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Nov 26 2023

Joly’s World. Hostage stories. Media bias. The Roundup

Nov 26, 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
Justin Trudeau’s foreign minister is grappling with a world of chaos. But is she making a mark?
The person charged with steering Canada’s diplomatic corps through all this believes the global order that set in after the Cold War has shattered. To navigate its shards, Joly preaches a “pragmatic diplomacy” that strives to build relations with countries of all types — even ones with different values. [TorStar]
The government says it is also beginning new consultations on possible changes to national security laws and procedures to better protect against foreign interference. [Global]
Max Fawcett: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation claims it's dedicated to "lower taxes, less waste and accountable government." So why does that sense of dedication seem to lapse any time it's a conservative government wasting taxpayer dollars? [National Observer]
From the provinces
Ontario Liberals voting this weekend to select new leader
Members of the Ontario Liberal Party are voting this weekend to select their new leader to go head-to-head with Premier Doug Ford in the 2026 election. That's the CP lede but I'd add, with all due respect, the Ontario Liberals hav finished third in two consecutive elections. Opposition Leader and New Democrat Marit Stiles might have something to say about who gets to go head-to-head with Ford's PCs. [CP]

The Indigenous roots of one of Alberta's longest serving and best-known premiers is explored in a new book focusing on the ancestry of Peter Lougheed and his Métis grandmother. [CP]

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the her plan to invoke the Sovereignty Act on Your Province Your Premier on Saturday. [Global]
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Elsewhere
2nd Israel-Hamas hostage, prisoner exchange completed after brief delay
After a day of fast-moving developments, including fears the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas could fall apart, Hamas has released a second round of hostages. For hours, Hamas said that Israel broke its end of the bargain and that aid wasn't getting into the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, delaying the hand-over of the next group of captives. [Global National]
In audio intercepts from the front lines in Ukraine, Russian soldiers speak in shorthand. They describe 200s to mean dead, 300s to mean wounded, and 500s to describe people who refuse to fight. [AP]
Rising migration across Europe, including the biggest surge in asylum seekers in years, is fueling support for far-right and anti-immigration parties. [WSJ]
Her campaign will test what political strategists and observers of her rise in politics have said is among her greatest political skills: an ability to massage her message to the moment. [NYT]
After the success of their recent meetings, Sean Hannity invites California Gov. Gavin Newsom to debate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on his Fox News show. [LA Times]
Media
On Media Bailouts and Bias: Why Government Media Policy Is Undermining Public Trust
Michael Geist: Claims that journalists take orders from the PMO are absurd. But so too are suggestions that journalism tax policy and Bill C-18 don't influence coverage. [Substack]

CKOM and CJME’s John Gormley hung up his headphones on Friday, marking the end of a daily talk show that’s helped inform and entertain the province for the past 25 years. [CJME]
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Sci/Tech
AI pioneer reflects on future of technology after week of OpenAI turmoil
It's been an eventful week in the fast-changing world of artificial intelligence (AI), with Sam Altman announcing Tuesday he's returning as Open AI's CEO, four days after he was pushed out of the company that created ChatGPT. Yoshua Bengio, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence and a winner of last month’s prestigious Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering prize, joins Farah Nasser on the future of AI. [Global National]
Whether AI will help or hinder the world depends on whom you ask. What’s undeniable is this: the only limitation on how AI will transform the world is us. [Global]

Today, 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life, compared with just 10% who say they are more excited than concerned. [Pew Research Center]

Canada plans on expanding its clean technology and electricity tax credits to biomass fuel, which is most commonly made from waste from lumber operations. [Global]

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