#ICYMI Should Canada Be Concerned about a Homegrown Broligarchy?

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

This week from The Walrus:

Are a Handful of Wealthy Tech Bros Bringing DOGE to Canada?

The country’s future is being treated like a software update

BY VASS BEDNAR

Anonymous hands hammer and pick apart buildings on Parliament Hill.

Though Canada’s digital power players haven’t claimed government roles—yet—they’re making their contempt for governance loud and clear on X and earning praise from the leader of the opposition for doing it. While the “bros” in Canada don’t own major social media platforms, like Musk and Zuckerberg do, or newspapers, like Bezos does (though former Shopify executives have acquired BetaKit, a media outlet covering Canada’s start‐up scene), their brand of techno‐populism may push the sector in a more conservative direction.

Canada is uniquely vulnerable to such a shift at this moment, with the switch in Liberal leadership, a weak dollar, a destabilizing tariff war, and an election. People do not feel as if the government is working well for them. Might tech leaders work any better?

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Photo shows the back of a man framed by a door, beyond which are visible the flames of a wildfire in the distance.

Climate Violence Is Coming for Rich Countries, and They’re Not Ready

As the world warms, the West learns it’s not exempt

BY PETER SCHWARTZSTEIN

The flag of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) against a white background.

The Messy, Brutal, Unthinkable Collapse of USAID

Its shutdown marks a turning point for humanitarian relief around the world

BY MAYA ELHAWARY

Faded silhouettes of migrants walking waving a Canadian flag, on a wrinkled paper background.

The Case for 100 Million Canadians

If the country wants to survive, it needs a lot more people

BY ADNAN R. KHAN

Mark Carney’s Secret Weapon? Being Reasonable

The power of looking like you've got this

BY DAVID MOSCROP

It’s hard to keep track of every bit of trade news as Donald Trump targets a different part of the Canadian economy seemingly every day. This special issue fills in the gaps between the headlines, exploring why Canada’s long‐standing ally is threatening tariffs—plus the cascading impacts of these threats. Get your copy now.

A side portrait of Justin Trudeau with pursed lips, holding his right hand over his heart, against the backdrop of the Canadian flag.

Why Canada Fell Out of Love with Justin Trudeau

He promised sunny ways but left behind a divided country

BY COLIN HORGAN

Two police officers wearing face masks and yellow reflective vests watch as two people bundle up their items near tents on a Vancouver street.

Is Vancouver Fed Up with Its Mayor?

Ken Sim and his council seem to be focused on a single solution to the housing crisis: more police

BY MAYA ELHAWARY

A photo illustration of paper planes flying in the sky.

Journalism’s Reinvention Is Happening—Just Not Where You Think

Legacy media is collapsing. The future is small

BY TOM JOKINEN

A photo illustration shows a man in a blue shirt and a woman in a pink top with her face blurry getting intimate.

Are Women Finally Getting What They Want in Age‐Gap Movies?

From rom coms to artsier films, young hunks are helping their lovers let go

BY ZACHARY AYOTTE

The poet, Nyla Matuk, stares up toward the right corner of the frame. She has dark hair and wears a dark jacket. The background is periwinkle blue.

March on the St. Lawrence

All night the ice cutter and a wandering ship / dispersed local terrazzo marble like bachelors at a stag

BY NYLA MATUK

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More than a century ago, Wilfrid Laurier envisioned a Canada bigger and more powerful than the United States. To achieve this, some experts believe Canada should aim for a population of 100 million by 2100. On average, what is Canada’s annual population growth?

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Read sharp writers unpacking key election stories in every issue of The Run. Twice weekly, The Tyee's award‐winning free election newsletter will help you make sense of a chaotic campaign. Get a new perspective on issues as Canada fights for its future.

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As international trade dynamics shift daily and the race to decarbonize intensifies, Canada’s energy economy stands at a pivotal crossroads. The Walrus Talks Power Economy brings together seven leading voices to explore how Canada’s path to a sustainable future is increasingly tied to electrification and reindustrialization.

Join us in Toronto or online as we bridge the gap between research, policy, and the practical solutions that will define the future of energy and the Canadian economy.

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Why Do We Travel? To Drink in the Beauty

In the latest instalment of Y We Travel, Drew Hayden Taylor delves into wine, wanderlust, and the joy of getting lost—reflecting on how travel and a ten‐glass Italian lunch can spark the imagination.

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This week on What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by author Eden Boudreau, whose most recent book—Crying Wolf: A Memoir—is also her debut. Eden and Nathan talk about the difficult decision to pause her author podcast Dear Lonely Writer, about her initial reluctance to include some darker truths about herself in her memoir, and why she’s grateful she became a published writer a little later in life than she’d originally hoped.

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THE WALRUS THANKS ALL OUR ADVERTISERS. BECOME ONE.

The events of the last few weeks have been dizzying. We’ve read war plans shared over text messages, heard ongoing threats to Canadian sovereignty, and have felt the ripple effects of axed international aid and public health and immigration changes well beyond our borders. On the cusp of a federal election, our country faces significant questions as to how we should respond to these issues.

At The Walrus, we’re keeping up with all that is happening in Canada, the US, and beyond. Our editors are working hard to bring you fresh insights and reporting every single day on the issues that matter. The Walrus was built for this moment, but we cannot do this alone.

If you enjoyed these stories, please make a donation today to help us continue this work. With your support, we can ensure that everyone has access to responsible, fact‐based coverage of the very issues that will shape our collective future.

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The Walrus