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Canada has unveiled its Indo-Pacific strategy that will commit $2.3-billion over five years to expand military, security, trade and diplomatic ties with other nations in the region, in a new approach to China that sees Beijing as more adversary than friend.
The 26-page document outlining the new trade and security policy contains blunt language about China, describing it as “an increasingly disruptive global power.”
The document states that “China’s assertive pursuit of its economic and security interests, advancement of unilateral claims, foreign interference and increasingly coercive treatment of other countries and economies have significant implications in the region, in Canada and around the world.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly responds to questions as Public Safety Minister Marco Mendocino listens during a news conference to announce Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy in Vancouver on Nov. 27, 2022.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
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Canada ends scoring drought at men’s World Cup but can’t hold off Croatia
Canada wasted little time Sunday ending its scoring drought at the men’s World Cup via Alphonso Davies but could not hold off Croatia, losing 4-1 to end its hopes of reaching the tournament’s knockout round.
Ranked 12th in the world and runner-up to France four years ago in Russia, Croatia is filled with talent from top clubs and its class showed in rallying from an early 1-0 deficit. Two goals by Andrej Kramaric and one by Marko Livaja accounted for the Croatian comeback. Lovro Majer added a stoppage-time goal in the 94th minute on a two-on-none attack.
Cathal Kelly writes about Canada’s short-lived glory days on the World Cup pitch, and about how Canada leaves the World Cup giving off wrong impression, despite improvement on the pitch.
Read more:
Canada's Alphonso Davies looks dejected after the match as Canada is eliminated from the World Cup, Nov. 27, 2022.HANNAH MCKAY/Reuters
Ukrainians in liberated Borodyanka struggle to rebuild as they prepare for a freezing winter
Winter is going to be hard everywhere in Ukraine. Russia’s relentless attacks on civilian infrastructure have made basics such as electricity, heating and hot water into luxury items in Kyiv and cities around the country.
Surviving the cold will be an even greater challenge in the front-line regions of eastern and southern Ukraine, and in towns like Borodyanka that were badly damaged early in the war, and which remain in ruins many months after they were liberated from Russian occupation.
Russian troops withdrew from the Kyiv region in early April, revealing horrifying death and destruction in places like Bucha and Borodyanka. While Bucha became infamous for the organized killing and rape that took place there, Borodyanka – where a column of Russian armoured vehicles drove through the town of 12,000 people, shooting into buildings at random – was by some measures even more badly battered.
Read more:
- Russia’s mobilization efforts are forcing Crimean Tatars to fight on the front lines
- Snowy Kyiv grapples with power outages amid fears of new attacks
People walk on the central street of Borodyanka, Ukraine, Nov. 27, 2022.Anton Skyba/The Globe and Mail
China’s anti-lockdown protests are biggest challenge to Xi Jinping in years
Protests spread over the weekend in cities across China against the country’s stringent “COVID-zero” policies, in the largest and most sustained show of defiance to Beijing’s rules since the pandemic began.
In Shanghai, hundreds gathered on Urumqi Road for a candlelight vigil for the victims of a fire in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi, which left at least 10 people dead. While much about the blaze remains unclear, reports that residents could not escape in time because of lockdown restrictions have sparked fury across the country and calls for President Xi Jinping to step down.
It was indicative of what many analysts predicted, that Mr. Xi, in endlessly centralizing power in the Party and his own person, has made himself a focal point of anger.
People gather as police officers block Wulumuqi street, named for Urumqi in Mandarin, in Shanghai on Nov. 27, 2022, in the area where protests against China's zero-COVID policy took place the night before following a deadly fire in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region.HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images
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Also on our radar
CRTC chair Ian Scott set to leave behind a deeply divided telecom industry: Ian Scott says he never really considers the legacy he will leave after departing as leader of Canada’s telecom regulator. Soon, the industry will do it for him.
RCMP’s new privacy-protecting unit at risk of failing because of resource crunch, documents reveal: An RCMP initiative to ensure that the force uses intrusive technological tools in accordance with Canada’s privacy laws is dealing with a lack of funding and staff, says an internal report obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Canada beats Australia to claim first Davis Cup championship: Canada made tennis history on Sunday by beating Australia and hoisting the Davis Cup for the first time. It was Félix Auger-Aliassime who secured the winning point at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga, Spain, in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur.
How has inflation changed dating? Singles are looking for cheaper ways to find love: The cost of going out for dinner and drinks has skyrocketed, and those looking for love are among the hardest hit. Will 2022 be the year that financial pressures alter traditional notions of what makes a perfect date?
Listen to Ahead of the Game: Breaking down Canada’s 4-1 loss to Croatia, plus what it’s like on the ground in Qatar
Morning markets
China protests hit stocks: Stocks and commodities prices suffered a broad sell-off on Monday as rare protests in major Chinese cities against the country’s strict zero-COVID curbs hit growth expectations in the world’s second-largest economy. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.48 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 were off 0.91 per cent and 0.83 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.57 per cent. Markets in Japan were closed. New York futures were weaker. The Canadian dollar was down at 74.47 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Why does Canada keep missing its climate targets?
“Why is Canada such an emissions failure? It is not for lack of political ambition. There is unlikely to be a federal government more committed to climate action than this one. The failure is with our strategy: using domestic political emissions targets to try to address global emissions.” – David Knight Legg
We built the railway in five years. So why are so many megaprojects now stalled?
“Megaprojects are slow to build in Canada. It can take more than 10 years from start to finish – if it begins. Oil and gas companies have experienced this with their repeatedly stalled and cancelled projects. The mining sector saw this in the denied Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. expansion last week In Nunavut. Now the same problem ironically plagues the big projects vital to the energy transition.” – Jackie Forrest
Where is the government’s promised Council of Economic Advisors? We sure could use it
“The Liberals have been all but silent about the plan since trumpeting it in the spring budget. There was no mention of it at all in the government’s fall economic statement this month.” – David Parkinson
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
This month’s wellness news: A mountainside oxygen bar, a fitness app by a mother-daughter team, and going for a walk
Are we suffering from self-care fatigue? Maryam Siddiqi believes so. Yet, the things that can help us achieve wellness, say a nap or a walk, get overlooked because they aren’t marketable in the ways that a weighted blanket or smart watch are. One issue is that self-care has increasingly become a solo endeavour whereas social connection is integral to achieving wellness. Instead of buying that next gadget or piece of gear, ask a friend to go for a walk. Siddiqi writes a roundup of news, buys and curiosities.
Moment in time: King Tutankhamun lives on
A group of tourists look at the golden sarcophagus of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun, displayed in his burial chamber in his underground tomb in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile river opposite the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, on Jan. 31, 2019.MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re looking at the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
When the contents of King Tutankhamun’s tomb were revealed, Tutmania swept a war-weary world. Suddenly, people could understand an ancient civilization not just by pyramids and temples, but by its embodiment in a boy king and his treasures for the afterlife. Music, hairstyles, jewellery and fashion were influenced by the items found in the tomb. Even the design period later known as Art Deco flowed from the lines and curves of Egyptian art. The fascination with Tut has endured and grown – mummies are an integral part of Halloween and movie culture. Today, a thousand awestruck people a day tour either Tut’s real tomb or an exact replica near the burial site in the Valley of the Kings. Tourism remains a huge industry in Egypt, where thousands will soon tour a new billion-dollar museum of ancient artifacts. King Tut was a buried secret for more than 3,000 years, but his influence is everlasting. Philip King
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