Judgement Day

Where news meets rational thinking

Good morning, it’s Monday, November 17th. In today’s news, Ottawa’s books don’t add up and the PBO just proved it, the minority Liberal Party could be headed for a confidence vote over the 2025 budget, a far-left publishing house pursuing “radical structural change” received over $500,000 taxpayer dollars, Google is being sued for using Gemini AI to track its user’s private conversations, and much more.

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Ottawa’s Books Don’t Add Up and the PBO Just Proved It

When a government presents a budget, the headline figure is the deficit. In the case of the recently tabled Budget 2025, the number was floated at about $73.8 billion. But a closer look reveals that the day-to-day operating shortfall – the measure most citizens intuitively care about – is far larger than the government lets on.

In its new report, the PBO finds that the government’s own accounting games mask a far deeper structural deficit. The government claims an operating deficit of only -$4.1 billion for 2024-25. Yet when the PBO applies standard definitions of what constitutes “capital spending” versus “operating spending”, the true deficit rises to -$10.5 billion in that year, then soars across subsequent years: -$45.8 billion in 2025-26, -$25.3 billion in 2026-27, and so on.

What drives the distortion? According to the PBO, the government reclassifies large tranches of regular spending — subsidies, tax credits, even production supports — as “capital investment”. That shift means these costs drop out of the operating ledger and appear as long-term investment instead. The PBO argues that under international accounting standards such as the SNA (System of National Accounts), these items would not qualify as true capital formation.

The consequence is two-fold. First, the operating deficit appears deceptively small, giving the impression of near-balance or eventual surplus. Second, the “capital investment” line gets inflated — the Budget claims one number, while the PBO’s more conservative definition places the investment total at about $217 billion over 2024-25 to 2029-30 — roughly $94 billion lower than the government’s figure.

Footnotes matter. The government’s fiscal anchor: balance day-to-day spending with revenues by 2028-29 and see the deficit-to-GDP ratio decline. The PBO finds the odds of meeting that anchor at just 7.5%. The debt-to-GDP ratio, rather than falling, is set to rise — and the room to manoeuvre for tax cuts or increased program spending is sharply constrained.

In plain English: the headline deficit number hides the truth that the government is still spending more than it brings in — on its daily operations — and relies on accounting sleights to dress up the figures. Political messaging aside, the underlying budget trajectory is weaker, the future flexibility slimmer, and the risks higher than the public has been told.

Readers should look past the glossy “investments” label and ask: how much of this is real infrastructure, how much is just policy spending dressed up? Because ultimately the bill still arrives — and it’s bigger than you’re being told. Source.

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Judgement Day: Minority Liberals Headed for Confidence Vote—Budget Failure Could Trigger Election

As Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government heads into a crucial budget vote, the outcome remains uncertain, with opposition parties yet to publicly commit support.

The Liberals, holding 170 seats in the House of Commons—just two shy of a majority—need at least two opposition votes in favor or four abstentions to avoid triggering a federal election.

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has called for cross-party unity, saying, “It’s not a time for political games, it’s not the time for posturing, this is time to fight for Canada, fight together, meet the moment, elevate yourself above politics.” Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc echoed this confidence, noting there are “all kinds of good reasons why different members or opposition parties want the budget to be passed,” (I just can’t think of any…).

Yet opposition leaders remain steadfastly opposed. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the plan as a “costly Carney credit card budget that is going to drive up the cost of food, housing and living for Canadians,” vowing that all Conservative MPs will vote against it.

The New Democratic Party (NDP), with seven seats and currently in a leadership race, is seen as a potential ally, though no formal support has been offered. Meanwhile, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May—the party’s sole MP—has indicated initial opposition, telling the CBC, “Right now, I’m a no,” while leaving open the possibility of reconsideration. Though the Greens’ single seat limits their sway, May’s stance underscores the broader hesitancy among opposition ranks.

Failure to pass the budget would force Canada into a snap election—the first time two federal votes would occur within 12 months since 1979-1980—risking political and economic instability. Recent polls show the Liberals in a tight race with Poilievre’s Conservatives, making today’s vote a pivotal moment for Carney’s government. All eyes are now on the backroom negotiations that could determine the fate of the budget and the administration’s future.

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Canadian Government Gave Over $500,000 to a Publisher Pushing Communism

Canada’s governments have a strange habit of lecturing the country about “misinformation,” then shovelling public money into fringe groups that pump out their own. The latest example comes from a small publishing house in Halifax and Winnipeg—Fernwood Publishing—which has been given more than half a million dollars since 2020 to print hard-left political tracts most Canadians would never buy.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation highlighted the issue this week. Its point was simple. If a company says proudly that it is “politically driven, not profit driven,” it should stand on its own two feet. If readers want the books, let them buy them. What the CTF objects to—and what should trouble every taxpayer—is the idea that Ottawa, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia have quietly kept this outfit afloat with public funds while it admits that profit isn’t the goal. Politics is.

This isn’t about taste. It’s about a government funding its own worldview through back channels. Fernwood says its mandate is to “engage with radical ideas and contribute to structural change.” In other words, it’s an activist press. Yet between federal grants, Manitoba’s Publisher Marketing Assistance Program, and Nova Scotia’s Publishers Assistance Fund, taxpayers have paid more than $528,000 to help it market niche books that barely register on the charts.

One of its recent titles, Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left, bills itself as a defence of communist thought against rising “anti-communism.” On Amazon, it sits in the mid-hundreds of Marxism rankings and has zero reviews. Another book offers advice for socialists in 2025. Another is a poem set built around the climate crisis. You can guess how wide the audience is for these works.

Canada has built a sprawling, taxpayer-funded ecosystem that props up ideas the market won’t touch. A government shouldn’t be in the business of keeping loss-making political publishers alive—especially ones that boast about pushing Marxist “radical analysis.” It erodes trust, tilts the field, and turns the public purse into a tool for ideological work.

If Fernwood’s books matter, readers will pay for them. If they don’t, the publisher should adapt, not lean on Ottawa to cover the gap. At a time when Canadians are struggling with rent, food, and taxes at historic highs, forcing the public to bankroll activist propaganda is not cultural policy. It’s contempt. Source.

Google Sued for Using Gemini AI to Track Users’ Private Communications

Google is facing a class-action lawsuit in California accusing it of quietly switching on its Gemini AI features across Gmail, Chat, and Meet without user consent. According to the complaint, Google secretly enabled Gemini on Oct. 10, allowing the AI to scan and analyze emails, attachments, messages, and conversations—potentially exposing private medical, employment, political, and personal data in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

Although users can disable the feature, it was turned on by default under “Workspace smart features,” despite no agreement from users. The lawsuit cites reporting that Gemini can dig deeply into years of personal history, raising major concerns about undisclosed data access.

Early assumptions estimate this class-action suit will see a settlement somewhere in the $2–5 billion range. This case follows Google’s recent $1.37 billion privacy-related settlement with Texas. More

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Canada’s Aid to Ukraine Will Continue Despite Latest Corruption Scandal—Ottawa Offers Oversight Support

Canada says it will maintain its commitment to supporting Ukraine, offering governance and accountability assistance as Kyiv confronts a $100 million corruption scandal at its state nuclear agency, Energoatom. Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have detained multiple suspects, sanctioned key figures, and triggered high-level resignations, all while citizens face winter blackouts from Russian attacks. Zelenskyy has ordered a sweeping audit of all state-owned companies, and the EU is warning that Ukraine’s future depends on confronting corruption—exactly the backdrop in which Canada, having already sent nearly $22 billion since 2022, insists it will stay the course. More

Of course, the irony is impossible to miss: Ottawa is presenting itself as a guardian of transparency and good governance while Canada itself is mired in economic mismanagement, spiralling deficits, and recurring corruption scandals. The idea that we’re in any position to oversee anyone else’s accountability is beyond ironic—it’s absurd.

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Some Canadians Could Be Denied a US Visa Due to Obesity, Cancer or Other Medical Cconditions - A State Department directive instructs officials ‘to treat chronic health conditions, limited finances, low-skilled employment or limited English ... as red flags.’ More

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UK Government Poised to Overhaul Its Asylum System as a Political Storm Brews Over Migration - More

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Thousands Protest Crime and Corruption in Mexico City as ‘Gen Z’ Protests Gain Momentum - The capital’s security secretary said 120 people were injured, 100 of them police officers. Twenty people were arrested. More

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US Military: 20th US Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Leaves 4 Dead - A spate of ongoing US strikes have killed an estimated 80 since September. More

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Netanyahu and Israeli Leaders Reject Internationally-Backed Call for ‘Pathway’ to Palestinian Statehood - More

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Trump Says He Will Sue BBC for up to $5 Billion Next Week Over Jan. 6 Speech Edit - The president said he plans to speak with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the matter, but that he is suing for the American people. More

Musk Predicts Tesla’s Optimus Robot Will ‘Eliminate Poverty’ and Rescue Global Economy

Elon Musk told shareholders that Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot will be the key to “eliminating poverty” and delivering “amazing medical care for everyone,” arguing that embodied AI—not software alone—is the only path to massive economic expansion. As part of his newly approved pay package, Tesla must sell one million Optimus units over the next decade, and Musk claims the robots could boost global economic output tenfold—or even a hundredfold—by delivering productivity far beyond human capability. He says Optimus is central to Tesla’s vision of “sustainable abundance,” even suggesting AI and robotics are the only way to prevent America’s looming debt crisis, though he warns the transition will bring significant disruption and social upheaval. More

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Two of Canada’s Wealthiest Families Have Teamed up to Make an $18 Million Bid for Hudson’s Bay - The Thomson family, including DKRT Family Corp., and the Weston family, via Wittington Investments Limited, jointly offered $18 million to buy the 1670 Hudson’s Bay charter for donation to four public custodians. More

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A Federal Jury Ruled that Apple Has to Pay $634 Million for Infringing Smartwatch Patents - For reference, Apple has made over $100 billion in cumulative revenue from their Apple Watch as of Q2 2025. More

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Google to Build Three New Data Centers in Texas in $40 Billion Investment - More

From Safety to Surveillance: Wi-AI Technology Offers Powerful Surveillance Capabilities

Wi-AI is an emerging AI technology that uses Wi-Fi signal reflections to “sense” activity and objects in a space without relying on cameras or biometric data. By analyzing how signals bounce off people and items, the system can detect potential threats or monitor patterns of movement while preserving individual anonymity. Originally developed from Carnegie Mellon research, it’s being explored for applications ranging from security and public safety to elderly care and business analytics.

While the technology offers powerful benefits—such as detecting hidden hazards or understanding how spaces are used—experts caution that its widespread adoption could normalize mass surveillance. Even without capturing personal identities, the ability to monitor everyone in a given area raises significant privacy and legal questions. For example, a Pennsylvania school district recently deployed Wi-AI to scan students and visitors for hidden weapons, illustrating how the technology can be used in everyday settings and raising concerns about the balance between safety and constitutional privacy rights. More

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Floating Device Turns Raindrops Into Electricity - A new floating droplet electricity generator is redefining how rain can be harvested as a clean power source by using water itself as both structural support and an electrode. More

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China’s Shenzhou 21 Astronauts Are Stranded Aboard the Tiangong Space Station - China is reportedly preparing to launch a rescue mission. More

Makhachev Wins Second Title as Dillon Danis Receives Lifetime UFC Ban After Brawl

At UFC 322, Islam Makhachev celebrated a major achievement by winning a second title, cementing his status as a two-division champion. However, the bigger story overshadowing the night was Dillon Danis, who was banned for life from attending UFC events after instigating a chaotic brawl with Makhachev’s team in the arena. The melee, which required more than a dozen security personnel to break up, stemmed from lingering bad blood dating back to a 2018 incident involving Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. UFC president Dana White confirmed that Danis will never be allowed at a UFC fight again, effectively ending his hopes of entering the promotion despite his plans to compete in smaller regional events. More

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Grey Cup 112: The Saskatchewan Roughriders Beat the Montreal Alouettes 25-17 to Win the Grey Cup - More

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Stephen Curry Ties Michael Jordan’s Record for the Most Games with 40-Plus Points After Turning 30 Years Old at 44 - More

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Haaland Stuns Italy, Clinches Norway’s 1st World Cup in 28 Years. See Who Else is in - More

Trump Administration Releases Declassified Amelia Earhart Records, Including Coast Guard Report of Hearing Voices Over Radio Days After Her Disappearance

Chinese Toymaker Suspends Sales of Its AI Teddy Bear After It Was Giving Kids Sexual Advice—The Toy Also Revealed Where to Find Knives, Pills, and Plastic Bags

On This Day in 1922, The Ottoman Empire Comes to an End as Sultan Mehmed VI Is Forced into Exile on a British Warship Bound for Malta, Ending 600 Years of Rule

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