Latest news with #CanadaElections
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Energy Threatens To Split Canada Apart
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference after the First Ministers ... More Meeting in Ottawa, Canada on March 21, 2025. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Last month's Canadian federal elections restored the Liberal Party to power, but may have lit the fuse that will eventually break the nation apart. Against all odds of only a few months ago, when increasingly unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seemed headed for certain defeat, and his party reduced to national irrelevance, the Liberals united around a former Bank of England Governor named Mark Carney and remained in control of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. As with the prior federal election, the Liberals again did not receive a majority, but the Party did win the plurality and should therefore have little trouble joining in a coalition with a smaller party to retain control. The 2025 election also reinforced the historically geographic split in Canada, where the Liberals dominated the largest province, Ontario, and parts of Quebec in the east, but found precious little support in the western provinces, where Canada's mineral, oil, and gas wealth is mostly found. Alberta is Canada's energy giant, and it has long felt hemmed in, stymied, and disrespected by Canada's eastern elite provinces, who have taken the concept of "Net Zero" far beyond what their southern neighbors in the United States believe practicable, or even possible. Indeed, shortly after the recent election, pundits were asking whether Carney was "Net Zero First" or "Canada First"? (Source). Further, the leader of the political party known as "Bloc Québécois", which only runs candidates in that Francophone majority province, Yves-Francois Blanchet, declared that there is no future for oil and gas in Canada, and that the Bloc Party would not support oil and gas pipelines under any circumstances. (Source). This sounds like a declaration of economic war to the Canadian west, and especially the two major energy provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Conservatives won 34 out of 37 provincial seats in Alberta and 13 out of 14 seats in Saskatchewan. Alberta's Premier (the equivalent of a US Governor), Danielle Smith, has become the leader of the western group. Representatives from the four western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia have had numerous discussions on future plans for that Party. While they didn't specifically say so, the threat of provinces separating from Canada has been raised. Unlike the United States, which fought a civil war in the 1860's to prevent secession of certain States from the Union, the rights of individual provinces in Canada to effect "separation" from the nation as a whole are very unclear. The Canadian Supreme Court has issued opinions on this topic, as Quebec has a number of times raised the separatist flag itself, but the totality of the subject has never been fully addressed by that Court. (Source). As a result, Canada remains a confederation of provinces with provincial lines that demarcate legal jurisdiction, but not actual land ownership, so the complexity of the legal issues that would need to be resolved to allow any province to separate from the whole remains daunting, unsettled, and simply enormous. Despite this, events seem to keep pushing the country's overall separation movement forward. Chief among these events are the so-called "equalization payments" that the Canadian federal government collects from richer provinces and that it then distributes to poorer ones. For example, in 2025, Quebec received $136 billion Canadian from the national government while the energy rich western provinces received exactly nothing. (Source). Meanwhile, much of that western wealth comes from energy resources, which Quebec is trying to block. Newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney has a fateful choice to make. He can stick to his Net Zero energy goals and hazard ripping his country apart, or he can risk the wrath of his environmental allies to hopefully restore peace in the dominion. The Western Hemisphere awaits his decisions.
Mint
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
‘Look forward to…': PM Modi congratulates Mark Carney on Canada Elections victory
Canada elections: PM Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, took to X to congratulate Mark Carney following his victory in the Canada Elections. Modi stated that 'India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values', and that he looks forward to strengthen his partnership with the to-be Canada PM. 'Congratulations @MarkJCarney on your election as the Prime Minister of Canada and to the Liberal Party on their victory. India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people,' PM Narendra Modi posted on X. First Published: 29 Apr 2025, 02:40 PM IST
News18
29-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
Canada Election Results 2025: Jagmeet Singh Concedes Defeat, To Step Down As NDP Leader
Last Updated: Canada Elections 2025: Jagmeet Singh of the NDP, who has lent support to the Khalistan movement, conceded defeat as he was trailing by thousands of votes in Burnaby Central. Canada Elections 2025: In a big blow to Khalistani movement, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh has announced that he will step down as party leader after conceding defeat in Burnaby Central in British Columbia, as poll data shows him trailing by thousands of votes to Liberal candidate Wade Chang. He also congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney on his election victory. 'I want to take a moment to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on his victory. He has an important job to do — to represent all Canadians and to protect our country and its sovereignty from the threats of Donald Trump," he said to a cheering crowd. Singh acknowledged that it was a 'disappointing night for New Democrats" but said the party was 'only defeated when we stop fighting". He also called it the 'honour of my life" to serve as NDP leader. Singh was trailing to Liberal candidate Chang and Conservative candidate James Yan by margins of more than 7,000 votes in one of the biggest upsets of this year's elections, CBC data showed.
Global News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Liberals and Independent candidate Rod Loyola in row over use of red signs in Edmonton
The Liberal Party of Canada and an Independent candidate in Edmonton are at odds over what kind of federal election lawn signs the former Liberal can use. The Liberals say Rod Loyola's signs in the Edmonton Gateway riding feature Liberal branding without authorization and may create confusion for voters. With just days to go in the federal campaign, they say they've lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Canada Elections, and have asked Loyola to pull the signs down. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Loyola says his red signs have no Liberal branding, clearly label him as an Independent, and the Liberals don't own the colour red or the font in which his name is written. He also says his campaign has heard complaints from supporters who say their signs were being stolen and replaced with Liberal signs without permission, and they have filed a complaint with Elections Canada. Story continues below advertisement Loyola was in the middle of his third term as an NDP member of the Alberta legislature when he left provincial politics to run for the Liberals, only to be dropped by Mark Carney's party and replaced by Liberal candidate Jeremy Hoefsloot.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Elections watchdog warned AI presents 'high' risk in current campaign: internal documents
An internal briefing note prepared for Canada's election watchdog classifies the use of artificial intelligence as a "high" risk for the ongoing election campaign. The briefing note was prepared for Commissioner of Canada Elections Caroline Simard — an independent officer of Parliament tasked with enforcing the Elections Act, including fining people for violations or laying charges for serious offences — roughly a month before the campaign kicked off. "[The upcoming election] will quite probably generate complaints involving the use of AI tools that may constitute a contravention of the [Canada Elections Act]," the document says. The briefing note was obtained through an access to information request by the University of Ottawa's Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic and provided to CBC News. The document — dated Feb. 23 — indicates that while AI can be used for legitimate purposes, there are risks that the tools could be used to violate election rules. "It's important to note that the [Elections Act] does not specifically prohibit the use of artificial intelligence, bots or deepfakes. However, certain provisions under the [act] could apply if AI tools were used in ways that do contravene the [act]," a spokesperson from Simard's office told CBC News in an email. Such violations can include the spreading of disinformation, publishing false information about the electoral process or impersonating an elections official, the spokesperson said. Michael Litchfield, director of the AI risk and regulation lab at the University of Victoria, said there can be difficulties in going after someone who uses AI to run afoul of election rules, including finding out who they are. "I think there's just a general difficulty with AI — and that's one of the reasons it can be misused — is identifying who is actually spreading the misinformation," he said. The briefing note flags specific concerns about the use of AI tools and deepfakes — hyperrealistic faked video or audio. WATCH | How AI-generated deepfakes threaten elections: Can you spot the deepfake? How AI is threatening elections 1 year ago Duration 7:08 AI-generated fake videos are being used for scams and internet gags, but what happens when they're created to interfere in elections? CBC's Catharine Tunney breaks down how the technology can be weaponized and looks at whether Canada is ready for a deepfake election. "Generative AI produces convincing fakes which are rapidly debunked but can nevertheless have a significant impact," the note reads. While the note says there has yet to be an incident where a deepfake has been used in a Canadian federal election, it points to numerous examples of deepfakes being used abroad — including one of Kamala Harris during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. "What has occurred in elections abroad could also happen in Canada; this does not mean that it will definitely … and on a large scale," the note reads. The document also flags that "an increase in advertising for customized deepfake service offerings on the dark web has been observed." The impact of a deepfake can depend on how much it is circulated, the note says. Fenwick McKelvey, an assistant professor of information and communication technology policy at Concordia University, said election rules violations are nothing new, pointing to the 2011 robocall incident. "In situations where we had less sophisticated technology we had the same problems," he told CBC News. But McKelvey did suggest AI adds a complicated layer to the campaign landscape. "Generative AI arrives at a pretty dysfunctional moment in our online media ecosystem and so I don't think it's necessarily driving the challenges we face, but it doesn't help," he said. Litchfield agreed that Elections Act violations are not new, but he said AI could exacerbate the problem. "AI is an amplifier of these threats and makes it very easy to to create content that could run afoul of the act," Litchfield said. One of the issues McKelvey flagged is that AI tools can be used to generate disinformation faster than it can be debunked. "Regrettably, there's just more AI slop to replace the AI slop that we're seeing. So it's changing our media environment in ways we don't entirely know how to anticipate," he said. During a news conference at the start of the current campaign, the head of Elections Canada raised concerns about AI being used to spread disinformation about the electoral process. "People tend to overestimate their ability to detect … deepfakes. People seem more confident than they actually are capable of detecting it," Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said last week. WATCH | AI 'deepfake' election content 'a serious concern,' says Elections Canada: AI 'deepfake' election content 'a serious concern,' says Elections Canada 9 days ago Duration 3:13 Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault says people tend to overestimate how good they are at spotting fake and misleading election content. He says he's contacted major social media companies about the issue to ensure a 'secure election.' Perrault also said he has reached out to social media sites such as X and TikTok to "seek their support" in combatting disinformation, specifically from generative AI. "We'll see what action actually takes place during the election. Hopefully they won't have to intervene, but if there are issues, hopefully they will be true to their word," he said of the social media platforms. But McKelvey is skeptical about the companies' commitments. "Generative AI is something that platforms themselves are slightly pushing and yet we're not entirely sure how well they're actually moderated," he said. Canada relying on 'self-regulation' The briefing note prepared for Simard noted that Canada has generally relied on a "self-regulation" approach when it comes to AI, largely leaving it in the hands of the tech industry. But it cautions that the "effectiveness of self-regulation is contested." "Some leading AI image generators have specific policies about election disinformation and yet, failed to prevent the creation of misleading images of voters and ballots," the document reads. Bill C-27, which would in part regulate some of the uses of AI, was introduced in the last parliamentary session, but never made it to the legislative deadline. Litchfield said regulations could still be passed but it will depend on the priorities of the next government. Even if something is brought forward fairly quickly, it may take some time before it's enforced. "We are likely going to be in a regulatory vacuum for quite some time," he said. He also suggested that there could be some room to update the Elections Act itself to include AI-specific provisions. WATCH | Debunking 3 viral election claims in 90 seconds: Debunking election misinfo: A fake Mike Myers invoice, Poilievre's personal wealth, PPC in the polls 17 hours ago Duration 1:21 Did Mike Myers really invoice the Liberal Party for $53,000 for his ad with Mark Carney? Is Pierre Poilievre's personal net worth really $25 million? And was a video really doctored to show the PPC in third place in the polls? But even a regulatory framework could have its limitations, the briefing note says. "Malicious actors seeking to sow disinformation are not likely to follow government or social media guidelines and regulations," the document says. In a report assessing threats to Canada's democratic process released last month, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said known hostile actors — including China, Russia and Iran — are looking to use AI to fuel disinformation campaigns or launch hacking operations. It said these actors "are most likely to use generative Al as a means of creating and spreading disinformation, designed to sow division among Canadians and push narratives conducive to the interests of foreign states," wrote the agency in its report. "Canadian politicians and political parties are at heightened risk of being targeted by cyber threat actors, particularly through phishing attempts." Concerns that legitimate use of AI could spark complaints There are already examples of AI being used to spread misinformation in this campaign. An obscure website featuring articles that appear to be AI-generated has been pumping out dubious information about party leaders' personal finances. There have also been fake election news ads attempting to lure Canadians into sketchy investment schemes. Some of those ads have been taken down. McKelvey said the use of AI is also leading to an increase in "news avoidance." "We're now feeling less and less trust in any content we see online, whether it's AI-generated or not. And that's something that's going to make it harder for credible information sources to be believable," he said. WATCH | How we busted this fake election content luring you into get-rich-quick schemes: How we busted this fake election content luring you into get-rich-quick schemes 5 days ago Duration 3:07 A network of shady websites is using ads promoting fake news articles focused on election issues to lure people in. The CBC News visual investigations team looked into it — and got some taken down. McKelvey's concern is echoed in the briefing note prepared for the commissioner. "[Deepfakes] contribute to affecting the public sphere by confusing people about what is real and what is not," it reads. The briefing note also warns the commissioner that the use of AI is likely to spark a number of complaints during this election campaign, even in instances where no rules have been broken. "The resulting cases could be complicated to assess and may be on a large scale," the note reads. But McKelvey said the use of AI for benign purposes can alter the ways in which campaigns are conducted. He pointed to U.S. President Donald Trump posting an AI-generated image to social media that depicted him standing next to a Canadian flag overlooking a mountain range as an example of something that doesn't break any rules, but is "weird" nonetheless. "There's something stranger here when it comes to AI-generated content where it kind of allows for the expression of strange political ideas or the kind of normalization of this untrue, unreal content," he said.
