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Political and General News Events from June 12 – National Post

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June 12 (Reuters) –

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—————————————————————- This diary is filed daily. ** Indicates new events —————————————————————- FRIDAY, JUNE 12

** SEOUL – South Korea’s health minister, Park Neung-hoo, announces new measures related to coronavirus cases – 0210 GMT. ** BRUSSELS – Belgium’s defense and foreign minister, Philippe Goffin, attends a meeting with ambassadors from EU and Schengen area – 0700 GMT. ** BERLIN – Germany’s economy minister, Peter Altmaier, and finance minister, Olaf Scholz, speak on 130 billion euro stimulus package – 0900 GMT. ** BUDAPEST – Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, and Slovakia’s prime minister, Igor Matovic, hold a press conference – 0930 GMT. ** BERLIN – Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, to discuss EU health ministers meeting and decisions from Germany’s coronavirus cabinet – 1115 GMT. ** LAGOS – Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, will address the nation on the Democracy Day holiday amid the country’s efforts to battle the outbreak of the new coronavirus – 0600 GMT. ** BRUSSELS – EU’s commissioner for enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, speaks at the virtual Delphi Economic Forum along with Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, Serbia’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, and North Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev – 1130 GMT. ** KALVARIJA, Lithuania – Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis of Lithuania and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland held a “no tie” meeting at the Kalvarija border crossing to mark the lifting of internal border controls.

DAKAR – Foreign and defense ministers from five West African countries and France – members of the recently-created Coalition for the Sahel – hold discussions about the deteriorating security in the Sahel region.

BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference of ministers responsible for internal market and industry.

BRUSSELS – European Union health ministers hold a regular meeting by videoconference to discuss the bloc’s strategy to acquire, manufacture and develop possible vaccines against the novel coronavirus.

LUXEMBOURG CITY – EU finance ministers meet for monthly talks. GLOBAL – World Day against Child Labour. – – – – – – – – –

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

** ANKARA – Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, meets Turky’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

PARIS – France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, sets post-coronavirus agenda with TV address – 2000 GMT.

GLOBAL – World Blood Donor Day.

GAZA – 13th anniversary of Hamas takeover of the Gaza strip from Fatah. – – – – – – – – –

MONDAY, JUNE 15 BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference meeting of energy ministers.

BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference meeting of foreign affairs ministers.

BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference of ministers responsible for cohesion policy.

GLOBAL – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). BRUSSELS – EU-UK officials meet to assess progress in Brexit talks ahead of EU summit

– – – – – – – – –

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

** MOSCOW – Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, visits Russia and holds talks with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

BRUSSELS – Ministers responsible of European affairs meet via videoconference to discuss EU-UK relations – briefing by the EU’s Brexit negotiator – the EU’s recovery fund and the bloc’s long-term budget.

BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference meeting of foreign affairs ministers (defense).

BRUSSELS – EU Informal video conference meeting of ministers for European affairs.

BRUSSELS – NATO pre-defense ministerial online news conference by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg – 1400 GMT.

– – – – – – – – –

WENDESDAY, JUNE 17

STRASBOURG – European Commission Vice-President Suica presents a report on the “Impact of Demographic Change.”

GLOBAL – United Nation’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. MOSCOW – Russian Energy minister Alexander Valentinovich Novak attends a conference on COVID-19 and the future of energy sector. – – – – – – – – –

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

COPENHAGEN – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at Copenhagen Democracy Summit (to Jun. 19)

BELGRADE – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit Serbia (to June 19).

BRUSSELS – European Council meeting (to June 19).

– – – – – – – – – FRIDAY, JUNE 19 TAIPEI CITY – Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, speaks by video link at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit – 1100 GMT.

BRUSSELS – EU video conference meeting of the members of the European Council.

MINSK – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Minsk on 19 June. – – – – – – – – –

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

GLOBAL – World Refugee Day. Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan Parliament election. – – – – – – – – –

MONDAY, JUNE 22 BEIJING – China’s Premier Li Keqiang will meet with European Union leaders online. – – – – – – – – –

TUESDAY, JUNE 23 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – APEC finance senior officials’ meeting (to June 25). – – – – – – – – –

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

BRUSSELS – EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU’s budget chief Johannes Hahn, present the EU draft general budget for 2021 and the annual management and performance report for 2019.

BERLIN – 72nd anniversary of beginning of The Berlin Blockade. Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the United States to organize a massive airlift.

MOSCOW – Abkhazia’s President Aslan Bzhania will attend Moscow’s Victory Day parade, rescheduled by Russian President Vladimir Putin for June 24

CHISINAU – Moldovan President Igor Dodon will attend a military parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. BRUSSELS – Vice president of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, presents the bloc’s smart sector integration.

Mongolia – Mongolian State Great Hural Election. – – – – – – – – –

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

LOS ANGELES – 11th death anniversary of pop star Michael Jackson. – – – – – – – – – FRIDAY, JUNE 26

GLOBAL – International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. – – – – – – – – –

SATURDAY, JUNE 27 Iceland – President election. – – – – – – – – –

MONDAY, JUNE 29 PYEONGTAEK – South Korea observes the 18th anniversary of an inter-Korean sea clash.

BEJING/TAIPEI – 10th Anniversary of signing of a landmark trade deal between China and Taiwan.

LUXEMBOURG – European ministers for agriculture and fisheries meet for talks. (to June 30). – – – – – – – – –

WEDNESDAY, JULY 01 MOSCOW – Russian Federation Referendum Election. – – – – – – – – –

SUNDAY, JULY 5

Dominican Republic – Chamber of Deputies election. Dominican Republic – Senate election. Dominican Republic – President election.

– – – – – – – – –

TUESDAY, JULY 7

Malawi – President’s election. – – – – – – – – – WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

TOKYO – IMF Deputy Managing Director Furusawa, ADB President Asakawa speak at Columbia-hosted seminar – 1200 GMT.

– – – – – – – – –

SATURDAY, JULY 18 RIYADH – Saudi Arabia hosts third meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Riyadh.(to July 19).

– – – – – – – – – TUESDAY, JULY 21

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – Russia hosts SCO and BRICS summits (to July 23). – – – – – – – – –

MONDAY, JULY 27 MANILA – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte delivers State of the Nation address. – – – – – – – – –

FRIDAY, July 31

VALPARAISO, Chile – Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera delivers the annual state of the nation address.

HANOI – Vietnam host 53rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings (to August 5).

– – – – – – – – –

SUNDAY, AUGUST, 09 BELARUS – Belarus President Election.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – NOTE: The inclusion of diary items does not necessarily mean that Reuters will file a story based on the event.

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‘Disgraceful:’ N.S. Tory leader slams school’s request that military remove uniform

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Saskatchewan NDP’s Beck holds first caucus meeting after election, outlines plans

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Nova Scotia election: Liberals say province’s immigration levels are too high

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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.

— With files from Keith Doucette in Halifax

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