Plans continue for the Pope’s visit to Canada this summer even as the pontiff has cancelled a trip to Africa on doctors’ orders.
Pope Francis is expected to deliver an apology to Indigenous people for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools during the much-anticipated visit. He made an initial apology after First Nations, Métis and Inuit delegations met with him at the Vatican earlier this year.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is in regular contact with Vatican officials about the trip set for next month, said Neil MacCarthy, a spokesman for the papal visit and the archdiocese of Toronto.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
BARTON AMONG MEMBERS ON NEW INDO-PACIFIC COMMITTEE – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has recruited an Indo-Pacific advisory committee that includes several pro-China advocates, among them Dominic Barton, Canada’s former ambassador to Beijing. Story here.
LIBERALS REJECT CONSERVATIVE OFFER ON GUN BILL – The Liberals have dismissed a Conservative offer to quickly pass parts of the federal government’s new gun-crime bill, provided that the legislation is split in a way that sets aside more contentious elements for a thorough review. Story here.
TRUDEAU AT SUMMIT OF AMERICAS – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning a big finish for his last day, on Friday, at the Summit of the Americas in California. Story here.
GOODBYE TO THE B.C. LIBERALS? – B.C. Liberal members will vote Saturday on whether the party should change its name, a key plank of Leader Kevin Falcon’s promise to renew a party criticized as out-of-touch with everyday voters in the 2020 election. Provincial Liberals in B.C. include a mix of federal Conservatives and federal Liberals. B.C. Story here from The Vancouver Sun.
COMMANDER UNDER INVESTIGATION – The Department of National Defence says Commander Dale St. Croix has been temporarily removed from his position as commanding officer of HMCS Halifax and is under investigation. Story here.
MAJORITY OF LIBERAL CAUCUS WANT TRAVEL VACCINATION DROPPED – With provincial and international jurisdictions easing COVID-19 restrictions, some Liberal MPs say the vast majority of their caucus want the federal government to drop travel vaccination requirements, allowing unvaccinated Canadians to board domestic flights. Story here fromThe Hill Times.
QUEBEC MINISTER DEFENDS DELETING TEXT MESSAGES WITH LEBLANC – Quebec’s minister responsible for relations with Canada is defending her decision to erase text messages between herself and her federal counterpart, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Story here. Meanwhile, the Quebec legislature is concluding its session Friday ahead of a fall election. Story here.
NEW HEARING ORDERED IN SENATE DISMISSAL SUIT – A federal court judge has ordered a new hearing into a wrongful dismissal claim made by the first visible minority executive at the Senate. Story here from CBC.
MARRIAGE CERTFICATES IN FRENCH ONLY IN QUEBEC – As of last week, Quebec will only issue marriage certificates in French, according to a letter sent to wedding officiants in the province. The change, the latest to come out of new language law Bill 96, is also one of its first concrete shifts that were rumoured but not well understood by the public, even as the bill was adopted on May 24. Story here from CTV.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADERSHIP
WON’T RUN IF POILIEVRE WINS: BROWN – Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown says he won’t run for the federal Conservatives if his main rival for the leadership, Pierre Poilievre, wins the party’s top job in the September leadership election. Story here from the CBC.
PARTY WILL GET MEMBERSHIP LIST TO CANDIDATES – Despite a record number of potential voters, the Conservative Party of Canada’s National Council President says the party has “a good time-frame” to get a preliminary membership list out to the candidates. Story here from CTV.
CHAREST INTERVIEWED – Jean Charest is interviewed here at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy by Peter Loewen, a professor and director at the school.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 10, accessible here.
NEW SNIPER RIFLES FOR MILITARY – The Canadian Army is getting 229 new multicalibre, bolt action sniper rifles, according to a statement from the defence ministry. A $2.9-million contact was awarded to Stoeger Canada to deliver the new weapon systems, including the 229 C21 sniper rifles and associated accessories such as suppressors and cleaning/maintenance kits. Deliveries of the C21 are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
THE DECIBEL
On Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Decibel producer Sherrill Sutherland, a ballet fan, talks to Siphe November, one of the most talented ballet dancers of his generation. At just 23, he’s the National Ballet of Canada’s youngest principal dancer and only the second Black principal dancer in the company’s 70-year history. With his popularity on Instagram, his move into choreography where he weaves together different genres of dance, his rise in the ballet world signals an art form that’s evolving. Ms. Sutherland’s interview covers his latest role in the National Ballet’s production of Swan Lake, the importance of Black representation in ballet and where he wants to take his career and the art form in the future.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
In Los Angeles, the Prime Minister participated in the leaders’ second plenary session of the Summit of the Americas, and met with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, then participated in a presentation ceremony for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. The Prime Minister was also scheduled to participate in the official family photo of the Summit of the Americas, attend a leaders’ retreat and working lunch hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, and participate in the leaders third plenary session. The Prime Minister was also set to meet with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and also meet with Luis Abinader, the Dominican Republic prime minister, and hold a media availability.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet will be in the ridings of Abitibi—Témiscamingue and Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik- Eeyou from Friday to Sunday as part of a trip with an itinerary that includes meeting business people from Rouyn-Noranda, the president and director of the Val-D’Or Native Friendship Centre, and attending the eighth edition of the POW-WOW Abitibi Winni.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
OPINION
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail)on why Marco Mendicino has to go if he misled Parliament: “But the habits of this government are so ingrained, it seems, that they can’t help themselves. Rather than accept responsibility – yes, we made the decision, and we stand by it – their response is in every case the same: deny, deflect, and dissemble. Even when they do the right thing, they do the wrong thing.”
Elizabeth Renzetti (The Globe and Mail)on why women’s rights are worth fighting for, even 30 years later: “This will be my last Globe column. After nearly 30 years, it’s time for a new chapter in my life. I will be eternally gratefully to those who read this column, or spoke with me for stories, or sent me e-mails or letters. Every one of them spurred me on (except for the ones written in all capital letters). I know you’ll continue the fight, and so will I. Don’t make me come back here in 30 years and write this column again.”
Robert Jago (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how RCMP inaction after the Mission, B.C. hit and run shows police are failing Indigenous people once again: “Canadians “allegedly” don’t want this to be a racist country. To show that they need to speak up against institutions like the RCMP when they don’t treat Indigenous people fairly. We’re not asking for the RCMP to lower a flag, or wear a pin. They don’t need to put an orange sticker on their car, or say a land acknowledgment. All we want is for them to do the thing that cops do – arrest bad guys, no matter what colour the victims are.”
Rick Bell (The Calgary Sun)on why the UCP would be unwise to ignore the political challenge presented by Rachel Notley: “Notley says Kenney being out of the picture doesn’t make any difference to her, though he sure did make a wonderful punching bag. The NDP leader says her party can win the next election but, of course, doesn’t say they will win. Notley says in 2019 when the NDP lost in a big way, she walked up and down the street and “there was a smell in the air.” “I walk up and down the street now and it’s different.” She acknowledges in government, the NDP didn’t do everything right. She admits they didn’t always take the time to stop and listen to people enough.”
Sharon Burke (Divergent Options)on Canada as the last superpower amidst climate change:“Again, no country will be immune to the negative effects of climate change, but with a stable, migrant-friendly political culture, Canada has the potential to manage this transition better than any other nation. As a high north country, Russia should enjoy these relative advantages, too, but the rigidity of their authoritarian form of government, the opportunity cost of their bellicosity, proximity to highly affected populations, lack of preparation for climate change, including the disruption to infrastructure built on permafrost, and unwelcoming culture for migrants all suggest a declining power.”
Martine St-Victor (The Montreal Gazette) on feeling as broken as her “beloved” Quebec due to Bill 96: “I’m a francophone and a francophile and, as such, I can’t digest the idea that such a beautiful language and culture are being used as weapons. The content of Bill 96, including its “learn French in six months or else” edict for new arrivals, sends the message that Quebec is looking for a fight. Bill 101 and its requirement that children of immigrants attend school in French, which I continue to support, never came across that way to me. Now, there seems to be a “either you’re with us or you’re not” vibe in the province that makes it seem, to my eyes, broken and almost unrecognizable.”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
Americans and Canadians are cousins that is true. Allies today but long ago people were at loggerheads mostly because of the British Empire and American ambitions.
Canadians appreciate our cousins down south enough to visit them many millions of times over the year. America is Canada’s largest and most important trading partner. As a manufacturer, I can attest to this personally. My American clients have allowed our firm to grow and prosper over the past few decades. There is a problem we have been seeing, a problem where nationalism, both political and economic has been creating a roadblock to our trade relationship.
Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to play the “buy only American Made product” card, a sounding board for all things isolationist, nationalistic and small-mindedness. We all live on this small planet, and purchase items made from all over the world. Preferences as to what to buy and where it is made are personal choices, never should they become a platform of national pride and thuggery. This has brought fear into the hearts of many Canadians who manufacture for and service the American Economy in some way. This fear will be apparent when the election is over next week.
Canadians are not enemies of America, but allies and friends with a long tradition of supporting our cousins back when bad sh*t happens. We have had enough of the American claim that they want free trade, only to realize that they do so long as it is to their benefit. Tariffs, and undue regulations applied to exporters into America are applied, yet American industry complains when other nations do the very same to them. Seriously! Democrats have said they would place a preference upon doing business with American firms before foreign ones, and Republicans wish to tariff many foreign nations into oblivion. Rhetoric perhaps, but we need to take these threats seriously. As to you the repercussions that will come should America close its doors to us.
Tit for tat neighbors. Tariff for tariff, true selfish competition with no fear of the American Giant. Do you want to build homes in America? Over 33% of all wood comes from Canada. Tit for tat. Canada’s mineral wealth can be sold to others and place preference upon the highest bidder always. You know who will win there don’t you America, the deep-pocketed Chinese.
Reshaping our alliances with others. If America responds as has been threatened, Canadians will find ways to entertain themselves elsewhere. Imagine no Canadian dollars flowing into the Northern States, Florida or California? The Big Apple without its friendly Maple Syrup dip. Canadians will realize just how significant their spending is to America and use it to our benefit, not theirs.
Clearly we will know if you prefer Canadian friendship to Donald Trumps Bravado.
China, Saudi Arabia & Russia are not your friends in America. Canada, Japan, Taiwan the EU and many other nations most definitely are. Stop playing politics, and carry out business in an unethical fashion. Treat allies as they should be treated.
