Hello,
Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, were the target of a disinformation campaign, known as “Spamouflage,” in August and September that was carried about by the Chinese government, Global Affairs said today.
“This campaign targeted dozens of MPs from across the political spectrum and spanning multiple geographic regions of Canada, including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Official Opposition, and several members of cabinet,” the department said in a statement.
The department’s Rapid Response Mechanism, which was set up to counter foreign state-sponsored disinformation, said the aim of the propaganda campaign was to discourage MPs from criticizing China’s authoritarian Communist Party.
Full story here by Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Joly calls for de-escalation of violence in Middle East but stops short of demanding ceasefire – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly called for the de-escalation but would not be pinned down on whether Canada would push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants who control the heavily populated Gaza Strip.
MPP Sarah Jama removed from Ontario NDP caucus by Leader Marit Stiles – An Ontario New Democrat has been kicked out of the provincial party’s caucus, and Progressive Conservatives have voted to censure her in the legislature for comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, the vice-president of the largest trade union in Canada has apologized for posting a social media message celebrating “the power of resistance” the day after Hamas militants slaughtered Israeli civilians.
Asylum claims jump at Canadian airports after Ottawa eases some visitor visa requirements – Canada is experiencing the surge after a contentious move by the federal government to waive certain requirements for thousands of visitor visa applicants.
St. Lawrence Seaway workers strike over wages, halt flow of goods on major trade artery – A strike by 361 unionized workers on Sunday forced the massive inland waterway to close, in the latest labour dispute to interrupt Canada’s key transportation arteries.
One-third of Canadian restaurants operating at a loss as costs rise – A third of restaurants are losing money and the sector is poised for upheaval, according to a new report from Restaurants Canada.
Ontario reverses move to expand urban boundaries into farmland – The Ontario government is reversing its contentious move to force a long list of municipalities to extend their urban boundaries and earmark thousands of hectares of farmland for potential development – the latest climbdown since the province rescinded its carve-outs of protected Greenbelt land for housing amid a police probe.
Evangelical school was once assured it could get university status regardless of board review – The head of a Toronto-area Christian college widely rebuked for his anti-LGBTQ and Islamophobic statements was assured that the province could still approve the school’s controversial bid to acquire university status – even if an independent review board advised against it.
An independent Quebec would be one of world’s wealthiest nations: study – An independent Quebec would be among the richest on the planet with a highly advanced economy that would benefit from homegrown decisions instead of those made in Ottawa, a new study on the finances of a sovereign Quebec says.
Quebec made the wrong move on tuition hike, but its jurisdiction is clear: LeBlanc – Federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Quebec’s recent announcement that it will double tuition fees for most out-of-province students is a “bad decision” that will end up hurting the province.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day – Private meetings in Ottawa.
In Ottawa – Treasury Board President Anita Anand announced a panel of experts to work on a program to identify, address and prevent harassment, discrimination and violence in the public-service workplace. Housing Minister Sean Fraser held a news conference to discuss the state of the Housing Accelerator Fund. Families Minister Jenna Sudds visited Matthew House to talk about the Investment Readiness Program that supports social-purpose organizations. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc appeared before the Senate committee on national security, defence and veteran affairs to talk about Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms).
Ministers on the road – National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced a clean-energy investment in Lac-Mégantic, Que. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, in Toronto, participated in a Canada-Greece economic forum. Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez, in Toronto, delivered welcome remarks at the Canadian SME Small Business Magazine’s Small Business Summit.
New diplomat – Jess Dutton, a former Canadian ambassador to Egypt most recently the director general of Global Affairs’ Middle East bureau, has been named Canada’s new ambassador to Indonesia, replacing Nadia Burger.
Commons committees – Later this afternoon, RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme talks about the RCMP decision not to pursue a criminal investigation in the SNC-Lavalin affair in a meeting of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee.
Air travel challenge for Canada’s chief accessibility officer – On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Stephanie Cadieux reported on an “unacceptable” situation with Air Canada and the wheelchair she uses.
Fundraising off an apple-eating encounter – The federal Conservative Party is making the most of a high-profile encounter between Pierre Poilievre and a B.C. journalist. The Conservative Leader’s verbal sparring as he eats an apple has raised Poilievre’s profile internationally and a T-shirt depicting the moment is raising money for the party. The shirt reads: How Do You Like Them Apples? Anaida Poilievre posted on social media about the fashion product, and Poilievre has retweeted his wife’s posting.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings in Ottawa.
LEADERS
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is in her Vancouver-Island riding participating in Parliament virtually.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, participated in Question Period.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, climate change columnist Adam Radwanski discusses the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on legislation allowing the federal government to review energy, mining and industrial projects to protect Indigenous peoples and the environment. The court found the law unconstitutional. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
Mortgage challenges – Data released today by the Angus Reid Institute shows 15 per cent of mortgage holders say they find the financial obligations of their mortgage “very difficult,” up from 8 per cent in March and 11 per cent in June.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how open banking, not taxes, will help customers: “The first two years of the pandemic were good for Canadian banks. Low interest rates and generous government spending led to fewer bad loans, bigger mortgages and higher merger-and-acquisition fees. Banks booked record profits. Ottawa, meanwhile, went deep into the red. The federal government, looking at those profits, introduced new taxes to take billions of dollars out of the sector in the coming years. Yet, even as Ottawa moves to boost taxes, it drags its feet on reforms to boost competition in the sector. Taken together, those two policies are shortsighted and will ultimately harm banks and their customers.”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on how Jim Dinning says he was surprised by report saying Alberta is entitled to $334-billion of Canada Pension Plan assets: “I was gobsmacked by the big number, and found it difficult to swallow,” he said. “And then I dug deeper into it.” The chair of Alberta’s three-person pension panel, which has the task of listening to Albertans’ views on the idea of breaking off from the CPP, Mr. Dinning insists he’s running an independent consultation. In his opening remarks at the first telephone town hall earlier this week, he said: “We’re not here as advocates. We’re here as listeners.”
Shannon Proudfoot (The Globe and Mail) on getting to the core of Pierre Poilievre’s biting ‘apple’ interview: “This week, a video that was plainly designed to go viral achieved its purpose, when a clip of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sparring with a reporter in an apple orchard blew through international conservative circles like catnip. In the video, a journalist asks Mr. Poilievre about his populist approach, but each time he tries to get a foothold on the question, Mr. Poilievre sails in with a cross-check: What does populism mean? Who says I’m taking a page out of Donald Trump’s book? And which page, anyway? He does all of this while eating an apple like a theatrically bored horse, just in case there was any doubt about his contempt for the person he’s talking to.”
Tanya Talaga (The Globe and Mail) on how a high school in Northern Ontario reveals the long shadow of residential schools: “Just off the side of a long dirt road, Norma Kejick, the executive director of the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council (NNEC), tells me that construction along this path leading to Pelican Falls First Nations High School is happening in stages. The reason, she says, is that the Bikiiwewining Nindawaashishiiminaanak (Bringing Our Children Home) initiative led by Lac Seul First Nation in Northern Ontario has yet to start its ground search in the area. Pavement can’t be laid on the road until they know whether ground-penetrating radar will be needed. She mentions this as if this is normal. I tell her that I can think of no school in Canada that has to worry about discovering the bodies of former students in the yard. But here we are.”
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Ian Bailey