Hello,
U.S. President Donald Trump left a meeting of NATO leaders early after video emerged of other leaders talking about him behind his back.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen chatting with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and others, and citing a long press conference given by Mr. Trump which, he said, caused “his team’s jaws” to drop to the floor.
“Well, he’s two-faced,” Mr. Trump said when asked about the video.
Mr. Trudeau later tried to explain himself.
“We were all surprised and I think pleased to learn that the next G7 will be at Camp David, I think that was an unscheduled announcement and ... I think every different leader has teams who, every now and then, their jaws drop at unscheduled surprises, like that video itself, for example,” Mr. Trudeau said.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
The Bank of Canada is holding its key interest rate steady, citing an improved outlook for next year’s economy.
A group of companies – including Shell Canada and the Royal Bank of Canada – as well as progressive groups are calling on federal and provincial governments to step up efforts to fight climate change. “We are going to lose the economic future of our country if we don’t take this trend seriously and create jobs and investment out of it,” said Annette Verschuren, chair and chief executive officer of NRStor Inc.
In other environmental news: food is getting more expensive, in part because of climate change; heavy machinery use has left deep and long-lasting scars in areas important to forestry; and the current decade will be the warmest on record.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s listening tour continues. In Toronto, he heard from candidates and campaign organizers who said the party’s stands on LGBTQ and abortion issues hurt them in the election.
Violent anti-government protests are challenging Canada’s contributions to the NATO mission in Iraq.
Ren Zhengfei, founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, says it’s not up to him if the company’s technology is used for controversial state digital surveillance. He compared it to being a truck manufacturer who can’t control what’s done with the vehicles after they are made.
And B.C. authorities have imposed outside management on three seniors homes that are part of a chain owned by China’s Anbang Insurance Group. Anbang’s takeover of the retirement homes was cleared by the federal government in 2017.
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on why Rona Ambrose would make a good U.S. ambassador: “For starters, in an era of venomous political polarization, this would be a splendid show of bipartisanship. Never has a government chosen its U.S. ambassador from the ranks of the Official Opposition party. In the case of Ms. Ambrose, it would be the former party leader, no less.”
Denise Balkissoon (The Globe and Mail) on health-care cuts in Alberta: “Nurses help us when we’re at our weakest, and least in control of our bodily fluids. That should be a reason that they’re lionized. But in a society that does its best to deny sickness and mortality, it usually means averting our eyes from their essential work, as well as their necessity, and worth. Witness the Alberta government’s decision to cut 500 nurses over the next three years, and roll back salaries for those that keep their jobs. In a province where the number of seniors is set to double by 2046, that certainly isn’t in the best interest of the public.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on businesses tackling climate change: “Matters get much trickier when it comes to the Liberal vow to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. That promise was almost a throw-away line in the party’s 2019 election platform, one of those promises too vague and distant to be taken too seriously by any voter. But companies and investors will now have no choice to take it very seriously, indeed.”
Peter Kuitenbrouwer (The Globe and Mail) on how, where and who could fulfill the government’s tree-planting pledge: “In Canada, rules require the forest industry to replant following clearcuts on Crown land. Afforestation programs (planting new forests) generally target private land. Southern Canada needs trees: Forest cover is sparse on Quebec farmland from Montreal to the U.S. border and in the Ontario counties of Essex and Chatham-Kent. Trees in these areas can soak up spring floods and mitigate erosion and desertification. Still, persuading farmers to swap corn and soybean crops for red pine and black walnut trees will require attractive incentive programs.”
Lorne Gunter (Toronto Sun) on Conservative support in Alberta: “Andrew Scheer, Maxime Bernier, Lisa Raitt, Remote-Controlled Traffic Cone; it wouldn’t have mattered who the Conservative leader was. Albertans were going to vote overwhelmingly to get rid of the anti-oil, anti-Alberta, eco-obsessed Justin Trudeau, no matter what. Andrew Scheer just happened to be the beneficiary.”
Dennis Matthews (Maclean’s) on the Conservative brand: “When was the last time anyone associated the Conservatives with breaking barriers? It’s not that they haven’t: the first woman cabinet minister and the first black MP were Tories; Conservatives gave women the vote and brought in the first Bill of Rights. Conservatives are not perceived to be innovative any more, and as a result, the party is increasingly removed in parts of the country that are growing fastest.”
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Chris Hannay