Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
Mark Carney has discussed the possibility of an early federal election with Doug Ford, according to a report. The Globe and Mail story, quoting unnamed sources, explains the PM and Ontario premier have "forged a close relationship," with Ford telling Carney "that an election is an opportunity to win a clear majority mandate." One source told the paper "that Mr. Ford had advised Mr. Carney to trigger an election." On a related note, BC polling firm Research Co. released a survey this morning showing the Liberals 13 points ahead of the Tories.
Carney, Ford discussed idea of an early federal election to secure majority, sources say https://t.co/aHLJ5Ggznz
— Globe Politics (@globepolitics) February 9, 2026
Mark Carney, meanwhile, is practising "the art of the deal" by "playing hardball" with a $40 billion submarine contract, according to a report in the Financial Times newspaper. The UK-based, Japanese-owned paper – which includes an interview with Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr – explains that Carney is playing the German bidder off against its South Korean rival in an effort to "turbocharge investment in civilian sectors ranging from steel and cars to energy and mining." Fuhr, discussing the need "to do things differently," told the paper: “We’re still friends with the US and we’re still going to work with the US, but we’re just not going to be as reliant on them." He also said the decision on which manufacturer to go with “will come down to the one that presents the best economic opportunity.”
Carney’s ‘art of the deal’: Canada leverages subs contract for auto investment https://t.co/XFeK1yS5sm
— FT World News (@ftworldnews) February 8, 2026
A major Canadian pollster has turned its sights on Alberta separatism, claiming that a comfortable majority – 65 per cent – of people in the province would vote against independence if a referendum were held today. The Angus Reid Institute poll also found that 29 per cent of Albertans would vote to leave Canada, while 54 per cent disapprove of Premier Danielle Smith's handling of separatism. A large proportion of anti-independence voters (74 per cent) said they would leave Alberta and move elsewhere in Canada if the province backed separation.
Speaking of separatism: what about British Columbia? The Canadian Press news agency has published an article asking whether BC separatism is likely, with a focus on the "Cascadia" movement, which sees the province as part a union with US states in the Pacific Northwest. But the story also looks at another group, the BC Prosperity Project, which has taken root on Vancouver Island; its organizer, Peter Letourneux, has warned that if Alberta and Saskatchewan leave Canada, BC will be the only "western province left to feed Ottawa and pay for Quebec." Instead, he said, BC should join Alberta and Saskatchewan. A Pollara Strategic Insights poll released last month suggested 11 per cent of British Columbians were likely to back secession.
Cascadia movement has roots in the past, but does B.C. separatism have a future? https://t.co/lue2OfYgRo
— CTV News (@CTVNews) February 8, 2026
In South Korea, meanwhile, one official has suggested the country – which is suffering from a catastrophically low birth rate – "import young women" from Vietnam or Sri Lanka. Kim Hee-soo, the head of Jindo County, has been expelled from his party over the comments. On present trends, South Korea's population is expected to half over the next 60 years, with a large proportion of those remaining being too old to work.
Outrage as South Korean official suggests 'importing' foreign women to boost birth rate https://t.co/rDceSMrTB1
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 9, 2026
