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Plus,‌ Trump’s America echoes the horrors of WWII
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This Week's Round-Up: November 19, 2025

If Carney Really Wants a Nation-Building Project, He Should Read This First

True sovereignty starts with a little swagger

BY DAN GARDNER

Photo illustration of two mechanical fists, one blue and one red, connecting against a yellow backdrop. Each fist has emerged from a shipping container.

In economic relations. In military relations. In international relations. Across every dimension, Canada inched closer and closer to the US. In part, we did that because American leaders asked us to. In part, we did it because it was good for us to be tightly tied to the world’s—and history’s—richest and most powerful nation. We got security and prosperity without the burdens of independence and charting our own course.

Look, we’re among friends. So, let’s be blunt: it was easy. That’s why we did it. We did it because it was easy.

But then came US president Donald Trump.


Read or Listen to the Story
Image of a
submarine in the ocean with a blue background.

Canada’s New Submarines Will Be Lethal, Stealthy, and Very UnCanadian

It’s the start of a military buildup that will reshape the country’s self-image

BY PETER JONES

Photo
of a bridge at sunset. In the foreground, Canadian and American flags fly on flagpoles.

My Family’s 240-Year Journey Shows Why Canada Will Never Bow to Trump

I turned to history—and my ancestors—to understand the country’s resistance to American domination

BY STEPHEN MAHER

Photo
of a crowd waving Quebec provincial flags.

The Generation That Outgrew Quebec Nationalism

A province obsessed with preserving its culture faces a reckoning with young people who no longer see borders

BY FRANCINE PELLETIER

Image of CSIS director Daniel
Rogers

Spy Boss Dan Rogers Has the Hardest Job in Ottawa

He takes the helm amid Trump’s return, internal turmoil, and a shifting threat landscape

BY WESLEY WARK

An image of a building
with a clocktower as seen through binoculars.

How China Courted, Cultivated, and Cornered Ottawa

A Canadian political class eager for connections created perfect conditions for foreign interference

BY DENNIS MOLINARO

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Black and white photo of a
tank in a war-torn city with the ruins of buildings.

My Mother Was Freed by US Forces. Now Soldiers Are Being Deployed to American Cities

The daughter of a forced labourer, I see echoes of her suffering in Trump’s America

BY HALINA ST. JAMES

Photo of a woman on a
computer. In the top of the image, three security cameras are pointed at her.

Workplace Surveillance Is Here, Counting Your Mouse Clicks and Bathroom Breaks

Remote employees are being tracked and punished by invisible systems. Some workers are refusing to play along

BY MIHIKA AGARWAL

Photo of Douglas &
McIntyre co-founder Scott McIntyre standing in front of stacks of books.

How the Fight to Save Canadian Publishing from the American Market Shaped My 50-Year Career

“Books are not mere merchandise. Books are a nation thinking out loud”

BY SCOTT MCINTYRE

Image of a pile of books with
a door in the middle on a white background. People are walking toward and into the door.

Forget Running Groups and Work Socials. Find a Book Club

A generation of lonely readers looks to make connections

BY JANNA ABBAS

Photo of two
men dressed as cowboys riding hobby horses while spinning towels in the air.

The Steamy, Sweaty, Towel-Spinning Weirdness of the World Sauna Championships

Whatever you’re picturing, we promise it’s stranger

BY SARAH EVERTS

Black and white photo of
Robyn Sarah on a purple background

Another Winter

As for summer—was there a summer? / Why don’t we remember?

BY ROBYN SARAH

TONIGHT: Canada is at a critical turning point in how it responds to gender-based violence. The Walrus Talks Ending Gender-Based Violence brings together activists, advocates, and experts to examine pressing policy gaps and cultural shifts that can reduce and prevent gender-based violence. This timely event will highlight lived experience, evidence-based solutions, and the need for coordinated, cross-sector action.

Join us in Ottawa for this urgent discussion.

Join Us

A MESSAGE FROM THE WALRUS LAB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MOUNT PLEASANT GROUP

Navigating Life’s Hardest Conversations

In this two-part episode of Sorry For Your Loss, hosts Denise Donlon and John Monahan explore some of life’s most tender and difficult conversations about what to say and how to listen when someone you love is dying. Featuring insights from Dr. Nadine Persaud and Dr. Kathy Kortes-Miller, they share practical guidance, personal stories, and compassionate advice on supporting loved ones, navigating fears, and being fully present in life’s final moments.

Listen and Subscribe

Check out the latest episode of What Happened Next

In this episode of What Happened Next, host Nathan Whitlock is joined by author, social justice activist, and Anglican priest Maggie Helwig. Her most recent book is Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community, published by Coach House Books earlier this year.

Maggie and Nathan talk about the City of Toronto forcibly removing the encampment that she writes about in the book less than a day after it won the Toronto Book Award, about her long, unplanned, and ongoing break from publishing works of fiction and poetry, and about her next book, a selection of sermons written and delivered at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields.

Listen Now

No Size Fits All

Monika Warzecha hits the nail on the head in “Terrible Apparel” (December 2024) with her critique of the fashion industry. But she forgot one important issue: sizing. Declining quality control means it feels like there is no universal agreement on sizing. I am small in some clothes but medium to large in others. I don’t know how anyone buys clothing online. You have to try everything on to get an idea of the fit. It is an irritating constant in the fashion world.

Jane McCall
Ladner, BC


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Pause for Thought

I could relate to much of Susan Glickman’s “Menopause Is a Pretty Damn Fine Stage of Life.” However, her claim that hormone replacement therapy, among other things, can have “worse consequences than the problems they are designed to solve” is sadly reminiscent of the outdated medical advice given to millions of women. There is new information that hormone replacement therapy is not only safe but beneficial far beyond reducing the impact of hot flashes. I urge Glickman to write about her personal experience with menopause but leave the medical guidance to the experts.

Sian Roberts
Toronto, ON


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You bring more voices to Canada’s conversation

There was a time when every story we covered needed a so-called “Canadian angle”—one that rooted the characters and consequences within this country’s borders. But we know Canada isn’t defined by its boundaries. And there’s no single Canadian perspective.

With your support, we’re bringing an array of voices to the page—those of underrepresented groups, diaspora communities, and more. Because in a time of overwhelming change, we need to know who Canada is.

If you believe in Canada’s need for trusted journalism, please donate to The Walrus today.

— Samia Madwar

Senior Editor

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