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Mar 28 2023

Digital Divide. Fewer police. Moon water.

Mar 28, 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.
Budget Day in Ottawa. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will rise in the House of Commons at 4 pm ET to present the government's spending and revenue plan for the year ahead.  I'll be 'locked up' with my Global colleagues at 9 a.m. to review the budget and, if you don't want to watch the Freeland speech, we'll have a network-wide special at 1600 ET to catch you up on what's new.

PS: A special thank you to all those who responded so quickly to my request yesterday for a little financial help to help keep the lights on around here.  Much appreciated. And if you're just seeing this for the first time -- head here to help out or scroll down to find the buttons to take you to my Patreon page.
Canada
Budget 2023 will target grocery affordability with new tax rebate: sources
The 2023 federal budget, set for release Tuesday, will include a measure aimed to help some Canadians afford basic necessities such as groceries, according to a government source. [Global]
Les libéraux fédéraux veulent empêcher les prochains gouvernements d'éliminer la tarification du carbone. [Radio-Canada]
Budget Chart to Watch: Government spending
Not all spending is equal. But spending trends are worth watching. This chart 👆, generated by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy lines up federal government spending as a percentage of GDP and marks off the PM of the day. The Trudeau government is expected to continue the downward trend today. But by how much? - DA
Canada's Digital Divide: First Nations households -- and everywhere else
This infographic comes from one of the latest Auditor General reports, published Monday. It is based on data provided to the A-G by the CRTC. A-G Karen Hogan was asked why high-speed Internet connectivity on reserve in the three Prairie provinces was so low relative to non-reserve connectivity in those provinces or to First Nations connectivity rates elsewhere in the country. Compare AB First Nations, for e.g., to neighbours in BC or NT. 

"I knew when we published this map that we would get this kind of kind of question," Hogan told a Commons committee Monday, "but we really sat back and didn't dissect it by province. Our objective was really to look at whether the government was meeting its goal overall. And it's clear when you look at all of the First Nations reserves together,  that when six out of ten households do not have [high-=speed] Internet, that's the majority."
Canada's auditor general has released new reports scrutinizing government spending, and says flaws in decision making and transparency can mar progress. [Global]
Gonzalo Gebara testified to a House of Commons committee amid an ongoing study into persistent food inflation in Canada and whether major grocers are benefitting. [Global]
Daniel Castro: While the [Canadian] government is still vague about the details of the new law, it clearly outlines its reasons for regulating AI. Unfortunately, every one of those reasons is based on flawed logic or simply wrong facts. If policymakers have such a poor understanding of the evidence, then it would be prudent to halt the rush to regulate. [Center for Data Innovation]
In 2022, the rate of police strength was 181 officers per 100,000 population, down 1% from the year prior. There were 70,566 police officers in Canada on May 15, 2022, 406 more than on the same date in 2021. We have fewer and fewer cops. [Statistics Canada]
The package of briefing materials prepared for Annette Gibbons for the purpose of enabling her to assume the powers, duties and functions of the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Great resource for anyone working on issues around fisheries or the Coast Guard. Just published. [Government of Canada]
From the Provinces

The house wrapped up a month-long sitting last week focused on passing a budget capped by a $2.4-billion petro-powered projected surplus to go with spending hikes virtually across the board. [Global]
Calls for Indigenous self-policing have grown louder in recent months, and now the Saskatchewan government is taking its first steps into making that a reality. [Global]
Elsewhere
Russian defence official dies after falling from St. Petersburg tower window
Marina Yankina, 58, was head of finance for Russia's Western Military District, one of the arms of the Russian armed forces that have faced the heaviest losses in the Ukraine war. [Global]
Morning Consult tracks the approval ratings of government leaders and country trajectories in 20 countries. Only 6 leaders have net positive approval rating -- and Justin Trudeau is not one of them. Mind you, he's no Emmanuel Macron either. [Morning Consult]
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Media

Editor-in-chief Sonia Verma stood by the outlet's reporting on Monday, saying, in part, "Global News is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and practices." [CP via Global]

Joshua Benton: Or how to lose $24 billion without even trying. [Nieman Journalism Lab]
Tech

Scientists have discovered a new and renewable source of water on the moon for future explorers in lunar samples returned from a Chinese mission. [ABC]

Rode's Wireless GO system has been popular with vloggers since launch. [Endgadget]
Issued this day ...
... in 1979:  Sc BK80A: Booklet Stamps. Design: Houses of Parliament - Reinhard Derreth / QE II - Heather Cooper
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