Carmichael: America’s wobbly bonds are Canada’s advantage in the trade war. Here’s why - The Logic

Published: October 13, 2026 at 12:17p.m. EDTLONDON -- When the sun hits its highest point over the meridian line that travels north and south from the 351-year-old Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, it’s noon Greenwich Mean Time, a tangible and physical reference point that helped establish the world’s time zone system. Timekeeping has long relied on Earth’s spin and location of the sun or moon in the sky. Before observatories such as Greenwich, humans used sundials — essentially a stick in the ground that casts shadows as the sun moves overhead. But this ancient link between Mother Earth and today’s clocks looks set to be severed. International timekeepers are on track to vote Thursday on a proposal to eliminate what’s known as a leap second — a tiny, but many say important, link between Earth’s rotation and the world’s time standard used in critical infrastructure such as telecommunications, power grids and computers.

On Monday, Albertans vote on whether to stay in Canada or hold another binding referendum on quitting Canada. If the vote goes as polls suggest, a majority of Albertans will mark an X to stay in Confederation, and Premier Danielle Smith has said if that’s so, she expects everyone to accept it and move on. Leaders of the independence movement contest that. And political watchers are divided about whether separation — previously a fringe sentiment — will now be a prominent, permanent feature of Alberta’s political landscape, as in Quebec. Julian Castro-Rea, a political-science professor at the University of Alberta who studies the separation debates in Quebec and Alberta, believes as long as Alberta feels alienated from the Canadian capital — feeling that Ottawa benefits from Alberta’s resource economy without giving back — the movement will have fuel. “Even if the referendum is lost, the westernization will still be around, because it’s kind of a way which, traditionally, Albertans have related to the rest of Canada,” says Castro-Rea, who believes western alienation may remain indefinitely. Story continues below advertisement

It’s no secret the long-held Canadian consensus on immigration has fractured — pulled apart by a rapid increase in new arrivals post-pandemic and growing affordability challenges. Now, that fracture is starting to show up at the ballot box. The Parti Québécois won a minority mandate in Quebec on a platform that included promises of tighter immigration controls, which the party linked to protecting French culture and easing pressure on public services and housing. And when Albertans head to the polls Monday to vote on whether to hold a future referendum on separation from Canada, they’ll also be answering five separate questions on immigration being pushed by the government of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Those questions include:— Should the province should have more say over economic immigration?— Should provincially funded services should be restricted to citizens, permanent residents and those with “Alberta-approved” immigration status? Story continues below advertisement