Stampedes, Standstills, and Standoffs: A Week of Pancakes, Politics, and Power Plays

Sunday Morning Recap – July 6, 2025

Mark Carney gets a Stampede reality check
Prime Minister Mark Carney was spotted flipping pancakes at the Calgary Stampede, though let’s just say his flapjack game needs work. Still, the crowd gave him a warm reception, a stark contrast to the frosty vibes Justin Trudeau received during his visits in years past. Calgary might be playing cowboy, but this year, Carney’s the one in the political saddle.

The PCs are back (again)
In Alberta, the Progressive Conservative name has officially resurfaced. Former UCP MLA Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair launched the revived party and are collecting the 8,800 signatures needed to register it. A 2023 law introduced by Danielle Smith tried to prevent political resurrection of pre-UCP party names like PC and Wildrose, but Elections Alberta says the PC name was, in fact, available. Oops.

Carney’s trade deadline stalls
Despite dropping Canada’s digital services tax, a longtime Trump complaint—the U.S. Ambassador says Canada and the U.S. won’t reach a trade deal by the July 21 deadline PM Carney had announced. Trump is facing his own deadline: his tariff pause on 70 countries is set to expire soon. Only the UK and Vietnam have deals so far. Notably, Vietnam accepted a flat 20% tariff in theirs.

Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” ramps up deportations
President Trump signed the “Big Beautiful Bill” which allocates hundreds of millions in extra funding to ICE. The agency plans to immediately escalate deportations from 650 per day to 3,000.

Ceasefire negotiations in Gaza
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington Monday amid ongoing ceasefire talks. Hamas responded to the latest 60-day ceasefire proposal with amendments, including the removal of Israeli/US-run GHF aid sites, where over 700 Palestinians have reportedly been killed while trying to access food. Hamas wants UN and Red Cross agencies to take over aid distribution, and insists Israel withdraw to pre-March lines. They’re also demanding U.S. guarantees that airstrikes won’t resume after the ceasefire ends. Netanyahu rejected the terms, calling them “unacceptable,” and reiterated Israel's goal to “eliminate Hamas”—a goal many call unachievable given the group’s decentralized nature.

Trump talks Putin and Zelenskyy
The war in Ukraine grinds on. Trump spoke with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week. Trump said his call with Putin was “not good,” claiming the Russian president “just wants to keep killing.” His call with Zelenskyy, on the other hand, was “fruitful,” according to the Ukrainian leader, who said they discussed U.S. air defense support. Some weapons deliveries were paused earlier this week at the request of Trumps secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, but multiple sources now say Trump is considering authorizing air defense missiles to Ukraine.