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.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
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.”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
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.
Americans and Canadians are cousins that is true. Allies today but long ago people were at loggerheads mostly because of the British Empire and American ambitions.
Canadians appreciate our cousins down south enough to visit them many millions of times over the year. America is Canada’s largest and most important trading partner. As a manufacturer, I can attest to this personally. My American clients have allowed our firm to grow and prosper over the past few decades. There is a problem we have been seeing, a problem where nationalism, both political and economic has been creating a roadblock to our trade relationship.
Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to play the “buy only American Made product” card, a sounding board for all things isolationist, nationalistic and small-mindedness. We all live on this small planet, and purchase items made from all over the world. Preferences as to what to buy and where it is made are personal choices, never should they become a platform of national pride and thuggery. This has brought fear into the hearts of many Canadians who manufacture for and service the American Economy in some way. This fear will be apparent when the election is over next week.
Canadians are not enemies of America, but allies and friends with a long tradition of supporting our cousins back when bad sh*t happens. We have had enough of the American claim that they want free trade, only to realize that they do so long as it is to their benefit. Tariffs, and undue regulations applied to exporters into America are applied, yet American industry complains when other nations do the very same to them. Seriously! Democrats have said they would place a preference upon doing business with American firms before foreign ones, and Republicans wish to tariff many foreign nations into oblivion. Rhetoric perhaps, but we need to take these threats seriously. As to you the repercussions that will come should America close its doors to us.
Tit for tat neighbors. Tariff for tariff, true selfish competition with no fear of the American Giant. Do you want to build homes in America? Over 33% of all wood comes from Canada. Tit for tat. Canada’s mineral wealth can be sold to others and place preference upon the highest bidder always. You know who will win there don’t you America, the deep-pocketed Chinese.
Reshaping our alliances with others. If America responds as has been threatened, Canadians will find ways to entertain themselves elsewhere. Imagine no Canadian dollars flowing into the Northern States, Florida or California? The Big Apple without its friendly Maple Syrup dip. Canadians will realize just how significant their spending is to America and use it to our benefit, not theirs.
Clearly we will know if you prefer Canadian friendship to Donald Trumps Bravado.
China, Saudi Arabia & Russia are not your friends in America. Canada, Japan, Taiwan the EU and many other nations most definitely are. Stop playing politics, and carry out business in an unethical fashion. Treat allies as they should be treated.
