Politics Briefing: CSIS director suggested PM to invoke Emergencies Act, inquiry hears

Hi there,

The director of Canada’s spy company suggested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act to finish final winter’s convoy protests, although the blockades didn’t meet the definition of a nationwide safety menace outlined within the sweeping laws.

David Vigneault, the pinnacle of the Canadian Safety Intelligence Service, testified on Monday on the inquiry learning the federal authorities’s invocation of the Emergencies Act. He mentioned the act was “required” within the face of the protests that had gridlocked the capital and blockaded a number of border crossings.

The CSIS director testified publicly after first testifying privately on Nov. 5 to expose categorised nationwide safety data. A synopsis of that testimony was revealed by the inquiry on Monday. It says Mr. Vigneault “suggested the Prime Minister of his perception that it was certainly required to invoke the Act.”

Marieke Walsh and Marsha McLeod report here.

This week is the ultimate dash of the Public Order Emergency Fee, which has already heard from greater than 60 witnesses over 5 weeks on the federal government’s response to final winter’s convoy protests. Story here.

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TODAY’S HEADLINES

NOT BRIEFED ON ALLEGATIONS OF CHINA INTERVENING IN CANADIAN ELECTIONS: PM – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned Sunday he has by no means been briefed that any candidates within the 2019 federal election might have been influenced by financing from the Chinese language authorities. Story here.

MILITARY RESOURCES COMMITMENT SHOULD AFFECT CHOICE OF NEXT NATO LEADER: U.S. SENATOR – A U.S. senator who attended the weekend’s Halifax safety summit believes NATO ought to contemplate the useful resource dedication every nation makes to the navy alliance in deciding on its subsequent secretary-general, amid media stories that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is without doubt one of the contenders. Story here.

MAY IS BACK AS GREEN LEADER – Elizabeth Might mentioned she determined to run for the management of the federal Green Party for a second time final spring over issues that the world wasn’t performing quick sufficient to battle local weather change. However after profitable Saturday, considered one of her first priorities is to convey down the temperature within the conflict-riven party. Story here.

NEW CONSERVATIVE FINANCE CRITIC’S STORY IS ONE OF REDEMPTION AND OPPORTUNITY – As soon as an at-risk youth who was concerned in Calgary road gangs, Jasraj Singh Hallan rose from humble beginnings to turn out to be the Conservative Social gathering’s new finance critic. Story here.

FEDS SUPPRESSED INFORMATION ON SALMON VIRUS: CONSERVATIONISTS – Conservationists are accusing the federal Fisheries Division of suppressing details about a virus which may be inflicting coronary heart, skeletal and muscle illness in farmed salmon in British Columbia – an sickness they are saying is spreading past the farms and endangering wild salmon populations. Story here.

OTTAWA CONVENING TALKS ON CREDIT-CARD FEES – Over the subsequent three months, Ottawa is convening a collection of negotiations, with a objective of lowering credit-card charges, especially for small businesses. If a deal will not be reached, the federal government says it is going to desk laws to set the charges itself. Story here.

THIS AND THAT

TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Enterprise on the Home of Commons, Nov. 21, accessible here.

DAYS SINCE CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE POILIEVRE TOOK MEDIA QUESTIONS IN OTTAWA: 69

NEW SENATORS – Three new senators have been appointed by the Governor-Common, in response to the Prime Minister’s Workplace. They’re Dr. Sharon Burey, Andrew Cardozo, and Rear-Admiral Rebecca Patterson, all named as impartial senators to fill Ontario vacancies.

WITNESSES, MONDAY, AT PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMMISSION IN OTTAWA:

-David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Safety Intelligence Service, and Michelle Tessier, CSIS deputy director of operations, and Marie-Hélène Chayer, govt director of the Built-in Terrorism Evaluation Centre.

-Invoice Blair, President of the Privy Council and Minister of Emergency Preparedness.

MINISTERS ON THE ROAD – Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne begins a go to to Japan and South Korea to fulfill with enterprise and business leaders in such sectors as cleantech and semiconductors that runs till Friday. In Japan, he’s main a Canadian delegation to the annual summit of the International Partnership on Synthetic Intelligence, happening in Tokyo from Nov. 21 to 22.

Worldwide Improvement Minister Harjit Sajjan is in Qatar from Monday to Wednesday for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The go to contains participation in a trilateral sports activities diplomacy occasion with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexico’s Secretary of Overseas Affairs Marcelo Ebrard.

Well being Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and Psychological Well being Minister Carolyn Bennett, in Montreal, made a funding announcement on house and group care in addition to psychological well being and addictions companies in Quebec.

Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge seems earlier than the Senate Committee on Official Languages as a part of the committee’s research on francophone immigration to minority communities. The listening to is at 5 p.m. ET. Particulars, together with video hyperlink data, here.

PRIME MINISTER’S DAY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned to Ottawa from the 18th Sommet de la Francophonie in Djerba, Tunisia, and is, in response to his workplace, on a “private” day.

LEADERS

Bloc Québécois Chief Yves-François Blanchet is in France on a visit that runs by way of to Nov. 26.

NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh, in Vancouver, was scheduled to talk to the conference of the BC Federation of Labour, and to take media questions after his speech.

No schedules launched for different social gathering leaders.

THE DECIBEL

Monday’s version of the Globe and Mail podcast options Report on Enterprise reporter and columnist Jeffrey Jones discussing points round efforts by Mark Carney, the previous governor of the Financial institution of Canada, to convey collectively the world’s monetary establishments to assist resolve local weather change by way of the Glasgow Monetary Alliance for Internet Zero effort. Simply forward of this 12 months’s COP27 in Egypt, the alliance started to crack. The Decibel is here.

TRIBUTE

Jean Lapointe, the beloved Quebec singer, actor and comic who was later appointed to the Senate, has died at age 86. Story here from CBC.

PUBLIC OPINION

Knowledge Dive with Nik Nanos: In terms of meals affordability, the numbers are unappetizing: “The place shopper anger leads, count on politicians to observe. For each the Liberals and the Conservatives, a shopper agenda scrutinizing the value of meals falls effectively inside their wheelhouse. For the Liberals, it suits inside their progressive agenda of serving to these in danger. For the Conservatives, it falls inside their populist imaginative and prescient of combating for the typical Canadian in opposition to massive enterprise pursuits.” The Knowledge Dive is here.

OPINION

The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on Ontario Premier Doug Ford firing a shot through the heart of democracy: ”When Doug Ford grew to become premier of Ontario in 2018, he informed voters that his Progressive Conservative authorities could be ‘Ontario’s first ever Authorities for the Individuals.’ Most individuals noticed that random assertion as garden-variety political fuel; a meaningless slogan from an inexperienced populist who had lucked into his social gathering’s management on the final second. What nobody may foresee on the time was how really vacuous it might change into. Mates, Mr. Ford was having you on. Final week, his lately re-elected authorities tabled a invoice that, if adopted, will sacrifice a elementary tenet of democracy – majority rule – on the altar of his political agenda.”

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how Canada could not mount a whole Haiti mission even if it wanted to: ”Mr. Trudeau’s authorities is doing a variety of hemming and hawing, looking for non-military methods to do one thing. It imposed sanctions on gang leaders. Mr. Trudeau introduced $16.5-million in assist on Sunday, whereas on the Francophonie summit in Djerba, Tunisia. He additionally informed reporters that “Canada may be very open to enjoying an essential function,” however that it desires to see a widespread consensus in Haiti first, with help for a mission that extends past the Haitian authorities. Definitely, there are many good causes to be cautious of going into Haiti, together with the harmful patchwork of dangerous actors, the shortage of efficient establishments, and deep distrust of one more international intervention. However there may be one other key motive Mr. Trudeau has to deflect when the U.S. asks Canada to tackle a mission.”

David Parkinson (The Globe and Mail) on how Ottawa should stop clinging to any hope of deepening trade ties with China: ”However the Chinese language management has proven that regardless of how a lot Canada desires to drag its punches and maintain traces of communication open, it isn’t that curious about what we now have to say, and doesn’t very like it after we discuss China in any respect. If Canada desires to have an Indo-Pacific technique with enamel, our authorities wants to totally settle for that actuality. We’ve spent too a few years waffling and hoping.”

Sheba Birhanu (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Jewish voices aren’t heard when we call out hate: ”As a girl, I wish to really feel protected after I stroll down the road at night time. As a Black individual, I wish to really feel protected after I stroll previous a police officer. And as a Jew, I wish to really feel protected after I enter a synagogue. However it could’t be that one concern is known, whereas one other is dismissed. Whether or not coping with Ye’s threats, Nazi salutes or denying Israel’s proper to exist as a Jewish state, like different minorities, Jews have to be included within the dialog and permitted to outline and describe the discrimination we face. Nothing about us with out us.”

Don Martin (CTV) on how it’s time to call in the demolition crew for 24 Sussex Drive: “They might price amongst Ottawa’s most secretive, staid and gradual decision-making our bodies, however no person ever pegged the Nationwide Capital Fee for an evil genius. That modified Thursday when their secret technique for bulldozing the prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Dr. grew to become clear. By declaring even the kitchen a hearth hazard and well being threat to continued service, the very kitchen the place Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his household and his guests have been catered to remotely for seven years, the NCC has officially mothballed the estate and nailed an unofficial demolition order on the gates. This isn’t a lamentable improvement. Having been contained in the place for a variety of media features, I can say there isn’t a room on the principle ground which might elicit a pant from even probably the most easily-impressed customer.”

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