Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024Brossard (Quebec)
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard—Saint-Lambert, announced, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, an investment of $6,627 to a religious organization in Brossard under the Security Infrastructure Projects Financing Program (SIPF).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP), which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“I am pleased to see the organization taking full advantage of Canada’s Community Safety Program. Given the increase in hate-motivated incidents, this enhanced physical security measure will help ensure that everyone visiting the centre feels safe in their gathering place.”
– Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard—Saint-Lambert, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents experienced by many communities.
September 29, 2024Toronto, Ontario
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $253,536 to faith-based and community organizations in Toronto through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP), which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“Anti-Semitism in Canada is on the rise, and as the Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, I am committed to advocating to ensure the community receives the support it needs. I am pleased to see that the Government of Canada has allocated nearly $255,000 to synagogues, schools and Jewish organizations in Eglinton-Lawrence through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
Jewish parents should be able to send their children to school without fear for their safety. Community centers, synagogues and Jewish organizations should be able to receive funding for security and surveillance so that perpetrators of vandalism are recorded and brought to justice.
“There is still much work to be done to combat anti-Semitism in Canada and ensure the safety of the Jewish community here in Eglinton-Lawrence. However, this is a good start, and I will continue to advocate for my community and the people I represent.”
– The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024Ottawa, Ontario
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $194,828 to faith-based and community organizations in Ottawa through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP), which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“Our citizens should never feel threatened or worried about their safety and well-being in the places where they gather to work or worship. Now more than ever, hate-motivated incidents, rooted in anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, are happening all too frequently. Projects funded through the Security Infrastructure Program will support places of worship, institutions, shelters and community centres as they work to improve the security infrastructure of their facilities. Our government will continue to work closely with our community to ensure everyone can live without fear.”
– Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024Edmonton, Alberta
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $151,911 to religious and community organizations in Edmonton through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP) , which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“Every Canadian has the right to practice their religion freely. Community and cultural organizations across Canada are the cornerstone of our faith communities. Our government is investing in their work to make Edmonton a safe place for everyone, regardless of your religious affiliation or beliefs.”
– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Calgary, Alberta
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $183,703 to faith-based and community organizations in Calgary and southern Alberta through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP), which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“All Canadians deserve to feel safe, no matter where they live, work, gather and worship. As a government, we are committed to ensuring that this is the case. Investments like the one we are making today are just one example of this ongoing commitment.”
– George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024Montreal (Quebec)
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities and Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $10,740 to a Montreal school through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP), which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“Synagogues and community centres are places of worship, reflection and gathering. We have recently seen an unacceptable increase in various forms of discrimination and hate crimes, including anti-Semitism. This investment by the government will help all Canadians be and feel safe.”
– Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities and Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Regina, Saskatchewan
Everyone living in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their community. In recent years, we have seen an increase in hate incidents in many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister responsible for Prairie Economic Development Canada, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister of Northern Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $111,904 to religious and community organizations in Regina through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the launch of the new Canada Community Safety Program (CCSP) which aims to replace and improve the work undertaken under the PFPIS based on feedback from communities. The first call for applications will be launched on 1 October 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and materials, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency plans and assessments, hate-motivated incident response training, and third-party certified security personnel for a limited period of time.
Public Safety will contact organizations that have submitted an application under the PFPIS to discuss the status of their application and their participation under the PSCC.
Organizations wishing to be kept informed of the launch of the next PSCC call for applications are invited to register at distribution list of the National Crime Prevention Strategy.
“Everyone in Canada deserves to feel safe in their community. That’s why, since 2015, we’ve invested in hundreds of local projects that protect communities threatened by hate-motivated crimes. We’re working with community partners to ensure everyone in Canada can continue to live without fear.”
– The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister responsible for Prairie Economic Development Canada, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister of Northern Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Dominic LeBlancMinister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs819 665-6527gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Montréal, Québec
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Anthony Housefather, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Mount Royal, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $738,992 to enhance security at schools, places of worship and community centres in the Mount Royal riding through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
Many organizations in the Mount Royal riding shared the $738,992 including The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association of Montreal and Congregation Chevra Kadisha B’Nai Jacob – Beit Hazikaron, who both received funding from SIP.
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“At a time of escalating antisemitism in Canada and around the world it was wonderful to see so many Jewish schools, synagogues and community organizations in my riding receive federal government support under the Security Infrastructure Program to enhance security at their buildings. This program is more vital today than ever before, not only for the Jewish community but for other communities in Canada as well.”
– Anthony Housefather, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Mount Royal, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
“The Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA has needed to enhance its security infrastructure and tighten its procedures, in the wake of renewed hatred and violence towards the Jewish community in recent months. As the Jewish Community Centre of Montreal, open to all, we aim to make every visitor feel safe. The ESIP contribution has also enabled us to fund much-needed security personnel. We are grateful for the support from the Federal Government and at the same time saddened that, in Canada, this intervention is even required.”
– The Sylvan Adams YM-YWHA (Jeff Bicher, Executive Director)
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
The federal government is investing $4,696,742 through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to support six public transit projects in Belleville. The Government of Ontario is contributing $3,913,561 and the City of Belleville is investing $4,164,698.
The federal government is investing $4,696,742 through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to support six public transit projects in Belleville. The Government of Ontario is contributing $3,913,561 and the City of Belleville is investing $4,164,698.
Project Information:
Location
Project Name
Project Details
Federal Funding
Provincial Funding
Municipal Funding
City of Belleville
New Bus Purchases
Purchasing four new, 12-metre hybrid buses and one seven-metre conventional bus.
$2,246,742
$1,872,098
$2,531,160
City of Belleville
Construction of the Hydro Corridor Trail (Sidney to Moira River)
Building a multi-use path within the Hydro One transmission corridor to provide access to public transportation stops.
$1,400,000
$1,166,550
$933,450
City of Belleville
Smart Fare Card Project
Upgrading the existing technology to allow a wider range of payment options and better security on buses.
$480,000
$399,960
$320,040
City of Belleville
AODA Bus Stop & Shelter Upgrades
Upgrading 10 bus stops to increase their accessibility to the public.
$280,000
$233,310
$186,690
City of Belleville
College St. East Sidewalk Construction (Jamieson Bone Rd to East End)
Building approximately 1.5 kilometres of new sidewalk to allow active transportation for commuters.
$200,000
$166,650
$133,350
City of Belleville
Hybrid Commercial Accessible Vans
Purchasing two hybrid fully accessible vans, which will be used as flexible emergency mobility transport vehicles.
The federal government is investing more than $3 million through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to support four water infrastructure projects across British Columbia. The Government of British Columbia is investing more than $2.5 million in these projects and municipal partners are contributing a combined $2 million and are responsible for any additional costs.
The federal government is investing more than $3 million through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to support four water infrastructure projects across British Columbia. The Government of British Columbia is investing more than $2.5 million in these projects and municipal partners are contributing a combined $2 million and are responsible for any additional costs.
Project Information:
Location
Project Name
Project Details
Federal Funding
Provincial Funding
Municipal Funding
*City of Richmond
Minoru Park Drainage and Sustainability Enhancements
This project will build a stormwater detention pond and improve ditches to capture, treat, and reduce sedimentation from stormwater in downstream canals and storm mains.
$958,750
$798,878
$639,247
*District of Hope
Water Utility Amalgamation Project
This project will rehabilitate a water storage reservoir and construct a booster station to enhance water access and fire-fighting capabilities.
$850,038
$708,294
$566,763
*Village of Harrison Hot Springs
Hot Springs Road (Hwy 9) – Storm Sewer Infrastructure
This project will upgrade stormwater infrastructure to increase its capacity to treat and manage stormwater to prevent future flooding.
$800,000
$666,600
$533,400
*Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot
West Bamfield Submarine Water Main Replacement Project
This project will replace a submarine water main to deliver treated, potable water to the community and enhance fire-fighting capabilities.
$470,095
$391,707
$313,436
*Federal funding is conditional on fulfilling all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups and environmental assessment obligations.
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Brossard, Québec
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard – Saint-Lambert, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $6,627 to a religious organization in Brossard through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“I am pleased to see the organization take full advantage of the Canada community Security Program. With the rise in hate-motivated incidents, this added level of enhanced physical security will help to ensure all those visiting the centre will feel safe in their place of gathering.”
– Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard – Saint-Lambert, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Montréal, Québec
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $3,855,746 to religious and community organizations in Montréal through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“We lived through three school shootings in my riding of Outremont over the last few months. All levels of government must do more to protect our neighbourhoods. War abroad never justifies violence in Canada.
I am proud that our Federal Government has secured millions in federal funding in order to better secure and protect our local schools, daycares, places of worship and community centres.
We are now taking the next step by launching the new and improved Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which will provide more federal funding and greater support to more institutions and recipients on an ongoing basis.”
– Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $194,828 to religious and community organizations in Ottawa through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Our citizens should never feel threatened or concerned for their safety and well-being in the places where they gather to work or worship. Now more than ever, hate motivated incidents, rooted in antisemitism or Islamophobia occur all too frequently. Projects funded under the Security Infrastructure Program will support places of worship, institutions, shelters, and community centres as they work to improve the security infrastructure of their facility. Our government will continue to work closely with our community to ensure that everyone can live free from fear.”
– Yasir Naqvi, Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities
September 29, 2024 Toronto, Ontario
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $253,536 to religious and community organizations in Toronto through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the newly launched Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the work undertaken through the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Antisemitism in Canada is on the rise, and as the Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence, I am committed to advocating for the community to receive the support they need. I am thrilled to see the allocation of almost $255,000, from the Government of Canada’s Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) for Synagogues, Schools, and Jewish organizations in Eglinton-Lawrence.
Jewish parents should be able to send their children to school, without fearing for their safety. Community Centres, Synagogues and Jewish organizations should be able to receive funding for security and surveillance, so when vandalism occurs, the perpetrators will be recorded and brought to justice.
There is still much work to be done to combat antisemitism in Canada and ensure the safety of the Jewish community here in Eglinton Lawrence. But this is a good start, and I will continue to advocate on behalf of my community and the people I represent. “
– The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Member of Parliament for Eglinton-Lawrence on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Hamilton, Ontario
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $251,893 to religious and community organizations in Hamilton through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Canada has no place for hate-motivated incidents and all Canadians deserve to feel safe— regardless of where they live, work, gather and pray. Investments like these are but one example of the government’s ongoing commitment to keep our country safe for all, no matter your religious affiliation or beliefs.”
– The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Edmonton, Alberta
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $151,911 to religious and community organizations in Edmonton through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Every Canadian has the right to worship freely. Community and cultural organizations across Canada are the cornerstone of our religious communities. Our Government is investing in their work to keep Edmonton a place that is safe for all, no matter your religious affiliation or beliefs.”
– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Calgary, Alberta
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $183,703 to religious and community organizations in Calgary and Southern Alberta through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the newly launched Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the work undertaken through the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“All Canadians deserve to feel safe— regardless of where they live, work, gather and pray. As a government, we are committed to ensuring that that is the case. Investments like the one we are making today are but one example of that ongoing commitment.”
– George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Regina, Saskatchewan
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Prairies Economic Development Canada, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and Northern Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $111,904 to religious and community organizations in Regina through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the new Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Everyone in Canada deserves to feel safe in their communities. That’s why since 2015, we’ve invested in hundreds of local projects that protect communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes. We are working with community partners to ensure everyone in Canada can continue to live free from fear.”
– The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Prairies Economic Development Canada, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, and Northern Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
September 29, 2024 Montréal, Québec
Everyone who lives in Canada deserves to be and feel safe in their communities. These last few years, we’ve witnessed a rise in hate incidents experienced by many communities. This is unacceptable, and the federal government is taking action to combat hate and protect communities.
Today, Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities and Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced an investment of $10,740 to a school in Montréal through the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP).
On September 24, Minister LeBlanc announced the newly launched Canada Community Security Program (CCSP), which replaces and enhances the SIP based on communities’ feedback. The first Call for Applications launches October 1, 2024.
Eligible measures include security equipment and hardware, minor renovations to enhance security, security and emergency assessments and plans, training to respond to hate-motivated events, and time-limited third-party licensed security personnel.
Organizations that currently have an application under SIP will be contacted by Public Safety to discuss the status of the application and their option to continue under the CCSP.
Organizations interested in staying informed about the upcoming CCSP Call for Applications are encouraged to subscribe to the National Crime Prevention Strategy mailing list.
“Synagogues and community centres are places of worship, reflection and gathering. We have recently seen an unacceptable spike in different forms of discrimination and hate-motivated crime, including antisemitism specifically. This investment by government will help all Canadians be and feel safe.”
– Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities and Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds-Dollard, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah confirmed on Sept. 28 that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut a day earlier. Nasrallah is the highest-ranking Hezbollah leader to have been killed since Israel began targeting the group’s leadership.
The Telegraph in the United Kingdom proclaimed Israel’s war against Hezbollah as a brave move on behalf of the “West” to “uphold civilization.” Other news outlets, both western and Israeli, also framed the conflict as one for civilization. They also mentioned religion.
Wars have always required these types of false dichotomies: Christian and Muslim, civilization and barbarism, West and East.
Generations of Orientalists from the “West” constructed the “East” as a place with distinct cultural identities and values, and one over which the West must triumph.
The way East and West has historically been framed in Lebanon can help us understand the way the conflict there is being discussed in the Global North. To do this, I briefly outline three time periods to attempt to shed some light on how this framing can be used to justify violence against the nation.
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, in which modern-day Lebanon was situated, economic and political power remained in Christian hands but was transferred from Rome to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). After eight major waves of Crusades, notorious for their pillages and “collateral damage” even in Christian cities, Western observers came to regard the East as a “treasure” that had been regained.
In his seminal book Europe and Islam, first published in French in 1978, pre-eminent Tunisian historian Hichem Djaït showed how Christianity in Europe was, from its inception, a political project aimed to both unite against and catch up to Islamic cultural, scientific and economic advancement.
Lebanese intellectuals at the time were aware of this dangerous equation of West with civilization. Palestinian-Lebanese writer May Ziadeh actively worked in the 1920s and 1930s to dispel the false dichotomy between West and East. She encouraged her students to “learn Western languages without forgetting their own” and she believed that “not a single nation in the world has been able to create itself without the input of others.”
Ziadeh belonged to a time referred to as the Nahda, or Arab Renaissance, when Arab writers wanted to revive the human flourishing once experienced in the medieval Islamic world. These intellectuals favoured a balanced approach between West and East and recognized the modernity the West ushered as a continuation of Eastern achievements.
III. 1975-2005: Caught between civil war and 9/11
Whereas questioning the West/East divide united a previous generation of Lebanese Christians and Muslims, the generations that went through the Lebanese civil war (1975–1990) affirmed that divide.
But two years after the end of the Lebanese Civil War, American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington promoted the simplistic logic Said warned against and declared a clash of civilizations. The aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks saw a resurgence of Huntington’s theory. It revived in the West the Medieval Christian view of the East, and a desire to act as crusaders who export human rights and defend the world against terrorists.
We need to once and for all dispose of the West and the East as a clash of civilizations. Militaries and militias should not have to race to eliminate either side. They should instead realize that their fate is as intertwined as their past, and that only dialogue can solve conflict.
Rayyan Dabbous does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
There is a ticking time bomb at the heart of the North American economy. And this is the year that it begins to detonate.
Over the past several months, Canadian businesses and analysts have been pressuring the federal government to better prepare for the mandated renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) that regulates trade and economic activity among the three North American countries.
Article 34.7 of the pact effectively commits the three countries to undertake a review of the new agreement every six years, in 2026 (the agreement went into force in 2020).
This might not seem like a big deal. Canada has negotiated many trade agreements, and a regular review of our most important trade agreement may seem reasonable.
But CUSMA is no regular trade agreement, in large part because this highly unusual review process undermines the very security and stability that trade agreements are supposed to provide.
In 2018, in the depths of the first Donald Trump presidency, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that had governed continental economic relations since 1994.
The agreement — called the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the U.S., the Tratado entre México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (T-MEC) in Mexico and CUSMA in Canada — was largely greeted with relief throughout Canada.
Negotiated under duress with a Trump administration that was threatening to tear up NAFTA, the three governments seemingly preserved a rules-based approach to managing economic relations with our most important trading partner. Free trade had been saved.
But there was a twist due to the deal’s requirement that the three countries review the pact every six years.
Trade agreements are bigger than their specific rules. Their real importance lies in how they provide the smaller partners with certainty and protection from the coercive power of the larger partners.
The promise of greater market access, and the threat of restricting this access, has always been the American trump card in its international economic relations. American negotiators use this threat/promise to convince partners to adopt, change or eliminate policies in the U.S. interest.
But once an agreement is signed, the U.S. loses this leverage — which is good for smaller countries’ policy autonomy.
The difference? Canada’s negotiations took place after NAFTA had been negotiated, while Mexico’s reforms were the result of the NAFTA negotiations, when the U.S. was using market access as a negotiating tactic.
Having a trade agreement with a renegotiation clause is like having no agreement at all because everyone knows that, once renegotiations start, everything is back on the table.
As I argued in two 2018 articles for The Conversation Canada, the renegotiation requirement significantly reduces smaller countries’ overall policy autonomy. Knowing that renegotiation is on the horizon will mean that the threat of economic blackmail will hang over all policies as they become pawns to be sacrificed to preserve the Holy Grail: access to the U.S. market.
Knowing that any policy could be effectively targeted by the U.S. means that Canada and Mexico run the risk of widespread regulatory chill: governments, anticipating retaliation, become excessively cautious in their regulatory efforts.
These chilling effects can already be seen, two years away from the start of formal renegotiations. In early September, the Business Council of Canada called on the federal government to revoke its new three per cent digital services tax on foreign tech giants for fear it might “imperil” the upcoming talks.
The implications of the CUSMA time bomb are beginning to be understood in Canada.
In a recent editorial, The Globe and Mail argued that Canada should make some enormous policy concessions — eliminate the new digital services tax, end the agriculture supply management system and crack down on forced labour in supply chains — in exchange for eliminating regular CUSMA reviews.
The myth of free trade
Editorialists are labouring under the belief that free trade is still in play. It’s not.
More pragmatically, any concessions are highly unlikely to convince the U.S. — regardless of which party is in power — to surrender the most potent weapon it has in its arsenal to pressure its neighbours to adopt its preferred policies. Policy reform, simply put, leads to U.S. market access.
While the U.S., Canada and Mexico will continue to sign trade and economic agreements, these deals are no longer reliable tools to deliver the certainty and protection enjoyed under NAFTA for three decades prior to 2018. Renegotiated deals will merely restructure Canada’s continental relationship, they won’t preserve Canadian autonomy.
The 2018 CUSMA didn’t preserve free trade in North America. It signalled its demise and the return of power politics to our most important economic relationship.
Blayne Haggart has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The author is the late Enos Montour, a Delaware writer from Six Nations of the Grand River. As the title suggests, it is an ironic play on Tom Brown’s Schooldays (1857), Thomas Hughes’s popular novel about his boyhood in an English school.
In Brown Tom’s Schooldays, instead of the main character being an English boy at an elite private boarding school, he is Tom Hemlock, a First Nations boy attending Mount Elgin Indian Residential School between 1910 and 1915. Montour’s narrative is the only known substantive writing by a Mount Elgin student. His stories unfold school life, illuminating the physical and social world of Mount Elgin in powerful ways.
A new edition of Brown Tom’s Schooldays has recently been published by the University of Manitoba Press Series called First Voices, First Texts. This series aims to reconnect contemporary readers with some of the most important Indigenous literature of the past, much of which has been unavailable for decades.
The series reveals the richness of these works by providing re-edited texts that give readers new insights into the cultural contexts of these unjustly neglected classics. The diversity and complexity of Indigenous writers and their work was not appreciated by publishers when authors like Montour attempted to have his book published in the 1970s and 80s.
As a historian and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous People, History and Archives at the University of Winnipeg, and band member of the Munsee Delaware Nation who has been engaged in community-based projects chronicling the history of Mount Elgin, I led the project.
In my introduction, I document Montour’s fascinating life and work and detail Brown Tom’s Schooldays’ publication history, drawing from documents from the United Church of Canada Archives, Trent and McGill University Archives, Library and Archives Canada, private correspondence and other sources. I also show how the book provides insight into the operations of Mount Elgin, as well as social and linguistic histories of the First Nations communities in the area.
20th century Indigenous print cultures
Montour, a minister with the United Church of Canada, published several of the early chapters of Brown Tom in United Church magazines.
After he retired, he gathered these and other Mount Elgin stories together and sought a church or trade publisher for the book. When no publishers moved, Montour felt frustrated that his work might be read as too “mild” for a reading public who expected sensationalized depictions of First Nations life.
In declining health, Montour ensured a legacy for the book by asking anthropologist Elizabeth Graham to transcribe, edit and photocopy the manuscript. Copies were made for family and friends. One copy of the manuscript was sent by Graham to the National Library in Ottawa. Until this fall, that was the only publicly accessible copy of the work.
For this new edition of Brown Tom’s Schooldays, with University of Manitoba Press editor Jill McConkey, I consulted with Graham, as well as Montour’s two granddaughters, Mary I. Anderson and Margaret McKenzie, about how we might frame the book. Using archival correspondence between herself and Montour, Graham wrote a new preface. Anderson and McKenzie shared family records, including photos, and wrote an afterword to the book.
This new edition of Montour’s book is a good reminder that formal published work accounts form a small fraction of the literature by and about Indigenous people and history. A much more representative field is produced in copy shops, and this self-published, limited-run “grey literature” is now held in archives across the country.
Brown Tom’s Schooldays is based solidly in a real place and draws from lived experiences. Like the central tension of Tom Brown’s Schooldays, Montour’s book is about moving toward adulthood and the meaning of that for First Nations students at the time. Montour’s layered story shows how, for “Brown Tom,” this journey involved learning and then working through self-doubt and prejudice and confronting the impossible choice of a white or Indian adulthood.
‘Brown Tom’s Schooldays,’ by Enos Montour. (University of Manitoba Press)
Montour’s formal education at Mount Elgin was based on set curriculum that endorsed colonial domination, racism and discrimination against people of colour and Indigenous people. Moreover, a federal Indian Residential School, Mount Elgin’s purpose was to facilitate assimilation of First Nations children, and this happened in an underfunded, carceral and abusive setting. Mount Elgin, like other residential schools, emphasized children’s manual labour more than academics.
In spite of this early education, Montour loved reading and writing, and he brought this love to his stories of Mount Elgin and the surrounding area, giving the school character and beauty and students humour and agency. The stories are at times strikingly sentimental.
When I first read this collection, I did not know what to think of it. For me, Montour’s consistent references to the Bible and classic works of English literature did not fit with what I expected in an Indian Residential School memoir. I chaffed when reading Montour’s characters written in terms that seem to accept standard racist stereotypes of First Nations at the time. His representation of the early 20th century seemed too funny, or rosy, too Anglophile and too naive.
At the same time, I knew that Montour wrote stories true to his experience, as he understood it, and by his ironic play on English literature through the eyes of a First Nations boy. This way of writing is a window into a sense of humour and way of telling what mattered that reminded me of people of my great-grandfather’s generation.
But I don’t think Montour would have feared how the book would be received and read. He writes compellingly about youth, school life and friendship, but also about the callous and disorienting experience of arriving at Mount Elgin and the everyday pervasive hunger and homesickness felt there.
He also describes extraordinary moments, including the death of a fellow student, Noah, who had tuberculosis. Short, moving and profoundly troublesome, this chapter shows the pervasive apathy towards student life at Mount Elgin and the ungreivablity of student death.
Ultimately, even in retirement and ill health, Montour insisted on completing the book and making it accessible because the stories mattered to him. And they matter to us, too.
Brown Tom’s Schooldays can be purchased from anywhere you buy books.
Mary Jane Logan McCallum receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada
On Sept. 18, I was on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations to stand with my Indigenous physician family as the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) delivered its apology to Indigenous Peoples in Victoria, B.C. This wasn’t the first time that we have stood together to witness a collective apology.
That day, we hoped the apology signalled a turning point and that a new day was coming. What we’ve seen since, as evidenced by multiple reports on progress on reconciliation, is that it takes a long time for that new day to come, and progress on reparations and reconciliation is not linear or always forward-moving.
I carried the lessons from that 2008 experience with me to Victoria to witness the apology from CMA — Canada’s national association of physicians — and knew this would be different for me. My experiences of racism in the health-care system are significantly more direct than my experiences of residential schools.
Racism in health care
I navigated medical education as a Cree-Anishinaabe woman, experiencing significant amounts of both non-malicious and malicious racism. This ranged from being asked if there were polar bears where I grew up (the North End of Winnipeg) to being asked by an attending emergency room physician if I had to “jump out of the Indian Posse” to transfer from Winnipeg to Saskatoon.
What would this collective apology for systemic racism in health care mean to me, an Indigenous physician, who has and continues to experience racism from my physician peers?
Did/does the ER physician whose behaviour escalated to include putting his hand in the back pocket of my jeans when I was on call to both grope me and “check if I had stolen their reflex hammer” feel deep shame? Probably not, and that disconnect impacted how the apology landed.
Within “the national voice of the medical profession” are those of us who have experienced and continue to experience anti-Indigenous racism; those we work with in consensual solidarity or allyship to dismantle white supremacy within the profession; and those who are actively perpetuating the spread of false and harmful anti-Indigenous stereotypes that contribute to the unequal health care we receive. Many of these behaviours are described in British Columbia’s In Plain Sight Report
A collective apology cannot speak to this range of experiences or contributions to harm. As racism operates at multiple levels, so must accountability.
This is why on the day of the apology I was apprehensive and feeling somewhat pressured to respond positively to it, to make a show of unity. Since the apology hadn’t really spoken to the breadth and depth of experiences of racism I’ve had or that I know many of my Indigenous physician colleagues have had, I was not ready for that. I suspected some of my colleagues felt the same.
After the apology was delivered, in a small group that included many of the Indigenous physicians who were there, I shared my feelings. I said, “An apology has been offered. Whatever your reaction is to what was said today is valid. You don’t have to accept this apology today, tomorrow or ever. It’s okay to wait and see what comes next.” I saw people nodding and tears being shed.
I sat with that feeling, and then a couple days later I was reading Cole Arthur Riley’s This Here Flesh. Riley is a Black American author and founder of the incredibly popular Black Liturgies Instagram account. Her writing of Black liberation and the reparations needed for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and other injustices strongly parallel the need for Canada’s ongoing truth and reconciliation work — which we will be recognizing on Sept. 30.
This passage from This Here Flesh resonated with me when reflecting on this latest apology:
“There are some of us who have grown weary of talk of reconciliation. This is probably because it comes to us on the tongues of men who have paid no time to the process of true repair. It is both ego and shame concealed in shallow unity-speak that regresses any progress that has been made.”
Based on the fallout after the Indian Residential School apology, we can accurately predict the actions following this apology will not be linear with forward progress.
If we are hesitant to fully accept this most recent apology, it is because we have learned the hard way that our safety, and sometimes our survival, depends on first seeing the integrity of the other party we are in union with.
There is a deep social contract between the medical profession and the public we serve. There is an individual contract between each physician and each patient they see. There is also a contract between physicians as colleagues, teachers and learners, embedded in our Modern-Day Physician’s Pledge.
This apology is meaningful because it addresses a tragic breach between the medical profession and the public. The CMA has committed to followup actions.
This, however, does not offer “true repair” for the past breaches, and the ones still to come, in all of these contracts. That is a gap that remains to be closed and without it we will not see the end of anti-Indigenous racism in health care.
Marcia Anderson received funding from Health Canada to develop Indigenous Cultural Safety and Anti-Racism Training.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SHANGHAI, Sept. 29 — Global incubators and start-up entrepreneurs have praised the opportunities bred by the vast Chinese market and incubation soil for technology start-ups at the World Top-Performing Incubator Conference 2024.
The conference, held in Shanghai Municipality from Sept. 26 to 28, attracted nearly 300 innovation projects in cutting-edge fields such biomedicine, integrated circuits and artificial intelligence. It saw the attendance of top incubators from more than 10 countries, including China, the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.
Sejun Oh, CEO of Huespine, a digital healthcare rehabilitation platform, brought their AI-based nursing equipment to China. He hopes to establish contact with Chinese hospitals, enterprises and consumers and is optimistic about the Chinese market.
Jorg Kop, managing director of UtrechtInc, a university-linked start-up incubator, said he hopes to further their cooperation network in China and help European start-ups enter the Chinese market.
Kop said China is crucial to the development of the world economy and Shanghai has economic vitality as well as fantastic ideas. He added that the Lin-gang special area of Pudong district in the municipality can be a convenient entrance for its start-ups to enter the Chinese market.
According to Zhai Jinguo, deputy director of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, Shanghai will continue to establish an innovative incubation ecosystem, cultivate new quality productivity forces, and provide support and guarantee for scientific and technological innovation projects and teams in Shanghai.
China has more than 700,000 incubated enterprises and teams. The revenues of incubated enterprises have exceeded 1 trillion yuan (about 143 billion U.S. dollars).
Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the Administration is continuing to provide robust and well-coordinated Federal support for the ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene’s impacts. The President and Vice President are closely monitoring these efforts and receive regular updates from their teams.
At the President’s direction, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell visited Florida over the weekend to assess damage alongside local and state officials. She continued surveying damage today in parts of Georgia before she moves into North Carolina on Monday.
Earlier this evening, Administrator Criswell and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall briefed President Biden on the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene in multiple states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia. Administrator Criswell also updated the President on Federal actions to support response and recovery.
The President directed Administrator Criswell to determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who are having the most difficult time accessing assistance in isolated communities. He also advised the FEMA Administrator that as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations, he intends to travel this week to impacted communities.
Additionally, the Federal government is closely monitoring an additional weather disturbance in the Caribbean Sea that has the potential to form into another storm in the coming week. Residents throughout the Gulf Coast should remain alert, listen to local officials, and make additional preparations as needed.
Additional Federal response actions include:
Approving Major Disaster Declarations
Yesterday, President Biden approved Major Disaster declarations for the states of Florida and North Carolina, allowing survivors to immediately access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery. People in 17 counties in Florida and 25 counties in North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, can now apply for assistance with FEMA. People can apply in three ways: online by visiting disasterassistance.gov, calling 1-800-621-3362 or on the FEMA App.
FEMA assistance in Florida and North Carolina may include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula, and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.
Emergency declarations were also approved for Florida, North Carolina Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Alabama. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue.
Supporting On-The-Ground Response Efforts
As of today, more than 3,300 personnel from across the Federal workforce are deployed and supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts across the impacted states. This includes the most experienced incident management teams to help identity Federal resources to address unmet needs, as well as Urban Search and Rescue personnel using high water rescue equipment for rescue missions across the region.
At least 50,000 personnel from 31 states and the District of Columbia and Canada are responding to power outages and working around the clock throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to restore power to those communities that can receive power. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving generators and additional power generation assets into the hardest hit areas of South and North Carolina as flood waters recede and debris removal allows. As of this afternoon, approximately 2.3 million customers are without power, down from the region-wide peak of 4.6 million on September 27.
Additional Interagency Support Efforts
Together with state and local partners, the Federal government is actively supporting Hurricane Helene response efforts and is coordinating requests for Federal assistance.
FEMA distribution centers are fully stocked and ready to provide commodities and equipment to any impacted state, as required.
FEMA is trucking dozens of trailers containing food and water in North Carolina to support the State as they start to set up care-sites for survivors.
FEMA is also working with the Federal Communications Commission and private sector telecommunications partners to deploy emergency mobile communications assets while they work to restore network services, particularly in remote areas.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida and Georgia, giving health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. About 200 medical responders are in Florida, Alabama, and North Carolina, along with medical equipment and supplies, to help ensure the delivery of health care services following the landfall of Hurricane Helene.
Twenty-four federal Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces are deployed across the affected regions. Roughly 1,302 Urban Search and Rescue personnel are assisting in the impacted areas. Together with local and state responders, teams have rescued and supported over 1,400 of people across the impacted area.
The U.S. Coast Guard has thousands of personnel working on response efforts and are conducting post-storm assessments to support the rapid reopening of impacted ports.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed teams for temporary emergency power, debris removal, and infrastructure assessment, including for dams throughout the region.
The Environmental Protection Agency has personnel on the ground who are offering technical assistance and guidance on water systems, debris management, and maintaining critical public health and environmental protections in place as storm impacts are assessed.
The U.S. Small Business Administration deployed more than 50 personnel to support survivors and small businesses as they recover from the hurricane.
The U.S. Department of Energy has responders deployed across the region and are closely monitoring power, fuel, and supply chain interruptions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has deployed personnel to the impacted region to extend much-needed emergency credit to farmers and agriculture producers who lost crops and livestock.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martie-Louise Verreynne, Professor in Innovation and Associate Dean (Research), The University of Queensland
Humans are increasingly engaging with wearable technology as it becomes more adaptable and interactive. One of the most intimate ways gaining acceptance is through augmented reality (AR) glasses.
Last week, Meta debuted a prototype of the most recent version of their AR glasses – Orion. They look like reading glasses and use holographic projection to allow users to see graphics projected through transparent lenses into their field of view.
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg called Orion “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen”. He said they offer a “glimpse of the future” in which smart glasses will replace smartphones as the main mode of communication.
But is this true or just corporate hype? And will AR glasses actually benefit us in new ways?
Old technology, made new
The technology used to develop Orion glasses is not new.
In the 1960s, computer scientist Ivan Sutherland introduced the first augmented reality head-mounted display. Two decades later, Canadian engineer and inventor Stephen Mann developed the first glasses-like prototype.
Throughout the 1990s, researchers and technology companies developed the capability of this technology through head-worn displays and wearable computing devices. Like many technological developments, these were often initially focused on military and industry applications.
In 2013, after smartphone technology emerged, Google entered the AR glasses market. But consumers were disinterested, citing concerns about privacy, high cost, limited functionality and a lack of a clear purpose.
This did not discourage other companies – such as Microsoft, Apple and Meta – from developing similar technologies.
Looking inside
Meta cites a range of reasons for why Orion are the world’s most advanced glasses, such as their miniaturised technology with large fields of view and holographic displays. It said these displays provide:
compelling AR experiences, creating new human-computer interaction paradigms […] one of the most difficult challenges our industry has ever faced.
Orion also has an inbuilt smart assistant (Meta AI) to help with tasks through voice commands, eye and hand tracking, and a wristband for swiping, clicking and scrolling.
With these features, it is not difficult to agree that AR glasses are becoming more user-friendly for mass consumption. But gaining widespread consumer acceptance will be challenging.
A set of challenges
Meta will have to address four types of challenges:
ease of wearing, using and integrating AR glasses with other glasses
psychological factors such as social acceptance, trust in privacy and accessibility.
These factors are not unlike what we saw in the 2000s when smartphones gained acceptance. Just like then, there are early adopters who will see more benefits than risks in adopting AR glasses, creating a niche market that will gradually expand.
This will allow for broader applications in education (for example, virtual classrooms), remote work and enhanced collaboration tools. Already, Orion’s holographic display allows users to overlay digital content and the real world, and because it is hands-free, communication will be more natural.
Creative destruction
Smart glasses are already being used in many industrial settings, such as logistics and healthcare. Meta plans to launch Orion for the general public in 2027.
By that time, AI will have likely advanced to the point where virtual assistants will be able to see what we see and the physical, virtual and artificial will co-exist. At this point, it is easy to see that the need for bulky smartphones may diminish and that through creative destruction, one industry may replace another.
This is supported by research indicating the virtual and augmented reality headset industry will be worth US$370 billion by 2034.
The remaining question is whether this will actually benefit us.
There is already much debate about the effect of smartphone technology on productivity and wellbeing. Some argue that it has benefited us, mainly through increased connectivity, access to information, and productivity applications.
But others say it has just created more work, distractions and mental fatigue.
If Meta has its way, AR glasses will solve this by enhancing productivity. Consulting firm Deloitte agrees, saying the technology will provide hands-free access to data, faster communication and collaboration through data-sharing.
It also claims smart glasses will reduce human errors, enable data visualisation, and monitor the wearer’s health and wellbeing. This will ensure a quality experience, social acceptance, and seamless integration with physical processes.
But whether or not that all comes true will depend on how well companies such as Meta address the many challenges associated with AR glasses.
Martie-Louise Verreynne receives funding from the ARC and NHMRC.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alister McKeich, Lecturer and Researcher in Law, Criminology and Indigenous Studies, Victoria University, Victoria University
The onslaught in the Middle East has brought to the world’s attention once again the “crime of crimes”, genocide.
Both the the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court (ICC) have brought allegations of genocide against Israel as a state and Israeli and Hamas leaders as individuals.
The Australian government’s response to the Gaza crisis has included temporarily freezing of A$6 million of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. Though funding has been flowing again since March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been referred to the ICC by a law firm for being “an accessory to genocide”.
Against this backdrop, Australia’s own genocide legislation is under parliamentary scrutiny. A bill tabled by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe (for whom I work as a casual legal researcher) seeks to change the way Australia deals with genocide.
So what do our current laws say and what’s the case for changing them?
Yet it was not until 2002, once the ICC was established, that the Commonwealth Criminal Code was amended to create a new division of atrocity crimes.
Through this legislation, Australia may prosecute any person accused of a Rome Statute crime (such as genocide) under Australian law.
At the moment, written consent from the attorney-general is required before legal proceedings about genocide and other atrocity crimes can commence. This is called the “attorney-general’s fiat”.
Further, the attorney-general’s decision is final. It “must not be challenged, appealed against, reviewed, quashed or called into question”.
Thorpe’s bill seeks to overturn these two measures.
The explanatory memorandum in the 2002 amendment did not say why the attorney-general’s consent was necessary.
Consent from an attorney-general (or similar position) is not an international requirement.
Australia is only one of a handful of other countries (including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada) where the fiat also exists.
Why is it a problem?
The Australian government has justified the rule on the basis that prosecutions for atrocity crimes against individuals could affect Australia’s international relations and national security.
However, submissions from legal experts and community groups to a senate inquiry looking at the issue point out flaws.
They say this rule prevents access to justice for victims and survivors of atrocity crimes. It can also create the potential for government bias.
Submissions also say the lack of explanation or appeal process ignores fundamental principles of jurisprudence.
Has the rule been used?
The attorney-general’s fiat has been used in a limited number of cases.
In 2009, Palestinian rights groups Australians for Palestine issued a request for consent for the prosecution of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who was visiting at the time.
The Australian Centre for International Justice states in its submission how then-attorney-general Robert McClellend denied the request. He cited matters of international state sovereignty and the difficulties of pursuing such a case in an overseas jurisdiction.
Then, in 2011, Arunchalam Jegastheeswaran, an Australian citizen of Tamil
background, sought the attorney-general’s consent for the prosecution of then Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was due to visit Australia.
McClellend again denied the request, saying Rajapaska was protected under “head of state immunity”. This concept is controversial in international law, given it’s often heads of state who commit atrocity crimes.
Head of state protection was also offered to former Myanmar (Burma) leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was in government when the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya was committed.
With Suu Kyi due to be in Australia for an ASEAN conference in 2018, the Australian Rohingya community sought a prosecution. It was denied by then attorney-general Christian Porter.
And in 2019, retired Sri Lankan General Jagath Jayasuriya visited Australia. Despite concerted efforts to raise evidence to prosecute Jayasuriya of war crimes, delays with the Australian Federal Police meant the case never reached the point of attorney-general consent.
First Nations plaintiffs such as Paul Coe and Robert Thorpe have also sought to bring cases of genocide before the domestic courts, with no success.
What would changing the laws mean?
As it’s unlikely an attorney-general would consent to prosecutions against its own government, submissions to the inquiry argue the rule creates a direct conflict of interest.
For First Nations people seeking justice for crimes of “ongoing genocide” perpetuated by the Commonwealth, any government is hardly going to rule in their favour.
Some Indigenous community groups argue the high rates of First Nations children in protection, deaths in custody, hyper-incarceration and cultural, land and environmental damage amount to genocide crimes.
Submissions to the inquiry recommend instead of requiring the consent of the attorney-general, claims of genocide should be directed to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. This would ensure greater independence from government.
The director has a mandate for this sort of work. It already investigates similar crimes such as people smuggling, human trafficking, slavery and child exploitation.
Internationally, the implications of this bill, if passed, will be consequential. The Australian Centre for International Justice estimates up to 1,000 Australian citizens have returned to Israel to fight as part of the Israel Defense Forces. Israel has been accused of serious atrocity crimes in Gaza.
Should any of those citizens return, there could be attempts to mount a case. The government would then have to consider Australia’s political and economic ties with Israel.
Whether the bill is passed will depend on parliament. But the situation highlights a paradox: the state itself will be deciding whether to remove its own inbuilt protections against charges of genocide.
Alister McKeich is a casual legal researcher with the office of Senator Lidia Thorpe.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 49.3–46.0 – a slight widening of the competition since last Monday, when Harris led Trump by 49.2–46.2.
President Joe Biden’s final position before his withdrawal as Democratic candidate on July 21 was a national poll deficit against Trump of 45.2–41.2.
There will be a debate on Tuesday evening US time between the vice-presidential candidates, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance. Vice-presidential debates in previous elections have not had a significant influence on the contest.
The US president isn’t elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each state receives electoral votes equal to its federal House seats (population based) and senators (always two). Almost all states award their electoral votes as winner-takes-all, and it takes 270 electoral votes to win (out of 538 total).
The Electoral College is biased to Trump relative to the national popular vote, with Harris needing at least a two-point popular vote win in Silver’s model to be the Electoral College favourite.
In Silver’s polling averages, Harris leads Trump by one to two points in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), Michigan (15), Wisconsin (ten) and Nevada (six). If Harris wins all these states, she is likely to win the Electoral College by at least a 276–262 margin. Trump is ahead by less than a point in North Carolina (16 electoral votes) and Georgia (16), and if Harris wins both, she wins by 308–230.
In Silver’s model, Harris has a 56% chance to win the Electoral College, up from 54% last Monday but down from her peak of 58% two days ago. Earlier this month, there were large differences in win probability between Silver’s model and the FiveThirtyEight model, which was more favourable to Harris. But these models have nearly converged, with FiveThirtyEight now giving Harris a 59% win probability.
There are still more than five weeks until election day, so polls could change in either Trump’s or Harris’ favour by then. Harris’ one to two point leads in the key states are tenuous, and this explains why Trump is still rated a good chance to win.
Silver wrote on September 1 that polls in 2020 and 2016 were biased against Trump, but polls in 2012 were biased against Barack Obama. In the last two midterm elections (2022 and 2018), polls have been good. It’s plausible there will be a polling error this year, but which candidate such an error would favour can’t be predicted.
On Sunday, Silver said if there was a systematic error of three or four points in the polls in either Trump’s or Harris’ favour, that candidate would sweep all the swing states and easily win the Electoral College. There are other scenarios in which one candidate underperforms the polls with some demographics but overperforms with other demographics.
I wrote about the US election for The Poll Bludger last Thursday, and also covered bleak polls and byelection results in Canada for the governing centre-left Liberals ahead of an election due by October 2025, a dreadful poll for UK Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the new French prime minister, a German state election and a socialist win in Sri Lanka’s presidential election.
Upwardly revised economic data
Last Thursday, a revised estimate of June quarter US GDP was released. There was a large upward revision in real disposable personal income compared to the previously reported figures. This has resulted in the personal savings rate being revised up to 4.9% in July from the previously reported 2.9%, and it was 4.8% in August.
With these upward revisions, Silver’s economic index that averages six indicators is now at +0.25, up from +0.09. As the incumbent party’s candidate, a better economy than was previously believed should help Harris.
Coalition gains narrow lead in Essential
In Australia, a national Essential poll, conducted on September 18–22 from a sample of 1,117 people, gave the Coalition a 48–47 lead (including undecided voters) after a 48–48 tie in early September. It’s the Coalition’s first lead in the Essential poll since mid-July.
Primary votes were 35% Coalition (steady), 29% Labor (down one), 12% Greens (down one), 8% One Nation (steady), 2% UAP (up one), 9% for all Others (up one) and 5% undecided (steady).
Anthony Albanese’s net approval was up five points since August to –5, with 47% disapproving and 42% approving. Peter Dutton’s net approval was down one to net zero.
On social media regulations, 48% thought them too weak, 43% about right and 8% too tough. By 67–17, voters supported imposing an age limit for children to access social media (68–15 in July). By 71–12, voters supported making doxing (the public release of personally identifiable data) a criminal offence (62–19 in February).
By 49–18, voters supported Labor’s Help to Buy scheme, and by 57–13 they supported the build-to-rent scheme. The questions give detail that few voters would know.
Voters were told the Liberals and Greens had combined to delay Labor’s housing policies in the senate. By 48–22, voters thought the Liberals and Greens should pass the policies and argue for their own policies at the next election, rather than block Labor’s policies. Greens voters supported passing by 55–21.
Labor keeps narrow lead in Morgan
A national Morgan poll, conducted September 16–22 from a sample of 1,662 people, gave Labor a 50.5–49.5 lead, unchanged from the September 9–15 Morgan poll.
Primary votes were 37.5% Coalition (steady), 32% Labor (up 1.5), 12.5% Greens (steady), 5% One Nation (down 0.5), 9.5% independents (down 0.5) and 3.5% others (down 0.5).
The headline figure is based on respondent preferences. By 2022 election preference flows, Labor led by an unchanged 52–48.
Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Between September 27 and 29, 2024, the foreign ministers of Canada and the Nordic countries met in New York and Iqaluit, Nunavut, for the Canada-Nordic Strategic Dialogue. This meeting delivers on the commitment for foreign ministers to hold a strategic dialogue, made at the Prime Minister level meeting in Iceland, on June 26, 2023. On September 27, 2024, the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden and the State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland met in New York. On September 28 and 29, they traveled to Iqaluit, Nunavut where they were joined by the Foreign Minister of the Faroe Islands and an official from the Government of Greenland (Naalakkersuisut). In Iqaluit, Iceland was represented by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of State / Arctic Ambassador.
Canada and the Nordic countries enjoy a strong and deepening partnership, anchored in our common democratic values, shared interests in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region, as well as our commitment to the rules-based international order, multilateral cooperation, international law, democracy, human rights, and tackling disinformation. The transatlantic relationship is key to our collective security, and we will work together to strengthen this relationship. This is the foundation upon which we commit to work pragmatically together to address complex global challenges, including those arising from challenges to the global order.
In New York, substantive issues were discussed relating to Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, transatlantic cooperation, and the concerning developments taking place in the Middle East, including the Gaza Strip. The foreign ministers reiterated their steadfast support to Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression and re-affirmed their commitment to continue to provide Ukraine the means to defend itself for as long as it takes. They also condemned the hostile hybrid operations Russia conducts in response to support given to Ukraine.
The Iqaluit portion of the Dialogue focused on Arctic issues. As Arctic nations, Canada and the Nordic countries share a deep commitment to multilateral cooperation and international law, including UNCLOS. Inclusive engagement with those who live there, including Indigenous peoples, is essential to ensure a stable, prosperous and secure Arctic region. The foreign ministers committed to work together to achieve these goals. To this end, they agreed to explore means through which to deepen security dialogue amongst all like-minded states in the Arctic.
In Iqaluit, the delegation heard valuable perspectives from the Government of Nunavut, Inuit leaders including from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, National Defence officials and Canadian Rangers on the context, realities and challenges experienced by northerners in the Canadian Arctic. The foreign ministers expressed their strong concern over the intensifying impacts of climate change, notably in the Arctic. They re-affirmed their commitment to work pragmatically together to address complex climate change challenges, to promote sustainable economic growth in the Arctic, to foster regional stability and to support closer collaboration, including North-to-North and Indigenous-to-Indigenous connections.
Canada and the Nordic countries will continue to explore opportunities to deepen collaboration in addressing wildland fires in the North and securing healthy oceans and ecosystem-based resources as part of a comprehensive, knowledge-based, and sustainable approach to ocean management.
The foreign ministers recognize that our countries possess significant deposits of critical minerals and confirm their commitment to promote the responsible development of sustainable and resilient critical mineral value chains and to work together to advance economic well-being, defence and security, infrastructure, energy security and connectivity, including in the Arctic.
The foreign ministers agreed to continue the dialogue on shared policy priorities and to further strengthen the transatlantic cooperation between Canada and the Nordic countries.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Mobilisation of climate finance set to be boosted across East Africa through new UK-backed company as investors put pen to paper to begin operations.
Investors back Dhamana Guarantee Company’s work to transform East Africa’s financial landscape.
Tackling climate change given another boost in Kenya as, for second time in a week, a UK-Government backed investor in green finance solutions puts pen to paper.
Monday 30 September 2024 – Dhamana Guarantee Company Ltd (Dhamana) has reached a major milestone, marked at an event in Nairobi today.
Investors in the new company put pen to paper at a signing ceremony, which will allow the company to kick-start operations.
Dhamana aims to mobilise private sector finance to support the development of sustainable businesses. It will do so by issuing guarantees to commercially viable projects, businesses, and institutions that tackle the climate crisis and make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The design and creation of the company was supported by the UK-Government backed investor the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) through InfraCo Africa. With its anchor investment, PIDG kick-started Dhamana, attracting further equity investment from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and CPF Group, with support provided by Cardano Development and FSD Africa.
Dhamana is a new limited liability company based in Kenya with a mandate to deliver for the East African region – including – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. It will provide credit guarantees on debt capital market instruments, to boost the credit rating of such instruments and crowd in investment from pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds to support sustainable infrastructure and business development in East Africa.
Dhamana will target businesses that add value to people’s lives, improving the day-to-day life of Kenyans and of people across the region. The increase in affordable finance for Kenyan businesses will mean projects will require less capital to get off the ground, make money, and generate growth. Dhamana will also enable investors to diversify their portfolios, acting as a catalyst to transform East Africa’s financing landscape.
This is the second time in a week that an investor in climate solutions backed by the UK Government has achieved a milestone. Last week, MOBILIST signed a partnership with the Nairobi Securities Exchange which aims to drive the listing of new investment products in the Kenyan market and increase the amount of private sector capital available for development and climate projects in Kenya and drive growth.
Dhamana CEO, Christopher Olobo, said:
With the support of our investors and supporters, we have worked to develop Dhamana as an important catalyst for long-term sustainable finance in the region. Dhamana’s local currency guarantees will connect pools of untapped capital with East Africa’s real economy, making a tangible difference to people’s lives and offering local investors the opportunity to invest in Paris-aligned initiatives.
Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director, British High Commission Nairobi, Leigh Stubblefield, said:
For the second time in a week I am proud to say that the UK has supported a climate finance solution in Kenya – an example of our long-term commitment to long-term investment and growth. This is a great pan-Africa partnership that will improve the lives of East Africans for the better, and as the saying goes, we go far when we go together.
Representing PIDG, InfraCo Africa CEO, Gilles Vaes, added:
Building on the success of other PIDG-supported credit enhancement facilities in Nigeria and Pakistan, Dhamana will demonstrate the value of such a facility in the East African market, opening up opportunities for investors and clients alike. Crucially, Dhamana will engage new partners and investors in our efforts to urgently address the climate crisis and accelerate delivery of the UN sustainable development goals.
In his remarks at the launch event, Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialisation, said:
The African Development Bank’s equity investment in Dhamana reinforces the catalytic role and potential of credit enhancement companies in leveraging opportunities for infrastructure financing in local currency and supporting debt capital markets deepening in our regional member countries. We intend to replicate this business model in appropriate markets across Africa with partners such as the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and others. The first example of this type of credit enhancement company was InfraCredit in Nigeria which has had demonstrated success, and now Dhamana in East Africa. The investment in Dhamana aligns with the Bank’s priority to mobilise financing through innovative vehicles from African institutional funds including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies for infrastructure development in Africa.
On his part, Dr. Hosea Kili, OGW – CPF Group Managing Director/CEO – said:
We are proud to be part of this transformative initiative through Dhamana Guarantee Company. We believe in the power of innovative financial solutions to drive sustainable growth. By leveraging local currency guarantees, Dhamana will unlock critical capital for critical infrastructure projects, advancing economic development. This partnership aligns with our commitment to investing in initiatives that improve the lives of people’s lives and our economy while contributing to a more sustainable future.
Joost Zuidberg, CEO of Cardano Development concluded:
Dhamana’s true strength lies in its capacity to attract significant investments from East Africa’s institutional capital, laying a strong foundation for future scaling up according to its sizeable potential and thus meaningfully contribute to sustained economic growth in the region. Part of our core work is to incubate guarantee solutions for emerging and frontier markets, and we are thrilled to formalise this partnership today, as we collectively provide Dhamana with the crucial support and capital needed to fulfil this vital objective.
Dhamana Guarantee Company (Dhamana): Dhamana is working to catalyse the development of domestic capital markets in East Africa. It does this by connecting significant under-utilised sources of domestic institutional capital with the real economy, such as new green infrastructure, and providers of credit to businesses. This increases access and the affordability of local capital, providing new low-risk opportunities for local investors. Dhamana will also serve to provide a portfolio of businesses with access to the local currency capital needed to deliver bankable projects, meeting the high demand for new affordable housing, transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, and promoting long term economic development. http://www.dhamana.com
About PIDG
The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) is an innovative infrastructure project developer and investor which mobilises private investment in sustainable and inclusive infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and south and south-east Asia. PIDG investments promote socio-economic development within a just transition to net zero emissions, combat poverty and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PIDG delivers its ambition in line with its values of pioneering, partnership, safety, inclusivity, and urgency. PIDG offers Technical Assistance for upstream, early-stage activities and concessional capital; its project development arm – which includes InfraCo Africa and InfraCo Asia – invests in early-stage project development and project and corporate equity. PIDG credit solutions include EAIF (the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund), one of the first and more successful blended debt funds in low-income markets; GuarantCo, its guarantee arm that provides credit enhancement and local currency solutions to de-risk projects; and a growing portfolio of local credit enhancement facilities, which unlocks domestic institutional capital for infrastructure financing. Since 2002, PIDG has supported 233 infrastructure projects to financial close, which provided an estimated 228 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. PIDG is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Global Affairs Canada, Germany, and the IFC. http://www.pidg.org
About the African Development Bank (AfDB)
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. http://www.afdb.org
About the CPF Group
The CPF Group offers a comprehensive range of services through its various subsidiaries including CPF Financial Services which administers both private and public pension funds; notably – the Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS); The Local Authorities Pensions Trust (LAPTRUST); the Taifa Pension Fund; the County Pension Fund and CPF Individual Pension Plan. The funds under our administration have a total membership of just over 500,000 members.
Other subsidiaries include Laser Infrastructure & Technology Solutions (LITES); Laser Property Services; Rukisha Advances payment platform; CPF Asset Managers; CPF Capital & Advisory; and Laser Insurance Brokers (LIB). The Group offers a wide range of services in ICT & renewable energy solutions, Property Services, Insurance Brokerage, Smart Money platform, fund management, Transaction Advisory, Trust fund services, training & consultancy, and Corporate Trustee Services. Derived from uncompromised commitment to fulfilling lives, the CPF Group prioritises new models and approaches in engineering turnkey solutions for clients across the region. http://www.cpfgroup.or.ke
About Cardano Development
Cardano Development (CD), established in 2007, incubates new companies, and creates and manages fund managers. Through careful risk-management analysis in data poor settings, CD identifies scalable solutions that can help to make frontier financial markets more inclusive, investible, and sustainable to unlock lasting economic value. CD creates scalable solutions for currency, credit, and liquidity risks in these markets. With over USD 6 billion assets and USD 3.1 billion capital under management, CD supports scale-up ventures (TCX, GuarantCo, Frontclear, BIX Capital, ILX Fund, AGRI3 Fund), and a number of new start-ups, with ongoing management support services and corporate governance oversight. http://www.cardanodevelopment.com.
