Canadians want cheaper gas, a government that tells the truth about the economy, and a future worth staying for. Ottawa is offering a digital safety commission with the power to censor political content, a central bank governor who prefers the word "weak" to "recession," and a high speed rail project with 13 vice presidents and no train. The Bank of Canada held rates for a 5th consecutive meeting while its governor admitted the economy hasn't grown in a year, refused to call it a recession and acknowledged his forecasts have been wrong on inflation, on "transitory," and on the recession he said wouldn't happen. Bill C-34 would give a new federal commission the power to order platforms to block content deemed to undermine political, economic or social stability. And 50% of Canadians would now seriously consider joining the European Union. When half the country is looking for the exit, something has gone badly wrong. Today on The Really Big Show: ►The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate at 2.25% for a 5th consecutive meeting, with Governor Tiff Macklem admitting the economy "hasn't grown really in the last year," refusing to call it a recession and preferring the word "weak," one day after Statistics Canada confirmed 2 consecutive quarters of contraction ►Macklem's credibility is under scrutiny after wrongly predicting in 2020 that inflation would stay below 2%, in 2021 that inflation was "transitory," and in April 2026 that there would be no recession, with his own response being "did we get everything right? No" ►Culture Minister Marc Miller has tabled Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, banning Canadians under 16 from social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X, with platforms facing fines of 3% of global revenue or $10 million for non-compliance, while the bill gives a new federal Digital Safety Commission the power to order platforms to block content deemed to undermine "political, economic or social stability" ►Miller acknowledged the bill involves "trade-offs" on Charter rights, saying "we're failing our children, enough is enough," as critics warn the content removal powers extend well beyond child safety into political speech ►Pierre Poilievre reaffirms a future Conservative government will cancel the $90 billion Alto high speed rail project, calling it a "pie-in-the-sky Liberal boondoggle," as Alto has spent $265.9 million of its $4.3 billion budget, employed 13 vice presidents and paid $2.76 million in bonuses without breaking ground ►Poilievre is calling for zero federal tax on gas and diesel for the rest of 2026, eliminating the fuel excise tax, the Clean Fuel Standard and the GST on fuel to save Canadians approximately 25 cents per litre, or $1,218 annually for a family of four, at a cost of $5.25 billion to the federal treasury ►India's High Commissioner to Canada says global investors ►Energy expert Heather Exner-Pirot warns that while Canadian heavy oil has hit a $35 per barrel breakeven, new greenfield developments require $55 to $65 per barrel to clear investment hurdle rates, a gap that regulatory uncertainty is making wider ►126,000 temporary foreign worker permits were issued for skilled trades in 2025 alone, nearly identical to the 127,000 skilled trades workers who were unemployed that same year, as the program cost taxpayers a net $509 million to administer over 5 years ►A new poll finds 50% of Canadians would seriously consider initiating a formal process to join the European Union, more than double the 20% who would consider becoming an American state When a government's response to public discontent is a commission with the power to remove content that undermines political stability, is it solving the problem or protecting itself from it? Let us know what you think in the comments. The Really Big Show: The thinking Canadian's daily briefing, independent and informed.
