Good morning, It’s Tuesday, January 28th. In today’s news, Conservatives condemn Trudeau’s reported plan to stack the Senate on his way out, China’s DeepSeek turns AI on its Head with US tech stocks on track to lose $1 trillion in value, Poilievre calls to deport temporary residents involved in violence or hate crimes, Six Liberal leadership contenders in race after MP Chandra Arya disqualified, and much more.
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Conservatives Condemn Trudeau’s Reported Plan to Stack the Senate on His Way Out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing criticism from the Conservative Party of Canada for allegedly planning to stack the Senate with Liberal partisans before his resignation, a move they say threatens democracy. The Conservatives are calling on Liberal leadership candidates to oppose this plan and demand that the appointments be delayed until after the next general election, ensuring they are made by a government with a public mandate.
Trudeau reportedly plans to fill 10 Senate vacancies, with appointees who could remain in office until the age of 75. The Conservatives argue this would entrench his policies and legacy long after he leaves office. "The last thing Canadians need is more lame-duck senators tied to Justin Trudeau who pretend to be independent," the party said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time Trudeau has faced criticism for Senate appointments. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously accused him of ignoring the province’s Senate election results by appointing two individuals with ties to the Liberal Party instead of the province's elected nominees. Smith likened Trudeau’s approach to that of a "bad renter who’s burning the furniture on their way out."
Trudeau has appointed 90 senators since 2015, far outpacing his predecessor, Stephen Harper, who appointed 59 senators during his nine years in office. With these upcoming appointments, Trudeau will have stacked 86% of the Senate with his chosen appointees. Critics argue that this leaves Canadians with a Senate overwhelmingly tied to Trudeau's partisan agenda, regardless of future elections.
The Conservatives, along with voices like Alberta Premier Smith and Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights CEO Rod Giltaca, warn of the long-term consequences. "Stacking the Senate with dangerous lunatics has consequences," said Giltaca.
As Trudeau prepares to exit, Canadians are already grappling with the implications of a Senate heavily influenced by his legacy, a reality that many argue will challenge democracy for years to come. Source
China’s DeepSeek Turns AI on its Head—US Tech Stocks on Track to Lose $1 Trillion in Value
Chinese startup DeepSeek is turning heads with its latest AI models, rivalling industry leaders like OpenAI and Meta at a fraction of the cost. The company claims its models, DeepSeek-V3 and R1, are not only high-performing but also significantly cheaper to use—up to 50 times less expensive than OpenAI's o1 model.
DeepSeek's V3 model reportedly required less than $6 million in computing power using Nvidia H800 chips, and its AI Assistant has already surpassed ChatGPT as the top-rated free app on Apple's US App Store. This efficiency is raising questions about US tech companies' multibillion-dollar AI investments and has caused a noticeable dip in shares of major tech players like Nvidia. Its hardware efficiency, coupled with the fact that it’s free to use and open-source, is a potent cocktail that’s spooked the technology world over the weekend. DeepSeek’s output challenges the “spend billions to accelerate AI progress” narrative and is sending stocks like Nvidia ($120.30, -16.91%), Broadcom ($206.35, -17.36%), and Microsoft ($435.13, -2.14%) plummeting in premarket trading—threatening to wipe as much as $1 trillion off America’s top tech names.
After initial disappointment in Chinese AI capabilities, DeepSeek has flipped the narrative, earning praise from Silicon Valley executives and engineers alike. The R1 model, released last week, delivers performance on par with OpenAI and Meta's most advanced systems. However, skepticism remains. Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang alleged that DeepSeek may own restricted Nvidia H100 chips, potentially violating US export controls, although DeepSeek has not commented on the accusation. Analysts have also raised doubts about the company’s claims of low training costs and called for more transparency.
DeepSeek was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, co-founder of hedge fund High-Flyer, which has patents for chip clusters and operates 10,000 A100 chips. High-Flyer’s AI expertise and resources likely contributed to DeepSeek’s rapid rise.
The company’s success has also drawn political attention in China, with founder Liang Wenfeng attending a closed-door symposium hosted by Premier Li Qiang, signalling Beijing’s interest in using DeepSeek to achieve AI self-sufficiency and counter US export controls.
DeepSeek’s combination of cost efficiency, hardware innovation, and open-source accessibility is redefining the AI landscape, raising both excitement and concerns across the globe. Source
Poilievre Calls to Deport Temporary Residents Involved in Violence or Hate Crimes
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called for the deportation of temporary residents involved in violent or hate crimes, emphasizing the need for decisive action against rising antisemitism and hate crimes in Canada.
Speaking at the Holocaust memorial ceremony in Ottawa, marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau’s liberation, Poilievre highlighted alarming statistics: hate crimes inspired by antisemitism and “woke ideologies” had risen over 100% before October 7, and spiked by 251% after Hamas' attack on Israel, which claimed 1,200 lives. Jewish Canadians, making up less than 1% of the population, accounted for 70% of religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023.
Poilievre criticized the Liberal government for delays in listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and for granting anti-racism funds to individuals with histories of hate speech. He also condemned the appointment of figures like Birju Dattani to leadership positions despite their controversial records.
Calling for unity, Poilievre stated, “We must stand up against these outrages and stand for bringing our people together, united in our common values, our common freedom, and our common love for our country and for humanity.”
His stance aligns with recent actions in the US, where President Donald Trump signed an order to deport non-citizens involved in terrorism or promoting hateful ideologies, leading to enforcement by US Immigration and Customs. More
Six Liberal Leadership Contenders in Race After MP Chandra Arya Disqualified
The race for the Liberal Party's leadership intensifies as candidates shift from signing up members to actively campaigning for votes ahead of the March 9 deadline. The party approved former central banker Mark Carney, MPs Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould and Jaime Battiste, as well as former MPs Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla, to run in the leadership race—though Chandra Arya was disqualified, raising some questions about the legitimacy of the race.
Carney has gained significant momentum, while Freeland and Gould focus on policy and public engagement. The candidates now face a tight timeline, needing to raise substantial funds and secure support as they head into debates and the final decision. More
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This is ridiculous!!! The senate is a joke. It should be a voted position not appointed. With a term limit. The destruction of this country is nearly complete. What will be left by the time this liberal/ndp government is finally gone!!
The Senate should be turned over every election and seats allocated based on percentage of the popular vote and appointed by party leaders.