Mark Carney is setting the tone for the G7 and he knows the cost of playing it safe is irrelevance
By Contributing Columnist
Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. He is a freelance contributing columnist for the Star. @jaimewatt.
It would be safe — perhaps even generous — to say that Prime Minister Mark Carney is stepping into a minefield of diplomatic hazards, moral compromise, and geopolitical volatility ahead of the G7 this week in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Turn right, and you might face (his attendance is unclear at the time of writing) the Prime Minister of India — whose government stands accused by Canada of orchestrating an assassination on Canadian soil.
Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
15 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Gold standard': Plane spotters in Calgary hope for glimpse of Air Force 1 at G7
Plane spotter Corbin Johnson is shown at the Calgary International Airport on Saturday, June 14, 2025. With world leaders arriving in Calgary for the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta., airplane enthusiasts are setting up shop at the Calgary airport in hopes of seeing some exciting aircraft. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland Airplane enthusiasts are setting up at the Calgary International Airport in hopes of seeing some exciting aircraft land for the start of the G7 leaders' summit in nearby Kananaskis, Alta. Corbin Johnson wants to catch a glimpse of the plane carrying U.S. President Donald Trump. 'Air Force 1 is certainly the gold standard, but I think myself and everyone else is very excited to see all the other aircraft are coming,' Corbin Johnson said Saturday, as he checked out a viewing area of the airport. The spot is also one of three designated demonstration zones that police have set up in Calgary, with another in Banff. Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting G7 leaders from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy, who were expected to arrive Sunday for the start of the three-day summit in Kananaskis, southwest of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains. Some leaders of non-member countries, including Ukraine and India, are also set to attend. Johnson, a camera around his neck, said he posts all his plane photos on Instagram. 'My love of airplanes, I would say started right here, where we're standing. My parents would take me here to plane spot and look at all the planes that would come through here,' he said. 'This is absolutely my number 1 hobby. It's something you can make as full time as you kind of want to.' While Johnson and some other plane spotters were getting the lay of the land, several police vehicles drove through the parking lot. A sign on the runway fence topped with barbed wire warns: 'No Drone Zone.' Air restrictions over the airport and Kananaskis Village went into effect Saturday morning. Police said they have received indications that protesters are expected, and the demonstrations are to be broadcast on TVs set up for the leaders in Kananaskis. RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall said he just wants the protests to be peaceful. 'We know it's important for people to have their message seen and heard by the world leaders, and it's for this reason we've established live feeds,' he said. 'We police behaviours and not beliefs. And so I'd just encourage everyone to look to conduct any demonstration activity over the next few days in a lawful, peaceful and safe manner.' --Bill Graveland This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Dreaming of a lakeside cottage but can't afford it? Co-ownership could open that door
A lakeview cottage with cosy rooms, a sandy beach nearby and a dock to gaze into the sunset was the dream for Corrine Evanoff. 'For years, I've been on this journey of trying to find a cottage that would work for us,' she said. But Evanoff and her husband didn't want to incur the burden of constant cottage maintenance — spending vacation days fixing decks and pruning trees. They opted instead to rent over the years, still hoping to one day buy. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Then, it happened. They found a cottage not too far from home — for a fraction of the price they thought they'd have to pay, thanks to fractional ownership. Also called co-ownership, it allows people to buy a share of a property with others, whether it's family, friends or even strangers. Affordability sits at the heart of fractionally owned cottages. Many Canadians still find themselves priced out of the market, even as cottage prices have declined from peaks seen during the pandemic. Re/Max brokers and agents anticipate a national average price increase of about 1.8 per cent across the Canadian recreational market in 2025, a May report by the real estate firm, showed. On their first visit to check out a prospective cottage last fall, Evanoff recalled walking into a lake-facing cottage with large windows at Frontenac Shores in Cloyne, Ont., about 300 kilometres northeast of Toronto, and was sold. 'We sat in these Muskoka chairs on the beach and our feet are in the water, and I just felt the stress shredding off me,' she said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'This is the dream that I've been dreaming for all these years … and this is within reach.' Evanoff and her husband now own one-tenth of a million-dollar cottage, costing them less than $100,000 for their share — and affording them five weeks a year at the property. Fractional ownership of a cottage is not like a timeshare, said Realtor Mike Lange, who has been dealing with co-owned cottages for about seven years in Kawartha Lakes, Ont. 'With a timeshare, you put your name in requesting a location, you have no guarantee that that's going to be available,' he said. 'There's been a lot of heartaches over them over the years.' Timeshare properties can be owned by for-profit corporations, leaving less autonomy for those staying there. Don Smith, who co-owns a property in Kawartha Lakes, bought into a cottage in the mid-2000s after he saw a newspaper ad about fractional cottage ownership. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I was in the staff room reading the newspaper as a mathematics and computer studies teacher,' he recalled. 'As a math teacher, that caught my eye: What's this fraction all about, this cottage, this idea?' For the Smiths, fractional ownership wasn't a financial investment but a lifestyle investment that has paid off over the past two decades. 'This is where my daughter learned to swim, that's where my daughter learned to kayak, that is when my daughter had learned to appreciate animals.' But it may not be for everyone. Smith said fractionally owned cottages are usually 100 per cent debt-free. That means new co-owners typically can't secure a mortgage against the property from traditional banks and will have to rely on personal loans or a line of credit to buy their share. Personal touches to the cottage can also be missing with fractional ownership and people can't just show up at any time, he said. 'It's not like you can personally put all your favourite pictures and put all of the junk that you don't want in your home garage and take it up there and leave it,' Smith said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Real estate developer John Puffer has years of experience building cottages and selling them in fractional ownership arrangements in Ontario's cottage country regions. When he first got into the business, Puffer assumed the buyers would mostly be people in their 30s with young families. Instead, they happened to be people in their 50s and 60s, buying cottage shares for their adult children and grandchildren, or people who don't want to commit the dollars and worry about maintenance. 'That is part of the Canadian cottage experience in Ontario … that's where families congregate at the cottage and (it's) multi-generations,' said Puffer, president of Chandler Point Corp. Tanya Walker, litigation lawyer and managing partner at Walker Law, suggests potential buyers should get a good contract lawyer and treat the contract 'as if it's a pre-nuptial agreement' before signing on to be a co-owner. She said buyers going into fractional ownership should ask questions about who the other co-owners are, the voting rights people get for their share and what happens when they want to sell their stake. Walker added it's also important to look into who manages the property, the financials of the property as well as how much time you'll get to use the cottage and when. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Puffer said people really have to understand what they're buying into. He suggested people read the contract and find out who's in control, what their obligations are, and talk to people who already own. For Evanoff and her husband, it will be their third time heading up to the Frontenac Shores cottage next month. 'It's like, wow! That just seems like a gift,' she said. 'This (fractional ownership) seems like the best-kept secret but I think it's going to catch on ... and you're going to see a lot of people tap into this market.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
First Nations are mired in 'soft communism.' This leader has the fix
Stephen Buffalo is a very constructive guy. He's a man who seeks solutions, and he's open to Prime Minister Mark Carney's ambitious nation-building campaign. He also wants Carney and all Canadians to understand, though: Indigenous consent to these projects has a price tag. Article content 'Give us a chance to make our own wealth,' says Stephen, long-time advocate for First Nations' economic development and member of the Samson Cree Nation from Maskwacis, Alta. Article content Article content Article content 'To be part of the mainstream and part of the economy and at the end of the day, everyone benefits: the proponent benefits, the government benefits, and we benefit, you know, First Nations that are participating.' Article content Article content The 'new' Liberal government has pledged — in the recently tabled 'One Canadian Economy Act' — to speed up approvals for major energy and infrastructure projects that strengthen Canada's autonomy, resilience and security, have undeniable national benefits, are likely to be successfully executed, drive Canada's clean grown potential and reflect priorities of Indigenous leaders. Article content Carney assured that fast-tracking major projects won't shortcut meaningful consultation with Indigenous peoples whose Charter or treaty rights may be affected. A Major Projects Office, created to assist project proponents through the assessment and consultation process, will lean on an Indigenous advisory council for advice. Article content And in an effort to reinforce Indigenous voice in governance, Carney's cabinet includes three Indigenous ministers: Rebecca Chartrand, as minister of northern and Arctic affairs; Mandy Gull-Masty, as minister of Indigenous services; and Buckley Belanger, as secretary of state for rural development. Article content Article content I ask Stephen: Do Carney's announcements signal real change in the federal government's paternalistic relationship with Indigenous communities? After watching the undermining of Jody Wilson-Raybould's leadership by the previous Liberal administration, I'm wary. Article content Article content He grins, and answers: 'I'm trying to.' Article content This isn't the first time I've sat down with Stephen for a no-holds-barred conversation about how Indigenous leaders perceive what's going on in the world. As CEO of the Indian Resource Council, Stephen speaks on behalf of 130 First Nations across Canada that have oil and gas production on their land, or the potential for production. He also speaks forcefully — as a 53-year-old father who wants to see his kids have the opportunity to thrive in mainstream society. Article content When we met 18 months ago, he was lobbying to have the Indian Act repealed because it was getting in the way of First Nations' full participation in resource development. 'We cannot live in soft communism,' he chided, 'where bureaucrats tell us how to live, what to do.'
