Canada
China takes 1st steps to block Canadian canola imports, escalating trade feud
After Canada's decision to slap a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, China is retaliating by taking its first steps to block Canadian canola imports. On Global National, David Akin explains what this growing trade feud could mean for Canada's farmers and economy.
RCMP did not entrap Canadian imprisoned in U.S. for ISIS plot, review finds
The review remains incomplete because the RCMP refused to disclose legal advice it received during its investigation.
Trudeau should step down to prevent Poilievre from winning election: LGBTQ+ activists
Queer advocates say a Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would be dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community, and some are calling on Trudeau to step aside to give the Liberals a better chance at winning the next election — which must happen by Oct. 20, 2025.
NDP to have 'tough conversations' about its deal with Liberals at coming retreat: MP
The NDP's supply and confidence deal with the Liberals in Ottawa will get heavy scrutiny when leader Jagmeet Singh meets with his caucus in Montreal next week, with the Liberals' decision last month to force binding arbitration to end a work stoppage at the country's major railroads potentially triggering the end of the pact.
Conservatives say Poilievre will hold Yellowknife rally
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will hold a rally against the carbon tax in Yellowknife on Sunday, September 8, the party says. A conservative has not won the Northwest Territories since the 1984 general election and finished a distant third in 2021 with 14 per cent of the vote. The Liberal incumbent Michael McLeod is not running but the New Democrat he beat in 2021, Kelvin Kotchilea, is running again and my numbers suggeest he has a better shot at taking this riding.
Avi Lewis
The folks at iPolitics flagged this -- Avi's web site -- in which he says he recently won the NDP nomination in the riding of Vancouver Centre, held by Liberal Hedy Fry since just about forever. In fact, the last person not named Hedy Fry to win an election here was Kim Campbell. Yup: That Kim Campbell. You would think Hedy should be worried about the challenge from the Avi and the Orange team but there's been a slight-re-draw to Van Centre and it no longer includes Granville Island or Kits Point -- where there were a lot of LPC and NDP voters. Instead I see all those condo residents around Coal Harbour and in Yaletown doing what they did in 2011 and voting Conservative. My model, based on aggregates of polling of BC voters, has the CPC taking Van Centre in a close one by 2.7 points or 1000 or so votes if an election were today. But in a year from now, Hedy will be 84 and has a history of defying the pundits. -DA
Will a massive ballot cause another vote count delay? Elections Canada is looking to avoid it
Elections Canada says it’s taking steps ahead of an upcoming Montreal byelection to avoid a repeat of the hours-long delays that hampered ballot counting in a Toronto vote earlier this summer.
The Provinces
BC Conservatives scoop up more MLAs, candidates as dust settles on BC United collapse
The new BC Conservative MLAs are Trevor Halford of Surrey-White Rock, Peter Milobar of Kamloops Centre and Ian Paton of Delta South.
Veteran BC United MLA mulls solo run, BC Conservatives pull candidates
Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier says he is "not going anywhere" despite the implosion of his party, BC United, raising the prospect he could run as an independent.
‘We are struggling’: New B.C. gig-worker regulations spark hope, skepticism
British Columbia now has regulations for gig workers aimed at improving pay and working conditions for those behind the wheels of companies such as Uber, DoorDash, Lyft and SkipTheDishes. On Global National, Neetu Garcha reports on the minimum wage for these workers, the hope and skepticism among them about how this could affect their daily grind, and the reaction from employers.
Beck makes her 'pitch' to voters in baseball-themed long weekend ad
The unconventional ad was an effective way for the relatively new opposition leader Carla Beck to introduce herself to voters, one pollster said.
‘Always have to be prepared’: Window for early Ontario election narrows
Doug Ford said he was focused on delivering his current mandate on Tuesday and categorically dismissed the idea of holding an election before the end of 2024.
Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Fitzgibbon steps down
Rumours had circulated for some time that Pierre Fitzgibbon wouldn't finish his mandate, with the next provincial election scheduled for 2026.
Nova Scotia’s Opposition Liberals promise free public transit if elected
Leader Zach Churchill says the funding would eliminate existing transit fares, while helping to expand transit systems that could expect an increase in ridership.
Elsewhere
Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba resigns, official says
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage, submitted his resignation Wednesday ahead of an expected major government reshuffle. Russian strikes, meanwhile, killed at least seven people in the Ukrainian city of Lviv near the Polish border, a day after one of the deadliest missile attacks since the war began.
Zelenskiy asks Trudeau to help Ukraine win permission to strike deep into Russia
Zelenskiy urged Trudeau to lobby allies to grant "Ukraine permission and the necessary means to strike military targets on the territory of the aggressor country," he said.
US voters targeted by Chinese influence online, researchers say
A Chinese social media influence operation is impersonating U.S. voters, denigrating U.S. politicians and pushing divisive messages ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election in the United States, new research by intelligence company Graphika showed.
Media
APTN to launch new channel with programming in Indigenous languages
This second channel, whose signal will be available to cable distributors starting Sunday, will feature APTN fare such as "Bears' Lair" and "Skindigenous" in languages including Cree, Inuktitut, Ojibwe, Mi’kmaq and Syilx.
Does Russian Propaganda Lead or Follow? Topic Coverage, User Engagement, and RT and Sputnik’s Agenda Influence on US Media
[New academic study shows] that RT and Sputnik Granger-cause coverage on its high-priority issues across all categories of US media: center, left-wing, right-wing, and far-right. On domestic issues, RT and Sputnik follow center and far-right outlets instead of leading. Our study is an important corrective to earlier scholarship, which has overstated RT and Sputnik’s engagement with US domestic issues and blurred the specialized roles different Russian organizations play in malign influence operations.
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.
Science and tech
Struggling with tech? User interfaces are too comp
A new study has found that intelligence, in the form of general cognitive abilities such as perception, thinking and remembering, is more important than hitherto thought at predicting a person’s ability to complete common tasks with a PC…. The findings have implications for digital equality, say the researchers, because everyday user interfaces have simply become too complex to use.
The Calendar
- Montreal - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland meets with Quebec leaders.
- 1100 ET: Uxbridge, ON - LPC MP Jennifer O'Connell makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
- 1300 ET: Guelph, ON - LPC MP Lloyd Longfield makes a funding announcement
- 1305 ET: Western Newfoundland and Labrador - PM Trudeau , Rural Economic Development Min Gudie Hutchings, Families and Social Development Min Jenna Sudds, Agriculture Min Lawrence MacAulay and Premier Andrew Furey make an announcement.
- 1400 ET: Kingston, ON - LPC MP Mark Gerretsen makes a funding announcement
- 1500 ET: Sudbury, ON - LPC MP Viviane Lapointe and LPC MP Marc Serré make a funding announcement.
- 1600 ET: Yellowknife - LPC MP Michael McLeod makes a funding announcement
Yesterday
- Ottawa - PM Trudeau spoke to Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
