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Feb 9 2024

Health deal. Poilievre’s policies. News encrapification: The Roundup

Feb 9, 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
Politicians, police gather to combat auto theft crisis: “Canadians need serious action”
Federal politicians and police officers gathered in Ottawa for Canada's first national summit on auto theft, a crime growing at an alarming rate across the country. Officials say a vehicle is stolen somewhere in Canada every six minutes, resulting in roughly $1 billion in annual losses.  David Akin looks at proposed solutions - including much tougher penalties for car thieves. [Global National]

Politicians and law enforcement officials are confronting a rising number of auto thefts — and it appears that the office of Canada's justice minister is also a popular target for thieves. [CBC]
Ontario says it will add hundreds of new family physicians and nurse practitioners, as well as thousands of new nurses and personal support workers. [TorStar]
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposed a new plan Thursday for First Nations to collect taxes from industry that he says would speed up negotiations and project approvals. [CP]
Poilievre said an Ottawa-knows-best approach to how First Nations run their affairs has led to "poverty, substandard infrastructure and housing, and unsafe drinking water and despair." [TorStar]
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pledging to fix the federal access-to-information system to speed up response times and release more information. [CP]

The House of Commons government operations committee has suspended future ArriveCAN hearings given a “scary” secret report on the controversial app. [Global]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an announced visit to Peterborough, Ont. Thursday afternoon where, according to his Facebook page, he met with firefighters. The riding is held by Conservative Michelle Ferreri. This visit was not on the PM's public itinerary -- which is unusual. After that, Trudeau put on his party leader hat to make a campaign stop 👇 in support of his candidate in the riding of Durham where a by-election is underway. That's unusual, too. While Trudeau has often campaigned in person in support of his candidates in by-elections, he hasn't always done so. And generally speaking, prime ministers often wish to avoid personally campaigning in by-elections in case the result goes the wrong way for the prime minister's party. That is something, I'm almost certain, will happen in Durham, which has reliably elected Conservatives for 23 years now including in the last general election when voters picked Erin O'Toole as their MP.  - DA
From the provinces
Pancholi joins Alberta NDP leadership race with anti-carbon tax pitch
Pancholi makes Alberta NDP party leadership bid with a push to ditch the carbon tax, the flagship policy of the leader she aims to replace. [Edmonton Journal]

Quebec Premier François Legault was met with laughter in the National Assembly on Thursday when he complained about young Quebecers using English words … using an English word. [Montreal Gazette]

Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault says she had no idea the couple were asked to pay money to meet her. She confirmed she met the couple at the October 2023 fundraiser. [Global]
The FFAW-Unifor has called the allocation a mismanagement of the fishery that would negatively affect the 100 or so inshore, owner-operator vessels that rely on it. [SaltWire]

Newly elected Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie is considering running for a seat in the provincial legislature, potentially replacing a former cabinet minister. [Global]
Elsewhere
Putin tells Tucker Carlson Russia has no interest in attacking Poland or Latvia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview that aired on Thursday that Russia will fight for its interests but has no interest in expanding its war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia. [Reuters]

Independents backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in Pakistan's election on Friday after results from over half the constituencies were announced, leaving political parties trailing. [Reuters]

President Biden on Thursday night gave an emotional and at times angry response to a special counsel’s report questioning his memory, addressing the nation hours after the release of the report that painted a devastating picture of his mental agility even as it said he would not be charged for mishandling classified documents. [WaPo]
“It’s a nightmare,” said a Democratic House member who asked to speak anonymously to provide a frank assessment, adding that “it weakens President Biden electorally, and Donald Trump would be a disaster and an authoritarian. For Democrats, we’re in a grim situation.” [NBC]
Media
Bell layoffs pose “significant concern” about Canadian journalism
BCE Inc. has made another sweeping round of layoffs at Bell Media, eliminating about 4,800 jobs and multiple CTV News programs, while also selling off 45 radio stations. BC Premier David Eby reacts "They have overseen the en-crap-ification of news." [Global National]
Bell Media is ending multiple television newscasts and making other programming cuts after its parent company announced widespread layoffs and the sale of 45 of its 103 regional radio stations. [CP]

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges. [BBC]
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Sci/Tech
Making Farming More Climate Friendly Is Hard. Just Ask Europe’s Politicians
Farmer protests across the continent have triggered a rollback of ambitious rules aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. [NYT]
Google is bringing its artificial intelligence chatbot to Canada as the product gets a new name. [CP]
The report, from German data recovery company CBL, concluded that NAND chips from reputable manufacturers such as Hynix, Sandisk, or Samsung that had failed quality control were being resold and repurposed. While still working, the chips' storage capacity is reduced. [TechSpot]
The Calendar
  • 0730 ET: Brussels, Belgium - International Trade Min Mary Ng speaks to reporters.
  • 0800 ET: Québec City - CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada makes a funding announcement. 
  • 0900 ET: Port Williams, NS - LP MP Kody Blois makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
  • 0930 ET: St John's - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and LPC MP Joanne Thompson makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
  • 1030 ET: Toronto - PM Trudeau , Health Min Mark Holland, Mental Health Min Ya'ara Saks and Premier Doug Ford make a healthcare announcement.
  • 1100 ET: Charlottetown - LPC MP Sean Casey makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1100 ET: Thunder Bay, ON - LPC MP Marcus Powlowski makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1100 ET: Regina - Housing and Infrastructure Min Sean Fraser makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1115 ET: Boisbriand, QC - Revenue Min Marie-Claude Bibeau makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1130 ET: Surrey, BC - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
  • 1145 ET: Montreal - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh meets with Mayor Valerie Plante.
  • 1200 ET: Coquitlam, BC - LPC MP Ron McKinnon makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1230 ET: Montreal - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to reporters.
  • 1345 ET: Québec City - CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada visits the Québec Winter Carnival.
  • 1400 ET: Toronto - Intl Development Min Ahmed Hussen makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1400 ET: Vancouver - Sport Min Carla Qualtrough and LPC MP Joyce Murray make a childcare announcement.
  • 1500 ET: Cobalt, ON - LPC MPs Marc Serré and Anthony Rota make a funding announcement. 
  • 1530 ET: Winnipeg - LPC MP Ben Carr makes a funding announcement. 
Issued this day ...
… in 1943: Scott #263 - King George VI War Issue Coil Stamps - 1¢ green.

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