L'Affaire Elghawaby. Liberal Schreiner. Chatbot. David Akin's Roundup for TUE JAN 31

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Jan 31 2023

L'Affaire Elghawaby. Liberal Schreiner. Chatbot. for TUE JAN 31

Thanks all, for your feedback yesterday. Still tinkering ...

David Akin's Roundup

Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics.

Canada

Premiers ‘expect’ feds to up share of health-care costs to 35% as Trudeau meeting nears

Canada’s 13 premiers say they “expect” a commitment from Ottawa to increase health funding to 35 per cent as part of their meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next week.

Almost all doctors in Canada support moving to pan-Canadian licensing: survey

Almost all doctors in Canada support changes to medical licensing that would make it easier for health workers to see patients anywhere in the country, according to a new survey.

Don't think English Canada gets how big a deal what La Presse has now dubbed "L'Affaire Elghawaby" is in Quebec. On Parliament Hill Monday - French language journalists asked about nothing else. English journos? Hardly a peep.

La CAQ demande la démission de la représentante spéciale de la lutte contre l’islamophobie

Le ministre Jean-François Roberge réclame la démission de la représentante spéciale de la lutte contre l’islamophobie au Canada, Amira Elghawaby.

Notes discordantes au PLQ

Le Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) a envoyé lundi des messages contradictoires concernant la nomination controversée d’Amira Elghawaby comme étant la nouvelle représentante fédérale de la lutte contre l’islamophobie.

Justin Trudeau defends his point person on Islamophobia amid calls for her resignation

Trudeau put his support behind Amira Elghawaby who he last week named as Canada’s first special representative on tackling hate and discrimination facing Muslims.

Canadian universities conducting joint research with Chinese military scientists

The joint research projects are generating knowledge that could help drive China’s defence sector in cutting-edge, high-tech industries

Commons committee recommends hybrid Parliament become permanent

Over the objections of Conservative and Bloc MPs on the committee, Liberal and NDP members recommended the hybrid conditions remain.

From the provinces

‘Time to think’: Mike Schreiner now mulling letter from senior Ontario Liberal figures

An open letter signed by a number of senior Liberal figures urged the Ontario Green Party leader to abandon his post and run to head the Liberals instead.

Medical school coming to Cape Breton University

The Nova Scotia government will help open a medical school at Cape Breton University, the same post-secondary institution that saw faculty go on strike Friday, by fall 2025.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith opposes assisted dying expansion as Ottawa eyes delay

According to Smith's office, Alberta is consulting experts about the potential effects expanded eligibility might have on the province's health-care system.

François Legault a eu raison

Denise Bombardier: Le premier ministre du Québec a prétexté des « obligations familiales » pour ne pas être présent dimanche à la cérémonie commémorative de l’attentat perpétré il y a six ans à la grande mosquée de Québec. Six musulmans ont été tués par un jeune Québécois qui a aussi fait une vingtaine de blessés, tous des hommes en train de prier.

Manitoba’s new cabinet sworn in Monday morning

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson's next cabinet will feature a number of new faces, as the PC party has seen roughly one-third of the caucus say they won't run again.

N.B. premier hopes a health care deal with feds reflects shared priorities

Premiers from across the country are scheduled to meet with the federal government next week to begin talks on boosting health transfers to the provinces.

Media

Why newsrooms should champion Mental Health First Aid — Canadian Journalism Forum

Newsroom ‘mental health first aid’ — We aren’t expected to provide treatment; rather, our role is to recognize when there is a problem and help the person in decline or crisis.

Tech

Answering with AI: How ChatGPT is shaking up online information searches

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) text generator released to the public in November 2022, has quickly garnered widespread attention for its ability to use vast amounts of data to string together quick and detailed answers to any question. It was even used to generate a recent speech delivered by a U.S. congressman. Ross Lord explains why it's getting so much attention, and the challenges the chatbot presents for the future.

Unlike with academics and reporters, you can't check when ChatGPT's telling the truth

Blayne Haggart: ChatGPT is a sophisticated AI program that generates text from vast databases. But it doesn’t understand the information it produces, which also can’t be verified through scientific means.