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Jun 27 2023

Immigration backlog. Chow the champ. Junk web sites.

Jun 27, 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
Russian chaos overshadows Trudeau’s visit to Iceland
The turmoil in Russia with the Wagner group overshadowed a summit of Nordic nations in Iceland. Justin Trudeau is the first Canadian prime minister to attend the meeting, meant to boost cooperation of Arctic partners. [Global National]
The IRCC’s updated data revealed that the number of backlogged applications in the month of May stood at 820,000, up from 809, 000 in April. [Global]

Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger reported a 19-per-cent increase compared with the previous year in interactions between lobbyists and federal targets. [Globe and Mail]

Senior Tory operatives’ claims of racist tactics by the Liberals in June 19 byelection is to deflect blame for parachuting a candidate into the riding, says rival nomination candidate Deborah Tait. [Hill Times]
From the provinces
Olivia Chow elected as Toronto’s mayor in byelection, winning city’s top job
Voters in Toronto have elected Olivia Chow as mayor of Canada's largest municipality in Monday night's byelection. [Global]

A 'silent majority' within the Progressive Conservative party backs Blaine Higgs, according to several members of its executive council who are now speaking out after others stepped forward to reveal a heated back and forth with the premier in a closed-door meeting. [Telegraph-Journal]
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is set to shuffle his cabinet today. [CP]

Months after changing its name from the BC Liberals to BC United, the province's official opposition was handed a clear setback in the weekend's byelections. [Global]
Vaughn Palmer: Rebranding is an expensive and time-consuming exercise that doesn’t always work. [Vancouver Sun]
The high cost of replacing infrastructure and upgrading it to withstand damage from climate-related disasters will be a key topic of discussion as western premiers meet today. [CP]
Days after retiring as Brandon police chief, Wayne Balcaen has announced he is seeking the Progressive Conservative nomination for Brandon West in the fall provincial election. [Winnipeg Free Press] 
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Elsewhere
‘The fear we are living with’: LGBTQ2 Ugandans in hiding after new anti-homosexuality law passed
Uganda has passed what is being considered some of the harshest anti-homosexuality legislation the world has ever seen. [Global]
A group tracking antisemitism in Germany says it has documented 2,480 incidents in the country last year — just under seven incidents per day on average. [AP]
The government said the mother of six could 'act in a violent manner' if she returned to Canada. [Global]
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Media
Next-gen content farms are using AI-generated text to spin up junk websites
More than 140 brands are advertising on low-quality content farm sites —and the problem is growing fast. [MIT Technology Review]
Jesse Watters takes over for Tucker Carlson, who Fox News ousted earlier this year, while Laura Ingraham’s show moves to 7 p.m. and Greg Gutfeld moves to 10 p.m. [WaPo]
Marsha Lederman: Eleanor Wachtel and Shelagh Rogers, who have both done so much for Canadian literature, air their final shows this weekend. CBC must continue their good work. [Globe and Mail]
Geoffrey Stevens’s persistence held him in good stead as a reporter, especially in The Globe’s parliamentary bureau in Ottawa, and right up to his final column. [Globe and Mail]
Tech
Maybe it will stop you from using the Reddit trick. [The Verge]
Dialing up the frames is an easy way to get smooth-panning footage, but it may not always be in your best interest to do so. [ZDNet]
Issued this day ...
... in 2012: Sc #2556: London 2012 Summer Olympics. Design: Kosta Tsetsekas, Mike Savage.

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