Delivery of new cargo planes behind schedule, air force confirms
CBC
23-05-17 08:00
Delays have been announced to the arrival of Canada's two new transport aircraft, which were due for delivery last winter but are now expected to arrive over the summer and autumn. The purchase of Airbus A330 wide-body passenger planes from Kuwait Airways for $102m was aimed at pushing forward the replacement of the Royal Canadian Air Force's ageing Airbus A-310s. The new aircraft can carry up to 80 more people and complete flights up to 3,000km further than the Polaris aircraft they are replacing. Both planes will be turned into refuelling tankers.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have signed an MoU to continue joint efforts to fend off North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, alongside efforts to enhance co-operation on critical minerals for the clean energy transition and energy security. The agreement would help both countries be "globally competitive players in areas including batteries and zero-emission vehicles", according to the joint statement. Canada has many of the critical minerals needed to make batteries, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, and is seeking to help producers and processors to scale up their production.
Despite differences on women's rights, Trudeau pitches closer ties on South Korea visit
CBC
23-05-17 10:56
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for closer ties with South Korea, while hinting at the tensions between the South and the neighbour, North Korea. During his visit to South Korea, he spoke at the National Assembly, highlighting the cultural similarities between the two countries. Trudeau paid tribute to a Canadian Protestant missionary who was buried in the Patriots’ Plot at the Korean National Cemetery for supporting Korea’s independence movement over 100 years ago. Meanwhile, he mentioned the importance of gender equality, which contrasts with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's anti-feminist platform and disregard of the country's gender-equality ministry.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have pledged to increase cooperation on critical minerals and economic security issues. The leaders condemned North Korea’s missile and nuclear development in a joint statement released after their summit in South Korea on 28 September. Trudeau’s visit was the first by a Canadian leader in nine years. The two countries are seeking to increase cooperation on security and critical minerals used in electric vehicles.
Poilievre declined meeting with Johnston on foreign interference, citing scheduling
CBC
23-05-17 16:11
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has declined to meet with David Johnston, the government's special rapporteur on foreign interference, citing an inability to find a mutually convenient time. Poilievre has criticised the move by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as only a delay tactic to avoid calling a public inquiry into the matter. Johnston is set to make a call on a public inquiry into foreign election interference by next Tuesday. The leaders of both the ND P and the Bloc Québécois have met with Johnston as he prepares his report.
Canadian province Prince Edward Island requires 1,200 extra health-care workers over the next decade, according to a report from health consultancy Health Intelligence. The report points out that the larger number of necessary hires is due to an extensive health system reform plan, which includes adding nurses, pharmacists and doctors to the network. A less ambitious reform plan would necessitate just 245 new workers, the report added. The Health Intelligence report considers factors including worker migration, retirement and mortality, and identifies major health problems affecting the province including cancer, diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and cardiovascular issues.
Stellantis, parent company of Chrysler, Jeep, and Fiat, has halted construction on its EV battery factory in Windsor, Ontario, citing its demands to match the US's manufacturing incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. The province and federal government each contributed CAD $500m ($399m) for the facility, demanding that Stellantis and LG Energy Solution match subsidies to keep the project competitive in Canada. The Windsor facility will employ 2,500 workers once it reaches its full capacity. The Inflation Reduction Act was introduced six months after the initial March 2022 deal between the government and Stellantis, in which the federal government is contributing CAD $700m to VW's EV battery factory. However, negotiations became difficult as Stellantis demanded that the government live up to its promise to honour the agreement that was made three weeks prior to construction.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and member of the Kennedy family, is running an “unprecedented” campaign for the Democratic nomination against Joe Biden, supported by a combination of the far left and far-right, according to an op-ed in The Globe and Mail. Kennedy, whose father Bobby Kennedy challenged a sitting president in 1968, is predominantly known for his opposition to vaccines, support for the release of Sirhan Sirhan, who was convicted of assassinating Sen. Robert Kennedy, and criticism of public health expert Anthony Fauci. While not expected to win the nomination, he has drawn surprisingly strong early poll numbers.
The future of a $5bn electric vehicle battery plant joint project from automaker Stellantis LV and battery maker LG Energy Solution, in Windsor, Ontario has been thrown into doubt after the two companies halted construction and called on Ottawa to "keep its commitments." The federal government wants Ontario to contribute what it considers its "fair share" to the project, despite having promised in recent years to match subsidies available in the US on similar projects. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the amounts requested are not clear and says it is Ottawa's job to match US support.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Hiroshima for the G7 meeting, where the agenda's expected to focus on global and economic security. All eyes will be on how G7 countries choose to address the threat of China specifically, amidst increasing tensions and an ongoing war in Ukraine. Trudeau is expected to push for co-operation between the countries on global and economic security, as well as guarding against the threat of climate change. This comes after the PM's visit to South Korea where he established agreements on the supply chain of critical minerals and youth mobility.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has refused to meet David Johnston, the former governor general who is currently investigating allegations that China has influenced Canadian elections. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed him as a rapporteur to investigate the federal government's approach to preventing foreign interference in Canadian politics and to potentially recommend a public inquiry. Poilievre argues Johnston can't do his job independently as he is a former member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which has reportedly received donations linked to China. The NDP supports a public inquiry, and leader Jagmeet Singh met with Johnston on May 1.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House Canada. The first book, titled "Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other," will be released next spring and is a "self-discovery and wellness book for adults." The book features interviews with psychologists and scientists, along with stories of Gregoire Trudeau's personal journey. The second book, a children's picture book, is due to be published in 2025 and will promote the value of connecting with the outdoors.
Poilievre introduces motion to end safe drug supply policies, direct funding to treatment programs
CBC
23-05-18 19:36
The leader of the Conservative Party in Canada, Pierre Poilievre, has proposed that the national government end all programmes that provide non-toxic drugs to those with drug addiction and instead move the funding to treatment services. He stated that government-funded drugs are being sold by addicts and the proceeds are being used to buy fentanyl-laced opioids that lead to overdose deaths. Although the toxic supply of contaminated street drugs is a significant contributor to the opioid crisis, proponents of pharmaceutical-grade drugs suggest that the safe supply of these drugs saves lives, particularly when people cannot cope with the withdrawal of stronger drugs.
Canada’s incoming regulations for cleaner fuel, which will limit the amount of greenhouse gases per unit of fuel, have costings that could add up to 17 cents per litre of petrol and diesel within eight years, hitting low-income households considerably harder than wealthy ones, according to independent analysts at the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). The analysis led Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre to describe the regulations, which have been postponed repeatedly, as "yet another tax on the backs of hard-working Canadians." Poilievre went on to state the Conservatives would abolish the regulations and instead reduce emissions with incentives for green technology and the development of clean energy projects.
The United States and Taiwan have reached a modest trade agreement as part of Washington's support for Taiwan and its demands from China. The deal is the first under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and is expected to set the stage for a more significant agreement. The agreement aims to cut red tape at customs, reduce waiting times for US businesses in Taiwan and commits to adopting measures to combat bribery and encourage more trade with small to medium-sized enterprises. There is widespread bipartisan support for Taiwan in Washington, and the island country remains a prosperous democracy that split from China in 1949.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing partner of McKinsey, appeared before the Canadian House of Commons committee to answer questions about ties between the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and McKinsey. One of the main talking points regarding the matter was newly released emails showing Zak Cutler, a McKinsey partner, organized a CIB workshop which included Barton, even though he had told Parliament that he had no contact with McKinsey during his brief tenure as Canada’s ambassador to China earlier this year. The committee had obtained the emails as evidence in an examination of McKinsey’s role in the creation of CIB, and there were concerns over the ties between McKinsey with Barton, who chaired the economic advisory council that recommended the creation of the CIB while at McKinsey. McKinsey has received over $100m in federal contract work since the Liberals formed government back in 2015.
Chinese comedian Li Haoshi has been fined $2.6m, and his employer has been fined $1.3m, after Li made a statement, deemed by authorities to be offensive to the Chinese military, in a live broadcast. Li was performing in Shanghai, where he quipped, in reference to two dogs that he adopted, that they "were able to win battles, with a first-rate style". The phrase Li was using alluded to propaganda descriptions of the People’s Liberation Army’s strength, and became associated with President Xi Jinping after he first used it. Critics argue that China's sensitivity to even the smallest slight against the military is symptomatic of increasing nationalism and authoritarianism in the country.
G7 leaders eye more sanctions against Russia at Hiroshima summit
CBC
23-05-19 04:11
The G7 group of nations plans to unveil new export controls and sanctions aimed at individuals and businesses supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, including those providing military technology. The US has indicated that it may allow European nations to export more modern weaponry to Ukraine, including F-16 fighter jets. The sanctions are being announced at the summit of the G7 in Hiroshima, Japan where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is believed to be present.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's stance on LGBTQ rights during a bilateral meeting at the G7 Leaders' Summit in Japan. Trudeau expressed Canada's concerns about Italy's position and noted that gay rights activists have seen moves by Meloni's far-right-led government as homophobic. The summit is expected to focus on geopolitical and economic threats posed by Russia and China.
Canada's federal government has fallen significantly short of its 2019 election pledge to plant two billion trees in 10 years, with less than 3% of the promised total planted to date, according to an audit. The forestry initiative is also predicted to generate more greenhouse gas emissions than it will offset until 2031. The C$3.2.bn ($2.5bn) programme was launched in 2021, and is based on cost-shared partnerships between the federal government, provinces, territories, local governments, Indigenous communities and private landowners. The missing targets increase the risk of climate change and the loss of vital biodiversity, the audit noted.
