Canadian parliament to vote on the proposal to suspend relations with British monarchy

Quebec nationalist party called on the federal government to get rid of the British monarchy influence. According to Bloc Quebecois, the recent transfer of the crown was a good opportunity to change the outdated state of things.

A vote on the proposal is scheduled for October, 26.
The idea doesn’t promise to be successful as any changes of the kind would require to amend the constitution, which is not an easy or quick process.

Still, Quebec has never officially approved the Canadian constitution and doesn’t feel any connection with Britain.

#Quebec

@maplechronicles @rybar

In Quebec, people specify their identity as Canadians, French and Quebecois

A new Statistics Canada report based on the 2021 population census demonstrates that the majority of the population of Quebec identify themselves as Canadians (29%), French (21.4%) and Quebecois (11.2%).

Most respondents speak French, with 54.5% having the French language as their first official language spoken.

During previous census in 2016, there was no such option as ‘Quebecois’. Though people were allowed to write any variant except the suggested ones a very small number of respondents pointed their ethnic or cultural origin as Quebecois. The latest census had this variant as one of the options – and it turned out that more than one tenth of Quebec people identify themselves as Quebecers.

#Quebec

@maplechronicles

A quarter of Canadian people is represented by immigrants

Another interesting finding disclosed by Statistics Canada is that currently immigrants make up almost 25% of all Canadians and this number may increase up to one third by 2041.

This proportion is the largest it’s been since Confederation – and the largest among G7 countries.

According to the statistics agency, immigration is now the main demography driver due to the aging population and low fertility rates in the state. At the moment, it is the only way to fill labour shortages.

Historically, most immigrants to Canada used to come from Europe. Now the majority of them are from Asia and Middle East.

@maplechronicles

🇷🇺🇳🇴🇨🇦A Russian spy studied in the University of Calgary

Norwegian authorities detained a man on suspicion of being a Russian spy. Norwegian media report that his name is Jose Assis Giammaria and he might be Brazilian.

In Norway, he was conducting a research on Arctic security issues in the University of Tromso. According to a university academic, Mr. Giammaria was recommended by a Canadian professor.

The 2018 convocation notice says that Mr. Giammaria graduated from the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS) with a master’s degree. Besides, he is an author of the article in the Canadian Naval Review in 2019. There Giammaria explains why it is essential for Canada to establish a naval base in Arctic.

David Bercuson, the former director of the CMSS, said “he is shocked”.

@maplechronicles

Ottawa police gets intelligence data from… newspapers

To determine the motivations of the protesters against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Canadian police officers were apparently using Rex Murphy columns in National Post.

Obviously, his analysis cannot be considered intelligence: the author has never been in contact with any of the demonstrators and his columns only express his own point of view on the topic which was quite significant for Canadians at those days.

Besides, the Ottawa Police hasn’t managed to avoid misquotes in their intelligence report. Any information that wasn’t present in the original source may soundly be regarded as officer’s tales.

@maplechronicles

🇨🇳 China established ‘overseas police stations’ in foreign countries – including Canada

Activists fear that Chinese ‘police stations’ could be used to track PRC dissidents around the world. At least three police stations were discovered in Canada. The three addresses in Toronto are registered as “service stations” operated by the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau, a police force active in the Chinese metropolis of Fuzhou.

Chinese Foreign Ministry states that these offices were created to help people from China who were not able to come back home due to COVID restrictions.

#China

@maplechronicles

🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇭🇹 High-level Canadian delegation visits Haiti as U.S. seeks to convince Canada to lead force

As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ottawa Thursday hoping to convince Canada to take the lead in helping Haiti confront criminal gangs blocking the flow of fuel and food from its seaports, Canadian officials announced that they were conducting an assessment mission in the Caribbean country.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said a high-level Canadian delegation is currently in Port-au-Prince to consult with Haitians and others in the international community on how Canada can help restore access to essential goods and services amid escalating gang violence and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

“Canada and the international community are concerned about the violence in Haiti, in particular against women and girls,” Joly said. “Canada will not remain idle while gangs and those who support them terrorize Haiti’s citizens and we will continue to support law-abiding Haitians to put an end to the crisis in their country.”

Earlier this month, Haiti’s interim government launched an international appeal for help and requested the deployment of a specialized armed force to help the police take back control of the ports and access roads from the gangs. The issue is a sensitive one in Haiti, where many Haitians are asking when will help arrive and others are opposed to the idea of foreign troops.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article267930542.html

🇬🇧🇺🇦Canada and Britain to continue supporting Ukraine

The new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to continue supporting Ukraine. The politicians agreed on this during their first telephone conversation.

In addition, Sunak and Trudeau talked "about deepening cooperation on trade and energy security." They also discussed a face-to-face meeting on the margins of the G20 summit in Indonesia.

#Britain #Ukraine

@maplechronicles

🇺🇸🇭🇹U.S. and Canada discussed creation of military mission in Haiti

The United States and Canada have turned to several countries concerning participation in an international mission to help Haiti deal with the humanitarian and security crisis, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

Blinken and Canada's foreign minister, Melanie Joly, indicated at a joint news conference that the goal is to support the Haitian National Police.

The United States is looking for an allied country to lead an assistance mission, but no one has yet volunteered to. Blinken confirmed that the international mission would not be directly linked to the United Nations.

The Haitian government earlier made a request for military assistance in order to free the Varreux fuel terminal from armed gangs. The appeal has been sharply resented by opposition forces, who believe that the entry of foreign forces will violate Haiti's sovereignty.

#USA #Haiti

@maplechronicles

Canada added another 35 Russian citizens to the sanctions list, including the heads of Gazprom, and six energy sector companies, Trudeau said.

#Russia

@maplechronicles

🇭🇳Canada and Honduras discussed bilateral cooperation

Honduran Secretary of State Cindy Rodriguez received Canada's representative to Honduras Jacqueline Delima to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Cindy Rodriguez expressed gratitude for Canada's support for Honduras through pro bono joint projects aimed at job creation, human rights, women's rights, including those related to health and reproductive health.

In addition, she stated that Honduras wants to strengthen cooperation on the environment, climate change and migration, which are also high on the government's agenda.

#Honduras

@maplechronicles

Trudeau says clear action plan needed to address Haiti crisis

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it is necessary to work out a clear plan of action before any mission to help Haiti goes forward.

At the same time, he hasn’t said anything specific on whether Canada is going to deploy its armed forces in Haiti.

#Haiti

@maplechronicles

Liberals accuse Facebook of ‘robber baron tactics’

Canadian Liberals have accused Facebook of “modern-day robber baron tactics” after its administration claimed it could block access to news sites in Canada unless Ottawa makes changes to a proposed law that would require it to compensate media outlets for their work.

Last week Meta published a post that says Canada’s proposed Online News Act falsely presumes that it “unfairly benefits from its relationship with publishers.”

The Online News Act compels online platforms like Facebook and Google to share revenue with the publishers they aggregate their news from. The goal of the bill is to ensure news outlets are fairly compensated for their work.

@maplechronicles

🇺🇸Canadian activists foiled Blinken-Joly meeting

Protesters gave a broadside at the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who arrived to Montreal to meet Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. While Blinking was getting by, activists accused him of supporting state terrorism in Ukraine and of dragging the US into nuclear war.

#USA

@maplechronicles

🇷🇺Canada imposed sanctions against Russian energy companies

Canada has imposed sanctions against six Russian companies and 35 Russian citizens. Among the legal entities on the list are Lukoil, Transoil and Sogaz.

In total, more than a thousand individuals and 250 legal entities from Russia are under Canadian sanctions.

#Russia

@maplechronicles

🇺🇦Canada launches new program ‘to support ukrainian scientists’

Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, has announced a new initiative ‘to help Ukraine preserve and restore its natural resources science and research capacity’.

Under the Canada-Ukraine Science Partnership, scientists from Ukraine wishing to come to Canada can now submit their CVs through a newly created website. This program will provide temporary employment for Ukrainian scientists, utilizing the regional network of laboratories, links to academia and existing relationships with Ukrainian scientific institutes.

The ministry is willing to connect scientists with temporary research positions in Canada where they can bring their expertise to natural resource sectors, including but not limited to oil and gas, critical minerals, forestry, marine geoscience and earth observation.

#Ukraine

@maplechronicles

Canada to formalize euthanasia for the mentally ill

In March 2023, Canada will expand medical assistance in dying (MAID) and extend its eligibility to those with a mental illness. Charles Camosy, Creighton School of Medicine professor, said the bill C-7 would allow "mature minors" to be euthanized by state doctors without the consent of their parents.

Previously, MAID eligibility was based on having a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

The upcoming amendment has already become a source of anger for many Canadians who don’t want minors to have an opportunity to ask for euthanasia ‘just because they’re depressed’.

@maplechronicles

🇺🇦Canadian ACSV for Ukraine arrive in Europe

According to the official statement, the 39 armoured combat support vehicles (ACSVs) Canada announced for Ukraine in June have started to arrive in Europe. The supply is expected to be fulfilled by the end of November.

At the moment, Ukrainian forces are being trained to operate new equipment. Since February 2022, Canada has allocated over $600 million in military assistance to Ukraine.

#Ukraine

@maplechronicles

Canada ran a $90.2 billion deficit last year

It's one of the largest peacetime deficits in Canadian history. The $90.2 billion was contained in the latest edition of the Public Accounts of Canada, the final version of which was just tabled to the House of Commons last week.

From April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, the Government of Canada took in $413.3 billion in revenue and spent $493.3 billion. This worked out to a total shortfall of $90,212,000,000.

@maplechronicles

Filipino-owned agency wins $1B contract to supply workers to Ontario hospitals

Premium Healthcare Providers won the bid to supply healthcare workers to 19 hospitals across the province with an estimated contract value close to a billion dollars. With thousands of job vacancies to fill, the company is relying on international students and internationally educated workers.

@maplechronicles

🇮🇷Canada expanded the Iran sanctions list

The Canadian government expanded the Iran sanctions lists, adding four more individuals and two more organizations, according to a document published on October 31 on the website of the Canadian Foreign Ministry. Particularly, the sanctions will now affect Al-Mustafa International University.

#Iran

@maplechronicles