[narduch]

America really is the root of all evil though.

And I'm not a Putin fan either.

 

[EBT]

So I guess we're tossing the Canadian car industry entirely then?

No, I am not suggesting that we allow Chinese EVs into Canada with zero tariffs. We should remove the 100% tariffs and reduce them to a suitable level, such as 20% to 25%, which would incentivize Chinese carmakers to localize some production in Canada while protecting a nascent Canadian EV industry, if one exists.

The reality is, there is not much of an EV industry to protect in Canada. The only EV being produced is the Dodge Charger, which, despite its hot styling, is not selling well. So, Stellantis is introducing an ICE version. In a rare case of good news for the Canadian auto industry, Stellantis will be adding a third shift in Windsor to produce the new Dodge Charger Hemi. Honda has put its EV plans on the back burner, and Ford has scrapped EV plans for Oakville and is reportedly retooling for heavy-duty pickup trucks.

The Canadian market is already open for ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars from China. Lincoln imports its Nautilus SUV from China. The tariff on entering Canada is 6.1% (MFN, or Most-Favored-Nation). Incidentally, the Chinese-engineered and produced Nautilus was designed for the demanding Chinese market, and hence it features the highest-quality interior that you will find on any Lincoln vehicle.

 

[123GTA123]

It's from 6 months ago. It's not irrelevant to current dynamics.

My reply was agreeing with you but just pointing out it wasn't recent.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Ikea is a very green company. Unless they're planning on opening up manufacturing here in Canada as well, it's unlikely we'll see them want to deal with the carbon footprint and cost of shipping wood overseas only to ship final product back. Especially after they closed their only North American manufacturing plant (Danville, Virginia) in 2019.

I would not state that their record is very green as it relates to old growth forests in Poland and Romania.

Speaking of which...

Poland triggers NATO Article 4 after Russia's drone incursion

Polish authorities have recorded and tracked 19 crossings into Polish airspace by Russian drones.

www.euronews.com

We'll see what Carney's and Canada's response is here.

 

[123GTA123]

The article doesn't explain why Canada would be antagonizing China with this stupid stunt at a time when we should be mending relations with China, just as India has done.

China is only being "antagonized" because they believe that the Taiwan Strait is under their influence and do not fall under the category of International Waters. Countries can only claim 12 Nautical Miles from their coastline as their own waters. Within 200 Nautical Miles it can be claimed as an exclusive economic zone which gives them economic rights of resources within the zone but the surface is still International Waters which allows for freedom of navigation to foreign countries. This claim isn't supported Internationally and by respecting it as Chinese Waters will basically legitimize their claim over the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Also, I don't think it's a good idea to allow countries to start making illegal claims and get away with it. The ships were within their rights to navigate through the Strait and pointing out that it doesn't fall under Chinese Jurisdiction.

The only explanation for Canada and Australia engaging in this antagonistic action is that they are both acting like good little obedient vassals of the United States

Australia as a coastal nation nearby has large interest in maintaining international law and supporting allies in Indo-Pacific Region. They're a maritime nation in a region where China regularly exerts military power over IE. Firing into Japan's EEZ Water, Live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea and Taiwan's coast. Australia probably has a much bigger interest in protecting this area than the US. We have major economic partners in the region (Including China) and want to increase our influence with regional groups/allies. The US is looking more unreliable everyday, I think looking and strengthening partnerships in times like this important.

 

[guavadelic]

Mark Carney told the Liberal caucus that the initial list of nation-buiding projects will be announced on Thursday. The National Observer published a piece back in July on the projects that are expected to be greenlit:

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/07/17/analysis/mark-carney-major-projects-national-interest

 

[afransen]

Sounds like a hefty price tag. So Ontario gets HSR, Ring of Fire and I guess to sell nuclear expertise to AB/SK/NB?

But no 401 tunnel? Kory Teneyke sounded salty about it on the Curse of Politics this week.

 

[EBT]

Mark Carney told the Liberal caucus that the initial list of nation-buiding projects will be announced on Thursday. The National Observer published a piece back in July on the projects that are expected to be greenlit:

View attachment 680281

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/07/17/analysis/mark-carney-major-projects-national-interest

According to the CBC, there will be no pipelines announced tomorrow, which is disappointing but not surprising since Carney can't even say the word "pipeline". He euphemistically refers to them as "energy corridors".

Pipelines should have been at the top of the list of projects. Had we diversified the foreign markets for our oil and gas, we would not be in the position that we are in now, with Trump holding a gun to our heads. I also do not see in the above map an Energy East oil pipeline, which should be a top priority for a variety of reasons. Currently, all oil sent to refineries in Sarnia is sent through Enbridge Line 5, which crosses through Wisconsin and Michigan. This puts Canada in a very vulnerable position if the Americans decide to turn off the flow, which Michigan has threatened. Why isn't this a top priority? Also, an Energy East pipeline would not only allow Canada to export oil to Europe it would also deliver oil to eastern Canada markets that are currently dependent on American oil. You could argue that the Energy East pipeline should have been the TOP project right now. It would also require a lot of steel, which would help out our steel mills that have been shut out of the US market. Again, Canada is not a serious country.

 

[zang]

Of note, Carney should seek the censure of Andrew Scheer.

Former Global News journalist Rachel Gilmore made a fairly astute statement about Kirk's death possibly inciting violence from the right. It was chastised online by Andrew Scheer, to which Gilmore responded if Scheer was trying to get her killed. Literally minutes afterwards, Gilmore was put at the top of a list on a website called "Charlie's Murderers".

Rachel Gilmore (@rachelgilmore.bsky.social)

I’m officially scared. Because of this ONE tweet being afraid of potential reverberations of right wing political violence from this — something many others have said — I’m now the first result on a website called “charliesmurderers.” This is putting me in genuine danger. What the fuck do I...

bsky.app

 

[Mihairokov]

Unfortunately not overly surprising. There's going to be an increase in political violence as we progress, either targeted at politicians or at influencers. The US is a country of violence and has been throughout its entire history, and that seepage occasionally comes here, too.

Hasan's reaction was probably the most fair as he immediately realized he would be in literal crosshairs the second he appears anywhere. Ben Shapiro has already cancelled his upcoming events. Welcome back to the 1960s.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

Of note, Carney should seek the censure of Andrew Scheer.

Former Global News journalist Rachel Gilmore made a fairly astute statement about Kirk's death possibly inciting violence from the right. It was chastised online by Andrew Scheer, to which Gilmore responded if Scheer was trying to get her killed. Literally minutes afterwards, Gilmore was put at the top of a list on a website called "Charlie's Murderers".

Rachel Gilmore (@rachelgilmore.bsky.social)

I’m officially scared. Because of this ONE tweet being afraid of potential reverberations of right wing political violence from this — something many others have said — I’m now the first result on a website called “charliesmurderers.” This is putting me in genuine danger. What the fuck do I...

bsky.app

Shooting people will never silence anyone. If anything, it will likely make them noisier.

 

[DirectionNorth]

Housing related, but I didn't know where to put this ... Mark Carney announced the launch of the homebuilding agency, "Build Canada Homes" today. Oh, and we know where Ana Bailão will be now.

CBC: Carney announces launch of new housing agency, earmarks funding for new projects

The government is touting Build Canada Homes as a centralized agency to oversee new affordable housing programs initiated at the federal level.


The prime minister also announced that former Toronto city councillor Ana Bailão will be the CEO of Build Canada Homes.


Carney said an initial $13 billion is earmarked to help fund the construction of 4,000 modular homes on an initial six sites across the country — with capacity to scale up to 45,000.

On the overall market:

But the agency also identified concerns in two of the most expensive housing markets. It said Toronto is on pace for its lowest annual housing starts in 30 years and reported a slowdown in construction in Vancouver compared with 2024.

In Toronto, construction of new condominiums dropped by 60 per cent in the first half of 2025, and the agency predicts that for at least two more years, housing starts in the country's largest city will be well below what's needed to restore affordability.

The CMHC report also found that homebuilding was running close to a record pace in the first half of this year in cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax, driven by construction of rental apartments.

The agency projected that Canada's overall housing starts will need to almost double by 2035 to meet demand, rising to 480,000 homes per year.

The official press release ...
PMO: Prime Minister Carney launches Build Canada Homes to supercharge homebuilding across the country

The press release (I know, I know) cites three pillars:

First, Build Canada Homes will partner with industry, other orders of government, and Indigenous communities to build affordable housing at scale and at speed ... enabling financing, providing land, and helping builders get big projects off the ground ... Canada Lands Company will be transferred under the Build Canada Homes portfolio.

Sounds good ... but maybe someone with deeper knowledge can chime in on whether this is addressing the real issues or not.

Second, Build Canada Homes will deploy capital, create demand, and harness innovative housing technologies to build faster and more sustainably, 365 days a year ... methods of construction such as factory-built, modular, and mass timber. Through bulk procurement and long-term financing ...

I'm whatever on this one ... though mass timber is good.

Third, Build Canada Homes will adopt the government’s new Buy Canadian policy and prioritize projects that use Canadian lumber and other Canadian materials.

Not a fan of Buy Canadian requirements, but unlike with transit (cough the T1 replacements), lumber and regular steel are perfectly fine made in Canada.



Four priorities: 4000 direct build units in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, starting next year, with the eventual goal of 45000 units; $1.5 billion for buying affordable rental units; $1 billion for the homeless or at risk of it; and 700 units in conjunction with the Nunavut Housing Corporation.

1. As Build Canada Homes begins to develop public land sites under Canada Lands Company’s portfolio, it will prioritize innovative, factory-built housing. To begin, Build Canada Homes will prioritize six sites to build 4,000 factory-built homes on federal land – with additional capacity of up to 45,000 units across the portfolio. In these projects, it will deploy a “direct-build” approach, overseeing and leading construction projects focused on affordable mixed-income communities. This first tranche of sites will be in Dartmouth, Longueuil, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
2. To help protect existing affordable rental housing, the $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund will be launched under Build Canada Homes. This initiative will support the community housing sector in acquiring at-risk rental apartment buildings, ensuring they remain affordable over the long term. It also aligns with Build Canada Homes’ broader mandate to grow the supply of affordable and non-market housing – not only by building new homes, but also by preserving the ones on which Canadians already rely.
3. Build Canada Homes will deploy $1 billion to build transitional and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It will collaborate with key provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous partners to pair these federal investments with employment and health care supports.
4. Build Canada Homes will partner with the Nunavut Housing Corporation to build over 700 public, affordable, and supportive housing units. Approximately 30% of the units are expected to be built off-site, using innovative construction methods such as factory-built housing

Thoughts - $13 billion is a large pile of cash. This is actually quite ambitious (from my non-industry perspective). Won't get us out of the hole alone, but it's a good measure. I see measures to support private builders in the first plank, which is good (though again, someone with more knowledge, feel free to chime in on whether this is targeting the right chokepoints).

I also see various measures to build and/or support affordable units - $2.5 billion at least - though it's unclear what the policy is for all other units (I assume the bureaucratic stuff will be hashed out later).

Overall, a good package and also more ambitious than I thought and/or feared it might be. Targets a variety of sectors, moves quickly, etc.

 

[guavadelic]

Housing related, but I didn't know where to put this ... Mark Carney announced the launch of the homebuilding agency, "Build Canada Homes" today. Oh, and we know where Ana Bailão will be now.

CBC: Carney announces launch of new housing agency, earmarks funding for new projects

Caught most of Carney's press conference on this earlier. BCH will focus on affordable housing and Carney justified its creation by saying he felt CMHC's mandate was too broad and BCH would address the gaps in the affordable sector.
He also indicated that more announcements will be forthcoming to address the broader housing market, which his government quickly needs to address IMO because the middle-class being squeezed on housing affordability was one of the big issues that hurt the Trudeau government.