News
Barring Taiwan from WHO is a serious health concern, Canada, U.S., and allies say – CBC.ca
Canada, the United States and six major allies have told the World Health Organization (WHO) that its ongoing exclusion of Taiwan has created a serious public health concern during the COVID-19 crisis.
That sharp message was delivered in a letter, a draft of which has been viewed by The Canadian Press, that tells WHO director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus to allow Taiwan to be given observer status at a major meeting of the organization on Monday.
Geneva-based diplomats from Canada, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Britain, Japan and the U.S. issued the demand orally in a May 7 meeting with two other senior WHO officials, with the envoys from Washington and Tokyo taking the lead.
Canadian health officials also took part Friday in a videoconference that was hosted by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, said a senior government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue due to its sensitivity.
Support for Taiwan is controversial because China vigorously opposes granting any such access. It views Taiwan as a breakaway province and wants the world to heed its “one-China policy.”
Letter: Taiwan’s isolation a public health concern
While Canada does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty, it does maintain trade and cultural relations, and Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has said the island’s presence as a non-state observer at this week’s meetings would help the pandemic fight.
The draft of the letter delivers a sharp explanation of that point: it says Taiwan’s early success at controlling the pandemic qualifies it for a seat at the World Health Assembly meetings, and the letter essentially tells the agency to stop playing politics.
“Taiwan’s isolation from the global health community not only presents a serious public health concern, but also is an obstacle that hampers ongoing and future efforts,” letter states.
WATCH | Trudeau questioned on China and Taiwan:
The letter also says the international community is “harmed” when important health information is not permitted to “flow freely and easily.”
The letter calls Taiwan a capable and responsible player in the world’s health community, and says it has scientific and technical expertise “that could help save lives around the world.”
The letter says it was “regrettable” that the WHO broke with its guiding principles by excluding Taiwan from the assembly. It defines the WHO’s guiding principle as ensuring that “all people” have a right to the highest health standards, regardless of political belief, race, religion or economic or social conditions.
Move politically sensitive amid Canada-China dispute
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Friday with his British counterpart Boris Johnson and they discussed their work together in “various international organizations, and committed to continuing to work together on shared priorities such as combating climate change and promoting democratic values,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The WHO has faced accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump and Canada’s Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer that it is too cozy with China, and that the People’s Republic was not forthcoming to the international health agency as the pandemic was breaking out in Wuhan earlier this year.
The move is politically sensitive for Canada because it is mired in a dispute with China over what Canada calls the “arbitrary” imprisonment of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Despite co-operation on health and trade since the pandemic’s outbreak, relations between Canada and China have been severely strained since the RCMP arrested Chinese high-tech scion Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in December 2018.
China arrested Kovrig and Spavor nine days later in what is widely viewed as retaliation and has levelled accusations that the former diplomat and the entrepreneur were engaged in actions undermining China’s national security. Canada has marshalled a broad coalition of international support calling for their release and that has angered Chinese leaders.
Message in letter echoed in new report
The message in the letter to the WHO is echoed in a new report released this past week by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an agency of Congress that advises on the national security implications of trade with China. It says Taiwan’s continued exclusion from the WHO is “jeopardizing global health.”
The report noted the WHO ignored Taiwan’s early requests for information about the pandemic, which it said created “critical delays” in how other countries responded.
“The spread of the virus to 185 countries — with more than four million confirmed cases and 286,000 deaths worldwide as of May 12 — demonstrates the deadly ramifications of China’s influence over the WHO for the international community’s pandemic preparedness,” says the U.S. report.
“Had the WHO allowed Taiwan’s health experts to share information and best practices in early January, governments around the world could have had more complete information on which to base their public health policies.”
Beijing continues to oppose Taiwan’s inclusion
As of Tuesday, Taiwan had 440 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a “stunningly low” number in a population of 23.6 million, the report said.
Adam Austen, a spokesperson for Champagne, reiterated Canada’s support for “Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international multilateral fora where its presence provides important contributions to the public good.”
Canada has “clearly communicated” to the WHO that Taiwan should be allowed to take part in the upcoming World Health Assembly meetings, said Austin.
“We continue to encourage the WHO to engage with experts from Taiwan and to support Taiwan’s meaningful inclusion in global discussions on health.”
The spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry once again registered Beijing’s strong objections on Friday to including Taiwan at the WHO, calling it an attempt to “seek independence under the pretext of the pandemic with the help of some Western countries.”
Spokesman Zhao Lijian said the “few countries” that are backing Taiwan “are only aiming to politicize the health issue to seek selfish political gains,” according to a translation of his remarks on his ministry’s website. He said that would only result in “hijacking the WHA and undermining global anti-pandemic co-operation.”
News
We're still stockpiling reusable bags. Big grocers have adopted solutions, but experts have concerns – CBC News
Canada’s plastic bag ban has had an unintended consequence: a proliferation of reusable bags piling up in basements, closets and, eventually, landfills.
“They’re everywhere,” said environmental researcher Tony Walker. “We’re drowning in them, and we shouldn’t be.”
To combat the problem, several of Canada’s big grocers have introduced solutions. Last week, Walmart launched a free national recycling pilot program for the retailer’s reusable blue bags. Competitors Sobeys and chains owned by Loblaw Companies Ltd. use recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery.
But some environmental experts argue that paper bags are also problematic and that the best solutions are those that help customers actually reuse their reusable bags.
“We just can’t keep giving [them] out,” said Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies in Halifax. “We’re only meant to have a few of them, and we’re meant to use them until they fall apart.”
In late 2022, the federal government rolled out a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of several single-use plastics, including checkout bags. The regulations are being contested in court, but in the meantime, they remain in effect.
The regulations have made single-use shopping bags scarce in Canada, but they’ve also led to the proliferation of reusable bags, especially for grocery delivery.
“It just creates more waste, which is what we’re trying to avoid in the first place,” Walmart customer Udi Sela said in a CBC News interview in late 2022.
At the time, Sela, who lives in Maple, Ont., estimated his family had acquired about 300 reusable Walmart bags via grocery delivery.
“We can’t return them, we can’t do much with them.”
Now, a little more than a year later, Walmart has launched a pilot project to address the problem.
It allows customers to pack up their unwanted reusable Walmart blue bags and ship them — at no charge — to a facility where they’ll get a second life.
How it works
According to Walmart, bags in good condition will be laundered and donated to charity, primarily Food Banks Canada. Damaged bags will get recycled into other materials. Reusable bags typically can’t go in blue bins because they’re costly and difficult to recycle.
Customers must sign up for Walmart’s program, and enrolment is limited.
Jennifer Barbazza, Walmart’s senior manager of sustainability, said the retailer will fine-tune the details as the program progresses.
“[We] know that some customers have more reusable bags than maybe they need,” she said. “One of the things that we’re really excited to learn about from the pilot is customer acceptance and customer feedback.”
Reusable bags are living rent free in closets and car trunks across the country. Most major retailers made the switch away from single-use plastic bags about a year ago, but it’s taking time for some customers to catch on. They’re forgetting to bring their bags with them, and buying more every week.
Udi Sela has already signed up.
“I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” he said in an interview on Friday. “It’s something that needed to be done a while ago. God knows we’ve got a ton of bags kind of piled up.”
He said he’s concerned that some customers may find mailing the bags a hurdle. However, it’s not deterring Sela, who soon plans to ship hundreds.
Passing the buck?
Not everyone is keen on Walmart’s project. Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner with Toronto Environmental Alliance, said donating the bags to the food bank is just passing on the problem.
“We need to remove waste from the system entirely, and just sending these somewhere else for someone else to deal with is not really a solution,” she said.
Alfred said a better option is a program Walmart piloted in Guelph, Ont., in 2022. For a fee, customers could check out reusable bags from an in-store kiosk and later return them to be cleaned and reused.
“That’s a real circular reuse system,” she said.
Walmart’s Barbazza said the retailer is continuing to explore different reusable bag programs, including ones placed in stores.
She also said she’s confident Canada’s food banks will make good use of the bags.
“There’s definitely a need for sturdy items to distribute materials to the food bank clients.”
The paper problem
Among Canada’s major grocers, only Walmart offers a reusable bag program for all customers.
Loblaw recently switched from reusable to recyclable paper bags for grocery delivery. Sobeys did not respond to requests for comment, but according to its website, the grocer also uses paper bags and “reusable options” for home delivery.
Several environmental experts say paper bags aren’t a good solution, because their production leaves a sizable carbon footprint.
“Paper bags are a problem,” Alfred said. “It takes a lot of energy to recycle paper, takes a lot of trees and energy to make new paper.”
Loblaw said it continues to explore a variety of more sustainable solutions. “It’s a challenge we’re committed to addressing,” spokesperson Dave Bauer said in an email.
Both Walker and Alfred applaud Metro for its grocery delivery program, because the grocer, which operates in Ontario and Quebec, reuses delivery materials.
Metro said customers can get their goods delivered in a cardboard box or reusable bags, which can be returned and used for another delivery. Or customers can opt for a plastic bin and remove their groceries from it upon arrival.
Metro does not offer similar programs for in-store shoppers.
Alfred said the federal government should introduce regulations that mandate retailers adopt effective reusable bag programs for all customers.
“It’s up to our governments and people to demand that these companies do better,” she said.
But Walker suggested that the regulations would be hard to enforce and that incentives could be a better tactic.
For example, if retailers increased the price of reusable bags, shoppers might be less likely to forget them when they head to the store, he said.
“When the cost is a disincentive to do an activity, people change their behaviour.”
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
CTV National News: Honda’s big move in Canada CTV News
Source link
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she thinks unhappy premiers will come around on measures in the federal budget that touch on provincial legislation, even as they push back.
At an event in Toronto on Sunday, Freeland — who presented the federal budget on Tuesday — said the national government needs to push ahead on such issues as housing and she was “extremely optimistic” premiers would choose to co-operate.
“Housing is a national challenge, and the federal government needs to be leading the charge,” she said.
“My own experience has been when there are big issues that really matter to Canadians, after all the sound and the fury, people are prepared to roll up their sleeves and find a win-win outcome for Canadians.”
Several premiers have pushed back against the federal government in recent months and again after the budget was released on the grounds that some measures touch on provincial jurisdiction.
This week’s federal budget has premiers lashing out at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a planned increase to capital gains taxes as well as what they say is overstepping on infrastructure and pharmacare.
In a letter released Friday by the Council of the Federation, which represents the leaders of all 13 provinces and territories, the premiers said Ottawa should have consulted them more ahead of the budget.
Individual premiers have shared more pointed critiques.
“It’s a never-ending spending platform that we’ve seen now for the last 10 years,” New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said on CBC’s Power & Politics on Friday.
“My initial thoughts about the federal budget are that they are overtaxing, overspending, overborrowing and over interfering in provincial affairs,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said earlier this week.
Alberta has clashed with the government repeatedly over housing. Smith introduced legislation earlier this month that would require provincial oversight of deals made between municipalities and the federal government, including for future agreements around federal housing funds.
At Issue this week: The Liberals work to sell their multibillion-dollar spending plan and capital gains tax hike. Pierre Poilievre tells Radio-Canada what he thinks of the federal budget. And another province pushes back on the carbon tax.
Freeland said on Sunday that, as an example, the federal child-care program negotiated through a series of deals with provinces and territories showed that co-operation was possible.
Capital gains tax changes criticized
The federal government has also faced some opposition on what was perhaps the most prominent measure revealed on budget day: changes to Canada’s capital gains tax rules. The government has proposed raising the inclusion rate to 67 per cent on capital gains above $250,000 for individuals.
“The 21st-century winner-takes-all-economy is making those at the very top richer, while too many middle-class Canadians are struggling,” Freeland said Sunday, adding the government was asking wealthy Canadians to pay their “fair share.”
“We do need to ensure that we have some revenue coming in. This is a very limited way of ensuring that that occurs,” Treasury Board President Anita Anand said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand joins CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton to talk about the federal budget and its focus on young Canadians — as well as the criticism it’s receiving.
Critics have raised concerns that the changes could result in reduced investment or capital flight.
“The big concern right now … is this going to have a detrimental impact to the progress we’re trying to make in making Canada a hub for innovation,” said Kirk Simpson, CEO of the tech company goConfirm, in a separate interview on Rosemary Barton Live.
“With productivity the way that it is, we want more capital, not less, flowing into business innovation,” Simpson told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.
Freeland said Sunday that the changes will affect very few Canadian individuals — the government estimates 0.13 per cent — and the revenue will go to pay for investments in areas like housing.
We're still stockpiling reusable bags. Big grocers have adopted solutions, but experts have concerns – CBC News
Proposed Toronto condo complex seeks gargantuan height increase – blogTO
Vaughn Palmer: Brad West dips his toes into B.C. politics, but not ready to dive in – Vancouver Sun
Silver investment demand jumped 12% in 2019
12 Bizarre Things People Did Just To Make Social Media Content
Global Media Markets, 2015-2020, 2020-2025F, 2030F – TV and Radio Broadcasting, Film and Music, Information Services, Web Content, Search Portals And Social Media, Print Media, & Cable – GlobeNewswire
-
Business12 hours ago
Honda to build electric vehicles and battery plant in Ontario, sources say – Global News
-
Science12 hours agoWill We Know if TRAPPIST-1e has Life? – Universe Today
-
Investment15 hours ago
Down 80%, Is Carnival Stock a Once-in-a-Generation Investment Opportunity?
-
Health12 hours ago
Simcoe-Muskoka health unit urges residents to get immunized
-
News17 hours ago
Honda expected to announce multi-billion dollar deal to assemble EVs in Ontario
-
Art22 hours ago
‘Luminous’ truck strap artwork wins prestigious Biennale prize in first for New Zealand – The Guardian
-
Sports22 hours ago
Jets score 7, hold off Avalanche in Game 1 of West 1st Round – NHL.com
-
Tech16 hours ago
Indigenous Craft and Vendors Market a success in Halifax
