Kovrig: 'bigger picture' needs to be kept in mind when negotiating Chinese trade proposition
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Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig discusses the Chinese proposition to increase trade with Canada to counter the U.S. tariffs against both countries,
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Vancouver Sun
32 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Oh, Canada — Oilers' mass anthem karaoke not a (slap) shot against Alberta separatists
It's loud and proud, and if the full-throated Rogers Place rendition of the national anthem does not square with your impression of separatist leanings in Alberta, that doesn't make it an incongruity. Nor is it necessarily a targeted display of Canadian unity, which is what former Alberta premier Jason Kenney insinuated in a June 5 social media post, headlining a video clip of another raucous O Canada performance with 'thoughts & prayers for separatists.' His wasn't the only attempt to leverage the sight and sound of Edmonton's boisterous hockey fans against Alberta's oft-misrepresented desire to secede from Canada. There has been plenty of back and forth on that topic this spring, with the anthem at the core of petty and pointed arguments playing out in typical social media style. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. So, what is actually motivating the Rogers Place citizen-initiated choir on game nights? For starters, it's kind of their thing, and has been since 2006. It happened first at old Rexall Place, when the late, great Paul Lorieau pioneered the act of mass anthem karaoke prior to an early-round playoff tilt, and Edmonton hockey fans made it their signature. They handled vocals with aplomb throughout last year's playoff run, too, but nobody conflated those happy happenings with a slap at separatists because there wasn't much noise being made by what was then and remains today a minority of Albertans who favour an as-yet-undefined independence. However, the volume has been cranked up outside the rink, too, in part because of recent moves made by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She routinely pledges devotion to Canadian unity, but is also enabling the separatists among her base with reduced benchmarks to allow for a referendum, meaning they will probably get to put their claims of sovereignty strength to the test in a 2026 vote financed by the taxpayers. If polling data from this year is accurate and support for independence is in fact running somewhere between 18 and 45 per cent, the referendum should still confirm Alberta's commitment to the nation and put the separatist movement on pause. Dissent has simmered for decades in a province that boasts the highest per capita gross domestic product in the country — and at a total of about $350 billion is larger than that of Hungary, Greece, Portugal, Finland, New Zealand, the Czech Republic and many other countries — yet still contains a disgruntled segment of the populace adamant that their economic well-being has been unfairly hampered by equalization, the federal transfer system and climate policy, to name a few major complaints. Former premier Kenney wrote that he suspects the Venn diagram of 'hard-core Alberta separatists, anti-vaxers, MAGA North enthusiasts and anti-Ukraine types' would be a circle, and in so doing, he was tapping into the stereotype that personifies the province's perception problem. A distinct and obvious group has become a de facto caricature: red-necked, right-wing, oil-based, freedom convoy supporters who hate all that Ottawa is and does. Surely, some of those folks still take pride in singing O Canada before a hockey game. It's an anthem, not a referendum. It's also a safe bet that much of Canada is not aware that in hockey parlance, Edmonton would be a gritty left winger, and as such, it bucks the province's political trends. Though the right-wing United Conservative Party formed a majority government with 49 seats in the 2023 provincial election, all 20 Edmonton ridings and two in neighbouring bedroom communities were won by New Democrats. And in the May federal election, Conservatives took 34 of 37 seats in Alberta, but Edmonton Centre was won by a Liberal, Edmonton Strathcona by a New Democrat. It stands to reason, then, that a chunk of those voices inside Rogers Place would belong to people whose politics skew away from the right side of the ice. But to suggest the majority has been singing support for confederation at this uncomfortable political juncture? Seems a stretch. That theory might have held more water when U.S. President Donald Trump put his '51st state' nonsense on repeat and Canadians in every province felt threatened. Today, though, Occam's razor would point elsewhere. The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 1993. The Oilers took the Florida Panthers to Game 7 of the Final last spring and lost. They went the distance with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and dropped that one, too. Once again this spring, the Oilers are the last Canadian team standing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Should you feel compelled to link the fervour behind an anthem to a particular motivation, that's as simple and as good as any of them. Edmonton hockey fans want their team to win and will buy wildly over-priced tickets and beverages, cheer, stomp their feet and sing the anthem for all they're worth as a means of getting into the spirit and furthering the cause. It all happened again on Saturday before the Oilers and Panthers go at it in Game 5 of the Final in Edmonton's downtown puck palace (and will hopefully happen again Friday night for Game 7). Anthem singer Robert Clark, embedded in the Rogers Place pews, will belt out the first 15 words of O Canada before handing over the mic to about 18,000 backup singers who will bring it home with glowing hearts and gusto. They won't all be singing from the same song sheet politically, and the team they support might lose another shot at the Cup, but the sound of a Rogers Place anthem at playoff time is hard to beat. So you can sing and enjoy it at face value, or you can pick your side of the debate and blast off a rejoinder on social media. It's a free country. dbarnes@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Calgary Herald
34 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Oh, Canada — Oilers' mass anthem karaoke not a (slap) shot against Alberta separatists
Article content Former premier Kenney wrote that he suspects the Venn diagram of 'hard-core Alberta separatists, anti-vaxers, MAGA North enthusiasts and anti-Ukraine types' would be a circle, and in so doing, he was tapping into the stereotype that personifies the province's perception problem. A distinct and obvious group has become a de facto caricature: red-necked, right-wing, oil-based, freedom convoy supporters who hate all that Ottawa is and does. Article content Surely, some of those folks still take pride in singing O Canada before a hockey game. It's an anthem, not a referendum. Article content It's also a safe bet that much of Canada is not aware that in hockey parlance, Edmonton would be a gritty left winger, and as such, it bucks the province's political trends. Though the right-wing United Conservative Party formed a majority government with 49 seats in the 2023 provincial election, all 20 Edmonton ridings and two in neighbouring bedroom communities were won by New Democrats. And in the May federal election, Conservatives took 34 of 37 seats in Alberta, but Edmonton Centre was won by a Liberal, Edmonton Strathcona by a New Democrat. Article content Article content It stands to reason, then, that a chunk of those voices inside Rogers Place would belong to people whose politics skew away from the right side of the ice. But to suggest the majority has been singing support for confederation at this uncomfortable political juncture? Seems a stretch. Article content That theory might have held more water when U.S. President Donald Trump put his '51st state' nonsense on repeat and Canadians in every province felt threatened. Today, though, Occam's razor would point elsewhere. Article content The Montreal Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 1993. The Oilers took the Florida Panthers to Game 7 of the Final last spring and lost. They went the distance with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and dropped that one, too. Once again this spring, the Oilers are the last Canadian team standing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Should you feel compelled to link the fervour behind an anthem to a particular motivation, that's as simple and as good as any of them. Edmonton hockey fans want their team to win and will buy wildly over-priced tickets and beverages, cheer, stomp their feet and sing the anthem for all they're worth as a means of getting into the spirit and furthering the cause. Article content Article content It all happened again on Saturday before the Oilers and Panthers go at it in Game 5 of the Final in Edmonton's downtown puck palace (and will hopefully happen again Friday night for Game 7). Anthem singer Robert Clark, embedded in the Rogers Place pews, will belt out the first 15 words of O Canada before handing over the mic to about 18,000 backup singers who will bring it home with glowing hearts and gusto. Article content They won't all be singing from the same song sheet politically, and the team they support might lose another shot at the Cup, but the sound of a Rogers Place anthem at playoff time is hard to beat. So you can sing and enjoy it at face value, or you can pick your side of the debate and blast off a rejoinder on social media. It's a free country.
Cision Canada
35 minutes ago
- Cision Canada
Evolve XRP ETF Expected to Begin Trading on June 18, 2025
TORONTO , June 16, 2025 /CNW/ - Evolve Funds Group Inc. ("Evolve" or the "Manager") is pleased to announce that it has filed a final prospectus with plans to bring Evolve XRP ETF (" XRP " or the "Evolve Fund") to Canadian investors. XRP 's investment objective is to hold substantially all of its assets in physical XRP in order to provide a secure and convenient way for investors to hold the cryptocurrency in a brokerage account. XRP is expected to begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") on June 18, 2025 under the ticker symbols XRP (CAD Unhedged) and XRP .U (USD), subject to TSX approval. " XRP is built for real-world utility, enabling fast, low-cost cross-border payments and decentralized exchange functionality," said Elliot Johnson , Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Evolve. "With growing institutional adoption and greater regulatory clarity, we believe XRP is well-positioned as infrastructure for the future of finance." To achieve its investment objectives, the Evolve Fund will invest in long-term holdings of XRP , purchased through Coinbase and/or other reputable XRP trading platforms and OTC counterparties, in order to provide investors with a convenient, secure alternative to a direct investment in XRP . The Evolve Fund's portfolio will be priced based on, and the Evolve Fund's NAV will be calculated using, the CME CF XRP -Dollar Reference Rate. The CME CF XRP -Dollar Reference Rate is published every day of the year and is available on major vendor platforms such as Bloomberg and Reuters. The Evolve Fund is offering the following units: Evolve Fund USD Units CAD Units XRP √ √ XRP will not use derivatives and does not intend to pay regular cash distributions. The Evolve Fund does not seek to hedge any foreign currency exposure in respect of either the USD Units or the CAD Units. As it is the Evolve Fund's intention to invest in XRP on a passive basis, the Evolve Fund will not speculate with regard to changes in XRP prices. Purchases of XRP will generally only be undertaken by the Evolve Fund in response to subscriptions, and sales of XRP will generally only be undertaken by the Evolve Fund as required in order to fund expenses and redemptions. About Evolve Funds Group Inc. With $7 billion in assets under management, Evolve specializes in bringing innovative ETFs to Canadian investors. Evolve's suite of ETFs provide investors with access to: (i) index-based income strategies; (ii) long term investment themes; and (iii) some of the world's leading investment managers. Established by a team of industry veterans with a demonstrated ability to succeed, Evolve creates investment products that make a difference. Learn more at Join us on social media: X | LinkedIn | Facebook | Youtube Evolve Funds Group Inc. is the investment fund manager and portfolio manager. Evolve XRP ETF (" XRP ") will be offered by Evolve Funds Group Inc., and distributed through authorized dealers. The information contained herein is a general description and is not intended to be specific investment advice to any particular investor nor intended to be investment or tax advice. You should not act or rely on the information contained herein without seeking the advice of an appropriate professional advisor. The unpredictable nature of the cryptoassets can lead to loss of funds. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with exchange traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. ETFs and mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Investors may incur customary brokerage commissions in buying or selling ETF and mutual fund units. Investors should monitor their holdings, as frequently as daily, to ensure that they remain consistent with their investment strategies. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to a future outlook and anticipated distributions, events or results and may include statements regarding future financial performance. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend" or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Actual results may vary from such forward-looking information. Evolve undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law. SOURCE Evolve ETFs CONTACT INFORMATION: Evolve ETFs, [email protected], t. 416.214.4884, tf. 1.844.370.4884; MEDIA CONTACT, Keith Crone, [email protected], 416.966.8716
