Trouble for Canada

Where news meets rational thinking

Good morning, It’s Monday, March 17th. In today’s news, Carney’s conflicts of interest spell trouble for Canada, New Liberal cabinet lined with Trudeau-era ministers, Meta to begin testing Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, Carney asks for review of Canada’s F-35 Fighter Jet deal with US’s Lockheed Martin amid tariff rift, and much more.

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Beijing’s Prime Minister? Carney’s Conflicts of Interest Spell Trouble for Canada

Mark Carney’s rise to power is a reminder of how deeply Canada’s political elite are intertwined with global financial interests. The former governor of the Bank of England and Brookfield executive is now Canada’s unelected Prime Minister, taking over from Justin Trudeau without a single vote cast by the public. But Carney’s connections raise serious concerns—not just about democratic legitimacy, but about where his true loyalties lie.

At the heart of the issue is Carney’s extensive financial entanglement with China. Under his leadership, Brookfield Asset Management—one of Canada’s largest investment firms—expanded its footprint in China, securing billions in real estate and green energy deals. These investments include a $750 million stake in Shanghai real estate and hundreds of millions poured into China’s renewable energy sector. More troubling is Brookfield’s reliance on Chinese state-owned banks for financing, including a nearly $300 million loan from the Bank of China, granted just months after Carney met with top Chinese officials in Beijing.

While Carney’s team insists his assets are in a blind trust, that does little to change the reality that his financial empire remains deeply tied to Beijing. And it’s not just China—Brookfield has also used offshore tax havens to avoid paying billions in taxes. Reports from the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) show the firm dodged an estimated $6.5 billion in taxes in 2021 alone, leveraging shell companies in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Jersey.

This raises an uncomfortable question: Can a prime minister who has spent years profiting from Chinese state-backed deals and offshore financial loopholes be trusted to put Canada’s interests first?

Canada’s economic future depends on aggressively leveraging its vast natural resources, particularly oil and gas. With rising global demand and increasing geopolitical instability, this sector represents the country’s best path to economic security. Yet Carney, a staunch advocate of green energy, has spent years pushing an anti-oil agenda aligned with global climate initiatives. Given his deep financial ties to green investments—including those in China—it’s clear he has a vested interest in steering Canada away from resource development, even if it leads to economic decline.

In Carney, Canada has a leader who was never elected, whose financial interests lie with foreign powers, and whose economic vision prioritizes globalist green schemes over national prosperity. The conflict of interest is undeniable. Source.

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New Leader, Same Liberals: Carney Lines Cabinet with Trudeau Ministers

Mark Carney was officially sworn in as Canada’s 24th Prime Minister on Friday, taking the helm despite never holding an elected seat in the country. His new cabinet, though smaller than Justin Trudeau’s, is largely made up of familiar faces, signaling continuity rather than a major shift in direction.

While Carney pledged that his government would be "focused" and ready to take action, the appointments reflect a continuation of the same leadership group that was central to the Trudeau government. Notable figures like Anita Anand, now Innovation Minister, Steven Guilbeault, who takes on Canadian Culture and Identity as well as Quebec Lieutenant, and Bill Blair, staying on as Defence Minister, remain in their positions.

Other key ministers, such as Jonathan Wilkinson in Energy and Natural Resources and Chrystia Freeland as Minister of Transport, are also returning, signaling that Carney’s leadership will rely heavily on the Trudeau-era heavyweights who have shaped Canadian policy for years. One striking absence is Mary Ng, who did not receive a position despite her past roles under Trudeau. Former ministers like Mark Holland and Arif Virani also didn’t make the cut. New faces, including Toronto MP Ali Ehsassi, London MP Arielle Kayabaga, and Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois, have secured positions in Carney’s cabinet.

As Carney takes office, the new government faces the question of whether it can shake off its previous administration’s legacy or whether it will simply be a new leader with the same old team. With an election potentially on the horizon, the future of this leadership will soon be put to the test.

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Meta to Begin Testing Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

Meta is launching a new crowd-sourced fact-checking initiative called Community Notes across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, starting on March 18. This initiative will replace Meta’s third-party fact-checking program in the US, which was discontinued in January. The Community Notes system allows users to write and rate contextual notes on content, similar to the feature introduced on X (formerly Twitter). Initially, these notes will not be publicly visible, as Meta will be testing the system to ensure accuracy, with a full public rollout expected later.

Notes will be published only when contributors with differing viewpoints agree that they add valuable context, preventing one ideological group from dominating the narrative. Meta claims this approach will reduce bias in moderation.

Unlike the previous third-party fact-checking program, Community Notes will not affect a post’s reach or visibility. Fact-checked posts under the old system were often demoted in users’ feeds, but Community Notes will be used solely as an informational tool. The rating system for Community Notes is based on X’s open-source algorithm, with Meta planning to refine the system for its platforms. The algorithm assesses contributor ratings and prioritizes agreement among users with differing views.

Meta also aims to address criticism from conservative groups who claim social media platforms suppress their viewpoints. This shift to Community Notes is seen as part of Meta’s broader efforts to improve relations with political figures, particularly following criticism from the Trump administration. Meta had previously worked with over 100 certified fact-checking organizations in 60 languages under its old program. More

Carney Asks for Review of Canada’s F-35 Fighter Jet Deal With US’s Lockheed Martin

Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has called for a review of Canada's deal with Lockheed Martin to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets, each priced at around US$85 million. Carney has asked Defence Minister Bill Blair to assess whether the deal remains the best option for Canada, especially considering the changing global environment. The review comes amid ongoing trade tensions between Canada and the US, with Canada already committed to purchasing the first 16 jets. Although the deal was announced in 2023, with deliveries expected to start in 2026, Carney’s request reflects broader concerns, as other countries, like Portugal, are also rethinking their military purchases. The total cost of Canada’s F-35 program is estimated at $19.8 billion, which includes equipment, services, and infrastructure. More

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US Defies Court Ruling, Transfers 250 Gang Members to El Salvador for Imprisonment

The Trump administration sent over 250 Venezuelans, accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, to a prison in El Salvador despite a federal court ruling temporarily blocking the deportations. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared a video showing the detainees arriving at a prison, where they were immediately processed. The US had agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to hold these individuals for a year as part of a broader effort to address gang violence.

Earlier, US District Judge James Boasberg issued an order halting the deportations, arguing the use of the Alien Enemies Act in this context was problematic. He also directed that any deportation flights already airborne be turned back. Despite this, the flights proceeded, raising concerns about the enforcement of court orders and the broader legal implications of using the Alien Enemies Act for such deportations. More

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Macedonian Nightclub Fire Kills at Least 59, Injures Over 150; Police Detain 15 People - Preliminary inspection revealed Pulse Club was operating without a proper license and the number of people inside was at least double its official capacity of 250. More

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US Strikes on Iran-Backed Houthis in Yemen Killing Multiple Leaders - The Houthis say the strikes led to 31 deaths; the United States has not yet released death toll estimates. More

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Tornadoes, Wildfires and Blinding Dust Sweep Across the US as Massive Storm Leaves at Least 37 Dead - More

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Netanyahu Moves to Fire Intel Chief Who is Investigating His Aides - More

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Serbia's Largest-Ever Rally Sees 325,000 Protest Against Government - The Novi Sad collapse last November has galvanised anger towards the government and President Aleksandar Vucic. Demonstrators blame corruption and corner-cutting for the loss of life. More

Canada's Counter-Tariffs Are Hurting Small Businesses

Small businesses across Canada are facing a devastating impact from the federal government’s counter-tariffs, with many struggling to absorb the 25% tariffs on goods imported from the US. The tariffs, which apply to everything from sports equipment to cooking appliances, are putting immense pressure on small businesses, especially those with thin profit margins.

Business owners are being forced to raise prices, which have made them less competitive in the market—the only alternative is to absorb the higher costs, risking their financial stability. Small businesses, which often lack the resources to weather these economic storms, are suffering the most. With no guarantees of financial support from the government, these businesses are stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to avoid the financial strain caused by the counter-tariffs placed on US goods. More

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Hudson’s Bay Company Plans to Liquidate Entire Business By June, Putting More Than 9,000 Jobs at Risk - More

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California Man Wins $50 Million in Lawsuit Over Burns From Starbucks Tea - Michael Garcia, underwent skin grafts and other procedures on his genitals after a venti-sized tea drink spilled instants after he collected. More

Could Our Entire Universe Be Inside a Black Hole? James Webb Discovery Suggests It’s Possible

A groundbreaking discovery from the James Webb Space Telescope has brought renewed attention to a mind-bending theory: what if our entire universe exists inside a black hole? In the 1970s, scientists Raj Kumar Pathria and I.J. Good proposed that the event horizon of a black hole could serve as the boundary for our universe, essentially suggesting that we might be living within a black hole that itself exists inside a larger universe.

This theory has gained support from the recent study of galaxies observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Researchers found a surprising pattern in the rotation of these galaxies—about two-thirds rotate clockwise, and one-third rotate anticlockwise. This unusual distribution of rotational directions hints at a larger cosmic spin, which could be inherited from the black hole within which our universe resides.

If true, this would revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos. The universe’s spin might not be random, but rather a fundamental characteristic inherited from the black hole itself. This idea challenges our current models and suggests that our universe might have originated in a completely different way than we’ve previously imagined—inside a vast, rotating black hole. More

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Life on Earth May Have Originated From Microlightning in Water Droplets - A new study suggests that tiny flashes of light may have produced the first organic molecules on our planet, indicating the Miller-Urey hypothesis could have merit. More

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at “War” After he Drops Song Featuring Diddy and Their Daughter North

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, is reportedly in a heated dispute with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian after releasing a new song, "Lonely Roads Still Go To Sunshine," which allegedly features his daughter, North, alongside Sean "Diddy" Combs. However, the song's legitimacy is questioned, especially with Diddy's recent legal troubles. West's use of North's voice in the track has sparked outrage, and tensions between him and Kardashian have escalated over a trademark dispute involving their daughter. In a series of fiery social media posts, West threatened war over the issue, stating that neither he nor Kardashian would recover from the public fallout. This drama follows a string of controversial statements from West, including anti-Semitic remarks and praises of Hitler, further intensifying his public image. More

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Men’s March Madness Selection: NCAA Tournament Bracket, Seeds, and Schedule - More

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Magic End Cavaliers’ Franchise Record 16-game Winning Streak - More

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Alex Ovechkin Scores 887th Goal to Move Within 8 of Breaking Wayne Gretzky’s Record - More

A Swiss Motorist Was Fined Over $110,000 for Driving Too Close to the Car in Front of Him on the Motorway—That’s about double the worth of the car he was driving.

A New Method Can Recycle All Parts of a Modern Solar Cell with Water: ‘We Can Recycle Everything’

On This Day in 461, Saint Patrick died. Just a few decades earlier, around 432 AD, Saint Patrick was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland. After six years of captivity, he escaped, returned to Britain, and eventually made his way back to Ireland as a missionary. There, he played a pivotal role in spreading Christianity, a legacy that is honored today on St. Patrick’s Day.

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