Canada
Auditor general to probe Indigenous procurement over concerns of ‘front’ companies
A months-long Global News investigation found evidence of abuse of the procurement strategy to aid First Nations, Métis and Inuit business.
Tories will try toppling Trudeau after 2 failed non-confidence attempts
The motion, which is expected to be tabled before the House of Commons on Thursday, is using past snippets of criticisms of Trudeau’s Liberals coming from the New Democratic Party.
Online harms bill to be split between child protections, hate speech: Virani
Justice Minister Arif Virani says the Liberal government will split up its contentious online harms bill, putting a priority on passing measures to fight child sex predators.
Tapped by Trudeau to Steer Foreign Affairs, She’s Now His Possible Successor
Mélanie Joly, Canada’s top diplomat, has already faced off against India and China, with Donald Trump up next. She’s also considered a top contender to replace Justin Trudeau. ( 🎁 link)
Nadia Verrelli to run for federal NDP candidacy in Sudbury
How bad are things for the Liberals in Ontario? Consider this: A candidate from a conservative party has not won whatever riding had the city of Sudbury in it since 1917. And yet, in my model, Sudbury is currently leaning Conservative and if an election were held this month, the CPC candidate - Ian Symington, who ran in 2021 and has been the nominated candidate since April -- could win by 6 points.
Verrelli, a Laurentian University professor, also ran here in 2021 and if she secures the NDP nomination it will be incumbent Liberal Viviane Lapointe v Verrelli v Symington all over again.
Now for the next election, the riding of Sudbury -- like all ridings in northern Ontario - has a significantly different shape. The more rural chunk of the current riding to the west of the city is carved off to Sudbury East--Manitoulin--Nickel Belt while the new riding of Sudbury gains a big a big new chunk to the east and north to Wanipetei Lake.
Transposing the votes from 2021 on to the new riding map, Sudbury becomes a bit more Liberal. Lapointe, won in 2021 by 5 points or 2,302 over Verrelli but, had the new boundaries been in place in 2021, Lapointe would have won with a 6.2 per cent margin or 3,400 votes. The transposed result then is LPC Lapointe 35.1; NDP Verrelli 28.9; CPC Symington 27.8.
There was also a significant number who voted for the People's Party -- 3,358 or 6.1 per cent (again, that's the transposed total). I would suspect a significant proportion of those would move to Poilievre's Conservatives. But Poilievre has also been pitching orange-blue working class switchers, i.e. people who voted NDP before but would consider voting Conservative before voting Liberal. Poilievre has already had one campaign event in the riding -- on August 2 at a local construction firm -- and I suspect there will be more Northern Ontario swings for him. Good chance, then, that Symington peels off enough NDP voters, consolidates the PPC vote and overtakes both Verrelli and Lapointe. Now a general election may still be 11 months or so away but the fact that a riding a conservative has not won in more than century is in play for Poilievre's Conservatives is an indication of just how strong that party is right now -- and how weak the Liberals are in Ontario. -DA
The Role of McKinsey and Company in the Creation and the Beginnings of the Canada Infrastructure Bank
The 20th report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
Selected United States and European Union Trade-Related Measures: Some Impacts on Canada’s Fishing Sector
The 22nd report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade.
The Provinces
Ontario spent record sum on advertisements ‘to promote’ governing party: AG
Auditor General Shelley Spence found as part of her annual report that, in the fiscal year ending at the end of March, the province spent a total of $104.6 million on advertising.
'Hilarious': Alberta premier responds to Trump's 51st state joke, emphasizes need for trade ties with U.S.
'We have to take the incoming president seriously, when he's talking about those things being an irritant to trade,' Smith said, citing the province's $180 billion trade relationship with the U.S.
Alberta minister wants to see $100B in data centre infrastructure in next five years
Glubish says Meta, as well as other major companies including Google and Amazon, are on the hunt for space to build more facilities, and he wants Alberta to be an option.
Le PQ prépare sa « cagnotte » pour un référendum hâtif
Le Parti québécois (PQ) prend dès maintenant les moyens pour amasser « une cagnotte substantielle pour la campagne référendaire qui débutera au lendemain de la victoire en 2026 », révèle un document interne.
Elsewhere
France’s government toppled in non-confidence vote. What happens next? -
Far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined forces to back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his government.
South Korea’s short-lived martial law: How it unfolded and what’s next
It was a chaotic six hours that saw lawmakers climbing walls in a bid to stop President Yoon’s martial law from taking effect, with police and military troops blocking their way. Here’s how it happened and what the path to impeachment might look like.
NATO Agrees To Prioritize Protecting Ukraine's Infrastructure
NATO members have agreed to make protecting Ukraine's infrastructure a top priority, alliance chief Mark Rutte said on December 4, as Russia continues to pound Ukrainian cities and towns with drone and missile strikes.
Namibia elects Nandi-Ndaitwah as first female president
Nandi-Ndaitwah's victory will extend SWAPO's 34 years in power since it led the country to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
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.
You can help keep this newsletter going with a monthly pledge -- Just $5 would do it -- via Patreon or, if you want to make a one-time donation, send an e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. Many of you have already contributed and I’m very grateful. Thank you. Hoping others may consider a donation as small as $3 a month for this 7-day-a-week newsletter. Thanks in any event for all your support!
Science and tech
AT&T to Retire Traditional Landlines by 2029 (Except in This State)
AT&T aims to retire a majority of its old-school copper networks by 2029, which will involve moving users to wireless, fiber, and even satellite technology. But there's one big holdout.
The Calendar
- 0815 ET: 410 Wellington -Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) | Meeting 122 - Railways Issues and Opportunities for Canadian Agriculture
- 0815 ET: 430 Wellington -National Defence (NDDN) | Meeting 130 - Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Contaminated Sites
- 0815 ET: 330 Wellington -Industry and Technology (INDU) | Meeting 150 Order of the House Referring Back the Twentieth Report of the Committee entitled “Potential Anti-Competitive Behaviour in Canada’s E-Transfer Ecosystem”
- 0815 ET: 420 Wellington -National Defence (NDDN) | Meeting 130 Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Contaminated Sites
- 0815 ET: Québec City -Public Services and Procurement Min Jean-Yves Duclos makes a funding announcement.
- 0815 ET: 415 Wellington -Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAN) | Meeting 135 - Order of the House Referring Back the Second Report of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs entitled "Barriers to Economic Development in Indigenous Communities". MP Randy Boissonnault testifying.
- 0900 ET: Corner Brook, NL - ACOA Min Gudie Hutchings and Innovation, Science and Industry Min François-Philippe Champagne make an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 0900 ET: Ottawa -NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks at the Assembly of First Nations Special-Chiefs-in-Assembly meeting
- 1000 ET: NPT -CEDQR Min Soraya Martinez Ferrada makes a funding announcement.
- 1000 ET: Ottawa -PM Trudeau speaks at the Assembly of First Nations Special-Chiefs-in-Assembly meeting
- 1100 ET: 410 Wellington -Veterans Affairs (ACVA) | Meeting 120 - Drafting report
- 1100 ET: 025-B West Block -Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) | Meeting 158 Indigenous Procurement
- 1100 ET: 430 Wellington -Justice and Human Rights (JUST) | Meeting 125 Pre-Study on Bill C-63
- 1100 ET: 315 Wellington -Official Languages (LANG) | Meeting 124 Minority-Language Education Continuum
- 1100 ET: 410 Wellington -Veterans Affairs (ACVA) | Meeting 120 Drafting report.
- 1100 ET: 420 Wellington -Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 140 - C-378
- 1100 ET: 035B West Block -Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) | Meeting 137- C-65
- 1130 ET: B45 Senate Building -Immigration Min Marc Miller Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. C-71. Immigration Min Marc Miller to testify.
- 1130 ET: NPT - Members of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) speak about its study of the use of Social Media Platforms for Data Harvesting and Unethical or Illicit Sharing of Personal Information with Foreign Entities.
- 1200 ET: Ottawa -LPC MP Yasir Naqvi makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1330 ET: Edmonton -Health Min Mark Holland makes a funding announcement.
- 1530 ET: 420 Wellington -Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) | Meeting 132 Canada's Relations with Latin America and the Caribbean; Committee Business
- 1530 ET: 225-A West Block -Health (HESA) | Meeting 144 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines; Women's Health
- 1530 ET: 025-B West Block -Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 134 Electoral Interference and Criminal Activities in Canada by Agents of the Government of India
- 1530 ET: 035-B West Block -Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting 113 Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Federal Funding on Research Excellence in Canada
- 1530 ET: 125-B West Block -Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) | Meeting 142 - Environmental Contamination in the Vicinity of the Dock in Fort Chipewyan, Transport Min Anita Anand testifying
- 1530 ET: 420 Wellington -NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks on the NDP motion regarding the Sikh genocide.
- 1530 ET: 410 Wellington -Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting 143 - Privacy Breaches at the Canada Revenue Agency
- 1530 ET: 330 Wellington -Finance (FINA) | Meeting 169 - Drafting report
- 2200 ET: North Saanich, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth May speaks at a meeting of constituents.
- Toronto -Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland visits a toy store for photo opp about the GST.
Issued this day ...
… in 1928: Sc 155 King George V “Scroll” Issue. 10¢ green. The 1930 series “King George V Arch/Leaf”, was an 11-stamp set issued 1928-1929. . The first six stamps were all portraits of George V. But the other five were all “Canadian scenes” including this 10-cent issue: A view of Mount Hurd BC. My copy here (all the scans you see in this space are from my collection) is used but otherwise in pretty decent shape.