Getting caught up on a week that got away? Here’s your weekly digest of The Globe’s most essential business and investing stories, with insights and analysis from the pros, stock tips, portfolio strategies and more.

Carney unveils six new ‘nation-building’ projects to fast trackOpen this photo in gallery:

LNG Canada’s flare stack burns at its export facility in Kitimat, B.C. The Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project in the province has been referred to the Major Projects Office for consideration.Jesse Winter/Reuters

Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled the latest round of infrastructure projects to be considered for fast-track approval in a bid to wean Canada off its economic reliance on the United States. The six projects announced Thursday are the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia; Ontario’s Crawford nickel project; New Brunswick’s Sisson mine; Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine in Quebec; the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project and the North Coast Transmission Line in northwest B.C. But not all the projects are going swimmingly: One is entangled in opposition from neighbouring First Nations, at least one has faced a long delay, and some just need a lot of money.

The first round was announced in September and includes new or expanded developments in energy, port infrastructure, critical minerals mining and public infrastructure. Here’s a look at all of Carney’s “nation-building” projects mapped out.

Canada in the running to headquarter new multinational defence bankOpen this photo in gallery:

A new multinational bank dedicated specifically to financing defence projects is expected to be established next year.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Canada is in the running to headquarter a new multinational bank dedicated specifically to financing defence-related projects for NATO members and allies. The Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, or DSRB, to be established by the end of 2026, will include as many as 40 member countries and 12 anchor countries. Pippa Norman reports that if it was headquartered in Canada, it would bring about 3,500 jobs in defence finance to the country, along with the advantage of being the global hub for meetings of member countries.

A handful of institutions, including Royal Bank of Canada, JPMorgan Chase & Co., ING Group NV, Commerzbank AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, have already signed on to help establish the DSRB. How will it work? The bank will be owned by its member countries, which will be asked to contribute with either an upfront amount when a country joins the bank, or a promise to provide extra money if the bank is ever in a crisis. Plus, any contributions made by NATO members should count toward their commitment to spend the equivalent of 5 per cent of GDP on defence.

Decoder: Big employers are the only ones hiring, and that’s a big problemOpen this photo in gallery:

Establishments with more than 500 employees have created 592,000 net new jobs so far in 2025, while smaller establishments shed more than 300,000 positions.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press

Canada’s surprisingly strong job market over the past two months has been mostly driven by hiring from large employers. Companies with more than 500 employees have created 592,000 net new jobs since the start of the year, while smaller establishments have shed more than 300,000 positions. Jason Kirby reports that that trend has helped push the unemployment rate down to 6.9 per cent in October from 7.1 per cent. Still, it’s not all good news: The widening gap between big and small employers reflects the strain on Canada’s economy from the U.S. trade war. Take a look at the numbers in the latest instalment of the Decoder series.

Saab CEO confirms talks with Ottawa, Bombardier for Gripen fighter jet productionOpen this photo in gallery:

A Saab Gripen E-series fighter aircraft in Linkoping, Sweden, in October, during a display for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The company’s CEO confirms it is in talks to build the jet in Canada.JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

Saab AB chief executive officer Micael Johansson said that his company is in talks with the federal government and Bombardier Inc. to build Saab’s Gripen fighter jet in Canada, Eric Reguly reports. The talks are set to continue Nov. 18 to Nov. 20, during the royal visit of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Canada. Their entourage is to include senior Saab executives and the country’s Defence Minister, Pal Jonson, who will be meeting with his Canadian counterpart, David McGuinty, as well as Bombardier CEO Éric Martel.

The Saab CEO said the move could create 10,000 jobs in the country and spawn a research network to develop other aircraft, including drones. Meanwhile, the Swedish company already has a close ties to Bombardier: The Saab GlobalEye surveillance jet, equipped with a radar that can spot planes or missiles 450 kilometres away, is based on Bombardier’s large business jets that are built at Pearson.

How Ruby Liu’s contentious play for Hudson’s Bay stores fell apartOpen this photo in gallery:

Photo illustration by The Globe and Mail/The Globe and Mail

In early June, B.C.-based real estate executive Weihong (Ruby) Liu held meetings with some of Canada’s largest mall owners to share her plan take over the leases of more than two dozen former Hudson’s Bay locations. The landlords did not like what they heard. She had never run a major retailer before, let alone a nationwide chain, and her aspiration was to fill 25 spaces across the country with new “Ruby Liu” department stores. The mall owners said there was little concrete detail on how she planned to get the venture off the ground. The disparity between what her team said publicly and the reality behind the scenes set off alarm bells within the court-supervised process to liquidate the business.

Susan Krashinsky Robertson and James Griffiths report on the B.C. billionaire’s plan to “save Canadian retail” and her opponents who tell a story of an ill-conceived strategy that was bound to fail.

Which everyday commodity has soared in price this year?

a. Milk

b. Bread

c. Beef

d. Turkey

c. Beef prices have climbed 23 per cent above their five-year average. The sky-high meat prices are hitting both Canadian and U.S. consumers. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump told American ranchers to drop prices and threatened to quadruple Argentine imports.

Get the rest of the questions from the weekly business and investing news quiz here, and prepare for the week ahead with The Globe’s investing calendar.