Opinion
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 15, 2026
Canada's Investment Summit leverages Mark Carney's credibility to diversify investment sources, strengthening economic sovereignty and diplomatic ties.
Confidence, Sovereignty, and Diplomacy at the Investment Summit
In an era marked by geopolitical uncertainty and shifting economic alliances, Canada stands poised to leverage its unique position through the Canada Investment Summit. Spearheaded by Mark Carney, this gathering in Toronto is not just a meeting of minds but a strategic pivot towards a future where confidence, sovereignty, and diplomacy converge.
Mark Carney, with his storied career at the helm of the Bank of England and as a pivotal figure in global finance, brings unparalleled credibility. This credibility is a magnet for long-term capital. As noted in the Globe and Mail, the summit aims to transform investor interest into tangible commitments, showcasing Canada's stable and attractive investment climate.
News: Canada taking control of its future, Mark Carney tells new investment gathering https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/canada-taking-control-of-its-future-mark-carney-tells-new-investment-gathering/article_2c0b14cf-0e01-40c2-bf31-223a1b0b6622.html
Amidst the backdrop of U.S. trade tensions and China's global economic maneuvers, Canada's strategy of diversifying its investment sources is paramount. By attracting a wide array of global investors, Canada can mitigate the risks of over-dependence on a single partner, thus strengthening its economic sovereignty. This approach aligns with the insights from Policy Magazine on the "Carney Doctrine," which emphasizes coalition-building among middle powers.
The summit isn't just about economic transactions; it's a showcase of Canada's diplomatic prowess. By fostering coalitions of middle powers, Canada is not only reinforcing its role on the world stage but also aligning economic interests with geopolitical strat
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Opinion
Strategy won’t solve food insecurity — or the health issues it creates
By Karen Tang, Lynn McIntyre and Sandra Berzins 5 minute read PreviewStrategy won’t solve food insecurity — or the health issues it creates
By Karen Tang, Lynn McIntyre and Sandra Berzins 5 minute read 9:59 PM CDTIt 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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Tariffs give rise to growth, innovation
4 minute read PreviewTariffs give rise to growth, innovation
4 minute read 9:56 PM CDTThere is no doubt that several Manitoba companies have been negatively affected by the unjust tariffs imposed upon our country by the Trump administration.
This was true even before Canada and the U.S. became officially mired in a trade war earlier this month when Canada moved forward with retaliatory tariffs targeting $20 billion of U.S. exports.
While U.S.-Canada trade relations have become even more fraught and frosty over the past several weeks, and the business climate highly strained due to the escalating trade war, it’s reassuring to see that there can still be solid opportunities for growth, even in bad situations.
In February 2025, shortly before Trump imposed his first round of tariffs — 25 per cent to the cost of all steel and aluminum imports into the United States — Atom-Jet Group owner Barry LaRocque was bracing for the potential impact.
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The Port of Churchill — but done right
4 minute read PreviewThe Port of Churchill — but done right
4 minute read Yesterday at 11:56 PM CDTThe seagoing grain carrier wasn’t christened with a champagne bottle. There was no confetti or streamers. Nevertheless, the Aug. 31 event marking the first shipment of grain to be loaded at the Port of Churchill since 2020 was celebrated like the launch of a brand new vessel.
The presence of the federal minister of northern and arctic affairs, provincial cabinet ministers and leaders and elders from several northern First Nations signalled that the fast-tracked process of refurbishing and buffing up Manitoba’s deep-water seaport gem is gaining momentum.
For OneNorth, the partnership of 29 First Nations and 12 northern communities, which owns the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway (both operated by the Arctic Gateway Group), the event heralded a new beginning. It’s been eight years since OneNorth purchased the port and railroad and six years since grain was moved by rail through Manitoba and then by ship to European markets. Two more grain shipments, plus shipments of potash and critical minerals, will continue through the fall.
When Prime Minister Mark Carney solicited the premiers to suggest “nation-building” projects following his election in 2025, Premier Wab Kinew pitched a Manitoba trade corridor that would move wheat, critical minerals, potash and energy (oil or liquid natural gas) through the Port of Churchill.
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Climate change predictions coming true
By Zack Gross 4 minute read PreviewClimate change predictions coming true
By Zack Gross 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:53 PM CDTIt’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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Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada advanced the interests of both countries
By James Horncastle 5 minute read PreviewZelenskyy’s visit to Canada advanced the interests of both countries
By James Horncastle 5 minute read Yesterday at 11:53 PM CDTOn Sept. 9, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary with the aim of reinforcing the partnership between Ukraine and Canada.
The visit came at an important moment for Ukraine. This year, Ukraine has done considerable damage to Russia’s industry and war machine. Ukraine’s position on the frontlines is the best it has been since 2023, with Ukrainian forces no longer yielding territory and actually regaining limited ground.
Yet Ukraine’s diplomatic position has deteriorated. Donald Trump’s assumption of the American presidency and his antagonistic relationship with Zelenskyy have weakened Ukraine’s international position. As a result, Ukraine’s relationships with other allies become all the more important.
The initial results of Zelenskyy’s trip underscored the strength of the Canada-Ukraine relationship. Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to a 100-year pact to co-operate on security and economic matters, while the two countries also agreed to share drone technology.
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Canada is caught between culture and commerce
By Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte 5 minute read PreviewCanada is caught between culture and commerce
By Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte 5 minute read Yesterday at 11:52 PM CDTIn recent weeks, Canada’s federal government has taken seemingly contradictory stances on the protection and promotion of Canadian culture.
On the one hand, after years of efforts to legislate and regulate online streaming, the government slashed the royalties imposed on foreign digital streaming platforms operating in Canada to facilitate trade negotiations with the United States.
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the government called off those very negotiations, arguing that U.S. demands regarding Canadian cultural and linguistic sovereignty went too far.
Particularly at issue was the relaxation of rules imposed on major streaming platforms aimed at increasing the visibility of French-language Canadian content.
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Visit by Zelenskyy advances interests of Ukraine, Canada
By James Horncastle 5 minute read PreviewVisit by Zelenskyy advances interests of Ukraine, Canada
By James Horncastle 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 11, 2026Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary this week with the aim of reinforcing the partnership between Ukraine and Canada.
The visit comes at an important moment for Ukraine. This year, Ukraine has done considerable damage to Russia’s industry and war machine. Ukraine’s position on the front lines is the best it has been since 2023, with Ukrainian forces no longer yielding territory and actually regaining limited ground.
Yet Ukraine’s diplomatic position has deteriorated. Donald Trump’s assumption of the American presidency and his antagonistic relationship with Zelenskyy have weakened Ukraine’s international position. As a result, Ukraine’s relationships with other allies become all the more important.
The initial results of Zelenskyy’s trip underscored the strength of the Canada-Ukraine relationship. Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to a 100-year pact to co-operate on security and economic matters, while the two countries also agreed to share drone technology.
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Staying away to keep the heat on
4 minute read PreviewStaying away to keep the heat on
4 minute read Friday, Sep. 11, 2026It’s a tough sell these days for U.S. tourism groups seeking to attract Canadian visitors as tensions, tariffs and traded verbal barbs continue to rise between the two countries.
Or, as one Canadian marketing executive put it, “It’s just a wasted effort.”
Indeed, it does seem as if — for a sizable percentage of the Canadian population, anyway — there’s nothing U.S. tourism officials can say that will rekindle interest in vacation visits to American destinations, as long as President Donald Trump remains in office and continues to actively antagonize what was once his country’s closest trading partner and most steadfast ally.
With Canada having this week applied, as promised by Prime Minister Mark Carney, reciprocal tariffs on $28 billion worth of U.S. goods crossing into this country, there’s no reason to believe relations between the governments of the two nations are going to improve anytime soon.
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Letter to the Editor — Transit improvements benefit everyone — so who pays for it?
4 minute read PreviewLetter to the Editor — Transit improvements benefit everyone — so who pays for it?
4 minute read Friday, Sep. 11, 2026I am writing in response to the op-ed published on Sept. 9, 2026, entitled “One way to reduce our carbon footprint,” in which the author calls on transit systems across Manitoba to provide bus service free of charge. The author argues that, along with increased safety measures and improved accessibility accommodations, transit would be a more viable option for more people, greatly reducing the need for cars on the road and thus decreasing Manitobans’ transportation-related emissions. This is a strong point, and it is supported by the City of Brandon’s Climate Change Action Plan, which aims to rethink transportation in our city by making bus travel more reliable and convenient. I agree with the author of the previous letter that safety is also an issue that should be included in any transit improvement plans for Brandon.
Over the past few years, Brandon Transit has conducted research and public engagement to produce a Transit Master Plan. This document compares Brandon to other cities of our size in Canada and suggests the best way to make our system more efficient, accessible and convenient without raising fares too much (Brandon transit fares are currently among the lowest in the country, and are far below what similar jurisdictions charge).
This Master Plan would modernize bus service in Brandon, improving on the hub-and-spoke model where each bus returns to a single terminal every half hour (which is becoming impossible with increased traffic and more riders getting on and off), expanding service hours on evenings and weekends and restructuring routes so that buses run both ways along major thoroughfares. The first phase of this plan was set to roll out this fall, but I haven’t heard anything about this actually happening. As always, it likely comes down to funding. Who will pay for these improvements?
Earlier this year, the provincial government offered up to $10 million to provide youth riders with free transit across Manitoba. The City of Brandon has taken them up on that, and free transit ‘Smart!’ cards are being distributed to all Brandon School Division students and youth under 18 this week (with parental permission). This is a huge step toward creating a culture of transit use in young people, and checks off a box on the city’s Action Plan on the province’s dime — a win-win!
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