Canada entered 2026 under extraordinary pressure, its political and economic resolve tested by crises at home and confrontation abroad. 2026 was market by a deteriorating CUSMA relationship and an escalating U.S.–Canada trade war. This was the year when Ottawa halted trade negotiations and answered with counter-tariffs, while devastating forest fires—and the U.S. response to them—deepened cross-border tensions. Meanwhile, the Quebec election and the Alberta referendum sharpened fundamental debates about the country’s political future. Yet amid the disruption, the defining story was one of Canadian resilience: The Prime Minister’s investor summit opened a bold push for capital growth and the Government of Canada advanced an ambitious agenda of major, nation-shaping projects, backed by strong public support for building at scale and securing the country’s economic future. Abroad, Prime Minister Mark Carney's addresses at Davos and the EU were noticed around the world -- rallying middle powers to unite against economic coercion and laying the framework for Canada to become the EU's first associate member. 

So, what will define Canada in 2027? 

The Empire Club of Canada brings together two of the country’s most influential political journalists—Laura Stone, Queen’s Park reporter for The Globe and Mail, and Paul Wells, political journalist, author and host of The Paul Wells Show—to forecast the big political stories that will shape Canada in the year ahead. 

Before the panel takes the stage, pollster David Coletto, founder, Chair and CEO of Abacus Data, will deliver an insightful data briefing on the state of the issues that matter most to Canadians in 2026 and how public opinion is starting to shift. Drawing on fresh research, he will map the fault lines and emerging trends that will frame the year ahead. 

Then in a “turn-the-tables” twist, the journalists become the subjects. Prominent political commentator, Scott Reid will be the one asking the questions, breaking with tradition and promising sharp unfiltered insight into the people, pressures, and power struggles that will drive the 2026 agenda. 

On January 20, 2027, join us for Empire Nights: “The Journalists’ Forecast – Big Stories of 2027 that Will Shape Canada.” Expect a fast-paced, highly informed evening of analysis and conversation from the people who frame the national narrative and decode the issues for Canadians every day. 

Come for the journalism, stay for the conjecture. Scott Reid will be firmly “in the captain’s chair” as he engages Canada’s top political reporters. Enjoy refreshments and networking with fellow stakeholders, insiders, and news junkies in an atmosphere built for real dialogue and fresh perspective.