By now, you’ve probably heard about Mark Carney’s big speech.

In case you missed it, Carney spoke at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday. Basically, he said everything’s changed. The big powers are acting like bullies, and the middle countries need to stick together.

The New York Times reported that Carney wrote it himself. I think it showed. Those were his authentic words, illustrating his own thoughts.

I’ll give Donald Trump credit for writing his own stuff too. Those too are his authentic words, illustrating his own thoughts. You don’t have to agree with what he says, but at least he puts it out there completely unfiltered.

Carney’s speech was all over TikTok the next day. Coincidentally, the same day a federal judge agreed to set aside the government’s order that TikTok shut down its Canadian operations (but not the app).

And, perhaps coincidentally, this was a few days after Canada signed a big trade deal with China. Makes me wonder: if the app wasn’t banned, and TikTok’s office is back in business, what was all that security fuss about?

We break it down below.

-Neil Malik

The federal government’s ban on TikTok never made any sense. Ottawa didn't ban the app itself, only the company’s Canadian operations. All that did was create uncertainty for creators, advertisers, and cultural partners whose work depended on TikTok having a business presence in Canada.

A government review of TikTok back in 2023 found risks of “cyber-enabled espionage and foreign interference,” and there’s nothing to suggest anything has changed. That assessment was based on TikTok’s data practices, not its office location. Dropping the order doesn't solve these legitimate concerns.

Until next time!