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Oct 25 2023

Foreign interference. Humanitarian pause. Political violence. The Roundup

Oct 25, 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
Fighting foreign interference must include penalties for big tech, MPs say
The call was among 22 recommendations the House of Commons ethics committee made in its study of foreign interference by China and Russia. [Global]
Report No. 10 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. [House of Commons]
A new survey suggests more Canadians want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to maintain Canada's current level of spending on helping Ukraine fight Russia's ongoing invasion, rather than boosting financial support. [TorStar]

Newly released documents show that Correctional Service Canada stopped Paul Bernardo from having his lawyer make a statement to the media as controversy swirled around the notorious killer's transfer. [CP]
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned premiers who publicly asked the central bank to not raise interest rates last month that their requests could undermine the institution's independence. [TorStar]
Israel-Gaza
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he “absolutely supports” the European push for what is being described as a “humanitarian pause” to get aid to the region. [Global]
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says "humanitarian pauses must be considered" -- his strongest words of caution for Israel following the Hamas terrorist attack. [ABC News]
Michael Chong, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, released the following statement: “Conservatives support efforts to allow Canadian citizens and other foreign nationals to be able to safely exit Gaza and return to their country of citizenship. " [Conservative Party of Canada]
...A temporary cessation of hostilities purely for humanitarian purposes. Requiring the agreement of all relevant parties, it is usually for a defined period and specific geographic area where the humanitarian activities are to be carried out. [United Nations]
Investigation: The Hamas attack on an Israeli kibbutz, and how residents fought back
Bodycam, CCTV and phone video obtained by Global News shows how two Hamas gunmen attacked an Israeli kibbutz, and were repelled by locals. [Global]
Peter Fragiskatos, MP for London North Centre, told Global News on Tuesday that his constituency office, located at 231 Hyman St., was sprayed with ketchup on Sunday. [Global]
From the provinces
B.C. accelerating electric vehicle targets to meet goal by 2035
The B.C. government is taking steps to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles to meet its 100-per-cent sales target five years sooner than initially planned. [Global]

The sale of Premier David Eby's condominium in Victoria has become embroiled in the debate over the New Democrat government's proposed law on short-term rental accommodations. [CP]

The Saskatchewan Party government is to deliver the throne speech today and outline its priorities for the year. [CP]
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Elsewhere
More Americans say they support political violence ahead of the 2024 election
Researchers found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe democracy is 'at risk' in the upcoming presidential election — and about a quarter of those surveyed said they think "American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country." [NPR] 
Attorney and prominent conservative media figure Jenna Ellis has pleaded guilty to a felony charge over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia. [AP]
The Louisiana Republican is well-liked with few political enemies, but he could suffer the same fate as the three failed speaker nominees who preceded him. [NBC]
Media
The association said only Google and Meta are covered by the Online News Act, 'even though there are other platforms that benefit from the distribution of news content' [National Post]
Just as a smooth editing process can keep a writer coming back to an outlet again and again, a rocky one can turn even a dream assignment into a nightmare. Wasted effort, introduced errors, and clunky prose can all result from a bad process, leaving everyone frustrated. Luckily, there are tactics that both editors and writers can employ to smooth potentially spiky situations before they erupt into something worse. [Open Notebook]
Instagram’s search functionality is primarily based on keywords like hashtags, usernames, and location tags. If you don’t know any of these details, then the search algorithm won’t be able to find it for you. Instagram’s date search feature is limited because the platform’s search algorithm is primarily designed to help users discover new and popular content, rather than retrieve specific content from the past. It’s optimized for speed and efficiency, rather than accuracy. Instagram always shows, like Twitter, the “Top” posts first. If you want the latest posts, scroll down a bit and look for “Most recent.” [Digital Digging]
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Sci/Tech
A startup company has upped its qubit count by an order of magnitude in two years. [Ars Technica]
The Calendar
  • 0800 ET: Ottawa - Indigenous Services Min Patty Hajdu and Mental Health Min Ya'ara Saks speak to the National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness.
  • 0930 ET: 025B West Block -  The Conservative National Caucus will meet.
  • 0930 ET - Wellington Building - The NDP National Caucus will meet.
  • 1000 ET: 225 West Block -  The Liberal National Caucus will meet.
  • 1130 ET: B30 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs : C-21
  • 1600 ET: Calgary - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland visits a geothermal energy company and speaks to reporters.
  • 1615 ET: B45 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology : C-35
  • 1615 ET: W110 1 Wellington -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy : Study matters relating to banking and commerce generally.
  • 1615 ET: C128 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade : Study on foreign relations and international trade generally
  • 1615 ET: B30 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs : S-13
  • 1630 ET: 410 Wellington - Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting  Use of Federal Government Research and Development Grants, Funds, and Contributions by Canadian Universities and Research Institutions in Partnerships with Entities Connected to the People’s Republic of China
  • 1630 ET: 415 Wellington - Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 84 - Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy Program
  • 1630 ET: 315 Wellington - Standing Committee on Natural Resources (RNNR) | Meeting  79 - Canada’s Clean Energy Plans in the Context of North American Energy Transformation
  • 1630 ET: 420 Wellington - Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting  87 -  Privacy Commissioner annual reports / Use of Social Media Platforms for Data Harvesting and Unethical or Illicit Sharing of Personal Information with Foreign Entities
  • 1630 ET: 330 Wellington - Standing Committee on Official Languages (LANG) | Meeting  71 - Official Languages Minister Randy Boissonnault briefing on his mandate and priorities
  • 1630 ET: 425 Wellington - Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) | Meeting  78 - Situation at the Russia-Ukraine Border and Implications for Peace and Security
  • 1630 ET: 035B West Block - Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 78 - C-20
  • 1845 ET: C128 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples : Examine the constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples
  • 1845 ET: B45 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on Transport and Communications : Study the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors
  • 1845 ET: C128 Senate Building -  Meeting of the Senate Committee on National Finance : Main Estimates for the FY2024
  • 1930 ET: 035B West Block - Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) | Meeting  84 - C-33
  • 1930 ET: 025B West Block - Standing Committee on Health (HESA) | Meeting  84 - C-293
Issued this day ...
... in 1991: Sc 1343: Basketball. Design: Charles Reynolds, Joseph Gault and Tiit Telmet.

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