Canada needs to chart a new path for the fast-growing Indo-Pacific region to diversify trade in Asia beyond China and shift military commitments away from Europe and North America, according to a new book.
Academics, former diplomats and business leaders contributed essays to The Indo-Pacific: New Strategies for Canadian Engagement with a Critical Region, to help influence the thinking of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly as she crafts a new policy for the region. The book is being released Wednesday.
The authors argued that Canada can’t rely on the United States for continued prosperity and must develop a Team Canada approach to boosting trade in the Indo-Pacific region, which accounts for 60 per cent of global GDP and 60 per cent of the world’s population.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
PM SEES FIONA AFTERMATH IN NEWFOUNDLAND – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Wednesday with some of the distraught residents of Port aux Basques, N.L., while getting a close look at yet another coastal town shattered on the weekend by post-tropical storm Fiona. Story here. Meanwhile, there are live updates here on Hurricane Ian.
B.C. TOURISM MINISTER QUITS CABINET – British Columbia’s Tourism Minister has resigned from cabinet to deal with pressing “urgent matters.” Melanie Mark was the first First Nations woman appointed to a B.C. cabinet. Story here from Global News.
UKRAINE SEEKS CANADIAN LEADERSHIP – Ukraine wants Canada to take a leadership role in the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian military and leaders for the crime of aggression. Story here.
BANK OF CANADA PROMISES SUMMARY – The Bank of Canada said it will start publishing a summary of its monetary policy deliberations next year in an effort to improve public understanding of how the governing council makes decisions. Story here.
LOBBYING COMMISSIONER ASKED TO INVESTIGATE CRITIC OF GOVERNMENT’S STREAMING BILL – A Liberal MP has asked the lobbying commissioner to investigate an outspoken critic of the federal government’s online-streaming bill for failing to immediately disclose funding from YouTube and TikTok. Story here.
QUEBEC ELECTION – Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault says incumbent Immigration Minister Jean Boulet is no longer qualified to hold that job after Mr. Boulet said the majority of immigrants to the province “don’t work.” Story here.
SASKATCHEWAN NDP WON’T INVITE SINGH TO EVENT – The Saskatchewan NDP has cancelled plans to invite federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to a convention next month. Story here from The Regina Leader Post.
NAVY FACES PERSONNEL SHORTAGE – The Royal Canadian Navy has started deploying less-experienced sailors on operations and eliminating certain positions altogether as it struggles with an unprecedented personnel shortage. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, Sept. 28, accessible here.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN JAMES SMITH CREE NATION – Governor-General Mary Simon visited the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan on Wednesday to meet the community and share her condolences directly with affected families. The First Nation and a nearby community were the sites of a series of stabbings on Sept. 4 in which 10 people were killed and 18 injured.
FREELAND MEETING BANKERS, TELECOM OFFICIALS – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is attending the Liberal caucus meeting and Question Period, and also attending a board meeting of the Canadian Bankers Association and meeting with the leadership of regional Canadian banks. Ms. Freeland and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne were scheduled, on Wednesday night, to meet virtually with Canadian telecom executives to discuss the need to restore telecommunication services in Atlantic Canada.
GUILBEAULT IN NIAGARA FALLS – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in Niagara Falls, delivered opening remarks and participated in an armchair discussion with Debra Shore, Regional Administrator for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, and Glen Hare, Ontario Regional Chief.
POLITICAL PODCAST WATCH – Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has a new edition of his Blue Skies podcast out on Wednesday. This episode features an interview with Michael Chong, the party’s foreign affairs critic. Accessible here.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Cheryl Rofer, who has worked for more than 30 years as a nuclear scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and now writes about national security and the war in Ukraine, speaks to the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle using nuclear weapons if Russian territory is threatened. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Channel-Port aux Basques, N.L., held private meetings, spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and was scheduled to meet with local community members impacted by Hurricane Fiona. Other participants included Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, in Ottawa, was scheduled to hold a news conference on Parliament Hill ahead of Question Period.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attended the Conservative caucus meeting and Question Period.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, attended the NDP caucus meeting, held a news conference with the Black Class Action Secretariat, and was scheduled to attend Question Period.
PUBLIC OPINION
Thirty-three per cent of Canadians say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deserves to be re-elected, which is a drop of four percentage points compared with polling done last fall, according to research by Ipsos for Global News. The same poll found that 67 per cent of respondents say it’s time for a party other than the Liberals to take over. Details here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon the question of whether Canada’s fiscal policy knows it’s 2022 and inflation is on the march: “The fiscal policy that Ottawa and the provinces pursued during the pandemic was stimulative. It added demand to the economy, via big deficits that financed higher public spending and lower taxes. That’s what you do in a recession. And in a time of inflation? Do the reverse. That means a fiscal policy to temporarily remove some demand out of the economy. It means smaller budget deficits, or bigger surpluses. In current political discourse that tends to get translated into “government has to cut spending,” and that is of course one way to lower a deficit or increase a surplus. Another way would be through temporarily higher taxes. And then there’s a third option: forced savings. (We told you that none of this would be popular). Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been demanding the Trudeau government fight inflation by suspending scheduled Canada Pension Plan premium increases. However seductive that proposal may be, it gets things backward. A 2022 anti-inflation policy built on the CPP would raise premiums.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how Liz Truss’s tax-slashing mini-budget may not be as crazy as it seems: “A mini-budget it was not. The first fiscal statement from the Conservative government of Liz Truss, freshly installed as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had not been expected to add up to much. Instead, the plan unveiled Friday by rookie Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng turned out to be surprisingly radical, a mix of sweeping tax cuts and microeconomic reforms aimed at boosting Britain’s chronically sluggish long-term growth rate. Suffice to say the reviews have not been kind.”
David Walmsley (The Globe and Mail) on remembering, on World News Day, that access to information is a human right: “Making a positive difference to someone’s life is the greatest gift a journalist can give. Perhaps an individual is heard for the first time, or an injustice is settled. Those moments when a news editor picks up a phone to hear a scared voice say, “You are all I have left, I have nowhere else to turn.” The last stand between hope and defeat. It is a sacred contract, as old as journalism itself, yet the tenor of our times would try to divide the people from the newsrooms. If those who attempt to turn journalists into the enemy are successful, the people’s right to independent access to information will be lost. And as we all know, a world where people are blinded from facts is a dangerous one.”
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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.
