Maclean’s Magazine

This time last year, when Maclean’s published a special issue on the surge in patriotic spirit spurred by Trump’s belligerence, Canadians were still frozen in shock, rage and not a little grief at the sudden betrayal of a best friend. We indulged in small, individual acts of rebellion: buying Canadian, cancelling our U.S. travel plans, standing for “O Canada” at backyard barbecues. But all that performative elbows-upism was about as productive as banging pots and pans during the first weeks of COVID. What we needed was a unified plan of action—and Mark Carney gave us one. Over the next five years, the Liberals aim to mobilize an astronomical $1 trillion in public and private money to transform Canada into a grown-up country. This means once-in-a-generation infrastructure projects. It means rejuvenating a military that’s barely been updated since Trudeau (the first one). It means contemplating the sovereignty of our data, our food, our energy. This special issue of Maclean’s is a guide to this milestone moment in Canadian history, capturing the hive of activity underway to secure our Arctic, invest in our defence and, through as unlikely a subject as the Calgary Stampede, figure out what Canada even means. It’s time to build the hell out of this nation.

In April, the federal government announced that it was time for the armed forces to be properly armed again, and that Canadian companies would be at the heart of the effort. We spoke to leaders at five companies jockeying for a place in that new Canadian defence firmament. Some are veterans in the industry; others are just breaking in. All are hopeful that a new era of defence spending will mean new opportunities for them—and all warn of the consequences if we don’t get this right. macleans.ca/politics/canad…

"If governments are going to spend public money buying up unsold inventory anyway, why not just decommodify the units permanently?" macleans.ca/economy/reales…

"They say not to talk about certain topics, like religion and politics, at holiday dinners. The relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become one of those." macleans.ca/politics/the-m…

"After a few weeks, the sensors showed more than 3,000 vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians passing through the intersection every day—enough to meet the province’s volume thresholds for an all-way stop. I submitted the findings and, by December, city council voted to convert the intersection to a four-way stop. The signs went up in February. Residents had spent decades fighting for this. It took a $375 device to make the city see our streets." macleans.ca/society/let-co…

Canada's Arctic is facing new threats. But sovereignty won't be possible without buy-in from northerners themselves. macleans.ca/longforms/the-…

"Humans have always delegated. We handed memory to writing, calculation to the abacus, direction to maps, recall to libraries and then to search engines. AI belongs to that lineage." macleans.ca/society/techno…

Mark Carney has launched a defence industrial strategy that will be worth more than half a trillion dollars over the next decade, to give Canada a credible military for the first time in generations. But it will be tremendously challenging to transform a military long accustomed to thinking of itself as America’s little pal. macleans.ca/politics/canad…

"Humans have always delegated. We handed memory to writing, calculation to the abacus, direction to maps, recall to libraries and then to search engines. AI belongs to that lineage." macleans.ca/society/techno…

“The U.S. has shown us how vulnerable we are when we rely too heavily on one partner. India is not a perfect alternative, because no country is.” macleans.ca/politics/carne…

"They say not to talk about certain topics, like religion and politics, at holiday dinners. The relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become one of those." macleans.ca/politics/the-m…

In April, the federal government announced that it was time for the armed forces to be properly armed again, and that Canadian companies would be at the heart of the effort. We spoke to leaders at five companies jockeying for a place in that new Canadian defence firmament. Some are veterans in the industry; others are just breaking in. All are hopeful that a new era of defence spending will mean new opportunities for them—and all warn of the consequences if we don’t get this right. macleans.ca/politics/canad…

Mark Carney has launched a defence industrial strategy that will be worth more than half a trillion dollars over the next decade, to give Canada a credible military for the first time in generations. But it will be tremendously challenging to transform a military long accustomed to thinking of itself as America’s little pal. macleans.ca/politics/canad…

Air travel in Canada has become an expensive, cramped customer-service nightmare. One aviation expert has a fix in mind. macleans.ca/society/are-ca…

"The Calgary Stampede is local but not provincial, Canadian but not onerously so. It can feel, these days, as if we exist at the climax of history, when every question has the “will they or won’t they” urgency of a series finale. Will Alberta leave Canada? Will America leave Canada alone? Will Canada become part of the European Union? The Stampede is the antidote—it always promises another season. It maintains an unfailing boosterism, an unflinching assurance, a sincerity that forbids irony." macleans.ca/longforms/the-…

"After a few weeks, the sensors showed more than 3,000 vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians passing through the intersection every day—enough to meet the province’s volume thresholds for an all-way stop. I submitted the findings and, by December, city council voted to convert the intersection to a four-way stop. The signs went up in February. Residents had spent decades fighting for this. It took a $375 device to make the city see our streets." macleans.ca/society/let-co…

Mark Carney has launched a defence industrial strategy that will be worth more than half a trillion dollars over the next decade, to give Canada a credible military for the first time in generations. But it will be tremendously challenging to transform a military long accustomed to thinking of itself as America’s little pal. macleans.ca/politics/canad…

"Humans have always delegated. We handed memory to writing, calculation to the abacus, direction to maps, recall to libraries and then to search engines. AI belongs to that lineage." macleans.ca/society/techno…

Air travel in Canada has become an expensive, cramped customer-service nightmare. One aviation expert has a fix in mind. macleans.ca/society/are-ca…

“The U.S. has shown us how vulnerable we are when we rely too heavily on one partner. India is not a perfect alternative, because no country is.” macleans.ca/politics/carne…

"They say not to talk about certain topics, like religion and politics, at holiday dinners. The relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become one of those." macleans.ca/politics/the-m…