Katie Underwood

Canada

Assistant Managing Editor at Maclean's

Katie is long for Kate.

Articles

“Don't Hate All of Us”: An American Farmer Speaks Out

1 week ago | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

Farmers are probably the best equipped of us all to weather storms. Doug Sombke, a fourth-generation farmer and rancher from Groton, South Dakota, thinks Hurricane Donald might be the most devastating one he’s seen yet. Within weeks of taking office, Trump mounted a topsy-turvy global trade war, which has, so far, mostly served to devastate the working-class Americans he swore to enrich.
Daniel Debow Wants Canada To Get Rich Quicker

2 weeks ago | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

February marked the launch of Build Canada, a mysterious website that loftily promised plans for a “bolder, richer, freer country.” Soon, more details emerged: it was a non-partisan forum for entrepreneurs of all stripes to publish their visionary, occasionally radical policy ideas for bettering Canada.
Why Aren’t Gen Zs Using Condoms?

1 month ago | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

Canada’s not for sale. Maclean’s is. Subscribe todayDespite our many weird and wonderful advances in the world of sex tech, condoms—the old reliable of the birth control cinematic universe—are still, in 2025, the cheapest effective contraceptive on the market. Yet among Gen Zs, the sheaths seem to have lost their sheen: in the last decade, the World Health Organization has documented an “alarming decline” in condom use by sexually active adolescents around the globe.
Timothy Snyder Has Seen Tyrants Like Trump Before

1 month ago | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

Timothy Snyder, America’s most famous (living) historian, has found himself north of the border. For decades, he’s parsed the ins and outs of authoritarianism—and the tyrants who weaponize it—both in his professorial post at Yale and in 16 books, including last September’s On Freedom and On Tyranny, a 20-point guide to dictator-proofing yourself, published shortly after Donald Trump was first elected and currently back on the bestseller lists.
Is Canada’s Military Ready for Trump?

2 months ago | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

For months now, Canadians have had their eyes locked on the border, anxiously anticipating what fresh, destabilizing hell America’s mercurial president will visit upon us next. Way up north, meanwhile, another turf war is brewing as Russia, China and, yes, the U.S. slowly encroach on Canada’s third (and largest) coast. As global warming melts our natural icy defences—opening up new shipping routes and access to critical minerals—we’ve been forced to find new ways to protect our Arctic interests.
David Eby is Ready for a Trade War—a Q&A with BC's Premier - Tree Frog creative

Jan 28, 2025 | treefrogcreative.ca | Katie Underwood |Russ Taylor |Russ Taylor Global |David Elstone

Back in January, with an inconveniently prorogued Parliament and the US president pressing with some very un-ally-like tariff threats, Canada’s premiers decided to defend themselves. …For David Eby, BC’s premier, however, it meant war. He adopted an economic eye-for-an-eye approach, and nothing was off the table—not export bans, not travel boycotts and certainly not retaliatory import tariffs, right down to Florida orange juice. …Just how much damage could tariffs cause your province?
David Eby is Ready for a Trade War

Jan 27, 2025 | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

Back in January, with an inconveniently prorogued Parliament and the U.S. president pressing on their necks with some very un-ally-like tariff threats, Canada’s premiers decided to defend themselves. For Alberta’s Danielle Smith, this manifested as a friendly trip to Mar-a-Lago; Doug Ford, on the other hand, leaned into dealmaking and merch. For David Eby, B.C.’s premier and leader of the provincial NDP, however, it meant war.
The Many Battles of Refugee Olympian Nigara Shaheen

Jul 2, 2024 | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

She fled Afghanistan as a baby. Now she’s headed to the Olympics. How she fought her way to to the top. photography by wade hudsonNigara Shaheen’s road to this year’s Paris Olympics has been more treacherous than most. Born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1993, she was just six months old when her parents carried her across the mountainous border into Pakistan, fleeing the country’s raging civil war.
The Many Battles of Refugee Olympian Nigara Shaheen - Newz9

Jul 2, 2024 | newz9.com | Katie Underwood

She fled Afghanistan as a child. Now she’s headed to the Olympics. How she fought her solution to to the highest. pictures by wade hudsonNigara Shaheen’s street to this 12 months’s Paris Olympics has been extra treacherous than most. Born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1993, she was simply six months outdated when her dad and mom carried her throughout the mountainous border into Pakistan, fleeing the nation’s raging civil battle.
Naheed Nenshi Loves the Drama

May 2, 2024 | macleans.ca | Katie Underwood

Calgary’s centrist ex-mayor will have to win over skeptical NDP voters—and take on Danielle Smith—to reclaim Alberta. He’s looking forward to it. The moment Naheed Nenshi entered the Alberta NDP leadership race this past March, he was quickly named the candidate to beat—and the one who could beat Premier Danielle Smith. It didn’t matter that the next provincial election was three years away.