It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, January 27, 2022
REACTIONARY MILLIONAIRE TRUCKERS
PM dismisses 'fringe' convoy
Trudeau dismisses protest convoy as 'small fringe minority'
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Colin Dacre - Jan 26, 2022 / 2:56 pm | Story: 358154
Photo: CPAC screengrab
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has dismissed the protest convoy headed for the nation's capital as a “small fringe minority” that holds “unacceptable views.”
The convoy, which rolled out of B.C. on Sunday, is expected to arrive in Ottawa this weekend. It was originally sparked by resistance to a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S./Canada border, but has since evolved into a general airing of grievances related to pandemic restrictions and Trudeau.
The Prime Minister addressed the convoy during an unrelated announcement Wednesday.
“We know the way through this pandemic is by getting everyone vaccinated, and the overwhelming majority close to 90% of Canadians have done exactly that,” he said.
“The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa are who are holding unacceptable views that they're expressing do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other who know that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, our rights, our values as a country,” he continued.
Estimates of how many convoy participants will actually roll into Ottawa this weekend vary widely. Organizers say hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Parliament. Police, meanwhile, say there could be up to 2,000 demonstrators.
Who’s Fuelling the Truckers Protesting Vaccine Mandates?
When the convoy left BC Sunday a fundraiser had pulled in $2 million. A key organizer is tied to the Alberta separatist scene
Truckers and supporters against a federal vaccine mandate in Delta before departing for Ottawa on Jan. 23. They vow to snarl traffic on their route. Photo by Darryl Dyck, the Canadian Press.
[Update: Reports on Monday, Jan. 24 tallied the amount raised by donors to the Freedom Convoy GoFundMe site at $3.7 million. GoFundMe told CTV news it was putting a hold on the money raised until it cleared up concerns about transparency and whether organizers have a clear plan for how it would be spent.]
An online fundraising campaign organized by a person associated with the Maverick Party and other western separatist causes now indicates it has raised close to $2 million in the week to bankroll highway disruptions by truckers angry at Ottawa for imposing a vaccine mandate on cross-border essential workers.
The convoy departed B.C. for Ottawa on Sunday.
The “Freedom Convoy 2022” campaign’s GoFundMe page showed donations of $1,911,540 at 9:50 p.m. Saturday. The fundraising goal was increased at about the same time to $3 million. When the campaign was reported Friday by TruckNews.com — an online publication associated with a printed trade publication called Today’s Trucking — the campaign was closing in on $1 million.
Information on the campaign’s GoFundMe page makes it clear it is motivated by hostility to policies of the Trudeau government, particularly measures to control the spread of COVID-19. “Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods,” it alleges.
While most of the donations listed on the page are relatively small, some as high as $10,000 are included on the list published by GoFundMe. The site identified Raymar Concrete Forming as one $10,000 donor. Many donations are anonymous.
Despite agreeing with some trucking industry complaints about the vaccine mandate, TruckNews.com’s reporter, James Menzies, expressed reservations about the strategy of blocking critical infrastructure with slow-rolling transport trucks.
“Such protests rarely deliver results, aside from angering the motoring public and casting shade on our industry,” he wrote, describing such large amounts of money “being thrown at recent attempts to bring commerce to a halt” as disturbing.
“If these protests do materialize (many fizzle out when it’s actually time to roll), we have concerns about the effect they will have on how the public perceives our industry, the safety risks posed to the motoring public,” he wrote.
In a statement Saturday, the Canadian Trucking Alliance said it “does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways and bridges. CTA believes such actions — especially those that interfere with public safety — are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed.”
CTA president Stephen Laskowski condemned road blockades and essentially advised anti-vaccine truckers to grow up and get vaccinated. The governments of Canada and the United States, he said, “have now made being vaccinated a requirement to cross the border. This regulation is not changing so, as an industry, we must adapt and comply with this mandate.
“The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated,” he concluded.
It was Menzies who connected the dots between the fundraiser and the political interests of organizer Tamara Lich, who has what he described as “a history of association with radical groups, including the recently formed federal separatist Maverick Party in Alberta.”
“In her past, Lich was regional co-ordinator for Wexit in southeastern Alberta, and was member of the board for Wexit Alberta,” TruckNews.com reported. It said she later joined the board of Wexit Canada, which has been rebranded the Maverick Party.
He reported that Lich, whom he said has no direct connection to the trucking industry, also had past links to the so-called Yellow Vest movement, which has many documented connections to extremist groups.
Of course, when it comes to cross-border transportation, no prime minister regardless of party would be likely to pursue a policy different from than that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals — no matter what Conservatives might say in opposition. The United States government requires cross-border truckers from Canada to be fully vaccinated.
Beyond that, the campaign raises important questions about the potential use of the GoFundMe site to get around election financial reporting laws for what are clearly intended to be political campaigns attacking one party.
This is a question that goes well beyond this particular issue and organization — especially given the Conservative Party of Canada’s past connection to these kinds of trucker blockades.
Ever since a grinning former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer turned up at a large truck rally that snarled traffic around Edmonton International Airport on Dec. 19, 2019, and then made sure his face was plastered all over social media aboard some of the rigs, the Conservatives have been linked to truck protest organizers in the minds of Canadians.
Vaccine Opponents: When Bad Logic Serves Bad Faith Agendas
Whether the federal Conservative party still supports such efforts to bring commerce to a halt by disrupting highway traffic might be an interesting question to ask its current leader, Erin O’Toole.
Meanwhile, the question of whether the United Conservative Party government in Alberta will use its Critical Infrastructure Defence Act to crack down on blockades of highways remains unanswered.
The law was passed in 2020 as a reaction to blockades by supporters of First Nations that were opposed to construction of a pipeline to the West Coast.
If the Alberta government won’t act, the conclusion the legislation was passed solely to attack opponents of Premier Jason Kenney’s pet projects will be hard to discount.
David Climenhaga 24 Jan 2022 | Alberta Politics David J. Climenhaga is an award-winning journalist, author, post-secondary teacher, poet and trade union communicator. He blogs at AlbertaPolitics.ca. Follow him on Twitter at @djclimenhaga.
Far-right groups hope trucker protest will be Canada’s ‘January 6th’
Canadian far-right and white nationalist groups see the so-called “Freedom Convoy” as an opportunity, with some hoping the protests will be Canada’s version of last year’s Jan. 6 riot in Washington. Hundreds of truckers and their supporters are making their way from B.C. to Ottawa for a planned protest outside Parliament on Saturday.
The loosely-organized group – has raised almost $4.5 million through GoFundMe since Jan. 14 – and is said to oppose vaccine mandates, particularly a new vaccination requirement for truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border into Canada.
But a review of the protesters’ online communications, including real-time chatter over walkie-talkie app Zello, suggest a collection of grievances and anti-government sentiment that extends beyond vaccine mandates.
And while the most extreme voices likely do not reflect the position of most protesters, it’s clear that those extreme voices are hoping to capitalize on their anger.
“F—king A, guys, let’s get pumped for this. Let’s go to f–king Ottawa,” said one supporter, described by anti-hate activists as a far-right vlogger in a recent YouTube clip.
Referring to the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol building events in Washington last January, he said: “I want to see one of those truckers … None of our guys (involved), obviously. But I'd like to see our own January 6 event. … See some of those truckers plough right through that 16 foot wall."
One of the groups associated with the event, Canada Unity, has produced a pseudo-legalistic “memorandum of understanding” they plan to present to Gov. General Mary Simon and the Senate, which they mistakenly believe would force the government to rescind COVID-19 public health measures, or force the government to resign en masse.
Some supporters suggested they would not leave Ottawa until vaccine mandates for public servants, Canadian travellers and cross-border truckers are lifted.
On one Facebook group connected to the convoy with more than 35,000 members, one user recently asked “what would happen if the military stood behind us and not Trudope?”
“There WILL Be a LYNCHING…!” another user responded, according to screenshots shared with Global News.
“The military took an oath to protect the rights and freedoms of Canadians without bias or political affiliation against threats foreign or domestic,” another user chimed in.
“Let us pray they do the right thing should they be called upon.”
On the Zello app, which the protesters and supporters use to chat with each other as they make their way across the country, one user chimed in with a threat to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“If anything we should grab Trudeau by the g—mn neck and kick the s–t out of him for what he’s done,” said the user, who was immediately reminded by several other to keep things “peaceful.”
The more extreme comments from supporters may not reflect the views of the convoy organizers and participants. One organizer, Brigitte Belton, told Global News Monday that protesters looking to “cause havoc” should “stay home.”
“Go play your video games, smoke pot, whatever it is you do, and let the big boys and girls fight for your freedom to do that,” Belton said.
Stephanie Carvin, a former CSIS analyst who teaches international relations and security issues at Carleton University, said the issue isn’t that the protesters are necessarily extremists. It’s that extremists “are seeing a very angry pool of people, and I think they see this as an opportunity to capitalize on the anger and frustration” and push their narratives.
But Carvin suggested it’s unlikely Saturday’s protest will be on a similar scale to the Jan. 6 riot in Washington – whatever Canada’s extremist fringe says on their YouTube chat.
The Parliamentary Protective Service, who are responsible for security on Parliament Hill, told Global News they are aware of the protest plans and are coordinating with other security agencies.
“The service continuously monitors threats and is closely monitoring (this) situation. The service adjusts its security posture on Parliament Hill and within the parliamentary precinct as required,” the service said in a statement.
“For everyone’s safety, the service will not comment on security matters.”
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which is responsible for monitoring and in some cases disrupting domestic security threats, was similarly tight lipped — although it noted the agency does not investigate “lawful protest and dissent.”
“As you can expect, we do not publicly comment, confirm or deny the specifics of our investigations, operational interests, methodologies or activities,” wrote spokesperson Keira Lawson in an email.
On the protesters’ Zello chat, many supporters hoped their protest would result in an end to vaccine mandates and other public health measures designed to limit COVID’s death toll as the Omicron wave continues to spread.
And despite organizers’ promises of peaceful protest, the issue was consistently framed as an existential battle.
“We need our freedom back. We can’t keep living like this,” said one user.
“So thank you so much for putting your guys’ life on that line.”
Moderators, meanwhile, repeatedly urged participants to “be so respectful” and to be on their “best behaviour.”
“They’re going to be blown away by our kindness,” one said.
‘Fringe minority’ in truck convoy with ‘unacceptable views’ don’t represent Canadians: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the “fringe minority” heading to Ottawa in a truck convoy that hold “unacceptable views” don’t represent the way most Canadians feel.
He made the comments in a press conference Wednesday evening, on the heels of Global News reports that far-right and white nationalist groups see the convoy as an opportunity.
Supply chain misinformation follows ‘Freedom Convoy’ headed to Ottawa
Organizers of the truck convoy have been adamant that these extremist voices do not represent the position of the protestors.
“The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, who are holding unacceptable views that they are expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians,” Trudeau said.
“(Canadians) who have been there for each other, who know that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, our rights, our values as a country.”
He added that “close to 90 per cent” of truckers in Canada “are vaccinated.”
Tamara Lich, an organizer of the truck convoy, said in a video posted to the convoy’s Facebook page that the most extreme voices in the movement do not reflect the position of the protesters.
“As you know, we are on our way to Ottawa to hold a peaceful protest. I just want to put it out there that nobody in this convoy will be inciting violence or uttering threats. That is not what we’re here to do,” Lich said in the video.
“If you see anybody trying to associate themselves with us that is acting in that way, you need to get their truck number and their licence plate and report it to the police and get it to us and we’ll report it to police. That is not our mandate. Violence and threats is not our mandate.”
The convoy initially kicked off with a focus on opposing vaccine mandates — especially the one aimed at truckers. The government announced in November 2021 that all Canadian truckers looking to cross the border from the United States would need to be vaccinated in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine. The United States also instituted its own ban on unvaccinated truck drivers on Saturday, a week after Canada implemented its policy.
When the Canadian vaccine policy came into effect on Jan. 15, many truckers and politicians came out against the mandate — and just over a week later, on Jan. 23, truckers hit the road in protest.
In a post from the Freedom Convoy 2022 Facebook page, the organization said the trucking convoy is “anti government mandates,” explaining they oppose any vaccine mandates — not just the one for truckers. That message, however, has become muddied as the movement grows.
One of the groups associated with the event, Canada Unity, has produced a pseudo-legalistic “memorandum of understanding” they plan to present to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and the Senate, which they mistakenly believe would force the government to rescind COVID-19 public health measures, or force the government to resign en masse. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT
On the protesters’ Zello chat, which is a walkie-talkie app, many supporters expressed their hope that their protest would result in an end to vaccine mandates and other public health measures. But despite organizers’ promises of peaceful protest, moderators would sometimes have to rein in more violent comments.
“If anything we should grab Trudeau by the g—mn neck and kick the s–t out of him for what he’s done,” said one user, who was immediately reminded by several others to keep things “peaceful.”
One supporter, described by anti-hate activists as a far-right vlogger, said in a recent YouTube clip that he’d “like to see our own January 6 event…. See some of those truckers plough right through that 16-foot wall.”
According to the Ottawa police, rally organizers have told them that Saturday’s protest will be “a significant and extremely fluid event” that could go on “for a prolonged period.”
“We are planning for a range of potential risks, including but not limited to counterdemonstrations, blocking of intersections, interfering with critical infrastructures, and unlawful and violent activity,” said Ottawa’s acting deputy police chief Trish Ferguson.
She added residents should “avoid travel in the city core, if possible.”
The demonstration is expected to begin on Saturday around lunchtime.
— With files from Global News’ Alex Boutilier
'So many angry people': Experts say online conversation around trucker convoy veering into dangerous territory
As a growing group of truckers and supporters make their way to Ottawa in a protest against vaccine mandates, experts say the rhetoric online concerning the convoy is getting increasingly worrisome.
The group of truckers and concerned citizens began a cross-country trip to Ottawa over the weekend, in protest of vaccine mandates in the country. The groups expect to arrive in Ottawa this Saturday.
The movement has since gathered steam nationwide, as videos show highway gatherings in support of the truckers, but some experts worry the online conversation surrounding the convoy has veered into dangerous territory.
“There are people who genuinely believe that this is overreach by the federal government, but there are also a lot of other groups that are involved and individuals who are involved who have a long history of very overheated rhetoric,” Kurt Phillips, founder and former lead writer for Anti-Racist Canada, told CTVNews.ca in a recent phone interview.
Even though the organizers say it will be peaceful, Phillips said he’s seen people online calling the trucker convoy Canada’s version of the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, for the truckers to ram their trucks into Parliament, and people encouraging the hanging of politicians.
“Some of the organizers are trying to get people to dial back the rhetoric, but the genie's already out of the bottle,” he said. “People are energized in an incredible way right now, and it's hard to see something not happening. I don't know if it would be on the scale of Jan. 6 in the United States, but there are so many angry people.”
Peter Smith, a journalist working with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said he’s seeing a lot of similarities between this latest convoy and a similar truck convoy from 2019 that was meant to protest federal pipeline policies.
“Right from the start, the largest groups … have been organized and managed by people who have connections to those types of groups like the Yellow Vests, the separatist Western movements,” he said. “So right from the start, this began as part of fringe politics.”
Smith said he’s seen people using the movement to accuse politicians of pedophilia and to accuse the government of being illegitimate.
“This has become the focus of the far right,” Smith said. “It's not to say that there's not people involved who have a ‘heart-in-the-right-place’ mentality, but this has become -- like the health restrictions -- an important opportunity to capitalize on people's justifiable discontent with the government.”
“Whatever happens in this movement, this protest will be a propaganda tool that's probably used for years.”
The rhetoric has also engulfed some politicians. Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the “biggest threat to freedom in Canada,” while Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MP in the Ottawa region, recently called the truckers vaccine mandate a “vaccine vendetta.” People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier called Canada’s COVID-19 measures “fascist” and “authoritarian.”
The convoy has even gathered the attention of Donald Trump Jr.
“When we push back against the insanity, we can win, and that’s how all this ends,” he said in a Facebook video.
“This is a genius idea. We need to see more of this in the U.S.”
Smith said that while the language used by some politicians is far from the most extreme comments he’s seen, it’s these comments that can lend credence to the more extreme sentiments.
“The main organizers have been explicit about saying there won't be violence, but you look at some of the streams and comments made by others -- many of whom are planning to attend -- they're almost hoping for it,” he said.
Phillips said a lot of people from different groups that would not normally associate with each other have banded together on this instance, in part because so much money has been raised.
“They seem to be gravitating towards this for a variety of reasons, might be because of the energy that's involved in it. It might be for the grift, the chance of making a profit off of it,” he said.
OTTAWA -- Conservative MPs are publicly cheering on the trucker convoy that’s making its way across the country with the intent of converging onto Parliament Hill this weekend, voicing opposition to the federal government’s mandatory vaccination policies.
The so-called “freedom convoy” was sparked by outrage over a vaccine mandate recently imposed on cross-border truckers, though the convoy has garnered support from anti-vaccine mandate groups who feel requirements to be vaccinated against COVID-19 curb their freedoms, and among those who dislike Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
While organizers say they are running a peaceful and law-abiding demonstration, experts have raised concerns over the online discourse related to the trucker convoy. From social media posts expressing anti-government and violent sentiments to a suggestion that the event could be like a Canadian version of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, experts CTVNews.ca spoke with said that the messaging and rhetoric is veering into dangerous territory.
The convoy plans to arrive in Ottawa on Jan. 29 with the intention of taking its “fight to the doorsteps of our federal government,” to demand the vaccine mandates end.
With Parliament not back in session until Jan. 31 and the hybrid virtual format still in place it’s unlikely many federal officials will be in the parliamentary precinct when the convoy rolls in, though one Conservative MP has said he’s already in town ready for its arrival.
The Parliamentary Protective Service has told CTV News that it is aware of the planned protest and is “closely monitoring the situation.”
“The Service adjusts its security posture on Parliament Hill and within the parliamentary precinct as required,” said the Parliamentary Protective Service in a statement.
Saskatchewan Conservative MP and former party leader Andrew Scheer met with the convoy as it passed through Regina on Monday night.
“Our position is that no one should lose their job for a healthcare decision. Truckers were essential workers for two years during the pandemic, and the government hasn’t explained why things need to change," he said to supporters.
Scheer is one of several MPs who have voiced support online for the initiative as well.
Other Conservatives, including MPs Pierre Poilievre and Garnett Genuis have called the federal mandate Trudeau’s “vaccine vendetta.”
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has repeatedly dodged questions about his stance on the convoy. While he has been raising concerns with the vaccine mandate for truckers for several weeks and his caucus is soliciting signatures for a petition calling for the mandate to be reversed, he has not said whether he supports the protests.
“I support getting as many people vaccinated as possible, including truckers,” he told reporters on Monday. “It's not for the leader of the opposition or political party to attend a protest on the Hill or a convoy.”
The Conservative leader hasn’t said whether he will meet with the truckers once they arrive, but said he has been meeting with the Canadian Trucking Alliance, a group that recently condemned the convoy and its disruption on Canadian roadways as the wrong way to express dissatisfaction with government policies.
However, on Tuesday a spokesperson for O’Toole’s office said he misspoke, and has met with other trucking groups including the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada, but not the Canadian Trucking Alliance.
Asked about the convoy at a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the federal Conservative Party and conservative politicians in this country of trying to raise fears about the supply chain to erode support for vaccination mandates.
“When we talk about this protest that's happening, I'm not sure how much of it is connected to supply chains anymore,” said British Columbia NDP MP Taylor Bachrach on CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Tuesday. “It’s grown into something else entirely.”
People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier told supporters in an email that he plans on attending what he described as the “biggest demonstration in generations,” and an “unprecedented moment in Canadian history.”
FUNDS RAISED REMAIN FROZEN
The convoy has been fundraising to cover participants’ food, fuel and lodging costs, and despite an ongoing freeze on the funds as CTV News has reported, donations keep rolling in.
As of Tuesday evening, the convoy has raised more than $4.8 million from donors around the world. GoFundMe had temporarily stopped organizers from using the money, with organizers saying that any funds left over from the cross-Canada drive will be donated.
As of Tuesday, GoFundMe told CTV News that it is still working with the organizer to “gather information and documentation about how funds are being distributed.”
“Once a withdrawal plan is provided by the organizer, our team is on standby to safely and quickly deliver the funds,” Rachel Hollis, GoFundMe’s director of communications said in an email.
TRUCKING GROUP DISTANCES
After coming out last weekend to denounce the protests as they began gaining attention, the Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a joint statement with federal ministers on Tuesday doubling down on their support for the federal vaccination policy for truckers.
“The Government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance both agree that vaccination, used in combination with preventative public health measures, is the most effective tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for Canadians, and to protect public health,” reads the statement co-signed by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, and President of the Canadian Trucking Alliance Stephen Laskowski.
Under the policy, unvaccinated Canadian truckers will have to be fully vaccinated and show proof of a recent negative test result in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine when crossing back into this country from the U.S. As well, unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated non-Canadian truckers will not be able to enter without proof of a valid medical contraindication to the COVID-19 vaccines.
MIRRORING U.S. POLICY BANS UNVAXXED
While the Canadian Trucking Alliance has voiced its backing of truckers getting vaccinated—as the majority have— in the lead up to the mandate coming into effect Laskowski was among those in the industry sounding alarm bells that the policy coming into effect now would sideline thousands of drivers, exacerbate the trucker shortage, and put further strains on the supply chain. At the time he noted that while Canada’s policy would make an impact, so long as the reciprocal U.S. policy is in place banning unvaccinated foreign nationals from crossing the northern border with Canada and the southern border with Mexico, these drivers will not be able to cross the border regardless of what Canada’s rules are.
“What we really have here… is the need for Ottawa and Washington to both agree to remove their foreign national requirements,” Laskowski said on CTV News Channel on Jan. 13.
While there was some initial scrambling and confusion due to a messaging mistake from the Canada Border Services Agency about exemptions to the policy that resulted in some unvaccinated drivers having to quarantine, the government maintains the industry had ample time to prepare for the mandate to come into effect.
Alghabra told CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Monday that he’s planning to meet next week with stakeholders about supply chain concerns and the causes of them— including the ongoing pandemic and labour-related struggles— amid increased attention on shortages on some grocery store shelves.
With files from CTV National News Senior Political Correspondent Glen McGregor and CTV News' Ben Cousins
NDP's Jagmeet Singh denounces trucker convoy, disagrees with brother-in-law's donation to the cause Singh's brother-in-law donated $13,000 to group organizing trucker convoy
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh listens to a question during a news conference. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh today condemned a convoy of truckers and others travelling to Ottawa to protest a federal rule requiring that all cross-border drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Singh said some of the people behind the demonstration are pushing "false information" through "inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments."
GoFundMe records show Singh's brother-in-law, Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, donated $13,000 to the group behind the demonstration — dubbed the "freedom convoy" by participants.
In a statement sent to CBC News, Singh said he doesn't support a campaign that harbours "extremist and dangerous views" and "unequivocally" disapproves of his brother-in-law's decision to donate. 'Dangerous and divisive rhetoric'
"[I] ... disagree with him about this donation and told him so. I am against this convoy and against the dangerous and divisive rhetoric we're seeing coming from it," Singh said.
"I understand people are frustrated that we're still in this pandemic two years later. The best way to get out of this pandemic, and to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe, is to get vaccinated and to listen to public health experts."
An NDP source, speaking on background, said Dhaliwal didn't fully comprehend what the money would be used for.
"There was a misunderstanding. Once he understood the true nature of this organization, a process was started to return the donation," the source said.
While he waits for GoFundMe to process the reversal, Dhaliwal has hidden his name from the public list of donors to the convoy, the source said.
The protest is being organized by Canada Unity, a group that opposes COVID-19-related measures. Its organizers say it is intended to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government to drop the vaccine mandate for truckers and do away with other public health protections.
Trudeau responded today by saying the vast majority of Canadians disagree with the convoy's message. He pointed out that Canadian truckers have a vaccination rate of approximately 90 per cent.
"The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, or who are holding unacceptable views that they're expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other," Trudeau told a news conference today.
In Canada Unity's "memorandum of understanding," convoy organizers call on Ottawa and the provincial and territorial governments to do away with what they call "unconstitutional, discriminatory and segregating actions and human rights violations" brought about through programs like the vaccine passport system for non-essential businesses and vaccine requirements for public servants and transport workers.
The group demands that government leaders either make the changes or "RESIGN their lawful positions of authority Immediately."
Singh condemned Conservative politicians for backing people opposed to public health measures.
"While not surprising, it is disturbing that Conservative MPs are supporting this convoy," he said.
Conservative deputy leader Candice Bergen is the latest Conservative MP to come out in support of the convoy protest. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Candice Bergen, deputy leader of the Conservative Party, added her name to a growing list of MPs who say they stand with the protesting truckers. She said her party opposes all federal vaccine mandates.
Bergen said Trudeau's attempt to boost vaccination rates through new mandates has "dealt our already crumbling supply chain another blow." She said the policy will exacerbate an existing trucker shortage and "drive inflation higher than it's been in over 30 years."
"Now more than ever, our economy needs to be reopened, and we need every sector working in order to recover from the pandemic. I support peaceful demonstrations against these mandates, and our truckers from Portage-Lisgar and from across Canada," Bergen said, referring to the riding she represents.
Supporters of truck drivers protesting the COVID-19 vaccine mandate cheer on a convoy of trucks on their way to Ottawa on the Trans-Canada west of Winnipeg on January 25, 2022. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre and Garnett Genuis, a Conservative MP from Alberta, have called the federal policy a "vaccine vendetta."
In an interview with CBC News, Poilievre accused Trudeau and Singh of "insulting" truckers taking part in the convoy.
"You don't have to agree with the everything that every trucker says, but you can, for God's sakes ... thank the truckers for keeping us alive and acknowledge their legitimate frustration," he said.
Martin Shields, a Conservative MP who represents the Alberta riding of Bow River, has said it's time to put an end to the "Trudeau Liberal government's mandates and freedom-curbing restrictions." Shields has promised to meet with the convoy when it arrives in Ottawa.
Bob Benzen, the Conservative MP for Calgary Heritage, said he supports the convoy and its protest against "coercive, intrusive and authoritarian dictates of this Trudeau government."
"This vaccine mandate for truckers who served us over two years of the crisis is ridiculous and unacceptable," Benzen said.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has been less vocal than some of his caucus colleagues regarding the convoy protest. Speaking to reporters on Monday, O'Toole accused Trudeau of "dividing Canadians" by pushing shots on truckers — but was non-committal when asked if he'd meet with convoy organizers when they arrive in the nation's capital.
"It's not for the leader of the opposition or a political party to attend a protest on the Hill or a convoy. It's up to politicians to advocate for solutions in a cost of living crisis in a way that's responsible and respectful of the public health crisis we are in," he said.
While the vast majority of cross-border truckers have had the necessary shots, industry groups estimate as many as 12,000 to 16,000 unvaccinated Canadian drivers could be pulled off the road because of this policy.
Various business groups — including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Council of Canada and the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition — have expressed concerns about the trucker mandate.
In a statement Wednesday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) urged the federal government to drop its mandate "before supply shortages and price increases drive even more businesses to the brink."
Experts agree that while the new mandate is likely to disrupt the flow of goods, the recent pandemic wave driven by the Omicron variant, COVID-19 restrictions in China and a global shortage of shipping containers are also to blame for ongoing supply issues in the food and retail sectors. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra pushed back against Conservative claims that the vaccine mandate is causing higher prices and empty shelves. WATCH: Transport Minister Omar Alghabra discusses timing of vaccine mandate Transport minister discusses timing of vaccine mandate for truckers
Omar Alghabra says 90 per cent of truck drivers are vaccinated and the vaccine mandate is intended to encourage the unvaccinated to get their shots. 1:54
At a news conference on another matter, Alghabra said the pandemic, an increase in worker absenteeism due to sickness, a change in consumption patterns (Canadians have been spending more money on goods than on services during the pandemic) and a series of "climate change events" have caused severe disruptions to the normal order of business.
"To reduce the supply chain issues to a vaccine mandate is inaccurate and is false," Alghabra said.
"This was the right time to encourage the remaining number of our truck drivers to get vaccinated. It was coordinated and it happened at the same time that the U.S. is imposing one on its own border as well."
The United States has implemented a similar mandate requiring all U.S.-bound travellers to show proof that they've had their shots before entry.
That means unvaccinated Canadian drivers wouldn't be able to cross the international boundary even if the Canadian government dropped the new vaccine requirement. Threats from the fringe
Bergen said she supports "peaceful" demonstrators opposed to the mandate. Just how peaceful the convoy will be is an open question.
At least one of the convoy organizers, Tamara Lich — who has ties to the federal Maverick Party, which has roots in Alberta separatist circles — has said she wants the protest to be peaceful. But other people who've aligned themselves with the convoy have used more heated rhetoric.
Since the convoy of trucks and other vehicles left B.C. for Ottawa, extremists and fringe groups have taken to social media to encourage their followers to descend on the capital and destroy property and threaten elected officials.
Some have called for another Jan. 6 — a reference to the day last year when Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building.
Lich said that everyone participating in the convoy must be registered with their "road captains" and anyone who does not behave in an orderly fashion "will be immediately removed."
Confusion after GoFundMe freezes $5 million fundraiser for truck protesters
A company spokesperson said they paused the campaign in order to give organizers time to plan the distribution of funds
A sign on a van as a portion of the Freedom Convoy stopped outside the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg on Mon., Jan. 24, 2022
PHOTO BY KEVIN KING/WINNIPEG SUN/POSTMEDIA NETWORK
A GoFundMe campaign for a massive transport truck protest convoy has reached more than $5 million — but there are conflicting report the money may have been frozen.
The fundraiser, started Jan. 14 by Tamara Lich — an official from the western separatist Maverick Party — is proving wildly successful, recording nearly 58,000 donors over the past 10 days, with at least seven giving in excess of $10,000.
The largest donation so far, made early Tuesday evening, was for $13,000.
Organizers of the campaign said on the GoFundMe page, “Our current government is implementing rules and mandates that are destroying the foundation of our businesses, industries and livelihoods.
“We are taking our fight to the doorsteps of our Federal Government and demanding that they cease all mandates against its people.”
On Tuesday, the Canadian Press reported that the Freedom Convoy 2022 campaign had been put on hold by the online crowdfunding platform. But the fundraiser’s website appears to be running as normal and accepting new donations — sitting at just shy of $5-million by Tuesday afternoon.
The Canadian Press reported a GoFundMe spokesperson said they halted the campaign until organizers could provide a plan on how funds would be disbursed.
The campaign’s GoFundMe description originally claimed the funds would be disbursed to truckers to cover the cost of fuel for truck drivers taking part in the convoy, but on Sunday that was changed to state an arrangement was made with GoFundMe to send the money directly to a bulk fuel supplier and not the organizers, and that excess funds would be donated to a veteran’s organization.
Repeated inquiries to Lich and convoy organizers by the National Post went unacknowledged.
Requests for comment to GoFundMe likewise went unreturned.
The convoy is expected to arrive in Ottawa on Saturday to rally against mandatory vaccine mandates.
It is shaping up to be one of the largest the country has seen in years. Cities across Canada are now regularly witnessing scenes of kilometres-long convoys of trucks being greeted by crowds of flag-waving supporters.
A video on Twitter showed the convoy taking 30 minutes to pass by Okotoks, Alta. Other social media posting estimated the convoy at 70 kilometres.
James Bauder the founder of a group called Canada unity Foundation which is the main organizer of the “Freedom Convoy,” said it could involve a million people by the time it reached Ottawa.
“We’re done with mandates. This entire nation is rising up, standing up…. We as Canadians have made the decision for ourselves, to stand in unity together,” said Bauder. “Minimum 500,000 to a million for sure are going to be in Ottawa, coast to coast by the time we get there.”
Support for the convoy continues to grow among Canada’s conservative politicians.
Former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer tweeted his support, thanking truckers and accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of putting the liberty of Canadians at risk.
“Trudeau is attacking personal liberty and threatening everyone’s ability to get groceries because of his overreach on vaccine mandates,” Scheer said on Twitter.
Bow River MP Martin Shields posted a video in front of the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill, saying he’s looking forward to the convoy once they arrive in Ottawa on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of challenges with COVID-19, and border crossings are one of them,” he said. “Many people have been vaccinated, but there’s exceptions for those in our economy that are essential — and crossing the border to bring supplies north and south is critical for our industries.”
Saskatoon-Grasswood MP Kevin Waugh saw the Saskatoon leg of the convoy off as they began their journey to Ottawa.
“I supported our local truck drivers as they hit the road in Saskatoon today,” he tweeted. “It should have never come to this for them.”
Saskatchewan MP Brad Redekopp, tweeted, “I’m proud to support our truckers both in Saskatoon and across Canada against government overreach. We need all of our truckers working to keep groceries on the shelves!”
Not all observers are convinced the convoy will accomplish its goals.
Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, said while he’s glad to see Canadians taking food security seriously, he’s concerned it’ll end up just being a distraction.
“I actually think the convoy itself is creating more disruptions than the vaccine mandate itself,” he said.
“We’re going to see some bottlenecks and traffic jams generated by the convoy, and seeing a lot of energy invested in something that will likely not have much of an impact from a policy perspective.”
— With additional reporting from Rachel Parent
'So many angry people': Experts say online conversation around trucker convoy veering into dangerous territory Truckers prepare to depart on a cross-country convoy destined for Ottawa to protest a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, in Delta, B.C., on Sunday, January 23, 2022.
As a growing group of truckers and supporters make their way to Ottawa in a protest against vaccine mandates, experts say the rhetoric online concerning the convoy is getting increasingly worrisome.
The group of truckers and concerned citizens began a cross-country trip to Ottawa over the weekend, in protest of vaccine mandates in the country. The groups expect to arrive in Ottawa this Saturday.
The movement has since gathered steam nationwide, as videos show highway gatherings in support of the truckers, but some experts worry the online conversation surrounding the convoy has veered into dangerous territory.
“There are people who genuinely believe that this is overreach by the federal government, but there are also a lot of other groups that are involved and individuals who are involved who have a long history of very overheated rhetoric,” Kurt Phillips, founder and former lead writer for Anti-Racist Canada, told CTVNews.ca in a recent phone interview.
Organizers for the convoy insist they are abiding the laws and intend for a peaceful rally in Ottawa this weekend.
Even though the organizers say it will be peaceful, Phillips said he’s seen people online calling the trucker convoy Canada’s version of the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, for the truckers to ram their trucks into Parliament, and people encouraging the hanging of politicians.
“Some of the organizers are trying to get people to dial back the rhetoric, but the genie's already out of the bottle,” he said. “People are energized in an incredible way right now, and it's hard to see something not happening. I don't know if it would be on the scale of Jan. 6 in the United States, but there are so many angry people.”
Peter Smith, a journalist working with the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said he’s seeing a lot of similarities between this latest convoy and a similar truck convoy from 2019 that was meant to protest federal pipeline policies.
“Right from the start, the largest groups … have been organized and managed by people who have connections to those types of groups like the Yellow Vests, the separatist Western movements,” he said. “So right from the start, this began as part of fringe politics.”
Smith said he’s seen people using the movement to accuse politicians of pedophilia and to accuse the government of being illegitimate.
“This has become the focus of the far right,” Smith said. “It's not to say that there's not people involved who have a ‘heart-in-the-right-place’ mentality, but this has become -- like the health restrictions -- an important opportunity to capitalize on people's justifiable discontent with the government.”
“Whatever happens in this movement, this protest will be a propaganda tool that's probably used for years.”
The rhetoric has also engulfed some politicians. Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the “biggest threat to freedom in Canada,” while Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MP in the Ottawa region, recently called the truckers vaccine mandate a “vaccine vendetta.” People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier called Canada’s COVID-19 measures “fascist” and “authoritarian.”
The convoy has even gathered the attention of Donald Trump Jr.
“When we push back against the insanity, we can win, and that’s how all this ends,” he said in a Facebook video.
“This is a genius idea. We need to see more of this in the U.S.”
Smith said that while the language used by some politicians is far from the most extreme comments he’s seen, it’s these comments that can lend credence to the more extreme sentiments.
“The main organizers have been explicit about saying there won't be violence, but you look at some of the streams and comments made by others -- many of whom are planning to attend -- they're almost hoping for it,” he said.
Phillips said a lot of people from different groups that would not normally associate with each other have banded together on this instance, in part because so much money has been raised.
“They seem to be gravitating towards this for a variety of reasons, might be because of the energy that's involved in it. It might be for the grift, the chance of making a profit off of it,” he said.
Opponents of COVID-19 restrictions and supporters of Canadian truck drivers protesting the vaccine mandate on that cross-border industry cheer on an Ottawa-bound convoy of trucks on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Winnipeg on Tuesday. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)
A key player behind the convoy travelling to Ottawa to protest a vaccine mandate for truckers is distancing her movement from the increasingly extremist rhetoric online being associated with the protest and asking members of the convoy to report any extreme behaviour to police.
Addressing her Facebook followers in a video posted on the Freedom Convoy 2022 Facebook page, Tamara Lich said the convoy is expected to arrive at Parliament Hill in Ottawa over the weekend to protest what she calls infringements of personal liberty caused by public health orders.
"If you see participants along the way that are misbehaving, acting aggressively in any way or inciting any type of violence or hatred, please take down the truck number and their licence plate number so that we can forward that to the police," she said.
Since the convoy of trucks and other vehicles left B.C. and began snaking its way to Ottawa, extremists and fringe groups have taken to social media to encourage their followers to descend on the capital when the convoy arrives, calling on them to destroy property and threaten elected officials.
Some have called for another Jan. 6 — the day last year when Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building. Others have called for politicians to be targeted, in what amounts to a growing threat that has security officials concerned, according to one senior government official who spoke to CBC News on background.
Lich said that everyone participating in the convoy must be registered with their "road captains" and anyone who does not behave in an orderly fashion "will be immediately removed."
WATCH | Truckers' protest convoy picks up support on Prairies:
Large crowds of supporters met a convoy of truckers and other protesters as it rolled through Winnipeg heading to Parliament Hill, where the mandate has become a political issue. Many involved in the convoy oppose the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, but there’s growing concern about extremists within their ranks. 3:30
"The only way that we are going to overcome this is through love and light, not hate and division," she said. "I think as Canadians, we've all seen enough of that. It's time to move past that."
The federal government announced in mid-November that by Jan. 15, all foreign nationals working as truckers would have to be fully vaccinated to enter Canada. Those not fully vaccinated are to be turned back to the U.S.
All Canadian cross-border essential workers — including truckers — must also show proof of vaccination at a port of entry to avoid stringent testing requirements and quarantine.
Truckers travelling within Canada are not affected by these new measures. The United States has implemented a similar mandate, requiring that all U.S.-bound travellers show proof they've had the required shots.
Funds being held back
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Lich — who has ties to the Maverick Party, a federal party with roots in Alberta separatist circles — has so far collected more than $4.7 million in donations to support the convoy.
The fundraising platform issued a statement Tuesday saying that the funds are being held back until GoFundMe receives more details about the group and its financial management.
"We require that fundraisers be transparent about the flow of funds and have a clear plan for how those funds will be spent," the GoFundMe statement said.
"In this case, we are in touch with the organizer to verify that information. Funds will be safely held until the organizer is able to provide the documentation to our team about how funds will be properly distributed."
In her Facebook video, Lich said she launched the page to raise money to support the truckers on their trek across the country, but was quickly overwhelmed by the volume of donations.
"When I started this … I was expecting a few thousand dollars, which I was very happy to manage. But wow, did you guys come through," she said. "We were not expecting this, put it this way, so we've had to get prepared in a very short period of time."
A convoy of protesters, shown here west of Winnipeg, are upset by the requirement that all cross-border truck drivers be fully vaccinated. They are heading to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to voice their concerns and are set to arrive this weekend. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)
Lich said she has had her bank card disconnected from the account that will receive the money. She said all the money raised will go to cover convoy participants' costs.
She did not offer specific details about how the money will be managed. She said she is working with a "finance committee" to organize its dispersal.
Extremist elements latching on
Lich started the GoFundMe page on Jan. 14. Since then, a number of fringe groups and extremists have tried to latch onto the movement by promising to show up in Ottawa when the convoy arrives.
On the convoy's GoFundMe page, an organizer publicly disavows any connection with one person known to have extreme views. But the Freedom Convoy 2022 Facebook page provides a link to a website with convoy information which lists that same disavowed person as a contact for the convoy.
Multiple messages sent to Lich seeking clarification were not returned.
Some individuals have said online they intend to travel to Ottawa for the protest and hope to see it turn into Canada's own version of the Jan. 6 riots.
Stephanie Carvin, a security analyst and associate professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, said she has seen groups cite plans to smash through walls, bring rope to hang politicians and generally cause violence.
While it's not clear how serious any of these threats are, Carvin is urging caution.
"From a national security perspective, I do think a lot of people do have Jan. 6 in mind," she said.
"When you have a convergence of a number of angry people, who are angry at an establishment, and a symbol of that establishment [the Parliament buildings] right there, there is, I think, the potential — not the guarantee, but the potential — for things to escalate."
A trucker tapes a sign on the side of his truck before departing with a cross-country convoy destined for Ottawa to protest a federal vaccine mandate for truckers in Delta, B.C. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)The federal government says it will not back down on its vaccination rule for cross-border truckers despite entrenched opposition from some drivers and groups claiming to represent their interests.
In a joint media statement released today, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough and Stephen Laskowski, the president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), said COVID-19 vaccines are the "most effective tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19" and protect public health.
In an interview with CBC's Power & Politics, Alghabra said the government is not interested in alternatives like rapid testing for unvaccinated truckers. He said truckers and the wider industry have had months to prepare for the new regulations and drivers must now get the shot or stop driving over the border.
"Our plan is to defeat COVID and end the pandemic as quickly as possible. What we're doing right now is for the protection of truck drivers but also for the protection of our supply chains and our economy," Alghabra said. "The best way to deal with COVID is through vaccination."
A convoy of protesters — including truckers and members of groups broadly opposed to public health mandates — are set to descend on Ottawa this weekend to stage a demonstration on Parliament Hill.
The effort, dubbed the "freedom convoy" by participants, is being organized by Canada Unity, a group that opposes COVID-19-related measures. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Tamara Lich — who has ties to the Maverick Party, a federal party with roots in Alberta separatist circles — has so far collected more than $4.3 million in donations to support the convoy.
WATCH | Employment minister tells CBC's Power & Politics there are no plans to roll back vaccine mandate
Despite calls from some business groups for the government to delay the new vaccination rule for truckers, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the government doesn't intend to push the pause button. 9:07
A spokesperson for GoFundMe said today the company is putting a hold on the funds "until the organizer is able to provide the documentation to our team about how funds will be properly distributed."
"We require that fundraisers be transparent about the flow of funds and have a clear plan for how those funds will be spent. In this case, we are in touch with the organizer to verify that information," Rachel Hollis told CBC News.
Lich has said the money will be used to cover food, fuel and lodging costs associated with the convoy. "It's a small price to pay for our freedoms," she said in her appeal to would-be donors.
Some Conservative MPs have offered their support to the anti-mandate movement. Garnett Genuis, a Conservative MP from Alberta, called the policy a "vaccine vendetta."
At least one Conservative MP — Martin Shields, who represents the Alberta riding of Bow River in the House of Commons — said he would be on hand in Ottawa to meet the convoy when it arrives. He said there should be "exceptions" to the mandate, including for essential workers who move goods across the Canada-U.S. border.
"Canadian supply chains are critical and the Trudeau Liberal government's mandates and freedom-curbing restrictions have gone on too long. It's time to get our freedoms back," Shields tweeted.
"Let's support the truckers and I'll be happy to meet with them here in Ottawa," he added in a video. "I want to meet those truckers."
Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer added his voice to the chorus of criticism, calling the prime minister the "biggest threat to freedom in Canada."
"Thank you Truckers! Trudeau is attacking personal liberty and threatening everyone's ability to get groceries because of his overreach on vaccine mandates," he said in a social media post.
The federal ministers said they are working on the supply chain issues, which have been driven in large part by pandemic-related shortages, constrained port capacity and a reduced labour force. They promised to work with the trucking industry to draft "long-term strategies that will achieve real and lasting results."
"As the pandemic continues, it remains critical that essential goods reach Canadians as quickly as possible. In fact, this is a top priority for the government of Canada and the Canadian Trucking Alliance," the ministers said in their statement.
People gather atop a bridge as truck drivers protesting against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates drive in a convoy on the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick provincial boundary in Fort Lawrence, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Jan. 23, 2022. (John Morris/Reuters)
The mandate, which took effect on Jan. 15, states that all Canadian cross-border essential workers — including truckers — must show proof of vaccination at a port of entry to avoid stringent testing requirements and quarantine.
Those rules have been in effect for the travelling public since the fall. Truckers travelling within Canada are not affected by these new measures.
Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated foreign nationals will be turned away by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials. The United States has implemented a similar mandate requiring all U.S.-bound travellers to show proof that they've had the required shots.
While the CTA said the vast majority of truckers are fully vaccinated, it warned that anywhere from 12,000 to 16,000 Canadian cross-border commercial drivers — roughly 10 to 15 per cent of all truckers who regularly cross the Canada-U.S. boundary — could be sidelined by the federal mandate.
Business groups call for delay
Some business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, are now calling on Ottawa pause the mandate to prevent further supply chain constraints.
In a statement, Dennis Darby, the chair of the manufacturers' coalition, said companies "can't get the goods we need because of supply chain bottlenecks," a problem "made worse by the trucker vaccine mandate."
"Our manufacturers can't operate and Canadians are seeing empty shelves. We need the government to help relieve pressure by avoiding policies that make the situation worse and to help us get the workers we need," Darby said.
Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said supply chains are under "extreme stress" because of a shortage of shipping containers and severe COVID-related restrictions in China, among other factors. Beatty said businesses don't want to see the federal government "make matters worse at this critical time."
The CTA warns that anywhere from 12,000 to 16,000 Canadian cross-border commercial drivers could be sidelined by the federal mandate. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)
"What we are asking for is that they delay implementation at a time when supply chains are under severe pressure and that they use that time to encourage and facilitate vaccinations," Beatty said, adding he's frustrated that the government hasn't provided any data to suggest that truckers are a "serious source" of new COVID-19 infections in Canada.
A spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) — a trade association representing dozens of retailers, including major players like Canadian Tire, Costco, Lowe's, Metro, Rexall and Sobeys — also said it's concerned about the new vaccine requirement.
"Though RCC does not oppose a mandatory vaccine policy for truckers, we are concerned with the timing of this policy, which allowed only a very short window for completed vaccinations, compounded by the obvious fact that it is harder to schedule vaccinations for people who are on the road most of the time by the very nature of their work," Michelle Wasylyshen said in a written statement to CBC News.
Wasylyshen said the "risk to transportation of goods is real" and there will likely be "increasing freight costs." Only a few days after the mandate took effect, she said, some retailers are starting to report "significant impacts" and are "experiencing difficulties in finding carriers for some of their loads out of the U.S."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the policy at a press conference Monday, saying a wave of COVID-19 cases is doing more to disrupt Canada's supply chains than any vaccine mandate could. He said enforcing this policy is the best way to keep new travel-related infections under control.
"We know that about 90 per cent of truckers are vaccinated across this country. We're going to continue to do everything we can to ensure COVID does not become a scourge and therefore we need to encourage everyone to get vaccinated," he said.
Trudeau also accused the Conservatives of "fear-mongering" over the prospect of mandate-related shortages.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman — the party's transport critic and an opponent of the trucker mandate — came under fire this week for posting a picture of a grocery store with empty shelves while warning that supply issues could worsen if the vaccine requirement is enforced.
The picture she posted was a stock image taken at a store in northern England.
With a file from the CBC's Stephen Hoff
Canadian Trucking Alliance condemns trucker protests
OTTAWA -- A federation representing truckers across Canada has denounced a series of planned protests against the federal government's cross-border travel vaccine mandate, arguing such demonstrations aren't a safe or effective way of resisting the policy.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance spoke out against the pending protests in a statement issued 24 hours before a convoy of truckers was set to leave British Columbia en route to Ottawa. They will be joined by fleets of other drivers from across Canada in the Nation's capital on Jan. 29, where they plan to hold a rally decrying policies that require drivers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to cross the Canada-U.S. border.
"The Canadian Trucking Alliance does not support and strongly disapproves of any protests on public roadways, highways, and bridges," the statement read. "CTA believes such actions -- especially those that interfere with public safety -- are not how disagreements with government policies should be expressed."
The "vast majority" of Canadian trucking industry members are vaccinated, the alliance said, noting the immunization rate among truck drivers is on par with that seen among the general public.
Alliance President Stephen Laskowski called for still greater compliance in light of the fact that both Canada and the United States have cross-border vaccination rules in place.
"This regulation is not changing so, as an industry, we must adapt and comply with this mandate," Laskowski said in the statement. "The only way to cross the border, in a commercial truck or any other vehicle, is to get vaccinated."
Those opposed to the measure, however, were unmoved.
"We're not backing down and we are going to Ottawa," Tamara Lich, a protest organizer from Medicine Hat, Alta., said in a Facebook Live video posted on Sunday.
Organizers describe the vaccine mandate as an example of political overreach resulting in economic harm, arguing the policy hurts small businesses and denies some workers the means to survive.
A GoFundMe page set up by organizers had garnered $2.6 million in donations, with more than half that total coming in the past 48 hours. The money will go toward the cost of fuel, food and accommodations for participating protesters, according to the fundraising campaign page.
Up to 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers who make regular trips across the Canada-U.S. border would likely be sidelined as a result of the vaccine mandate in both countries, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations.
Some 30,000 trucks roll across the border each day hauling nearly $850 million in freight, according to 2020 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The Liberal government announced in November that all Canadian truckers looking to cross the border from the United States would need to be vaccinated in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine, a policy that came into effect on Jan. 15.
The mandate came into effect despite a previous statement from the Canada Border Services Agency that said unvaccinated and partially immunized truck drivers crossing into Canada from the United States would remain exempt from the mandate announced about two months before it came into force.
The federal government reversed itself again the next afternoon with a statement that said the information shared the day before had been sent "in error."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Truckers and supporters depart on a cross-country convoy destined for Ottawa to protest a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, in Delta, B.C., on Sunday, January 23, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Darryl Dyck)
Truckers should have done more to prepare for vaccine mandate, experts say
MONTREAL -- The trucking industry's hardline stance against the vaccine mandate for drivers marks a wrong turn, experts say, arguing the sector should have been better prepared for the January deadline.
The Liberal government announced in November that all Canadian truckers looking to cross the border from the United States would need to be vaccinated in order to avoid a 14-day quarantine, a policy that came into effect last Saturday.
Warning of potential further damageto an already crimped supply chain, the Canadian Trucking Alliance urged the federal government over the past two months to keep the industry exempt from cross-border vaccine rules, or to delay them until 2023.
Lori Turnbull, director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University, questioned the wisdom of truckers' lobbying strategy, given how firmly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau staked out his position in favour of vaccine mandates during last year's federal election.
"Trudeau really drilled in on putting the pressure on for vaccines," Turnbull said. "If some companies are making an effort and others aren't, I don't get it.
"It's another thing again if companies are really resisting it, as though government doesn't have the right to make us do this," she said.
Some big-riggers feel strongly that Ottawa should stay out of their way. On Sunday, a "Freedom Convoy" is slated to roll out from British Columbia en route to the capitalfor a demonstration against the mandate at the end of next week. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised just over $1 million from donors in under a week, according to its GoFundMe page.
Up to 26,000 of the 160,000 drivers who make regular trips across the Canada-U.S. border would likely be sidelined as a result of the vaccine mandate in both countries, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations.
HoweverAndrew Steele, a vice-president at consulting firm StrategyCorp., said polls show public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of strong vaccine requirements for essential workers, and that companies and trade groups need to read the room.
"If you're making a public relations or government relations strategy, you have to align it with public opinion. Governments, especially in a high-stakes, massive crisis like this, don't run in the face of public opinion and do the opposite," he said.
Trade groups say that while several trucking companies have 100 per cent vaccination rates and offer bonuses to workers who get jabbed, the majority of fleets do not require inoculation.
In contrast, many companies in banking, insurance and telecommunications -- all federally regulated sectors -- require employees who work on site to be fully vaccinated. They include the Royal Bank of Canada, the Bank of Montreal, Sun Life, BCE Inc. and Videotron, according to their emailed responses.
Large companies such as Air Canada boasted vaccination rates above 96 per cent by November and suspended hundreds of employees who did not meet the vaccination requirement. Canada Life and Sasktel say 93 per cent and 96 per cent of their employees are vaccinated respectively, though unvaccinated workers are allowed to take regular rapid tests.
Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, said the association can do little other than offer education to member companies and nudge them to push for vaccination among their drivers.
"We pass on the info to them and then it's up to them to pass it on to their drivers," he said.
But Millian also said he knows of at least one 60-tractor fleet where only two drivers are vaccinated.
"It's hard to have a plan B. I mean, obviously, you're trying to find more drivers," he said, noting that recruitment campaigns were well underway before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There was already 22,900 vacancies. It's not like there was a plethora of drivers sitting on the side of the road that we could just walk out and put in the trucks."
Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan announced on Dec. 7 that vaccination will become mandatory for all workers in federally regulated industries, though no timeline has been laid out.
"We live in a democracy and we can disagree with the government," said Teamsters Canada spokesman Stephane Lacroix, though he clarified that he supports vaccination generally.
"Sooner or later it's going to become mandatory."
A new internal poll by the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, which represents about 200 companies with trucking fleets including Tim Hortons and Home Hardware, found that 23 per cent of the 70 fleets that responded oblige their drivers to get jabbed.
"They're independent by nature, right? They spend most of their time in a truck cab by themselves out on the road," Millian said. "They kind of like the freedom, and I think that's part of it for sure."
Steele said that attitude makes it all the more urgent for industry insiders, especially drivers, to make the argument for inoculation.
"The most convincing person to help a truck driver get a vaccination may be another truck driver, not a government official in a white lab coat, not a head of a transport company," he said.
"It's friends and family who are the most effective way to overcome a lot of the vaccine resistance ... The associations can advocate, but I think it's an obligation of individuals in that industry."
Laurel Lennox, spokeswoman for Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, said the industry has been encouraging vaccinations.
"The biggest threat to supply chains is COVID -- and our best tool is vaccines," she said in an email.
"The volume of cross-border truck traffic after the mandate was applied has not varied significantly," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2022. FILE - Transport trucks approach the Canada/USA border crossing in Windsor, Ont. on Saturday, March 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rob Gurdebeke
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Sofia Perovskaia: Virgin Mother of the Soviet Union
Dr. Lara Green is a historian of modern and contemporary Russia, with a particular emphasis on networks, violence, and gender. She teaches in the Department of History at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Soviet director Lev Arnshtam’s 1967 film Sofia Perovskaia followed the life and death of its eponymous hero, one of the leaders of the terrorist organization that assassinated the Russian tsar in 1881. Women’s participation in revolutionary violence and war had long fascinated observers. There was, for example, Vera Zasulich’s attempted assassination of a tsarist official in 1878 and Zoia Kosmodemianskaia’s partisan activities during the Second World War. Arnshtam’s film, starring Aleksandra Nazarova in the title role, followed his 1944 wartime classic Zoia, another in a long line of literary works, art, and films depicting women revolutionaries and fighters.
The film represented Perovskaia in ways that echoed the contemporary global media sensation from 1881. Perovskaia was twenty-seven at the time of the tsar’s assassination, yet both journalists and her revolutionary comrades consistently emphasized her youth. In a sensational book featuring profiles of revolutionaries, one writer and propagandist described her as “girlhood personified.” He then also incorrectly stated her birth year, in effect de-aging her by another year.
This same trope was repeated in the Soviet biography series “Lives of Remarkable People.” Elena Segal’s 1962 biography of Perovskaia featured a well-known image of the revolutionary from the time of her trial, which in this case appeared to have been altered to make her appear even younger. Her thin cheeks and slight frown have been replaced by the unblemished skin and round cheeks of a child. On the cover of this volume, the tired and worn expression from the original photograph becomes simply one of determination.
This visual and literary image identified her with the attribute of innocence by emphasizing not merely Perovskaia’s youth, but her childlike quality. The idea that a terrorist could actually be “innocent” had appeared frequently in revolutionary and popular culture. Individuals like Ivan Kaliaev, who threw the bomb that killed the tsar’s uncle in 1905, were celebrated for their moral judgement. Kaliaev, in particular, was lauded because he had refused to throw the bomb after noticing children were traveling in the same carriage.
It has been often argued that the image of the “moral terrorist” came across as insincere after the discovery in 1909 that one of the leaders of a key Russian terrorist organization was a police spy. However, representations of Perovskaia as childlike suggest that this may have been one key association that enabled the trope to live on.
Alexander Blok’s poem “Retribution,” written between 1908 and 1912, exemplifies the continued life of this trope. The first section of the poem is an ode to the revolutionaries; an excerpt describing Perovskaia was, in fact, printed as the epigraph to Segal’s 1962 biography:
A high childlike forehead was revealed,
By a simple and modest hairstyle,
A wide white collar
And a black dress – just so,
Slim, of small stature,
The deep expression of a child,
Yet, as if finding something in the distance,
Watching attentively, fixedly,
This sweet, tender gaze
Burned with courage and sorrow…
Translation by the author.
In Blok’s framing, as a “child,” Perovskaia was able to understand the world in a way which those around her could not. Her innocence made it impossible for her to act with malicious intent. Killing the tsar in 1881 was thus the innate and pure moral response of a child to injustice.
The idea of innocence also shaped representations of Perovskaia’s sexuality. In reality, her comrade in the People’s Will, Andrei Zheliabov, had been her lover. Yet in the film, their relationship is depicted instead as a deep emotional connection. In one scene, Perovskaia and Zheliabov are shown climbing a steep hill together. Perovskaia does this in a frilly white dress, a stark contrast to the simple clothes she is best known for. It is difficult to imagine such an outfit being her choice of clothing in real life, especially given that revolutionary women of this period were often known for rejecting feminine stereotypes. Through this depiction of her relationship with Zheliabov and the color white, Perovskaia is represented as a virgin, a being symbolically without sin.
The same sequence sees Zheliabov leading Perovskaia by the hand, echoing other scenes in the film where it is male initiative and intellect that propels revolutionary action. It is Zheliabov who gets the passionate speech in the courtroom concerning their revolutionary ideas. Perovskaia, by contrast, cannot help becoming distressed when she learns of Zheliabov’s arrest shortly before the attack takes place.
Though Perovskaia is depicted in late nineteenth-century literature and Arnshtam’s Soviet-era film as a capable revolutionary activist, these representations extol her as more of a doer than a thinker. Thinking, as in the aforementioned scene, leads to being overcome by emotions. A scene near the end of the film provides another example of emotional collapse: as Perovskaia joins her fellow revolutionaries on the cart that will take them to the place of execution, she wavers and falls between the guards accompanying her. Eventually, however, she recovers; once at the gallows themselves, she embraces her comrades without hesitation. Her stoicism in the face of execution transfixes a young piccolo player in the military band, causing him to continue his repetitive refrain even after the other musicians have stopped, to the point where a superior reprimands him.
In this last moment, we might read Perovskaia as the instigator of a wider tidal wave of feeling that would eventually lead to the October Revolution of 1917. Her sacrifice, this interpretation implies, helps usher in the idea of revolution. Yet, she herself would not realize this revolutionary intent. According to her contemporaries, she was a “teacher” and a “nurse,” not a revolutionary leader. After all, in Soviet legend that role belonged to Lenin.
The Perovskaia of Segal’s biography and Arnshtam’s film rehearses many of the scripts that already existed at the time of her trial and execution. Her image as a childlike innocent endowed contemporary and future generations with a language capable of imbuing revolutionary terrorism with moral authority. Perovskaia’s innate qualities and weaknesses as a woman reflected gendered hierarchies that existed even among supposed liberated revolutionaries. By depicting Perovskaia as the virgin mother of revolution, Arnshtam’s film successfully inscribed the history of nineteenth-century revolutionaries into an official Soviet narrative with specific moral, social, and political requirements.
New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanup New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupA resident of a community affected by an oil spill at a Repsol refinery in Peru protests against the company on January 20, 2022 in Callao
(AFP/Cris BOURONCLE) Carlos MANDUJANO Wed, January 26, 2022
A fresh oil leak has occurred off the coast of Peru -- already cleaning up after a major crude spill 10 days earlier -- during work on an underwater refinery pipeline, the government said Wednesday.
The leak occurred Tuesday during work at the La Pampilla refinery, owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol, the environment ministry said, though the company denied it.
The work was being done "prior to the removal of the PLEM (pipeline end manifolds), used for underwater collection and distribution" between the refinery and ships, the ministry's OEFA environment monitoring agency said.
It did not say how many liters were spilled.
Late Tuesday, hours before the authorities reported the new leak, Repsol denied there had been one.
"We rule out a second oil spill. We warn the population about the circulation of false information," Repsol Peru said on its website.
But the Peruvian Navy said in a statement that on Tuesday, during a flyover to monitor the area affected by the first spill, an "oily spot" was observed near the pipeline.
It consulted Repsol, which told it a leak had occurred "despite work having been done to remove the crude prior to inspection and repair" of the pipeline.
- Environmental emergency -
A tanker was offloading crude at the same refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean on January 15.
Repsol said the tanker was hit by waves triggered by a tsunami after a massive volcanic eruption near Tonga.
The Peruvian government is demanding damages from Repsol, but the Spanish company denies responsibility, saying maritime authorities had issued no warning of freak waves after the Tonga eruption.
The new leak happened as hundreds of volunteers and hired hands raced against the clock to clean beaches after the initial spill from the Italian-flagged tanker "Mare Doricum".
Peru has declared an environmental emergency after almost 264,000 gallons (1.2 million liters) of crude oil spilled into the sea on that occasion.
The environment ministry said Sunday that more than 180 hectares -- equivalent to around 270 soccer fields -- of beach and 713 hectares of sea were affected, as sea currents spread the spilled oil along the coast.
New oil leak off Peru coast amid crude spill cleanupThe Italian-flagged tanker Mare Doricum was offloading crude at the Repsol refinery in Ventanilla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Lima, when it spilled 6,000 barrels into the ocean (AFP/ERNESTO BENAVIDES)
Countless birds and marine creatures have been killed, the tourism and fishing industries hit, and the health ministry has warned would-be bathers to stay away from at least 21 affected beaches.
The environment ministry's prosecutor Julio Cesar Guzman said Wednesday that four Repsol employees, including the production and environment managers "responsible for risk assessment," will be called to give statements.
"The damage is undeniable, the company has to answer as far as it can, because this is irremediable," Guzman told the RPP broadcaster.
Almost daily, dozens of fishermen are protesting on the beaches affected by the spill, prevented from going out to sea to make ends meet.
"I'm afraid I might get sick, I'm afraid I might fall or absorb a little oil, you never know, no matter how much PPE (personal protective equipment) you have," fisherman Jonathan Envites told AFP while helping the cleanup operation at Cavero Beach.
Another cleaner, Hector Fernandez, said the situation was "frustrating."
"It is contaminating the entire beach and thus affects several people who come to spend the summer and the fishermen who work every day to earn their living with sweat, with fishing."
Salons in the country have been offering free cuts to collect hair to help soak up the oil.
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Peru blames Repsol for oil spill disaster
A tanker off the coast of Peru was hit by waves linked to Tonga's volcanic eruption and spilled 6,000 barrels of oil, contaminating vast swathes of sea and beaches. Fingers are being pointed at the oil company Repsol.
People try to help clear the beaches
For his entire life, Manuel Chapayquen has fished off the Peruvian coast. His father and grandfather were fishermen off Ancon beach, in the north of the capital Lima. Asked if he could imagine any other job, he replies with a saying: "I'd be a fish out of water."
But now Chapayquen is watching helplessly as the sea, his sea, has turned pitch black from spilled oil, and realizing that his time as a fisherman might be over after all. "It's a crime," he says, calling Spanish oil giant Repsol "murderers of the environment." "We protect our beach day after day, and these criminals pollute the sea," the fisherman says. "Ancon will never be the same again." Peru's fisherman face the toll
Chapayquen speaks for all 1,500 fishermen in the region, who are bringing in just 10% of their usual catch after the biggest environmental disaster in recent years, and are furious with the Spanish oil company. One of its tankers lost 6,000 barrels of crude oil while unloading at Peru's largest refinery, La Pampilla, which accounts for about half of the South American country's fuel consumption — enough to fuel 25,000 cars.
PERU FACES ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY AFTER DEVASTATING OIL SPILL Black plague Waves wash oil onto Cavero Beach in Ventanilla, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Peru's capital Lima. Nearly 1.2 million liters of crude oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean not far from where the tanker Mare Doricum was hit by violent waves while unloading crude oil at the Pampilla refinery. 12345678910
In view of 21 contaminated beaches, thousands of dead birds and fish, and a huge oil slick that is coming ever closer to the coast of the capital Lima, the government has declared a 90-day environmental emergency. Three months to clean up as best as possible contamination across an area the size of 270 soccer fields, and enough time to investigate the all-important question of who is ultimately responsible for the disaster. Criticism of Repsol's crisis management
The Madrid-based oil company, which in 2020 generated sales of almost €50 billion ($56.6 billion) in 29 countries, is denying responsibility. Initially, it reported only seven gallons of spilled crude oil, not even 1% of the actual amount, claiming everything was under control.
Repsol failed to react during the first 48 hours of the spill, when there was still a possibility of containing it. Now it has volunteers cleaning up the ecological disaster for a pittance and often without adequate protective clothing. Ironically, they include fishermen, too. Fisherman are protesting outside the Repsol refinery
"Did we respond quickly enough? No. We were not aware of the magnitude of the event before oil washed up on the beaches. Of course we made mistakes," says Repsol Peru President Jaime Fernandez Cuesta, adding that the plan is to have cleaned up the beaches by the end of February. However, he argues, the volcanic eruption in the South Pacific state of Tonga was responsible for the accident, because it triggered tidal waves and abnormal currents.
Disagreement over responsibility
The multinational oil firm and the Peruvian government have been playing the blame game. Repsol says the government gave no tsunami warning. After surveying the extent of the disaster, Peru's Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez has threatened the company with a €32 million fine. Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez pins the blame on Repsol
Peruvian Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez does not rule out revoking Repsol's license for the refinery. A team of experts is to take a close look at the contracts with the oil company to check whether there is any scope for possible sanctions. History of frequent oil spills
Juan Carlos Riveros does not believe the environmental disaster will have serious consequences for Repsol. "This refinery produces diesel, which is essential for public transport in the cities," says the biologist and scientific director of the nongovernmental organization Oceana. Peru is hostage to Repsol, he says. "Besides, many of the most influential politicians here have worked for Repsol as consultants for a long time." Moreover, the Peruvian Congress is currently debating a legal amendment that would extend concessions for foreign investors from 30 to 40 years. Repsol's crisis management is absurd, says Juan Carlos Riveros
Over the last 25 years, there have been no less than 1,002 oil spills that contaminated the environment, more than half in the Peruvian jungle, over 400 in the sea. The multinational oil firms face few consequences because after all, business must go on. "The fines are ridiculous when you consider how much money these companies move around, and they always have an army of lawyers who get the best deal for the oil companies, so they often even take advantage of the lawsuits," Riveros says.
PERU GRAPPLES WITH DISASTROUS OIL SPILL AFTER TONGA ERUPTION
Oil spill spells havoc
Crews in Peru have been working to clean up a major oil spill that was sparked by a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific island nation of Tongo. The powerful eruption unleashed tsunami waves that stretched across the Pacific — hitting an oil tanker that was unloading near Peru on January 15.
Thousands of mainly young Peruvians, including many fishermen who face losing their livelihood, have taken to the streets in recent days to demand harsh consequences for Repsol. Juan Carlos Riveros is pessimistic about their future, saying that the extinction of species, deformities in animals and contamination for generations to come are the consequences of the accident. "The heavy oil is toxic, people here won't be eating fish for a while. It may take a year for the fishery to return to pre-disaster levels," he says. "By then, many fishermen will have given up."
This article has been translated from German.
English cricket comes under fresh fire over racism
AFP
London — English cricket is back in the firing line over racism in the game after "stereotypical" and "outdated" views were expressed about the reasons for a lack of interest in the game among Britain's ethnic-minority communities
Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq delivered harrowing testimony to lawmakers in November in which he said his career had been ended by the abuse he received at the county club.
The Pakistan-born off-spinner, who had dreamed of playing for England, said cricket was blighted by institutional racism "up and down the country".
The parliamentary Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee issued a report earlier this month saying English cricket must root out "deep-seated" racism or face losing public money.
Lawmakers on the committee heard evidence from a number of chairmen of English county clubs during their latest session looking into the issue on Tuesday.
Middlesex chairman Mike O'Farrell appeared to offer generalisations about the reasons why individuals from the African-Caribbean and South Asian communities drifted away from the sport.
"The football and rugby world becomes much more attractive to the Afro-Caribbean community," O'Farrell told the committee.
"In terms of the South Asian community... we're finding that they do not want to commit necessarily the same time that is necessary to go to the next step because they prefer -- not always saying they do it -- they prefer to go into other educational fields where cricket becomes secondary."
Cricket in 'denial'
Rafiq said he was staggered by the remarks, believing they underline the problem the sport faces.
"I think today has shown everyone what I was talking about and how we have a long way to go," he told the BBC. "Clearly the counties and the game are still very much in denial and that's a big worry."
He added that O'Farrell's views on black and South Asian players were "a stereotypical way of trying to blame a minority group for why there is a problem in the game".
Ebony Rainford-Brent, the first black woman to play for England and who is now director of women's cricket at Surrey, tweeted: "These outdated views in the game are exactly why we are in this position."
"Unfortunately the decision-makers hold onto these myths. 'The black community only like football, and Asian community only interested in education'. Seriously, the game deserves better."
The National Asian Cricket Council tweeted its disappointment with O'Farrell's comments.
"Hugely disappointed with comments made today by Middlesex CCC chair Mike O'Farrell," it said.
"It is clear that cricket still needs to do so much more to change the archaic and ill-informed viewpoints of people in influential positions."
O'Farrell issued a statement apologising for any "hurt" his earlier remarks may have caused.
"I was aiming to make the point that as a game, cricket has failed a generation of young cricketers, in systematically failing to provide them with the same opportunities that other sports and sectors so successfully provide," he said.
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison told MPs that former England captain Clare Connor would lead a promised review of dressing-room culture and that a new anti-discrimination unit would be up and running by the end of May.
AFP
Kurdish-led forces in Syria recapture prison from ISIL
SDF say they recaptured Ghwayran prison in Hassakeh a week after ISIL fighters attempted a major jailbreak.
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighters take their positions at the defence wall of Ghuwayran Prison in Hassakeh, northeast Syria
[Hogir Al Abdo/AP Photo]
Published On 26 Jan 2022
Kurdish-led forces in Syria say they have regained full control of a prison in northeast Syria, a week after a breakout by ISIL (ISIS) fighters left dozens dead.
Farhad Shami, a spokesperson for the US-backed forces, said on Wednesday in a Twitter post that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had taken over the al-Sina’a – or the Ghuwayran – prison in the city of Hassakeh.
The days of operations had “culminated with our entire control” over the prison, he said, adding that all remaining ISIL fighters had surrendered hours after 500 had given themselves up following clashes in some buildings.
The brazen ISIL jailbreak attempt and ensuing clashes left more than 180 dead in the armed group’s most high-profile military operation since the loss of their so-called caliphate nearly three years ago.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, the deceased included some 124 ISIL fighters, 50 Kurdish fighters and seven civilians. The death toll could rise, however, as Kurdish forces and medical services gain access to all parts of the prison following the end of the attack.
Some ISIL group fighters, who surrendered after clashing with the Kurdish-led forces, at Ghuwayran Prison, in Hassakeh, northeast Syria [SDF via AP Photo]
Kurdish forces had cut off food and water to the jail for two days to pressure holdout ISIL fighters to give themselves up, the observatory said.
The prison was thought to hold approximately 3,500 ISIL detainees when the initial attack was first launched on January 20 with explosives-laden vehicles steered by suicide bombers.
With US and other foreign forces stepping in to support Kurdish elite units, the neighbourhood around the prison was secured and the besieged fighters inside the prison started turning themselves in.
There was no mention in the statement of the 850 children and minors caught in the crossfire when the SDF began to storm the prison on Monday.
The UN and international aid organisations had expressed fear about the fate of the minors living alongside the nearly 5,000 prisoners in the overcrowded jail.
‘An international problem’
The prison is the biggest facility where the SDF has kept thousands of detainees. The relatives of many prisoners say they were arrested on flimsy charges for resisting the SDF’s forced conscription.
The Kurdish-led group has denied these allegations.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hassakeh residents were forced to leave their homes after at least 100 ISIL fighters stormed the facility last Thursday, in their biggest show of force in years.
In one mosque located at a safe distance from the chaos, hundreds of women and children were huddled together in the biting winter cold.
“We want to go back home,” Maya, a 38-year-old mother trying in vain to pacify her youngest, told the AFP news agency, adding that “there is no bread, water or sugar here.”
Many Kurdish officials, as well as Western observers, have warned the jailbreak should serve as a wake-up call.
Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have long criticised the Kurdish-led forces that control large swaths of northeast Syria for holding children in overcrowded, makeshift prisons in inhumane conditions.
Kurdish authorities have said that more than 50 nationalities are represented in Kurdish-run prisons holding more than 12,000 ISIL suspects. They have long warned they do not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, all the ISIL fighters captured in years of operations.
“This issue is an international problem,” the administration’s top foreign policy official, Abdulkarim Omar, told AFP on Wednesday. “We cannot face it alone.”
He called on the international community to “support the autonomous administration to improve security and humanitarian conditions for inmates in detention centres and for those in overcrowded camps”.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
EXPLAINER: Who are the kids trapped in Syria prison attack?
By ZEINA KARAM A boy plays with a broken sword, at al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the Islamic State group, in Hasakeh province, Syria, May 1, 2021. Hundreds of minors are believed to be holed up in Gweiran Prison, which has been at the center of an ongoing violent standoff between Islamic State group militants and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters after IS fighters stormed the prison on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. A distressing series of voice notes sent by an Australian teenager from the prison in northeast Syria underscores the plight of thousands of forgotten children that remain trapped in detention facilities in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
BEIRUT (AP) — A distressing series of voice notes sent by an Australian teenager from a prison in northeast Syria underscores the plight of thousands of forgotten children who remain trapped in detention facilities in Syria and Iraq.
Hundreds of minors are believed to be holed up in Gweiran Prison, which has been at the center of a violent standoff between Islamic State group militants and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters that began a week ago.
The Kurdish-led forces said Wednesday they took control of the last section of the prison controlled by Islamic State militants and freed a number of child detainees used as human shields. It ended a weeklong assault by the extremists on one of the largest detention facilities in Syria.
IS fighters stormed the prison on Thursday, aiming to break out thousands of comrades who simultaneously rioted inside. The attack is the biggest by IS militants since the fall of the group’s “caliphate” in 2019.
Dozens from both sides have been killed in the clash, which has drawn back in U.S.-led coalition forces who have come to the aid of their Kurdish allies. Thousands of civilians living nearby have been displaced.
The fighting appears to have left multiple child inmates killed or wounded, though numbers are not known.
Human Rights Watch provided The Associated Press with a series of audio messages sent by the 17-year-old Australian from inside the prison in which he appealed for help, saying he was injured in the head and was bleeding. The boy says his friends got killed and he has seen bodies of kids aged 8 to 12.
But who are these kids, and why are they there?
‘CUBS OF THE CALIPHATE’
Some of the kids were children when their parents plucked them from their own countries after they decided to join the so-called Islamic caliphate declared in 2014 over parts of Syria and Iraq. Others were born there. Many attended IS-run schools where they were trained for combat.
While IS carried out massacres against residents and enslaved many of the women and girls, they also sought to re-educate young boys and tried to turn them into jihadi fighters. They recruited teens and children using gifts, threats and brainwashing. Boys were turned into killers and suicide bombers. IS videos showed kids carrying out beheadings or shooting captives in cold blood.
It was all part of a concerted effort to build a new generation of militants. They called them cubs of the caliphate.
Most were later captured by Kurdish-led forces during the U.S.-backed campaign that brought down IS three years ago, thrown into squalid, overcrowded detention centers and where they continue to languish.
Others were put in squalid camps in northeast Syria that hold families of suspected IS fighters, where they are exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse. Once they become teenagers deemed old enough to separate from their mothers, they are transferred to one of the detention centers where they join the fighters. The age cut-off rules are not exactly clear. Some as young as 12 were reportedly in Gweiran Prison, despite warning from rights groups that these youngsters are too young to be in adult facilities or to be held at all without justice.
Letta Tayler of Human Rights Watch estimates 600 minor boys, around half of them Iraqis and other non-Syrians, were inmates in the prison. Most are between 14 and 17 years old, though some are as young as 12, Tayler said. It is not clear how many of the boys in prison were trained by IS or whether any have committed any crimes.
WHY THEY ARE STILL THERE
Mostly because their governments have refused to repatriate them.
Kurdish authorities have asked countries to repatriate their nationals, saying keeping thousands of detainees in cramped facilities is putting a strain on their forces and creating a new generation of militants.
“None has even been brought before a judge to determine whether they should be detained,” Tayler said. “These children, some we are told as young as 12, should never have been placed in this squalid overcrowded prison where their lives are clearly at risk to begin with. Their countries should have brought them home to help them rebuild their lives long ago.”
But home governments often see the children as posing a danger rather than as needing rescue.
Some former Soviet bloc states have let some of their citizens back in, but other Arab, European and African countries have repatriated only minimal numbers or have refused.
Kurdish authorities run more than two dozen detention facilities scattered around northeastern Syria holding about 10,000 IS fighters. Among the detainees are some 2,000 foreigners, including about 800 Europeans.
The foreign detainees have never been brought before a court, making their detention arbitrary as well as indefinite.
In addition, some 27,500 children are locked up at the sprawling al-Hol camp, which houses families of IS members.
Most of them not yet teenagers, they are spending their childhood in limbo under miserable conditions with no schools, no place to play or develop, and seemingly no international interest in resolving their situation.
___
Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed from Beirut.
Afghanistan's LGBTQ community faces growing attacks by Taliban: report
A report by Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action said LGBTQ people in Afghanistan were targets of violence and sexual harassment. Many of them are not in a position to flee persecution.
Many queer Afghans reported being stopped at checkpoints by the Taliban
LGBTQ people in Afghanistan are facing a rise in attacks and an increasingly desperate situation under Taliban rule, according to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International.
The report, entitled "'Even If You Go to the Skies, We’ll Find You': LGBT People in Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover" interviewed 60 queer Afghans in late 2021. Most were still living in Afghanistan, while a few had escaped to nearby countries. Queer individuals face violence, harassment
Many of the interviewees reported attacks, sexual harassment, and receiving threats from the Taliban since the religious extremist group seized power in August last year.
They said Taliban fighters stopped individuals at checkpoints for their clothes not conforming to gender norms, or for being too "Western." Private messages on cell phones were checked for proof of them being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender non-conforming.
Two men reported being raped or blackmailed into sex by Taliban members. Many said they also knew of other LGBTQ individuals who had gone missing or had been killed.
A man named in the report as "Ramiz" said he was kidnapped by Taliban members and had to face sexual violence and assault at their hands.
"From now on, anytime we want to be able to find you, we will. And we will do whatever we want with you," they reportedly told him while releasing him.
Interviewees said they had erased their presence on social media, while some reported the Taliban had infiltrated LGBTQ groups and dating apps to entrap them.
Homosexuality was illegal under previous President Ashraf Ghani as well. However, the situation had vastly deteriorated under the Taliban. Some of those interviewed said they had received threats from neighbors, friends and family, and were at risk of being exposed to the Taliban.
A Taliban judge had told German tabloid Bild in 2021: "For homosexuals, there can only be two punishments: either stoning, or he must stand behind a wall that will fall down on him."
Economic losses
"A lot of queer people have lost their jobs. Even if they hide themselves, the problem is they need to feed themselves," said Nihan, a trans woman who had to leave her job at a print shop after the Taliban took over in August 2021.
Sex work, dancing and entertaining were common professions for trans people, but the situation has become far more dangerous during the Taliban regime, the report said.
Afghanistan is already facing an economic and employment crisis, with dozens at risk of starvation during the winter.
"The Taliban is very unlikely to ever accept fully the rights of LGBT people but at least some international pressure and attention to the rights of LGBT people could deter some of the worst abuses," Heather Barr, associate director of women's rights at Human Rights Watch, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
She said most LGBTQ Afghans were likely to remain in the country, as opposed to fleeing persecution.
The report said women and queer individuals, who already face a barrier to movement, were less likely to escape for fear of being noticed. Many said they were not in a position to leave behind loved ones, and some feared being deported back to Afghanistan.
"I have no documents. People are saying I will have to go back to Afghanistan, but if I go back they will kill me," a trans woman who had escaped with the help of a smuggler said in the report.
Edited by: Rebecca Staudenmaier
Mexico: Journalists protest killings of colleagues
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has led calls for Mexican authorities to give more protection to reporters after the deaths of three journalists already this year.
So far in 2022 in Mexico three journalists have been murdered
Mexican journalists began nationwide protests Tuesday following the killings of three journalists in the space of two weeks.
Demonstrators are demanding authorities do more to protect journalists despite a government program meant to do just that.
Photographers placed their cameras on the ground outside Mexico City's National Palace, while candles were lit in tribute to those who had lost their lives.
Protests were also held in the states of Veracruz, San Luis Potosi, Durango and Nayarit. Reporters held up placards reading "Not one more journalist killed,'' and "the truth can't be killed.''
Three journalists killed in Mexcio in two weeks
Two journalists were killed in the border city of Tijuana in the first weeks of the year. Crime photographer Margarito Martinez was shot dead outside his home on January 17, while reporter Lourdes Maldonado Lopez was found shot dead in her car on Sunday.
Two of the murdered journalists requested protection before their deaths
Jose Luis Gamboa was stabbed earlier this month in the state of Veracruz.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Gamboa had been a strong critic of local government corruption and officials with links to organized crime.
The media advocacy group tweeted about the murder of Lopez, who was meant to be "under state protection." RSF called for "a rigorous investigation and to ensure the protection of her family."
What protection is there for reporters in Mexico?
Mexico introduced a government protection plan for journalists since 2012. According to government figures, just under 500 people are receiving protection.
The two journalists murdered in Tijuana had reportedly both requested protection before they were killed.
Martinez had received threats from someone with alleged links to criminals and had been waiting for protection.
"The mechanism has failed again when journalists feel most vulnerable," reporter Sonia de Anda told AFP news agency.
As media professionals protested on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for tougher action.
"We call on Mexican authorities to strengthen the protection of journalists, in particular, to take further steps to prevent attacks on them, including by tackling threats and slurs aimed at them," said Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The country's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, addressed journalists at a briefing on Tuesday and said the perpetrators would be punished.
Mexico and India topped its list as the most dangerous places for journalists in 2021.
More than 100 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000. Only a small percentage of cases have ended in a conviction.
kb/rt (AP, AFP)
Child abuse scandal: Germany's Catholic Church fights for its future
Former Pope Benedict XVI has apologized for giving false testimony during a child sexual abuse probe. For many Catholics, the statement isn't enough; they are bitterly disappointed and demand an admission of guilt.
German bishops are struggling to position themselves in light of most recent revelations on cover-ups
A perfect blue sky hangs over Aachen Cathedral. The crisp winter sunlight illuminates more than 12 centuries of church history, constructed on Charlemagne's orders and the site of coronations of dozens of Germany's kings and queens.
But all is far from well behind the ornate facade here in the city on Germany's western border with Belgium and the Netherlands. In his Sunday sermon, Aachen Bishop Helmut Dieser spoke of wrath and disappointment, outrage and dismay, suffering and doubt.
He was referring to the reactions expressed in response to a Munich law firm's report, published on Thursday, into the church's handling of clergy who for decades covered up the sexual abuse of children.
The report includes grave allegations against former Pope Benedict XVI. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was the head of the Munich diocese from 1977 to 1982. During that time, he took part in a meeting where he and others discussed the future of a priest accused of repeated misconduct who, it was agreed, would be transferred from Essen to Munich. Where he continued to abuse children. Inability to admit guilt
"What appalls me and leaves me distraught, but also angry, is the incalculable extent of individual suffering and, inexorably linked with it, the extent of the failure for which church leaders, bishops and their staffs were and are responsible," said Bishop Dieser in his sermon.
"And beyond that, there is the inability to recognize one's own guilt and ask for forgiveness, or at least to express regret and pain for one's own part in the tragedy."
Even as Dieser delivered his sermon on Sunday, Benedict was still standing by the claim that he had not attended the gathering at which the Essen priest's future was decided.
However, after it became clear that his name was in the official list of participants, the former pope revised his statement on Monday, speaking of a "mistake" and claiming that he had not acted "out of bad faith." Even a former pope can be found guilty
But there are many in the Catholic Church who have run out of patience with such statements.
"It can't remain the case that those responsible hide their shame by pretending to know nothing about what was going on, or claiming that things were done differently back then," said Dieser.
"This was the very same thinking that prevented perpetrators from being stopped and left children exposed to abuse!"
Even a former pope must be called to account for his guilt, and he must confess to that guilt, "not only in prayer, and not only when he goes to confession," the bishop said.
THE LIFE OF GERMAN POPE BENEDICT XVI 'We are pope' "We are pope" reads the headline of Germany's leading tabloid, "Bild." On April 19, 2005, the College of Cardinals elected 78-year-old Joseph Ratzinger to succeed John Paul II as the 265th pope. Taking the name Benedict XVI, the first German pope in nearly 500 years displayed humility while assuming the papal throne: "The cardinals have elected me, a modest laborer in the Lord's vineyard." 12345678910111213
Ordinary passers-by were also shared their outrage to DW outside Aachen Cathedral on Monday.
"It's time for priests to take a stand," one elderly man demanded. He and his wife are in no doubt that the abuse scandal, and the fact that it was for decades covered up, have done almost irreparable damage to the Catholic Church.
"I'm sure that now more than ever people will turn their backs on the church," said the woman. People of faith must justify their acts
These days, little remains of the euphoria with which many in Germany welcomed the election of a German pope as the head of the Catholic Church. "We are pope!" proclaimed the headline of Germany's biggest tabloid back in 2005.
Now, however, that enthusiasm has faded, and a growing number of German bishops are calling on Benedict to admit the full extent of his guilt in the child abuse scandal.
The situation is unbearable for many of the faithful, says Georg Bätzing, the bishop of Limburg, who also serves as chair of the German Bishops' Conference. They find themselves having to justify to family and friends "that [those complicit] are still members of this institution."
Regardless, all must face up to the damage done by "disastrous behavior" at the very top, among the church leaders, "and right up to the former pope."
And he goes on: "I understand everybody who is tortured by doubt in the church and the leaders of our church. And when I look at the facts that have emerged in Munich, then I can only say that I am ashamed of this church." Systematic failure to take responsibility
That clear choice of words from Bätzing gives some encouragement to lay members of the Catholic Church. "I see many among the bishops who have the best of intentions. It would be far from fair to tar them all with the same brush," says Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics.
She, too, is shocked and appalled about the extent of the cover-up: "The systematic failure to take responsibility," with which the church has reacted to the abuse scandal, must now come to an end, she told DW.
Stetter-Karp is among the many who are desperately disappointed with Pope Benedict's role in the scandal: "From my point of view, this has been anything but well-handled. The way that he revises previous claims only when it is impossible to go on denying the truth; what we need to see now, is his taking unqualified personal responsibility for his previous failings." 'Don't tar all bishops with the same brush,' says Irme Stetter-Karp, President of the Central Committee of German Catholics
Reform or fail
The Central Committee of German Catholics is the largest lay organization in the Catholic Church in Germany. Together with the German Bishops' Conference, the committee has set in motion a two-year reform program known as the "Synodal Path," which has emerged as a possible way forward from the abuse scandal.
At the beginning of February, lay members and clerics are set to meet for the Third Synodal Assembly.
"What I hope for from this milestone, this gathering, is either real progress toward reform, or we will find ourselves at a very critical juncture that could ultimately lead to the failure of the Synodal Path," Stetter-Karp told DW.
In her view, the time has come for the truth, and nothing but the truth — and not just admitting that which can no longer be denied. "I think that we are facing a very serious test." Young people leaving the church in droves
Many young people are no longer sure that they have a spiritual home in the church, and some have approached the federation's youth organization to find out whether they can officially leave the main body of the church while remaining in the youth organizations.
"What we are seeing is a lot of young people beginning to question their faith," Podschun said. They sense that as an institution, the church has very little to do with the Bible.
"So, there's a disconnect between the church as a faith and the church as an institution. And that can lead to people leaving the church although they are still believers."
Podschun wants to keep the doors of the church open for young people who are unhappy with developments in the church. He, too, is exasperated with the way things often seem to be going. "It's not about the church saving itself," he said.
"If we want to ease people's suffering, and if that means tearing down the church as we know it, then so be it. And, after that, the next step can follow: rebuilding the church."
The Munich report did not come as a surprise, Podschun told DW.
"The church has monarchical structures, it's highly centralized, it's a system that exercises power on behalf of the Vatican. So, it's not really surprising how things that would be damaging to the church are covered up."
As a young Catholic himself, he hopes that all the damage and distress will prompt the church "to think seriously about expressing regret, and seek a new course."
This article was originally written in German.
While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
EPA acts on environmental justice in 3 Gulf Coast states 1 of 5
FILE - EPA Administrator Michael Regan poses for a photo for his EPA photographer near a cemetery in a neighborhood next to the Nu Star Energy oil storage tanks, after conducting a television interview, in St. James Parish, La., Nov. 16, 2021. Regan visited low-income, mostly minority communities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas as part of an effort to focus federal attention on communities adversely affected by decades of industrial pollution. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of enforcement actions Wednesday to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems afflicting minority communities in three Gulf Coast states, following a “Journey to Justice” tour by Administrator Michael Regan last fall.
The agency will conduct unannounced inspections of chemical plants, refineries and other industrial sites suspected of polluting air and water and causing health problems to nearby residents, Regan said. And it will install air monitoring equipment in Louisiana’s “chemical corridor” to enhance enforcement at chemical and plastics plants between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The region contains several hotspots where cancer risks are far above national levels.
The EPA also issued a notice to the city of Jackson, Mississippi, saying its aging and overwhelmed drinking water system violates the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The order directs the city to outline a plan to “correct the significant deficiencies identified” in an EPA report within 45 days.
In separate letters, Regan urged city and state officials to use nearly $79 million in funding allocated to Mississippi under the bipartisan infrastructure law “to solve some of the most dire water needs in Jackson and other areas of need across Mississippi.″
The actions were among more than a dozen steps announced being taken in response to Regan’s tour last November. Regan visited low-income, mostly minority communities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas as part of an effort to focus federal attention on communities adversely affected by decades of industrial pollution.
A Toxics Release Inventory prepared by the EPA shows that African Americans and other minority groups make up 56% of those living near toxic sites such as refineries, landfills and chemical plants. Negative effects include chronic health problems such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension.
“In every community I visited during the Journey to Justice tour, the message was clear: residents have suffered far too long and local, state and federal agencies have to do better,” Regan said.
The unannounced inspections of chemical plants and other sites “are going to keep these facilities on their toes,″ he told reporters on a conference call.
Inspections currently are done on a schedule or with advance notice, Regan said, but that is about to change. “We are amping up our aggressiveness to utilize a tool that’s in our toolbox that ... has been there for quite some time,″ he said.
When facilities are found to be noncompliant, the EPA “will use all available tools to hold them accountable,″ he added.
A pilot project combining high-tech air pollution monitoring with additional inspectors will begin in three Louisiana parishes: St. John the Baptist, St. James and Calcasieu. The parishes are home to scores of industrial sites and are long plagued by water and air pollution.
President Joe Biden has made addressing racial disparities, including those related to the environment, central to his agenda. He has pledged that at least 40% of new spending on climate and the environment go to poor and minority communities. The administration’s commitment to the issue has come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks, as two key environmental justice appointees departed. Cecilia Martinez, a top official at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and David Kieve, who conducted outreach with environmental justice groups, both left the White House, putting a spotlight on promises yet to be fulfilled.
Regan, a former environmental regulator in North Carolina, has made environmental justice a top priority since taking over as EPA head last year. As the first Black man to lead the agency, the issue “is really personal for me, as well as professional,″ he told The Associated Press in November.
“I pledge to do better by people in communities who have been hurting for far too long,” he said Tuesday.
Historically marginalized communities like St. John and St. James, along with cities such as New Orleans, Jackson and Houston, will benefit from the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law signed by Biden, Regan said. The law includes $55 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure, while a sweeping climate and social policy bill pending in the Senate would pump more than twice that amount into EPA programs to clean up the environment and address water and environmental justice issues.
As part of its enforcement action, the EPA is requiring a former DuPont petrochemical plant in La Place, Louisiana, to install fence-line monitors to identify emissions from the site, Regan said. The plant is now owned by the Japanese conglomerate Denka.
The agency also said it will push for greater scrutiny of a proposed expansion of a Formosa Plastics plant in St. James and issued a notice of violation to a Nucor Steel plant that emits hydrogen sulfide and other harmful chemicals.
Regan said he has spoken with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell about Gordon Plaza, a city neighborhood built on the site of a former toxic landfill. Gordon Plaza was designated as a Superfund site in the 1990s, but dozens of mostly Black families still live there.
The EPA will review the site, starting in March, Regan said, and will add nine homes not included in earlier plans to help families move. City officials hope to use money from the infrastructure law to relocate families and build a solar farm on the site.
