nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Movie reviews: Canada’s Oscar bid, a Catholic guilt comedy and Whistler film fest now online

Some weeks are heavy with new titles .
The studios bunch up their offerings on the same date , and we ’ ve got choices galore .
Add in the Whistler Film Festival , which is streaming everything this year , and look at what ’ s available .
THREE FROM WHISTLER : The film festival that bills itself as the “ coolest ” is all online this year , and that means it is much more accessible .
Check this link to find out what , and how , you can watch .
The organizers want you to know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charge goes to the filmmakers .
She goes to a retreat for more instruction and words of warning , which mostly generate a fear in her : Being relegated to hell .
She also meets a cute guy , the most popular football player in town , played by a smiling hunk named Wolfgang Novogratz , who I ’ ve never seen before but is wonderful in the role .
He , too , is a moral voice , so nothing untoward comes of it .
There are consequences , though , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s computer , implicates another student and later discovers genuine hypocrisy .
Writer-director Karen Maine recalls a lot from her youth and made a nicely droll film out of it .
( available EST and VOD starting Tuesday ) 3½ out of 5 YES , GOD , YES : This is bound to be nostalgic for Catholic girls ( I imagine because I ’ m not one , but I ’ m married to one ) .
A young woman , played by Natalia Dyer , is at that stage in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex .
In class , a teacher delineates precisely what is part of God ’ s plan and what is sin .
A wrong click on a computer gets her something else : Info on masturbation and new terms she has never heard of , like “ salad dressing.
” Getting that defined is an ongoing goal through the film .
The other subject is intriguing to her , but taboo , and she ’ s too scared to mention it in confession before Father Murphy ( Timothy Simons ) .
A Tamil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grows up gay while his country descends into racial violence against his people .
Personal shunning and then a whole community rioting .
There ’ s enough there for two movies .
Putting them together may have worked in the novel by Shyam Selvadurai .
Here it feels like a manufactured comparison .
Early scenes are touching as young Arjie dresses like a bride in a game and asks his disapproving dad what do people mean by “ funny boy.
” As he grows up , he ’ s bullied and gets slurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in love with one .
There are arguments at home and in the neighbourhood , but until the sudden rioting breaks out , not a great deal of intensity .
( playing Thursday , Dec. 4 on CBC TV and then CBC Gem ) 3 out of 5 FUNNY BOY : It ’ s Canada ’ s Academy Awards submission , it ’ s by Deepa Mehta who has directed “ emotionally resonating ” films , and there you have two good reasons to see it .
However , don ’ t expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like Water , which also competed at the Oscars .
The issues are just as strong , but they don ’ t affect you as much .
That ’ s partly because it starts slow , gets you involved with one story and then brings on a bigger one without giving much background .
UNDERGROUND : This is what film festivals are valuable for : To get attention for small films that should be better known .
This one is from Quebec and builds an intense momentum depicting a fictional mining accident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the film flips to two months earlier to give us the lead up to it .
We get to meet the men , learn about their characters and the connections between them .
Very good acting and writing give us full pictures , so when we get back to the accident , we have a deep understanding of what ’ s going on .
Particularly about one miner with a tragedy in his history that gives him an extra reason to go down on a rescue mission .
It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is from the Val-d ’ Or region it is set in .
( starts Saturday ) 4 out of 5 QUÉBEXIT : This one is also set in Quebec , but not filmed or written there .
Director Joshua Demers is based in Alberta , and he filmed it in Pickering , Ont .
No matter , it all takes place on one road , a border between Quebec and New Brunswick , and imagines the difficulties that would happen if the province ever did separate .
It ’ s not on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come back as an issue now and then .
In this film , a referendum against a pipeline is taken as pro-sovereignty by the provincial government .
Borders go up , and soldiers from the province and from Canada face off at a checkpoint on that road .
Journalists watch and film , world newscasts carry the story and UN peacekeepers arrive .
The politics aren ’ t very astute in this script , but the practical parts are , and often quite funny .
The sheer inanity of what separation would bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , individual soldiers insulting each other , disputes over who has power over what , those are all well-portrayed .
Also , the objections of Indigenous people who claim the land and insist it can ’ t be divided .
The actors vary , but some are very strong , like Gail Maurice , who plays the Indigenous leader and also helped write the script .
( starts Sunday ) 2½ out of 5 AMERICAN THIEF : Yes , it ’ s from the U.S. and , with a kinetic pace and energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the air for four years now .
As one person says : “ Yes , elections can be rigged .
Very easily.
” Computers , cellphones , social media , data gathering and all those things can do it .
We suspect that , and this film does a lively job of exploring the issue .
But it ’ s hard to tell what its conclusions are .
Did it happen ?
Did Trump win that way ?
The recent election would have reversed it then .
Is it just something that could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a warning ?
Whatever it is , the film presents the speculation with an unsettling tone and a neat procedure .
Two young activists ( played by actors Xisko Maximo Monroe and Khadim Diop ) are sent to ( and filmed in ) real demonstrations actually going on .
It adds realism to the message it speaks so fervently about .
( Starts Thursday , Dec .
4 . )
3½ out of 5 BLACK BEAR : I ’ m always delighted when a filmmaker does something out of the norm .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a treat .
Here we ’ ve got a tension-filled story that will surprise you with a startling switch in the middle and have you mulling over the result ever after .
How do the two parts fit together ?
Or do they ?
Maybe it ’ s all somebody ’ s fantasy .
Maybe we ’ ve just pivoted and been given a different angle in the second part .
The story ( initially ) is of a visit by a young woman ( Aubrey Plaza ) to a lakeside B @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artists ( Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon ) who ’ ve escaped the city and their stalled careers for a simpler life .
Plaza plays a screenwriter in need of inspiration to clear her writer ’ s block .
In a conversation over dinner and wine , they start to disagree about the status of women , feminism and his view of the world .
Gadon tries a joke , only to provoke a noisy confrontation and a rush of jealousy .
Then suddenly we get Part 2 , actually labelled as such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starts with Plaza sitting on a dock , but now she ’ s being filmed from a boat offshore .
She ’ s in a movie .
We see the entire set , chaotic with people on the film .
The three characters have been reconfigured .
Abbott is the director , Gadon is a needy actor , and Plaza is temperamental and neurotic .
She is startling in a scene where she has to act hysterical .
Director Lawrence Michael Levine , who also wrote the script , has perfectly captured the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent movies .
There is a bear , but I ’ m not sure why .
( Playing in three theatres in Ontario and Alberta , video on demand everywhere else . )
3½ out of 5 COME AWAY : Two beloved characters from children ’ s literature get a new life in this fantasy , though it is in aid of appreciating , not disrupting , the works they come from .
If that sounds obscure or distorted , never mind .
Just go with this whimsical trip .
It has plenty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You see , here , Peter Pan and Alice of Wonderland are siblings in a family headed by David Oyelowo , as father , and Angelina Jolie , as mother .
Peter ( Jordan A. Nash ) , Alice ( Keira Chansa ) and their older brother David ( Reece Yates ) let their imaginations shape their playing out in the woods and down by the lake .
An abandoned boat becomes a pirate ship .
There are Lost Boys .
Sword fights happen .
A toy ( a white rabbit ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a tragedy and a sudden trip to London because mom is drinking and dad is back to his gambling addiction .
Peter and Alice go to sell a watch to raise money and encounter ( briefly ) a character played by Michael Caine , a Red Queen played by Anna Chancellor and a Mad Hatter played by Clarke Peters .
The film is full of allusions to the two books , and they ’ re fun to identify .
More importantly , it espouses strongly how you must let your imagination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directed by Brenda Chapman , a veteran of major animated films .
( Available EST and VOD starting Tuesday . )
3 out of 5 THE LEGEND OF BARON TO ’ A : This is new .
It ’ s a film set in Tonga , an archipelago in the South Pacific , but with apparent ambitions to play like an American or Hong Kong action film .
By the end , you ’ ll have a big dose of violence and even brutality , but it ’ ll feel like you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was financed in New Zealand and stars a man you ’ ll be hearing more about .
Uli Latukefu is about to play The Rock in an upcoming TV series about Dwayne Johnson .
Here , he ’ s much like him .
Brawny , tough and agile .
He plays the son of a celebrated wrestler who everybody remembers ( and we get to see in flashbacks ) and whose legacy motivates punks to come challenging and even attacking .
When the son returns to where he grew up , the street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controls it .
Somebody steals the Baron ’ s championship belt and the son has to find it .
While the Baron is seen in a video expounding “ synergy of respect and love ” for self , for people and “ for other people , ” the son faces the gang in the compound , its leader sitting like a king on a throne , and then the real leader .
That ’ s right there in the street and notable for the brutal punching and kicking and smashing of bodies on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Now available from all on-demand platforms . )
2½ out of 5

Some weeks are heavy with new titles. The studios bunch up their offerings on the same date, and we’ve got choices galore. Add in the Whistler Film Festival, which is streaming everything this year, and look at what’s available.
A Tamil boy in Sri Lanka in the 1980s grows up gay while his country descends into racial violence against his people. Personal shunning and then a whole community rioting. There’s enough there for two movies. Putting them together may have worked in the novel by Shyam Selvadurai. Here it feels like a manufactured comparison. Early scenes are touching as young Arjie dresses like a bride in a game and asks his disapproving dad what do people mean by “funny boy.” As he grows up, he’s bullied and gets slurs from the majority Sinhalese people but falls in love with one. There are arguments at home and in the neighbourhood, but until the sudden rioting breaks out, not a great deal of intensity. (playing Thursday, Dec. 4 on CBC TV and then CBC Gem) 3 out of 5
FUNNY BOY : It’s Canada’s Academy Awards submission, it’s by Deepa Mehta who has directed “emotionally resonating” films, and there you have two good reasons to see it. However, don’t expect anything as powerful as her earlier films, like Water, which also competed at the Oscars. The issues are just as strong, but they don’t affect you as much. That’s partly because it starts slow, gets you involved with one story and then brings on a bigger one without giving much background.
She goes to a retreat for more instruction and words of warning, which mostly generate a fear in her: Being relegated to hell. She also meets a cute guy, the most popular football player in town, played by a smiling hunk named Wolfgang Novogratz, who I’ve never seen before but is wonderful in the role. He, too, is a moral voice, so nothing untoward comes of it. There are consequences, though, when she sneaks a session on the teacher’s computer, implicates another student and later discovers genuine hypocrisy. Writer-director Karen Maine recalls a lot from her youth and made a nicely droll film out of it. (available EST and VOD starting Tuesday) 3½ out of 5
YES, GOD, YES : This is bound to be nostalgic for Catholic girls (I imagine because I’m not one, but I’m married to one). A young woman, played by Natalia Dyer, is at that stage in her life when she’s learning about sex. In class, a teacher delineates precisely what is part of God’s plan and what is sin. A wrong click on a computer gets her something else: Info on masturbation and new terms she has never heard of, like “salad dressing.” Getting that defined is an ongoing goal through the film. The other subject is intriguing to her, but taboo, and she’s too scared to mention it in confession before Father Murphy (Timothy Simons).
THREE FROM WHISTLER: The film festival that bills itself as the “coolest” is all online this year, and that means it is much more accessible. Check this link to find out what, and how, you can watch. The organizers want you to know that half of all the money they charge goes to the filmmakers.
Individual titles start on a specific day and stay available right until the end of the month. Here are three coming early:
UNDERGROUND: This is what film festivals are valuable for: To get attention for small films that should be better known. This one is from Quebec and builds an intense momentum depicting a fictional mining accident. An explosion traps five men, and the film flips to two months earlier to give us the lead up to it.
Courtesy of WFF
We get to meet the men, learn about their characters and the connections between them. Very good acting and writing give us full pictures, so when we get back to the accident, we have a deep understanding of what’s going on. Particularly about one miner with a tragedy in his history that gives him an extra reason to go down on a rescue mission. It’s a strong film created by Sophie Dupuis, who is from the Val-d’Or region it is set in. (starts Saturday) 4 out of 5
QUÉBEXIT: This one is also set in Quebec, but not filmed or written there. Director Joshua Demers is based in Alberta, and he filmed it in Pickering, Ont. No matter, it all takes place on one road, a border between Quebec and New Brunswick, and imagines the difficulties that would happen if the province ever did separate. It’s not on our minds these days, but does come back as an issue now and then.
Courtesy of WFF
In this film, a referendum against a pipeline is taken as pro-sovereignty by the provincial government. Borders go up, and soldiers from the province and from Canada face off at a checkpoint on that road. Journalists watch and film, world newscasts carry the story and UN peacekeepers arrive. The politics aren’t very astute in this script, but the practical parts are, and often quite funny. The sheer inanity of what separation would bring, a tight border, two armies, individual soldiers insulting each other, disputes over who has power over what, those are all well-portrayed. Also, the objections of Indigenous people who claim the land and insist it can’t be divided. The actors vary, but some are very strong, like Gail Maurice, who plays the Indigenous leader and also helped write the script. (starts Sunday) 2½ out of 5
AMERICAN THIEF: Yes, it’s from the U.S. and, with a kinetic pace and energy, dramatizes something that has been in the air for four years now. As one person says: “Yes, elections can be rigged. Very easily.” Computers, cellphones, social media, data gathering and all those things can do it. We suspect that, and this film does a lively job of exploring the issue. But it’s hard to tell what its conclusions are. Did it happen? Did Trump win that way? The recent election would have reversed it then. Is it just something that could happen, and the film is just a warning? Whatever it is, the film presents the speculation with an unsettling tone and a neat procedure. Two young activists (played by actors Xisko Maximo Monroe and Khadim Diop) are sent to (and filmed in) real demonstrations actually going on. It adds realism to the message it speaks so fervently about. (Starts Thursday, Dec. 4.) 3½ out of 5
BLACK BEAR: I’m always delighted when a filmmaker does something out of the norm. Most movies are so formula-driven that anything different is a treat. Here we’ve got a tension-filled story that will surprise you with a startling switch in the middle and have you mulling over the result ever after. How do the two parts fit together? Or do they? Maybe it’s all somebody’s fantasy. Maybe we’ve just pivoted and been given a different angle in the second part.
Courtesy of Momentum Pictures
The story (initially) is of a visit by a young woman (Aubrey Plaza) to a lakeside B&B run by a couple of artists (Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon) who’ve escaped the city and their stalled careers for a simpler life. Plaza plays a screenwriter in need of inspiration to clear her writer’s block. In a conversation over dinner and wine, they start to disagree about the status of women, feminism and his view of the world. Gadon tries a joke, only to provoke a noisy confrontation and a rush of jealousy. Then suddenly we get Part 2, actually labelled as such. As in the first, it starts with Plaza sitting on a dock, but now she’s being filmed from a boat offshore. She’s in a movie. We see the entire set, chaotic with people on the film. The three characters have been reconfigured. Abbott is the director, Gadon is a needy actor, and Plaza is temperamental and neurotic. She is startling in a scene where she has to act hysterical. Director Lawrence Michael Levine, who also wrote the script, has perfectly captured the look and the mood of creating these independent movies. There is a bear, but I’m not sure why. (Playing in three theatres in Ontario and Alberta, video on demand everywhere else.) 3½ out of 5
COME AWAY: Two beloved characters from children’s literature get a new life in this fantasy, though it is in aid of appreciating, not disrupting, the works they come from. If that sounds obscure or distorted, never mind. Just go with this whimsical trip. It has plenty of charm despite the liberties it takes. You see, here, Peter Pan and Alice of Wonderland are siblings in a family headed by David Oyelowo, as father, and Angelina Jolie, as mother. Peter (Jordan A. Nash), Alice (Keira Chansa) and their older brother David (Reece Yates) let their imaginations shape their playing out in the woods and down by the lake. An abandoned boat becomes a pirate ship. There are Lost Boys. Sword fights happen. A toy (a white rabbit) is taken hostage.
Courtesy of VVS Films
Also, there’s a tragedy and a sudden trip to London because mom is drinking and dad is back to his gambling addiction. Peter and Alice go to sell a watch to raise money and encounter (briefly) a character played by Michael Caine, a Red Queen played by Anna Chancellor and a Mad Hatter played by Clarke Peters. The film is full of allusions to the two books, and they’re fun to identify. More importantly, it espouses strongly how you must let your imagination run free. It’s smartly directed by Brenda Chapman, a veteran of major animated films. (Available EST and VOD starting Tuesday.) 3 out of 5
THE LEGEND OF BARON TO’A: This is new. It’s a film set in Tonga, an archipelago in the South Pacific, but with apparent ambitions to play like an American or Hong Kong action film. By the end, you’ll have a big dose of violence and even brutality, but it’ll feel like you’ve been watching extreme wrestling. It was financed in New Zealand and stars a man you’ll be hearing more about. Uli Latukefu is about to play The Rock in an upcoming TV series about Dwayne Johnson. Here, he’s much like him. Brawny, tough and agile. He plays the son of a celebrated wrestler who everybody remembers (and we get to see in flashbacks) and whose legacy motivates punks to come challenging and even attacking.
Courtesy of Pacific Northwest Pictures
When the son returns to where he grew up, the street has changed. A compound of hoods controls it. Somebody steals the Baron’s championship belt and the son has to find it. While the Baron is seen in a video expounding “synergy of respect and love” for self, for people and “for other people,” the son faces the gang in the compound, its leader sitting like a king on a throne, and then the real leader. That’s right there in the street and notable for the brutal punching and kicking and smashing of bodies on the asphalt. A tough film. (Now available from all on-demand platforms.) 2½ out of 5


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Feds to pay dairy farmers $1.4B over next 3 years, speeding up trade deal compensation

Canadian dairy farmers will receive over $ 1.4 billion in the next three years from the federal government to compensate for recent trade deals .
On Saturday , Marie-Claude Bibeau , minister of agriculture and agri-food , announced the funds as part of a $ 1.75-billion trade deal compensation package granted to the sector last year , which will be rolled out significantly faster than originally announced .
The money was first slated to be distributed over eight years , not three .
Canada ’ s poultry and egg sectors , which , like dairy , are supply-managed , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 691 million over the next 10 years , said Bibeau .
That accelerated timeline has been welcomed by dairy farmers , who say they need to adapt to a transformed market , despite criticism from observers who argue the compensation is an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars .
“ ( The funding ) allows farmers to really make plans right now , ” said Dave Taylor , a Courtenay , B.C.
, dairy farmer and member of the BC Dairy Association ’ s board .
“ There are so many areas on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going towards to help our farms prepare for what ’ s ahead.
” • How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world • Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change For instance , he said farms will likely start facing increasingly stringent environmental and climate standards best met with more efficient farm management technologies .
These can also improve working conditions , making it easier for farms to find and keep workers — an endless challenge .
Each farm will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size of their milk quota , a measure of the farm ’ s size .
For instance , a farm with 80 cows will receive a direct payment of about $ 38,000 each year , according to a statement by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada .
In total , about $ 468.5 million will be disbursed for each of the three years to approximately 10,300 dairy farms .
# dairyfarmersofcanada welcomes announcement of # CETA / # CPTPP compensation details announced today by @ mclaudebibeau .
Read our statement here : https : //t.co/c1WWXeJ747 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # CdnAg — DFC / PLC ( @ dfc_plc ) November 28 , 2020 Unlike most agricultural products , dairy products are supply-managed commodities in Canada , a regulatory mechanism that is designed to prevent excess milk from flooding the market and pushing dairy prices below a financially unsustainable threshold for farmers .
A key part of the system is milk quotas , which are used by the Canadian Dairy Commission — the Crown corporation administering the supply management system — to control how much milk each farm produces .
The system also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dairy producers from imported milk products — everything from artisanal cheeses to dry milk powder — that are produced more cheaply abroad , including in the U.S. Canadian dairy farmers will receive over $ 1.4 billion in the next three years from the federal government to compensate for recent trade deals .
But @ FoodProfessor says those funds are like an `` open bar '' for `` asset-rich dairy farmers . ''
Those tariffs have proven contentious in Canada ’ s three most recent trade agreements : the Canadian-European Union Comprehensive Economic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership ( CPTPP ) and the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement ( CUSMA ) .
Each one increased the amount of dairy that can be imported into Canada .
According to the Dairy Farmers of Canada , these new agreements — the most recent , CUSMA , only came into force in July — have already had an impact on the sector .
In the last three years , for instance , cheese imports from Europe have been as high as 99 per cent of the 5.3 million kilograms allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imports are already at 50 per cent of the total amount allowed under CUSMA , despite the pandemic .
Once the three trade deals are fully phased in , the federal government expects imports to be equivalent to about 10 per cent of Canada ’ s milk production .
For Taylor , the compensation package is about more than the trade agreements .
“ It encourages the next generation that the government does believe in us , ” he said .
“ Maybe this is the last of the bleeding from future trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when other trade deals come around , ( the federal government ) will hold firm and say , ‘ No .
Dairy has given up enough already.
’ ” Not everyone is convinced .
“ The COVID open bar seems to extend beyond just helping people who are in need ; it is also there to help asset-rich dairy farmers , ” said Sylvain Charlebois , director of Dalhousie University ’ s Agri-Food Analytics Lab .
“ ( The federal government ) is labelling it as compensation .
What I ’ m seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector that is heavily protected by a supply management regime.
” The entire $ 2-billion trade deal compensation package — $ 1.75 billion in direct payments to farms and another $ 250 million for an on-farm innovation program — is misguided , Charlebois said , because the sums reflect predicted losses , not real ones .
In haste , Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau chose a Saturday , hours before a long-awaited economic update , to offer more non-COVID-related compensations to supply-managed farmers .
The whole thing was strange .
https : //t.co/vJ0c9tszQq — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 30 , 2020 Unlike the supply management system designed to keep milk prices high enough for farmers to break even and compensate them for actual losses , he said the trade deal compensation package doesn ’ t reflect conditions on the ground .
That could end up driving too much milk production and keeping too many “ underperforming ” farmers in the industry .
“ If a farm is not economically viable , this compensation is not going to help , ” he said .
“ A farm like that really needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farms really need to keep investing , we really need to keep pushing forward to adjust to the future.
” In the U.S. , where dairy farms aren ’ t controlled through supply management , the milk supply has regularly exceeded demand , pushing down prices and forcing smaller farmers out of business .
The result has been an increasingly consolidated sector , with the number of U.S. dairy farms — overwhelmingly family farms and key drivers of rural economic activity — falling by half between 2002 and 2019 even as milk production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Agriculture .
But that ’ s not Charlebois ’ only critique of the compensation funds .
Cheeses and other processed products are also being imported , not just liquid milk , he noted .
That means processors — artisanal cheese makers , for example — are being hit harder by the trade deals than dairy farmers .
Dairy processors can draw on a $ 100-million compensation fund created in response to the CETA trade deal , Bibeau said in a written statement .
She also noted demand for dairy products also remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six per cent since 2010 .
Still , for Taylor , the compensation funds reflect more than just innovation and sales .
They ’ re about a need to maintain rural well-being and resilience in Canada ’ s food system — a need that has been made more visible since March , and that he hopes will be reflected in further supports for farmers across multiple sectors .
“ For me , COVID just flags the need to have strong food production locally , and I hope the government knows that , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obviously a little biased because I ’ m producing food , but I want all of our lines of food — whether it ’ s vegetables , or beef , and on and on it goes — that we have security in that area .
”

Canadian dairy farmers will receive over $1.4 billion in the next three years from the federal government to compensate for recent trade deals. On Saturday, Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, announced the funds as part of a $1.75-billion trade deal compensation package granted to the sector last year, which will be rolled out significantly faster than originally announced. The money was first slated to be distributed over eight years, not three. Canada’s poultry and egg sectors, which, like dairy, are supply-managed, will also receive compensation to the tune of $691 million over the next 10 years, said Bibeau. That accelerated timeline has been welcomed by dairy farmers, who say they need to adapt to a transformed market, despite criticism from observers who argue the compensation is an unnecessary use of taxpayer dollars. “(The funding) allows farmers to really make plans right now,” said Dave Taylor, a Courtenay, B.C., dairy farmer and member of the BC Dairy Association’s board. “There are so many areas on our farms that this money could be going towards to help our farms prepare for what’s ahead.”
For instance, he said farms will likely start facing increasingly stringent environmental and climate standards best met with more efficient farm management technologies. These can also improve working conditions, making it easier for farms to find and keep workers — an endless challenge. Each farm will receive an annual payment that reflects the size of their milk quota, a measure of the farm’s size. For instance, a farm with 80 cows will receive a direct payment of about $38,000 each year, according to a statement by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions In total, about $468.5 million will be disbursed for each of the three years to approximately 10,300 dairy farms.
#dairyfarmersofcanada welcomes announcement of #CETA / #CPTPP compensation details announced today by @mclaudebibeau. Read our statement here: https://t.co/c1WWXeJ747. #CdnDairy #CUSMA #cdnpoli #CdnAg — DFC / PLC (@dfc_plc) November 28, 2020 Unlike most agricultural products, dairy products are supply-managed commodities in Canada, a regulatory mechanism that is designed to prevent excess milk from flooding the market and pushing dairy prices below a financially unsustainable threshold for farmers. A key part of the system is milk quotas, which are used by the Canadian Dairy Commission — the Crown corporation administering the supply management system — to control how much milk each farm produces. Canadian dairy farmers will receive over $1.4 billion in the next three years from the federal government to compensate for recent trade deals. But @FoodProfessor says those funds are like an "open bar" for "asset-rich dairy farmers." The system also depends on using high tariffs to protect dairy producers from imported milk products — everything from artisanal cheeses to dry milk powder — that are produced more cheaply abroad, including in the U.S. Those tariffs have proven contentious in Canada’s three most recent trade agreements: the Canadian-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Each one increased the amount of dairy that can be imported into Canada. According to the Dairy Farmers of Canada, these new agreements — the most recent, CUSMA, only came into force in July — have already had an impact on the sector.
In the last three years, for instance, cheese imports from Europe have been as high as 99 per cent of the 5.3 million kilograms allowed under CETA. And U.S. industrial cheese imports are already at 50 per cent of the total amount allowed under CUSMA, despite the pandemic. Once the three trade deals are fully phased in, the federal government expects imports to be equivalent to about 10 per cent of Canada’s milk production. For Taylor, the compensation package is about more than the trade agreements. “It encourages the next generation that the government does believe in us,” he said. “Maybe this is the last of the bleeding from future trade deals. It encourages me that, when other trade deals come around, (the federal government) will hold firm and say, ‘No. Dairy has given up enough already.’”


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--The water has been bridged: COVID-19 cases on the rise on Vancouver Island

The fortress that was Vancouver Island has been breached when it comes to the low COVID-19 case numbers it enjoyed compared to B.C.
’ s Lower Mainland during earlier stages of the pandemic .
Provincial health authorities noted this week that though numbers are still high , there has been a levelling off of cases in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions .
But case numbers are rising in the province ’ s Northern and Interior health regions , and Vancouver Island is also continuing to see new cases .
Ten of the 694 new cases in B.C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at Thursday ’ s COVID-19 briefing .
There were also 12 new deaths due to the virus , all in the Lower Mainland .
There are now 9,103 active COVID-19 cases across the province , including the 277 active cases in Island Health , with 12 people in hospital and four in critical care .
Henry acknowledged that some regions of the province were struggling to contain numbers they had not experienced before .
• Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world “ Many of our communities around this province are affected right now , many of whom went through the first wave and the first number of months of this pandemic without having cases , without having it touch close to home , ” Henry said .
But the doctor urged people to continue to follow pandemic protocols to protect the elderly , as well as strained and tired health-care workers .
“ We need to do our bit everywhere , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , too.
” Island Health announced Wednesday that two hospitals — Saanich Peninsula Hospital and West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni — are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks .
Two First Nations communities in the Island Health region remain under lockdown while dealing with outbreaks : the Ehattesaht Chinehkint First Nation community near Zeballos and the Klahoose Nation on Cortes Island .
University of British Columbia professor Daniel Coombs said that new COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island can level off if people limit contact and maintain physical distancing .
Photo courtesy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flatten the curve on Vancouver Island can still be won if people continue to follow pandemic protocols , said Daniel Coombs , an expert in the modelling of infectious disease .
The battle to flatten the # COVID19 curve on Vancouver Island can still be won if people continue to follow pandemic protocols , says one infectious disease modelling expert .
Until recently , the Vancouver Island region saw a handful of daily cases , but since November , new cases of the virus have largely run in the double digits .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really impressive record with the virus , it remains critical that people remain vigilant and follow the public health guidance that we 're getting , ” said Coombs , a mathematics professor at the University of British Columbia .
At the moment , the COVID-19 situation on Vancouver Island is akin to the potential for wildfire in dry summer conditions , he said .
The virus won ’ t have fuel to spread if people continue to avoid crossing back and forth to the mainland except for essential travel and do n't indulge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If physical distancing , mask protocols and other measures are maintained on Vancouver Island , it prevents those sparks ( of COVID-19 ) from growing and getting out of control , ” he said .
Over the past two weeks , the Central Vancouver Island health service delivery area recorded 118 COVID-19 cases , followed by 66 cases in the South Island and 37 in the North Island area , data released Thursday showed .
BC Centre of Disease Control maps outline the number of COVID-19 cases in health service delivery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of BCCDC Island Health currently has exposure notices for eight schools in the region , including six in Port Alberni , one in Victoria and one on Salt Spring Island .
As well , an outbreak at Veterans Memorial Lodge long-term care home in Victoria was announced over the weekend , and the lockdown of the Tsawaayuss-Rainbow Gardens facility in Port Alberni remains in effect .
The greatest areas of concern for outbreaks are in long-term care homes and multigenerational households where the elderly people are most at risk from the virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural communities on the surrounding islands or spread across Vancouver Island are more vulnerable due to the lack of medical resources and the difficulty of accessing rapid testing , he added .
Henry also expressed the need for individuals to make the right choices to protect groups most at risk .
“ We know that our long-term care homes in particular are most vulnerable .
It 's the biggest challenge that we are facing , ” she said .
“ I recognize that this sacrifice is one that all of us are taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around B.C .
have taken this to heart.
” Though the daily COVID-19 case numbers on Vancouver Island are still fluctuating up and down , overall , the numbers appear to be flattening , Coombs said .
But keeping it that way will depend on people adhering to physical distancing , Coombs said .
This will be necessary for some time into the future , despite hopes vaccines are around the corner .
“ We ’ ve been hearing a lot about vaccination at the moment , ” he said .
“ But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine fully in our communities in B.C.
, there ’ s a risk that people are going to loosen up too quickly or too early .
“ Yet , I can definitely foresee some restrictions lasting into the summer , or maybe even longer .
”

The fortress that was Vancouver Island has been breached when it comes to the low COVID-19 case numbers it enjoyed compared to B.C.’s Lower Mainland during earlier stages of the pandemic. Provincial health authorities noted this week that though numbers are still high, there has been a levelling off of cases in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions. But case numbers are rising in the province’s Northern and Interior health regions, and Vancouver Island is also continuing to see new cases. Ten of the 694 new cases in B.C. were in the Island Health region, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at Thursday’s COVID-19 briefing. There were also 12 new deaths due to the virus, all in the Lower Mainland. There are now 9,103 active COVID-19 cases across the province, including the 277 active cases in Island Health, with 12 people in hospital and four in critical care. Henry acknowledged that some regions of the province were struggling to contain numbers they had not experienced before.
“Many of our communities around this province are affected right now, many of whom went through the first wave and the first number of months of this pandemic without having cases, without having it touch close to home,” Henry said. But the doctor urged people to continue to follow pandemic protocols to protect the elderly, as well as strained and tired health-care workers. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “We need to do our bit everywhere, to make sure that we support and protect them, too.”
Island Health announced Wednesday that two hospitals — Saanich Peninsula Hospital and West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni — are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. The battle to flatten the #COVID19 curve on Vancouver Island can still be won if people continue to follow pandemic protocols, says one infectious disease modelling expert. Two First Nations communities in the Island Health region remain under lockdown while dealing with outbreaks: the Ehattesaht Chinehkint First Nation community near Zeballos and the Klahoose Nation on Cortes Island. University of British Columbia professor Daniel Coombs said that new COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island can level off if people limit contact and maintain physical distancing. Photo courtesy of Daniel Coombs However, the battle to flatten the curve on Vancouver Island can still be won if people continue to follow pandemic protocols, said Daniel Coombs, an expert in the modelling of infectious disease. Until recently, the Vancouver Island region saw a handful of daily cases, but since November, new cases of the virus have largely run in the double digits.
“If Vancouver Island wants to maintain its really impressive record with the virus, it remains critical that people remain vigilant and follow the public health guidance that we're getting,” said Coombs, a mathematics professor at the University of British Columbia. At the moment, the COVID-19 situation on Vancouver Island is akin to the potential for wildfire in dry summer conditions, he said. “The forest fire analogy is a good one,” Coombs said.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria's war — and are now helping to feed the world

This article was originally published by Wired and appears here as part of Canada 's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk .
In 2014 , the remaining staff of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas , or ICARDA , fled their beloved gene bank in Tel Hadia , 20 miles south of Aleppo .
Syria ’ s civil war , which had broken out three years earlier , had finally made the staffing of the facility untenable .
But the scientists had already shipped off a resource of incalculable value : the seeds of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destination of these little bits of genetic information was the Svalbard Global Seed Vault , a frigid facility sticking out of the permafrost on a remote Arctic island .
ICARDA staffers had been among the first to deposit seeds after the vault opened in 2008 , stashing away unique varieties of chickpeas , lentils and alfalfa , among many others .
They were backing up their own collection , a standard practice among some 1,700 seed gene banks dotted around the world , which are meant to preserve the genes that code our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pests and climate change .
Syria ’ s civil war had been the most dramatic example why you ’ d want to do such a thing : The treasures inside the ICARDA facility required constant upkeep , and as the war raged on , it became increasingly difficult to tend to them .
• Coastal communities facing climate change need an equitable retreat , geographer says Exterior of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault .
Photo by Svalbard Global Seed Vault/Riccardo Gangale via Landbruks-og matdepartementet/Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0 ) Ultimately , the researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years 2012 and 2014 , before abandoning their own facility .
All told , they ended up sending some 116,000 accessions — or seed samples representing a population of plants from a certain location — to chill in Svalbard ’ s -18 C stacks .
Those samples represented 83 per cent of ICARDA ’ s total holdings at the time of the outbreak of civil war .
The conflict in Syria has not ceased , but by 2015 , the ICARDA staff couldn ’ t wait to restart operations : A gene bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also to distribute those seeds to researchers and farmers .
So they became the first — and remain the only — depositors to make a withdrawal from Svalbard , combing the stacks for tens of thousands of samples and shipping them to new ancillary operations in Morocco and Lebanon .
From each sample they took only 300 seeds , and started planting .
“ This was a task that really made us not sleep sometimes at night , ” says Mariana Yazbek , gene bank manager at ICARDA and a co-author on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saga .
After all , they were working with vanishingly few seeds from small samples .
If they lost their new crop before it was able to produce more seeds , they ’ d have wasted that shipment from Svalbard .
So they worried about the plants not getting enough rain or facing too many diseases and pests .
Crops like wheat and barley dry out in the field as they mature , too .
“ What if a fire breaks and you lose the whole season ?
” Yazbek asks .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors that are beyond our control.
” Threatened by Syria ’ s civil war , scientists in Tel Hadia , 20 miles south of Aleppo , left their beloved gene bank in 2014 .
But not before shipping off a resource of incalculable value : the seeds of the most important crops on Earth .
# biodiversity Seed boxes stored on the shelves in the seed vault .
Photo by Svalbard Global Seed Vault/Riccardo Gangale via Landbruks-og matdepartementet/Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0 ) But , overall , it worked : Over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grown more than 100,000 of their original accessions , shipping 81,000 newly grown samples back to Svalbard to bolster their deposit .
They ’ ve also been shipping the new seeds around the world to those who request them — that could include scientists who want to research a more drought-resistant variety of wheat , or farmers who need the same to subsist on a rapidly warming planet .
This could well make these researchers the stewards of humanity ’ s future food supply , ensuring the resiliency of dietary staples like barley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as forage crops like clover and alfalfa that are eaten by livestock .
Some 11,000 years ago , the Fertile Crescent birthed humanity ’ s modern food supply , right where ICARDA has operated for the past 40 years .
In a great band of productive soil stretching from modern-day Egypt to the Persian Gulf , people planted roots — figuratively and literally — giving up the hunter-gatherer modus operandi for the settled life of agriculture .
They planted wheat and barley in controlled environments , using irrigation and tilling the soil .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ human populations swelled , requiring still more food .
Today , the nearly eight billion people of Earth are dependent on these staple crops , the genetic descendants of those wild varieties , now bred to be even more productive .
These have become our monocrops , vast fields of species like wheat that are great at producing a lot of food , but not great at warding off pests and diseases .
That 's a problem of genetic diversity — or lack thereof .
When our ancestors began selecting the particular wheat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they created one-track genetic lines that favoured supercharged production .
Wild wheat dotted across a landscape , on the other hand , is more genetically diverse — that is , different groups of plants are gifted with different traits .
Some of them might have the lucky genes that allow them to resist a specific insect or a disease , and survive to pass those genes along .
So when a pest or pestilence invades , at least some part of the wheat supply may survive .
But when modern farmers all use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homogeneous crop is more vulnerable to disaster .
If the wheat hasn ’ t been selected to resist whichever specific threat arises , farmers can lose entire harvests .
That ’ s exactly what ’ s happening right now with a wheat disease called stem rust , caused by a fungus called Ug99 that ’ s rapidly spreading across Africa , in large part because it threatens between 80 and 90 per cent of global wheat varieties .
But ICARDA provided researchers with wheat accessions that they hoped could be resistant to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found what they want , ” says Ahmed Amri , former head of ICARDA ’ s genetic resources unit , and now a consultant with the group .
( He co-authored the paper with Yazbek . )
“ And it has launched successful breeding programs to develop varieties that are resistant.
” This is why it ’ s so critical that ICARDA , or any other gene bank , back up their collections by sending seeds to Svalbard .
Some 80 per cent of ICARDA ’ s seed collection is made up of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of plants developed by farmers in a given region .
( ICARDA staffers have actually been able to back up 98 per cent of their collection in 11 other banks around the world , but they decided it would be more efficient to withdraw from Svalbard , which hosts a more complete collection than any of their other individual backups . )
The modern method for conserving seeds in gene banks and the seed vault : plastic laminated and airtight aluminum pouches .
Photo by Svalbard Global Seed Vault/Riccardo Gangale via Landbruks-og matdepartementet/Flickr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you pull seeds out of a bank , the trick is getting them to actually sprout into plants .
When planting in Morocco and Lebanon , ICARDA staffers were only working with a handful of seeds from each Svalbard accession .
Yazbek and her colleagues began by considering how a particular species reproduces .
Some , like barley , lentils and chickpeas , pollinate themselves to produce seeds .
Others cross-pollinate , meaning individuals of the same species can sometimes pollinate each other .
But Yazbek and her colleagues don ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals in different accessions .
“ So for these , we simply put them in a large isolation cage , preventing pollinators from coming in , and we keep large distances between accessions of the same species , ” says Yazbek .
Basically , the cage is a prison of fine mesh that keeps bugs out .
“ This is enough to prevent cross-pollination , ” she continues .
But some cross-pollinating plant species are “ self-incompatible , ” meaning they need pollinators to carry the genetic materials between individuals of the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her colleagues planted samples from the same accession in a smaller cage , then introduced bumblebees , which happily pollinated the plants .
Their success has been extraordinary .
At one point , Yazbek stood in a field in which every known type of wild relative of wheat was growing , the spawn of seeds that not long before had chilled in the Svalbard Arctic vault .
“ All species are growing in the same field right next to each other .
You 're talking about between 25 to 30 species , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an amazing thing to see all this diversity , at the same time , from different countries.
” These are potentially the seeds of scientific breakthroughs .
Climate change has already brought fiercer heat waves and more frequent , severe droughts , all of which combine to imperil crops worldwide .
And while modern humans have developed crops optimized for productivity , they ’ re not necessarily designed for climate resilience .
Beans at the CIAT gene bank in Colombia , which has just sent its latest consignments of seeds for conservation at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norway .
Photo by Neil Palmer ( CIAT ) via CIAT/Flickr ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) Yet the wild varieties and unique landraces that ICARDA stored away in the Arctic and revived in Morocco and Lebanon are the products of the often harsh conditions of the Fertile Crescent — they ’ ve already got the genetics to survive on a hot planet .
“ The droughts that we are experiencing today — in parts of France or Spain or whatever — have been experienced already in Morocco in the dry areas , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been already selected naturally over millions of years to really have those genes of adaptation that will be needed to breed new varieties that will be heat- and drought-tolerant , and disease-resistant.
” This genetic diversity makes the frigid halls of Svalbard a sort of ancient catalog of resilience .
“ Breeders can tap into some of the diversity that was lost in the domestication process , ” says Charlotte Lusty , head of programs and the gene bank platform co-ordinator at the Global Crop Diversity Trust , which helps run the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the paper with Amri and Yazbek .
“ Diversity , in a sense , is more relevant to us than ever before , ” she says .
Gene banks the world over are fielding more requests for wild varieties of staple crops , Lusty adds .
“ In gene bank distribution , there is more and more call for some of the wild relatives , in the hope that some of the traits , especially against pests and diseases , can be picked up from species that have grown in the wild , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the ICARDA researchers ’ triumph is not just their own , but one of international co-operation .
In 2001 , the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture , signed by 146 parties including the European Union , united countries in the pursuit of agricultural biodiversity .
“ Before we had that international agreement , there was a lot of distrust between countries , and a lot of this ‘ We should go it alone ’ kind of attitude , ” says Ola Westengen , who previously co-ordinated the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norwegian University of Life Sciences .
He was also a co-author on the paper .
“ So you had a situation where a lot of unique seed or genetic diversity was sitting in only one gene bank in one country — and then , of course , being very vulnerable if something happened to that particular gene bank , ” Westengen continues .
The opening of Svalbard changed all that .
Now gene banks the world over share a common repository , a sort of fail-safe against a catastrophe like Syria ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to Morocco and stood in that field of wheat grown from seed that had journeyed thousands of miles from home and ( nearly ) back , all crops that could help humanity weather the chaos of climate change .
“ It was quite emotional , actually , ” he says , “ to be there and see these seeds that had been sitting in boxes in Svalbard , were now growing out there in the field .
”

Syria’s civil war had been the most dramatic example why you’d want to do such a thing: The treasures inside the ICARDA facility required constant upkeep, and as the war raged on, it became increasingly difficult to tend to them.
The destination of these little bits of genetic information was the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a frigid facility sticking out of the permafrost on a remote Arctic island. ICARDA staffers had been among the first to deposit seeds after the vault opened in 2008, stashing away unique varieties of chickpeas, lentils and alfalfa, among many others. They were backing up their own collection, a standard practice among some 1,700 seed gene banks dotted around the world, which are meant to preserve the genes that code our essential crops for resistance to disease, pests and climate change .
In 2014, the remaining staff of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, or ICARDA , fled their beloved gene bank in Tel Hadia, 20 miles south of Aleppo. Syria’s civil war, which had broken out three years earlier, had finally made the staffing of the facility untenable. But the scientists had already shipped off a resource of incalculable value: the seeds of the most important crops on Earth.
This article was originally published by Wired and appears here as part of Canada's National Observer 's collaboration with Climate Desk.
The conflict in Syria has not ceased, but by 2015, the ICARDA staff couldn’t wait to restart operations: A gene bank exists to preserve unique seeds, but also to distribute those seeds to researchers and farmers. So they became the first — and remain the only — depositors to make a withdrawal from Svalbard, combing the stacks for tens of thousands of samples and shipping them to new ancillary operations in Morocco and Lebanon. From each sample they took only 300 seeds, and started planting.
Ultimately, the researchers sent three more shipments north between the years 2012 and 2014, before abandoning their own facility. All told, they ended up sending some 116,000 accessions — or seed samples representing a population of plants from a certain location — to chill in Svalbard’s -18 C stacks. Those samples represented 83 per cent of ICARDA’s total holdings at the time of the outbreak of civil war.
But, overall, it worked: Over the past five years, they’ve successfully grown more than 100,000 of their original accessions, shipping 81,000 newly grown samples back to Svalbard to bolster their deposit. They’ve also been shipping the new seeds around the world to those who request them — that could include scientists who want to research a more drought-resistant variety of wheat, or farmers who need the same to subsist on a rapidly warming planet.
“What if a fire breaks and you lose the whole season?” Yazbek asks. “So there are a number of external factors that are beyond our control.”
After all, they were working with vanishingly few seeds from small samples. If they lost their new crop before it was able to produce more seeds, they’d have wasted that shipment from Svalbard. So they worried about the plants not getting enough rain or facing too many diseases and pests. Crops like wheat and barley dry out in the field as they mature, too.
“This was a task that really made us not sleep sometimes at night,” says Mariana Yazbek, gene bank manager at ICARDA and a co-author on a recent paper in Nature Plants describing the saga.
With the resulting bounty of food, human populations swelled, requiring still more food. Today, the nearly eight billion people of Earth are dependent on these staple crops, the genetic descendants of those wild varieties, now bred to be even more productive.
Some 11,000 years ago, the Fertile Crescent birthed humanity’s modern food supply, right where ICARDA has operated for the past 40 years. In a great band of productive soil stretching from modern-day Egypt to the Persian Gulf, people planted roots — figuratively and literally — giving up the hunter-gatherer modus operandi for the settled life of agriculture. They planted wheat and barley in controlled environments, using irrigation and tilling the soil.
This could well make these researchers the stewards of humanity’s future food supply, ensuring the resiliency of dietary staples like barley, wheat and chickpeas, as well as forage crops like clover and alfalfa that are eaten by livestock.
These have become our monocrops, vast fields of species like wheat that are great at producing a lot of food, but not great at warding off pests and diseases. That's a problem of genetic diversity — or lack thereof. When our ancestors began selecting the particular wheat plants that produced the most food, they created one-track genetic lines that favoured supercharged production.
Wild wheat dotted across a landscape, on the other hand, is more genetically diverse — that is, different groups of plants are gifted with different traits. Some of them might have the lucky genes that allow them to resist a specific insect or a disease, and survive to pass those genes along. So when a pest or pestilence invades, at least some part of the wheat supply may survive.
But when modern farmers all use the same variety of wheat, the homogeneous crop is more vulnerable to disaster. If the wheat hasn’t been selected to resist whichever specific threat arises, farmers can lose entire harvests.
That’s exactly what’s happening right now with a wheat disease called stem rust, caused by a fungus called Ug99 that’s rapidly spreading across Africa, in large part because it threatens between 80 and 90 per cent of global wheat varieties. But ICARDA provided researchers with wheat accessions that they hoped could be resistant to the disease.
“And yes, they found what they want,” says Ahmed Amri, former head of ICARDA’s genetic resources unit, and now a consultant with the group. (He co-authored the paper with Yazbek.) “And it has launched successful breeding programs to develop varieties that are resistant.”
This is why it’s so critical that ICARDA, or any other gene bank, back up their collections by sending seeds to Svalbard. Some 80 per cent of ICARDA’s seed collection is made up of wild species and landraces — unique varieties of plants developed by farmers in a given region. (ICARDA staffers have actually been able to back up 98 per cent of their collection in 11 other banks around the world, but they decided it would be more efficient to withdraw from Svalbard, which hosts a more complete collection than any of their other individual backups.)
The modern method for conserving seeds in gene banks and the seed vault: plastic laminated and airtight aluminum pouches. Photo by Svalbard Global Seed Vault/Riccardo Gangale via Landbruks-og matdepartementet/Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)
But once you pull seeds out of a bank, the trick is getting them to actually sprout into plants. When planting in Morocco and Lebanon, ICARDA staffers were only working with a handful of seeds from each Svalbard accession. Yazbek and her colleagues began by considering how a particular species reproduces.
Some, like barley, lentils and chickpeas, pollinate themselves to produce seeds. Others cross-pollinate, meaning individuals of the same species can sometimes pollinate each other. But Yazbek and her colleagues don’t want pollinating insects mixing the genetic material from individuals in different accessions.
“So for these, we simply put them in a large isolation cage, preventing pollinators from coming in, and we keep large distances between accessions of the same species,” says Yazbek. Basically, the cage is a prison of fine mesh that keeps bugs out. “This is enough to prevent cross-pollination,” she continues.
But some cross-pollinating plant species are “self-incompatible,” meaning they need pollinators to carry the genetic materials between individuals of the same species. So for these, Yazbek and her colleagues planted samples from the same accession in a smaller cage, then introduced bumblebees, which happily pollinated the plants.
Their success has been extraordinary. At one point, Yazbek stood in a field in which every known type of wild relative of wheat was growing, the spawn of seeds that not long before had chilled in the Svalbard Arctic vault.
“All species are growing in the same field right next to each other. You're talking about between 25 to 30 species,” says Yazbek. “This was an amazing thing to see all this diversity, at the same time, from different countries.”
These are potentially the seeds of scientific breakthroughs. Climate change has already brought fiercer heat waves and more frequent, severe droughts, all of which combine to imperil crops worldwide. And while modern humans have developed crops optimized for productivity, they’re not necessarily designed for climate resilience.
Beans at the CIAT gene bank in Colombia, which has just sent its latest consignments of seeds for conservation at the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway. Photo by Neil Palmer (CIAT) via CIAT/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Yet the wild varieties and unique landraces that ICARDA stored away in the Arctic and revived in Morocco and Lebanon are the products of the often harsh conditions of the Fertile Crescent — they’ve already got the genetics to survive on a hot planet.
“The droughts that we are experiencing today — in parts of France or Spain or whatever — have been experienced already in Morocco in the dry areas,” says Amri. “The genes there have been already selected naturally over millions of years to really have those genes of adaptation that will be needed to breed new varieties that will be heat- and drought-tolerant, and disease-resistant.”
This genetic diversity makes the frigid halls of Svalbard a sort of ancient catalog of resilience. “Breeders can tap into some of the diversity that was lost in the domestication process,” says Charlotte Lusty, head of programs and the gene bank platform co-ordinator at the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which helps run the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. She co-authored the paper with Amri and Yazbek.
“Diversity, in a sense, is more relevant to us than ever before,” she says.
Gene banks the world over are fielding more requests for wild varieties of staple crops, Lusty adds.
“In gene bank distribution, there is more and more call for some of the wild relatives, in the hope that some of the traits, especially against pests and diseases, can be picked up from species that have grown in the wild,” she says.
In the end, the ICARDA researchers’ triumph is not just their own, but one of international co-operation. In 2001, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, signed by 146 parties including the European Union, united countries in the pursuit of agricultural biodiversity.
“Before we had that international agreement, there was a lot of distrust between countries, and a lot of this ‘We should go it alone’ kind of attitude,” says Ola Westengen, who previously co-ordinated the Svalbard vault and is now at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He was also a co-author on the paper.
“So you had a situation where a lot of unique seed or genetic diversity was sitting in only one gene bank in one country — and then, of course, being very vulnerable if something happened to that particular gene bank,” Westengen continues.
The opening of Svalbard changed all that. Now gene banks the world over share a common repository, a sort of fail-safe against a catastrophe like Syria’s civil war. Last year, Westengen went to Morocco and stood in that field of wheat grown from seed that had journeyed thousands of miles from home and (nearly) back, all crops that could help humanity weather the chaos of climate change.
“It was quite emotional, actually,” he says, “to be there and see these seeds that had been sitting in boxes in Svalbard, were now growing out there in the field.”


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--MP urges Ottawa to suspend rule, $12K fines for passengers remaining in cars on BC Ferries

A West Coast MP wants the federal transport minister to ditch fines in the thousands of dollars and allow BC Ferries passengers to remain in their vehicles on enclosed car decks to protect themselves from COVID-19 despite regulations against the practice .
Rachel Blaney , North Island-Powell River ’ s NDP MP , has written to Transport Minister Marc Garneau questioning the logic of potentially fining people up to $ 12,000 when they are heeding public health orders to keep their contact with other people to a minimum .
“ We ’ re in the middle of a pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Blaney said .
“ And obviously it ’ s a concern to the point that people are willing to be written up and risk fines on the ferries to prevent exposure to COVID-19.
” In the initial wave of the pandemic , Transport Canada temporarily waived regulations requiring people in cars on closed decks to head up to passenger lounges .
• How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world • Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blaney is calling on Ottawa to suspend rules during the pandemic that ban BC Ferries passengers from remaining in their cars on closed decks during sailings .
Photo courtesy of NDP But the federal agency rescinded the exception granted to ferry operators at the end of September .
Blaney said she has made her second appeal to Garneau after learning 1,000 people have defied the order and have been reported to Transport Canada .
The risks of exposure to the virus are higher now than during the initial exemption , Blaney said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also called on Ottawa to extend the exemption .
“ The minister previously paused that rule so that people could stay safe , ” she said .
“ Now , when case numbers are growing , why wo n't he do it again ?
” Ferry workers have not been policing passengers who choose to remain in their cars , said BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall .
“ Obviously it ’ s a concern to the point that people are willing to be written up and risk fines on the ferries to prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MP Rachel Blaney , calling on Ottawa to allow BC Ferries passengers to stay in cars on closed decks .
“ We ’ re not an enforcement agency , ” said Marshall .
Staff has been handing out Transport Canada leaflets to passengers who don ’ t leave the decks that outline the regulations and potential penalties , she said .
Those who elect to stay in their cars have their information forwarded to the transport ministry , she added .
Marshall confirmed more than 1,000 incidents have been reported to Transport Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Horseshoe Bay on the mainland and Departure Bay on Vancouver Island .
But the vast majority of passengers have been complying with the regulation , Marshall said .
The rule is in effect again because Transport Canada believes that new distancing and cleaning protocols on the provincial ferry service mitigate the risk individuals face from COVID-19 exposure , she added .
“ We certainly understand people are concerned about COVID-19 , ” Marshall said , adding there a number of risks associated with staying on a car deck .
Though it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious danger in an enclosed deck , she said .
“ A customer in their vehicle could be overcome by smoke inhalation or might not be able to find their way out of their vehicle or get through to a stairwell to get upstairs , ” she said .
Blaney feels the current risks from the virus are greater than those from remaining on closed decks .
And she has asked for the risk assessment the transport ministry relied on to make its decision .
Constituents in her riding , particularly those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travel to seek medical attention , are expressing grave concerns , Blaney said .
“ People are very scared , ” she said .
“ They 're already travelling to access the care that they need from bigger centres , asking them in their health conditions to risk exposure just adds to the tension .
”

A West Coast MP wants the federal transport minister to ditch fines in the thousands of dollars and allow BC Ferries passengers to remain in their vehicles on enclosed car decks to protect themselves from COVID-19 despite regulations against the practice. Rachel Blaney, North Island-Powell River’s NDP MP, has written to Transport Minister Marc Garneau questioning the logic of potentially fining people up to $12,000 when they are heeding public health orders to keep their contact with other people to a minimum. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic and case numbers are growing in B.C.,” Blaney said. “And obviously it’s a concern to the point that people are willing to be written up and risk fines on the ferries to prevent exposure to COVID-19.” In the initial wave of the pandemic, Transport Canada temporarily waived regulations requiring people in cars on closed decks to head up to passenger lounges.
North Island-Powell River’s NDP MP Rachel Blaney is calling on Ottawa to suspend rules during the pandemic that ban BC Ferries passengers from remaining in their cars on closed decks during sailings. Photo courtesy of NDP But the federal agency rescinded the exception granted to ferry operators at the end of September. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Blaney said she has made her second appeal to Garneau after learning 1,000 people have defied the order and have been reported to Transport Canada.
The risks of exposure to the virus are higher now than during the initial exemption, Blaney said, adding B.C. Premier John Horgan has also called on Ottawa to extend the exemption. “Obviously it’s a concern to the point that people are willing to be written up and risk fines on the ferries to prevent exposure to #COVID19,” said MP Rachel Blaney, calling on Ottawa to allow BC Ferries passengers to stay in cars on closed decks. “The minister previously paused that rule so that people could stay safe,” she said. “Now, when case numbers are growing, why won't he do it again?” Ferry workers have not been policing passengers who choose to remain in their cars, said BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall. “We’re not an enforcement agency,” said Marshall. “We’re politely reminding customers of the Transport Canada regulations.”
Staff has been handing out Transport Canada leaflets to passengers who don’t leave the decks that outline the regulations and potential penalties, she said. Those who elect to stay in their cars have their information forwarded to the transport ministry, she added. Marshall confirmed more than 1,000 incidents have been reported to Transport Canada, most often on the sailings between Horseshoe Bay on the mainland and Departure Bay on Vancouver Island.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Trudeau won't confirm reports U.S. seeking plea deal with Meng Wanzhou

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the chorus of official silence Friday surrounding reports that the United States is seeking to negotiate a plea deal of sorts with detained Huawei scion Meng Wanzhou .
Trudeau refused , like U.S. officials , to acknowledge a Wall Street Journal report that Justice Department lawyers have approached Meng ’ s legal team about the possibility of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement .
The newspaper says in exchange for admitting some level of wrongdoing , Meng — who faces wire and bank fraud charges in the U.S. — would be allowed to leave Canada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last two years .
Marc Raimondi , a Justice Department spokesman , also refused to comment on the reports Friday , as did officials at the International Crisis Group , where Kovrig worked .
Queries to the White House also went unanswered .
China has repeatedly urged the U.S. to abandon the extradition of Meng , and decried Canada as being complicit in what they consider an arbitrary and unjust abuse of the extradition agreement between the two countries .
The U.S. alleges Meng orchestrated the use of Skycom , a Huawei @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between 2009 and 2014 .
On Friday , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to acknowledge a Wall Street Journal report that U.S. Justice Department lawyers have approached Meng Wanzhou ’ s legal team about the possibility of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement .
China detained Kovrig and Spavor 10 days after the arrest of Meng , who is also the daughter of Huawei ’ s founder , Ren Zhengfei .
Huawei has close ties to China ’ s military and is considered one of the country ’ s most successful international enterprises , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes to establish international dominance .
The detentions and deteriorating relations also spilled over into Huawei ’ s push to build Canada ’ s next-generation wireless networks .
The U.S. has been lobbying aggressively against Huawei , urging Australia , Canada , Germany and Japan , among others , to close their networks to the company .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4 , 2020 .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the chorus of official silence Friday surrounding reports that the United States is seeking to negotiate a plea deal of sorts with detained Huawei scion Meng Wanzhou.
Trudeau refused, like U.S. officials, to acknowledge a Wall Street Journal report that Justice Department lawyers have approached Meng’s legal team about the possibility of a so-called deferred prosecution agreement.
The newspaper says in exchange for admitting some level of wrongdoing, Meng — who faces wire and bank fraud charges in the U.S. — would be allowed to leave Canada, where she has been awaiting extradition for the last two years.
Meng was detained in Vancouver in December 2018 at the behest of the Justice Department, which has accused Huawei of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.
Her arrest sparked an intractable diplomatic standoff that continues to this day, and has been widely linked to China’s decision days later to detain Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who face charges of espionage.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Tenant advocates map Toronto eviction blitz, urge solidarity

Some 7,000 people are facing eviction hearings in Ontario this winter , and tenant advocates are urging solidarity among neighbours and across Toronto to keep people in their homes .
The Landlord and Tenant Board ( LTB ) is “ in a full-throttle blitz to clear its backlog , ” said Kenneth Hale , the director of legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario ( ACTO ) , noting there is a particular focus on processing eviction applications for non-payment .
While Premier Doug Ford promised earlier this year that no one would be evicted during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearings back in August , and the LTB has since kicked back into gear despite higher COVID-19 caseloads than in the first wave .
“ The government thinks that it ’ s more important that investors get paid than low-income people are protected from viral infection , ” Hale said .
In response , the Keep Your Rent advocacy group is inviting those facing the tribunal to share details — they ’ ve collected more than a hundred of these so far — in order to better prepare them to fight .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on climate change • How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world A crowdsourced map shows a fraction of the eviction hearings happening in Toronto .
Source : torontocovidevictions.com “ We are telling them that they need to be communicating with their neighbours , they need to realize that they are part of a bigger struggle , that they are not alone in being behind on rent during COVID , ” said MaryAnn Icaro , who got active with Keep Your Rent early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearings in the recent uptick .
“ What we 've been seeing , especially for these tenants that we are not in contact with , that are not organizing , that are isolated , they are finding themselves with standard orders , ” she said , which typically give a tenant less than two weeks to pay their arrears .
After eight months of pandemic-related income loss , that could amount to thousands of dollars .
“ Tenants have minutes to plead their case to these judges , ” she said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbours and other supporters intervened by going down the hall to notify a tenant who had , in fact , paid their arrears and didn ’ t know they still needed to attend or that the landlord would not mention the payment .
A spokesperson for Tribunals Ontario , of which the LTB is a part , did not respond to a request for comment .
The Ford government has introduced legislation this year , Bill 184 , which makes it easier for tenants to be evicted , including by waiving a requirement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agrees to a rent arrears plan and then misses a payment .
“ These politicians will not save us , they ’ ve orchestrated this crisis , ” Icaro said , noting that Keep Your Rent is instead focused on improving tenants ’ negotiating position with their landlords .
This is what tenants in properties owned by corporate landlord MetCap Living plan to do this Saturday when they show up at the real estate company ’ s headquarters seeking a meeting with CEO Brent Merrill .
Tenants who have withheld rent since April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay if Merrill agrees not to seek to evict those who can ’ t , Icaro said .
She also pointed out that tenants in various locations across the city , including in the Crescent Town neighbourhood near the Victoria Park subway station , have made it clear to their landlord that they will block any efforts by sheriffs to enforce evictions .
That may stave off the immediate threat , but ACTO ’ s Hale said a deeper reckoning with the housing crisis and troubles at the tenancy tribunal looms .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not going to be successful in the long run , ” he said .
“ We need a justice system that works for everyone , including low-income people .
”

Some 7,000 people are facing eviction hearings in Ontario this winter, and tenant advocates are urging solidarity among neighbours and across Toronto to keep people in their homes. The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) is “in a full-throttle blitz to clear its backlog,” said Kenneth Hale, the director of legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), noting there is a particular focus on processing eviction applications for non-payment. While Premier Doug Ford promised earlier this year that no one would be evicted during the pandemic, his government lifted a moratorium on hearings back in August, and the LTB has since kicked back into gear despite higher COVID-19 caseloads than in the first wave. “The government thinks that it’s more important that investors get paid than low-income people are protected from viral infection,” Hale said. In response, the Keep Your Rent advocacy group is inviting those facing the tribunal to share details — they’ve collected more than a hundred of these so far — in order to better prepare them to fight.
A crowdsourced map shows a fraction of the eviction hearings happening in Toronto. Source: torontocovidevictions.com “We are telling them that they need to be communicating with their neighbours, they need to realize that they are part of a bigger struggle, that they are not alone in being behind on rent during COVID,” said MaryAnn Icaro, who got active with Keep Your Rent early in the pandemic and has been observing hearings in the recent uptick. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions “What we've been seeing, especially for these tenants that we are not in contact with, that are not organizing, that are isolated, they are finding themselves with standard orders,” she said, which typically give a tenant less than two weeks to pay their arrears.
After eight months of pandemic-related income loss, that could amount to thousands of dollars. “Tenants have minutes to plead their case to these judges,” she said. In one recent online hearing, she said neighbours and other supporters intervened by going down the hall to notify a tenant who had, in fact, paid their arrears and didn’t know they still needed to attend or that the landlord would not mention the payment. A spokesperson for Tribunals Ontario, of which the LTB is a part, did not respond to a request for comment.
Protest planned The Ford government has introduced legislation this year, Bill 184, which makes it easier for tenants to be evicted, including by waiving a requirement for another LTB hearing if a tenant agrees to a rent arrears plan and then misses a payment. “These politicians will not save us, they’ve orchestrated this crisis,” Icaro said, noting that Keep Your Rent is instead focused on improving tenants’ negotiating position with their landlords.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Liberals table UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples bill

The Liberal government introduced long-awaited legislation Thursday to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , which Justice Minister David Lametti described as a significant step forward on the path to reconciliation .
`` It has the potential to be transformational , '' Lametti told a news conference after tabling Bill C-15 in the House of Commons .
`` We 're at a starting line putting 150 plus years , longer than that , of colonialism and the impact of ( it ) behind us , '' he said .
`` Let 's move to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if passed , would require the federal government to work with First Nations , Métis and Inuit to do everything needed to ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the rights and principles contained in the UN declaration .
It would also have the federal government create an action plan for those goals as soon as possible and no later than three years after the bill comes into force .
• Studies show Canadian banks not so green on climate change • How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world National chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations said the bill is not perfect and that he is concerned the deadline for completing the action plan is too far away .
`` We 've waited too long already , '' he said at the news conference .
`` We do n't want wait for another three years . ''
Lametti said the deadline is reasonable because consultation with Indigenous Peoples will take time .
`` It is complex , working with indigenous leadership .
You have national organizations .
You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual nation has a chief or a leader of some sort who would expect to be consulted , '' he said .
`` We picked a date that was realistic but , that being said , the parliamentary process is the place where we can look at that . ''
Bellegarde said the bill does n't provide clarity on which federal department will lead the effort to implement the UN declaration in Canadian law .
`` We would like to see a commitment to a periodic review , which is something any good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill to implement UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .
# UNDRIP # Cdnpoli # Indigenousrights The legislation does n't give First Nations anything new , Bellegarde said .
`` It acknowledges and affirms our rights under international law . ''
He said the bill condemns the racist and colonial doctrines and beliefs that have led to grave human rights abuses including the residential school system .
Lametti predicted the bill will have wide support in the House of Commons and the Senate .
`` It 's a human rights issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights ? ''
he said in a separate interview Thursday afternoon .
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement the implementation of the UN declaration is essential .
`` We are still reviewing the details of the government 's bill , '' he said .
`` We will be looking forward to working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to improve the bill . ''
Conservative Indigenous services critic Gary Vidal 's office said the party is still reviewing the legislation and does not have immediate comment .
Ontario Conservative MPP Greg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Liberals tabled bill C-15 before completing adequate consultation , adding that Indigenous communities need concrete action from Ottawa .
In a technical briefing provided to media , Justice Department officials said the bill includes a framework to create ways to align federal law with the declaration over time .
It does not transform the declaration itself into law .
The proposed legislation builds upon a private member 's bill from former New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash , which the House of Commons passed two years ago .
That bill stalled in the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have unintended legal and economic consequences , and then died when Parliament dissolved .
The UN declaration , which Canada endorsed in 2010 , affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their language , culture and traditional lands .
It also spells out the need for free , prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples on anything that infringes on their lands or rights , but Bill C-15 does n't include a definition of such consent .
Lametti said it would be impossible to define a free , prior and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unique process that includes a dialogue with Indigenous Peoples .
`` This is something that is so contextual that will be different with each individual nation , with each project , with each with each level of government , '' he said .
He said the need for consent does n't represent a veto .
`` Free , prior and informed consent is about respecting the human rights of Indigenous Peoples , '' Lametti said .
`` The document itself is about human rights generally , your right to education , language and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these ) are things that Canadians believe in . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3 , 2020 .
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship .

The Liberal government introduced long-awaited legislation Thursday to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Justice Minister David Lametti described as a significant step forward on the path to reconciliation. "It has the potential to be transformational," Lametti told a news conference after tabling Bill C-15 in the House of Commons. "We're at a starting line putting 150 plus years, longer than that, of colonialism and the impact of (it) behind us," he said. "Let's move to a different model." The proposed legislation, if passed, would require the federal government to work with First Nations, Métis and Inuit to do everything needed to ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the rights and principles contained in the UN declaration. It would also have the federal government create an action plan for those goals as soon as possible and no later than three years after the bill comes into force.
National chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations said the bill is not perfect and that he is concerned the deadline for completing the action plan is too far away. "We've waited too long already," he said at the news conference. "We don't want wait for another three years." Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Lametti said the deadline is reasonable because consultation with Indigenous Peoples will take time.
"It is complex, working with indigenous leadership. You have national organizations. You also have each individual nation. Each individual nation has a chief or a leader of some sort who would expect to be consulted," he said. Liberals table bill to implement UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. #UNDRIP #Cdnpoli #Indigenousrights "We picked a date that was realistic but, that being said, the parliamentary process is the place where we can look at that." Bellegarde said the bill doesn't provide clarity on which federal department will lead the effort to implement the UN declaration in Canadian law. "We would like to see a commitment to a periodic review, which is something any good legislation should have." The legislation doesn't give First Nations anything new, Bellegarde said. "It acknowledges and affirms our rights under international law." He said the bill condemns the racist and colonial doctrines and beliefs that have led to grave human rights abuses including the residential school system.
Lametti predicted the bill will have wide support in the House of Commons and the Senate. "It's a human rights issue. Who's going to vote against human rights?" he said in a separate interview Thursday afternoon. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement the implementation of the UN declaration is essential.


nationalobserver--2020-12-04--Prairie provinces become COVID-19 hot spot in pandemic's second wave

The three Prairie provinces have become the epicentre of COVID-19 's second wave in Canada — surpassing Ontario and Quebec , the two most populous provinces that were initially the hardest hit .
Some infectious disease experts say the exponential growth in cases on the Prairies can be linked to pandemic fatigue and a reluctance by politicians to impose stricter health measures in the fall .
`` Ten infections in Manitoba means something completely different than 10 infections in Toronto or New York City , '' said Dr. Kelly MacDonald , a professor of infectious diseases at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look like a problem for quite a long time when they probably were , '' said MacDonald , who added that there has been `` a complete lack of appreciation for the case per unit of population . ''
Since the fall , the spread of COVID-19 has increased everywhere , but daily case numbers on the Prairies have been matching areas with about double the population .
• How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world • Studies show Canadian banks not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provinces have about 6.7 million residents combined and reported a total of 2,480 new cases on Thursday .
Alberta alone reported 1,854 new infections .
Ontario , with a population of about 14.5 million , reported 1,824 cases .
Quebec , which has almost two million more people than all three Prairie provinces , had 1,470 new infections .
When the first wave of the pandemic hit Canada in the spring , Ontario and Quebec were particularly affected .
Now , the infection rate per capita is highest in Alberta , followed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak about who is in crisis .
Have you taken a look at Alberta , where they 're doubling up patients in intensive care units ?
We 're not doing that in Ontario , '' said Christine Elliot .
A spokesman for federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she spoke Wednesday night with Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro about the surge in cases and offered federal resources .
# Prairie provinces now the epicentre of COVID-19 's # SecondWave in Canada — surpassing Ontario and Quebec .
# Alberta # Saskatchewan # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a major turnaround since April when Premier Jason Kenney , standing in front of a wall of personal protective equipment , touted the success of his province 's COVID-19 response and announced Alberta was sending supplies to Quebec , Ontario and British Columbia .
Last week , Kenney announced tighter restrictions after mounting pressure from public health experts .
The measures ban indoor social gatherings and some students are back at home learning online .
Bars , restaurants and places of worship remain open .
Dr. James Talbot , a professor of public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said there is a reluctance by the United Conservative government to impose another lockdown , even though contact tracing has become impossible with the jump in infections .
`` There are a number of things that interfere with our ability to bring this under control , '' said Talbot , who is also a former chief medical health officer in the province .
COVID-19 fatigue has descended along with colder weather preventing people from meeting outside as much , he said .
`` Another part of it is we have inconsistent regulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and restaurants being open , while people can not have guests over .
`` When people think something is unfair or illogical , then they just make decisions not to follow the rules that are out there , '' he said .
`` Until you regain their confidence , the situation is going to continue to get worse . ''
In Saskatchewan , team sports are suspended and home gatherings are limited to five people .
Manitoba was the first Prairie province to impose stricter health measures two weeks ago when it had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
Businesses ca n't sell non-essential items and gatherings in homes are banned .
MacDonald said those restrictions were brought in when case rates were expanding exponentially , so `` you can slightly level them off , but you are not going to drop the rate of infection very rapidly . ''
Talbot suggested it 's not too late to turn the numbers around and save as many lives as possible .
But he added restrictions need to stay in place until Canada distributes a COVID-19 vaccine in the new year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is n't about criticizing anyone , '' he said .
`` If we all do our part and if we are effective , the virus will let us know by infecting fewer people two weeks from now . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3 , 2020 .

The three Prairie provinces have become the epicentre of COVID-19's second wave in Canada — surpassing Ontario and Quebec, the two most populous provinces that were initially the hardest hit. Some infectious disease experts say the exponential growth in cases on the Prairies can be linked to pandemic fatigue and a reluctance by politicians to impose stricter health measures in the fall. "Ten infections in Manitoba means something completely different than 10 infections in Toronto or New York City," said Dr. Kelly MacDonald, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba. "Our rates didn't look like a problem for quite a long time when they probably were," said MacDonald, who added that there has been "a complete lack of appreciation for the case per unit of population." Since the fall, the spread of COVID-19 has increased everywhere, but daily case numbers on the Prairies have been matching areas with about double the population.
The three provinces have about 6.7 million residents combined and reported a total of 2,480 new cases on Thursday. Alberta alone reported 1,854 new infections. Ontario, with a population of about 14.5 million, reported 1,824 cases. Quebec, which has almost two million more people than all three Prairie provinces, had 1,470 new infections. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions When the first wave of the pandemic hit Canada in the spring, Ontario and Quebec were particularly affected. Now, the infection rate per capita is highest in Alberta, followed by Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
On Wednesday, Ontario's health minister singled out Alberta. #Prairie provinces now the epicentre of COVID-19's #SecondWave in Canada — surpassing Ontario and Quebec. #Alberta #Saskatchewan #Manitoba #COVID19 #abpoli "You want to speak about who is in crisis. Have you taken a look at Alberta, where they're doubling up patients in intensive care units? We're not doing that in Ontario," said Christine Elliot. A spokesman for federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she spoke Wednesday night with Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro about the surge in cases and offered federal resources. It's a major turnaround since April when Premier Jason Kenney, standing in front of a wall of personal protective equipment, touted the success of his province's COVID-19 response and announced Alberta was sending supplies to Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Last week, Kenney announced tighter restrictions after mounting pressure from public health experts. The measures ban indoor social gatherings and some students are back at home learning online. Bars, restaurants and places of worship remain open.
Dr. James Talbot, a professor of public health at the University of Alberta, said there is a reluctance by the United Conservative government to impose another lockdown, even though contact tracing has become impossible with the jump in infections. "There are a number of things that interfere with our ability to bring this under control," said Talbot, who is also a former chief medical health officer in the province. COVID-19 fatigue has descended along with colder weather preventing people from meeting outside as much, he said.