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Nov 24 2023

St John’s summit. Toronto turndown. Truce start. The Roundup

Nov 24, 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.
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Canada
Formal talks to begin today at EU-Canada Summit in Newfoundland
Formal talks are expected to begin today between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two top heads of the European Union. [CP]
Trudeau offered little detail about Canada's participation in the Horizon Europe pact as he welcomed the top two heads of the EU to St. John's for the EU-Canada Summit. [Global
Defence Minister Bill Blair's comment comes as the defence chief says the military must be a 'force of last resort' due to strained resources. [Global]
Kevin Page: The government has found a new commitment to hold the line on budgetary deficits over the short-term horizon. This should make the job of the Bank of Canada to lower the inflation rate back towards 2 percent easier, not harder. This increases the likelihood of lower interest rates in the future. Monetary policy is tight. The brakes are on. High interest rates (policy interest rates at 5 percent with the CPI inflation rate at 3.1 percent) and slower money supply growth have put consumption and investment into the skid zone. Now is not the time to deficit finance short-term consumption or longer term new social programs like single payer universal pharmacare. Canadians are paying a high price to lower inflation. [Policy Magazine]
Court filings and evidence -- all covered by publication bans until now -- reveal that authorities were gravely worried about Ortis's next steps. [Global]

10th Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. [House of Commons]
Just released yesterday through the federal government's Open Government Portal, three transition binders prepared for ministers after last summer's cabinet shuffle. Valuable reference documents for researchers/journalists working in any of these areas. 👇
Overview of the organization, its mandate, programs and initiatives, its objectives and priorities, a profile of its the clientele, examples of funded projects, as well as current economic issues in Quebec. [Open Government Portal]
Briefing materials prepared for the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada: November 22, 2023 [Open Government Portal]
Full Transition Book 1 for CIRNAC 2023 - EN - final - [Open Government Portal]
From the provinces
Quebec premier aware people ‘are angry with him’ as backlash grows against him
When asked about what mistakes he made, François Legault didn't elaborate but pointed to a number of different reasons for the growing dissatisfaction among voters. [Global]

"It's going to be the biggest strike ever in Canada," a union official says. [Montreal Gazette]

The federal government was prepared to offer Toronto two locations to act as temporary shelters and funding for a third, Global News has learned. The city, however, turned it down. [Global]
Crombie’s leadership campaign is urging Liberals to give her a ‘clear mandate’ to unite the party in political battle with Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. [TorStar]
The Manitoba government introduced a bill Thursday to suspend the province's fuel tax for six months, and possibly longer. [CP]
Manitoba is set to introduce legislation Thursday recognizing Louis Riel as the province's honourary first premier. [Global]

When electric buses hit the road in 2020 little did the City of Edmonton know that just a few years later, more than half of them would already be out of service. [Global]
Energy minister Josie Osborne dropped the email Wednesday in a legislature hallway. It was picked up by a rival B.C. United member. [Vancouver Sun]
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Elsewhere

A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has begun. The deal sets the stage for the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. [AP]
Using fake names, sham LinkedIn profiles, and counterfeit work papers, North Korean IT workers seeking employment in Western tech companies are deploying sophisticated subterfuge to get hired. [Reuters]
Darrell Bricker, global CEO of Ipsos public affairs, said the polling indicates "a lot of sympathy" for the hostages and for the people who are suffering because of the conflict. [Globa]
Media
Alexander Panetta: For a few hours, America's right-wing media treated fiction as fact, speculating the explosion at a Canada-U.S. border crossing near Niagara Falls was a terrorist attack from Canada — feeding calls for a northern border wall. [CBC]
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Sci/Tech
‘Electrocaloric’ heat pump could transform air conditioning
Heat pumps are ubiquitous in the form of air conditioners. Scientists just invented one that avoids harmful refrigerant gases. [Nature]
Working with dates and times is a must-know skillset for any data professional - Get started with R lubridate. [Appsilon]
The Calendar
  • 0745 ET: St John's -  PM Trudeau meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
  • 0815 ET: St John's -  PM Trudeau, Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and Rural Economic Development Min Gudie Hutchings meet with European Union Leaders.
  • 0930 ET: Anticosti Island, QC - Environment Min Steven Guilbeault speaks about a UNESCO Heritage Site.
  • 1000 ET: Quebec City - Women and Gender Equality Min Marci Ien and Public Services Min Jean-Yves Duclos sign an agreement with Quebec.
  • 1000 ET: 135B West Block -  The Green Party co-leader speaks about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
  • 1015 ET: St John's -  PM Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel speak to reporters.
  • 1100 ET: 135B West Block -  Justice For All Canada representatives speak about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
  • 1130 ET: Brampton, ON - Diversity and Inclusion MIn Kamal Khera makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1215 ET: St John's -  PM Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel visit a technology hub.
  • 1400 ET: 135B West Block -  The Communist Party of Canada leader speaks about prices and wages.
Issued this day ...
...in 1942: Scott 242: King George VI War Issue Coil Stamps: 2¢ brown. Design: Herman Herbert Schwarz. Photograph: Hugh Cecil Saunders.

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