Voyageur 56
Both Parties Want Canadians to Be Able to Live and Work in the U.K. and Australia, and The Buy Canadian Boycott Turns One. It Isn't Going Anywhere.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Both Parties Want Canadians to Be Able to Live and Work in the U.K. and Australia
For the first time in a while, Canada's two biggest parties agree on something. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on his first trip abroad as opposition leader, used last week's Margaret Thatcher Lecture in London to pitch a "modern CANZUK" - a pact between Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand that would let professionals move freely between all four countries. A nurse licensed in Sydney, Australia would therefore be permitted to work just as easily in Sydney, Nova Scotia. A drug approved in London, England would be considered safe in London, Ontario.
Poilievre isn't alone. PM Mark Carney spent last week in Australia talking up closer ties, and the Liberal Party endorsed CANZUK at its 2023 convention. A 2018 poll found 76% of Canadians were in favour. This isn't new - Canadians were considered British Subjects as recently as the 1950s, with reciprocal work rights across the old Commonwealth. The idea now is to build something like that again, but updated, with regulatory alignment and defence procurement thrown in. For Canadians who already live in one of these countries, it could eventually mean less paperwork and fewer visa headaches.
Read more: Global News / The Globe and Mail
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The Buy Canadian Boycott Turns One. It Isn't Going Anywhere.
It's been a full year since Canadians started checking labels, cancelling U.S. vacays and swapping out their Jack Daniel's for Canadian Club. The Bank of Canada says it’s a structural change in the economy, not a passing mood.
It’s hard to argue with the numbers. U.S. spirits exports to Canada fell almost two-thirds in the past year, turning Canada from the second-biggest export market into the sixth. The wine trade flipped from a $254-million American surplus to a $90-million deficit. Ontario's LCBO, which pulled all U.S. booze from shelves on March 4, 2025, says about $2 million worth has since expired in storage - the province won't sell it and won't auction it off (Ed: we’re not sure how booze expires). Ontario-made alcohol sales are up 22%, and craft products are up even more, by 35%.
Travel’s taken a beating too. Canadian air trips returning from the U.S. dropped almost a fifth. Canadian bookings at U.S. ski resorts sank more than 45% in January. Three in five Canadians told Leger they've avoided buying American alcohol or produce, and most plan to keep it up. A Toronto massage chain called Great American Backrub is thinking about changing its name since "American" in the name doesn't seem to mean what it used to.
Read more: CNBC / Global News