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HP Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsOTTAWA—The RCMP says it has “contingency plans” to deploy more Mounties to the Canada-U.S. border but needs answers from the Liberal government about how much more it intends to spend on additional drones, helicopters or other technology to surveil it. The Trudeau government says it has not yet “finalized” those decisions as it fended off Opposition criticism it is too slow to act to counter incoming president Donald Trump’s threat of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products on his first day in office. RCMP Comm. Michael Duheme told reporters there are two “parallel” tracks to the Mounties’ plans — one contingent on how many illegal immigrants might be “removed” from America by an incoming Trump administration and drive a northward surge into Canada, and the other contingent on how much new technology the Liberal government will fund. Speaking after he testified at a public safety committee, the top Mountie said he is not opposed to expanding the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) mandate into the RCMP’s jurisdiction over territory between official border points of entry, as the border guards’ union has called for. “I think we have to do what’s right, to secure the borders. So if that’s increasing authorities to CBSA, I mean, that’s a discussion I would have” with the head of the CBSA and the government, Duheme said. He said it would be a “longer-term” move, “but I think we have to explore different ways of doing things.” Meanwhile, Duheme said the RCMP needs the “nimbleness” to reassign resources where needed, and he will deploy cadets from the RCMP training academy in Regina — as the national police force did in 2014 to provide additional security following the Parliament Hill attacks. “What you saw in Roxham Road (where migrants crossed illegally near Lacolle, Que.) may not repeat itself,” said Duheme. “It might come somewhere else, right? So that’s one thing, but on the parallel track is the planning a way forward with the asks that we’ve put in ... and the resources required to do it.” Defence Minister Bill Blair told the Star Monday night that Canadian Forces may be able to supply surveillance drones and other technological aids, but that soldiers would not be deployed to the border. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Chrystia Freeland — who co-chairs the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee — met with Opposition leaders Tuesday to brief them on the government’s work to address the Trump threat, and on Trudeau’s and LeBlanc’s trip to Trump’s resort at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. Trudeau and LeBlanc discussed trade and the border over dinner with the president-elect at his Freeland later said she was not upset at not being included on the trip, and said “it was the right choice. The meeting was principally about the border. That is what was very clear from the conversation that the prime minister had with the president ahead of time.” Freeland called for a “Team Canada” approach to dealing with Trump, repeating a message she delivered to premiers last week, that it is “important for us to take care not to negotiate against ourselves.” However, when Trudeau’s Commons opponents emerged, they did not offer full-throated support for his efforts. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he would take a “Canada first” approach,” stress the harm that tariffs would have on Canada and the U.S. and he put the blame for Canada’s problems with Trump squarely at Trudeau’s feet, a line of attack he continued in the Commons. “Whether one thinks that President Trump’s tariff threats are a negotiating tactic or a real plan, what we do know is what we can control. The prime minister has lost control of everything” including borders and control of immigration, he said. Poilievre said Trudeau is an unpopular leader in an “unbearably weak position” to counter Trump, and demanded an election to replace him. Trudeau in the Commons replied that Poilievre should guard against repeating “erroneous narratives that the Americans are putting forward,” saying amplifying “these ‘broken’ narratives is simply not responsible leadership.” New Democrat Jagmeet Singh said he told Trudeau in the meeting that he pressed Trudeau to hire “at a minimum” 1,100 more border guards. That’s a lot fewer than the union says are needed. Erin O’Gorman, head of the border agency, told MPs the CBSA currently has 16,300 full time employees, 8,500 of whom are front-line employees, compared to 13,700 it had in 2014 when the Conservatives were in power. However, the Customs and Immigration Union says only 6,500 are considered front-line employees, including those who work not just at land border points of entry, but at airports and who enforce customs laws at postal facilities. Union head Mark Weber, in an interview with the Star, said the union has called for an additional 2,000-3,000 front-line officers, and was encouraged by LeBlanc’s testimony that showed an “openness” to expanding the role played by border guards to include patrolling in between official points of entry with the RCMP. Weber reiterated in a letter to LeBlanc Monday the union’s request to the Liberal government to review a 1932 cabinet order that directed the RCMP to cover border areas between official ports of entry while leaving the official points of entry to border officers. ” LeBlanc told MPs Tuesday that the government is “interested in taking immediate steps that will reassure Canadians and the Americans that the border remains secure and the integrity of the border is protected ... We haven’t made any decisions in that regard. But are open to considering that as well.” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said that the Liberals did not offer details, but seem to have a plan in the works. “We’ll see what it contains,” he said. “I don’t want to fight too much publicly about an issue which is very important for everybody, both in Canada and Quebec and Americans are looking at us now. So I will give some time to Mr. LeBlanc to provide us with the details of the plan.” Former Conservative leader Rona Ambrose in a CBC interview Tuesday said, “look, I think it’s easy to say everyone should be on Team Canada, but that doesn’t mean Team Trudeau.” Ambrose, who previously sat on Trudeau’s NAFTA advisory council, said Poilievre and Singh would all argue they are on Team Canada, but that they also have legitimate criticisms to make of how Trudeau has not positioned Canada’s economy to withstand Trump’s threats and the moves he will make to draw investors and capital away from Canada to the United States.
Alberta announces future coal mining policy plan, industry consults
Enabling human-centric support with generative AIBy TRÂN NGUYỄN SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven’t provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks’ 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There’s not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story.” Related Articles National News | Biden creates Native American boarding school national monument to mark era of forced assimilation National News | Can the demise of Joshua trees, feared by end of the century, be turned around? National News | How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say National News | ‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year National News | Supreme Court rejects appeal challenging Hawaii gun licensing requirements under Second Amendment Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.
China probes Nvidia for 'violating' anti-monopoly law
Building larger schools could save taxpayers up to $1.5 billion as Victoria is projected to need almost 1000 new kindergartens and government schools in the next decade to keep up with demand. or signup to continue reading The state will need about 900 new kindergartens, 60 new government schools and 20 per cent more space for TAFE by 2036, according to Infrastructure Victoria's Learning for Life report. While private and not-for-profit providers can meet some of the need for kindergartens, Infrastructure Victoria said the government must step up to fill in investment gaps. The north, west and southeast growth areas of Melbourne would benefit the most from this investment. Victoria will need 138,000 more kindergarten places by 2036 and that could cost up to $17 billion if the government delivers all 900 new facilities for three- to four-year-olds. But depending on the level of private investment, this could cost between $6.1 billion to $11 billion. Most demand for government schools will be in Melbourne's fast-growing communities with an estimated 10,000 to 17,000 enrolments by 2036 in Wyndham and Melton in the west, Whittlesea in the north and Casey in the southeast. The state should also expand existing schools in Melbourne's inner and middle suburbs and begin new education deliveries by 2030, Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Jonathan Spear said. "Our modelling shows the best way to deliver the schools we will need beyond 2026 is to build larger new schools and expand existing schools where there is land to do so," he said. Building larger new schools could cost $5.9 billion, a saving of $1.5 billion, compared with the government's historical approach to delivering school infrastructure. Strong demands for TAFE will require the government to find an extra 125,000 square metres, or 20 per cent, of space by 2030 for Melbourne's west, north and southeast growth areas. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. 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AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementEDMONTON — The Alberta government has announced plans to ban new mountaintop removal and open-pit coal developments on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, but the new rules wouldn't apply to advanced projects like a contentious mine proposed for the Crowsnest Pass. Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean announced Friday the new policies expected in late 2025, along with a round of consultations with industry players on how to implement them. Jean said under the "long overdue" rule revamp, all coal mining projects would be held to the highest environmental standards. "Our job will be to develop a policy that will attract investment and create jobs while respecting and protecting the air, land, water and wildlife," he said. Jean said royalty revenues are also to be “substantially increased,” with rates to be revised after the consultations. "They're too low. We're going to bring them up," he said of the province's current rates. The new bans wouldn’t apply to advanced proposals, including the proposed Grassy Mountain open-pit mine in the Crowsnest Pass, which has been fought by environmental groups and communities downstream. Alberta Energy Regulator hearings into that project are to continue in January. Jean said the Grassy Mountain project, which aims to reclaim a site that was mined over 60 years ago but was never properly restored, would be monitored closely if approved. He said the province needs to find innovative ways to clean up those contaminated sites. "I hope (Albertans) look at us and say, 'Wow, that's smart. What a smart government,'" he said. Concerns over coal mining blew up in spring 2020, when the province announced it would remove rules that had protected the eastern slopes of the Rockies from open-pit coal mining since 1976. Public reaction was swift and angry, and the United Conservative Party government reinstated the protections and stopped selling exploration leases. Friday's announcement also comes three years after the government received a report and recommendations on the issue, including public feedback ranging from environmental concerns to dissatisfaction with the regulatory process. Jean said the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's provincial election and fights with the federal government over resource jurisdiction led to the delay of the new initiative. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the plan to collect more royalties represents a plan to increase production in Alberta, with no economic benefit and a lot of environmental risk. "They may want to mess around with the rates, but what they really are trying to do is increase the amount of coal mining in the province," he said. He said the policy previously in place since 1976 was lifted for a brief period so the UCP could "sneak" a few projects through the regulatory process. "It's economically illiterate. It's not going to create the jobs and the economic benefits that we need in Alberta," Nenshi said. Under the new rules, companies would be required to show they can prevent toxic selenium from leaching into watersheds. Jean said technology, including "high wall mining" to catch overburden, the layer of soil and rock that sits above coal, would be used to keep it in check. But NDP environment and protected areas critic Sarah Elmeligi said she's skeptical technology to remove selenium from waterways works at scale, outside a lab. "That technology doesn't currently exist and, if it does, I would love to see it." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2024. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
Syrian government services come to a 'complete halt' as state workers stay home after rebel takeover
Social Security tackles overpayment ‘injustices,’ but problems remainThe provincial government has promised to "do better" for the people of Saskatchewan in its fall speech from the throne with a pointed focus on health care and education. Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty delivered the throne speech to begin the new legislative session. Following last month's election, 61 MLAs will enter an abbreviated fall sitting expected to last up to three weeks. Like the sitting, Monday's throne speech, entitled "A New Beginning," is much shorter than the typical speech from recent years. It reintroduces campaign promises made by the Saskatchewan Party government with a few notable additions. The speech says members from both parties heard from voters who want the following: Improved access to health care services. Better support for our children in their classrooms. Improved representation by being more responsive to concerns. "That message has been heard and my government will act on it," the government said. Premier Scott Moe told reporters the speech and its contents matched campaign promises and the result of the vote. "Voters delivered two messages this election," the premier said. "The majority voted for our plan for a strong economy and a bright future, but many others voted for change and it is now our job to deliver both." The government is promising a "clear-eyed" approach to what's working and what's not. Throughout the speech, the government pledges to "do better." In health care, the government says it will "accelerate the hiring of health-care professionals and expand urgent care centres to ensure more people have better access to a doctor, nurse practitioner and other health-care professionals." The government is promising additional urgent care facilities in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert, North Battleford, and Moose Jaw. Reduction of surgical wait times It also promises to reduce surgical wait times, with an expected 450,000 surgeries done in the next four years. The government also pledges to ensure every Saskatchewan resident will be able to access a primary health provider by the end of 2028. Moe says the message from voters on their doorstep was they want access to surgery and primary care. In addition, the government says it will create a "first-of-its-kind patient-focused nursing task force." . In education, the government says it will expand its specialized support in classrooms program schools to more than 200 from eight. "That's hiring teachers, that's is hiring educational assistants, that's hiring support staff in our schools," Moe told the media on Monday. The speech also says "not enough has been done to support our children in their classrooms." "My government will address this by increasing funding to school divisions to help them meet the pressures of a growing student enrolment and the challenges of classroom complexity." Moe told reporters the government would focus on improving reading levels from kindergarten to Grade 3 "to ensure children have the best opportunity to succeed in later years." The government says it has 5,100 childcare spaces "under development" and will add 12,000 into development by the end of the next fiscal year. Premier Scott Moe unveils new, smaller Sask. cabinet and says change room policy no longer 1st priority Under affordability, the government said addressing cost-of-living concerns was the "centrepiece" of the election platform. "Bill 1 of this new Legislature will be The Saskatchewan Affordability Act — legislation to enact my government's campaign commitments to reduce taxes and make life more affordable for everyone in Saskatchewan." The government says it will make good on election promises by introducing the largest personal income tax reduction in Saskatchewan since 2008. It will "raise the personal exemption, the spousal exemption, child exemption and the senior's supplement by $500 a year in each of the next four years, in addition to fully indexing income tax brackets." Carbon tax exemption The government says it will also introduce legislation to extend the carbon tax exemption on natural gas for home heating through next year. It will make changes to people in the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities (SAID) program. The amount that can be earned before reductions will increase by $1,000 Disability and caregiver tax credits will also increase by 25 per cent. Analysis Sask. legislative session to start Monday with the most Opposition members in more than 15 years The speech also touched on "safe communities," promising to add 500 more police officers and 500 more addiction spaces. The government says it will amend The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act to "provide officers with additional authority to shut down nuisance properties." It will also make changes to "address disruptive behaviour on public property." In closing, the government is calling for a "more respectful assembly." In recent months, the former Speaker Randy Weekes alleged harassment and bullying by the government and its staff members. On Monday, Saskatchewan Party MLA Todd Goudy (Melfort) was elected the new Speaker. Todd Goudy, MLA for Melfort, speaks on Monday after being sworn in as the newly elected Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press) The throne speech called for better decorum from members. "[Debate] should never be driven by malice toward those on the other side or any individual who may serve here or anywhere in the province," the speech says. "My government will strive to improve the decorum and tone of this Assembly, to disagree without being disagreeable, and to remember that every Member shares the same desire to make Saskatchewan a better place." That pledge will be tested on Tuesday afternoon when question period begins. After naming Goudy the Speaker, the government has 33 voting members, the Opposition 27. Saskatchewan Political Panel | Session kicks off next week with the election of a new House Speaker 2 days ago Duration 10:14 New government, bigger opposition, the throne speech and the election of a new Speaker of the House. CBC's Political Panel discuss an important opening week of session for the new government.Adam Hunter covers politics for CBC Saskatchewan. Murray Mandryk writes a political column in the Regina Leader-Post/Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Stefani Langenegger is the host of CBC's Morning Edition.
