5 things you need to know this morning: May 27, 2025

Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.

Five things you need to know

1. Canada faces 'massive challenge' to hit NATO spending target, now 'extraordinarily isolated'

Canada is "such an outlier" with its paltry defence budget and will face a "massive challenge" to catch up with its NATO partners, one analyst has said. Canadian Global Affairs Institute's president David Perry said expectations that NATO will set a spending target of five per cent of GDP – which contrasts drastically with Canada's current 1.3 per cent – means Canada has become "increasingly, extraordinarily isolated in how far behind everyone else we are." The Liberals have pledged to spend two per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.

Canada faces ‘massive challenge’ as NATO eyes new 5% spending target: expert https://t.co/nQiHUh2Ovy

— CP24 (@CP24) May 27, 2025

2. Despite losing official party status, NDP still 'obviously has a balance of power': interim leader

Despite losing official party status due to its poor showing in the federal election, the NDP will still play a "profoundly important role" in Parliament, according to Interim Leader Don Davies. The NDP was denied the status on Monday by Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon because the party has only seven seats, five short of the requisite number. Davies said, however, that the NDP "obviously has a balance of power."

Interim NDP leader says party will play important role despite loss of status https://t.co/Dtt5aaBopr via @stcatstandard

— The St. Catharines Standard (@StCatStandard) May 26, 2025

3. Carney won't take questions from everyone in House of Commons

Mark Carney, who is set to take part in his first Question Period in the House of Commons on Wednesday, has declined to continue with his predecessor's habit of answering questions from all MPs, rather than just fellow party leaders. Justin Trudeau committed to the practice to emphasize what he claimed was his commitment to accountability.

Carney will not take up Trudeau’s question period tradition https://t.co/KcDUxOs4w0 pic.twitter.com/FRVFC0wCwR

— Edmonton Sun (@Edmontonsun) May 26, 2025

4. Canadians 'indifferent' about King's visit to Canada

As King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit to Canada continues this morning, the Angus Reid Institute has published a poll designed to gauge how Canadians feel about their monarch. The primary takeaway is: they don't care, with even 79 per cent of people in Ontario – the most "excited" province – saying they're "indifferent" about the King's visit.

Royally Indifferent: 83 per cent of Canadians say they ‘don’t care’ that King Charles will deliver throne speech https://t.co/psSyF7iXFS

— Keith Wilson, K.C. (@ikwilson) May 27, 2025

5. CBC investigates Albertan culture, interviews trans resident of Fort McMurray

The CBC has been investigating Alberta's culture amid the province's latest flare-up of separatism, and in the aftermath of Quebec nationalist Yves-Francois Blanchet's recent belittling comment that he is "not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture." The national broadcaster interviewed a transgender resident of Fort McMurray, who said talk of "family values" is not inclusive, while resistance to "wokeness" likewise leaves some Albertans behind.

Separatists say Alberta's culture is rooted in traditional values. Many say those values don't define them https://t.co/hEYWKL0xc6

— Greg MacEachern (@gmacofglebe) May 27, 2025

Thumbnail photo credit: X/Prime Minister of Canada