Hello,
Members of the Canadian Forces have been deployed to help deal with wildfires along the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary that have forced the evacuation of the town of Hay River.
A spokesperson for National Defence said Monday a reconnaissance team was on the ground in the community, located along the south shore of Great Slave Lake. With the road out of town closed by the fire, residents continued to be evacuated by air.
The military deployment, scheduled until Aug. 29, underscores the impact of an unprecedented wildfire season, including in the area burned and equipment and personnel attempting to control it.
The Canadian Press story can be found on The Globe and Mail website here.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, usually written by Ian Bailey. Today’s newsletter is by Kristy Kirkup. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Inquest into cadet’s suicide to shine rare public light on Royal Military College – In a rare move, the Ontario coroner’s office will hold an inquest into the death of an officer cadet at Kingston’s Royal Military College, forcing public scrutiny on a case that would typically be investigated by the military behind closed doors. Story here.
Métis senator calls for coerced sterilization to be a Criminal Code offence – Senator Yvonne Boyer is on a mission to change the Criminal Code to establish an offence for forced and coerced sterilization procedures – an issue her office has received numerous calls and messages about and one that keeps her up at night. Story here.
Henry VIII’s long-lost doodles, discovered by Ottawa professor, hint at monarch’s inner turmoil – An Ottawa university professor has stumbled across fresh evidence of the inner turmoil of England’s most famous king that has eluded Tudor scholars for centuries. Story here.
Operation Jagdakommando’: U.S. agency’s airborne northern-border migration sweep – U.S. border agents used helicopters and a fixed-wing airplane to round up 124 people earlier this year along the Canada-U.S. border. Customs and Border Protection says the sweep, dubbed “Operation Jagdakommando,” was in response to what it calls unprecedented illicit cross-border activity. Story here.
Heat wave spreads from B.C.’s south coast to southern, central Interior – Health authorities and local and provincial governments across British Columbia are urging caution as a sweltering heat wave that began on the south coast this weekend has now prompted 41 warnings or special weather statements across the southern and central Interior. Story here.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hold cabinet retreat in Prince Edward Island – The Prime Minister’s Office said Justin Trudeau will hold a session with his cabinet in Charlottetown next Monday to Wednesday. The office said the retreat will be a chance for cabinet ministers to focus on top issues, including the economy, addressing the cost-of-living, housing, health care and climate change.
THIS AND THAT
Summer break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate sits again on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day – Chrystia Freeland is scheduled to meet with First Nation leaders in Edmonton about Indigenous economic opportunities. She will also participate in a discussion hosted by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce on economic plans.
Ministers on the road – Housing Minister Sean Fraser is in Burnaby, B.C., where he is scheduled to ride the SkyTrain and speak to reporters. Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is in Iqaluit on Monday for an announcement. Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey are in Rocky Harbour to announce support for tourism projects in western Newfoundland and Labrador.
THE DECIBEL
Last week, Ontario’s Auditor-General released a report on the province’s decision to open up 3,000 hectares of protected Greenbelt area for development. Queen’s Park reporter Jeff Gray spoke to The Decibel about problems around the Greenbelt plan and where the Ford government went wrong.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
The Prime Minister is on vacation with his family in British Columbia.
LEADERS
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in Edmonton for a roundtable discussion, to speak about housing affordability and to meet with NDP MPs Blake Desjarlais (who represents the riding of Edmonton Griesbach) and NDP MP Heather McPherson (who represents the riding of Edmonton Strathcona). On Monday evening, Singh is to attend the Edmonton Strathcona NDP nomination meeting.
OPINION
Anne Michèle Meggs (contributing to The Globe and Mail) on how when it comes to immigration levels, temporary permits are the elephant in the room: “No realignment on immigration policy, whether it be slowing the pace of arrivals or getting back to focusing on selecting highly skilled immigrants, will have any effect if it does not include temporary immigration.”
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on why a union revival could bode well for workers: “There was a time when it seemed pandemic pressures would lead to a broad resurgence of unions. So far, that hasn’t materialized. But with inflation, increasing automation, and workers pushing their unions for better deals, labour may have truly hot summers to come.”
Charles Plant (contributing to The Globe and Mail) on why the productivity problem in Canada’s economy is really a marketing and sales problem: “After years of marginal improvements to productivity, it is time to change our thinking. Instead of focusing only on R&D [research and development] and seeing limited results, we should acknowledge the role that M&S [marketing and sales] plays in creating large firms and experiment with policies and programs that focus on their growth. This is the missing ingredient.”
Michael Armstrong (contributing to The Globe and Mail) on why there are many cannabis shops and too much production (the industry’s perennial problem): “A major problem underlying the cannabis industry’s continuing financial struggles has been overcapacity. In provinces that allow private retailers, there are too many shops competing for too few customers to cover costs. And nationwide, producers have been making more cannabis than the retailers need.”
Former defence minister Peter MacKay (contributing to The National Post) on the urgent need to fix Canada’s military – and how to do it: “With the recent federal cabinet shuffle, Canada has a new defence minister. As Bill Blair takes the reins, it is worth taking stock of where the Department of National Defence finds itself and the headwinds Blair faces in this new role. It is critically important to examine what opportunities exist to revitalize arguably the most important file of any government.”
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Kristy Kirkup