Champagne says these 5 new measures will stabilize food prices ‘soon’

The federal government will be taking five measures that mean food prices should stabilize “soon,” Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced in Ottawa Thursday.

While the minister said the changes will appear in “days or weeks,” he did not provide specific dates and faced questions from reporters about how some of these actions differ from what is already in place to lower food costs.

Champagne made the announcement in a news conference alongside Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Housing Minister Sean Fraser. He said the actions will create “a much needed more competitive marketplace.”

Champagne said Thursday that initial commitments have been secured by Canada’s top five grocers, putting into motion the government’s first action.

The first commitment will see… Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/10006700/grocery-food-prices-canada-five-measures/ globalnews.ca/news/10006700/gr…

(Sounds like a lot of blah, blah, blah… to me)

#5measures #grocers #cdnpoli #inflation #cdnpoli #politics

‘It’s a new party’: How Conservatives try to rebuild trust among Muslim communities

OTTAWA — When Pierre Poilievre pitches the Conservative party to Muslim Canadians, he talks about “faith, family and freedom.”

For months he has been pointing out what he sees as their overlapping values during visits to mosques, at community celebrations, with businesses and in conversations with ethnic media outlets.

It’s part of an effort to grow the party’s presence, particularly in larger cities that are home to many racialized Canadians whose support for the Conservatives plummeted during the final months of Stephen Harper’s government and his divisive 2015 campaign.

Poilievre has also fine-tuned his message to appeal to growing concerns from some parents, echoed by several prominent Muslim organizations, about what their children are learning about LGBTQ+ issues in schools.

He is gaining some traction with his acknowledgment of such worries, but whether he will take action through party policy remains unclear. Read more https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/edmonton-news/its-a-new-party-how-conservatives-try-to-rebuild-trust-among-muslim-communities-7639336 www.albertaprimetimes.com/edmo…

#politics #PierrePoilievre #muslim #harper

Canadian oil output to hit new heights within two years: Report

CALGARY — The coming startup of the Trans Mountain pipeline will help boost Canadian oil production to an all-time high within the next two years, according to a new report.

The report by Deloitte Canada said the extra capacity created by the currently ongoing pipeline expansion is expected to boost Canadian production by about 375,000 barrels a day over the next two years.

That represents an eight per cent increase from the previous production high set in November 2022, and a nearly nine per cent increase from the 4.18 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil that Canada produced in June of this year — the most recent month for which statistics are available through the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.

“The increase in volume is notable: it’s greater than the total amount added to Canada’s production levels over the past five years combined,” the report said.

The Trans Mountain pipeline is Canada’s only pipeline system transporting oil from Alberta to the West Coast.

Its expansion, which is currently underway, will boost the pipeline’s capacity to 890,000 bpd from 300,000 bpd. Read more https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/calgary-news/canadian-oil-output-to-hit-new-heights-within-two-years-report-7642865 www.albertaprimetimes.com/calg…

#TransMountain #environment #politics #cdnpoli #FossilFuels

Far-Right ‘Save the Children Convoy’ Gathering at Rural Base Camp Outside Ottawa

On Tuesday morning, PressProgress confirmed the presence of over 30 vehicles affiliated with the “Save the Children Convoy” camping out at a location along County Road 8 outside Casselman, Ontario.

Vehicles at the location range in size from RVs to pick-up trucks and sedans, but notably do not include transport trucks or other heavy vehicles. A mobile office trailer and portapotties were also visible on site.Far-Right ‘Save the Children Convoy’ Gathering at Rural Base Camp Outside Ottawa

A pick-up truck guarding the entrance to the base camp features signs opposing “Agenda 21,” a far-right conspiracy that alleges sustainable development policies are part of the United Nations’ secret agenda to establish a One World Government.

Other vehicles could be observed flying the flag of Russia and a flag associated with the “World Unity Convoy 2023” to Winnipeg earlier this year.

Organizers of the “Save the Children Convoy” have been holding secret in-person planning meetings for the last three months to iron out plans for a convoy this fall.

The convoy is a spin-off of recent anti-LGBTQ+ protests targeting schools and drag storytime events as well as loosely inspired by the controversial film “Sound of Freedom.” The recent wave of anti-LGBT2Q+ “Million Man Marches” held across Canada emerged around the same time and involved organizers who splintered off from the “Save the Children Convoy” earlier this summer.

Lead organizers of the “Save the Children Convoy” have listed a variety of conspiratorial and unfounded claims that the government is running child sex trafficking rings, or that the United Nations is promoting pedophilia in schools. Read more https://pressprogress.ca/far-right-save-the-children-convoy-gathering-at-rural-base-camp-outside-ottawa/ pressprogress.ca/far-right-sav…

#cdnpoli #LGBTTQ+ #convoy #ottawa #SavetheChildren

Far-right campaign architects disgusted Manitobans, damaged Tory party brand

The next time someone tells you toxic, negative advertising in an election campaign is an effective way to win the hearts and minds of voters, tell them about the 2023 provincial election in Manitoba.

Experts tell us the reason political parties often resort to attack ads in election campaigns is because they work. They don’t, at least not the kind Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative party used in this election campaign.

The U.S.-style ads, which the Tories ramped up in the final week of the campaign, were sleazy and sensationalist. They were cooked up by inept, far-right zealots in the Tory central campaign who are hopelessly out of touch with the political culture of Manitoba.

The party’s promotion of “parental rights” in schools, a thinly veiled attack on LGBTTQ+ kids, was particularly loathsome. The Tories “stand firm” ads, which celebrated the party’s refusal to search the Prairie Green Landfill north of Winnipeg for the remains of First Nations women believed to be slain by an alleged serial killer, was despicable.

The campaign’s relentless focus on NDP Leader Wab Kinew’s past was racist and divisive. The use of Tory candidate Rejeanne Caron, a Winnipeg cop, as the designated attack dog to help spread those hate messages was repugnant. Not surprisingly, Caron, who was featured on bus benches around the city and who referred to Kinew on social media as a “wife beater,” lost badly to him in Fort Rouge. Read more https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/10/03/far-right-campaign-architects-disgusted-manitobans-damaged-tory-party-brand www.winnipegfreepress.com/loca…

#mbpoli #far-right #racist #LGBTTQ+ #kinew