News

Justin Trudeau visits rare earth elements processing plant in Saskatoon

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2023

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited a rare earth elements processing plant in Saskatoon Monday as part of a tour to oversee the Canadian supply chain of metals and minerals needed for a greener world.

The world will look to Canada to step up its production of rare earth elements and bolster available supply chains, many of which have been plagued with issues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Trudeau said Monday.

“We need, of course, efficiency in our supply chains. But we also really need resilience in our supply chains,” Trudeau said.

“This is an exciting time to be forward-looking at what the world needs from Canada… Canada is extraordinarily well-positioned to succeed in the decades to come.”

In 2020, the World Bank predicted that demand for critical minerals — dozens of metals and minerals like lithium and copper that are used in batteries and clean energy generation — will soar 500 per cent by 2050.

Lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper and the group of 17 metals and minerals known as rare earth elements are being prioritized for investments in exploration, production and processing as part of Canada’s critical minerals strategy, announced by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson last month.

Critical minerals were also among the issues Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador discussed during their summit last week in Mexico.

Many European countries were forced to pivot from where they supply energy, as Russia — a massive energy producer, particularly for European countries — is not currently reliable due to the war, he explained.

Additionally, the economy is shifting toward greener solutions, such as electric vehicles.

Saskatchewan, a mining hub, has the ability to boost the local supply chain of metals minerals needed for those new technologies, he said.

On Monday, Trudeau and Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark toured the Vital Metals facility in Saskatoon, speaking with workers and getting an inside look at the process.

It’s part of the Nechalacho Project that Vital Metals — an Australia-based company — launched last year. The project made the company the first rare earths elements producer in Canada, according to the corporate website.

The metals and minerals are extracted at the Nechalacho mine in N.W.T., before being shipped to Saskatoon to produce a “rare earth carbonate product,” that is then sent to a company based in Norway, the website says.

The federal government recently spent $5 million to help establish processing and production at the Saskatoon facility, according to a news release issued by the government.

“It’s not just about buying from a reliable ally,” Trudeau said.

The tour, in part, is to ensure that Trudeau knows how the whole process works — that it’s done efficiently, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, and that employees work under proper labour practices, he added.

Moe alleges he was not invited to tour

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe released a statement Monday welcoming the prime minister, while calling the visit “disappointing, but not surprising.”

Moe said the provincial government has been advocating for more investment into this area of natural resource development, but alleged his government was not made aware that Trudeau was visiting.

Read my statement on the Prime Minister’s visit to Saskatchewan today: <a href=”https://t.co/vUoBKwU2nQ”>pic.twitter.com/vUoBKwU2nQ</a>

—@PremierScottMoe

“It’s disappointing simply because this is one of the points where the province of Saskatchewan and the federal government most certainly do see eye-to-eye,” Moe later told reporters Monday afternoon.

In his statement Monday, Moe pointed out that he led a delegation in Washington, D.C., last month to discuss ways to partner with the United States to provide “elements required for North American energy security.”

Trudeau’s visit was unsurprising because he was likely made aware of those conversations during that meeting, Moe told reporters Monday.

Moe said he didn’t feel slighted by not being invited, but that Monday was a missed opportunity to at least have a discussion about working together on natural resource development in Saskatchewan.

Moe added that when he’s in Ottawa, he informs the prime minister — and he would expect the same.

A man wearing a grey suit, white dress shirt and mauve tie is speaking at a microphone. He is standing in a rotunda, with marble pillars standing behind him. — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he was disappointed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not make Moe aware of his visit to Saskatoon, because they could have had a discussion about natural resource development in the province. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)

CBC News twice asked Trudeau twice during a scrum why the premier was not invited.

He dodged the question, saying he was happy to be joined by Clark and John Dorward, Vital Metals’ managing director, during the tour.

The federal government wants to keep working with the Saskatchewan government, particularly toward innovating the economy, Trudeau said.

In a statement sent to news media, Saskatchewan Opposition NDP leader Carla Beck accused the premier of acting childish, opting to play politics instead of working together and promoting potential further investment.

The province, Beck said, must get back to telling the rest of Canada and countries abroad that Saskatchewan has much potential.

FSIN ‘dismayed’ Trudeau did not visit Star Blanket

Trudeau’s agenda in Saskatchewan Monday also drew the ire of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents the province’s First Nations.

In a statement, the FSIN said it is “dismayed” the prime minister would exclude Star Blanket Cree Nation from his trip.

On Thursday, the community announced findings from recent ground penetrating radar searches at the former Lebret Indian Residential School.

According to the FSIN, Trudeau was invited to attend that event, but declined because he was “waiting to confirm a meeting with the Japanese prime minister.”

“The Prime Minister is without the decency to pay his respects in person to Star Blanket, as they mourn the horrific discovery,” FSIN chief Bobby Camerson said in the statement.

“His lack of respect is hurtful toward all residential school survivors and descendants, who are grappling with how to handle finding the child’s remains and more unmarked graves.”

Cameron said he first learned of Trudeau’s visit to Saskatoon Monday in the press, adding he was “taken aback that their request to attend the residential school announcement wasn’t valued as much as a tour of a rare earth mining processing plant.”

The FSIN said its statement is a formal invitation for Trudeau to visit Star Blanket, 75 kilometres northeast of Regina, in the coming months.

“We want him to see the site. The amount of anomalies is devastating to our people, who wonder how many of our relatives may have died there,” File Hills Qu’appelle Tribal Chair Jeremy Fourhorns said.

“This is a dark part of Canadian history that deserves acknowledgement from the Prime Minister of Canada.”

Trudeau’s first comments at Monday’s tour addressed Star Blanket, calling the discoveries there “heartbreaking” and noting that he spoke with Chief Michael Starr on Friday.

“[I called] to express our ongoing support, whether it’s financial or with resources, as that community moves through the location of remains,” the prime minister said.

“Also of the healing and closure we know is so important in the aftermath of the horrific residential schools that impacted so many people across the province, across the country.”

Source link

News

Justin Trudeau’s Announcing Cuts to Immigration Could Facilitate a Trump Win

Published

36 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Nick Kossovan

Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.

Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.

Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.

My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5^th.

Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.

My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.

To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.

Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…

The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.

The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.

The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.

Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.

In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.

If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.

Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.

______________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

News

Former athletes lean on each other to lead Canada’s luge, bobsled teams

Published

44 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

CALGARY – Sam Edney and Jesse Lumsden sat on a bench on Parliament Hill during an athlete celebration after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Having just represented Canada in their sliding sports — Lumsden in bobsled and Edney in luge — the two men pondered their futures together.

“There was actually one moment about, are we going to keep going? Talking about, what are each of us going to do? What’s the next four years look like?” Edney recalled a decade later.

“I do remember talking about that now. That was a big moment,” Lumsden said.

As the two men were sounding boards for each other as athletes, they are again as high-performance directors of their respective sliding sports.

Edney, an Olympic relay silver medallist in 2018 and the first Canadian man to win a World Cup gold medal, became Luge Canada’s HPD upon his retirement the following year.

Lumsden, a world and World Cup bobsled champion who raced his third Olympic Games in 2018, leaned on his sliding compatriot when he returned from five years of working in the financial sector to become HPD at Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton in July.

“The first person I called when BCS reached out to me about the role that I’m in now is Sam,” Lumsden said recently at Calgary’s WinSport, where they spent much of their competitive careers and now have offices.

“It’s been four months. I was squatting in the luge offices for the first two months beside him.

“We had all these ideas about we’re going to have weekly coffees and workouts Tuesday and Thursday and in the four months now, we’ve had two coffees and zero workouts.”

Canada has won at least one sliding-sport Olympic medal in each of the last five Winter Games, but Edney and Lumsden face a challenge as team leaders that they didn’t as athletes.

WinSport’s sliding track, built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and where Edney and Lumsden did hundreds of runs as athletes, has been closed since 2019 needing a $25-million renovation.

There is no sign that will happen. WinSport took the $10 million the provincial government offered for the sliding track and put the money toward a renovation of the Frank King Lodge used by recreational skiers and snowboarders.

Canada’s only other sliding track in the resort town of Whistler, B.C., has a fraction of Calgary’s population from which to recruit and develop athletes.

“The comparison is if you took half the ice rinks away in the country, hockey and figure skating would be disarray,” Edney said.

“It just changes the dynamic of the sports completely, in terms of we’re now scrambling to find ways to bring people to a location that’s not as easy to get to, or to live out of, or to train out of full time.

“We’re realizing how good we had it when Calgary’s (track) was here. It’s not going to be the end of us, but it’s definitely made it more difficult.”

Lumsden, a former CFL running back as well as an Olympian, returned to a national sport organization still recovering from internal upheaval that included the athlete-led ouster of the former president and CEO after the 2022 Winter Olympics, and Olympic champion pilot Kaillie Humphries suing the organization for her release to compete for the U.S. in 2019.

“NSOs like Luge Canada and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton, they’re startups,” Lumsden said. “You have to think like a startup, operate like a startup, job stack, do more with less, especially in the current environment.

“I felt it was the right time for me to take my sporting experience and the skill set that I learned at Neo Financial and working with some of the most talented people in Canada and try to inject that into an NSO that is in a state of distress right now, and try to work with the great staff we have and the athletes we have to start to turn this thing around.”

Edney, 40, and Lumsden, 42, take comfort in each other holding the same roles in their sports.

“It goes both ways. I couldn’t have been more excited about who they hired,” Edney said. “When Jesse was coming in, I knew that we were going to be able to collaborate and work together and get things happening for our sports.”

Added Lumsden: “We’ve been friends for a long time, so I knew how he was going to do in his role and before taking the role, having the conversation with him, I felt a lot of comfort.

“I asked ‘are you going to be around for a long time?’ He said ‘yeah, I’m not going anywhere.’ I said ‘OK, good.'”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

Source link

News

Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

Published

46 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

Source link