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Sep 19 2023

Canada v India. Bail bill. Manitoba debate. The Roundup

Sep 19, 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.
Reminder: The headlines and story excerpts here come straight from the publishing organization, not me. If I insert a comment it will either be in italics or be tagged with - DA.
India
Sikh group vows Indian consulate ‘shutdown’ over link to high-profile B.C. gurdwara murder
Protests are slated to take place outside Indian consulates in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver next Monday, said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice. [Global]

The intelligence comes as Canada has cut off trade talks with India and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was treated to a frosty reception at the G20 summit in India. [Global]

The move marked further deterioration in bilateral relations, which are currently in tatters. [Hindustan Times]

The man at the centre of the diplomatic storm is Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in June. He moved to Canada in 1997 and was a key figure in the Khalistan movement. [Global]
Key reveal here: The name of the expelled Canadian diplomat. The article then goes on to prosecute Canada for harbouring what the author labels Sikh terrorists "It is Justin Trudeau’s Canada that should be in the dock for interference against India and not the other way round." A good example of the hyper-sensitive, defensive Indian press reaction to any criticism of India - DA. [Hindustan Times]

The controversy comes at an awkward moment when Western nations, led by the White House, are looking to woo India as a geopolitical and trade partner and have refrained from criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s authoritarian backsliding. [WaPo]
Mr Nijjar is the third prominent Sikh figure to have died unexpectedly in recent months ... The backdrop to the tension between Delhi and Ottawa is the increasing pressure the Indian administration has put on governments of three countries with sizeable Sikh populations: Canada, Australia and the UK. [BBC]
Debasish Roy Chowdhury: "... India’s self-belief as the country of the future is painfully at odds with its state-led obsession with the past. All the pomp and pageantry designed to project India’s new identity as a visvaguru (“teacher to the world,” in Modispeak) could not hide the many identity wars triggered by a surge of nativism in the country. If anything, they were spotlighted like never before by the G-20 event." [Persuasion]
Canada
Grocery heads agree to ‘support’ Ottawa’s efforts to ‘stabilize food prices’
The heads of Canada's biggest grocers met in Ottawa on Monday after the Liberal government summoned them to come up with a plan to 'stabilize' food inflation. [Global]
The House of Commons has unanimously agreed to adopt the Liberal government's bail-reform bill at all stages and send it to the Senate for review. [TorStar

International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says he's focused on speeding up aid funding while cementing the Trudeau government's feminist approach to development abroad. [CP]
Konrad von Finckenstein was appointed on Aug. 31 after the office was without a top official — leaving it unable to fulfil parts of its mandate — since mid-April. [National Post]

Fresh polling by Pollara Strategic Insights offers a reminder of how disconnected most Canadians are from federal politics, with just 57% of Canadians able to name the leader of the federal Conservative Party and only 40% able to name a member of the federal cabinet. [Pollara]

Report No. 10 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade [Canada]
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From the provinces
Manitoba party leaders debate election issues
680 CJOB hosted a live, 90-minute, commercial-free radio debate between Wab Kinew, Heather Stefanson, and Dougald Lamont. [Global]
P.E.I. Liberal interim leader Hal Perry says the P.E.I. government should follow Justin Trudeau’s lead and remove provincial taxes on purpose-built rental housing. [SaltWire]
In May, Pawlowski was found guilty of mischief and breaching a release order for his role in the blockade at the Coutts, Alta., border crossing in early 2022. [Global]
Elsewhere
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to the UN General Assembly with the planet at a climate crossroads — and Canada facing an ever more fraught relationship with India. [CP]
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The Calendar
  • 1000 ET: West Block  -  PM Trudeau will meet with his cabinet.
  • 1100 ET: 420 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) | Meeting 73 - Drafting report
  • 1100 ET: 315 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) | Meeting 76 - Drafting report
  • 1510 ET: Ottawa International Airport  - PM  Trudeau will depart for New York City.
  • 1530 ET: 315 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU) | Meeting 84 - C-34
  • 1530 ET: 330 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on National Defence (NDDN) | Briefing on the War in Ukraine
  • 1530 ET: 025B West Block,  -   Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) | Meeting 76 - Drafting Report
  • 1600 ET: 425 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (ACVA) | Meeting 60 - Drafting report
  • 1630 ET: 420 Wellington  -   Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (JUST) | Meeting 74 - Committee business
  • 1745 ET: New York City  - PM  Trudeau will attend the closing session of the Sustainable Development Global Summit.
  • 1830 ET: B45 Senate Building,  -   Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry | Meeting 49 - Drafting report
Issued this day ...
Issued this day in 1977: Scott # 740: Parliamentary Conference. Design: Stuart Bradley Ash.

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