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Feb 15 2024

College catcalls. De Jong done. Space bomb: The Roundup

Feb 15, 2024
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
Canada’s environment minister ignites uproar over road project funding
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is clarified comments he made about the federal government's investment plans for new road infrastructure while the Prime Minister cleaned up the mess in Question Period. [Global National]
[Conestoga College President] Tibbits admits that the school grew faster than what they were expecting, but maintains that students are finding places to live and are choosing to live in packed houses.  "Why are they all applying here? Why are they applying if there was no place to live?" he asked. "Some of them live like that because they don't want to pay more than $400." The article says Conestoga takes in 30,000 international students -- but has just 900 on-campus housing units.  [Guelph Today] 

The change appeared to signal the government recognized Canadians may not be aware the rebates even exist when it came into their bank accounts. [Global]

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted question period briefly on Wednesday, interrupting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he answered a question from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. [CP]
An Israeli military offensive into the densely populated area where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge in the Gaza Strip would be "catastrophic," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. [CP]
A leaked recording of a phone call between a Liberal MP and a constituent reveals how deep the divisions run in the government caucus over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the war in Gaza, the genocide case against Israel and the decision to defund a UN relief agency in the middle of a famine. [CBC]

In a statement of claim filed in Federal Court, the companies and their industry association allege the government made “negligent misrepresentations” that prompted them to invest in personal protection equipment innovations, manufacturing and production. [Global]
Veteran British Columbia politician Mike de Jong has announced he will leave the legislature after a 30-year career in government and opposition. The intriguing question is: Where will he run? (And everyone in Ottawa believes he will indeed be running). My theory: He takes a stab at Cloverdale-Langley City. It's close to where De Jong lives in Abbotsford. Abbotsford itself is currently represented by former Harper era cabinet minister Ed Fast. [CP]
Another CPC nomination 👆 : Eglinton-Lawrence incumbent is Liberal Marco Mendicino who is running again. Riding's default is to vote Liberal but it did elect a Conservative -- Joe Oliver -- when Liberals crashed in 2011 and Stephen Harper won his majority. My model right now: Stintz wins by 5 points or better. - DA

The NDP first called for public coverage of contraception almost two years ago. Jagmeet Singh described birth control as an essential medicine that is prohibitively expensive for many people. [Globe and Mail]
From the Provinces

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Wab Kinew will meet in Winnipeg today to sign two new health-care deals expected to dedicate more than $400 million to add more doctors, nurses and staff to the front lines of Manitoba’s overloaded health system. [Winnipeg Free Press]
Elsewhere
GOP warning of 'national security threat' is about Russia wanting nuclear weapon in space: Sources
The White House will meet with congressional leadership as a top Republican is requesting President Biden declassify information on a "serious national security threat". [ABC News] 

The federal government is spending more than $273 million to acquire new military equipment for NATO's Canada-led battle group in Latvia. [CP]
A report from French authorities outlined a Russian disinformation network including at least 193 sites. [EuroNews]

Oregon joins more than three dozen states in grappling with how to address so-called "deep-fake" technology ahead of this year's elections. [Oregon Public Broadcasting]
Britain's economy fell into a recession in the second half of 2023, a tough backdrop ahead of this year's expected election for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has promised to boost growth. [Reuters]
The surprisingly weak performance in a second consecutive quarter saw Japan lose its title as the world's third-largest economy, replaced by Germany. [Global]
Media

The cost of CBC’s failed lawsuit against the Conservative Party during the 2019 election was kept from Parliament for nearly three years. [National Post]

Here’s how the president can avoid becoming a “how do you do, fellow kids?” meme. [Politico]
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Sci/Tech
Researchers at Amazon have trained the largest ever text-to-speech model yet, which they claim exhibits "emergent" qualities improving its ability to speak even complex sentences naturally. [Tech Crunch]
Microsoft says U.S. adversaries — chiefly Iran and North Korea and to a lesser extent Russia and China — are beginning to use generative artificial intelligence in mounting and organizing offensive cyber operations. [AP]
The Calendar
  • Winnipeg - PM Trudeau meets with Premier Wab Kinew.
  • 0815 ET: 315 Wellington - Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 101 - Bill C-319
  • 0815 ET: 330 Wellington - Justice and Human Rights (JUST) | Meeting  95 - Bill C-332. NDP MP Laurel Collins testifying.
  • 0815 ET: 125B West Block - Official Languages (LANG) | Meeting  87 - Economic Development of Official Language Minority Communities
  • 0815 ET: 415 Wellington - Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 95 - Bill C-26: Innovation Min François-Philippe Champagne and Public Safety Min Dominic LeBlanc testify.
  • 0900 ET: B45 Senate Building - Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry - Soil health
  • 0900 ET: W110 1 Wellington - Senate Committee on Fisheries -Drafting report
  • 0945 ET: Pointe Claire, QC - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
  • 1000 ET: National Press Theatre -  The Transportation Safety Board speaks about an investigation.
  • 1000 ET: Toronto, ON - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland meets with housing advocates and expert about Budget 2024.
  • 1015 ET: 135B West Block - NDP MP Daniel Blaikie speaks to reporters about employment insurance.
  • 1100 ET: 330 Wellington - Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) | Meeting  92 - Issues Relating to the Horticultural Sector
  • 1100 ET: 410 Wellington - Finance (FINA) | Meeting  128 - Policy Decisions and Market Forces that have led to Increases in the Cost of Buying or Renting a Home in Canada; Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2024 Budget
  • 1100 ET: 125B West Block - Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) | Meeting  101 - Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities
  • 1100 ET: 315 Wellington - Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting  104 - Federal Government's Use of Technological Tools Capable of Extracting Personal Data from Mobile Devices and Computers
  • 1100 ET: 425 Wellington - Health (HESA) | Meeting  103 - Women's Health.
  • 1100 ET: 415 Wellington - Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting  74 - Drafting report.
  • 1130 ET: C128 Senate Building - Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs - Situation in the Red Sea / Canada's committements under the under the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice
  • 1130 ET: W110 1 Wellington - Senate Committee on Banking - Bill C-34
  • 1130 ET: B45 Senate Building - Senate Committee on Social Affairs - Bill S-252
  • 1130 ET: Toronto, ON - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland meets with Quebec housing advocates and experts about Budget 2024
  • 1300 ET: Toronto, ON - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland meets with young leaders about Budget 2024.
  • 1300 ET: 135B West Block -  An Imperial Tobacco representative speaks about smoking cessation programs
  • 1500 ET: Toronto, ON - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland attends a Black History Month event.
  • 1530 ET: 330 Wellington - Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting  97 - Women’s Economic Empowerment. Small Business Min Rechie Valdez testifies.
  • 1530 ET: 315 Wellington - Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) | Meeting  99 - Population Sustainability of Yukon Salmon Stocks
  • 1530 ET: 415 Wellington - Natural Resources (RNNR) | Meeting  86 - Bill C-49
  • 1530 ET: 125B West BLock - Canadian Heritage (CHPC) | Meeting  111 - National Forum on the Media
  • 1530 ET: 425 Wellington - Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) | Meeting  98 - Freshwater
  • 1530 ET: 410 Wellington - International Trade (CIIT) | Meeting  94 - Free Trade Negotiations Between Canada and Ecuador
  • 1530 ET: 225A West Block - Public Accounts (PACP) | Meeting  100 - Report 1, Forests and Climate Change, of the 2023 Reports 1 to 5 of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Issued this day ...
... this day in 1983: Scott # 943: Booklet Stamps: Maple Leaf. Design: Raymond Bellemare.

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