#ICYMI Does Buying Canadian Mean You Need to Give Up Cheetos?

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

This week from The Walrus:

Are Hawkins Cheezies the Snack Food of Canadian Sovereignty?

A salty ode to the cheddar‐dusted beacon of “Buy Canadian”

BY SIMON THIBAULT

A photo illustration of the Canadian flag. The traditionally red parts are made up of orange Cheezies.

I have no interest in snacks that require anthropomorphic characters like Chester Cheetah to convince me to buy the product they shill. When all of us are wondering and worrying about buying Canuck‐produced goods, I will happily forgo your American snack food, soda pop, sports drink, and bottled water conglomerate. I find the Cheetofication of foodstuffs—covering foods in Cheetos dust, like copper‐dusted taco shells and flamin’ hot whatchamacallits or even, God help us, Cheetos‐flavoured lip balm—to be some of the laziest forms of product development. If your product needs development, then maybe it isn’t as good as you think it is. I don’t need my food choices to be attention seekers. I am quite happy with my bag of Hawkins Cheezies.

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Mark Carney Leads Liberals to Stunning Victory

The party wins a historic fourth term as fear of Trump grows

BY DAVID MOSCROP

Canada’s Arctic Strategy Falls Behind as Rivals Push Ahead

We need urgent investment in sovereignty and surveillance

BY ERIN O’TOOLE

Photo illustration shows a white hand casting a ballot against a red background.

Why Do Voters Elect Governments That Focus Only on the Short Term?

Politicians have few incentives to think beyond tomorrow

BY NICHOLAS CHESTERLY

A photo of a pathway snaking through green grass with buildings in the background.

As Global Climate Leadership Stumbles, Cities Are Stepping Up

From green infrastructure to net‐zero commitments, local governments are outpacing national policies

BY ARNO KOPECKY

An illustration of a pastor with his hands raised, wearing an orange robe and white stole with crosses. Behind him are several people holding large dark umbrellas and tropical trees.

“Is Your Blood Clean?”: The Paranoid Pastor Who Turned His Church into a Violent Cult

Inside Jamaica’s most notorious criminal case

BY RACHEL BROWNE

A photo illustration of a hand holding a pill that glows against a green-tinted background.

The Pill That Promises to Cure Grief

Some experts aren’t so convinced it’s a good idea

BY AYESHA HABIB

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Canadians have enjoyed Hawkins Cheezies for over seventy‐five years, but it’s not just nostalgia that makes the snack beloved—it’s the flavour. Hawkins has largely stuck to its traditional 1950 recipe, with the exception of one change. What did they tweak?

Yes, I know the answer

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How the Health Care System in Cuba Defies the Odds

In the first episode of the new From Research to Impact series, discover how sanctions disrupt health care systems—and how countries like Cuba respond with resilience and innovation.

The conversation reveals the deep links between policy, health, and human ingenuity, showing how investing in people can drive change, even under the most challenging conditions.

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This week on What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by Carol Off. Carol is an author, journalist, and broadcaster who spent almost sixteen years co‐hosting the multi‐award‐winning CBC radio program, As It Happens. Her most recent book, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage, was published by Random House Canada in 2024. Carol and Nathan talk about the strangeness of the recent Canadian federal election, her worry that At A Loss for Words was being overtaken by world events even as she was writing it, and the trouble she’s having getting down to work on her next book—despite already having a deadline to finish it.

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