Hello,
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong, a repeated target of Chinese government intimidation, told U.S. congressional hearings Tuesday that Ottawa and Washington need a co-ordinated response to Beijing’s concerted efforts to interfere in Western democracies and bullying of diaspora communities.
Mr. Chong received a rare invitation to speak to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, an 18-member panel from the Senate and House of Representatives that monitors human abuses in China and is examining Beijing’s global-repression campaign.
“Foreign interference is a serious, national-security threat to Canada. It threatens our economy, long-term growth, social cohesion, our Parliament and our elections. It requires a suite of measures to combat, including closer co-operation among allied democracies,” Mr. Chong told the commission.
Mr. Chong outlined two known instances where China had targeted him because of his outspoken criticism of Beijing’s brutal treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minorities and crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
In May, he learned from The Globe and Mail that Beijing targeted him and his relatives in Hong Kong in the lead-up to the 2021 election, a revelation that led the Liberal government to expel a Chinese diplomat behind the effort. In July, the government informed Mr. Chong that he was almost certainly the target of a second disinformation campaign orchestrated by Beijing in May of this year.
The government later disclosed that former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole and NDP MP Jenny Kwan had also been targeted by Beijing in the 2021 election.
Full story here by Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase. The video link to the executive-commission hearing is here. Mr. Chong’s appearance begins at the 30-minute mark.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Governments’ $28.2-billion for EV plants will take 20 years to break even, not five as Ottawa suggested, PBO says – Federal and Ontario government subsidies totalling $28.2-billion for two electric vehicle plants will take 20 years to break even, not five as the federal government has suggested, according to a new report by Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux. Story here.
Court orders minister to unblock Rebel News founder on X – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, the social-media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order. Story here.
Health Canada approves new Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for fall – Health Canada has approved a new version of Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected to be rolled out alongside other COVID and flu shots this fall in a campaign public-health leaders hope will mitigate the toll of respiratory virus season. Story here.
Liberals hold retreat in London as headwinds grow for their government – The federal Liberal caucus is gathering in London, Ont., this week to regroup, after a summer in which the party’s popularity declined among voters feeling the squeeze from inflation and a housing shortage. Story here.
Accused in London, Ont., attack was arrested without struggle, video at trial shows – The trial of a man accused of murdering four members of a Muslim family was shown Tuesday video of him being arrested without a struggle shortly after the 2021 attack in London, Ont. Story here.
Ottawa mulls fast-tracking international study permits for ‘trusted’ universities, colleges – Immigration Minister Marc Miller is looking into fast-tracking study permits for foreign students applying to attend “trusted” universities and colleges that carry out conscientious checks on applicants and offer support to students after they arrive in Canada. Story here.
Poilievre speech aboard WestJet flight sparks strong reaction online – Passengers returning to Calgary from the Conservative Party national meeting in Quebec City on a WestJet flight got a campaign-style address from Leader Pierre Poilievre, which drew questions about whether it was appropriate for a party leader to speak on a public flight. Story here.
Ottawa greenlit funding for Dallaire Institute despite memo raising concerns about ties to Rwandan military – The federal government has approved up to $19.1-million in new funding for a Canadian institute to combat the use of child soldiers in Africa, despite internal concerns about the institute’s close relationship with an army that itself is allegedly supporting a militia with links to child soldiers. Story here.
MLA versus deer – A Vancouver Island member of the British Columbia legislature is recovering after a violent struggle with a deer that was attacking his dog. Interview here from CBC.
THIS AND THAT
Summer break – Both the House of Commons and the Senate are on breaks. The House sits again on Monday. The Senate sits again a week from today.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day – Private meetings in Toronto.
Ministers on the road – No events scheduled. Ministers are presumably converging on London, Ontario for the Liberal caucus retreat.
New Conservative Party president – Stephen Barber, of Manitoba, has been elected president of the Conservative Party of Canada by the party’s national council. The party posted the news on X, the former Twitter.
Governor-General visiting PEI and Nova Scotia – Governor-General Mary Simon and her husband, Whit Fraser, are visiting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia through Friday. Tuesday’s PEI stops included a visit to the Abegweit First Nation and official reception hosted by Antionette Perry, the province’s lieutenant governor.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is returning home from India, where he attended the G20 leaders’ summit. Technical challenges grounded his aircraft and delayed his departure until it could be repaired. He is expected back in Ottawa later Tuesday night. Story here.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a rally in the Vancouver Island community of Black Creek, launching a three-day B.C. tour with planned stops in Richmond, Vancouver and Terrace.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May held private meetings in her Saanich-Gulf Islands constituency.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Parrsboro, N.S., visited the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy on tidal-energy technology, and, later in Moncton, N.B.met with 2SLGBTQIA+ community groups.
No schedules provided for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Tuesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, senior lecturer James Meese, who researches media law and policy at Melbourne’s RMIT University, talks about Australia’s experiences with Meta blocking news because of legislation, similar to a new Canadian law, that aims to get big tech companies to pay for news content appearing on its feeds. The Australian government came to an agreement with the company – but not without some big concessions. The Decibel is here.
TRIBUTE
Monique Bégin – There’s a full obituary here of the pioneering MP, who became a powerful minister of health in the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau.
PUBLIC OPINION
Levels of immigration – More than half of Canadians want the federal government to accept fewer immigrants than it is planning for in 2023, a new Nanos poll for The Globe and Mail suggests – a rise from one in three in March. Story here.
The perils of a party changing its name - A new poll in British Columbia suggests the former BC Liberals, now titled BC United, have fallen behind the provincial Conservatives, who have no link to the federal party, but may be benefitting from its popularity. Story here from Business in Vancouver.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on whether it’s time to back out of 24 Sussex Dr.?: “So no, Mr. Trudeau hasn’t been building mansions for himself; it’s more fair to say the opposite – that he has been letting 24 Sussex Dr. rot into the ground. Mr. Poilievre, who lives the “mansion” lifestyle rent-free at Stornoway, the official residence of the leader of the opposition, knows this. But that didn’t stop him from resorting to the populist libel, spread by politicians of every stripe, about selfish prime ministers building taxpayer-funded castles for their personal use – a sordid bit of politicking that has paralyzed past and current office-holders and caused the official residence of the leader of Canada’s government to become a running joke.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how Justin Trudeau’s luck appears to be running out: “Of course, perceptions feed on perceptions. The Liberals’ self-inflicted failures make the next misfortune look like part of a pattern. Mr. Trudeau’s plane has had mishaps before, but this time Mr. Poilievre was lapping up the limelight and the glow of good polls from a Quebec City stage. Bad polls seem to make for bad luck in politics. What’s going to break next? But those perceptions are still a thing Mr. Trudeau will have to deal with now. When he arrives in London for the Liberal caucus retreat, he will meet a group of MPs who are anxious to know what Mr. Trudeau is going to do to turn things around. There is less confidence the PM can change the Liberals’ luck.”
Marsha Lederman (The Globe and Mail) on Pierre Poilievre says hope is a leader’s most important job, but it’s actually not: “The most important job of any leader is to bring hope,” Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told an enthusiastic crowd (even if it was somewhat depleted, nearing the end of his marathon speech) at the party’s convention on Friday. But is it really? Unlike many other declarations made in that speech, this particular statement is a little tricky to fact-check, because it’s not exactly black-and-white. But I’m going with: no. A leader has many important jobs. Bringing hope – in particular, false hope, or hope that only applies to certain people – should not be job number one. Creating the circumstances around which hope can be justified: now that’s a worthy aspiration for our leaders. They should lay out policies that can logically lead to hopes being satisfied, and not just paint a picture of what they think that might look like.”
Justin Ling (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre must reject the transphobic policies his party has adopted: “While his office did not respond to a request for comment, a senior Conservative told me that Mr. Poilievre and his team are unlikely to endorse the newly adopted policies, as they know doing so would likely fuel hate. That’s laudable. But the Conservative Leader probably won’t reject the policies, either – partly because he and his team simply do not understand the issues well enough to navigate them. More likely, the Conservative said, Mr. Poilievre will simply stay mum on the issue.”
Kathleen Wynne (Air Quotes Media) on her changing appearance now that she is out of elected politics: “I am a 70-year-old woman who has been in the public eye for nearly 30 years. I am aging. I have not been well. After spending my entire life working on staying thin, fit and as well-turned-out as I could manage, I am dealing with an inflammatory condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica. In order to deal with the pain and reduce the inflammation, I have been taking a steroid called Prednisone for over a year in various doses, attempting to taper it down and stop taking it all together but recently I have had a flare-up and have had to increase my dosage again.”
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Ian Bailey