Could Canada nationalize Stelco in Hamilton? Ottawa should consider it, legal expert says - CBC

The Stelco steel works in Hamilton. Photo by Chris Walsh/Flickr. Mark Carney made a lot of hay during the 2025 election about how Canadians were “Maîtres chez nous” (masters in our own home). Carney was invoking the rallying cry of Québec’s Quiet Revolution, which argued in the early 1960s that Québecers needed to control their own economic destiny, free from the dominance of English Canada and the United States. Carney sold this allusion to Canadians, calling them “part-owners” of a country standing up to Donald Trump.

HamiltonFederal NDP Leader Avi Lewis and Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles are calling on the federal government to nationalize Hamilton-based steelmaker Stelco, amid layoffs Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says violate the company's agreement under the Investment Canada Act. Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles call for Stelco to be nationalizedSaira Peesker · CBC News · Posted: Oct 13, 2026 6:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 14Listen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. An aerial image of the Stelco Hamilton Works Production facility, late last month. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis and Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles are calling on the federal government to nationalize Hamilton-based steelmaker Stelco, amid layoffs Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says violate the company's agreement under the Investment Canada Act.

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