Feb 15, 2022
David Akin's Roundup
Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics. Still in beta ... 
Canada
‘Difficult’ search ahead for object shot down over Yukon. Defence minister explains why
In Yukon, the search area is between Dawson City and Mayo, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, which are roughly 230 kilometres apart by vehicle, according to Google Maps.

If Ahmed Hussen decides to run for Toronto mayor and the Liberal machine backs him, it could be a dry run in the region for the next federal election, says pollster Greg Lyle.

Statistics Canada numbers reveal the percentage of permanent residents who become Canadians has plummeted over the past 20 years.

The federal Conservatives are trying to reassure the World Sikh Organization of Canada that the party remains opposed to Quebec's secularism law known as Bill 21.

Pollster Dan Arnold says, ‘by and large,’ Conservatives stand to gain the most electorally from this decade’s riding redistribution effort, including in Alberta, where three seats are being added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to depart Wednesday for the Bahamas, where members of the Caribbean Community are gathering to discuss regional issues.

From the provinces
Quebec payments to private health-care agencies explode
The province has doled out $3 billion to private health agencies. Annual costs went from $1.7 Billion in 2016 to $9.1 billion in 2022. 

Premier David Eby and two federal ministers held talks today focusing on reaching bilateral agreements on health-care issues in British Columbia.

Yukon’s premier says federal health-care money specifically for the territories is “critical” to service delivery.

Elsewhere

Stephanie Carvin: The shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon by an American F-22 Raptor on Feb. 4 brought to an end one of the silliest episodes in modern international espionage history—or did it?

China said Wednesday it will take measures against U.S. entities related to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the American East Coast.

India’s tax officials searched BBC offices in India for a second straight day on Wednesday questioning staff about the organization's business operations in the country, some staff members said.

 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of a potential “economic catastrophe” if Congress and the White House fail to take action to raise the federal debt ceiling. “In the longer term, a default would raise the cost of borrowing into perpetuity. 

Tech
Apple released security updates to its operating systems to fix flaws that hackers may have actively exploited..

Internet Explorer dies another of its countless small deaths. 

Media

What is the future of news? In the twentieth century Western-educated journalists championed impartial, unbiased news – which always seemed rather odd as everyone agreed it wasn’t possible for journalists to shed all their biases. That fundamental contradiction has been replaced by something even more problematic – fake news and worse than that, fake news which people believe and even the idea that everyone can publish their own news. So where are we headed in the twenty first century. Roger Mosey was a senior BBC editor and is now master of Selwyn College Cambridge

Issued this day ...
... in 1968: Sc # 478: Wildlife: Gray Jays. Design: Martin Glen Loates.