LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Sunday, September 10, 2023

OPINION

NIK NANOS

SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL

PUBLISHED 15 HOURS AGO

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns near Kelowna, B.C., this past August. This summer's extreme weather has made climate change, and its destructive effects on the economy, top of mind for many Canadians.SHAWN TALBOT/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Nik Nanos is the chief data scientist at Nanos Research, research adjunct professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, and the official pollster for The Globe and Mail and CTV News.

Prepare for a raucous fall political session in Ottawa. It will be the battle of big issues and of large political personalities. The issues fight will be real and of substance, with implications for Canada’s future. The personality battle will be an entertaining distraction for hyper-partisans.

On the issue front, we now have a collision of two major policy risks, namely climate change and the economy. Think of two casualties entering a political emergency room. The triage conundrum is to decide who gets priority and treated first: dealing with climate change or economic issues?

What is your most important national issue of concern?

Comparison of weekly surveys

Week of Aug. 4

Week of Sept. 1

4.6

15.9%

Environment

Debt / deficit

3.2

14.4

1.8

14.9

Change the PM

Inflation

2.5

13.8

1.9

11.4

High taxes

Jobs / economy

2.1

13.7

9.4

Change the

government

Health care

1.8

10.7

6.5

Housing /

cost of housing

Immigration

1.7

10.3

Nanos issue tracking shows a toss-up between climate change, inflation and worries about jobs/the economy (14 per cent each) for the top of the list of national issues of concern.

In Canada, this has been the summer of wildfires, which not only negatively affect the environment, but affect gross domestic product and contribute to inflation. A CTV/Nanos survey showed that Canadians are twice as likely to think that severe-weather events such as the number of wildfires are a result of climate change (64 per cent) compared with natural variations of the weather (28 per cent). Regardless of one’s view on the cause, one can’t deny that this is a problem that affects the quality of life of many people as they deal with fire, smoke and evacuation – on top of the negative economic repercussions.

More than eight in 10 Canadians support (59 per cent) or somewhat support (26 per cent) the creation of a national wildfire department, but only half support (22 per cent) or somewhat support (31 per cent) increasing taxes to pay for this department.

This is akin to your house being on fire but not being as hot on paying the fire department to put it out.

Support for the creation of a national wildfire department

Unsure

Oppose

Support

Somewhat support

Somewhat oppose

59%

Willingness to pay more in taxes to support the creation of a national wildfire department

Unsure

Not willing

Willing

Somewhat willing

Somewhat not willing

22%

How can this be? Well, if you are struggling to pay for housing and groceries, fires might not be the most pressing issue.

Concerns about inflation and jobs/the economy are at about 14 per cent each. Worries about housing are at 10 per cent, followed by debt/deficit (3 per cent) and high taxes (2 per cent). Together, meat-and-potatoes issues are the primary concern for more than four in 10 people, compared with the environment (14 per cent) or health care (11 per cent).

Squaring the circle between the economic stress of Canadians and dealing with climate change will be no easy feat. Yet that will be what people want to hear about from our political leaders: immediate action to deal with the short-term pressure on household finances and setting the groundwork for dealing with the weather changes everyone is experiencing more frequently.

In the Nanos preferred prime minister tracking, it is a dead heat between Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre. What’s clear is that many Canadians likely feel that they are faced with two imperfect choices. On the one hand, Mr. Trudeau has led his government since 2015 and may be hitting a best-before date with voters. On the other hand, Mr. Poilievre has tapped into anxiety and anger but has not yet articulated solutions. People will expect answers from both on the economic and environmental challenges we face.

Preferred prime minister, first ranked choice

1,000 random interviews with Canadians 18 years or older

Justin Trudeau (Liberal)

Jagmeet Singh (NDP)

Unsure

Pierre Poilievre (Conservative)

35%

31.1%

27.7

26.8

25.4

27.2

26.6

19.1

18.8

18.6

18.9

16.9

15.9

A year ago

Three months ago

This week

(Sept. 1)

The brand strengths of the parties are completely different. The Liberals are traditionally stronger than the Conservatives on the environment, while the Conservatives are stronger on economic matters. The next election will likely boil down to voters choosing the risk they are willing to live with – is it the risk of a government that is not strong on the economy or a government that might not be aggressive in fighting climate change?

The next election is also shaping up to be one of a progressive (Mr. Trudeau) facing off against an anti-establishment choice (Mr. Poilievre). The problem is that this battle will focus on whom to blame, instead of a solution. While Canada is literally on fire and our economy tepid while people struggle to pay for housing, our leaders are focused on smear tactics designed to fire up their base. Mr. Trudeau is playing the card as the protector of diversity and equality, while Mr. Poilievre declares that Canada is broken and that the first step in fixing it is to boot the Liberals out of power.

The reality is that Canadians want to hear about solutions and understand the personal and financial trade-offs of policy choices. Politicians who ignore this reality will do so at their electoral peril. We must move beyond the phony war of incessant virtue signalling.

All of our political parties will need to advance solutions that deal with the twin challenges of the economy and the environment – and unpack their true costs – so that people can judge for themselves the best path forward.

We need a serious national discussion about not only the environment, but also creating an environment that enables people to pay their bills.

CANADA
Timing of evidence disclosure raises ire of judge in 'Freedom Convoy' trial

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, September 8, 2023

OTTAWA - Hope that the trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers would last only four weeks may be dashed after the defence raised complaints about receiving heaps of new evidence three days after the trial began.

Justice Heather Perkins-McVey told the court there is a potential risk for the trial to go “off the rails,” if it continues to evolve in the way it has been going. She used the day of court time on Friday to try to “crystallize the evidence” for the remainder of the trial.

Before that, there was a sense of tension in the courtroom as Crown and defence lawyers sparred over the timing of the delivery of binders full of text messages.

The justice called a short recess to step away from the bench to “settle” herself after telling the lawyers she was “very unhappy” about the late-stage disclosure.

“This should have been done well before the trial,” she chided before leaving the courtroom.

Perkins-McVey is now working with court staff to find more dates as the prospect the trial will run long has grown. Initially 16 days were set aside for the trial, with three extra days added to the court's calendar as a precaution.

But as the first week of hearings drew to a close Friday, it was clear the timelines were on the brink of being blown.

The text messages are from the cellphone belonging to Chris Barber, who is co-accused with Tamara Lich of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief and obstructing police.

The charges relate to the role the two played in organizing the convoy that blocked streets in downtown Ottawa for three weeks in the winter of 2022.

Social media and other digital communications are key to the Crown's case, which alleges Barber and Lich exerted control and influence over the unlawful protest, and that they counselled demonstrators to remain in Ottawa after police ordered them out.

Barber's lawyer Diane Magas said she asked the Crown to whittle down tens of thousands of her client's text messages to just the ones expected to be entered into evidence.

Crown lawyer Tim Radcliffe said that request came just before the trial started and was fulfilled this week.

Magas said based on what the Crown had told her she expected roughly 22 of Barber's chats to be at issue. Instead, she said she was given 135 chats to wade through on Thursday.

She told the judge she didn't know how she could be expected to digest the evidence and make sure her client has a fair trial.

The chats are also relevant to Lich's case because the Crown hopes to prove that the two organizers conspired so closely together that evidence against one should apply to both of them.

The tempers of lawyers on both sides of the courtroom flared during the debate over the texts

Similar conflicts have played out over the disclosure and admissibility of video and social media evidence in the first week of the trial. Though four police officers have taken the stand so far, only one has finished testifying.

For the others, their evidence has been interrupted by complaints by the defence lawyers that they don't have all the information they need to craft their defence, or about the admissibility of the evidence.

On Friday afternoon, the lawyers also argued about whether the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page should be admitted.

The Crown says the page is evidence that helps prove Lich and Barber conspired together, and that evidence against one should apply to both.

Lich's lawyer, Eric Granger, said the Crown is trying to put 212 pages of Facebook evidence to the court, and it's unclear who authored many of the posts.

“It involves a number of posts not by Mr. Barber, not by Ms. Lich,” Granger said outside the courthouse Thursday.

This is not the trial of the Freedom Convoy, he said, “this is the trial of these two particular individuals.”

Radcliffe told the court Friday that he only intends to use the posts signed “Tamara,” which the defence admit were written by Lich, as evidence.

He also plans to use other posts on the page as circumstantial evidence related to fundraising and legal advice to protesters. The Facebook page also demonstrates that videos were “cross-posted” on different platforms, including TikTok, he said.

While most of the day was devoted to legal arguments about the admissibility of evidence, the court was briefly introduced to several videos from Lich's TikTok account.

The court also watched a video posted to the TikTok account PapaWolf65 on Feb. 10, which featured Lich and Barber on the streets of Ottawa.

In the video, Lich encouraged a supporter to spread the word about the convoy, and characterized it as “Canada Day on steroids.”

Perkins-McVey said the nuances of the legal arguments may be boring to most of the 20 or so members of the public who attended the courtroom Friday, but said “this is what trials are made of.”

“This a trial that is based on the rule of law, the rule of evidence, and these nuances are key to the Crown and to the defence,” she said.

The judge vowed before the trial began that she would keep the proceedings on the rails, and told the court Friday that is still her intention.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.

New footage from police body cams, drones shows how officers were overwhelmed during 'Freedom Convoy' protests in Ottawa

Judy Trinh
CTV National News, Ottawa Correspondent
Updated Sept. 8, 2023

As the criminal trial of 'Freedom Convoy' leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber continues, the Crown has released never-before-seen video evidence showing what the occupation of the nation's capital was like from the police perspective.

The video evidence, prepared by Crown witness and Ottawa Police Cst. Craig Barlow, features a mixture of footage from police body cams and surveillance drones. The nearly 12-minute-long video shows the progression of the protest through three weeks and just how outnumbered officers were as demonstrators entrenched in the capital. The footage also reveals the tension from the frontlines as police in riot gear cleared downtown Ottawa.

Ottawa Police Inspector Russell Lucas testified that officers were often “swarmed” and that convoy participants became more volatile as the demonstration continued.

The drone footage reveals the scope of the protest which saw big rigs clogging up the core and spilling over into residential neighborhoods. The video also gives an overhead view of the convoy’s logistics centre on Coventry Road, which is about five kilometres east of Parliament Hill. The lot between a hotel and baseball stadium was used as a staging centre to supply fuel and food for the protesters.

The footage also shows overhead footage of the logistics centre on Conventry Road, which is about five kilometres east of Parliament Hill. The lot between a hotel and baseball stadium was used as a staging centre to supply fuel and food for the protesters.

This is the biggest file of the more than 100 exhibits entered as evidence in the trial. Of these, 50 are videos, including social media clips from Tik Tok and Facebook. Some of the videos were posted by Lich and Barber.

The Crown alleges that Lich and Barber conspired together to encourage thousands of followers to come to Ottawa to participate in an occupation that gridlocked the city.

Central to the case are three words: “Hold the line.” The Crown says the infamous phrase isn’t a rallying cry, but a call to break laws.

“The Charter does not give any person the legal right to unlawfully trample the rights of others. Not only did protesters hold the lines for weeks as directed by Mr. Barber and Ms. Lich – they crossed the line,” said assistant Crown attorney Tim Radcliffe in his opening statement.

The defence maintains that the two convoy leaders planned a “peaceful protest” and criticized the Crown’s characterization of it as an "occupation."

Lich and Barber were arrested on February 17, 2022, three days after the Emergencies Act was invoked. The act provided authorities with broad power to curtail civil rights to maintain public order. The day after the arrests of the convoy leaders, police began a massive operation to dismantle the protest.

More than 2,000 police officers from the RCMP, OPP and 13 municipal police services deployed officers to dismantle the demonstration. The policing bill for the three week protest cost $55 million. Ottawa Police laid more than 500 charges during the “Freedom Convoy.”

RELATED IMAGES

New video submitted at the 'Freedom Convoy' criminal trial show the police operation to end the protest in downtown Ottawa in February 2022

Controversial logging could go ahead in North Okanagan, more public consultation needed

The Forest Practices Board has rejected an appeal of a decision to permit logging on Rose Swanson Mountain in Spallumcheen in a decision published Aug. 15, 2023. (Rose Swanson Mountain/Facebook)

The Forest Practices Board won’t appeal amendments to BC Timber Sales’ forest stewardship plan

BRENDAN SHYKORA
Sep. 9, 2023

Controversial logging on Spallumcheen’s Rose Swanson Mountain is set to go ahead after an appeal of a decision to allow the logging was denied by the Forest Practices Board.

Before any logging happens, the board says more consultation with the public would benefit the harvesting plans.

Rose Swanson Mountain was designated as a sensitive area in 1996, and recent plans by BC Timber Sales to harvest in the area have been met by pushback from the community, as the mountain is a well used recreational site. The sensitive area order had the following four objectives:

• Maintain and enhance trail network for use by recreationalists

• Protect visual quality of area

• Maintain recreation values by limiting timber harvesting to low impact silvicultural systems

• Protect the area against vandalism and timber theft

In July, the Forest Practices Board reviewed a request from a member of the public to appeal the approval of amendments to BC Timber Sales’ forest stewardship plan.

The board decided not to appeal amendments to the forest stewardship plan. However, as many in the area are concerned that the harvesting will jeopardize Rose Swanson Mountain’s recreational and natural value, the board is encouraging public consultation to take place before any logging is done.

“In the Board’s view, BC Timber Sales’ results and strategies represent a reasonable balance between timber harvesting and preserving recreation activities and values in the Rose Swanson Mountain area,” Forest Practices Board chair Keith Atkinson said in an open letter.

BC Timber Sales has divided the Rose Swanson Mountain area into two zones. The first zone includes the main trails, and the board says the timber harvesting restrictions in that zone should result in “little to no impact to recreation in this area.” No timber harvesting will occur within 100 metres of the first zone, except harvesting necessary for sanitation and salvage.

Timber harvesting in the second zone can occur, but it is limited to low-impact silviculture systems and a maximum of 50 per cent of the basal area can be harvested within 15 metres of a Zone 2 trail.

“BC Timber Sales will be required to consider input from the public when it plans to harvest timber. BC Timber Sales committed, in its results and strategies, to refer timber harvesting plans to the public for input at least 120 days before starting the work,” Atkinson wrote.

The board notes that “many people” are opposed to any harvesting in the Rose Swanson Mountain area, and says the government “has an opportunity now to address the public’s concerns by developing a new management plan that takes the local community’s knowledge and input into account.”

A management plan for the area was created in the 1990s but was never updated. Therefore, it was automatically cancelled in 2006. The board says a new management plan “that reflects the public’s perspective” would be of value.

Marge Sidney, president of the Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society, says the society is “not against logging,” but the forest stewardship plan needs to take into account values other than just profit-generating harvesting.

“What we’re having a problem with is we need all values to be taken into consideration, like rare and endangered species, and Indigenous values, and riparian, and recreation, and on and on,” she told The Morning Star.

She said BC Timber Sales has “wiped the slate clean” and will potentially hold off on auctioning timber until next year.

“We want to see what they do between now and then.”

Sidney sits on a select committee that looks into BC Timber Sales harvesting plans. She said BC Timber Sales has said it will bring maps of the logging plan to the committee’s next meeting for them to go over.

“We would love that BC Timber Sales put FireSmarting as part of their plan,” said Sidney, explaining the Rose Swanson Mountain area contains fire hazards that need to be cleaned up.

“There’s a lot of dead and dying wood, “she said, adding she’s skeptical that BC Timber Sales would harvest the wood as “there’s no value in the timber that’s left standing.”

Sunday, September 10, 2023

RELATED STORIES

PHOTOS