Canada Soccer has named five-time Olympian Charmaine Crooks as its interim president as the embattled national sports organization looks to broker labour peace with its men’s and women’s teams.
Ms. Crooks, whose appointment was announced on Wednesday, had been serving as vice-president of Canada Soccer’s board of directors.
She takes over from Nick Bontis, who resigned on Monday. The executive change comes in the wake of a letter from provincial and territorial soccer leaders asking Mr. Bontis to step down given the bitter labour dispute.
Canada’s World Cup men’s team refused to play a planned exhibition against Panama last June at Vancouver, while the Olympic gold-medal-winning women played the SheBelieves Cup last month only after Canada Soccer threatened legal action.
As an athlete, Ms. Crooks was Canada’s first female five-time Olympian and won a silver medal as a member of the 1984 women’s 4×400-metre relay team in Los Angeles. She is the first woman and the first person of colour to lead Canada Soccer after serving as vice-president for two years.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
SASKATCHEWAN SIGNS ON TO FEDERAL HEALTH DEAL – The federal government has signed an agreement in principle with Saskatchewan to invest nearly $6-billion into the province’s health care system over the next 10 years. Story here. UPDATE: In mid-afternoon, the governments of Canada and British Columbia announced a similar agreement. Please watch The Globe and Mail for more updates on this development.
MEDDLING IN 2021 ELECTION FAILS: REPORT – Efforts to meddle in the 2021 federal election did not affect the outcome of the vote, a new report based on the work of a panel of senior public servants has determined. Story here. Meanwhile, the politically connected Chinese donors who pledged $1-million to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal did not only want to build a statue of the former prime minister. Story here.
HARPER BLOCKED KHADR REPATRIATION: BOOK – Former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton told Omar Khadr’s lawyer over a decade ago that Washington was prepared to repatriate the Canadian citizen and Guantanamo Bay detainee, but then-prime minister Stephen Harper was blocking the move, according to a new book. Story here.
WESTERN BUDGETS – Budgets were released in British Columbia and Alberta this week. B.C.’s budget – story here – rings up a $4.2-billion deficit as the province’s NDP government spends billions on health, housing and families. Meanwhile, Alberta, which expects to post a $2.4-billion surplus this year, plans to establish a new fund the government can use to pay for one-time projects, creating a deep pool of cash. Story here.
MILLER ANNOUNCES NEW POLICY ON MODERN TREATIES – Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller announced a new policy meant to address issues in the federal government’s implementation of the approximately two dozen treaties it has signed with Indigenous peoples since 1975, which are known as modern treaties. Story here.
CHARGES RARE FOR POLICE OFFICER WHO KILL, INJURE PEOPLE – When Canadian police kill or injure someone, they seldom face charges or discipline – and in B.C., they rarely co-operate with independent oversight bodies. The Globe reviewed thousands of cases to see the scope of the problem. Story here.
PRETROLEUM CLUB REGRETS ANDERSON VISIT – The venerable Calgary Petroleum Club has expressed regrets about an event held in its facility that featured the controversial, far-right German politician Christine Anderson. Story here.
BROWN WORKING OFF TORY LEADERSHIP RUN DEBTS – Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is working to pay off debt from his federal Conservative leadership bid, but without the help of the party or the ability to issue tax receipts to donors. Story here.
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ON LEAVE – Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown has been on a leave of absence from the court since the beginning of February – which the top court says is related to a confidential matter. Story here.
VIGIL PLANNED FOR RIDEAU CANAL – Community groups in Ottawa are planning a vigil to mourn the Rideau Canal Skateway, which did not open for the first time in its 53-year history this year. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
ON A BREAK – Both Parliament and the Senate are on breaks, with the House of Commons returning on March 6 and the Senate on March 7.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER’S DAY – Chrystia Freeland, also the Finance Minister, held private meetings in Toronto and was scheduled to meet with clean technology and green economy leaders as part of pre-budget consultations.
MINISTERS ON THE ROAD – Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Seniors Minister Kamal Khera, in Mississauga, restated aspects of the government’s policy on long-term care homes across Canada. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in Toronto, announced more than $11.7-million to support the Ontario Land Trust Alliance to conserve wetlands, grasslands and forests as well as more than $850,000 to support several projects with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, and Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, in Gander, N.L., announced an investment of up to $4.6-million under the National Trade Corridors Fund for the construction of a specialized seafood storage facility project at the Gander International Airport. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly began a three-day visit to Delhi, India, to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the Raisina Dialogue, co-hosted by India’s external affairs ministry and the Observer Research Foundation. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, in Saguenay, Que., announced funding for le Centre d’expérimentation musicale and la Société d’histoire du Lac-Saint-Jean. Sports Minister Pascale St‑Onge, also minister for the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions agency, in Bromont, Que., announced a non‑repayable financial contribution of $450,000 for Quebec’s Electronic Systems Industry Cluster. Filomena Tassi, minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, in Woodbridge, Ont., announced nearly $16-million in support for southern Ontario’s manufacturing sector as it transitions to a net-zero clean economy. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, in Sudbury, announced a $100,000 investment in the Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology to install 20 EV chargers on its Sudbury Campus.
HARPER AND MANNING TO DISCUSS REFORM PARTY LEGACY – Former prime minister Stephen Harper will be in the spotlight at the opening night of the 2023 conference of the Canada Strong and Free Network. Preston Manning, co-founder of the network, will hold a fireside chat with Mr. Harper, discussing the legacy of the Reform Party, after the former federal Conservative leader delivers a keynote address. The conference is being held in Ottawa.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Vancouver region, joined B.C. Premier David Eby and federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough to meet with nursing students. Mr. Trudeau then made an announcement with Mr. Eby and took media questions. Later, the Prime Minister participated in a town hall with trade workers and apprentices.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a media availability in the House of Commons foyer, regarding foreign-election interference.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference on Parliament Hill.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Penticton, B.C., with South Okanagan-West Kootenay NDP MP Richard Cannings held a meet-and-greet with supporters in the city.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, technology reporter Temur Durrani talks about how Canada’s biggest bookstore got hacked: On Feb. 8, Indigo’s website went down and customers couldn’t buy products in-store either. After scrambling to launch a new website with limited e-commerce abilities, the company announced a major breach of personal and financial information of employees. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
A majority of Canadians want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond more forcefully to alleged election interference by China, according to a poll published on Wednesday, as relations between the two countries again take a turn for the worse. Details here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Boardon how B.C. needs to do more homework on its work-from-home plan: “Federal public servants will return to the office at least two days each week by the end of March, under orders from the Treasury Board Secretariat. In British Columbia, the head of the public service is heading in the opposite direction, with a plan to entrench working from home as an option for the province’s 37,000 employees. B.C. and Ottawa’s diverging paths will offer a real-world test of whether remote work enhances an organization’s performance.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on how CSIS is worried about China interfering in our elections, even if the government isn’t: “By now it will have dawned on many people that we have a full-blown, five-alarm national security crisis on our hands. Two possibilities are open to us; each would be a crisis of a different kind. Either 1: rogue officers within the Canadian Security Intelligence Service have been making a series of sensational and wholly false accusations against the government of Justin Trudeau and certain prominent members of the Liberal Party, in an apparent bid to destabilize the government. Or 2: the substance of the charges is true. That this is easily the more plausible of the scenarios underlines the gravity of the situation.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on how Alberta’s budget shows it’s not the absolute best of times, but it’s still close: “Alberta’s NDP Opposition promises this will be Premier Danielle Smith’s first, and final, budget. But the document, released Tuesday, gives the now-governing United Conservative Party an advantage with fistfuls of cash and ample room to manoeuvre before the rapidly approaching May election. Over all, it’s not the absolute best of times for Alberta budget-makers, but it’s close. Amidst global economic uncertainty, the province took in its highest-ever non-renewable resource revenues this fiscal year – $27.5-billion – substantially more than the $14.3-billion recorded in the heady days of 2005-06.”
Alan Bernstein (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on Canada incorrectly framing the challenge that China poses: “Our challenge with China is being framed as a security issue – arguably, however, it is primarily a scientific and an economic one, driven by the current revolution in science and the simultaneous emergence of China as a science superpower, with a knowledge-based economy that rivals that of the Western democracies. That difference in framing produces very different policy responses.”
Sasayama Takuya (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on doubling down on Canada-Japan ties is vital to our rules-based international order: “Thus, this year we look forward to the visit to Japan by “Team Canada 2.0,″ comprising federal and provincial governments. The 3,000 Sakura trees planted in Ontario through our Sakura Project will be blooming again this year. Japan and Canada, celebrating the 95th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, are also about to enter a new season of splendour.”
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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.
