Politics Briefing: Canada should balance welcoming Afghan refugees and efforts to help those who remain in the country, says Trudeau – The Globe and Mail
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will have to balance welcoming Afghans to this country and diligent efforts to provide support to those in need within the troubled country.
Mr. Trudeau’s comments during a Thursday news conference in Halifax came amidst criticism from the Conservatives about his government’s handling of issues around facilitating access to Canada for Afghans intent on leaving the country.
“We are going to have to figure out how to step up and support people who remain in Afghanistan with humanitarian support, with investments, with the global community that is extremely concerned, rightly with the Taliban’s sponsoring terrorism around the world,” Mr. Trudeau said.
“But we have to make sure we are getting food and supplies and a future to the people in Afghanistan even if the Taliban isn’t, and it is a difficult issue.”
However, the federal Conservatives are raising concerns about the Liberal government’s approach.
At a news conference Thursday, MPs urged the government to expand a special program to bring Afghans to Canada even though the government has said it will process the last of 18,000 applications in the program.
MPs Jasraj Singh Hallan – the opposition immigration critic – and Luc Berthold, deputy opposition leader, accused the Liberal government of being ready to move on while thousands of Afghans are still fleeing the Taliban.
In a statement, they noted that out of the roughly 16,500 Afghans who’ve made it to Canada since August, 2021, only 7,200 applicants have entered through the government’s special immigration measures program.
“Running the program incompetently and without the urgency it deserves is not an excuse for the Liberal government to turn its back on Afghans who are desperate for answers,” they said in a statement.
The federal government promised to admit 40,000 Afghans to Canadaafter the Taliban takeover. Some have arrived under a humanitarian program that resettles vulnerable Afghans who did not work for Canada while others have been settled through the program for people who worked for Canada.
As of mid-July, 16,645 Afghans have arrived under the program for Afghans who assisted the Government of Canada and the humanitarian program, according to the immigration department website.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
SECRECY CONSIDERED FOR SOME ARMED FORCES FLIGHTS – The military says it’s exploring ways to add a layer of secrecy to the movement of some Canadian Armed Forces flights, including the planes that carry the Prime Minister and the Governor-General. Story here.
NEW TECH OFFICERS AT ROGERS – Rogers Communications has a new chief technology officer in the wake of a nationwide outage earlier this month that resulted in the company promising change and investment to ensure network reliability. Story here.
CHARGES AGAINST SENIOR MILITARY COMMANDER – A senior military commander has been charged with two counts of breaching theArmed Forces’ disciplinary code, after a sexual-misconduct investigation by military police. Story here.
BIDEN HAS COVID-19 – President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation’s efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions. Story here. The President tweeted a video message here on how he is doing.
MINISTER ASKED TO FREEZE FUNDING – More than 500 Canadian gymnasts are calling on Canada’s Sport Minister to freeze funding to their national sport organization. Story here.
PUBLIC SERVANTS EXPECTED BACK IN THE OFFICE PART-TIME – Canada’s top bureaucrat wants public servants back in the office part-time this summer to test drive running federal departments with a hybrid workforce. Story here from Policy Options.
AFRICA DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY IN THE WORKS – Liberal MP Robert Oliphant, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly talks to The Hill Times about an African strategy he is developing for cabinet, noting, “It really the first time that there has been a strategy document for our engagement diplomatically and on a number of fronts with Africa in many years.” Story here.
CANADA AND U.S. UNITE TO PRESS MEXICO ON ENERGY – Canada joined forces Wednesday with the United States in a bilateral effort to push back against what they consider protectionist energy policies in Mexico that violate both the spirit and the letter of North America’s new trade rules. Story here.
ALBERTA MINISTER CRITICIZES SMITH PLEDGE – Alberta Finance Minister Jason Nixon says United Conservative Party leadership candidate Danielle Smith’s proposed Alberta sovereignty act is “very problematic” for the party and would be impossible to deliver. Story here from CBC.
OTTAWA COUNCILLORS OPPOSED TO `STRONG-MAYOR’ SYSTEM – Ottawa city councillors are skeptical about and opposed to an Ontario government plan to give more power to the next mayor to make decisions at city council. According to an Ottawa Citizen story here, the “strong mayor” system proposed for Toronto as well as the nation’s capital would result in a massive change in the political culture at Ottawa City Hall by centralizing more authority in the mayor’s office and potentially reducing the influence of the 24 ward councillors.
SILVER TAKES LEAD IN SOURTOE COCKTAIL MILESTONE – They wanted Ryan Reynolds. They got Sandy Silver. The Yukon premier was chosen to, this week, drink the 100,000th sourtoe cocktail at the Downtown Hotel in his hometown of Dawson City. Story here from CBC.
CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Scott Aitchison is campaigning in Ontario. Roman Baber is in Victoria. Meanwhile, Jean Charest,Leslyn Lewis and Pierre Poilievre are all in Toronto.
THIRD LEADERSHIP DEBATE NEXT MONTH – The Conservative Party of Canada has decided to hold a third debate in the contest to become its next leader. The event will take place in August and more details on the timing are expected to be released later today. Story here.
POILIEVRE LIKELY TO PIVOT TO CENTRE: CLARK – Pierre Poilievre is likely to pivot to the political centre if he wins the Conservative leadership this fall, says former British Columbia premier Christy Clark. Story here.
VANCOUVER TO BLAME FOR REGIONAL HOUSING CHALLENGES: POILIEVRE – Pierre Poilievre did an interview with Castanet News while touring Kelowna, B.C. last week. Among other things, he said Vancouver’s failure to build housing is impacting Kelowna. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
The House of Commons is not sitting again until Sept. 19. The Senate is to resume sitting on Sept. 20.
PMO RESPONDS TO REPORTS ABOUT MEDIA HANDLING IN KELOWNA – The Prime Minister’s Office has responded to a report here in The Daily Courier newspaper in Kelowna, B.C. about a recent visit by Justin Trudeau to the Okanagan city. According to the report, journalists were told they would face “police-assisted eviction” from the premises Mr. Trudeau was visiting if they shouted questions.
In a statement, PMO spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt said, “Our office never instructed anyone to do this, and this is not how we operate. We have looked into the matter. It is our expectation that everyone involved in organizing government events treat journalists with respect and professionalism at all times.” She also said journalists must always be treated with the utmost respect and be able to do their jobs. “Under no circumstances should journalists ever be threatened when covering a government or political event.”
ALGHABRA IN EDMONTON – Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in Edmonton, announced funding to support trade corridors.
BENNETT IN WHITEHORSE – Mental Health Minister Carolyn Bennett, in Whitehorse, announces funding to prevent and address family violence in the Yukon.
KHERA AND RODRIGUEZ IN MONTREAL – Seniors Minister Kamal Khera and Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, in Sainte-Thérèse northwest of Montreal, announces changes to the Old Age Security pension.
THE DECIBEL
On Thursday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Adrian Morrow, the Globe and Mail’s U.S. correspondent, talks about the most important things learned, so far, from the Jan. 6 Committee hearings in Washington and what to expect now that the hearings are coming to an end. The committee is attempting to figure out exactly what happened when supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Halifax, the Prime Minister made a clean-energy announcement and held a media availability, then attended a community barbecue with local families, and was scheduled to meet with local First Nations Chiefs, and met with youth and athletes at a local sporting event.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet continued a summer tour of Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Yellowknife met with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
OPINION
William Robson (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how we are at a major turning point in the fight against inflation: “Two economic headlines a week apart – the Bank of Canada’s 1 per cent hike in the overnight rate last week, and the 8.1per cent year-over-year increase in the Consumer Price Index Wednesday – make clear that we are at a major turning point. The Bank has underlined its determination to get inflation, which it admits it underestimated, back to its 2-per-cent target. Canadians can look forward to lower inflation, and also need to be ready for the recession that will precede it.”
Peter MacKay (The National Post)on Canada failing the thousands of Afghans who risked their lives for us: “For both Afghans and Ukrainians, Canadians, and their government, should open their arms, hearts and homes to welcome them in. In a few short months, over 151,000 Ukrainians have been approved to come to Canada, with almost 60,000 having already settled here. We need to bring them all here, and we need to apply this same kind of effort to those Afghans who helped our war effort. Canadians should call on the government to immediately commit to a “surge of resources,” to ensure that every Afghan with a legal path to Canadian residency is successfully evacuated.”
Geoff Norquay (Canadian Politics and Public Policy) on how the Conservative leadership process he helped invent needs an overhaul: “Open recruitment of new members and direct election has also displaced the most engaged local party activists and stalwarts who showed up through thick and thin, recruiting and coaching the next candidate, fundraising, running the campaign office and knocking on doors at election time. Today, who knows if the thousands of new members recruited to support a specific leadership candidate will stick around to contribute locally for the long haul? Despite the imperfections of the delegated convention, political parties lost a lot with its demise.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a four-minute cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé cosplays as Anderson’s character before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”
At a rally for Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the former president spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston in October, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.
She did not perform — unlike in 2016, when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech, initially joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said at the rally in Houston, her hometown.
“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”
Harris used the song in July during her first official public appearance as a presidential candidate at her campaign headquarters in Delaware. That same month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, publicly endorsed Harris for president.
Beyoncé gave permission to Harris to use the song, a campaign official who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign operations confirmed to The Associated Press.
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 5th.
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.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
