Canada
Canada’s military head defends women’s role in combat against U.S. comments
Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of defence staff, was responding to comments about Donald Trump's pick for U.S. defence secretary Pete Hegseth's opposition to women in fighting units.
Canadian politicians condemn ‘anti-Semitism’ and ‘anarchy’ in Montreal protests
Federal ministers Melanie Joly and Bill Blair condemned protests in Montreal Friday where pro-Palestinian and anti-NATO demonstrators smashed windows and set two cars on fire.
Canada and the United Nations: Rethinking and Rebuilding Canada's Global Role
Kerry Buck and Michael W. Manulak [A] 2023 report “Canada and the United Nations: Rethinking and Rebuilding Canada's Global Role” [concluded] that a well-functioning UN can offer the universality and predictability Canada needs to advance its national interests. This article summarizes the chief conclusions of that report, examining how Canada can rebuild influence at the UN. Too often, multilateral cooperation is an afterthought in Canadian foreign policy today and Canada's presence at the UN is under-resourced. [International Journal]
Forum on Canada and the United Nations: Why Canada should marginalize the UN
Jack Cunningham: The history and current workings of the United Nations suggest it is not an effective vehicle for the promotion of Canadian interests and values. As it has generally been, the Security Council is paralyzed by great power vetoes, while the General Assembly has an overwhelming majority that reliably votes against the West, and against Canada. The creation of the postwar liberal international order owed more to other multilateral organizations and groupings with which Canada is associated than the UN. In its core function of underwriting global security and stability, the UN has generally failed and often been irrelevant, with the crucial understandings reached between the great powers directly. In an age of increased international polarization, the UN will remain of only modest utility and Canada would be better advised to forward its values and interests primarily through other multilateral vehicles, working with like-minded states. [International Journal]
Anxiety of Influence: When the government hires out
George Anderson reviews: The Consulting Trap: How Professional Service Firms Hook Governments & Undermine Democracy by Chris Hurl and Leah B. Werner
The Provinces
Nova Scotia Tories appear safe with close battle for second between Liberals and NDP
Tom Urbaniak, of Cape Breton University, said the campaign has been “maybe the quietest I’ve seen in Nova Scotia.” “It just feels less intense on the ground," Urbaniak said. “There are fewer signs and less literature going to doors, and there appears to be less conversation in coffee shops."
N.S. political parties take differing views on federal government's GST holiday
Liberals say they'd match the move, PCs want more info, NDP does not say.
Vancouver police board vice-chair resigns after social media rant
Screenshots of Sakoma-Fadugba’s Instagram stories, shared on Reddit, show her raising concerns over mass immigration, the erosion of Christian values, gender transitions, “woke culture” and the legacy of slavery.
Elsewhere
The Ukraine missile crisis: Putin’s shadow war against the west finally breaks cover
After Kyiv used Storm Shadow missiles, Russia’s leader asserted his ‘right’ to attack the UK and US. In truth, he has been doing exactly that for two years now.
Narrow Public Approval of Trump Plans and Policies; Fewer Expect Unity for Country
Americans express ‘warmer’ feelings toward Trump today than after the 2020 or 2016 elections
Media
What happens to mumfluencers when their kids grow up?
Like many other children of parent influencers, [Maria] Foy’s kids are now of an age where they can grasp the digital footprint their parents created for them. Some like it. Some don’t care. Others hate it. In the US, some children are vocally criticising their parents’ decision to let thousands of strangers in on their intimate childhood moments. At least three states have passed laws ensuring children appearing in paid social media posts with their parents get a slice of the income. That’s something Foy started doing for her kids years ago.
Apple Announces Shazam Has Identified More Than 100 Billion Songs
Apple today announced that music recognition tool Shazam has identified more than 100 billion songs since it launched. *Apple also released a list of the "most identified" songs.
Reader Notes
This newsletter is curated by David Akin, chief political correspondent at Global News. The headlines, excerpts, and photos are generated by the publishers of the clipping. The publisher is at the bottom left of the clipping. If I've got a comment, you''ll see that in italics. But if I've generated the headline and the excerpt, you'll see me taking attribution by finishing with -DA in bold. The stuff about the stamps at the bottom — that’s all me.
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Science and tech
Powering an e-bike using disposable vapes is about more than engineering
'It's an unbelievable source of e-waste and I'm really glad that I have been able to harvest all these and build some really interesting battery packs,' says Chris Doel
The Calendar
- 1000 ET: Montreal - Innovation Min François-Philippe Champagne speaks at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 70th Annual Session.
- 1100 ET: Caledon, ON - Diversity and Inclusion Min Kamal Khera and Small Business Min Rechie Valdez speak about the GST.
- 1200 ET: Toronto - Justice Min Arif Virani and Women and Gender Equality Min Marci Ien speak about the GST.
- 1300 ET: Vancouver, BC - PACIFICCan Min Harjit Sajjan and LPC MP Taleeb Noormohamed speak about the GST.
- 1300 ET: Laval, QC - CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada and LPC MP Annie Koutrakis speak about the GST.
- 1300 ET: Brossard, QC - Environment Min Steven Guilbeault and LPC MP Alexandra Mendes speak about the GST.
