.

Tensions over national unity, economic pressure, and political legitimacy are intensifying across the country. From sharp exchanges between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump on the global stage, to Ontario’s deepening funding crises in health care and post-secondary education, to growing separatist momentum in Alberta, governments are being tested on how they respond to public frustration and shifting political realities.

Tensions over national unity, economic pressure, and political legitimacy are intensifying across the country. From sharp exchanges between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump on the global stage, to Ontario’s deepening funding crises in health care and post-secondary education, to growing separatist momentum in Alberta, governments are being tested on how they respond to public frustration and shifting political realities.

Big moves in Ottawa this week as a floor crossing brings the Liberals within striking distance of a majority. Meanwhile, the Ford government faces scrutiny in Ontario over a 14-week break, and Alberta wraps a session marked by notwithstanding clause debates and recall petitions.

2025 delivered leadership drama, snap elections, trade tremors, and a national unity storyline nobody asked for. Institutions bent, narratives broke, and every government learned the same lesson that events happen whether you’re ready or not. Here’s our quick tour through the damage and the decisions that shaped it.

Big moves in Ottawa this week as a floor crossing brings the Liberals within striking distance of a majority. Meanwhile, the Ford government faces scrutiny in Ontario over a 14-week break, and Alberta wraps a session marked by notwithstanding clause debates and recall petitions.