This Week's Round-Up: February 9, 2026

How a US Invasion of Canada Would Really Unfold—And How We Fight Back

American aggression is no longer theoretical

Photo of an army solider standing in front of an army vehicle.

Ukrainians hesitated over confronting the little green men directly to avoid provoking Russia into doing even worse. But, of course, Putin fully intended to do worse all along; he was testing the waters to see how far he could go. So, it would be a mistake not to respond if Trump tried his own version of this tactic. This has to be met forcefully and quickly, or Trump will be able to sell the idea that Canadians aren’t really serious about defending their country.

The lesson of Ukraine is clear. Doing nothing in the hope Trump will be impressed by the restraint is a fool’s errand. All it will get us is further escalation. Some thought should be given as to where in Canada these pin-prick attacks may be likely and how we can best make the point that we are serious in meeting them.

Read the Story

Image of two federal ICE agents wearing camouflage clothes and vests.

What Stops ICE from Snatching People Off Canadian Streets? Very Little

The legal reality Canadians don’t want to face

BY CARMINE STARNINO, KENT ROACH

Photo of a red satellite pointed to a starry sky.

Canada Is Building a Surveillance Network in Space

A reborn Cold War telescope is part of a broader effort to stop relying on US intelligence

BY WESLEY WARK

Photo of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre smiling with his hands held together in front of him.

Poilievre Isn’t Pivoting. His Party Just Made That Very Clear

Conservatives want their guy to stay exactly the same

BY PAUL WELLS

Close-up image of a person wearing a blue baseball cap that reads "We're done. Alberta first."

Alberta’s Separatist Movement Is a National Security Threat

Meetings with Trump officials cast new scrutiny on the province’s bid for sovereignty

BY PATRICK LENNOX

Image of televisions displaying the provincial flag of Quebec.

The Next Separatist Crisis Isn’t in Alberta. It’s in Quebec

The risk of a referendum hasn’t been this high in decades, and Canada is nowhere near ready

BY ALEX COOL-FERGUS

Today's Quiz Question

Geostationary orbit represents some of the most valuable real estate in space, hosting critical infrastructure for weather monitoring, communications, and defence. Satellites in this orbital band maintain a fixed position relative to Earth’s surface, making them ideal for continuous coverage of specific regions. At what altitude do geostationary satellites orbit?

Yes, I Know the Answer

Photo of stocked warehouse shelves with a forklift in the foreground.

They Work Full-Time. They Have Degrees. They’re Still Going Hungry

Record food bank visits reveal demand is spreading beyond the poorest households

BY TOULA DRIMONIS

Photograph of the exterior of a single-story building in the snow.

Inside the North’s Only Line of Defence Against the Opioid Crisis

The Whitehorse facility has reversed hundreds of overdoses while navigating politics, burnout, and fragile funding

BY RHIANNON RUSSELL

Image of a young Black woman laughing against a dark background with blurry lights.

There Must Be Room for Black Joy in Public Spaces

Our survival has always hinged on navigating the world with caution. There are better ways to live

BY JAY PITTER

How Many Poodle Rescues Have I Followed? Oodles

Ollie’s toe-less paw. Mozart’s long-lost father. I was hooked

BY CATHERINE BUSH

How Portraiture Gives Us Permission to Stare

The Kingston Prize makes a case for the beauty of real faces

BY CONNOR GAREL

A photo of poet Molly Peacock against a red background.

Two Poems

Orange and grey representatives of his choices / haunting with their cotton voices

BY MOLLY PEACOCK

Safe Arrival

As a second-generation immigrant, I think Mihika Agarwal’s “When Immigrants Oppose Immigration” missed an important nuance. I am by no means opposed to immigration, but I think many immigrants fall prey to predatory practices, whether at the hands of employers, immigration consultants, or shady educational institutions. I support immigration, but it needs to be focused on bettering immigrants’ lives—and, by extension, supporting their communities and Canadian society.

Asha Khaladkar
Regina, SK

With a specific focus on Ontario, on a topic that’s relevant across the country, The Walrus Talks Opioids brings together medical experts, frontline workers, policymakers, and individuals with lived experience with opioid use disorder to share evidence-based strategies for tackling the crisis, highlight proven policy solutions, and outline what we can do to end the opioid crisis.

Join Us

This week on What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by award-winning author, journalist, and filmmaker Michelle Shephard, who talks about the kinds of things she has witnessed while reporting in places like Guantánamo Bay, about how she handled co-writing a book with a former FBI agent, and about the journalist/novelist she looks to as a model as she contemplates trying her hand at a work of fiction.

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Editor-in-Chief, The Walrus

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