Canada
Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in 'Freedom Convoy'
King could be facing up to 10 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin on Jan. 16. The Crown is seeking "significant" incarceration time in a penitentiary while the defence wants King to be sentenced to time served and a period of probation.
Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI raise concerns about compensation for lost tax revenue after Trudeau’s GST cut
New Brunswick, PEI and Quebec all say they were caught off guard by Trudeau’s announced tax break and there is no agreement with Ottawa over compensation. “We did not get the courtesy of a call or any kind of request for our input,” Mr. King told the PEI legislature Friday, estimating the federal announcement could cost his province $14-million in lost sales tax revenue. “But as of today, there is no agreement in any way that the federal government would come in and give us that money or make us whole in any way. We’ll continue to negotiate with them to see what we can do because it will drive a bit of a hole in our budget.”
Trudeau doubles down on Netanyahu arrest comments, Poilievre disagrees
“It just shows once again how extreme Justin Trudeau has become,” Poilievre told AM640’s Greg Brady. In a separate interview with Rogers Radio, he added, “The prime minister of Israel is a democratically elected leader whose country is responding to an unprovoked invasion, by thousands of well-armed, Iranian-funded terrorists who … carried out mass rape and other atrocities deliberately targeted at civilians.”
Blair defends Canada’s defence spending plan as ‘credible’ amid criticism
Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada's plan to hit its NATO spending target is 'realistic' despite a watchdog report that cast doubt and harsh words from a U.S. critic.
Return-to-office rules broken by almost a third of TBS staff
Records show just over 70 per cent of Treasury Board employees complied with the three-day requirement in September.
[Press release] Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the public service
Kelly Gillis retires and so we have a new DM at Infrastructure. -DA
The Provinces
Lethbridge-West by-election a big test for Naheed Nenshi and Danielle Smith
The results of the by-election in this riding could serve as an indicator of his popularity outside of the Calgary. A win would mean the NDP retains a seat it has held since 2015. A loss could cast doubt on Nenshi’s appeal outside of Calgary and his ability to lead the NDP to victory in the 2027 provincial election.
Bonnie Crombie launches first campaign ad, blames Doug Ford for doctor shortage
The Liberal leader finally launched her first campaign commercial Friday after enduring millions of dollars in attack ads from Premier Doug Ford‘s Progressive Conservatives.
Elsewhere
‘It’s a joke’: $250bn climate finance offer met with scorn at COP29
Vulnerable nations are seeking $1.3 trillion annually to deal with the damage caused by climate change and to adapt.
Lukashenka Threatens Internet Shutdown If Protests During Presidential Vote
The authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has threatened to shut down the Internet in the event of mass protests during or after the upcoming presidential election, after the previous vote in 2020 erupted in unprecedented unrest amid opposition allegations it was rigged.
Media
Do Not Accept An Unscientific American
Over Helmuth's tenure, she steered the magazine toward coverage that understands that science has never been "objective." Science is and has always been social and political, in theory and in practice: every experiment is shaped by the people who design it and carry it out, by the questions they choose to ask, and by the powers that fund it or promote it or suppress it—to name just a few influences. She supported coverage of racial, environmental, and reproductive justice. In doing so, Helmuth ensured the magazine she led would be a bastion not just of lucid journalism, but also moral clarity. You'll have to register at this site to read this piece but I'd recommend if you're interested in the intersection of media and science
Three in four news stories shared on social media without being read first, study finds
Researchers believe people share without clicking because of the “rushed” nature of online interactions where users are more spontaneous with what they share. “One reason for [this] … could be the information overload in personal and social media feeds, putting pressure on online users to be expedient and thereby leading them to rely on simple, often superficial, cues,” the study authors wrote.
Science and tech
Baidu’s supercheap robotaxis should scare the hell out of the US
It’s a purpose-built, Level 4 autonomous vehicle, meaning it’s built without the need for a human driver. And here’s the thing that should make US competitors nervous: adopting a battery-swapping solution, the price for one individual RT6 is “under $30,000,” Baidu CEO Robin Li said in an earnings call.