Because this is sometimes a media criticism blog, I’m going to sigh and rub the bridge of my nose, and maybe massage my temples a few times of this particular doozy of a piece in The Walrus about Mark Carney’s wife, Diana Fox Carney. The subhed refers to her as the “unofficial First Lady,” but in the story itself, it just refers to her as a “First Lady” along with other spouses of heads of state or heads of government interchangeably, and I just can’t you guys.
Guys. Stop it.Canada's "First Lady" is Queen Camilla. Stop trying to import Americanisms, even if you try and couch them in "unofficial" status.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T11:44:05.416Z
First of all, it matters that we’re a constitutional monarchy and not a presidential republic. That means that our “First Lady,” if we were to have one, would be Queen Camilla. If you were discounting the Canadian monarch, the next candidate would be the spouse of the Governor General (who once upon a time was called the “Chatelaine/Chatelain of Rideau Hall” as an unofficial title). Yes, this matters, in particular because the difference between a head of state and a head of government matters a great deal, particularly when it comes to the kind of role they play within government, and just because the American system fuses the two together, that’s pretty much unique in the world, and is a far cry from how our Westminster system operates. And right at nearly the very bottom of the piece, she writes:
In this way, being a first lady in Canada is fundamentally different from being one in the US, where the position, while unofficial, comes with an office and staff. In Canada, the prime minister’s spouse has no formal role or institutional support, and technically isn’t even the partner of a head of state. As a result, the title “first lady” doesn’t really apply in the same way.
No kidding! In fact, it undermines the whole gods damned point of your story. You just tried to compare apples and hedgehogs, tried to mash two fundamentally different concepts together, and then was like “Oh well, maybe she’ll get more active at some point!” No! We don’t elect spouses, and they don’t have a role for a reason. If she wants to have a role, she should seek a seat. (This especially goes for Poilievre’s wife, by the way). But trying to jam the spouse of a prime minister into the “First Lady” box is both fundamentally wrong, and a sign of really lazy conceptualizing of how our system of government works. The Walrus should absolutely know better.
Speaking of terrible reporting, the Globe and Mail put out a story yesterday that had the headline that “Liberal staffers strategized over $1-billion loan for Chinese ferries while Freeland dismissed federal connection,” which sounds like they were maybe somehow involved in the loan or procurement while claiming otherwise. But no. The story was about how comms staffers in ministers’ offices were trying to spin the story. That’s it. I saw lots of reactions on social media from people who read the headline and assumed that something hinky was going on that should be looked into by parliamentarians, but no. It’s about comms staffers spinning. Can we just not? This was not a story, and it especially was not a story about some kind of cover-up.
Ukraine Dispatch
Russia launched a massive attack against Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one and injuring at least seven so far. International monitors say that cluster munitions have resulted in over 1200 civilian casualties since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
Good reads:
- Mark Carney revealed in QP that he has been texting with Trump—but isn’t releasing any readouts of those text conversations.
- Here is a preview of Carney’s upcoming travel for summit season.
- Patty Hajdu says that the probe into unpaid labour in the airline sector should report back by December.
- Former Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão has been appointed the new head of Build Canada Homes.
- Elections Canada tabled their report on the last general election, and have pledged to launch a review of special ballots after issues were reported during early voting.
- The US ambassador is now threatening us about the F-35 purchase “review,” saying it’s an irritant to a trade deal. (How long before Carney capitulates on that one too?)
- The CEO of the high-speed rail project says that a major project designation could be a signal to supplies that will help speed up the project, and reduce costs.
- Here’s a look at the immigration powers in Bill C-2, and what groups it is likely to be targeting for the sake of political expediency.
- Here is a study on queer and trans representation in the Canadian parliament, and how it has been declining, particularly in the past election.
- Here is a recap of the day’s scrums in the West Block, and the five takeaways from the first day of the new sitting.
- Some MPs are reflecting on their safety in the wake of increasing political violence.
- Jason Kenney warns that a sovereign referendum will be “deeply divisive.” Good thing he didn’t empower those loons while kicking out the centrist normies, right?
- An election has been called in Newfoundland and Labrador. (CP has Profiles on the Liberal, Progressive Conservative and NDP leaders).
- Danielle Smith wants to incorporate health cards, drivers’ licences and citizenship ID into a single card (and good luck with the privacy implications for that one).
- Susan Delacourt sees both Carney and Poilievre as trying to moderate their performances in QP to meet the current moment.
- Anne Applebaum recounts the aftermath of Russian drones entering Polish airspace, and why Russia is intensifying their air war.
Odds and ends:
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