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Aug 9 2025

The Roundup: Military money. Zelenskyy sidelined. Alarmed scientists.

SAT AUG 9 2025
David Akin's Roundup
Military money. Zelenskyy sidelined. Alarmed scientists.
Canada
Ottawa to boost pay for military members
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced pay increases for Canada's military members. The $2 billion compensation package is meant to boost recruitment and retention. It will also help Canada meet its NATO defence spending target. Mackenzie Gray reports. [Global National]

The F-35 is the most advanced fighter of its type, and buying another jet from a European rival would incur extra costs in training, supplies, and maintenance. [Global]
Statistics Canada says youth aged 15 to 24 saw the biggest employment drop in July amid the tough summer jobs market, with 34,000 lost. [Global]
Briefing binder provided by Shared Services Canada (SSC) to Joël Lightbound upon his appointment as Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement after this year's election. An excellent resource about one of the most impactful yet lowest profile federal agencies: "While SSC is not widely known, we are one of the single largest consumers of information technology (IT) goods and services in the North American market, and we work collaboratively with industry partners to deliver our services. In the past, SSC’s mandate was focused on consolidating and modernizing IT infrastructure. While this work is ongoing, SSC is now also delivering the foundational digital services necessary for the Government of Canada (GC) to recover its position globally as a leader in digital government." [Shared Services Canada]
The Provinces

Conservatives raised just over $350,000, less than half of the $700,589 that the B.C. NDP raised. Rustad's party finished closer to the Greens total of $200,000. [Vancouver Sun]

The Canadian Constitution Foundation, which supports legal challenges across the country generally relating to charter rights, said this forest ban is one step too far. [Global]
The Progressive Conservative government's bill seeks to standardize municipal codes of conduct and give councils the power to vote on vacating the seat of a councillor who has violated the code. For years, municipalities have voiced the need for updated laws to deal with problematic councillors. [CP]

The six surveys were launched on June 24 and Postmedia filed its requests the following day. The queries sought the public’s initial replies to select questions from the online polls regarding a provincial pension plan and immigration, as well as written answers from a contact form made available after a given survey is completed. [Edmonton Journal]
Aurora
Elsewhere
Israel plan to control Gaza City ‘wrong’ and will risk lives, Carney says
Germany announced shortly after Israel's decision Friday that it will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza 'until further notice.' [Global]
“The danger for Ukraine is actually quite grave,” said Jonathan Eyal, international director at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. “There will be a sense of alarm in European capitals.” For Eyal and others, Ukraine’s nightmare is now one step closer to reality: “Trump will be so pleased by what he perceives as the great achievement of getting Putin to the negotiating table, that he grabs any kind of offer that is made,”, Eyal said. “The danger of half-baked compromise, which Trump can claim as his main achievement, is very high [NBC]

Trump confirmed the meeting with the Russian leader as Canada said it intends to lower the price cap on Russian oil alongside Britain and the European Union. [Global]
Turkey's KAAN fighter aircraft could soon rival the U.S.-made F‑35 stealth jet in arms sales to the Global South by positioning itself as a more accessible alternative. The Turkish offering is generating interest from emerging economies. In late July, Turkey inked its first export deal with Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, for 48 planes, the governments said. [Newsweek]
Media

The letter sheds light on how a growing number of influential U.S. politicians are using ongoing trade negotiations to push back against Canadian digital policies. [National Post]
Science and Technology
How Tech Firms Like Google and Meta Are Embracing the Military
In a major shift, Google, OpenAI, Meta and venture capitalists — many of whom had once forsworn involvement in war — have embraced the military industrial complex [NYT] (🎁 link)

Many in the scientific community fear basic research grants will be included in the cuts, says Thomas Bailey, executive director of the advocacy group Support Our Science. That could essentially reverse the funding boost promised in Canada’s 2024 budget, most of which was intended to provide long-overdue salary increases for graduate students and postdocs. [Science]
The Calendar
  • 1330 ET : Shearwater, NS - Defence Min David McGuinty and LPC MP Darren Fisher participate in a Parks Canada event.
  • 1345 ET : St John's, - Secretary of State Adam van Koeverden speaks to reporters about the a meeting of territorial and provincial sports and recreation ministers.
  • 1700 ET : Brentwood Bay, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth May hosts the Saanich--Gulf Islands Summer Picnic.

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