Guests: Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair, TD Securities
Host: Peter Haynes, Managing Director and Head of Index and Market Structure Research, TD Securities
Frank's focus during the June episode of Geopolitics was on analyzing the fluid situation in the Middle East following Israel's 12-day war with Iran and the US's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. Stepping back to the catalyst event for this war, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu's order to take out Iranian military leaders, Frank believes this decision is more about Netanyahu's political survival than a tactical move to take advantage of a weakened group of Iranian proxies.
The Iranian-Israel war also took center stage at the recent G7 Summit hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Carney, an event partially hijacked by President Trump's decision to leave early to address the Middle Eastern unrest. Prior to his departure, Trump did meet with Carney and the two leaders agreed to work out a comprehensive bi-lateral trade and security agreement within 30 days, an announcement that brings with it some skepticism as to what such an agreement will look like and whether Section 899 tax issues will be included.
The conversation ends where it always seems to end, with Frank continuing to be more bullish on his beloved Blue Jays than the host.
| Chapters: | |
|---|---|
| 3:08 | President Trump's Attack on Iran |
| 10:28 | Political Calculus for Trump's Iran Missive |
| 16:00 | Netanyahu's Decision to Open Another War Flank with Iran |
| 20:03 | Trump's G-7 Departure and Relationship with Carney |
| 24:46 | Evaluating Carney's Decision to Invite India's Moti to G-7 |
| 31:10 | The Latest on Section 899 |
| 35:50 | Is Danielle Smith Setting the Bar Too High with BC Pipeline Chatter? |
This podcast was recorded on June 24, 2025.
Full transcript to come.
