Keep your friends close 🇪🇺 - Canada and the EU deepen ties, Standardized test scores take an alarming dip.

Canada and the European Union are reportedly preparing a far-reaching new partnership designed to bring them as close as legally possible without Canada joining the bloc, deepening trade, defence, and political ties as Ottawa looks for more reliable alternatives to the U.S.

Plus, Canadian students’ math, reading, and science scores have fallen to their lowest levels ever measured by the OECD, with pandemic disruptions, social media, and heavy AI use all contributing to a decline that could weigh on future earnings.

And in The Big Picture: Mark Carney warns Canadians of economic pain as retaliatory tariffs take effect, Houthi strikes on Saudi oil facilities escalate the Middle East conflict, and Meta launches a new AI agent for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

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