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Oct 16 2023

Silver search. Liberal freefall. Polish upset. The Roundup

Oct 16, 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.
Israel-Gaza
5th Canadian confirmed dead from Hamas attack in Israel
A fifth Canadian has been confirmed to be dead from terrorist group Hamas' deadly attack in Israel. According to his mother, 21-year-old Netta Epstein threw himself onto a grenade to save his girlfriend. 
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Crystal Goomansingh reports from Jerusalem, as United Nations aid agencies are "deeply concerned" about the spiralling humanitarian situation. [Global National]
Inside the burned home of allegedly kidnapped Isreali-Canadian
Vivian Silver, a 74-year-old Israeli peace activist, is among the Israeli Canadians presumed to have been taken during the early hours of the Hamas attack on Israeli territory last weekend.
 Silver spent her adult life campaigning for peace and human rights for Palestinians, particularly those living in impoverished Gaza. Jeff Semple tracked down Silver’s home as her family anxiously awaits any news of her fate.  [Global National]
“This takes months. It's not a short operation,” said reserve Brig.-Gen. Amir Avivi, a former Israel Defense Forces deputy commander of the Gaza division. [Global]
Currently, there is no way out of Gaza for the roughly 2.3 million people living in the territory, and efforts continue to try to secure safe passage for those still inside. [Global]
Canada

Mid-October projection has Conservatives leading by an average of 100 seats over Liberals, well into majority territory. [338Canada.ca]
The federal New Democrats plan to make pharmacare a central issue in the next election if the Liberals do not meet the bar the opposition party has set for legislation to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. [TorStar]
From the provinces

New Brunswick opposition leaders are criticizing Premier Blaine Higgs after he left the province guessing for weeks about whether he would plunge them into an early election campaign. [CP]
Ontario's municipal affairs and housing minister is expected to introduce legislation today to return parcels of land to the protected Greenbelt. [Global]
Very few people have shown interest in running for the party's leadership so far. Some members are hoping that by delaying the race, more potential candidates will emerge. [Global]
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Elsewhere
Polish election: Right-wing ruling party to lose majority - exit poll
Donald Tusk's centrist opposition has a better chance of forming a coalition if the poll is right. [BBC]
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet this week with Chinese leaders in Beijing on a visit that underscores China’s support for Moscow during its war in Ukraine. [AP]
Media
"Few people realize that a truly good piece of journalism requires at least as much “intelligence” as any scholarly writing, especially since it has to be produced on demand, on the spot, under completely nonacademic conditions, and moreover it must generate an immediate response." [The Tangled Woof]
Ireland’s Digital Services Commissioner, John Evans, has said there has been a “heightened sense of activity” among social media platforms in response to misinformation about the conflict in Israel and Gaza. He said some of the platforms had deployed crisis response teams and experts with specific language skills to respond to posts about the conflict in Gaza. [Irish Times]
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Sci/Tech
Google has launched a new app for Pixel phones: Magnifier, which lets you zoom in on text and objects to make them easier to decipher. So if you're trying to read fine print, make out street signs, or you're just... in the nosebleeds at a concert, you can leverage the Pixel camera's impressive zoom capabilities to get a closer look. [CNet]
The Calendar
  • 0945 ET: Montreal - Small Business Min Rechie Valdez and LPC MP Patricia Lattanzio make a funding announcement.
  • 1100 ET: 425 Wellington,  - Standing Committee on Health (HESA) | Meeting  81 - Drafting report
  • 1100 ET: 415 Wellington,  - Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 81 - Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy Program - Women and Gender Equality and Youth Min Marci Ien testifying
  • 1100 ET: 225-A West Block,  - Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 75 - C-20
  • 1300 ET: Vancouver - PACIFICCan Min Harjit Sajjan makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1500 ET: Bath, ON - Innovation Min François-Philippe Champagne and Premier Doug Ford break ground on a new factory.
  • 1530 ET: 225-A West Block,  - Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship (CACN) | Meeting  24 - Drafting report
  • 1530 ET: 410 Wellington,  - Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) | Meeting  75 - C-275
  • 1530 ET: 425 Wellington,  - Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting  57 - Drafting report
  • 1530 ET: 330 Wellington,  - Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting  80 - Drafting report
Issued this day ...
... in 2012: Sc #2409b souvenir sheet: Beneficial Insects - Low Value Definitives. Design: Keith Martin

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