Editorials - June 13, 2025

A couple of major news stories in the last week should give Americans pause. The headlines around the President Trump and Elon Musk feud tended to make light of the “bromance” coming apart at the seams, but Trump’s reaction belies a darker side to his presidency.  The relationship crumbled in real time over 72 hours of social media posts and barbs, but began with Musk’s criticism of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”, a sweeping tax and spending bill, perhaps due to the cuts to electric vehicle rebate programs and the feud devolved from there. Musk insinuated Trump was in the Epstein papers and Trump threatened to cancel all government contracts with Musk’s companies.

 

Not long ago, Musk was the golden boy (after funding Trump’s election campaign to the tune of $288 million) and Trump was cheerily hawking Teslas at the White House. The heated exchange was, at its core, Musk criticizing the leader who he had placed in the presidency.

 

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began rounding up migrant workers at Home Depots (where they wait for day labour jobs) in Los Angeles, the city erupted in protests, as its economy is heavily reliant on immigrant labour and Californians are perhaps the most sympathetic to the plight of these people who are under threat. Trump, again seeing this as a threat to his authority, was quick to mobilize the National Guard in a move that hadn’t happened since the Rodney King riots more than 30 years ago. California leaders begged Trump to back off, as the military presence only provoked the protests into violent chaos, but Trump doubled down and sent in the Marines. 

 

The U.S. is on a path where questioning his authority leads to dismissal, economic sanctions and military operations. Presidential orders have become commonplace and less decision making is in the hands of Congress. There must be Republicans who disagree with this slide into autocracy and, at some point, they have to take steps to stop it. – DS

Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to boost defence spending in Canada and to meet its NATO target of two per cent of the country’s GDP this year, earlier than expected. Canada’s failure on this had long been a bee in U.S. President Donald Trump’s bonnet and the move has even solicited an attaboy from some unemployed guy named Pierre.

 

Carney’s focus and dedication on this point, however, should bring in universal praise from Canadians. It’s inarguable that the country should have been meeting its spending targets as a requirement of a defence agreement that has long been held up as crucial to Canada, but Carney is also understanding that a boost in defence spending is needed to, well, boost our defence. Increased spending and an inch-by-inch shift of allegiance to morally-aligned partners in Europe show Carney embracing the new geopolitical landscape he’s inherited now that a trusted, long-time ally has turned cold at best and hostile at worst.

 

Canadians handed Carney a mandate to protect Canada and he’s now working to rebuild the country’s army because being the world’s nice guy just doesn’t seem to carry the protection that it once did.

 

Targets, rhetoric and pleasing authoritarians-in-training be damned, what Carney is doing is both good and necessary for Canadians. – SL 

Across Canada, cities, towns and villages are awash in the orange and blue of the Edmonton Oilers. From Toronto’s CN Tower bathed in those bold hues, to television sets lit up with the same glow, Canadians are adopting a shared identity even if we usually cheer for different teams.

 

Hockey is our national heartbeat. When a Canadian team reaches the Stanley Cup final, it’s not just one city’s moment to enjoy, it becomes all of ours to savour. Seeing orange and blue flags flying from houses from St. John’s to Blyth to Prince Rupert is more than just fun: it’s an embrace of common purpose beyond geography or politics.

 

Fans across Canada, even those who normally support bitter rivals, are rallying behind the Oilers. A recent poll shows nearly two‑thirds of Canadians now cheer for them, labelling them “Canada’s Team”. That surge of solidarity speaks to something deeper than fandom; it speaks to community, hope and sharing joy.

 

Because hockey holds a kind of magic. When the final buzzer sounds and “O Canada” rings out through arenas and across the country, something shifts. Regional rivalries and political divides momentarily soften. For a brief time, the game becomes a shared experience, something that quietly reminds us of what we have in common.

 

Winning the Stanley Cup won’t solve pressing national challenges, but it would be a beacon; a marker of aspiration and togetherness. It would remind us of the resilience that binds this country.

 

Here’s hoping that when the final buzzer sounds, it’s not just Edmonton celebrating, it’s all of Canada, united, proud and reminded of what we can achieve when we share a common dream. – SBS