Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong was the target of a disinformation campaign in May that was likely orchestrated by China, according to the Department of Global Affairs.
This is the second time that Mr. Chong has been on the radar of China because of his outspoken criticism of Beijing’s authoritarian regime.
The federal government is in the midst of all-party negotiations to set up a public inquiry after revelations reported in The Globe and Mail that Beijing targeted Mr. Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong in the lead-up to the 2021 election – attempted intimidation that the MP had not been told about. The disclosure of this meddling prompted the Canadian government to expel Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei in May.
Global Affairs announced Wednesday that Mr. Chong appears to have once again been the target of China.
“In June 2023, while monitoring the digital information ecosystem for the June 19, 2023 by-elections, Global Affairs Canada’s [GAC’s] Rapid Response Mechanism [RRM] Canada detected an information operation targeting Michael Chong, Member of Parliament for Wellington-Halton Hills, which took place on the social media platform WeChat in May 2023,” the department said in a statement.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Ford’s Greenbelt plan favoured certain developers, Ontario’s Auditor-General report says – Ontario’s Auditor-General has issued a scathing report on the provincial government’s removal of 3,000 hectares from its protected Greenbelt, saying the move was unnecessary to hit the province’s housing goals, done without considering environmental impacts, and favoured certain developers. Story here.
Manitoba NDP promises to search landfill for First Nations women if elected – The leader of Manitoba’s Opposition NDP is promising to move forward on the search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women if the party forms government after the provincial election on Oct. 3. Story here.
New temporary foreign worker pilot program to speed up approvals for some employers – The federal government is making it easier for businesses to bring temporary foreign workers into Canada, announcing a new “recognized employer” program aimed at speeding up the approval process for companies with a track record of using foreign labour. Story here.
Doctor shortage leaves Northern Ontario emergency rooms on the brink of shutting down – Emergency rooms across Northern Ontario’s rural hospitals are in “dire” need for more physicians and funding as doctors struggle to keep emergency rooms open through the summer trauma season. Story here.
Alberta must reassure renewable power market after wind, solar pause, says federal Energy Minister – The Alberta government should reassure the renewable energy sector that the pause it has placed on approvals for wind and solar projects is a short-term measure, the federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister says, citing the need to avoid creating uncertainty and driving away investment. Story here.
Vancouver hospital suggested MAID as test to assess a patient’s suicide risk – A Vancouver woman who went to hospital seeking help for suicidal thoughts says she was further distressed by a clinician who unexpectedly suggested medical assistance in dying. Story here.
Conservatives launch massive ad campaign amid surge in polls – The Conservative Party of Canada is launching a multimillion-dollar ad campaign that depicts its leader, Pierre Poilievre, as a family man who wants to fix the country – all while his party is soaring in the polls and his main rival is going through a public split with his spouse. Story here by CBC.
Quebec judge certifies class action over federal prisons’ segregation practices – A Quebec court has given the go-ahead for a class-action lawsuit that will test the constitutional validity of prisoner-segregation techniques introduced in federal prisons in 2019 as a humane replacement for previous isolation practices that were deemed illegal. Story here. Meanwhile, the Quebec Superior Court has ruled that it can hear a challenge to the appointment of Governor-General Mary Simon, who isn’t fluent in French. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
Summer Break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate sits again on Sept. 19.
Ministers on the road – Health Minister Mark Holland, in Vancouver, announced funding on sexual and reproductive health services. Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, in Esquimalt, B.C., participated in the 31st annual Peacekeepers Memorial Day event to unveil the 2023 Veterans’ Week poster. Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, in Whitehorse, with Yukon Tourism and Culture Minister John Streicker. made a joint announcement on support for the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association. I Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, in Ottawa, made an announcement on supply chains and improving cargo capacity at Ottawa International Airport.
New Canada Strong and Free Network president and CEO – Adam Bolek has been named the new president and CEO of the Canada Strong and Free Network, formerly the Manning Foundation for Building Democracy. The appointment, announced here, is effective Aug.1. Mr. Bolek comes to the network from Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange, where he worked in Canadian government affairs and policy. He succeeds Jamil Jivani, who left to seek the Conservative nomination in the Toronto-area Durham riding of former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole.
New government liaison in the Senate – Quebec Senator Michèle Audette is the new government liaison in the Senate, responsible for outreach on government business in the Senate and working to ensure that senators have the information they require in anticipation of votes. Ms. Audette, who was one of five commissioners responsible for conducting the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, is taking over the position of Government Liaison in the Senate. In that position, she is responsible for outreach on government business in the Senate. Ms. Audette was appointed to the Senate in 2021.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Personal day. The PMO has said Justin Trudeau is on vacation.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, biological anthropologist Dr. Tina Lasisi of the University of Michigan, who focuses on studying the evolution and genetics of human hair and skin, will talk to us about the importance of curly hair. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
Justin Trudeau’s cabinet shuffle won’t affect Canadians’ views of Liberals: poll – Almost 70 per cent ofCanadians say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent cabinet shuffle will have no impact on their likelihood of voting Liberal in the next federal election, according to a new poll. Story here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon learning from the last pandemic to get ready for the next one: “At this point, the last thing that Canadians want to think about is the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s enough other big stuff to worry about – the high cost of living, the threat of a recession, floods and wildfires – without having to dwell on yesterday’s nightmare. The problem is that our politicians are of the same mind. There is little urgency at any level of government for a formal public review of what went right and what went wrong from the moment a novel coronavirus was first identified as a threat in China in early 2020. And that’s bad.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on outtakes from a `kinder, gentler; Pierre Poilievre’s efforts to flip the script: “The Conservative Party is set to launch a major advertising blitz aimed in part at introducing a more personable side of Pierre Poilievre to Canadian voters… a kinder, gentler image of a man known in Ottawa circles as a sharp-elbowed partisan. — Global NewsCLIP ONE: EXT. FIELD – DAY (A verdant meadow, covered in dandelions and Queen Anne’s lace. Larks sing, insects hum. PIERRE strolls into view, smiling, a sweater tied around his shoulders. He is picking a daisy.)”
Omer Aziz (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on the last call for neoliberalism: “In that ritzy apartment, the very people who had upheld and relied upon the way things worked – the comfortable system often referred to as the liberal international order – were now having doubts. There was assorted chatter around me: worries expressed about American politics and the global uncertainty. Whenever the conversation veered into the substantive, I sensed a disquiet about the future. They seemed to understand that populists were on the rise everywhere; Ukraine was being attacked; the spirit of rebellion was spreading; young people were losing hope. Animosity toward the elites – toward the people in the room – was reaching pitchfork-raising levels. The neoliberal ideology that had pushed apart the haves from the have-nots over the past four decades had been exposed as a fraud. Leaders had taken notice, and now they found themselves on the line.”
Jen Gerson (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how, without genuine political courage, we’ll get more of the same on housing: “Every once in a while, it’s only fair to tip one’s hat to the Conservatives. So many of their barrages of late have been doomed, bizarre or weak, so some credit is due for a clean rhetorical hit. The party recently issued a particularly on-point political advertisement, contrasting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statements on housing from 2015, 2021 and finally from a press conference held last week. Needless to say, the comparison was stark. At the beginning of his term, a dewy Mr. Trudeau was keen to “prioritize significant new investment in affordable housing.” In 2021, he lamented that first-time homes were “out of reach for far too many,” and firmly promised change.”
Michael Veall (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how, amid Canada’s housing crisis, immigration needs to be slower, more focused: “High expected immigration is the main reason that Canada’s total output will likely increase by 1.5 per cent annually in 2023 and 2024, according to the headline numbers from the International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook. That would be the highest in the Group of Seven. But that document also includes the predicted changes in output per person. That is a better measure of the change in the average standard of living, as it adjusts for Canada’s high population growth. The 2023 and 2024 predictions for the country are –0.6 and 0.1, a cumulative decrease over the two years. That’s the worst performance in the G7. Part of this has to do with the lack of investment to complement the inflow of people. The most obvious symptom is Canada’s housing crisis.”
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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
