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Opposition parties joined forces yesterday to pass a motion calling on the Liberal government to unveil a complete plan within 30 days to combat Chinese state-sponsored harassment and interference against Canadians, and to announce whether equipment made by Huawei Technologies would be allowed in Canada’s 5G wireless networks.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said the Commons vote is a sign that Canadians want action. But the government made no commitment to put together a plan and said it needs more time to study whether to exclude any Huawei gear from 5G networks.
More coverage:
Canada’s cyberspy agency says China, Russia among countries that pose greatest ‘strategic threat’
The Huawei logo is pictured outside a research facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 6, 2018.Chris Wattie/Reuters
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Vancouver proposes decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs
In an effort to reduce the number of overdose deaths, the city of Vancouver has put forward a proposal to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart said the move is an “urgent and necessary next step” that would allow the city to fully embrace a health-focused approach to substance use.
If approved by council, a formal request will be submitted to the federal government. Under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Minister of Health can exempt from provisions of the act “any person or class of persons … if, in the opinion of the Minister, the exemption is necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest.”
Boeing 737 Max to stay grounded in Canada for now despite clearance in the U.S.
The Boeing 737 Max will not be allowed to carry passengers in Canada’s airspace until changes intended to prevent more fatal crashes are approved by Canadian officials, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said yesterday as U.S. officials gave Boeing the greenlight to resume U.S. commercial flights.
Garneau said that Canadian officials are examining Boeing’s proposed safety changes to the aircraft and are expected to require different flight-deck procedures and training than those set out by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. A spokeswoman for Garneau later said it is too soon to say what changes Canada will require.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Snow days are yet another thing ruined by COVID-19: There will be no more snow days this year at the Waterloo Region District School Board. The Southwestern Ontario board decided this week that schools will close and students will learn virtually when buses are cancelled in severe weather as educators have been increasingly concerned about the learning loss among children during the pandemic.
As war worsens and aid is blocked, Ethiopia could face a new famine: Relief organizations are warning that the military conflict in Ethiopia will create a humanitarian disaster as UN and other aid agencies can’t get access to people who need help in the Tigray region.
25 years after Yitzhak Rabin’s killing, Israelis fear the right-left divide is worse and peace with Palestinians is still elusive: In November, 1995, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin who sought peace with Palestinians was killed by an Israeli extremist who sought to stop it. Now, peace is an afterthought as protests rage across Israel and demonstrators demand that current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resign – not only because of corruption, but also his botched handling of the pandemic – The Globe and Mail asked Israelis to reflect on Mr. Rabin’s legacy.
MORNING MARKETS
Global markets ease: World stocks eased for the third day in a row and oil fell on Thursday tracking weakness in Asia and Wall Street as widening COVID-19 restrictions weighed on market sentiment. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.89 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 fell 1.02 per cent and 0.81 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.36 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended down 0.71 per cent. New York futures were weaker. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.27 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
John Ibbitson: “The reality is that the U.S. probably could and would push ahead with protecting itself if Canada lost interest in making a meaningful contribution to NORAD... It wouldn’t be the first time Canada allowed the United States to assume the cost and responsibility for protecting the continent from attack, while claiming to be a true partner in the endeavour. For some reason, Canadians seem not to mind.”
Robyn Urback: “The promise of a vaccine, however, which is finally on the horizon, may provide a fresh tool for political leaders to convince COVID-fatigued citizens to lock down once more – without having to sheepishly pledge that they will get it together this time, they swear. This time, the lockdown won’t be forever. There’s an end in sight – we just have to try to spare as much suffering as possible along the way.”
David Parkinson: “Statistics Canada’s latest data show that Canada’s inflation rate has rebounded faster than pretty much any forecaster expected. That includes the Bank of Canada – which probably pays more attention to the inflation trend than anyone. But don’t expect the Bank of Canada to care very much about these numbers. The story told by these inflation figures isn’t the one the central bank has been waiting to hear.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian GableBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
10 pasta recipes to warm up cold nights
As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the time for comfort food is here. For food columnist Lucy Waverman, pasta is the ultimate cool-weather treat. Served with a salad and a bottle of red wine, what could be better?
MOMENT IN TIME: NOV. 19, 1980
In 1980, Calvin Klein cast fifteen-year-old model and actress Brooke Shields in a number of overtly sexy print ads and commercial shots.AP Photo
Controversial ad featuring Brooke Shields is banned
“You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” This famously provocative line was uttered by 15-year-old starlet and model Brooke Shields as she posed seductively in skin-tight designer denim in a 1980 Calvin Klein jeans commercial. The ad, in which Shields also whistled the tune of My Darling Clementine, prompted a flood of complaints from viewers outraged that the young actor was portrayed in such a risqué fashion. On this date in 1980, TV stations owned by CBS and ABC in New York banned the commercial, citing these complaints. The ad was one of a series directed by iconic fashion photographer Richard Avedon for Calvin Klein that year. Several of the racy ads also provoked outrage and were banned. But all the controversy only boosted the brand, which went from cashing in on the designer jeans craze to introducing a range of other products, including a massively successful underwear line. In the 40 years since the Brooke Shields ad, Calvin Klein’s controversy-courting ad campaigns have built the label into a global powerhouse with sales last year of US$9.4-billion. Mark Iker
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