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Nov 4 2023

Alberta accounting. Separated families. Handcuffed photographer. The Roundup

Nov 4, 2023
David Akin's Roundup
Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics and policy. And sometimes Canadian postage stamps.
Canada
Freeland said Alberta's right to leave the CPP was not in dispute among finance minister Friday, but repeated earlier warnings of the consequences of doing so. [Edmonton Journal]
Mark Holland’s office declines to offer any details about the unfulfilled contract, including the identity of the vendor or nature of the deal. [National Post]
Ken McDonald, from Newfoundland and Labrador, said there is still much more to do to help with the cost of living. [National Post]

The Liberal Party is beta-testing new videos attacking Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, one of which compares him to former U.S president Donald Trump. [CBC]
As Ottawa unveils its immigration plan for 2024-26 this week, immigration experts say more resources are needed to help new permanent residents settle into life in Canada. [Global]
From the provinces
Dr. Anna Redekop asked Minister McLeod what he was doing to address the youth mental health crisis predicted to escalate as a result of the pronoun policy bill. [Global]
The federal Conservative leader encourages all provinces to remain within the Canada Pension Plan. [Regina Leader Post]
In a news release, the Opposition NDP made Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf's letter to a constituent public. [Global]
 Premier Blaine Higgs has confirmed that he had a campaign bus ready to go for a snap election call. That’s after a photo of the bus was leaked to reporters on Friday, including Brunswick News. [Telegraph-Journal]
Premier Blaine Higgs had refused to rule out an election for weeks and admitted Friday that he had come very close to calling one. [Global]
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Elsewhere
Israeli, Palestinian fathers both separated from their families share their grief, loss
Both Israeli and Palestinian families have been ripped apart by this conflict. Daniele Hamamdjian has the story of two fathers and their heartbreak in being separated from their families. [Global National]

Israel’s military has hit the family home of the exiled leader of Hamas on the outskirts of Gaza City with an airstrike as it continued to press its attacks across in the besieged enclave where a humanitarian crisis is rapidly worsening. [AP]
Supporting Hamas in Germany will be met with criminal charges or deportation. [National Post]

At least a quarter of buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli strikes according to a new analysis of satellite data. The analysis shows that Israel continues to strike southern Gaza, including areas along the main evacuation routes, even after urging civilians from the north to relocate there. [Axios]
President's art picks
Read this yesterday in a review about the artist's work by Susan Tallman. Tallman opens with this anecdote which I thought might interest my politically-minded readers:  
When the Obamas moved into the White House in 2009, one of the artworks they chose to borrow from the various national collections on offer was Ed Ruscha’s painting I Think I’ll… (1983). ..  It was a pretty hip choice for a presidential family—not a landscape, not a portrait, no horse involved. And it was more than that: after the previous eight years of often catastrophic Oval Office decisiveness, the arrival of a heroic painting about dithering felt like an important strategic and moral corrective. It was also, of course, funny.
And, of course, I immediately asked myself. What did Trump choose? Something with horses one assumes. And then, what did Biden choose?
Media
P.E.I. photographer handcuffed, fined after taking pictures of Quebec City's iconic Château Frontenac
Quebec City police told John Morris that someone from the U.S. Consulate General, which is near the Château Frontenac, had expressed concern that he could be taking photos of the inside of their building. [CBC]
François Legault a livré vendredi un véritable plaidoyer pour la sauvegarde de l’information et de la production culturelle québécoise, au lendemain de l’annonce de compressions de personnel massives au Groupe TVA, qui prévoit licencier 547 personnes, soit le tiers de son personnel. [La Presse]
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Sci/Tech
‘Bidirectional Charging’ Promises to Turn EVs Into Power Plants
“Bidirectional charging” promises to transform EVs into backup power sources and help utilities hedge against climate-related power disruptions. [Bloomberg]
The Calendar
  • 1115 ET: Trois-Rivières, QC - PM Trudeau , Transport Min Pablo Rodriguez and Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne meet with Trois-Rivières Mayor Jean Lamarche, Shawinigan Mayor Michel Angers, and Bécancour Mayor Lucie Allard.
  • 1300 ET: Regina, SK - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to the Saskatchewan Party convention.
  • 1700 ET: Trois-Rivières, QC - PM Trudeau speaks to a Liberal Party of Canada-Quebec convention.
  • 2000 ET: Sidney, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth  May marks the 40th anniversary of the creation of The Green Party of Canada.
Issued this day ...
... in 1976: Scott #697: Christmas - Nativity. Design: Bernard N.J. Reilander
For a long time, Canada Post alternate its its annual Christmas series of stamps between religious themes or secular themes: snowflakes, Santa Claus parades, etc. And every year, no matter what they did, they'd get complaints. "Jesus is the reason for the season," all the nuns would write in when there was only secular stamps. So Canada Post would do all religious stamps -- and sales plummeted.

Eventually Canada Post figured it out: The annual Christmas series would feature two or three secular stamps (cardinals, snowmen etc.) and one religious stamp (Mary and the Christ Child, etc). That's what we've had for the last few years and, indeed, what we'll see this year with three fabulous looking secular "Christmas stamps" featuring winter scenes plus one stamp with Madonna and Child. This year's Christmas crop was just released Thursday.

But, as I said, there was a time when you got nothing but one or the other and, from 1976 -- which included the stamp featured today -- through to 1978, it was nothing but religious imagery on the Christmas stamps.  This one features a stained glass work, Nativity, done by Franz Mayer of Munich Inc. in 1912 which you can see in St. Michael’s Cathedral, Toronto. All three Christmas stamps from 1976 were along this theme: Stained glass nativity scenes from Canadian Christian churches.

P.S. The philatelists among you will have surely noticed the goof I made yesterday — the stamp I featured in Friday’s newsletter with John Molson on it  was actually issued on this day - Nov 4 —  in 1986. And so I’m getting that karma back by  featuring today the stamp I should have featured yesterday, on Nov 3.

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