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Welcome to the Paper Trail Podcast, where we update you on our whereabouts and the hell we’ve been through so far. This week we began the journey across Canada. We’ve interacted with dozens of people, and had long drawn out conversations with tons of strangers. The country is more diverse than we think. The two of us also consider the challenges of explaining how the nature affects this trip. How do we explain the beauty and importance of nature in uniting Canada? Is it a major factor in keeping us together?

After that we dive into our predictions for the coming weeks, and hope to god that this trip won’t lead to our deaths.

Expect this once a week until the journey is over, because it’ll be the secret, behind-the-scenes of what we’re up to.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Today we have a special episode for you! Instead of breaking down the news, we look backwards and forwards and look at the state of the world right now. We assess the past year— radical shifts in Quebec and Canada— and then we discuss how the election this fall will go, how Carney will continue moving forward, and finally how the war in Iran will shape the world.

This will be the last episode of the Gab and Isaac show for a little bit, but don’t worry, a special show will be replacing it each week for the next little while. Keep your ears tuned for next week, because by this time next week, you should know what’s happening. A show will replace it for a bit!

I accidentally uploaded the French version of the podcast yesterday. Here is the English one.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

Sign up for the newsletter, and support our work at https://onthetrail.info ! This is entirely reader funded, and we don't accept corporate payouts. Support the hardest hitting journalism in Quebec.

This week was an eventful one, but most importantly, we celebrate one year of Carney. Happy Carneyversary everyone!

On the first anniversary of his 2025 election victory, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the creation of a $25 billion sovereign wealth fund. The new Crown corporation aims to fund major infrastructure projects through partnerships with Indigenous peoples and organized labor. Carney stated the fund would avoid the historical displacement associated with projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway. Specific financial details remain vague, with the Prime Minister stating that the upcoming economic update will clarify how the initial $25 billion investment will be sourced. A consultation period will take place over the coming months to finalize the fund's investment strategy.

In Quebec provincial politics, Minister Gilles Bélanger resigned from the CAQ after Premier Fréchette appointed Bernard Drainville as Minister of Energy and Finance. Bélanger had been one of Fréchette’s earliest supporters. Simultaneously, Fréchette announced a $400 million investment for preparatory infrastructure work in eastern Montreal, specifically targeting water, sewage, and power networks for the expansion of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. This pivot toward public reinvestment has led to a slight recovery for the CAQ in polls, though the Parti Québécois (PQ) remains positioned to win the next election. A poll indicated the PQ could win a supermajority if they dropped their referendum proposal, but leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon rejected the idea as dishonest.

A shooting occurred at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. A gunman is in custody, but the lack of footage from the media event has fueled online conspiracy theories claiming the event was staged. These rumors follow similar unverified claims regarding a previous shooting incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Other News

A Canadian woman was killed and 13 others injured in a shooting at the Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico. Mexican officials report that a lone gunman opened fire at the tourist site, striking eight individuals, including another Canadian and citizens from the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Two minors, aged six and 13, were among the wounded. The woman’s identity has not been officially released.

The Prime Minister’s Office has vehemently rejected a report from The Globe and Mail claiming Ottawa is considering an oil pipeline from Alberta to Southern British Columbia. While the article cited anonymous sources, the government corrected the claim the following day. Alberta continues to favor a northern route for the pipeline.

The British Columbia NDP government has canceled planned amendments to UNDRIP laws for the spring session following significant public backlash. The controversy has negatively impacted the party's standing in recent polls.

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers murdered two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old, amid a surge in settler violence.

Instagram is testing premium, paid features, further transitioning the application toward a model where specific functionalities are locked behind a paywall.

Manitoba has introduced legislation to increase electricity rates for data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations to prevent industrial entities from being subsidized by the public. Quebec is set to implement a similar measure in June 2026. Additionally, Manitoba has introduced a ban on social media and AI for children. While intended to protect minors, the bill requires users to submit identification to technology companies, raising privacy concerns. This first-of-its-kind legislation in Canada has sparked intense debate across the political spectrum regarding government overreach and digital safety.

A British Columbia MLA faced widespread condemnation after using the Nazi slogan "blood and soil" in parliament. The MLA used the phrase while referencing the BC NDP’s policies regarding Indigenous peoples.