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Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a high-level pledging event for the OceanEye International Alliance in support of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), on Wednesday. (The Canadian Press files)

4 steps Canada must take before an EU associate membership

By Stéphane Dion 5 minute read 12:07 AM CDT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has expressed hope that Canada could become the European Union’s first “associate member.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, more realistically, has called for a strong, unique alliance.

Whatever form these strengthened relations take, it’s clear the EU and Canada each have high ambitions for the other. But Europe is being courted from all sides. Competition to capture market share and attract investors there is fierce.

Canadians need to work better with Europeans, but also work better among themselves to succeed in Europe. They must develop effective work habits and organize themselves better, in a methodical and planned way, so that Canada can achieve its ambitions in Europe.

Currently a diplomat-in-residence at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, I served as Canada’s ambassador to Germany from 2017 to 2022, then to France until December 2025. Throughout those eight years, I also served as the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Canada to the European Union and Europe.

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Opinion

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) and U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, in June. Andrea Charron says, unlikely as it is, Canada is wise to come up with a plan in case the United States invades Canada. (The Canadian Press files)

Canada must consider even unlikely threats

By Andrea Charron 4 minute read Preview

Canada must consider even unlikely threats

By Andrea Charron 4 minute read 12:06 AM CDT

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has considered the possibility of American military action against Canada, and that the Canadian Armed Forces had examined potential responses.

Such a scenario remains extraordinarily unlikely, but that’s precisely why it belongs in contingency planning. Serious governments do not dismiss low-probability, high-consequence risks simply because they appear remote.

The first responsibility of the prime minister of Canada, as head of government, is to protect Canadians. That responsibility requires preparing not only for the most likely threats, but also for the unlikely scenarios that could have profound consequences for the country.

In intelligence and security circles, these possibilities are sometimes described using a “swan” metaphor. Preparing for likely events, or “white swans,” is routine.

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12:06 AM CDT

Opinion

Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels raise their rifles during a rally in support of the group and to protest Saudi Arabia’s accusation that the Houthis targeted Islam’s holiest site of Mecca in Sanaa, Yemen on Friday. (The Associated Press files)

Middle Eastern version of NATO off to rocky start

By Kyle Volpi Hiebert 5 minute read Preview

Middle Eastern version of NATO off to rocky start

By Kyle Volpi Hiebert 5 minute read 12:05 AM CDT

Among the Iran war’s domino effects, the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is one of the biggest. At least, that’s how it seems on paper. The pact — signed in August and dubbed “Muslim NATO” — combines nuclear-armed Pakistan, energy behemoth Saudi Arabia and military powerhouse Turkey.

The three Sunni states vow to treat an attack on any of them as an attack on all. It mirrors NATO’s Article 5, building off a prior deal signed by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in 2025. And some experts believe it precipitates the end of America’s regional influence.

“The U.S.-led Middle East order is over,” declared a senior fellow from the Council on Foreign Relations after the agreement was signed. For decades, Washington has been the security guarantor for wealthy Gulf monarchies, ensuring the free flow of oil onto global markets and keeping Tehran at bay, while dampening hostility toward Israel.

However, this arrangement has been shattered by America’s inability to halt relentless Iranian drone strikes or re-open the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration is meanwhile demanding its longtime partners assume responsibility for their own defence. So, it appears they are now taking matters into their own hands.

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12:05 AM CDT

Opinion

Three wait times, one patient

Three wait times, one patient

By Rafiq Andani 5 minute read Preview

Three wait times, one patient

By Rafiq Andani 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Manitoba announced at least $127 million for a 60-bed hospital, with expanded emergency and surgical space, dialysis and chemotherapy. It will serve surrounding communities and a town with more than 5,600 residents of Neepawa.

The opening plan does not include a CT scanner.

Imagine a patient arriving at Neepawa’s new emergency department after its planned opening in 2027. A physician assesses the patient and orders a computed tomography scan, or CT. This diagnostic infrastructure is accessed in another hospital down the road in Brandon.

The patient needs monitoring during the journey, about 77 kilometres away, so staff arrange an ambulance.

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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Opinion

Scott Forbes writes that the recent resignation of Manitoba Hydro CEO Alan Danroth gives the Crown corporation an opportunity to make an “overdue course correction” toward a 21st-century approach. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press files)

It’s time that Manitoba Hydro had 21st-century leadership

By Scott Forbes 5 minute read Preview

It’s time that Manitoba Hydro had 21st-century leadership

By Scott Forbes 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

With the recent resignation of its CEO Alan Danroth, Manitoba Hydro now has a chance for an overdue course correction. The propaganda spouted by its PR flaks notwithstanding, our Crown corporation has set a backward path to the era of fossil fuels, largely ignoring the rapid clean (and cheap) energy transition taking place around the globe.

Manitoba Hydro has argued that spending $3 billion on new methane (aka natural) gas generating stations is the best way to meet rising peak-load power demands, and oh, by the way, don’t worry about rising carbon emissions because we’ll hardly ever use them. Just stop and think about that. We’re going to spend (at minimum) $3 billion for something we don’t intend to use very much.

That borders on absurdity.

The much more likely scenario is that as the inevitable electrification of the economy proceeds, in tandem with rising grid demands, those methane-gas power plants will be called into service more and more.

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Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

Opinion

Premier Wab Kinew (left) and Finance Minister Adrien Sala announce that the province is on track to balance the budget next year after cutting the deficit in half since the third-quarter update during a press conference on Monday. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

Competing goals for NDP with election-year budget

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Competing goals for NDP with election-year budget

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026

The good news is the provincial deficit has been shrinking for the past two years. The bad news is the NDP government is still deep in the red.

The province released its public accounts Monday for the 2025-26 fiscal year. It shows the provincial deficit came in at $832 million last year, down from $1.12 billion the previous year and $1.95 billion in 2023-24.

The almost $2-billion shortfall was shared between the former Progressive Conservative government and the NDP, which took the reins of power about halfway through the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Premier Wab Kinew and Finance Minister Adrien Sala continued to insist Monday that the NDP inherited a $2-billion deficit from the Tories, which is not entirely accurate.

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Tuesday, Sep. 22, 2026

Opinion

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, greets Prime Minister Mark Carney as he arrives in Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory 20 kilometres off the southern coast of Newfoundland, on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Why Carney, Macron met in St. Pierre and Miquelon

By Paco Milhiet 5 minute read Preview

Why Carney, Macron met in St. Pierre and Miquelon

By Paco Milhiet 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 21, 2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not need to cross the Atlantic to meet Emmanuel Macron on French soil over the weekend. Instead, he joined the French president in St. Pierre and Miquelon, just 25 kilometres off Newfoundland.

It was the first official visit to the archipelago by a Canadian prime minister.

The visit brought together a contentious shared history, Canada’s rapprochement with Europe and St. Pierre and Miquelon’s search for new development opportunities.

Covering 242 square kilometres and home to around 6,000 people, the archipelago rarely attracts international attention.

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Monday, Sep. 21, 2026

Opinion

Kayakers paddle on Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park as other visitors sit on a bench on a sunny Monday afternoon. Nature is where Manitobans enjoy leisure time and gather with friends, but the province has no clear plan on how to protect it, Ron Thiessen writes. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Where is the rest of the plan?

By Ron Thiessen 5 minute read Preview

Where is the rest of the plan?

By Ron Thiessen 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

Manitoba has a climate plan. Where is the pathway for protecting nature?

The Manitoba government has released its long-awaited Path to Net Zero Plan, outlining ways to tackle emissions and build a more climate resilient future.

But something essential is missing.

In 2023, the Manitoba government committed to developing an action plan to protect 30 per cent of Manitoba’s lands and waters by 2030. The Path to Net Zero Plan recognizes the importance of nature in addressing climate change, calling for measures that restore, conserve and enhance natural ecosystems. That recognition is welcome.

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Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

Opinion

Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of former Iranian Shah Reza Pahlavi, speaks during a news conference in Berlin, Germany, earlier this year. Pahlavi should not take power in Iran if there is a regime change, David Matas writes. (The Associated Press files)

Canada must not accept another Iranian autocracy

By David Matas 5 minute read Preview

Canada must not accept another Iranian autocracy

By David Matas 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

Iran is a state run by a radical government victimizing its citizens and its neighbours. How do we change that? Any regime change that repeats the mistakes of the past is not a solution.

What went wrong in the past that led to the current regime? One answer is the U.K.- and American-aided coup that led to the ouster in 1953 of a democratically elected government headed at the time by Mohammad Mossadegh and its replacement with an American-friendly autocrat, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The Shah imposed his rule through the Iranian National Intelligence and Security Organization — SAVAK, the acronym of its Persian name. SAVAK systematically inflicted torture, arbitrary killings and extra-judicial killings on perceived opponents of the regime. It was only a matter of time before repression of a regime directed to serving foreign interests would be overthrown.

What replaced the regime of the Shah, in 1979, the current regime of the mullahs, is a regime as intolerant and violent as the regime of the Shah and then some. That was not inevitable. But neither was it surprising. The vicious nature of the current regime, following the example set by the Shah, and its hatred for the United States, reacting to the U.S.-aided imposition of the Shah, both echoes and reacts to the past. In 1979, the U.S. reaped what it sowed in 1953.

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Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

Opinion

Students walk out of a high school to protest sweeping gender policies announced by the UCP in Leduc, Alta., in February 2024. (The Canadian Press files)

Alberta’s education reforms enact a curriculum of silence

By Teresa Anne Fowler 6 minute read Preview

Alberta’s education reforms enact a curriculum of silence

By Teresa Anne Fowler 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

In May 2026, the Alberta government enacted Bill 25, an An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms.

On its surface, the legislation is wrapped in the reassuring vocabulary of modernization. It promises to strengthen accountability, improve efficiency, promote neutrality and complete the transition to digital administration for provincial exams.

But many education researchers who study curriculum policy will tell you curriculum is never neutral.

Under Bill 25, the Alberta government has codified a grammar of subtraction — a series of small, procedural changes that go largely unnoticed but carry profound, cumulative consequences.

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Sunday, Sep. 20, 2026

Opinion

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 18. (The Canadian Press files)

Poilievre holding reality hostage

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Poilievre holding reality hostage

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Pierre Poilievre has a problem.

Canadians just don’t seem to be paying much attention to him anymore.

So, naturally, the Conservative Opposition leader has decided to turn up the volume.

At a recent party caucus retreat in Penticton, B.C., Poilievre delivered the familiar message: Canada is in trouble, Canadians are hurting and the Liberal government is making everything worse.

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Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Opinion

Graduates fill Brandon University’s Healthy Living Centre during BU’s 2026 convocation for the Faculty of Science and the School of Music. Lia M. Daniels suggests ways to make classroom assessments a better experience for post-secondary students and instructors alike. (File)

Rethinking student assessment could improve their well‑being

By Lia M. Daniels 5 minute read Preview

Rethinking student assessment could improve their well‑being

By Lia M. Daniels 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

When you were in school, what stressed you out the most? For many students, classroom assessments — graded tests, quizzes, group work, presentations, labs and the like — would be near the top of the list.

Like decades of research before it, the research my students and I have been doing continues to show that classroom assessment is a persistent source of social pressure and general unhappiness for post-secondary students.

This isn’t to say that instructors and institutions aren’t trying to address the problem. Two solutions seem to be common.

First, there have been many efforts to support student mental health on Canadian campuses, including national standards, institutional plans, counselling centres and crisis lines, to name a few. While helpful, these solutions often don’t have the capacity to handle the problem.

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Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

Opinion

Tom Brodbeck writes that Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook should be able to see the temporary emergency department at Dauphin Regional Health Centre because it’s her job “to scrutinize the government’s health-care policies, question its decisions and advocate for Manitobans.” (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Opposition needs access to hospitals to hold government accountable

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Opposition needs access to hospitals to hold government accountable

By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

You can’t hold a government accountable for what it won’t let you see.

That is the uncomfortable lesson from the dispute between Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook and Prairie Mountain Health over her recent attempt to visit the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.

Cook wanted to see the temporary emergency department that reopened Sept. 7 after flooding forced the hospital to close in July. She wanted to speak with officials about the reopening, the challenges they were facing and the work still required.

Prairie Mountain Health said no.

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Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

Opinion

Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba logo.

Whose interests do the police watchdog agency represent?

By Christopher J. Schneider and Stacey Hannem 4 minute read Preview

Whose interests do the police watchdog agency represent?

By Christopher J. Schneider and Stacey Hannem 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

Cassity Delvenne, a 24-year-old Indigenous woman, was arrested by the Brandon Police Service (BPS) and charged with impaired driving and resisting arrest on June 12.

A 45-second bystander video of Delvenne’s arrest shows officers on top of her, repeatedly striking her. Brandon police acknowledge that the officers did hit Delvenne. Allegations of excessive force have been levied against the arresting officers. Delvenne’s mother maintains that she has photos showing extensive injuries to her daughter that include bloodied ears, bruising and a chipped tooth.

Delvenne reportedly made a complaint to the BPS following her arrest. She died nine days later. The exact cause of her death is under investigation.

On Sept. 11, the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU), Manitoba’s police oversight agency, confirmed that it had reviewed Delvenne’s arrest but would not launch a full investigation. They offered no explanation for the decision.

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Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

Opinion

Food donations at the Daily Bread Food Bank’s spring public food sort in Toronto, on Saturday, April 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Strategy won’t solve food insecurity — or the health issues it creates

By Karen Tang, Lynn McIntyre and Sandra Berzins 5 minute read Preview

Strategy won’t solve food insecurity — or the health issues it creates

By Karen Tang, Lynn McIntyre and Sandra Berzins 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 14, 2026

It would be easy to mistake the new National Food Security Strategy as a plan that will reduce food insecurity in Canada. In launching the initiative in June 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that it was meant to “address structural causes of food insecurity … particularly [for] the most vulnerable.”

While the National Food Security Strategy does include important food systems initiatives, it does not address the root causes of food insecurity nor its health consequences.

As food insecurity and health researchers, we join a chorus of concern, particularly stemming from charitable food sector leaders, who stress that we cannot donate our way out of a problem rooted in income inequality.

This is despite promises of a generous allocation of funds both through, and complementary to, the strategy for charitable food operations.

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Monday, Sep. 14, 2026

Opinion

Red lentils are shown growing in a dry Saskatchewan field in June 2025. Zack Gross writes that climate change already affects us, and we need to find new ways of doing business and living our lives. (The Canadian Press files)

Climate change predictions coming true

By Zack Gross 5 minute read Preview

Climate change predictions coming true

By Zack Gross 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 13, 2026

It’s certainly nothing to gloat about. Years ago, I began to speak out in this column about the coming change in climate if humanity didn’t take the threat seriously and deal with its industrial emissions and its sumptuous lifestyle, in particular in the “rich” part of our world. Climate change might be the only topic from which I received criticism from some readers who believed that the issue was at least an exaggeration or, at worst, a hoax.

Now, with Earth having experienced its hottest two summers in recorded history and endured massive storms, floods, melted glaciers and more, it would seem that not enough action has been taken, our unsustainable lifestyle has continued, and we are being told by climate crisis watchdogs that the process is now irreversible. Canada is warming almost twice as fast as the planetary average and the arctic at three times the global rate, says a federal government report.

Brandon and Westman has certainly been hit hard this summer by violent weather, and there was only a single voice that I found on social media claiming it was a “one-off” and that next summer would be very different. Those naysayers are now few and far between. The Interlake region has also been walloped, with the Stonewall area being flooded several times, affecting buildings, roads and crops. And the Dauphin and Swan River areas have seen fields turn to lakes, bridges and roads get washed away, and the Dauphin hospital damaged to the extent its ER was shut down for nine weeks.

As someone who has worked globally in his career, I continue to seek ways to support communities in poorer countries where climate change hits home directly, affecting livelihoods and indirectly affecting many products that we in Canada like to buy. As examples, Manitobans love their coffee, chocolate, sugar and tea. If such crops fail, at a minimum prices will go up. Anyone shopping for coffee these days will be aware of that. Just like gas at the pumps, coffee is getting darned expensive.

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Sunday, Sep. 13, 2026

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