Hello,
The CEO of Google and other top executives are being asked to testify before a parliamentary committee after the company decided to temporarily block some Canadians from accessing news through its search engine.
They are expected to testify at a meeting of the House of Commons heritage committee next Monday.
The committee, which decided on these actions during a hearing on Tuesday, is also requesting documents related to Google’s news ban.
Google has been blocking thousands of Canadians’ access to news sites using its search function, in response to the federal government’s online news bill as part of a series of tests that have provoked a backlash from the search engine’s users and the news industry, prompting calls for the federal government to pull back advertising from the tech giant.
Bill C-18 would require digital giants such as Google to negotiate deals that would compensate Canadian media companies for linking to or otherwise posting their content online.
The Canadian Press reports here.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
TRUDEAU APPARENTLY TARGETED BY CHINA OPERATION – China appears to have targeted Justin Trudeau in a foreign influence operation after he became Liberal Leader in 2013, according to a national security source who said Beijing’s plan involved donating a significant sum of money to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Story here.
CANADIAN ECONOMY STALLED – The Canadian economy stalled during the final three months of 2022 as businesses pulled back dramatically on inventory orders, masking an acceleration in domestic demand. Story here.
ONTARIO HAD LAND FOR TWO MILLION HOMES BEFORE GREENBELT ACTION – Ontario already had enough land designated to build two million new homes – more than its overall goal of 1.5 million over the next decade – before it decided to release parts of the protected Greenbelt and force municipalities to earmark even more farmland for housing, according to new research. Story here.
CANADA STILL NEEDS TO CO-OPERATE WITH RUSSIA ON POLAR ISSUES: GOVERNOR-GENERAL – Governor-General Mary Simon says Canada needs to find a way to continue cross-polar collaboration while holding Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine. Story here.
QUEBEC ALSO BANNING TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT PHONES – Quebec is banning the installation and use of the social media application TikTok on government cellphones as of today. Story here.
POLITICIANS BEGIN PULLING PLUG ON TIKTOK – Canadian politicians have started deactivating their TikTok accounts after the federal government and House of Commons both decided to ban the app from their devices. Story here.
VALCOURT PLEADS NOT GUILTY – Bernard Valcourt, a former MP who was a cabinet minister in the governments of prime ministers Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell and Stephen Harper, has pleaded not guilty to charges of obstructing and resisting police. Story here from CBC.
CANNED FISH IN PREMIERS’ OFFICE – While a large tin of sardines may be an unusual choice of art in a premier’s office, Newfoundland artist Grant Boland says his message of his painting “Canned Fish,” which hangs prominently in the office of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey, is a perfect fit for a place of provincial power. Story here.
PLANS FOR ALBERTA DRUG RECOVERY UNCLEAR – While the Alberta government pushes forward with its recovery-oriented strategy to address the drug poisoning crisis, its plans for existing and future supervised drug-use sites remain unclear. Story here.
TORY MPS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GETTING INTO MEETING GERMAN POLITICIAN: ORGANIZERS – The people who arranged a lunchtime meeting between three Conservative MPs and controversial far-right German politician Christine Anderson are disputing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s claim that the Canadian legislators went into the gathering with no knowledge of Ms. Anderson’s views. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
ON A BREAK – Both Parliament and the Senate are on breaks, with the House of Commons returning on March 6 and the Senate on March 7.
MINISTERS ON THE ROAD -Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in Saint John announced $10 million funding for the city port and harbour bridge. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in Toronto, announced new initiatives to reach Canada’s Net-Zero commitments. Rural Development Minister Gudie Hutchings and Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, attended Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador’s annual conference and trade show in Gander and made an announcement about the National Trade Corridors Fund and met with stakeholders from various local industries and organizations. Seniors Minister Kamal Khera, in North York, Ont., announced $2.5 million in funding to the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, in Halifax, announced government measures to fight crime before it starts. Filomena Tassi, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, in Guelph, announced $8.2-million in funding to help three food-packaging companies reduce plastic waste and create jobs. She also made an announcement in Breslau in support of the aerospace sector in southern Ontario. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, in Thunder Bay, Ont., delivered remarks and made an announcement at the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce.
HONORARY DEGREE FOR ELLIOTT – Former Ontario health minister Christine Elliott is scheduled to receive honorary degrees at the 2023 convocation of Trent University in Peterborough, Ont. The ceremonies will be held in-person in Peterborough from June 6 to 9 and June 12 to 13, and in Durham on June 16. In a statement, the university cited Ms. Elliott’s efforts to oversee the provincial response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as her advocacy and volunteerism for vulnerable community members. She was health minister between 2018 and 2022. Other honorary-degree recipients are Master Warrant Officer Moogly J.J.E.G. Tetrault-Hamel, noted for his military service and robust Indigenous advocacy and impactful Indigenous awareness training within the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence. Also Indigenous playwright Drew Hayden Taylor and Dr. K. Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Ingram, recognized for her contributions to geriatric medicine, dementia care and the study of aging that have impacted health care regionally, provincially and nationally.
TRAVERS FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT ANNOUNCED – Stephanie Dubois, a CBC News journalist and freelance writer based in Edmonton, has been awarded this year’s $25,000 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship named for the late Ottawa-based journalist. Ms. Dubois will travel to the Philippines to explore the overseas recruitment of Filipino nurses by Canadian governments.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau is in private meetings in Ottawa, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Winnipeg, was joined by NDP MPs Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) and Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood–Transcona) and NDP Winnipeg-South Centre candidate Julia Ridell, met with health care workers and took media questions.
No schedules released for other leaders.
THE DECIBEL
Tuesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast features AI researcher, author and data journalist Meredith Broussard on artificial intelligence and chatbots. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on the need to call a public inquiry to shine a light on China’s election meddling: “Unfortunately, the momentum for an inquiry has yet to penetrate the Prime Minister’s Office. Mr. Trudeau continues to dodge, duck and weave when asked about the need for an inquiry, sticking to his dual message track that a) foreign actors have been attempting to meddle in Canadian elections for quite some time now and that b) Canadians should be confident in our democratic processes. The Prime Minister also argues that an independent inquiry isn’t needed because of the parliamentary committee already examining election interference.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on Google threatening Canada, because it can: “If there was ever an action with a message, it was Google’s decision to block Canadian news sites for some people searching the internet. It came just as Parliament was reviewing a bill that had a lot to do with Google and Canadian news sites. The message was this: Don’t even try it, Canada.”
Michael Barutciski (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the Roxham Road situation requires a diplomatic solution: “But closing Roxham Road to migrants from the south cannot be a genuine solution if there is not co-operation from the U.S. Ultimately, the lack of an explicit guarantee concerning border collaboration between Canada and the U.S. is the problem at the heart of the crisis; despite the existence of a binational action plan for perimeter security, the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the U.S. covers only official border crossings, and there is no formal responsibility-sharing agreement dealing with asylum seekers who use irregular crossings such as Roxham Road. A sustainable solution requires amending the STCA so that it applies to all crossings, not just official ports of entry – and doing so will require diplomacy.”
Catherine McKenna (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how companies need to stop greenwashing and get serious with net-zero pledges: “Despite the fact that net-zero pledges have now been made by 40 per cent of Forbes’s list of 2,000 largest public companies, the reality is that many are not robust enough. At their worst, the pledges create a false impression that lead investors and consumers to believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it is. Here in Canada, oil and gas companies, the single largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions, need to step up and take meaningful climate action now. But instead, we have the Pathways Alliance – which represents major oil sands companies – taking out full-page newspaper advertisements claiming they are on their way to net-zero despite all evidence to the contrary.”
Sergio Marchi (The Montreal Gazette) on why Canada needs a joint federal-provincial commission on health care: “I believe we should establish a joint federal-provincial commission to tackle all the issues that plague our health system. Have the first ministers meet again soon to agree on its membership and mandate, then hands off until the report is issued. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: not another commission! But despite past examinations such as the Hall, Romanow and Kirby reports, we are still facing a health-care crisis. I get it. But we must face reality. First, the landscape has changed dramatically since the Hall Commission 62 years ago.”
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Ian Bailey