With a new mandate to cut billions in federal spending, cabinet members might have to skip the icebreakers and head straight to the whiteboard at their team retreat next week. 

What happened: Canada’s new Treasury Board President (and self-proclaimed chief operating officer of the government) Anita Anand is giving cabinet ministers just six weeks to find 15 billion extra dollars kicking around in the federal government’s 2023 budget. 

Nearly nine months after the release of ChatGPT, Canada is progressing toward increasing safety and transparency around generative AI. 

Driving the news: The federal government is currently pulling together a voluntary code of conduct that could commit firms to safety measures, testing, and disclosures, per The Logic.

Whom amongst us hasn’t spent a little too much on something we really wanted? The federal government certainly has on its newest pipeline.

Driving the news: Earlier this week, Canada's energy regulator denied Trans Mountain’s request to increase tolls for shipping oil on the soon-to-be-completed Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMP) as the crown company searches for ways to pay off its massive debt. 

As of yesterday, almost 80% of Canada’s ministers are new or in a new role… all with the hopes of making a dent in the country’s most pressing issues ahead of the next election. 

What happened: Following what former Liberal minister Catherine Mckenna called a “bonkers Cabinet shuffle speculation," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau almost completely overhauled his front bench with a renewed focus on housing, defence, and public safety. 

The Mounties appear on the verge of a major shakeup—and no, it doesn’t involve ditching the iconic Red Serge jackets and campaign hats. 

Driving the news: The city of Surrey was ordered by BC’s Solicitor-General to move forward with a plan to end RCMP policing and establish a municipal police force instead.

After years of losing talent to the US (a phenomenon also known as the ‘brain drain’), Canada is now looking to get revenge and poach tech workers from the US.

Driving the news: A pilot program aimed at bringing in H-1B visa holders currently living in the US reached its cap of 10,000 applications after being open for just two days.

Canada has reportedly launched one of the first-ever probes into Nike’s alleged use of forced labour abroad. 

Driving the news: Nike Canada faces a federal investigation into allegations that it sells products made with forced Uyghur labour in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. 

Google and Meta’s fight against the Online News Act may not really be all about Canada.

Driving the news: The companies’ goal in trying to quash a new Canadian law that requires them to pay news publishers for linking to their content is to prevent it from setting a global precedent that will embolden other nations to do the same, industry experts told Bloomberg.

Getting ahead in the green transition doesn’t come cheap… just ask the government.

What happened: The federal and Ontario governments convinced automaker Stellantis and electronics company LG to resume the construction of their NextStar electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in Windsor. All it took was promising up to $15 billion in subsidies.

The feds just told Meta, “Oh, you wanna be withholding? Well, two can play at that game.” 

What’s happening: The federal government has suspended its advertising on Facebook and Instagram—worth about $10 million annually—in response to Meta’s decision to block Canadian news content for Canadian users once the Online News Act comes into effect.