The Peak team gazed into our crystal ball, and here’s what we see for the year ahead…
The Québec sovereignty movement will return. A deeply unpopular federal government and struggling Canadian economy will prompt Quebecers to reconsider independence. If the Trump tariffs come into effect, Quebecers may think they’re better off dealing with the United States as an independent state rather than a part of Confederation. We’ll see this manifest in surging poll numbers for the Parti Québécois and overall support for sovereignty go up, especially among young Quebecers.
— Brett Chang, co-founder, The Peak
The Loonie will near an all-time low. The Canadian dollar has hovered around an abysmal 70 cents on the dollar for several months now. I predict that things will get worse before they get better. As the Bank of Canada continues to pull further away from the US Federal Reserve on interest rate cuts and with US tariffs set to wreak havoc, the Loonie will wilt like an underwatered house plant and come perilously close to its record low of 61.79 cents on the dollar, set in January 2002.
— Quinn Henderson, senior writer
The Keystone XL pipeline will return from the dead. The Trump administration wants it built, and the federal government is searching for bargaining chips to bring to the negotiating table with the president-elect. Sure, there would be roadblocks to actually building the pipeline, but if the feds can get some relief from the tariff threat by resurrecting Keystone, that’s a deal they’ll take every time.
— Taylor Scollon, co-founder, The Peak
Bitcoin rallies to US$200,000 in 2025. With a crypto-friendly US administration coming into power — and planning to build a strategic bitcoin reserve — the cryptocurrency will continue its 2024 rally into the new year and eventually eclipse the $200,000 mark.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that MicroStrategy, the largest corporate bitcoin holder in the world, just landed a spot on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index.
— Lucas Arender, writer
Big Tech will become a major energy player. These companies are expanding their ownership of energy supply to power their large data centres, but I think they will also emerge as serious innovators in the space: I mean everything from integrating advanced AI into energy management to enhancing grid efficiency. This expanding role will likely attract regulatory scrutiny in the US to ensure fair competition and prevent monopolistic practices.
— Sarah Bartnicka, head of content
Get smarter about what matters. Sign up for The Peak, a free five-minute daily email on Canadian business, tech, and finance that you’ll actually enjoy reading.