Juno News - Trump says Carney is interested in his $175B ＂Golden Dome＂ plan

00:00:00.000 Canada eyes joining Trump's $175 billion Golden Dome Missile Defense Plan,

00:00:10.540 sparking backlash from China.

00:00:12.640 A New Statistics Canada report reveals that the consumer carbon tax was in fact

00:00:17.100 contributing to Canada's rising inflation.

00:00:19.520 Conservative leader Pierre Poliev intends to launch an Economic Growth Council

00:00:23.240 to make recommendations to Parliament on how to reverse Canada's ailing financial performance.

00:00:28.580 Hello Canada, it's Thursday, May 22nd, and this is the True North Daily Brief.

00:00:33.300 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.

00:00:34.540 And I'm Noah Jarvis.

00:00:35.680 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.

00:00:38.360 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:47.240 Canada has expressed interest in participating in U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed $175 billion

00:00:54.100 missile defense system dubbed the Golden Dome, a move that has drawn criticism from China.

00:01:00.700 Trump announced he selected the architecture for the Golden Dome, land, sea, and space missile defense

00:01:05.800 system during a Tuesday press conference at the White House, where he signaled that Canada was

00:01:10.540 interested.

00:01:11.280 Trump said, quote,

00:01:12.200 Canada has called us, and they want to be a part of it, so we'll be talking to them.

00:01:16.520 They want to have protection also, so as usual, we help Canada and do the best we can.

00:01:21.020 The Prime Minister's office confirmed it is engaged in ongoing discussions about Canada's

00:01:25.800 potential involvement in the defense project, cautioning that nothing has been finalized.

00:01:30.240 A spokesperson for Prime Minister Mark Carney said the discussions were part of Canada's

00:01:34.440 interest in bolstering North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, capabilities.

00:01:39.420 Trump said the Golden Dome, named after the Iron Dome missile defense system America helped

00:01:44.460 build in Israel, should be fully operational by the end of Trump's second term, in three

00:01:48.860 years.

00:01:49.380 He said his latest bill will include $25 billion for the Golden Dome, however, he estimated

00:01:54.620 the project would cost $175 billion once completed, a price tag he said Canada would help pay.

00:02:00.780 Trump said, quote,

00:02:02.060 We'll be discussing Canada.

00:02:03.480 They want to hook in, and they want to see if they can be a part of it.

00:02:06.500 That sort of makes sense, I guess.

00:02:07.840 That's what I was talking about from day one.

00:02:10.360 You know, it just automatically makes sense, and it won't be very difficult to do, but

00:02:14.360 they'll pay their fair share.

00:02:15.760 Some critics estimated the build would likely take more than three years, and others said

00:02:20.380 the cost of the project would likely exceed Trump's claimed $175 billion price tag.

00:02:25.600 Helping fund this project could help Canada achieve its NATO commitment of spending 2% of

00:02:30.520 its GDP on defense.

00:02:32.040 According to the Chinese Communist Party-run Global Times, China has warned the US to abandon

00:02:37.600 its Golden Dome missile defense system, saying it will, quote,

00:02:40.640 Heighten the risks of space militarization and an arms race.

00:02:44.180 So, Noah, how does Carney's latest stance towards the US and President Donald Trump compare to

00:02:48.040 what he was saying on the campaign trail?

00:02:50.000 Well, it's definitely a change of pace from what Mark Carney has been saying on the campaign trail.

00:02:54.440 If you recall, just a couple months ago, Mark Carney was telling all Canadians that we have

00:03:00.700 to redefine our relationship with the United States because of the current administration.

00:03:06.760 Up in the White House, Mark Carney was talking about how Canada needs to reorient its economy

00:03:12.560 away from the United States and to develop defense relationships with other countries like

00:03:18.860 the United Kingdom, like France, like Germany, other European countries, Japan, and reorient

00:03:25.980 away from reliance on the United States.

00:03:29.540 But as we've seen in Mark Carney's few months of the prime ministership, specifically after

00:03:35.460 the election, he has taken a markedly different tone when it comes to dealing with the United

00:03:41.060 States, especially when he is talking to the president.

00:03:45.440 And then, you know, he has a different tone when he's talking to the media.

00:03:49.320 When he's talking to the media, he continues to boast his rhetoric on standing up to the

00:03:56.120 United States, standing up to the tariff threats, and committing to bolstering Canada's

00:04:02.280 defense, independent of the United States.

00:04:05.500 However, joining in this commitment to create the Golden Dome, as Trump calls it, would be quite

00:04:12.360 the opposite.

00:04:12.920 If the United States really represented such a grave threat as Prime Minister Carney had

00:04:19.380 been demonstrating to Canadians over the past few months, it is a bit strange to further

00:04:25.480 integrate Canada's defense commitments with the United States to help the United States

00:04:31.680 develop this Golden Dome system.

00:04:33.660 I think most Canadians would agree that having a weapons technology that could make Canada next 0.89

00:04:40.900 to impervious to incoming missiles and rockets, especially coming from space, I think Canadians

00:04:47.360 would agree that that's a good idea.

00:04:49.360 But to have a system that has been developed in concert with the United States, and to have

00:04:55.600 a system that potentially could be turned on and off by an American administration current

00:05:02.080 or future would have those elbows-up Canadians really concerned, really worried that the 0.89

00:05:08.540 United States could have leverage over Canada's defense and its ability to defend itself from

00:05:14.640 incoming attacks.

00:05:15.540 But Mark Carney doesn't really seem to be demonstrating this fear, demonstrating the sort of elbows-up

00:05:22.000 mentality.

00:05:23.000 He is furthering Canada's defense commitments with the United States.

00:05:26.000 And perhaps this is the right thing to do.

00:05:28.100 Perhaps that Canada is always destined to further integrate its economy, further integrate its defense

00:05:35.000 policy, and the weapons systems that it uses with the United States, but it is certainly

00:05:41.460 a different tone from what Prime Minister Carney took on the campaign drill.

00:05:48.460 Canada's inflation rate fell in April, driven in part by the lowering of the consumer carbon

00:05:53.380 tax rate to $0 during the election campaign.

00:05:56.460 However, while energy prices steeply decreased, other industries like food weren't as lucky and

00:06:01.420 prices skyrocketed due to Prime Minister Mark Carney's counter-tariffs and ongoing industrial

00:06:06.620 carbon tax.

00:06:07.820 The data released by Statistics Canada on Monday highlighted that Canada's consumer

00:06:11.960 price index rose by 1.7% annually in April, compared to a 2.3% annual increase seen in March.

00:06:20.180 This means that the average price of goods still increased yearly, just at a slower pace.

00:06:24.880 After the price of energy fell 1.6% in March, it plummeted to an 18.1% yearly increase in the

00:06:31.400 April.

00:06:32.400 The report reads, quote, the price decrease in April was mainly driven by the removal of

00:06:37.800 the consumer carbon price.

00:06:39.520 Similarly, the price of natural gas fell 14.1% in April, following a 6.4% annual increase

00:06:46.320 in March, a shift the report also credited to the removal of the consumer carbon tax.

00:06:51.680 While Carney claimed to cancel the carbon tax, a carbon pricing scheme law remains in place

00:06:56.680 and can only be axed through a majority vote in Parliament.

00:06:59.640 Conservative MP Andrew Scheer highlighted the irony of legacy media reporting on the carbon

00:07:04.180 tax's contribution to reducing inflation and downplaying its impact for so long.

00:07:08.760 For years, the Liberals also maintained that the consumer carbon tax played no real role

00:07:12.980 in driving inflation.

00:07:14.640 After ceasing collection on their provincial carbon levies in early 2024, Saskatchewan and

00:07:19.880 Manitoba had already seen the benefits of removing the carbon tax, as their inflation fell

00:07:24.920 much quicker than other provinces.

00:07:26.720 By keeping the taxes off, their inflation rose at nearly half the rate of the rest of

00:07:30.560 the country in 2024.

00:07:32.140 In April 2025, inflation rose more slowly in 9 of 10 provinces.

00:07:37.100 While the price of energy fell drastically, food prices continued to increase faster than

00:07:41.580 any other industry, with a 3.8% increase annually.

00:07:45.840 So Isaac, did the legacy media and politicians ever acknowledge that the carbon tax was contributing

00:07:50.160 to inflation before Carney reduced the consumer portion?

00:07:53.260 Well, Noah, that's a great question.

00:07:55.440 So I basically did a Google search and compiled some of what legacy media said regarding carbon

00:08:00.400 tax and its relation to inflation in the past.

00:08:03.600 So I'll list a few headers and publications, so hopefully you can get the idea.

00:08:07.580 Carbon tax had negligible impact on inflation, new study says, CBC.

00:08:12.360 Study links inflation to global factors, not carbon tax, wealth professional.

00:08:17.240 Carbon pricing has only a tiny impact on inflation, economists, Canada's national observer.

00:08:22.000 Trudeau government's carbon price has had minimal effect on inflation and food costs,

00:08:26.580 study concludes, Toronto Star.

00:08:28.440 I could go on, but you get the gist.

00:08:30.640 As for the studies and experts assisting these articles, you can conduct very poor studies,

00:08:36.500 for example, with a univariate analysis of a multivariate problem or experts with extreme

00:08:42.800 bias.

00:08:43.800 For example, looking at another CBC article titled, the consumer carbon tax is gone as

00:08:48.400 of today.

00:08:49.400 What will that mean for your wallet?

00:08:50.860 The article contained various things that could be interpreted as untrue.

00:08:55.820 For example, the lead sentence said Carney canceled the carbon tax, which of course

00:09:00.520 is a lie because he can't cancel the carbon tax, as you mentioned, Noah.

00:09:09.680 The only possible way to do that is through a majority vote in parliament.

00:09:13.680 Next, that article featured an expert from the University of Alberta, Andrew Leach, who

00:09:19.380 was suggesting similar lies that the Liberal government peddled over the last few years, suggesting

00:09:26.140 that people would be worse off due to losing the carbon tax rebates.

00:09:30.240 He said that lower income households would see a net negative after losing the rebates,

00:09:35.220 an easily verifiable lie, especially when calculating the true cost of the carbon tax among the line

00:09:40.360 of distribution, which most analyses, to be fair, fail to even begin to comprehend.

00:09:45.520 And this is again, of course, after the parliamentary budget officer reported time and again that

00:09:50.900 Canadian households were paying more than they received in rebates, which True North reported

00:09:55.520 repeatedly.

00:09:56.100 Still, we saw left-wing pundits and legacy media continue in their lie, saying that eight out

00:10:01.600 of ten households are somehow better off, despite such a claim defying basic common sense.

00:10:07.120 This was after True North reported repeatedly, as you mentioned, Noah, that provinces that

00:10:11.580 removed their carbon taxes, notably Saskatchewan and Manitoba, consistently had lower inflation

00:10:16.720 than the rest of the country.

00:10:18.500 So while legacy media and left-wing politicians have been peddling lies about the carbon tax

00:10:22.580 for years, True North has been consistent in its messaging, and this messaging is now

00:10:27.000 confirmed and verifiably true.

00:10:33.080 Conservative leader Pierre Poiliev announced the formation of an Economic Growth Council

00:10:36.960 to help identify the root causes of Canada's poor financial performance and propose solutions

00:10:41.420 for the future.

00:10:42.420 The Leader's Economic Growth Council aims to identify the economy's root problems and propose

00:10:47.540 practical solutions with two primary objectives.

00:10:50.820 The first is to, quote, bring back greater buying power with earnings that rise faster than

00:10:55.640 prices so Canadians get better living standards, and the second is to provide more growth to

00:11:00.620 fund stronger defence and borders and better social programs.

00:11:04.260 The Council will be chaired by MP Greg McLean, who represents the riding of Calgary Centre,

00:11:09.860 and co-chaired by Kaspus Gasking-Timmons-Mushkugowak, MP Gaytan Millet, as well as former MP Rick

00:11:16.800 Perkins.

00:11:18.120 Council members plan to make consultations across various business sectors, labour organisations,

00:11:22.720 stakeholders, non-profits, and speak with policy analysts to gather data and present feedback.

00:11:28.320 Its members will be selected from a wide range of sectors and regions, from Indigenous leaders

00:11:32.960 to entrepreneurs and innovators from both private and non-profit industries.

00:11:36.960 A presentation of the Council's findings will be presented at the 2026 Conservative Party

00:11:41.600 National Convention and will also be discussed in Parliament.

00:11:44.880 The primary goal of the report is to, quote, unleash the country's full economic potential

00:11:49.680 and bring it back from its position as the economic laggard of the developed world.

00:11:54.000 So, Noah, is there anything in Proliev's 2025 federal platform that may indicate areas the

00:11:58.880 Council might hone in on for further study?

00:12:01.600 Well, I think the 2025 Conservative platform was interesting in that not only did it present

00:12:07.040 a bunch of policies that the Conservatives wanted to implement, but they also decided that they would

00:12:13.760 like to bring in a task force that would reform taxes, specifically called the Tax Reform Task Force.

00:12:20.560 And in the Conservative platform, the party decided that this task force would look over

00:12:26.480 four key points, that being a tax cut that rewards work and saving, a tax code that closes loopholes

00:12:34.400 for the wealthy and well-connected, eliminates unnecessary red tape, and makes it easier for Canadians

00:12:39.760 to file and understand their taxes. Now that the Conservatives are in opposition and they don't have

00:12:44.720 the burden of governing the country. The task force likely will look a little different, would likely be

00:12:52.560 attuned toward the needs of an opposition party who has to hold the current Liberal government to account,

00:12:58.480 rather than implement a policy for all Canadians. But at the end of the day, there are some key points that this task force

00:13:06.960 needs to hit on, as commentators and Canadians for several months and years have been talking about these issues,

00:13:14.960 specifically being Canada's failure to grow its economy. GDP per capita growth has basically been stagnant for a decade.

00:13:23.280 And you also have to look at Canada's issue with productivity. Productivity in the past three to four years has actually not been stagnant,

00:13:33.120 but on the decline. This means that Canada's workers are producing less quantity of items, of services, per hour.

00:13:42.880 So these problems are the things that are ailing Canada's economy, holding Canada back from becoming an economic superpower.

00:13:51.920 And a lot of the solutions that the task force will have to recommend will be involving tax cuts and regulatory reform,

00:13:59.280 as Canada has some of the higher taxes for the middle class across any country in the world.

00:14:04.880 And this really does inhibit the ability of middle class families to spend and to throw money back into the economy.

00:14:13.680 We also see the problem with a failure of employment growth in the private sector.

00:14:19.360 And most of the employment growth, when looking at jobs numbers, is in government positions.

00:14:25.440 The government continues to get bigger while the private sector continues to remain the same size or even contract.

00:14:33.120 And when it comes to regulatory reform, I mean, the Trudeau government was notorious for bringing in new regulations,

00:14:40.880 bringing laws that would set out whole new regulatory parameters and dynamics.

00:14:47.520 They decided that they would sidestep a Harper government law that would require

00:14:52.560 the government to eliminate a regulation for each new regulation they bring in.

00:14:56.880 Yet, the Trudeau government, they decided to encompass several sub-regulations under one giant regulatory framework

00:15:05.040 in order to increase the regulatory burden.

00:15:08.000 Now, we know that the Conservatives said that they would be slashing the amount of regulations by 25%

00:15:14.720 if they had formed government.

00:15:16.240 But now that they have more time in opposition, and now that they have time to do this study,

00:15:20.880 to conduct this task force, they can go into the details, the nitty-gritty into what regulatory reform

00:15:26.480 would look like, what regulations need to be scrapped entirely because they're outdated,

00:15:31.840 or because they restrict building or restrict entrepreneurs from establishing their businesses,

00:15:38.640 and which regulations need to be reformed in order to properly deliver the results

00:15:45.200 that the regulation is set out to deliver.

00:15:48.320 And just in general, I know that many Canadians are peeved that they have to give up so much of

00:15:55.600 a large percentage of their income compared to, say, Americans, who then would just move to the United States

00:16:02.560 in order to pursue a higher income with lower taxes in a regulatory environment that is less burdensome

00:16:10.400 to entrepreneurs. And to have Canada a laggard in this area definitely contributes to

00:16:14.880 many of the economic woes that Canada has, the outflow of investment from the Canadian economy

00:16:20.800 into the United States. So these are many of the areas that the Conservative platform needs to hone in on

00:16:27.360 and to deliver some solutions for Canadians so that they can then go back to Canadian voters in

00:16:34.240 2026, 2027, 2029 is when the election date is scheduled to happen next. So perhaps you can

00:16:42.320 take some of these policies, deliver them to Canadians in a solid communicative package,

00:16:50.080 and then potentially dethrone the Liberals and prevent them from winning a fifth term.

00:16:58.800 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in.

00:17:01.600 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and

00:17:06.480 Spotify. Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a five-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - May 22, 2025

Trump says Carney is interested in his $175B ＂Golden Dome＂ plan

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