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May 4 - What keeps Canada democratic—and independent?
Craft beer downturn. Mother's Day event preview. Sightseeing buses sold. Weekend events.
Capital Daily Team
May 04, 2025
Good morning !
We hope you're enjoying a sunny weekend—there's more where that came from, and plenty of warmth to go with it, expected this week.
Today we have another piece on how the federal government works, and stories for Insider members on upcoming Mother's Day events and the downturn of the local craft beer industry.
— Cam
Today’s approx. read time: 3 / 7 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
Today: ☀️ 14 / 5
Monday: ☀️ 18 / 8
Day after: ☀️ 21 / 8
FEATURE
Understanding government: What keeps Canada democratic—and independent?
As the dust continues to settle after Monday's election, a few updates have arrived in time for the weekend. The Liberal minority government will land at 168 seats; PM Mark Carney will not make a formal deal with the NDP; Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will attempt to regain a seat via Alberta byelection; and King Charles will make a rare visit to open Parliament and deliver the throne speech on May 27.
With the federal system still fresh in everyone's minds, we're continuing our series with sibling publication the Fraser Valley Current on how Canada's government works.
One of the defining concerns of the election was whether, and how, Canada could resist aggression from the US and avoid becoming like the Trump-era US. Today's explainer looks at what checks are built into the Canadian government to limit drastic shifts or concentrations of power.
It looks at topics including:
the limits on the PM
the barriers to joining the US
the process for changing the Constitution
the role of the senate
the mechanisms for removing politicians
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Closed today: Downtown Victoria UPCC (Urgent and Primary Care Centre), for planned BC Hydro outage.
Busy ferries expected this weekend—especially on Horseshoe Bay / Departure Bay route, on Sunday, and on midday or afternoon sailings.
Increased wildfire risk over the weekend for Southern BC. No open burning. [BC Gov.]
UV index High (6) today.
BCHL 3rd Round: Victoria Grizzlies 2, Chilliwack 1 on Fri. / Victoria 2 Chilliwack 5 on Sat.
Derelict ferry burns in Fraser River near Mission. [Global]
Need downtown parking? Keep tabs on availability here.
