Canada has announced new measures related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, involving tariffs, weapons and immigration.
On Thursday, Ottawa slapped a massive tariff on Russian imports, announced a shipment of rocket launchers to Ukraine and unveiled a streamlined immigration process for Ukrainians fleeing Moscow’s military assault.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday that a new 35-per-cent duty will apply to all imports from Russia and Belarus, the country’s close ally, in a further economic sanction of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
And Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Canada will send more weapons to Ukraine: 4,500 M-72 rocket launchers and 7,500 hand grenades. She said this gear would be drawn from existing Canadian Armed Forces stockpiles.
Also Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada and other close partners are calling to suspend Russia from Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, which consists of 195 member countries who share and access data on crimes and criminals.
“We’re supporting this because we believe that international law enforcement co-operation depends on a collective commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and mutual respect between Interpol members,” Mr. Trudeau told a news conference.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
UKRAINE
CANADIAN-MADE TARGETING GEAR HAS IMPACT – Canadian-made air strike targeting gear appears to be playing an important supporting role in the fight Ukraine is mounting against invading Russian forces. Story here.
DON’T FIGHT FOR RUSSIA IN UKRAINE: FREELAND – Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is warning Canadians against fighting for Russia in Ukraine, saying anyone who does so could face severe consequences. Story here.
NEWFOUNDLAND OIL AS ALTERNATIVE TO RUSSIAN PRODUCT: FUREY – Asked by reporters about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Premier Andrew Furey stopped just short of calling it an opportunity, but he did say his government is pushing Newfoundland and Labrador oil as an alternative to Russian fossil fuels. Story here from CBC.
UPDATES: Watch here for the latest Globe and Mail updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
OTHER HEADLINES
OTTAWA LAUNCHES $4-BILLION ONLINE PROGRAM – The federal government launched the Canada Digital Adoption Program Thursday, a $4-billion package of grants and loans aimed at encouraging small and medium-sized businesses to expand their online presence. Story here.
HIGHER INFLATION RATES NECESSARY DESPITE PINCH: MACKLEM – Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said that Canadians will feel the pinch of rising interest rates, but argued that higher borrowing costs are necessary to bring inflation back under control and to stop demand from outstripping supply, sending consumer prices higher. Story here.
CHAREST DETAILS AGENDA IF HE LEADS TORIES – Former Quebec premier Jean Charest says that if he became the leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, he would bring fiscal discipline to federal spending, mend regional divisions and restore Canada’s brand on the international stage. Story here.
FREEZE CARBON-TAX INCREASE: BROWN – Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, considering a run for the leadership of the federal Conservatives, is calling on the federal government to freeze the federal carbon-pricing increase on April 1, arguing “now is the wrong time for any new burden.” Story here from The National Post.
MANITOBA CONSIDERS ELECTRONIC BALLOT COUNTING – Under a bill introduced in the Manitoba legislature this week, electronic machines would count votes. Voters would continue to fill out paper ballots, but the machines would be a faster alternative to counting by hand. Story here.
BECK FOR SASKATCHEWAN NDP LEADER – Carla Beck, a member of the Saskatchewan legislative assembly, has announced her bid for leadership of the province’s New Democrats. If she wins the leadership election in June, she would become the first woman to be elected to lead the Saskatchewan NDP. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, March 3, accessible here.
RULES OF THE RACE FOR TORY LEADERSHIP – The federal Conservatives have announced that their new leader will be elected Sept. 10. The party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee has adopted rules that include a June 3 deadline for the submission of membership applications, and plans for ballots to be mailed to party members in late June/early August. There’s also a total entry fee of $200,000, in addition to a compliance deposit of $100,000 refundable after the conclusion of the leadership election.
I’LL SCRAP CARBON TAX: POILIEVRE – Also on the Conservative leadership front, Pierre Poilievre, the only declared candidate so far, said in a statement that he will scrap the carbon tax if he becomes prime minister. “My environment plan will be about results, not revenue; technology and not taxes,” he said. “As Prime Minister, I will scrap the carbon tax to lower the cost of gas, groceries and heating.”
SPONSORED TRIPS BY MPS “QUITE LOW” : DION – The federal ethics commissioner says that, for the second year in a row, the number of sponsored trips accepted by MPs is “quite low” from the prepandemic yearly average. On Thursday, the List of Sponsored Travel 2021 prepared by Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion was tabled in the House of Commons. Members reported seven trips in 2021 compared with a yearly average of 83 between 2007, when the office started publishing the List of Sponsored Travel, and 2019. The 2021 list of Sponsored Travel is here . The list is an annual compilation of all domestic and international travel worth more than $200 taken by MPs and their guests and whose costs are not fully paid by the government, a political party, a recognized parliamentary association or by the members themselves. The combined declared value of the trips taken in 2021 is $13,651.43. There’s a list here of the travel rules for MPs.
THE DECIBEL – On Thursday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, senior international correspondent Mark Mackinnon , who is in Lviv, Ukraine, returns to talk about what Russia’s gains mean for the people of Ukraine and whether they have a chance at holding Russian troops back. Plus, he tells us about his journey out of Kyiv as the invasion began. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister made an announcement, in Ottawa, and held a media availability with International Trade Minister Mary Ng. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to chair a meeting of the Incident Response Group on the situation in Ukraine.
LEADERS
No schedules released for party leaders.
OPINION
David Parkinson (The Globe and Mail)on how the crisis in Ukraine is pulling monetary policy in multiple directions: “And yet there remains some hesitance in Wednesday’s decision. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown a whole set of new and fast-changing variables into the mix. The conflict already looks like the driver of still more inflation: Uncertainty over the security of oil and natural gas supplies from Russia have sent crude prices skyrocketing more than 20 per cent since last Friday. On the other hand, if supply interruptions and shortages were to occur in Europe, the implication is certainly negative for output, business confidence, consumption and investment – it would be a major drag on global growth. And yet, higher oil and gas prices are a boon for Canada’s energy sector, generating increased income and, perhaps, creating a powerful impetus for new investment in the sector. The surging energy prices also improve the country’s terms of trade – which would be supportive of a stronger dollar, offsetting at least some of those inflation pressures by easing the cost of imports.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail)on how Chrystia Freeland, on Russia sanctions, is in the right place at the right time: “No one in the Canadian political class hasstudied Russia, or its now pariah president, more than Ms. Freeland. As a student of Russian history at Harvard and exchange student in Kyiv in the 1980s. As the Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times in the 1990s. Or, since 2015, in her successive roles as Canada’s minister of international trade, foreign affairs and finance. “There are moments in history,” Ms. Freeland said on Monday, “when the great struggle between freedom and tyranny comes down to one fight, in one place, which is waged for all humanity.” Her five-minute speech overshadowed that of her boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and went viral on social media. Like her other pronouncements on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military assault on Ukraine, it stood out from the boilerplate recrimination uttered by many politicians.”
Alexandra Wrage and Peter Klein (Contributed to The Globe and Mail)on how money – not missiles – will lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s undoing: “Without a single foreign soldier on their soil, Russians are under fire – lining up for cash at ATMs, seeing the ruble massively devalued, and watching powerlessly as the fragile Russian stock market refuses to open for fear of collapse. American President Joe Biden opened his State of the Union address this week pledging sanctions targeting Russia’s kleptocratic ruling class, saying the U.S. will “seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.” In Vladimir Putin’s war of bullets and bluster, it is money, not missiles, that may prove to be his undoing.”
Don Braid (The Calgary Herald)on Alberta Premier Jason Kenney lowering the traditional bar for keeping his party leadership: “Premier Jason Kenney radically shifted the debate around his UCP leadership with one short sentence. “In a democracy, the majority is 50 per cent plus one,” he said Wednesday at a news conference. This Premier might be a lot harder to get rid of than his party opponents expected. A reporter asked Kenney what level of party support he needs at the April 9 leadership vote to keep his job. Would it be 60 per cent? Seventy per cent? Earlier PC premiers thought they needed that kind of backing to remain as party leader. A short time ago, even Kenney’s own boosters seemed to be suggesting 65 per cent. But on Wednesday, Kenney lowered the bar several notches by simply invoking the common democratic standard, which also happens to be his party’s formal rule.”
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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.
