Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger said today that indigenous persons are over-represented in Canada’s prison population. “The steady and unabated increase in the disproportionate representation […] is nothing short of a national travesty,” he said in a new report. Moreover, he said, it “remains one of Canada's most pressing human rights challenges.” [node:read-more:link]
Global Affairs Canada expects the exodus of foreign nationals to Egypt from war-torn Gaza to continue in the coming days even as stranded Canadians were warned that their safety could not be guaranteed if they opt not to leave. “Canada has one of the largest contingents of nationals in Gaza,” GAC said November 1. “We expect further crossings daily.” [node:read-more:link]
The massive energy needs of cryptocurrency “mines” have prompted the New Brunswick government to consider a ban to avoid power outages to other customers. ““In February […] and in July of this year, we came dangerously close to not having enough megawatts to even ensure that New Brunswickers had their power,” Energy Minister Mike Holland said November 1. [node:read-more:link]
A company proposing two large-scale “green” hydrogen plants in western Newfoundland has been asked by the provincial government to provide more information about its environmental impact. The World Energy GH2 windfarms of up to 164 turbines each would power a hydrogen and ammonia production plants. [node:read-more:link]
Six days after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the country’s Intelligence Ministry drafted a document that broaches the possibility of a forced relocation of Gaza’s 2.3 million people to the Sinai Peninsula in northern Egypt. Described by Israel as a “concept”, the idea was immediately denounced by Palestinian and Egyptian leaders. [node:read-more:link]
Canada and 27 other countries, including China and the U.S., have agreed to cooperate on measures to contain the potentially “catastrophic” risks posed by evolving artificial intelligence. Endorsed at an inaugural AI Safety Summit in England today, the vaguely-worded commitment is expected to be refined at a virtual meeting hosted by South Korea in six months in preparation for a live meeting in France a year from now. [node:read-more:link]
John Horgan, the former B.C. New Democratic Party leader and provincial premier, was named today as Canada's next ambassador to Germany. Announcing the appointment, Prime Minister Trudeau called Horgan a “passionate public servant and an experienced leader.” [node:read-more:link]
Auditor-General Karen Hogan’s office said today that it will investigate Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the government’s main funding agency for green technology. The probe is in response to complaints about lax governance and alleged conflict of interest which prompted Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne to suspend grants to clean-technology startups [node:read-more:link]
The judge in the Ottawa criminal trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, key organizers of the February 2022 “Freedom Convoy” trucker protests, has ordered the Crown to disclose police documents to the defence. Justice Heather Perkins-McVey said October 31 that it was “very unusual” for two officers who were expected to be witnesses to have lost potential evidence. [node:read-more:link]
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland plans to meet with her provincial and territorial counterparts November 3 to discuss Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s threatened withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan. “The CPP has been the bedrock of a secure and dignified retirement,” Freeland said October 31. “I have heard the concerns of many Canadians, including many Albertans.” [node:read-more:link]
Former Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner and former New Brunswick Liberal MLA Joan Kingston are among five new Senators from Atlantic Canada announced by the Prime Minister’s Office today. Cuzner fills one Nova Scotia vacancy, as does lawyer Rejean Aucoin. Two other New Brunswick vacancies have been filled by non-profit leader Krista Ross and lawyer John McNair. [node:read-more:link]
Despite strong pushback from other provinces, including a threat by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to stop collecting the federal carbon tax, Natural Resource Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said today that there will be “no more carve-outs” like the government’s recent decision to ease the tax on heating oil in the Atlantic provinces. [node:read-more:link]
Calgary-based TC Energy announced October 30 that it had finishing installing its 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. and expects to complete final engineering and testing before the end of the year. Protested by environmental and other lobbies, it will transport gas from northeastern B.C. to a liquification plant in Kitimat for export to Asian markets. [node:read-more:link]
More than 17,000 Canadians in Lebanon have registered with their embassy in Beirut for evacuation as an Israeli-Hesbollah conflict escalates. However, Global Affairs Canada says they should not count on a military airlift. The GAC notice October 30 echoed comment a week earlier by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. [node:read-more:link]
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu used his appearance at a Chinese conference today to accuse NATO of "covering up the buildup of military force in the Asia-Pacific region with an ostentatious desire for dialogue, imposing alliances and lines of operational interaction on partners.” He also said the emergence of western security blocs was undermining Asian interests. [node:read-more:link]
