The Peak Daily Up in arms đź’Ş - Carney plans new trade block, Canada is getting armed.
Feb 17, 2026
A deep dive into Mark Carney's plan to knit EU and Indo-Pacific trade rules into a powerful middle-power bloc. A look at Canada’s dramatic defence industrial push to triple military manufacturing and aim for 5% of GDP by 2035. Short updates on Warner Bros. merger talks, Anthropic’s Pentagon spat, and ongoing CUSMA negotiations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Middle Powers Building A New Trade Bloc
- Mark Carney is negotiating to link the EU and CPTPP by aligning rules of origin to create a massive middle-power trade bloc.
- This aims to reduce reliance on U.S. market access and anchor a predictable, rules-based alternative to tariff-driven coercion.
Canada Plans Massive Domestic Defence Build
- Ottawa plans to spend 70% of its defence budget domestically to triple Canadian defence-industry revenue and create 125,000 jobs over 10 years.
- The shift targets higher serviceability, 50% export growth, and a dramatic reorientation away from reliance on U.S. contractors.
Tighten The 'Canadian Company' Definition
- Define 'Canadian company' tightly so defence dollars and IP stay in-country instead of flowing to foreign-owned subsidiaries.
- Use rigorous ownership and IP rules to prevent funds from going to companies like Palantir Canada or Lockheed Martin Canada without safeguarding Canadian IP.