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Apr 8 2023

Evolving threats. Hush Money. Wormhole works.

Apr 8, 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
Potential leaders of influential B.C. groups undergo Chinese ‘political review,’ recording reveals
Chinese consulate allegedly plays a role in requirements for leadership of associations that promote candidates for Canadian political office. [Globe and Mail]

On March 6, 2023, the Government of Canada announced several measures to combat foreign interference in Canadian democratic processes. Included in these measures was a request to develop a plan to address outstanding recommendations from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) in 2018 and 20191, the Judd Report 2, and the Rosenberg Report 3. The plan, set out below, outlines these recommendations, summarizes the actions that have been taken so far to address them, and proposes further action. [Govt of Canada]

On the 10th anniversary of his winning the party leadership, a battered yet battle-tested prime minister is governing in the face of stubborn speculation about his political future. Those close to him say Trudeau remains committed to the political vision that propelled him to office and saved the Liberals from ruin in 2015. [TorStar]
Nearly 35,000 CRA workers have been without a contract for more than a year and the government has yet to respond to wage proposals, their union says. [Global]
Craig Baird has done it again. A few days after publishing a thread in he placed all of Canada's prime ministers into a 1980s-era metal band, he now re-imagines a variety of Canadian politicians as young Easter Egg hunters. Click through 👇 to see the whole thread.
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From the provinces
Quebec Liberals need a leader; a familiar name emerges
Robert Libman: Antoine Dionne Charest, son of former premier Jean Charest, has sparked some buzz about his own political future. [Montreal Gazette]

According to data released Friday by Nova Scotia Health, 2,469 people were removed from the list since last month, however that was offset by 6,461 people who added their names to the registry. [CBC]

It's a sign the party is no longer bracing for a snap election. [Vancouver Sun]
Brad Michaleski has become the latest Manitoba Progressive Conservative to announce he will not run in the upcoming provincial election. [CTV]
Elsewhere
Putin, Trump, Ukraine: how Timothy Snyder became the leading interpreter of our dark times
Historians aren’t supposed to make predictions, but Yale professor Timothy Snyder has become known for his dire warnings – and many of them have been proved correct. [Guardian]
In 2019, the House of Commons foreign affairs committee did a study of the threats to liberal democracy in Europe and took testimony from many experts and leading scholars. On April 19, 2019, the committee heard from Yale historian Timothy Snyder. If the Guardian piece above interests you, you might wish to review Snyder's evidence from four years ago. Also testifying that day: Michael Ignatieff, in his role as a scholar and educator and not as a Liberal Party of Canada politician, and Snyder's Yale colleague Jason Stanley.  - DA [House of Commons]
The threat from dissidents prompted U.K. authorities last month to raise Northern Ireland's terrorism threat level to "severe,'' meaning an attack is considered highly likely.
Media
How Fox Chased Its Audience Down the Rabbit Hole
Rupert Murdoch built an empire by giving viewers exactly what they wanted. But what they wanted — election lies and insurrection — put that empire (and the country) in peril. [NYT]

“Catch and kill,” the tactic of buying and burying stories at the heart of the case against former President Trump, is no longer in practice, said Ted Farnsworth, who is now overseeing the tabloid. [NYT]
Another great mini-essay from my old National Post boss Kenneth Whyte. This one about "the ink guy" and a new film about newspaper and magazine designer Jason Logan. Great read. - DA [Substack]

Internal memo tells Vancouver Sun and Province staffers to work from home with office space hitting the market as early as next week. [Globe and Mail]
Tech
“Counterportation” – Landmark Quantum Breakthrough Paves Way for World-First Experimental Wormhole
An innovative method overcomes significant hurdle in scaling quantum prototypes. A practical application for the highly anticipated yet underutilized quantum computing technology is within reach due to an innovative method that overcomes the significant challenge of scaling up these prototypes. [SciTech Daily]

No spring break plans? Zoom around the planet from home with Google Earth Timelapse, which now features imagery from 2021 and 2022. [PCMag]
Issued this day ...
.. in 1964: Sc # 416: World Peace. Design: Harvey Thomas Prosser.
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