Unions representing tens of thousands of federal workers are promising legal actions, a tide of grievances from workers and other measures to engineer a summer of discontent to counter a new rule that says workers must be in the office for a minimum of three days a week.
Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, offered the warning as public-sector union leaders gathered for a news conference in Ottawa today.
“The Trudeau Liberal government better prepare itself for a summer of discontent,” Aylward said, adding the fight has begun against the new hybrid-work policy, which was announced last week.
He said workers will be taking to the streets and their workplaces in “concerted, co-ordinated actions across the country.”
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Former journalist Joyce Napier named Canada’s ambassador to the Vatican: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Napier’s appointment today and says Napier will work to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the new role.
Pierre Poilievre called lobbyists ‘utterly useless,’ but they’re still attending his fundraisers: Although the federal Conservative Leader presents himself as a champion of “the working-class people,” a CBC News analysis shows fundraisers featuring Poilievre have attracted dozens of registered federal lobbyists who paid up to $1,725 each to attend them.
City of Ottawa cancels public ceremony for Israeli flag-raising, citing security concerns: The city said it has intelligence that suggests the event would pose “a substantial risk to public safety.” It did not offer details about the concern.
Indian High Commissioner says he is concerned by perceived national security threats coming from Canada: High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was speaking in Montreal at a gathering of business leaders on the same day as three Indian nationals appeared in court on charges of killing a Sikh separatist leader in B.C.
Ottawa pushes Crown corporations to make riskier financial deals: The new direction, mentioned in last month’s federal budget, is being worked out between the Department of Finance and three Crown corporations: the Business Development Bank of Canada, Export Development Canada and Farm Credit Canada. Story here.
Ottawa not sufficiently addressing flood of access requests for immigration records, watchdog says: In particular, the federal information watchdog says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has made “insufficient progress” in improving immigrants’ access to information about their applications, and that failure is now affecting operations at the Canada Border Services Agency.
CBC boss says no need for 800 job cuts, rules out merger with Radio-Canada: Catherine Tait told the Commons heritage committee the estimated shortfall of $125-million has now been reduced to about $20-million for the fiscal year so there is now no need for “significant jobs cuts relating to balancing our books.” Story here.
Saskatchewan NDP questions provincial contract with Stephen Harper’s consulting firm: The Regina Leader-Post reports that the Saskatchewan government has been paying former prime minister Stephen Harper’s consulting company about $240,000 a year over the past four years for largely undisclosed services.
John Vaillant wins Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for Fire Weather: The award for the book on the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alta., forest fire was announced at the Politics and the Pen fundraising event in Ottawa. Story here.
“Everything I do, there’s cameras and there’s journalists and there’s people. So it is public.” – Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne on being in the spotlight, as he answered media questions on arrival for this week’s Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.
”The Senators, the Leafs should get together and maybe they’d have one professional hockey team that could win the Stanley Cup. It’s still the same message as last time.” – MP Martin Shields, speaking to journalists monitoring the federal Conservative caucus meeting today on Parliament Hill.
“Attempting to book a seat for a week is now like trying to get tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, staying up late on a Sunday night to ensure you can secure the best seat.” – Sean O’Reilly, vice-president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, at a Parliament Hill news conference today on the challenges federal public servants face getting into their offices.
THIS AND THAT
Carney before Senate committee: Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, also an ex-governor of the Bank of England and seen as a possible future leader of the federal Liberal Party, is appearing before the Senate banking committee this afternoon. The subject is Bill S-243, which would force Canada’s financial sector to consider climate risks.
New Telefilm Canada chairperson: Sylvain Lafrance, who chairs the board of directors of TV5 Numérique, has been named to the post leading the federal Crown corporation that works to develop and promote the Canadian audiovisual industry. His five-year term begins Thursday,
Taking time to answer: Conservative heritage critic Rachael Thomas takes time to answer a question about whether Radio-Canada has to stay open.
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, today, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: In Ontario’s Brant County, Chrystia Freeland toured a local fire station, accompanied by King’s Privy Council President Harjit Sajjan, to highlight budget supports for firefighters and first responders.
In Ottawa, Justin Trudeau attended the weekly Liberal caucus meeting and later Question Period. In the evening, Trudeau was scheduled to deliver remarks at an Asian Heritage Month reception.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a media scrum at the House of Commons ahead of Question Period. He also attended Question Period.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the House of Commons. She met with Salvation Army leaders on their operations as well as the senior management team of the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of British Columbia on the coming fire season. Also, she met with the Green caucus team.
NDP Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, attended the NDP caucus meeting, held a news conference with NDP MP Lori Idlout (Nunavut) on food prices, and participated in Question Period.
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, common sense and the courts
“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre raised a lot of eyebrows, not to mention the hopes of his base, when he said last week that he would invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause if that’s what it took to ensure that the only way a convicted mass murderer ever left prison was “in a box.” Mr. Poilievre’s common-sense tough-guy persona is old hat in conservative politics. What’s new and worrisome is his threat to gut the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the name of right-wing virtue-signalling.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
Poilievre to business: Stop sucking up to Liberals and start sucking up to me
“Ever since the Liberals unveiled their surprise increase in the capital-gains tax in last month’s budget, the question on everyone’s lips has been: What will Pierre Poilievre say about it? Well, maybe not on everyone’s lips. But certainly on some people’s. Conservatives, for instance. After all, conservatives are supposed to be against taxes and tax hikes, of all kinds. And leaders of the Opposition are supposed to oppose.” – Andrew Coyne
Of course the keffiyeh is political. But it still shouldn’t be banned from Ontario’s legislature
“Unless I misread their biographies, I don’t believe NDP MPPs Kristyn Wong-Tam and Joel Harden trace their lineage to the Levant. Was Mr. Harden’s activism born from his experience as a young Palestinian trying to survive in Gaza? Or was it from his position as a student activist railing against capitalism within the comfy confines of Canadian universities? I suppose I will leave it to Mr. Harden, as well as Ms. Wong-Tam, to clarify.” – Robyn Urback
A score-settling book by Brian Mulroney is being kept under wraps
“In the acknowledgments pages of the book, however, Mr. Mulroney made a little-noticed reference to Airbus. He referred to how he was “confronted with the horror of false allegations” by the Liberal government. “I will deal with this extraordinary abuse of a citizen’s rights and the attempt to destroy a former prime minister of Canada,” he wrote “in another book at another time.” Though very few know it, Mr. Mulroney, who died in February, did write that book. It’s not yet published. It might never be published. It’s described to me as a lengthy score-settling blockbuster that attempts to clear his name on Airbus while eviscerating the Chrétien government for its treatment of him.” – Lawrence Martin
We are in a new space race – this time, with China
“Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, has lent her name to China’s lunar exploration program. Under this divine nomenclature, a new space race is under way: Artemis, the Greek moon goddess, is the namesake of the U.S.-led lunar program, of which Canada is a part. Tidal forces long ago synchronized the moon’s rotation and orbital periods, creating a side that always faces Earth (the near side), and one that always faces away. Last week, China launched a spacecraft, Chang’e 6, to that elusive far side.” – Michael Byers and Aaron Boley.
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.
