nationalobserver--2020-12-07--Denmark’s ‘oil and gas valves will be turned off for good’

The largest oil producer in the European Union has committed to ending fossil fuel extraction while ensuring continued employment for affected workers .
The Danish parliament reached a deal Dec. 3 that would see the country cancel its current and future licensing rounds for oil and gas in the North Sea , and phase out all fossil fuel production by 2050 .
“ When the calendar reads 2050 , the oil and gas valves will be turned off for good , ” said Danish Climate , Energy and Utilities Minister Dan Jørgensen .
The deal makes Denmark the largest oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish an end date for its oil production .
The nation produces more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil and oil equivalents each day .
The political agreement acknowledges how the exploitation of oil in the Danish part of the North Sea , which began in 1972 , “ has been important in financing the Danish welfare state ” through government revenues , jobs and infrastructure .
• How scientists saved rare seeds from Syria 's war — and are now helping to feed the world • Take two hikes and call me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear ' The last 50 years were an “ important and productive period in Danish business and energy history , ” it states .
“ But it has come with a price.
” Esbjerg in Denmark , showing the oil and gas fields in the Danish part of the North Sea that the port services .
Port of Esbjerg graphic A just transition for Danish oil and gas hub Esbjerg The parliamentary agreement also commits to a “ just transition ” initiative in and around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where there is a “ high concentration of companies in the energy industry and specialized knowledge within the energy sector.
” The agreement sets aside about $ 18 million to support the development of “ large-scale offshore wind ” in the region .
Denmark is already a leader in wind power , sourcing about half its electricity from wind last year and its turbine manufacturer Vestas can put its name to the most turbines now installed in Canada .
Denmark , the largest oil producer in the European Union , has committed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employment for affected workers .
It also proposes a “ growth team ” for the area that will “ make recommendations as to how best to invest in local business and thus strengthen growth and employment.
” “ We intend to show what an ambitious yet balanced phase-out of fossil fuel production might look like , taking into account both the urgency of climate change and the very real concerns of workers employed in the fossil sector , ” said Jørgensen .
The agreement states that the oil and gas sector has played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic growth and employment around Esbjerg .
There are about 4,000 workers directly or indirectly employed in Denmark ’ s extraction industry , according to the government .
Esbjerg began as a fishing town and developed into oil and gas production , according to the agreement .
That “ adaptability ” can become an example in Denmark and around the world for a green transition , it states .
Labour leaders in Canada have warned that any attempt to set emissions reduction targets in Canada should be coupled with a strategy to protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have proper financial , jobs and training programs — or it will put people ’ s livelihoods at risk .
Keith Stewart , senior energy strategist at Greenpeace Canada , said Denmark 's decision will send a message to other oil-producing countries like Canada .
“ To recover from this pandemic and to future-proof our economy , we must transform Canada into a renewables-only economy that creates good jobs for workers , treats workers in the fossil fuel sector fairly through the transition and helps power the world with clean , affordable energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Canada , has also committed to reaching net-zero carbon pollution .
But while Canada has committed to phasing out coal-fired power plants nationwide by 2030 and launched a task force that examined how to fairly provide for coal workers , it has not committed to an end date for its oil and gas production .


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Food banks aren't the answer to hunger, researchers say

Valerie Tarasuk wouldn ’ t be surprised if food charities receive record donations this holiday season .
But she knows millions of Canadians will still go hungry .
“ Even before the pandemic , when we look at the data , food charities would , at most , have seen one-sixth of the people who were struggling — and we have no evidence to suggest that the help people get from those ( organizations ) is sufficient to meet their needs , ” said Tarasuk , a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and the principal investigator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigating effective policy approaches to reduce food insecurity in Canada .
In June , Statistics Canada reported that 14.6 per cent of Canadians ( about 5.1 million people , or twice the population of Vancouver ) had lacked food at least once in the previous month , a four per cent increase compared to 2018 .
And while that number is expected to surge as the pandemic drags on , hunger — a symptom of poverty , not a lack of food — has been on the rise for decades in Canada .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only by decades of harmful policy choices , say Tarasuk and other researchers , but also by the stories Canadian media tells about why millions go hungry — and how Canadians with means should help .
“ Canadians are worried knowing that , with this pandemic , so many people have lost work , the prices of basic essentials are going up .
Many of us are concerned about other people who are less well off , and that ’ s going to be portrayed ( in media ) , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • National Chief Perry Bellegarde wo n't seek re-election as leader of Assembly of First Nations • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture “ But with all this ( media ) focus on the public donating — as if it ’ s the public ’ s problem to fix this — where ’ s the conversation about federal responsibility to ensure that people have adequate income to meet basic needs ?
” An adequate income that ’ s out of reach for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wages are the main source of income for about 65 per cent of food-insecure households , according to 2018 data from Statistics Canada .
Low-wage jobs and precarious work situations — including many roles that have proved to be essential during the pandemic , like grocery store workers , care-home attendants and delivery drivers — are to blame , Tarasuk said .
The annual income for someone working full time at the minimum hourly wage ( from $ 12.15 in Newfoundland and Labrador to $ 16 in Nunavut ) is , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are food insecure are employed .
But they do n't earn enough to make ends meet for a suite or reasons , from high rents to caring for dependents .
Graph by PROOF/Statistics Canada Nor is the burden evenly distributed .
A 2019 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found those in Canada who are Black , Indigenous or people of colour ( BIPOC ) earned significantly less than their white counterparts , despite being slightly more active in the workforce .
“ With all this ( media ) focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the conversation about federal responsibility to ensure that people have adequate income to meet basic needs ?
” asks Valerie Tarasuk of @ proofcanada .
In 2015 , white men earned on average $ 12,423 more each year than BIPOC men , while white women earned $ 4,943 more than BIPOC women , the report found .
Women of all racial backgrounds earned , on average , well over $ 10,000 less than their male counterparts .
Those income numbers are reflected in rates of food insecurity , with almost three times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food insecure compared to white households .
“ We ’ ve seen for years now the increasing presence of those kinds of employment , so about two-thirds of households that were food insecure pre-pandemic were in the workforce but unable to manage because the amount of money they were getting for their work was insufficient to meet their needs , ” Tarasuk explained .
People on social assistance are at an even higher risk , she said .
More than 60 per cent of people on welfare can ’ t afford enough food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When people compare social assistance benefit levels to the cost of food and shelter , typically , they find them wanting , ” she said .
For instance in B.C.
, a single person who could work received a welfare income of about $ 9,500 last year , while someone with disabilities received $ 15,200 , according to Maytree , an anti-poverty advocacy organization .
“ If you think about the messaging around food ( charities ) , it ’ s doing a couple of things , ” Tarasuk said .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem , but also badly misrepresenting the problem itself .
If it ’ s framed as hunger — people are hungry , they need food , so give them food — it becomes a very simple thing ( to solve ) .
” That story misses the fact that if someone can ’ t afford food , they ’ re likely also struggling to meet other basic expenses , like rent or mortgages , utility bills or prescription medications , she said .
However , the problematic impacts of this hunger-focused story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of acceptable — and politically feasible — solutions , explained Elaine Power , professor of food and gender studies at Queen ’ s University .
Among the solutions that aren ’ t considered politically feasible is the implementation of adequate social supports .
Those could include a universal basic income , she said — and that would mean increasing taxes , particularly for corporations and the wealthiest Canadians , to fund the system .
There is precedent in Canada for an income-based approach to poverty and hunger reduction .
In fact , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t established until 1981 , in Edmonton .
The country was in recession at the time , driving a surge of poverty , and the organization was created as a temporary emergency measure modelled off food banks in the United States .
But when the economy picked up again , the social services that had helped alleviate poverty in Canada created after the Depression and the Second World War were never restored or adequately replaced .
Instead , food banks and charities were left to fill in the cracks in Canadian society by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Food banks were first created , in part , to use up excess food produced by U.S. farmers , Power said .
Photo by Marc Fawcett-Atkinson At the heart of the U.S. food charity model , now widespread in Canada , is a tight relationship between food producers — who , by design , produce more than they can sell — and the charities tasked with feeding hungry people , she said .
It is literal , because many food charities rely on donations of cash and excess food , but the relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responses to both hunger and food waste .
About 86 per cent of food waste in Canada is generated in the supply chain before it reaches consumers , according to a 2019 report by Second Harvest , a non-profit organization that recuperates food that would otherwise be wasted and distributes it to charities .
The organization estimates that Canadian food waste generates 56.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually , or roughly a year ’ s worth of emissions for 12 million cars .
“ ( Donating food to charities ) is so simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good , ” said Power , and not just because the donation will help alleviate hunger .
“ It ’ s also morally good in the sense of not wasting food , and now we have this … other green moral imperative.
” This approach is widespread in federal and provincial responses to hunger .
For instance , since April , the federal government has announced $ 250 million in grants to help food charities purchase and distribute food , redirect food that would have otherwise been wasted to food charities and hire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The federal government is making it public policy to give money to support food charity as a response to this very , very serious problem .
And that ’ s ridiculous , ” said Tarasuk , the principal researcher at PROOF .
And while this charity-based approach is necessary to meet Canadians ’ immediate needs for food , Power said that it needs to remain an emergency measure .
“ ( Food charities ) serve too many purposes .
They allow food companies to get rid of surpluses or things that couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They allow workplaces to use volunteering as a kind of team-building .
Even my kids , starting in junior kindergarten , they learn that this is how you be a good person — you bring food to the food bank , ” she said .
Food charities shouldn ’ t be normal or institutionalized — advocating for adequate wages and income supports and demanding that large food producers , processors and grocers stop wasting 8.8 million tonnes of food annually should , she said .
Tarasuk agreed , saying it is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger .
It ’ s the government ’ s — and donating millions to charities isn ’ t enough , she added .

Valerie Tarasuk wouldn’t be surprised if food charities receive record donations this holiday season. But she knows millions of Canadians will still go hungry. “Even before the pandemic, when we look at the data, food charities would, at most, have seen one-sixth of the people who were struggling — and we have no evidence to suggest that the help people get from those (organizations) is sufficient to meet their needs,” said Tarasuk, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto and the principal investigator for PROOF, an interdisciplinary research team investigating effective policy approaches to reduce food insecurity in Canada. In June, Statistics Canada reported that 14.6 per cent of Canadians (about 5.1 million people, or twice the population of Vancouver) had lacked food at least once in the previous month, a four per cent increase compared to 2018. And while that number is expected to surge as the pandemic drags on, hunger — a symptom of poverty, not a lack of food — has been on the rise for decades in Canada. It’s a social ill driven not only by decades of harmful policy choices, say Tarasuk and other researchers, but also by the stories Canadian media tells about why millions go hungry — and how Canadians with means should help. “Canadians are worried knowing that, with this pandemic, so many people have lost work, the prices of basic essentials are going up. Many of us are concerned about other people who are less well off, and that’s going to be portrayed (in media),” she said.
“But with all this (media) focus on the public donating — as if it’s the public’s problem to fix this — where’s the conversation about federal responsibility to ensure that people have adequate income to meet basic needs?” An adequate income that’s out of reach for many, even if they are working. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Wages are the main source of income for about 65 per cent of food-insecure households, according to 2018 data from Statistics Canada. Low-wage jobs and precarious work situations — including many roles that have proved to be essential during the pandemic, like grocery store workers, care-home attendants and delivery drivers — are to blame, Tarasuk said.
The annual income for someone working full time at the minimum hourly wage (from $12.15 in Newfoundland and Labrador to $16 in Nunavut) is, on average, $27,600. “With all this (media) focus on the public donating, where’s the conversation about federal responsibility to ensure that people have adequate income to meet basic needs?” asks Valerie Tarasuk of @proofcanada. Most Canadians who are food insecure are employed. But they don't earn enough to make ends meet for a suite or reasons, from high rents to caring for dependents. Graph by PROOF/Statistics Canada Nor is the burden evenly distributed. A 2019 report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found those in Canada who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour (BIPOC) earned significantly less than their white counterparts, despite being slightly more active in the workforce. In 2015, white men earned on average $12,423 more each year than BIPOC men, while white women earned $4,943 more than BIPOC women, the report found. Women of all racial backgrounds earned, on average, well over $10,000 less than their male counterparts. Those income numbers are reflected in rates of food insecurity, with almost three times as many Black and Indigenous households being food insecure compared to white households.
“We’ve seen for years now the increasing presence of those kinds of employment, so about two-thirds of households that were food insecure pre-pandemic were in the workforce but unable to manage because the amount of money they were getting for their work was insufficient to meet their needs,” Tarasuk explained. People on social assistance are at an even higher risk, she said. More than 60 per cent of people on welfare can’t afford enough food and other basic living costs. “When people compare social assistance benefit levels to the cost of food and shelter, typically, they find them wanting,” she said.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet

In 2014 , when Ross Belot left a 32-year career at Imperial Oil advising senior executives on Alberta oilsands development , he didn ’ t slink off to a comfortable retirement of golf , tennis and maybe some bird-watching .
Instead , the Hamilton , Ont.
, resident embarked on a second life , enrolling in a master of fine arts program at Saint Mary ’ s College of California , studying poetry and environmental writing .
His recently released volume , Moving to Climate Change Hours , unsparingly re-examines his work in the fossil fuel industry , the destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society ’ s complicity through our insatiable demand for gas .
Here , he talks about how he transitioned from oil insider to artist and how he ’ s using poetry as a means of raising environmental awareness .
You ’ re currently a poet , but before that you spent over three decades working for Imperial Oil .
That ’ s an unusual career trajectory .
How did that happen ?
Well , like most people , in high school I was interested in many things .
Science , sociology , geography @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` Get a job . ''
Because I was good at math and English , I channelled myself into engineering and business .
Everything else , including the artistic side of myself , got repressed .
Until about 2000 .
• This Nova Scotia woman is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • National Chief Perry Bellegarde wo n't seek re-election as leader of Assembly of First Nations • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture A friend of mine was taking a creative writing course at McMaster .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to like writing when I was in Grade 5 , maybe I should try writing , too .
I found I loved it ; it grabbed hold of me .
Ross Belot is a former oil industry executive turned environmental poet .
Photo submitted by Ross Belot You were still working in oil and gas at the time ?
Yes .
I was working when I started taking writing courses , including some programs at the Banff Centre , which really helped in my development .
The Banff Centre exposed me to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and politics .
I met a totally different mix of people in terms of sexual orientation and race and gender , especially compared to my old white man workplace .
It wasn ’ t literally all old white men , but functionally , that ’ s how it felt .
So much so that when my first book of poetry came out in 2008 , I was almost embarrassed to tell people , ‘ Oh , I ’ m writing poetry.
’ It turned out , people were actually way more open-minded than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them had their own secret lives outside of work , too .
People would say , `` Oh , I ’ m writing a children 's book , I 'm doing stained glass , I have my Grade 8 piano . ''
How former oil executive @ rossbelot came to shun fossil fuels and become an environmental poet .
# climatechange # climatecrisis # poetry I had no idea .
In a highly technical oil refinery , we just didn ’ t talk about our personal lives like that .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are more complex than they allow themselves to appear in a professional context .
Well , yeah .
And you know , for me , I ended up in a senior manager position with a lot of responsibilities , and I was also very conflicted .
In the 2000s , it had become more and more apparent that climate change was not being managed .
Yet I was working for a company developing the oilsands .
My job was to look for ways for the company to make more money in the oilsands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that , including the differences between my personal thinking and my workplace .
It wasn ’ t just me .
I know a lot of other people at work felt concerned , too .
We just didn ’ t know how to express it .
Why did that internal conflict , as you describe it , strike you more acutely during the 2000s ?
Was it because there wasn ’ t the same discourse around climate change when you first started working in oil and gas in the late 1970s ?
Actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air pollution course at McMaster University , and we discussed greenhouse gases , the hole in the ozone and acid rain .
Bill McKibben ’ s book on global warming , the End of Nature , didn ’ t come out until 10 years later , but we were still talking about the issues in 1979 .
The thought was more like , oh , we 're going to solve this .
The ozone and acid rain were largely addressed with technology .
It ’ s just that over time I realized that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t doing anything to solve greenhouse gases or their consequences .
The consequences of oil are something you explore in the book .
Consequences of all sorts , not just climate change .
There are personal tragedies , such as people dying in oil refinery accidents , and larger community catastrophes , such as the Lac-Mégantic explosion .
Right .
And we are all complicit .
I was working in an industry supplying the drug , yes , but everyone is addicted to it .
Our whole world is designed to use a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As you mention , one of the poems is about Lac-Mégantic .
Oh my God .
It ’ s extremely sad .
People died who did not deserve it .
But one of the things I mention in the poem is that the fuel was being shipped into the northeastern United States for people to have gasoline to drive their cars .
People died to feed our addiction .
The title of the book is Moving to Climate Change Hours , and there is a poem called Today We Move to Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean — climate change hours ?
It ’ s sort of like how people say around Christmas that they are moving to their winter hours or , during the warmer weather , they are on their summer hours .
But there ’ s more of an ongoing-ness with climate change hours .
It ’ s not something that reverts with the seasons , which is part of the theme of the book .
There is an ongoing-ness to the change .
The specific poem , Today We Move to Climate Change Hours , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listening to the radio , listening to a news report about the Paris Accord and complaining about political inaction .
But what is the backdrop of the poem ?
People are driving a car into the mountains .
There 's a lot of driving in the book .
I ’ m trying to make it clear that our lifestyles are embedded in the issue .
After you left Imperial Oil in 2014 , you could have channelled your ideas into lots of different things .
You chose to get an MFA and focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow you to do that other forms of activism don ’ t ?
The thing with poetry is it ’ s really trying to work with the unconscious , to evoke feelings and thoughts that we do n't actually have language for .
I also write opinion pieces where I am presenting facts and arguments and have a clear thesis .
In the past , I ’ ve had the naive thought that if you can just present people with the facts , their minds will change .
It ’ s not so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flavour .
It can provide an insight into the world beyond just the self and allow us to see the other , even just for a moment .
It makes us think .
Ross Belot , a former oil industry executive turned environmental poet , takes a minute to read poetry among the California redwoods .
Photo submitted by Ross Belot Based on your own experiences in oil and gas , and now reflecting on those experiences in your poetry , have you learned anything about what it will take to move us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're just counting on the people at the top to make the change , that does n't seem to be happening .
A lot of our leaders just pretend to be doing something .
Pretending wastes time .
Maybe we all need little micro-actions to make even small differences somehow .
At St. Mary ’ s , during my MFA , sometimes a group of us would go and read poetry at the refineries .
Maybe you would think that ’ s not going to make a difference , but maybe that might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s minds .
Maybe what you ’ re saying is that the world would be a better place if everyone spent a little more time nurturing their creativity and less time so obsessed with money .
One hundred per cent .
That ’ s something I ’ ve very much learned in the arts .
It ’ s brought an invaluable richness to my understanding of the world .

In 2014, when Ross Belot left a 32-year career at Imperial Oil advising senior executives on Alberta oilsands development, he didn’t slink off to a comfortable retirement of golf, tennis and maybe some bird-watching. Instead, the Hamilton, Ont., resident embarked on a second life, enrolling in a master of fine arts program at Saint Mary’s College of California, studying poetry and environmental writing. His recently released volume, Moving to Climate Change Hours, unsparingly re-examines his work in the fossil fuel industry, the destruction oil is having on the world and society’s complicity through our insatiable demand for gas. Here, he talks about how he transitioned from oil insider to artist and how he’s using poetry as a means of raising environmental awareness. You’re currently a poet, but before that you spent over three decades working for Imperial Oil. That’s an unusual career trajectory. How did that happen? Well, like most people, in high school I was interested in many things. Science, sociology, geography, languages. And then people said: "Get a job." Because I was good at math and English, I channelled myself into engineering and business. Everything else, including the artistic side of myself, got repressed. Until about 2000.
A friend of mine was taking a creative writing course at McMaster. I thought, oh, I used to like writing when I was in Grade 5, maybe I should try writing, too. I found I loved it; it grabbed hold of me. Ross Belot is a former oil industry executive turned environmental poet. Photo submitted by Ross Belot Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions You were still working in oil and gas at the time?
Yes. I was working when I started taking writing courses, including some programs at the Banff Centre, which really helped in my development. The Banff Centre exposed me to a completely different world view on the environment and politics. I met a totally different mix of people in terms of sexual orientation and race and gender, especially compared to my old white man workplace. How former oil executive @rossbelot came to shun fossil fuels and become an environmental poet. #climatechange #climatecrisis #poetry It wasn’t literally all old white men, but functionally, that’s how it felt. So much so that when my first book of poetry came out in 2008, I was almost embarrassed to tell people, ‘Oh, I’m writing poetry.’ It turned out, people were actually way more open-minded than I thought. And a lot of them had their own secret lives outside of work, too. People would say, "Oh, I’m writing a children's book, I'm doing stained glass, I have my Grade 8 piano." I had no idea. In a highly technical oil refinery, we just didn’t talk about our personal lives like that. That’s probably true of many workplaces. People are more complex than they allow themselves to appear in a professional context.
Well, yeah. And you know, for me, I ended up in a senior manager position with a lot of responsibilities, and I was also very conflicted. In the 2000s, it had become more and more apparent that climate change was not being managed. Yet I was working for a company developing the oilsands. My job was to look for ways for the company to make more money in the oilsands. There were many conflicts and complexities in that, including the differences between my personal thinking and my workplace. It wasn’t just me. I know a lot of other people at work felt concerned, too. We just didn’t know how to express it. Why did that internal conflict, as you describe it, strike you more acutely during the 2000s? Was it because there wasn’t the same discourse around climate change when you first started working in oil and gas in the late 1970s? Actually, in 1979, I took an air pollution course at McMaster University, and we discussed greenhouse gases, the hole in the ozone and acid rain. Bill McKibben’s book on global warming, the End of Nature, didn’t come out until 10 years later, but we were still talking about the issues in 1979. The thought was more like, oh, we're going to solve this. The ozone and acid rain were largely addressed with technology. It’s just that over time I realized that the people in charge really weren’t doing anything to solve greenhouse gases or their consequences.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--If Indigenous people exercise their right to say no ... then what?

About 20 years ago , Wilton Littlechild , then a regional chief , took the podium at the annual chiefs ’ assembly to talk about the United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples ( UNDRIP ) .
It cleared the room .
Chiefs and reporters left to grab a coffee or have a smoke .
The drafting of an “ aspirational ” list of Indigenous rights just didn ’ t seem … well , compelling .
And frankly , the idea had been percolating at the United Nations since 1982 with little progress .
You can forgive us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Littlechild didn ’ t even have a PowerPoint .
In between then and now , UNDRIP has become — depending on your politics — a key to transforming Canadian laws in an extraordinary act of reconciliation or a “ bogeyman , ” as Métis leader David Chartrand recently quipped .
On the reconciliation side are the Liberals , the NDP and national leaders of Indigenous organizations representing First Nations , Métis and Inuit .
On the bogeyman side : Conservatives who say Bill C-15 will give Indigenous people too much power and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say the opposite — the “ Canadianization ” of UNDRIP will erode their rights .
• This Nova Scotia woman is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture UNDRIP is 46 succinct paragraphs recognizing Indigenous rights , crafted by a diverse group of Indigenous Peoples from around the globe .
This includes Indigenous rights to control our own education , practise our culture and maintain our political , economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already risqué in Canadian political thought .
But the real “ bogeyman ” in UNDRIP for Conservatives and industry are the rights of self-determination and control over traditional lands and resources that require governments to obtain “ free , prior and informed consent ” before development occurs or legislation is passed .
This all sounds scarily like a veto power , except UNDRIP was not supposed to be binding .
UNDRIP became a politically interesting news story after September 2007 .
Not because it was adopted by the UN , but because Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Australia voted against it ( 144 countries voted in favour , 11 abstained ) .
Journalists do love a mystery , and this was a brainteaser .
Why was Canada , then under Stephen Harper ’ s leadership , rejecting a document that had no legal force and seemed to amount to no more than a lovely thought ?
Hard lobbying by Indigenous leaders eventually led all four holdouts , including Harper ’ s government , to reverse their decision and adopt UNDRIP as the “ aspirational ” document it was said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there , like a warm hug .
But it didn ’ t .
`` # UNDRIP has become — depending on your politics — a key to transforming Canadian laws in an extraordinary act of # reconciliation or a 'bogeyman , ' '' says Karyn Pugliese , a.k.a .
Pabàmàdiz .
Instead , UNDRIP went from an inspirational pamphlet to a roadmap for reconciliation — at least for the Liberals , NDP and some Indigenous leaders .
That surprise twist came in June 2015 .
Canada ’ s narrowly mandated Truth and Reconciliation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commissioner — produced a royal commission-sized report that mentioned UNDRIP 25 times in its recommendations and called for all levels of government “ to fully adopt and implement ” UNDRIP .
Even more surprising , newly minted Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau offered `` unwavering support '' for every one of the report 's recommendations .
Of course , that was before the 2015 election .
We believe election promises at our peril .
And wannabe PMs say the darndest things .
Surprisingly , Prime Minister Trudeau stuck to his speaking points post-election at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York in 2017 , declaring UNDRIP was “ not an aspiration ” but “ a way forward , ” committing that Canada was now “ a full supporter of the declaration , without qualification.
” There was applause .
Around that time , then NDP MP Romeo Saganash , who is also Cree and a lawyer , decided to test the Liberals ’ resolve .
He introduced a private member ’ s bill to harmonize all federal laws with the rights recognized in UNDRIP .
The majority Liberal government passed it in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate .
The bill died on the order paper when Parliament dissolved for the 2019 election .
Last week , the Liberals introduced an updated version of Saganash ’ s bill .
Bill C-15 , An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , will eventually make Canadian laws compliant with the rights in UNDRIP .
Over time , UNDRIP would move from an aspirational document to a prescription for Canadian laws , which the Liberals described as a full recognition of Indigenous rights .
But that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political right , industry and grassroots First Nations .
Conservative Leader Erin O ’ Toole is not an UNDRIP fan any more than his predecessors were .
He told APTN that free , prior and informed consent sounds too much like a veto over development for his liking .
Tom Flanagan , a political scientist and senior fellow of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy , agrees .
In his report , Squaring the Circle : Adopting UNDRIP in Canada , Flanagan explains that a Supreme Court ruling stating Indigenous people must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , does not give them a veto .
And he likes it that way .
His problem is he fears Bill C-15 opens the door to veto power .
Flanagan has spent enough time working with Indigenous people to understand us , even if he doesn ’ t agree with us .
Most Indigenous people believe they already have a right to self-determination , and a veto regardless of what Canada ’ s Supreme Court thinks .
Recently the phrase “ rule of law ” has made its way into the Conservative party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to delegitimize Indigenous demonstrations over disputed land .
The Indigenous comeback line is : “ Whose rule of law is it , anyway ?
” Indigenous people do not believe blockades are illegal .
They believe they are upholding the law — their law .
The law in treaties .
The law in Section 35 of the Constitution .
First Nations that never signed treaties or ceded land will tell you they are following traditional laws and that since they never signed a deal with Canada , Canada has no legal authority over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point to UNDRIP as a way to cement self-determination .
In his book , The Reconciliation Manifesto , the late Shuswap leader Art Manuel wrote : “ The right that UNDRIP confers on our peoples is a declaration of independence of our nations within the Canadian space.
” Sovereignty , but not separation .
That is Manuel ’ s definition of reconciliation .
It ’ s the kind of statement that must give Flanagan nightmares .
It ’ s a hard line , far past his comfort zone , where reconciliation is restricted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whatever Bill C-15 will mean is not determined yet .
But we had some hints at last week ’ s announcement .
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett has said Bill C-15 will only recognize Indigenous rights already determined by the Supreme Court .
Justice Minister David Lametti noted the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has endorsed the idea of implementing UNDRIP , that it will provide certainty to developers and “ the word veto does not exist in the document.
” Then , Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s about the involvement , the inclusion .
And that ’ s the right to say yes , the right to say no , the right to say yes with conditions.
” There is the sticking point : The right to say no .
If Indigenous people exercise that right , when we say no … then what ?
That has been the question behind every blockade .
It is the cause of every land action .
It is what pits Indigenous families against armed police .
The answer will define @ @ @ @

About 20 years ago, Wilton Littlechild, then a regional chief, took the podium at the annual chiefs’ assembly to talk about the United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It cleared the room. Chiefs and reporters left to grab a coffee or have a smoke. The drafting of an “aspirational” list of Indigenous rights just didn’t seem … well, compelling. And frankly, the idea had been percolating at the United Nations since 1982 with little progress. You can forgive us for overlooking it. I mean, Littlechild didn’t even have a PowerPoint. In between then and now, UNDRIP has become — depending on your politics — a key to transforming Canadian laws in an extraordinary act of reconciliation or a “bogeyman,” as Métis leader David Chartrand recently quipped. On the reconciliation side are the Liberals, the NDP and national leaders of Indigenous organizations representing First Nations, Métis and Inuit. On the bogeyman side: Conservatives who say Bill C-15 will give Indigenous people too much power and a large group of grassroots Indigenous Peoples who say the opposite — the “Canadianization” of UNDRIP will erode their rights. Let’s start with the Conservatives.
They never liked UNDRIP. UNDRIP is 46 succinct paragraphs recognizing Indigenous rights, crafted by a diverse group of Indigenous Peoples from around the globe. This includes Indigenous rights to control our own education, practise our culture and maintain our political, economic and social systems. Those ideas are already risqué in Canadian political thought. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions But the real “bogeyman” in UNDRIP for Conservatives and industry are the rights of self-determination and control over traditional lands and resources that require governments to obtain “free, prior and informed consent” before development occurs or legislation is passed. This all sounds scarily like a veto power, except UNDRIP was not supposed to be binding.
UNDRIP became a politically interesting news story after September 2007. Not because it was adopted by the UN, but because Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia voted against it (144 countries voted in favour, 11 abstained). "#UNDRIP has become — depending on your politics — a key to transforming Canadian laws in an extraordinary act of #reconciliation or a 'bogeyman,'" says Karyn Pugliese, a.k.a. Pabàmàdiz. Journalists do love a mystery, and this was a brainteaser. Why was Canada, then under Stephen Harper’s leadership, rejecting a document that had no legal force and seemed to amount to no more than a lovely thought? Hard lobbying by Indigenous leaders eventually led all four holdouts, including Harper’s government, to reverse their decision and adopt UNDRIP as the “aspirational” document it was said to be. It should have ended there, like a warm hug. But it didn’t. Instead, UNDRIP went from an inspirational pamphlet to a roadmap for reconciliation — at least for the Liberals, NDP and some Indigenous leaders. That surprise twist came in June 2015. Canada’s narrowly mandated Truth and Reconciliation Commission — for which Littlechild was a commissioner — produced a royal commission-sized report that mentioned UNDRIP 25 times in its recommendations and called for all levels of government “to fully adopt and implement” UNDRIP.
Even more surprising, newly minted Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau offered "unwavering support" for every one of the report's recommendations. Of course, that was before the 2015 election. We believe election promises at our peril. And wannabe PMs say the darndest things.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Liberal MP casts doubt on material behind government’s fish farms decision

A Liberal MP said Monday that several risk assessments the federal fisheries department relied on in its decision on B.C .
wild salmon “ didn ’ t necessarily pass everybody ’ s sniff test.
” Ken Hardie , who represents the British Columbia riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells , raised several questions during a parliamentary committee meeting about the assessments studied by the department to arrive at its conclusion that open-net pen fish farms pose little risk to wild salmon .
The committee was meeting ahead of a government decision expected later this month on whether it will renew fish farm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Nations Leadership Council has called for an immediate end to salmon farming operations that use open-net pens in B.C .
waters , saying that sea lice is contributing to the steep drop in wild salmon stocks .
After making his remarks about the risk assessments , Hardie then asked Fraser if the BC Salmon Farmers Association had funded “ any of the work that was done.
” Fraser responded that it had not .
“ OK , ” Hardie continued , “ I understand that the studies themselves weren ’ t agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who questioned some of the findings , ( while ) others supported them .
Do you know what gaps existed there , between the two sides of the people participating in the study ?
” Fraser said he wasn ’ t sure , as he understood that the process was private .
A Liberal MP said Monday that several risk assessments the federal fisheries department relied on in its decision on B.C .
wild salmon “ didn ’ t necessarily pass everybody ’ s sniff test.
” # cdnpoli “ All we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was announced , kind of like when the Pope is chosen , we all know , ” he said .
“ And then there ’ s a very detailed analysis that ’ s provided.
” Hardie went on , saying he understood that the focus of the studies was on “ viruses ” and that “ a number of individual viruses were studied , but not necessarily the cumulative impact , ( or ) perhaps the presence of more than one virus , in the farms themselves — the operations and the impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its nine risk assessments were done on pathogens “ known to cause disease from aquaculture operations in the Discovery Islands area.
” All reached the conclusion of minimal risk .
The council , however , has cited an independent report by marine biologist Alexandra Morton that suggests almost all of sampled juvenile wild salmon through the area were infected .
Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan ’ s mandate letter says she will work with British Columbia and Indigenous communities to “ create a responsible plan to transition from open-net pen salmon farming in coastal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NDP critic for fisheries and oceans Gord Johns , MP for Courtenay-Alberni , who has called on the government to transition to closed containment aquaculture , referenced the council ’ s call for an end to open-net pen salmon farming in his comments to committee witnesses .

A Liberal MP said Monday that several risk assessments the federal fisheries department relied on in its decision on B.C. wild salmon “didn’t necessarily pass everybody’s sniff test.” Ken Hardie, who represents the British Columbia riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, raised several questions during a parliamentary committee meeting about the assessments studied by the department to arrive at its conclusion that open-net pen fish farms pose little risk to wild salmon. The committee was meeting ahead of a government decision expected later this month on whether it will renew fish farm licences in the Discovery Islands. The First Nations Leadership Council has called for an immediate end to salmon farming operations that use open-net pens in B.C. waters, saying that sea lice is contributing to the steep drop in wild salmon stocks. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it studied nine different farm fish diseases in making its decision, and that there have already been measures put in place to crack down on sea lice issues. But the department has faced criticism that it ignored independent and peer-reviewed science that demonstrates how sea lice is a threat, Canada’s National Observer has reported. Hardie said during the committee meeting that the risk assessments “didn’t necessarily pass everybody’s sniff test in terms of what was studied, how it was studied and the conclusions that came out.”
The MP was reacting to a response by John Paul Fraser, executive director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association, who was appearing as a witness at the committee. Fraser had been speaking with Conservative MP Mel Arnold, who represents North Okanagan-Shuswap. Arnold asked Fraser if he had expected the government to make a decision about salmon earlier in the fall, and whether salmon farmers had been provided a seat at the table as the government consults with seven First Nations in the region about the licence renewals. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions Fraser said he did expect a decision and was “heartened” with the recommendations. He said he knew the First Nations consultations were underway and it was a “government-to-government process between the federal government and the Discovery Islands-area nations, and we fully respect that process.”
After making his remarks about the risk assessments, Hardie then asked Fraser if the BC Salmon Farmers Association had funded “any of the work that was done.” Fraser responded that it had not. A Liberal MP said Monday that several risk assessments the federal fisheries department relied on in its decision on B.C. wild salmon “didn’t necessarily pass everybody’s sniff test.” #cdnpoli “OK,” Hardie continued, “I understand that the studies themselves weren’t agreed to unanimously — that there were some people who questioned some of the findings, (while) others supported them. Do you know what gaps existed there, between the two sides of the people participating in the study?” Fraser said he wasn’t sure, as he understood that the process was private. “All we know is that, when the review was announced, kind of like when the Pope is chosen, we all know,” he said. “And then there’s a very detailed analysis that’s provided.” Hardie went on, saying he understood that the focus of the studies was on “viruses” and that “a number of individual viruses were studied, but not necessarily the cumulative impact, (or) perhaps the presence of more than one virus, in the farms themselves — the operations and the impact on wild salmon.”
The department says its nine risk assessments were done on pathogens “known to cause disease from aquaculture operations in the Discovery Islands area.” All reached the conclusion of minimal risk. The council, however, has cited an independent report by marine biologist Alexandra Morton that suggests almost all of sampled juvenile wild salmon through the area were infected. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan’s mandate letter says she will work with British Columbia and Indigenous communities to “create a responsible plan to transition from open-net pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025."


nationalobserver--2020-12-07--Food prices are set to rise in 2021 — and farmers, food-insecure people will take a hit

A Canadian family of four can expect to spend almost $ 700 more on food next year , according to a report released Tuesday .
That ’ s about a five per cent increase compared to 2020 .
The annual study , a collaboration between food researchers at four universities now in its 11th year , uses economic data , observed market trends and AI to predict food prices .
Their analysis shows that meat , baked goods and vegetables will likely see the greatest increases , reflecting the pandemic-related challenges — from COVID-19 outbreaks in processing plants to low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s still-resilient food supply chain this year .
“ With the exception of some short-term hoarding of high-demand food products , the various supply chains continue to function remarkably well , ” said James Vercammen , project co-lead and professor of land and food systems at the University of British Columbia .
“ But consumers need to understand that Canada imports a sizable fraction of its fresh fruits and vegetables from the U.S. , Mexico and other countries .
The potential exists for significant disruptions in these imports if there ( are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” About 78 per cent of produce eaten in B.C .
is imported , mostly from the U.S. , according to a report commissioned by Metro Vancouver this year .
And while those supply chains have remained relatively intact , they ’ re not immune .
For instance , record-low oil prices at the start of the pandemic pushed down the value of the Canadian dollar .
That made it more expensive to bring vegetables , fruits and other food into Canada , a trend Simon Somogyi , project co-lead and a professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will continue into 2021 , with fruits and vegetables costing about two to four per cent more .
• This Nova Scotia woman is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture A global wheat shortage will also probably push up the price of wheat , he noted .
That will directly impact the cost of baked goods , which are expected to cost up to two per cent more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has risen steadily since the 1970s , but not the price farmers get for their wheat .
Graph by Darrin Qualman/National Farmers Union Meat will also see a price increase of between four and six per cent .
Canada ’ s meat processing system , which is highly consolidated ( three abattoirs process 95 per cent of the beef eaten in Canada , for example ) , was hit by several outbreaks early in the pandemic and needed to shut down .
The cost of those closures and subsequent purchases of personal protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed on to consumers , said Somogyi .
Overall , these increases will result in higher food prices across the board .
According to the report — which breaks down the anticipated increase by age category and gender — Canadians can expect to pay from $ 2,016 for a child between one and three years old up to $ 3,974 for a teenage boy .
A woman between 31 and 50 can expect to pay about $ 3,193 , while a man of the same age can anticipate spending about $ 3,559 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the developed world , according to the World Economic Forum .
But millions are still struggling with food insecurity , and low food prices have hit Canadian farmers hard , too .
“ Families with less means will be significantly challenged in 2021 , and many will be left behind , ” said Sylvain Charlebois , project lead and director of Dalhousie University ’ s Agri-Food Analytics Lab .
“ Immunity to higher food prices requires more cooking , more discipline and more research .
It ’ s as simple as that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels of food insecurity in Canada ” before the pandemic , said Hannah Wittman , professor of land and food systems at the University of British Columbia .
“ If you want to increase food security , simply focusing on food prices isn ’ t going to resolve it.
” About 3.8 million Canadians were food insecure before the pandemic , according to Statistics Canada .
That number had risen by about four per cent , to 5.3 million , by May 2020 and is expected to continue rising as the pandemic drags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous people , people of colour and families with children — the same groups that have borne the brunt of the pandemic — are most at risk , Wittman said .
Researchers at PROOF , a research project on food insecurity based at the University of Toronto , have noted that wages are the main source of income for roughly 65 per cent of food-insecure Canadians .
Low-wage jobs and precarious work situations , including many that have been proven essential during the pandemic , are to blame , they say .
Valerie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also pointed out that many people struggling to make ends meet don ’ t have time to go to a food bank , let alone spend more time on cooking and planning .
The annual income for someone working full time at the minimum hourly wage — from $ 12.15 in Newfoundland and Labrador to $ 16 in Nunavut — is $ 27,600 .
Assuming they have no children or other dependants , an adult could expect to spend , on average , 12 per cent of their income on food , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If they are supporting a child or teenager , that could climb to 22 per cent , or $ 6,072 , on average .
But hungry people aren ’ t the only ones struggling with Canadian food prices , which are among the lowest in the developed world , according to the World Economic Forum .
“ Farmers are also really suffering with some really low food prices , ” Wittman said .
About 14.6 per cent of each food dollar goes to farms , according to United States Department of Agriculture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation is similar in Canada .
However , the majority of this profit goes towards the costs of production , explained Darrin Qualman , director of climate crisis policy at the National Farmers Union , because a handful of companies control the market for seeds , fertilizers and other inputs .
This has contributed to skyrocketing levels of farm debt in Canada , which reached $ 115 billion this year .
Meanwhile , net income has dropped , hovering around $ 10 billion annually since the mid-1980s , rates unseen since the Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represents Canadian total farm sales , while the green represents Canadian farms ' net income .
The discrepancy between the two originates in a mismatch between farmers ' costs of production and the price they receive for their products — prices set by Canada 's grocery chains .
Graph by Darrin Qualman/National Farmers Union Meanwhile , Canada ’ s three major grocery chains — Loblaws , Sobeys and Metro — control 63 per cent of grocery stores in Canada .
That gives them a consolidated hold on the industry , which makes it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more financially sustainable prices .
“ Part of why our food is so inexpensive in comparison to other countries is that we ’ re downloading costs onto farmers , many of whom aren ’ t making a living , and we ’ re not including social , public health and environmental externalities , which are borne by the public , ” Wittman said .
“ We need a whole system change where we improve people ’ s income so they can afford to pay higher food prices that actually reflect the true cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ecological externalities .
”

A Canadian family of four can expect to spend almost $700 more on food next year, according to a report released Tuesday. That’s about a five per cent increase compared to 2020. The annual study, a collaboration between food researchers at four universities now in its 11th year, uses economic data, observed market trends and AI to predict food prices. Their analysis shows that meat, baked goods and vegetables will likely see the greatest increases, reflecting the pandemic-related challenges — from COVID-19 outbreaks in processing plants to low oil prices — that have faced Canada’s still-resilient food supply chain this year. “With the exception of some short-term hoarding of high-demand food products, the various supply chains continue to function remarkably well,” said James Vercammen, project co-lead and professor of land and food systems at the University of British Columbia. “But consumers need to understand that Canada imports a sizable fraction of its fresh fruits and vegetables from the U.S., Mexico and other countries. The potential exists for significant disruptions in these imports if there (are additional waves) of the COVID-19 pandemic.” About 78 per cent of produce eaten in B.C. is imported, mostly from the U.S., according to a report commissioned by Metro Vancouver this year. And while those supply chains have remained relatively intact, they’re not immune.
For instance, record-low oil prices at the start of the pandemic pushed down the value of the Canadian dollar. That made it more expensive to bring vegetables, fruits and other food into Canada, a trend Simon Somogyi, project co-lead and a professor at the University of Guelph, expects will continue into 2021, with fruits and vegetables costing about two to four per cent more. A global wheat shortage will also probably push up the price of wheat, he noted. That will directly impact the cost of baked goods, which are expected to cost up to two per cent more next year. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions The price of bread has risen steadily since the 1970s, but not the price farmers get for their wheat. Graph by Darrin Qualman/National Farmers Union
Meat will also see a price increase of between four and six per cent. Canada’s meat processing system, which is highly consolidated (three abattoirs process 95 per cent of the beef eaten in Canada, for example), was hit by several outbreaks early in the pandemic and needed to shut down. The cost of those closures and subsequent purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE) will likely be passed on to consumers, said Somogyi. Canadian food prices are among the lowest in the developed world, according to the World Economic Forum. But millions are still struggling with food insecurity, and low food prices have hit Canadian farmers hard, too. Overall, these increases will result in higher food prices across the board. According to the report — which breaks down the anticipated increase by age category and gender — Canadians can expect to pay from $2,016 for a child between one and three years old up to $3,974 for a teenage boy. A woman between 31 and 50 can expect to pay about $3,193, while a man of the same age can anticipate spending about $3,559. “Families with less means will be significantly challenged in 2021, and many will be left behind,” said Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. “Immunity to higher food prices requires more cooking, more discipline and more research. It’s as simple as that.” Or perhaps not.
“We already had very high levels of food insecurity in Canada” before the pandemic, said Hannah Wittman, professor of land and food systems at the University of British Columbia. “If you want to increase food security, simply focusing on food prices isn’t going to resolve it.” About 3.8 million Canadians were food insecure before the pandemic, according to Statistics Canada. That number had risen by about four per cent, to 5.3 million, by May 2020 and is expected to continue rising as the pandemic drags on. Women, Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour and families with children — the same groups that have borne the brunt of the pandemic — are most at risk, Wittman said. Researchers at PROOF, a research project on food insecurity based at the University of Toronto, have noted that wages are the main source of income for roughly 65 per cent of food-insecure Canadians. Low-wage jobs and precarious work situations, including many that have been proven essential during the pandemic, are to blame, they say.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--What the provinces and territories have said about COVID-19 vaccine plans so far

The Canadian military will have a role to play in vaccine distribution .
Various provinces have started spelling out their plans as well .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa expects to receive up to 249,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech .
Its approval is said to be imminent .
The second vaccine in line for approval in Canada is from Moderna .
The federal government says the largest mass immunization effort in Canadian history could begin as early as next week .
The province announced no new cases on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was on high alert as officials were still trying to chase down the source of an infection announced in the region over the weekend .
The announcement comes as Furey told reporters Monday that the province would remain outside of the Atlantic `` bubble , '' meaning all visitors to the province must self-isolate for 14 days , regardless of whether they come from Atlantic Canada .
Premier Andrew Furey says he anticipates receiving 1,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the St. John ’ s receiving site next week .
Here ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve said so far : She says the province will be able to start administering the doses the day after the vaccine arrives .
Morrison says she expects to receive 1,950 doses in the first shipment , and the clinic will have to be held at the storage location because the Pfizer vaccine must be kept frozen .
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Heather Morrison says the province plans to begin by administering the Pfizer vaccine to priority groups , including residents and staff of long-term care homes , health-care workers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Prince Edward Island say they are ready to administer the COVID-19 vaccine when the first shipment of the vaccine arrives next week .
Furey says the province expects another shipment of the vaccine later in the month .
The province is working to identify the priority groups that will receive the vaccine in the first phase of vaccinations , based on recommendations from the federal government .
New Brunswick health officials say the province expects to receive up to 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine around Dec. 14 as part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month .
Nova Scotia will receive 1,950 doses of Pfizer ’ s COVID-19 vaccine for an initial test run next week .
The Health Department says the province will also be participating in a dry run this week with the federal government , Dalhousie University and the vaccine manufacturer .
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang said last week that so far , Nova Scotia has one ultra-low-temperature freezer to store the vaccine at a hospital complex in Halifax .
He said the province was also getting another freezer through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ central depot for vaccines at the public health office in Halifax .
The province is also looking at securing freezers from the private sector .
Quebec says the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine could be administered in the province as early as next week .
Health Minister Christian Dube says the province plans to give its first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to about 2,000 people in long-term care homes .
In a technical briefing before a Monday news conference , public health experts said residents of long-term care homes and health-care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine .
The groups next in line are people living in private seniors residences , followed by residents of isolated communities and then anyone aged 80 and over .
Dube says Quebec also expects to receive enough Pfizer vaccines between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 to vaccinate 22,000 to 28,000 people .
Premier Doug Ford says vulnerable seniors , their caregivers and health-care workers will be among the first to receive a vaccine .
Adults in Indigenous communities , residents of retirement homes and recipients of chronic home health-care will also be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be April before the shots are widely available to others .
Retired general Rick Hillier , who is leading Ontario ’ s vaccine task force , says the province should be able to vaccinate 1.2 million people during the first three months of 2021 .
The province says it will also be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection .
Health Minister Christine Elliott says while the vaccine is not mandatory , people who do not get the shot may face travel restrictions or may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spaces .
Elliott says the province will provide proof of immunization to everyone who receives a dose Government officials say they ’ ve been assembling the necessary people and equipment to set up a large-scale `` super site '' to deliver the vaccine as soon as it is available .
Premier Brian Pallister says the province has also purchased the necessary supplies to administer two doses of the vaccine to every person in the province .
The first freezer able to store the Pfizer vaccine at low temperatures has been delivered and installed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the vaccine supply from the federal government expands over the coming months , the province says it will become more widely available in a larger number of sites , similar to a conventional vaccination campaign , such as the annual flu shot .
Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan is ready to receive doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine , with the province set to reveal its distribution plan later today .
Moe says the province has an ultra-low-temperature freezer required to store the product .
Vaccinations will happen in a staggered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inoculate health-care workers and vulnerable residents , such as seniors living in long-term care homes .
Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta expects to start getting COVID-19 vaccines in the first week of January .
High-risk patients and health workers will get them first .
Kenney says his government has struck an interdepartmental team to roll out the vaccines from 30 different locations in the province .
Dr. Deena Hinshaw , Alberta ’ s chief medical officer of health , has said the province is expected to receive 680,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet confirmed by the federal government .
The provincial health officer says British Columbia is expected to receive its first doses of the vaccine next week , adding that she hopes Health Canada will soon approve its use .
The first doses will go to health-care workers and elders living in long−term care , Dr. Bonnie Henry says .
Provincial officials are expected to provide more information about the rollout of the vaccine in the coming days .
Nunavut ’ s chief public health officer says the territory will look to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ available in Canada .
Dr. Michael Patterson , says Moderna ’ s vaccine is preferred because Pfizer ’ s requires cold storage and shipping would be too difficult in Nunavut .
Patterson says Iqaluit is the only community where it would be possible to store the Pfizer vaccine .
Patterson says the territory ’ s focus for vaccine rollout will be higher risk groups , such as elders .
He says the rollout depends on how many doses Nunavut gets , which is still unknown .
Lorne Kusugak , Nunavut ’ s health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobbying the federal government to make Nunavut a high priority to receive COVID-19 vaccines .
Premier Sandy Silver says he is meeting with the prime minister and his fellow premiers later this week to discuss plans for vaccine rollout .
He says the goal will be to provide vaccines to elderly people and health-care providers .
Silver says rural and remote communities should also get priority status in northern regions , a fact he says he ’ s emphasized with federal authorities .
The premier says he has joined the other provincial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy to distribute the vaccine .
Silver says the Pfizer vaccine could cause logistical problems for remote communities because of its cold-storage requirements , but those issues may not apply to other vaccines under development .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8 , 2020 .

Here’s a look at what they’ve said so far:
The Canadian military will have a role to play in vaccine distribution. Various provinces have started spelling out their plans as well.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa expects to receive up to 249,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech. Its approval is said to be imminent. The second vaccine in line for approval in Canada is from Moderna.
The federal government says the largest mass immunization effort in Canadian history could begin as early as next week.
The announcement comes as Furey told reporters Monday that the province would remain outside of the Atlantic "bubble," meaning all visitors to the province must self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether they come from Atlantic Canada.
Premier Andrew Furey says he anticipates receiving 1,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the St. John’s receiving site next week.
Health officials on Prince Edward Island say they are ready to administer the COVID-19 vaccine when the first shipment of the vaccine arrives next week.
Furey says the province expects another shipment of the vaccine later in the month.
The province announced no new cases on Monday, but the town of Harbour Breton was on high alert as officials were still trying to chase down the source of an infection announced in the region over the weekend.
She says the province will be able to start administering the doses the day after the vaccine arrives.
Morrison says she expects to receive 1,950 doses in the first shipment, and the clinic will have to be held at the storage location because the Pfizer vaccine must be kept frozen.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Heather Morrison says the province plans to begin by administering the Pfizer vaccine to priority groups, including residents and staff of long-term care homes, health-care workers and adults in Indigenous communities.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick health officials say the province expects to receive up to 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine around Dec. 14 as part of the first of two shipments that may occur this month.
The province is working to identify the priority groups that will receive the vaccine in the first phase of vaccinations, based on recommendations from the federal government.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia will receive 1,950 doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for an initial test run next week.
The Health Department says the province will also be participating in a dry run this week with the federal government, Dalhousie University and the vaccine manufacturer.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang said last week that so far, Nova Scotia has one ultra-low-temperature freezer to store the vaccine at a hospital complex in Halifax.
He said the province was also getting another freezer through Ottawa that will operate out of a central depot for vaccines at the public health office in Halifax. The province is also looking at securing freezers from the private sector.
Quebec
Quebec says the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine could be administered in the province as early as next week.
Health Minister Christian Dube says the province plans to give its first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to about 2,000 people in long-term care homes.
In a technical briefing before a Monday news conference, public health experts said residents of long-term care homes and health-care workers would have first priority to receive the vaccine.
The groups next in line are people living in private seniors residences, followed by residents of isolated communities and then anyone aged 80 and over.
Dube says Quebec also expects to receive enough Pfizer vaccines between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 to vaccinate 22,000 to 28,000 people.
Ontario
Premier Doug Ford says vulnerable seniors, their caregivers and health-care workers will be among the first to receive a vaccine.
Adults in Indigenous communities, residents of retirement homes and recipients of chronic home health-care will also be considered priority groups.
But it may be April before the shots are widely available to others.
Retired general Rick Hillier, who is leading Ontario’s vaccine task force, says the province should be able to vaccinate 1.2 million people during the first three months of 2021.
The province says it will also be prioritizing the rollout of the vaccine in regions with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says while the vaccine is not mandatory, people who do not get the shot may face travel restrictions or may not be able to access some communal spaces.
Elliott says the province will provide proof of immunization to everyone who receives a dose
Manitoba
Government officials say they’ve been assembling the necessary people and equipment to set up a large-scale "super site" to deliver the vaccine as soon as it is available.
Premier Brian Pallister says the province has also purchased the necessary supplies to administer two doses of the vaccine to every person in the province.
The first freezer able to store the Pfizer vaccine at low temperatures has been delivered and installed, with another four on the way.
As the vaccine supply from the federal government expands over the coming months, the province says it will become more widely available in a larger number of sites, similar to a conventional vaccination campaign, such as the annual flu shot.
Saskatchewan
Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan is ready to receive doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, with the province set to reveal its distribution plan later today.
Moe says the province has an ultra-low-temperature freezer required to store the product.
Vaccinations will happen in a staggered approach, with the plan being to inoculate health-care workers and vulnerable residents, such as seniors living in long-term care homes.
Alberta
Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta expects to start getting COVID-19 vaccines in the first week of January.
High-risk patients and health workers will get them first.
Kenney says his government has struck an interdepartmental team to roll out the vaccines from 30 different locations in the province.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, has said the province is expected to receive 680,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine early in the new year, a figure not yet confirmed by the federal government.
British Columbia
The provincial health officer says British Columbia is expected to receive its first doses of the vaccine next week, adding that she hopes Health Canada will soon approve its use.
The first doses will go to health-care workers and elders living in long−term care, Dr. Bonnie Henry says.
Provincial officials are expected to provide more information about the rollout of the vaccine in the coming days.
Nunavut
Nunavut’s chief public health officer says the territory will look to get the Moderna vaccine once it’s available in Canada.
Dr. Michael Patterson, says Moderna’s vaccine is preferred because Pfizer’s requires cold storage and shipping would be too difficult in Nunavut.
Patterson says Iqaluit is the only community where it would be possible to store the Pfizer vaccine.
Patterson says the territory’s focus for vaccine rollout will be higher risk groups, such as elders. He says the rollout depends on how many doses Nunavut gets, which is still unknown.
Lorne Kusugak, Nunavut’s health minister, says he’s been lobbying the federal government to make Nunavut a high priority to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
Yukon
Premier Sandy Silver says he is meeting with the prime minister and his fellow premiers later this week to discuss plans for vaccine rollout.
He says the goal will be to provide vaccines to elderly people and health-care providers.
Silver says rural and remote communities should also get priority status in northern regions, a fact he says he’s emphasized with federal authorities.
The premier says he has joined the other provincial and territorial leaders in pushing for a national strategy to distribute the vaccine.
Silver says the Pfizer vaccine could cause logistical problems for remote communities because of its cold-storage requirements, but those issues may not apply to other vaccines under development.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2020.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Conservatives prepared to talk out the clock on assisted dying bill: O'Toole

OTTAWA — Many people will suffer needlessly if Conservatives continue filibustering a bill on medically assisted dying beyond a court-imposed deadline of Dec. 18 , Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday .
Conservative Leader Erin O ’ Toole had served notice a few hours earlier that his party will continue to talk out the clock on Bill C-7 .
O ’ Toole said the bill removes safeguards to protect people with disabilities from being coerced or pressured by a lack of supports into ending their lives prematurely .
And he said his party will continue to stand up for them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lametti said his focus , for now , remains on doing everything he can to get the bill through the Commons and the Senate by Dec. 18 .
But he added that `` all options are still open . ''
He warned that missing the deadline will mean that the foreseeable-death requirement will continue to apply across the country — except Quebec .
`` The basic thing that happens is that a lot of people suffer needlessly thanks Mr. O ’ Toole ’ s inability to control a certain rump element of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday that Bill C-7 is `` essentially about compassion '' and is `` very , very popular '' in Quebec , urging Conservative Leader Erin O ’ Toole to let it come to a vote .
# cdnpoli He said the legal vacuum would create uncertainty in Quebec and have a `` chilling effect '' on medical practitioners in that province who would fear potential criminal liability for providing assisted dying for people who are not near death .
`` It will also create inequality across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is grounds for further legal action . ''
Lametti would not comment on the possibility of the government introducing a motion to cut off debate on the bill , saying that ’ s up to government House leader Pablo Rodriguez .
Such a motion would need the support of at least one other opposition party , which likely wouldn ’ t be an obstacle since the NDP and Bloc Québécois both support the bill .
Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday that Bill C−7 is `` essentially about compassion '' and is `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And he urged O ’ Toole to let it come to a vote .
`` I ask the Conservative leader … to tell his people to compromise , to hurry , and this law will pass , '' Blanchet said .
Notwithstanding Lametti ’ s suggestion that O ’ Toole is catering to the socially conservative faction in his caucus , the vast majority of Conservative MPs are opposed to the bill .
Last week , 103 Conservatives , including O ’ Toole , voted against accepting the bill as amended by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supported it .
Efforts by the federal government to comply with the deadline are running well behind schedule as the Conservatives have been seizing every minute of debate available to press several concerns they have with the bill .
The Commons is currently scheduled to break for the holidays on Friday , returning in late January .
The bill must still pass third reading there , then go to the Senate .
If the Senate amends the bill , it would have to return to the Commons , all steps that may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ timeline .
O ’ Toole said Tuesday that ’ s the government ’ s fault , and the Liberals had options they didn ’ t pursue to get Parliament out from under the pressure of a deadline .
`` Today , they may be asking for a delay from the court , something they should have done months ago .
They should have appealed the decision or not prorogued , '' he said .
Other Conservative MPs advanced that line of argument during their own speeches Tuesday .
That in turn prompted accusations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to ignore a court ruling , as well as calling into question the character and competence of a Quebec Superior Court judge .
The bill has been caught up in the twists and turns the COVID-19 pandemic has created for much of the Liberals ’ legislative agenda .
An identical version of the bill was introduced in February , though never made it to committee before Parliament closed its doors in March as part of the countrywide shutdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus .
When Parliament resumed , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then , after the government prorogued Parliament in August , the bill had to be reintroduced .
That happened in October , and the Liberals argue there has been extensive debate since .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8 , 2020

OTTAWA — Many people will suffer needlessly if Conservatives continue filibustering a bill on medically assisted dying beyond a court-imposed deadline of Dec. 18, Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole had served notice a few hours earlier that his party will continue to talk out the clock on Bill C-7. O’Toole said the bill removes safeguards to protect people with disabilities from being coerced or pressured by a lack of supports into ending their lives prematurely. And he said his party will continue to stand up for them for as long as it takes. "I think all Canadians want to make sure the vulnerable are provided for, that is all we’re asking," he said. "And so if we have to stay here for 24 hours a day, seven days a week to stand up for those Canadians, we will do that."
Bill C-7 is supposed to bring Canada’s assisted dying law into compliance with a Quebec Superior Court ruling last fall, which struck down a provision that allows assisted dying only for people whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable. The court gave the government six months to comply, a deadline that has been extended twice to take into account parliamentary delays caused by last fall’s election and the COVID-19 pandemic. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions O’Toole suggested that Lametti would seek another extension but the justice minister denied that.
Lametti said his focus, for now, remains on doing everything he can to get the bill through the Commons and the Senate by Dec. 18. But he added that "all options are still open." Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday that Bill C-7 is "essentially about compassion" and is "very, very popular" in Quebec, urging Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole to let it come to a vote. #cdnpoli He warned that missing the deadline will mean that the foreseeable-death requirement will continue to apply across the country — except Quebec. "The basic thing that happens is that a lot of people suffer needlessly thanks Mr. O’Toole’s inability to control a certain rump element of his caucus," Lametti told reporters. He said the legal vacuum would create uncertainty in Quebec and have a "chilling effect" on medical practitioners in that province who would fear potential criminal liability for providing assisted dying for people who are not near death. "It will also create inequality across the country, which in and of itself is grounds for further legal action."
Lametti would not comment on the possibility of the government introducing a motion to cut off debate on the bill, saying that’s up to government House leader Pablo Rodriguez. Such a motion would need the support of at least one other opposition party, which likely wouldn’t be an obstacle since the NDP and Bloc Québécois both support the bill. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday that Bill C−7 is "essentially about compassion" and is "very, very popular" in Quebec. And he urged O’Toole to let it come to a vote. "I ask the Conservative leader … to tell his people to compromise, to hurry, and this law will pass," Blanchet said.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--Canada must close the gap for Indigenous people after COVID-19, Bellegarde says

OTTAWA — Canada must invest in closing the gap for Indigenous people as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic , the outgoing head of the Assembly of First Nations said Tuesday .
`` That gap amplifies every threat and every harm from this pandemic , from the risk of infection to the stress of lockdown , '' National Chief Perry Bellegarde said in remarks to the virtual general assembly of the national political advocacy organization he has led since 2014 .
`` It is a riff that is both deep and wide .
And it ’ s been carved by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and indifference . ''
It also denies Indigenous people access to quality health care and forces families to live in overcrowded and unhealthy homes , he added , which is one way the COVID-19 pandemic risks making the socio-economic inequity for First Nations worse than before .
He also said reconciliation will not happen without a transformational change to keep Indigenous people safe , guarantee a better future for their children and protect the environment .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture `` We must try to replace fear and distrust with a common purpose to build a better , stronger and more resilient and a more tolerant Canada , '' he said .
Bellegarde , who announced Monday he is not seeking re-election next year , says he wants to focus on advocating for Indigenous people at this critical time .
`` Our team at the AFN will continue to advocate for access to the resources or communities that they all need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The election to name a new national chief will be held virtually and in Toronto next July .
The AFN is planning to urge the federal Liberal government to do more to deal with the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on their communities at the virtual version of its annual general assembly this week .
Chiefs are also set to discuss , among other things , whether they will support legislation the Liberal government introduced this week that would ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the United Nations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We must try to replace fear and distrust with a common purpose to build a better , stronger and more resilient and a more tolerant Canada , '' National Chief Perry Bellegarde said Tuesday at # AFNAGA2020 .
Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald says the pandemic has hit First Nations communities hard , but they have also long dealt with inequitable treatment in Canada .
She says Canada has an opportunity to take big steps toward improving the situation through programs , services and funding as the country rebuilds its economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is … very evident when you look at First Nations health status right now and why we have such high rates of COVID-19 , '' she said .
Later Tuesday , Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to address the general assembly , which was originally scheduled to take place in Halifax this summer but put off due to COVID-19 .
Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek says some Indigenous communities don ’ t have broadband internet and they will have to call in by phone to participate in the meeting .
`` This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing this , so there ’ s no doubt that there ’ s going to be some challenges and glitches , '' she said .
She says one resolution calls to end gender-based discrimination within the AFN , which represents more than 600 First Nations in Canada , to help the group lead the way in advancing gender equity .
The organization is expected to create a First Nations veterans council to promote the recognition of contributions of First Nations military and RCMP veterans in Canada through education and to develop and maintain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8 , 2020 .

OTTAWA — Canada must invest in closing the gap for Indigenous people as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the outgoing head of the Assembly of First Nations said Tuesday. "That gap amplifies every threat and every harm from this pandemic, from the risk of infection to the stress of lockdown," National Chief Perry Bellegarde said in remarks to the virtual general assembly of the national political advocacy organization he has led since 2014. "It is a riff that is both deep and wide. And it’s been carved by decades and centuries of racism, discrimination and indifference." It also denies Indigenous people access to quality health care and forces families to live in overcrowded and unhealthy homes, he added, which is one way the COVID-19 pandemic risks making the socio-economic inequity for First Nations worse than before. He also said reconciliation will not happen without a transformational change to keep Indigenous people safe, guarantee a better future for their children and protect the environment.
"We must try to replace fear and distrust with a common purpose to build a better, stronger and more resilient and a more tolerant Canada," he said. Bellegarde, who announced Monday he is not seeking re-election next year, says he wants to focus on advocating for Indigenous people at this critical time. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "Our team at the AFN will continue to advocate for access to the resources or communities that they all need to manage this crisis," he said.
The election to name a new national chief will be held virtually and in Toronto next July. "We must try to replace fear and distrust with a common purpose to build a better, stronger and more resilient and a more tolerant Canada," National Chief Perry Bellegarde said Tuesday at #AFNAGA2020. The AFN is planning to urge the federal Liberal government to do more to deal with the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on their communities at the virtual version of its annual general assembly this week. Chiefs are also set to discuss, among other things, whether they will support legislation the Liberal government introduced this week that would ensure Canadian law is in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald says the pandemic has hit First Nations communities hard, but they have also long dealt with inequitable treatment in Canada. She says Canada has an opportunity to take big steps toward improving the situation through programs, services and funding as the country rebuilds its economy.
"Chronic underfunding of First Nations is … very evident when you look at First Nations health status right now and why we have such high rates of COVID-19," she said. Later Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to address the general assembly, which was originally scheduled to take place in Halifax this summer but put off due to COVID-19. Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek says some Indigenous communities don’t have broadband internet and they will have to call in by phone to participate in the meeting.


nationalobserver--2020-12-08--The fight against KXL pipeline continues despite Biden's promise to block it

Critics of Canada 's most controversial cross-border pipeline projects are n't taking their demise for granted under president-elect Joe Biden .
A new report from the U.S.-based Rainforest Action Network says two of them — Keystone XL and Enbridge 's Line 3 pipeline — are being `` rammed through '' in the final weeks of Donald Trump 's presidency .
The report points to a long list of prominent international banks it says are lined up to back the projects as evidence they are far from dead .
Biden 's campaign has already made it clear the president-elect intends to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keystone XL project once he takes office .
But Jason Disterhoft , the report 's author , says there 's an effort afoot to make it difficult for Biden to follow through on that commitment .
• This Nova Scotian is ridding the ocean of 'ghost gear' • How a former oil executive shunned fossil fuels and became an activist poet • Farmers call on Ottawa to boost funding for green agriculture Disterhoft says it will fall to the banks to decide in the coming months whether to honour their own commitments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's last call at the Trump bar , '' said Disterhoft , the network 's senior campaigner on the climate and energy file .
`` ( Keystone XL ) is the project that they 're trying to push through as much as they can , and make it as hard as possible for the Biden administration to follow through on its promise . ''
Biden has been silent on Line 3 , which aims to replace an existing line between Edmonton and Enbridge 's facilities in Superior , Wis. And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keystone XL since his campaign issued a statement back in May .
Still , the deck appears stacked against it : Biden has named former secretary of state John Kerry , whose advice led then-president Barack Obama to reject Keystone XL in 2015 , as a special envoy on climate .
Publicly , at least , environmental groups like the Sierra Club are taking his campaign officials at their word .
Environmental groups still fighting Keystone pipeline despite president-elect Joe Biden 's promise to block it .
# KeystoneXL # Line3 # pipeline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately to rescind the permits for Keystone XL , and we are confident that he will fulfill that commitment , '' senior Sierra Club lawyer Doug Hayes said in a statement .
`` Rescinding Donald Trump 's 'presidential permit ' and other necessary federal approvals will leave TC Energy with no path forward and stop this dangerous tar sands pipeline proposal once and for all . ''
Biden himself has yet to enunciate the commitment his campaign made to rescind the permit issued by Trump in 2017 , said Eric Miller , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Potomac Strategy Group in Washington .
And politically , it 's easier to deny a permit , which Obama did in 2015 , than to rescind an existing one , he said .
`` All the Biden administration has to do is nothing , just do nothing , and let it be built , '' Miller said .
`` It sends a much bigger signal — and will become , I think , a very big problem — if the Keystone XL permit were to be rescinded . ''
Proponents , including Canada @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Energy itself , are calling for cross-border pipeline projects to be part of a broader , climate-friendly conversation about a North American energy and environment strategy .
Both Keystone XL and its principal architect have evolved significantly since the Obama administration — with Biden as vice-president — rejected it five years ago , Kirsten Hillman , Canada 's ambassador to the U.S. , said last month .
Calgary-based TC Energy is `` constantly evaluating '' new ways to reduce its carbon footprint and improve efficiencies in order to be part of the `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of renewable energy sources , '' said spokesman Terry Cunha .
The math , however , simply does n't work , Disterhoft said .
Both Keystone XL and Line 3 will ensure higher production from the Alberta oilsands for at least the next 10 years , making the goal of zero emissions by 2050 an impossibility .
`` Investment in tarsands infrastructure now threatens to lock in production for decades , at a time when the sector should be in a managed decline on a path to a zero-carbon economy . ''
Construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began earlier this month after state authorities granted a final permit and regulators rejected a challenge from two First Nations groups .
That project does n't face the same political and public opposition as Keystone XL , although Disterhoft said political leaders across Minnesota are under pressure to intervene , and Biden has been asked to review the project 's federal approvals .
`` If you 're looking at one area where the Biden administration is going to tear itself to pieces , it 's on energy and climate , '' Miller said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activists is that nothing that Joe Biden can do , beyond outlawing any form of oil and gas production , will be good enough for them . ''
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8 , 2020 .

Critics of Canada's most controversial cross-border pipeline projects aren't taking their demise for granted under president-elect Joe Biden. A new report from the U.S.-based Rainforest Action Network says two of them — Keystone XL and Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline — are being "rammed through" in the final weeks of Donald Trump's presidency. The report points to a long list of prominent international banks it says are lined up to back the projects as evidence they are far from dead. Biden's campaign has already made it clear the president-elect intends to rescind presidential permits for TC Energy's Keystone XL project once he takes office. But Jason Disterhoft, the report's author, says there's an effort afoot to make it difficult for Biden to follow through on that commitment.
Disterhoft says it will fall to the banks to decide in the coming months whether to honour their own commitments to limiting the emissions that cause climate change. "It's last call at the Trump bar," said Disterhoft, the network's senior campaigner on the climate and energy file. Billion-dollar land deals in Ontario raise corruption suspicions "(Keystone XL) is the project that they're trying to push through as much as they can, and make it as hard as possible for the Biden administration to follow through on its promise."
Biden has been silent on Line 3, which aims to replace an existing line between Edmonton and Enbridge's facilities in Superior, Wis. And he's not said a word about Keystone XL since his campaign issued a statement back in May. Environmental groups still fighting Keystone pipeline despite president-elect Joe Biden's promise to block it. #KeystoneXL #Line3 #pipeline Still, the deck appears stacked against it: Biden has named former secretary of state John Kerry, whose advice led then-president Barack Obama to reject Keystone XL in 2015, as a special envoy on climate. Publicly, at least, environmental groups like the Sierra Club are taking his campaign officials at their word. "President-elect Biden has committed to acting immediately to rescind the permits for Keystone XL, and we are confident that he will fulfill that commitment," senior Sierra Club lawyer Doug Hayes said in a statement. "Rescinding Donald Trump's 'presidential permit' and other necessary federal approvals will leave TC Energy with no path forward and stop this dangerous tar sands pipeline proposal once and for all."
Biden himself has yet to enunciate the commitment his campaign made to rescind the permit issued by Trump in 2017, said Eric Miller, a Canada-U.S. expert and president of the Rideau Potomac Strategy Group in Washington. And politically, it's easier to deny a permit, which Obama did in 2015, than to rescind an existing one, he said. "All the Biden administration has to do is nothing, just do nothing, and let it be built," Miller said. "It sends a much bigger signal — and will become, I think, a very big problem — if the Keystone XL permit were to be rescinded."