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Reports of human-rights violations in China have left Canadian parliamentarians “deeply disturbed,” and Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne says he hasn’t ruled out imposing sanctions on Chinese officials found responsible for repressive activities in Hong Kong and Uighur-dominated regions in Xinjiang province.

As calls for action over Beijing’s security crackdown in Hong Kong grow louder, Mr. Champagne said in Question Period yesterday he is consulting international partners and exploring options including Magnitsky-style sanctions. Meanwhile, China is promising retaliation against Canada as the diplomatic tit-for-tat continues.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, usually written by Chris Hannay. Mason Wright and Josie Kao are filling in today. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump’s request for sweeping presidential immunity, allowing a New York prosecutor – but not Congress – to obtain Trump’s financial records. The battle will now continue in the lower courts, meaning that the documents may not be released until after the Nov. 3 election.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has been found dead after being reported missing on Thursday afternoon. His disappearance came shortly after one of his secretaries filed a police complaint over alleged sexual harassment.

Canada is ill-prepared to handle a second wave of COVID-19, according to a new report released by a Senate committee. The report urges the government to pay more attention to seniors as well as the management of personal protective equipment.

Alberta’s government is aiming to attract investment from the global petrochemical sector, a priority that is made apparent in a new billion-dollar program offering incentives to companies willing to build their facilities in the province.

If new recommendations of an Ontario government task force are heeded, the Ontario Securities Commission is in for a massive overhaul. Among its 47 proposals, the task force calls for an independent tribunal reporting to the Minister of Finance to replace the OSC’s existing structure, and changes that would level the playing field between independent investment dealers and larger banking sector players.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he won’t settle for a “bad deal” from Ottawa as the two governments grapple on financial aid for Ontario municipalities, who are frustrated at being stuck in the middle. Mr. Ford’s government also introduced an omnibus COVID-19 recovery bill with sweeping changes to legislation including schools and environmental assessments, though critics question whether these changes are necessary to pandemic recovery.

And Britain and Australia have launched a joint investigation into facial recognition technology company Clearview AI. The two countries are probing the company’s policies on handling personal information as well as their use of “scraped” data and biometrics.

COMMENTARY

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on the consequences of federal pandemic relief spending: “Spending money on pandemic relief is popular. The problem is the government’s own numbers make it clear that it can’t go on too long. A second pandemic wave would have a deeply worrying impact. But the still-to-come recovery plan for the fall is obviously urgent. And it is not likely to be as popular.”

Patrick Brethour (The Globe and Mail) on how interest rates will affect Ottawa’s long-term borrowing: “As economic growth picks up, rates will likely rise, putting upward pressure on Ottawa’s debt servicing costs... . In flagging ‘rollover risk,’ Mr. Morneau clearly has that prospect in mind and is pushing a greater share of the federal government’s new debt into longer-term bonds.”

Aaron Wherry (CBC) on the Conservatives’ position on government spending: “The federal government is running a deficit of $343-billion but the sky has not fallen — and that is an implicit challenge to the Conservatives’ arguments about the primary value of frugality. They also may not want the idea of such widespread federal support for individuals and businesses to be broadly accepted by Canadians.”

Tamara A. Small and Jane Philpott (Policy Options) on the challenges faced by independent candidates: “The biggest challenge for an independent can be trying to convince voters that he or she would be able to represent them effectively. Parties dominate the legislative process. The ability to participate regularly in Question Period and sit on committees is related to being a member of a recognized parliamentary party (those with at least 12 MPs). An independent campaign needs to communicate consistently that voters would be well served, even without party backing.”


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