愛污传媒

Politics

    • NATO expansion focus of parliamentary committee trip to Europe to study Ukraine

    Share
    WARSAW, Poland -

    Expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has become a major focus of Parliament's foreign affairs committee as it tours several European countries to study the impact of the war in Ukraine, the committee chair said in an interview in Warsaw Sunday.

    The committee members started their journey in Sweden last week and will end in Finland -- two countries that are in the final stages of joining NATO.

    "We think that the eastern flank really has to be strengthened," said committee chair Ali Ehsassi.

    Canada was the first NATO ally to approve Sweden and Finland's bids to join the organization, doing so through a unanimous vote in Parliament. The countries applied to join the military alliance just months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine one year ago.

    Their bids have stalled as they await approval from two holdout countries: Hungary and Turkiye.

    The committee members made a stop in Brussels to speak with NATO officials there about the importance of extending membership to the two countries and to reiterate Canada's staunch support.

    Canada signed an agreement with Latvia in June to lead a NATO battlegroup in the country as an advanced forward presence along the Russian border.

    Ehsassi said further requests to Canada from NATO are an "ongoing discussion."

    "We're doing a superb job in Latvia, but we need to examine more ways in which we can assist," he said.

    The committee has already published one interim report on the findings of their study of the war in Ukraine, but Ehsassi said it is important for members to travel abroad to speak to international allies.

    The committee was invited by their counterparts in Ukraine to visit the country itself, but the request did not get the green light from the liaison committee -- the parliamentary body responsible for approving the budget for the trip -- because of security concerns.

    "There's no substitute for being on the ground, listening to Ukrainian parliamentarians, having those discussions," said Ehsassi, who already made a personal trip to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv earlier this year.

    The committee is also studying Canadian aid to Ukraine and keeping up with international best practices to support the embattled country.

    The final report will bring together several elements of Canada's role in the conflict, including financial, military and humanitarian aid.

    "We've had the opportunity to visit shelters, we've had the opportunity to meet with NGOs on the ground who are providing assistance, we are meeting with individuals who are operating in Ukraine itself," Ehsassi said.

    "I think it's really, really important that we remain on top of developments in Ukraine, and that we're up to date as to where some of those gaps are."

    Members from various political parties on the committee put emphasis on different measures, but Ehsassi said all are united on the importance of maintaining staunch support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

    "As I like to put it, our differences come to an end at the water's edge when it comes to the issue of Ukraine," he said. "We're all very much focused and very much committed to helping as best we can."

    -----

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2023.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.

    Canada

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • Vancouver police say they are conducting an investigation into a pro-Palestinian protest where they say speakers expressed "solidarity with terrorist groups."

    • A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • As the war in Gaza escalates, Nabila Manna watches from her home with feelings of fear and helplessness. Her mother, siblings, and extended family are all in Gaza.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Geoffrey Hinton, the British Canadian computer scientist whose machine learning discoveries have proved so profound he's known as the 'godfather of AI,' has won the Nobel Prize in physics.

    • A device used by researchers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada appears to have been the victim of an attack by a great white shark 300 metres under water off the coast of Nova Scotia.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • A Winnipeg baker is hanging up his apron permanently because he won the lottery.

    Sports

    Autos

    • Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

    Local Spotlight

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

    Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

    Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

    Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.

    A gargantuan gourd 鈥 affectionately named 鈥極rangina鈥 by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home 鈥 earned the massive honour of being named B.C.鈥檚 heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

    • LIVE @ 6:30 P.M.

      LIVE @ 6:30 P.M.

      The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will be facing off Tuesday evening for their first and only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 election. Here's what viewers can expect.

    • UBC researchers are using artificial intelligence to determine the dangers of busy roads for pedestrians.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    • A fire that led to an explosion in a northeast Calgary townhome over the weekend is believed to have been set intentionally, according to police.

    • GRAPHIC VIDEO

      GRAPHIC VIDEO

      Calgary police are investigating after several shots were fired by a suspect into a truck in the northeast community of Saddle Ridge.

    • A Calgary officer's use of force in an August police-involved shooting has been deemed appropriate following an investigation.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • OC Transpo officials are satisfied with the start of a critical testing period required before opening Ottawa's new north-south train, despite some technical issues being identified on three trains on Monday.

    • An Ottawa man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in an attack that also injured his daughter in Ottawa's west end has been found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

    • A 10-year-old boy in Longueuil is recovering after his neighbour allegedly poured boiling water on him. Longueuil Police (SPAL) said the woman was arrested and could face assault charges.

    • An 18-year-old man has died following a collision with an STM bus on Tuesday afternoon in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

    • A 38-year-old Beaumont resident is dead after a crash involving a motorcycle over the weekend.

    • Edmonton's transit system is seeing record usage, with six million trips taken in September.

    • One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith鈥檚 key advisers and the driving force behind the province鈥檚 recovery-focused addiction treatment policy is leaving the job.

    • Police in New Brunswick are trying to track down a man they consider 鈥渁rmed and dangerous鈥 after he allegedly crashed a vehicle, waved a weapon at police, and fled in a stolen vehicle.

    • International award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder has been cut from the Halifax Chronicle Herald.

    • Concerns are being raised over a questionable PC campaign expense, after an invoice for a car rental was submitted by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching.

    • There鈥檚 a new starting line-up at Canada Life Centre, which hockey fans and concertgoers will notice as soon as they walk in.

    • Manitoba RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service are launching Manitoba's Most Wanted website.

    • Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.

    • The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada Tuesday challenging a regulation that it says lets provincial correctional workers discipline inmates without sufficient proof.

    • A memo from the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union (SGEU) has painted a picture of healthcare workers on the brink 鈥 with under-staffing and burnout directly impacting quality of patient care within the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA).

    • Fire crews were called to respond to Mohawk Plaza shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

    • The future of a hybrid shelter in Waterloo is up for discussion.

    • An app developed at the University of Guelph is aimed at making accessible doors more accessible.

    • The province鈥檚 consumer watchdog is investigating a Saskatoon company selling luxury vacation condos in Mexico.

    • Saskatoon Transit workers have ratified a new five-year contract with the city.

    • A Saskatoon mom is desperately fighting eviction after she discovered mould in her suite and reported it to her landlord.

    • A crash Tuesday afternoon on Highway 144 has closed the road north of Sudbury.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Speaking in front of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee, London Police Services (LPS) Chief Thai Truong gave an update on policing Tuesday.

    • During Fire Prevention Week, fire departments across the country are trying to prevent more deaths with the proper use of smoke alarms.

    • A 20-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a speeding car that struck and killed an international student in Barrie last summer pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death on Tuesday but will not spend any time behind bars.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Police arrested a man accused of setting an animal on fire in Orillia, Ont. last month.

    • A Toronto couple pleaded guilty to involvement in a $13-million drug investigation that started in Windsor.

    • The Windsor Police Service is investigating two break-ins that took place at schools in the city last week.

    • The busiest international crossing in North America is about to get busier 鈥 and it鈥檚 put the City of Windsor in a position to prepare for potential worst-case scenarios.

    • A retrial date has been set for a man accused of fatally shooting a rival gang member and an innocent teen passerby in Vancouver in 2018.

    • The Sooke School District has acquired a 7.2-acre plot of land in North Langford to build a middle school, as enrollment within the district continues to grow.

    • Over the summer, Victoria software engineer Vedran Budimcic watched his wife spend a week trying to get a coveted BC Ferries reservation, refreshing the website hundreds of times a day hoping for a cancellation on sold out sailings.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.

    • Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.

    • A metal fabrication company west of Medicine Hat has been fined by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) following a workplace fatality in 2023.

    • A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is the latest organization to call on the Doug Ford government to re-open dialogue with an airline service that transports lower-income Canadians to crucial medical care far from home.

    • For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒