Washington Post: Canadian multiculturalism conceals a power struggle waiting to happen. When Maxime Bernier launched a new political party in September fueled by resentment of immigration, few backers of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seemed worried. It is an article of faith among Canadian progressives that campaigning against diversity doesn’t work in Canada, a country said to be at peace with its multicultural identity. Yet even if Bernier’s quixotic bid to be prime minister fizzles, prolonged Liberal rule does not mean racial and cultural tensions will be absent from Canadian political life. Trudeau’s party is buoyed by a diverse coalition of voters with conflicting interests and priorities, and its ability to retain cohesion beyond next year’s general election can’t be taken for granted. By J.J. McCullough.
Bloomberg: Canadian consumers shake off months of Nafta-negotiation anxiety. Those summertime trade blues are over for Canada’s consumer. Polling by Nanos Research for Bloomberg News shows household sentiment gauges have fully recovered from a four-month lull that coincided with often testy negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump agreed to terms on a new deal in late September. The change in sentiment highlights just how much the trade friction with the U.S. had been weighing on the Canadian economy, crimping confidence among both households and businesses, and suggests the potential for upside surprises now that uncertainty is receding.
New York Times: High demand and short supply in Canada’s legal cannabis trade. Before pot was legalized on Oct. 17, some observers feared that die-hard cannabis users would studiously avoid the government stores. Surely, smoking a joint rolled by the state was the ultimate buzz kill. But the opposite seems to have happened. In Quebec, where cannabis stores are run by a government agency, the province shut down its 12 shops for three days, unable to keep up with the crowds. The stores will remain shuttered every Monday through Wednesday until the shortages can be overcome. By Dan Bilefsky.
Times Colonist: Five more salmonella cases in western Canada linked to long English cucumbers. A salmonella outbreak that has sickened 42 people in B.C. since mid-June has been linked to long English cucumbers, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Five new cases have been linked to the outbreak, bringing the total to 50, the health agency said. No one has died from the outbreak, but 10 people have been hospitalized.
DefenseNews.com: Canada to accept bids for new fighter jet in May — here are the potential competitors. Canada expects to accept formal bids for a new fighter jet in May, with the first aircraft delivered by 2025, according to Canadian government procurement officials. A draft bid package for 88 fighters was issued to companies for their feedback by the end of this year, said Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defence. From there, the final bidding instructions for the CA$16 billion (U.S. $12 billion) procurement will be issued and bids required by May 2019, he added. The aircraft will replace Canada’s current fleet of CF-18 fighter jets. The aircraft expected to be considered include Lockheed Martin’s F-35, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale, Saab’s Gripen and the Boeing Super Hornet.
The Guardian: UK and Canada MPs unite to demand Mark Zuckerberg answers questions. The UK and Canadian parliaments are joining forces in an attempt to force Mark Zuckerberg to answer their questions over Facebook’s role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee has announced its intention to hold a highly unusual joint hearing with its Canadian equivalent in an attempt to pressure the social network’s chief executive into appearing in front of parliament. The hearing, which the organisers have dubbed the “international grand committee on disinformation and fake news”, will be held in Westminster at the end of this month. Parliamentary select committees from around the world who have also failed to gain access to Zuckerberg are also invited to send representatives.
BBC: Canada resort staff were fired for being white – tribunal. A Canadian human rights tribunal says seven resort employees were discriminated against for being white. The Human Rights Tribunal in the westernmost province of British Columbia awarded them more than C$173,000 ($132,000, £102,000). Resort owner Kin Wa Chan said he wanted to hire Chinese employees because he believed they were cheaper. The tribunal found the seven staff were forced out in August 2016, and replaced with Chinese workers. Tribunal chair Diana Juricevic ruled this qualified as discrimination based on race, which is against British Columbia’s human rights code.
Al Bayan – UAE: Embassy of the UAE hosts Canada-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group dinner. The dinner was hosted by the Ambassador of the UAE to Canada, in the presence of senior members of the Canadian House of Commons, including Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with several Global Affairs Canada officials. The 2018 dinner comes during the Year of Zayed commemorative event, which marks the 100th anniversary since the birth of the founding father of the UAE.
Al Arab – Qatar: Qatari-Canadian Parliamentary Friendship Group holds inaugural meeting. The meeting was held at the Canadian Parliament building, in the presence of the Ambassador of Qatar to Canada, and senior members of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate. Chairman of the Group and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Canadian Parliament, Borys Wrzesniewski, praised the strong relations between Qatar and Canada.
Al Yaman Al Araby – Yemen: Canada announces $10 million development aid to Somaliland. The announcement came during a convention held in Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital city, in the presence of representatives of Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF and World Food Program, and members of the government of Somaliland. The development project, focused on agricultural development and curbing of child malnutrition, will run for 5 years and is expected to impact 1,600 persons living in eastern Somalia. Canada had granted Somaliland relief aid in the scale of hundreds of thousands of dollars earlier this year in the aftermath of Cyclone Sagar’s touchdown which devastated areas in western Somaliland. Canada’s Ambassador to Somalia, Ambassador-Designate to Burundi, and High Commissioner of Canada to Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, Sara Hradecky, had visited Somaliland in February 2018 – a first for a senior Canadian diplomat.
Al Rai – Jordan: Jordan and Canada seek to advance partnership. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan have met with the Canadian Foreign Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and affirmed their countries’ interest in further developing their strong partnership by increasing cooperation in economic, trade, investment, and cultural fields, and in deepening coordination on regional and international levels on affairs of common interest. The Minister valued Canada’s support to the development process in Jordan, making it the third largest receiver of Canadian development aid. Canada had previously designated Jordan as a country of priority for international assistance. The Minister stated that Jordan and Canada are in agreement towards political resolution to the conflict in Syria. He also valued Canada’s help to Jordan in its efforts in meeting the needs of 1,300,000 Syrian refugees.
Al Rai – Jordan: Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister visits the Institute for Family Health. The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, accompanied by Canada’s Ambassador to Jordan, Peter MacDougall, and a delegation from UN Population Fund (UNPF), have visited the Institute for Family Health, and checked its various clinics and departments. The Institute’s Director presented its services and mechanisms for delivery to local and refugee clients. The visit comes in promoting aid provided by the Government of Canada to Jordan through the UNPF.
Sawaleif – Jordan: Women in History Jordan-Canada Forum launches its 3rd edition. The Forum, launched under the auspices of the Canadian Ambassador, Peter MacDougall, was held in the Embassy and in partnership with Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAGO) and Orange Jordan. The Forum discussed several issues, including women’s economic and political ambition in Jordan and Canada, and their future in media, social media networks, and film-making. The strategic partnership signed with TAGO provides for projects that enrich research in women’s participation in the labor market and decision making.
Kenanah News – Jordan: World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and Irbid Specialty Hospital sign MoU. The MoU, signed within Canadian-funded project for women’s economic development and career advancements, aims to establish a framework for cooperation and partnership with the private sector for capacity building and technical training of women in two new healthcare-related programmes, namely Medical Management Coordinator and Health Care Service Provider. The project will also work towards assisting partnering private sector entities in developing effective strategies for employee retention, and creating a gender-balanced work ethic.
