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May 13 2023

Pilot strike. NDP ahead. Twitter boss.

May 13, 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
WestJet pilots could strike next week; imminent walkout would be ‘premature’
Talks between WestJet pilots and their employer dragged on Friday as the union warned a walkout could come as early as next week, leaving passengers' travel plans up in the air. [Global]
Canada’s domestic spy agency says that the Chinese Communist Party’s interventions are a “threat to the security of Canada,” targeting economic, political and military sectors. [Global]
A Liberal MP says a foreign agent registry could be a 'wake-up call' for Canadians regarding potential Chinese interference in the country's affairs. [Global]

Committee Report No. 9 - House of Commons of Canada: Standing Committee on International Trade.

A Manitoba senator will be the third woman to sit in the Speaker's chair in the Senate, and the first to do so in 44 years. [CP]
From the provinces
The NDP takes the lead in Alberta
With just over two weeks to go in the Alberta provincial election, a new survey of 885 eligible voters in Alberta by Abacus Data finds the Alberta NDP jumping ahead of the UCP after several months of near or complete deadlock in vote intentions between the two parties. [Abacus Data]
"Wild Roses are Worth It: Reimagining the Alberta Advantage" by NDP candidate Kevin Van Tighem is described as a collection of provocative, personal and thoughtful essays. [Global]
Keith Gerein: Despite tweaks before the last election, Edmonton and Calgary are still shortchanged when it comes to representation in the legislature. [Edmonton Journal]
A new poll from Mainstreet Research shows Olivia Chow has widened her lead in Toronto’s mayoral race. [CTV]
In a press release issued Friday, the city said its clerk John D. Elvidge has certified 102 candidates for Toronto's by-election for mayor. [Global]
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Elsewhere

New research shows how narrow the field of American economics has become. [Slate]
Turkish politicians are holding final rallies on the last hours of campaigning before Sunday’s pivotal presidential and parliamentary elections that would significantly shape the NATO member’s future. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing the toughest challenge ever in his two decades of power in Saturday's election.  His challenger is Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the pro-secular, center-left Republican People’s Party who is the joint candidate of six opposition parties. He held his final rally in capital Ankara Friday under pouring rain. Campaigning officially comes to a close on Saturday evening. [AP]
Media
Who is Linda Yaccarino, Elon Musk's pick for new Twitter CEO?
Some Musk fans have zeroed in on Yaccarino’s work with the World Economic Forum, an organization of political power brokers and global business leaders that Musk has criticized, as a sign that she will return Twitter to its old ways or tamp down on Musk’s free-speech initiatives. At the WEF, which promotes globalization and hosts the annual Davos forum, she serves as chairman on the Taskforce on the Future of Work [and right-wing Twitter, as a result, has lost its mind and is cancelling accounts] and sits on a committee for media, entertainment and culture, according to her LinkedIn profile. [WaPo]
Out On The Shelf chair says he hopes local queer community and supporters continue to come together and not let hateful views 'infiltrate here, and change what a great place this is for queer people' [Guelph Today]
The bombshell report from Puck will no doubt be another headache for the embattled network as the town hall resulted in internal dissent inside the network. [Media
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Tech
How AI Knows Things No One Told It
Researchers are still struggling to understand how AI models trained to parrot internet text can perform advanced tasks such as running code, playing games and trying to break up a marriage. [Scientific American]

The case of Google Bard provides a fascinating case study of the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of technology, law, and society as the world grapples with AI and how to regulate it. [Digital Digging]
Issued this day ...
... in 2010: Scott 2387dii se-tenant pair: Marine Life. Design: Martin Mörck.
A joint issue with Sweden. Sweden’s issue had four designs. Here's the Canada Post text from the time of release:

"The shy harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) (Scott 2386c) is among the smallest of whales, rarely exceeding 1.5 metres or 130 pounds. Its mottled greenish-white sides fade to almost white along the belly, helping it blend well in a marine environment. Harbour porpoises are found primarily over continental shelves in Canada in two populations: the Pacific and the Northwest Atlantic. They’re also known to spend time in bays and harbours during the summer.

Though their trademark long whiskers have earned them the nickname, “old men of the sea,” sea otters (Enhydra lutris), (Scott 2387d)  known for their aquatic acrobatics and whimsical behaviour, seem much more like youngsters at play. The largest animal of the weasel (Mustelidae) family, sea otters typically reach about 4 feet in height, weighing in at 45 to 100 pounds. Except for the pads of their paws and the tips of their noses, they are completely covered in thick, rich fur—the thickest in the animal kingdom, in fact. Without the insulating blubber possessed by nearly all other marine mammals, this fur is essential for their survival in the often-frigid temperatures of the world’s oceans."

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