Hello,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ruling out any negotiations with representatives of the protests that shut down most of downtown Ottawa over the weekend and continued for a third day on Monday.
As MPs returned to Parliament after the Christmas break, Mr. Trudeau told a news conference that he has attended protests in past, but chosen not to go anywhere near any that have expressed “hateful rhetoric” or perform violence toward fellow citizens.
Scores of trucks have filled the core of the nation’s capital in a protest that began last week to denounce the vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers by the Canadian and American governments, but has come to involve various issues around pandemic restrictions.
Referring to various incidents over the weekend, Mr. Trudeau said, “Over the past few days, Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital. I want to be very clear: We are not intimidated by those who hurl abuse at small-business workers and steal food from the homeless.”
“We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave in to those who engage in vandalism, or dishonour the memory of our veterans.”
Mr. Trudeau, who earlier Monday disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19, also said during the news conference that two of his three children had tested positive for COVID-19.
There’s more here on the developing story from Parliamentary Reporters Marieke Walsh, Janice Dickson and Kristy Kirkup.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
TRUDEAU COUNTS ON BLOC AND NDP SUPPORT - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is counting on the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to help his minority Liberal government get things done in the face of what he anticipates will be systematic obstructionism by the Conservatives. Story here.
KENNEY DENOUNCES TRUCK CONVOY - Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says a truck convoy that’s blockaded a highway at a busy U.S. border crossing as part of a protest against vaccine mandates violates the province’s Traffic Safety Act and must end immediately. Story here.
LIBERALS FACE TIGHT TIMELINE TO MEET 100-DAY DEADLINE - As the 44th edition of the Canadian Parliament returns Monday after its winter break, the federal Liberal government has only a few days to deliver on its promises for its first 100 days in office. Among legislation promised but not yet introduced are bills to combat online hate; to regulate foreign web giants; and to better protect Canada’s critical infrastructure, including 5G networks. Story here, from CBC.
BC LIBERALS LEADER CHOICE LOOMS - A new leader will be chosen by British Columbia’s Liberals on Saturday after a months-long campaign that often focused on renewal and a new course for a party that has lost successive elections after 16 years in power. Story here from CBC.
UKRAINE
ANAND DETAILS TROOP MOVEMENT - Defence Minister Anita Anand says all Canadian troops stationed in Ukraine have been moved west of the country’s Dnieper River as worries about a possible Russian invasion continue to grow. Story here.
NATO THINK-TANK HEAD WARNS OF RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION - The head of a NATO think tank that studies Russian information warfare says the country has ramped up disinformation campaigns that are playing a significant role in the Ukraine crisis, as Moscow tries to refashion the narrative of the conflict. Story here.
UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS HONE MARTIAL SKILLS - Ukrainian civilians are training to to defend their northern border with skills learned from Canada. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
LE COUTEUR TO CTV - Michael Le Couteur is taking on a new assignment as senior political correspondent for CTV News Channel this month, ending a 21-year run at Global National.
THE DECIBEL – On Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, Kate Taylor, a cultural columnist and visual arts critic for the Globe, talks about how people are feeling in the arts industry given it has been decimated by COVID-19 lockdowns with - according to the Canadian Association for Performing Arts - one in four workers having lost their jobs in 2020. She also talks about hopes for a comeback, and how the artistic community might one day look back and reflect on this unprecedented time. The Decibel is here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings. The Prime Minister speaks with Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King. The Prime Minister holds a news conference. He also virtually attends Question Period, participates in a debate on the Ukraine and participates in a virtual celebration of the Lunar New Year. An interview with the Prime Minister appears on Vancouver’s Fairchild Radio 96.1 FM and 1470 AM.
LEADERS
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks virtually to the media, attends Question Period, and delivers a speech in honor of the late NDP leader Alexa McDonough, and participates in a debate on the situation in the Ukraine.
No schedule released for other party leaders.
PUBLIC OPINION
O’TOOLE TRAPPED - Philippe J. Fournier of 338Canada writes in Maclean’s about how federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is trapped, with his latest personal popularity numbers bleak inside and outside his party. Story here.
OPINION
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how a protest that’s focused on truckers poses a bigger question for politicians who want to embrace it: “But now that it is clear the protests are not just about cross-border rules for truckers, the question is whether Conservatives, and premiers other than Mr. Moe, will still embrace them. Part of that answer might depend on how the protests end. Mr. Trudeau isn’t going to do an about-face. Parliament is to resume sitting Monday. The protesters’ numbers were dwindling Sunday, but it’s not clear how the protest will evolve. From Day One, it wasn’t mostly about the truckers.”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on how Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is taking a big gamble by siding with trucker-convoy protesters: “The cynical might believe that the Conservative Leader is simply trying to outflank opponents within his own party. Former leader Andrew Scheer, deputy leader Candice Bergen, finance critic Pierre Poilievre, MPs Leslyn Lewis and Mark Strahl and several others have declared their solidarity with the protesters. Many of them also publicly or privately oppose the Durham MP’s continued leadership. Is Mr. O’Toole hoping to accommodate conservative populists who have grown impatient with his more progressive stands on the environment and minority rights by catering to anti-vaxxers? He says no.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on how the trucker convoy has evolved into something far more dangerous: “There is likely a faction of those involved in the trucker convoy, now making its way to the capital, who believe they are part of a legitimate protest. But as well-meaning as some of these people may be, it’s now clear that this demonstration has been hijacked by a fringe element that sounds an awful lot like the “freedom fighters” and “patriots” who gathered at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, and ended up storming the premises in a poorly organized coup d’état. In fact, some of those involved have called for precisely this type of action. It’s something the RCMP, I hope, is taking seriously, regardless of what organizers are saying about this being a non-violent demonstration. Not-so-funny things happen when mobs gather and are incited by outside elements.”
Kelly Egan (The Ottawa Citizen) on how the truckers convoy has lost the room – now how do we lose the trucks?: “In the course of a couple of hours, the “movement” was being blamed for disrespecting the two things in Canada that cannot ever be disrespected – the memory of Terry Fox and the graves of our war dead. If that wasn’t bad enough, there came news a pair of protesters were harassing the homeless, being aggressive, even racist, toward a shelter security guard and taking food set aside for street people. And this is how your “message” gets – not just lost – but reversed. Freedom? Freedom to do that?”
Alison Shaw (Policy Options) on how, to climate-proof public infrastructure, we must reconsider the conventional emissions-intensive approaches that got us here in the first place: “But here is the truth. We cannot repair and replace climate-damaged or destroyed infrastructure the same way we built it in the first place. Emissions- and capital-intensive solutions that involve pouring more concrete and building more roads are maladaptive. In other words, resorting to the same approaches that got us into this mess won’t get us out of it. It is a classic negative feedback loop. The more we build defensively with high-carbon solutions, working against natural systems, the less resilient our social systems, services and communities become, and the higher the costs of repairing them will be the next time.”
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