By Canadian Press

CAF ombudsman critical and Emergencies Act probe continues: In The News for Oct. 25

Oct 25, 2022 | 1:17 AM

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Oct. 25 …

What we are watching in Canada …

Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman Gregory Lick is criticizing the military’s treatment of ill and injured reservists and Canadian Rangers, saying the organization is failing to address long-standing gaps for Canada’s part-time soldiers.

The gaps were first identified by the ombudsman’s office during four separate investigations between 2015 and 2017, at which time the military promised to take action by implementing nine watchdog recommendations.

But in a new report released late Monday, the ombudsman’s office found that none of the nine recommendations have been fully implemented over the past five-plus years.

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Massive Philippine Mars waterbomber preparing for final Island departure

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The report comes as the military is struggling with a personnel crisis, with about 10,000 vacancies across the Armed Forces — which represents about one position in 10. The shortage is particularly acute in the middle ranks.

Senior commanders spoke to the House of Commons defence committee last week about the impact the current shortage of full-time and part-time Armed Forces members is having on the military writ large.

“We’re making difficult choices about what we can do for operations,” said Royal Canadian Air Force commander Lt.-Gen. Eric Kenny.

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Also this …

The Public Order Emergency Commission resumes public hearings today, with senior police members expected to testify.

Two Ottawa police officers and an Ontario Provincial Police member are slated to testify at the inquiry investigating the federal government’s unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act.

Interim Ottawa police chief Steve Bell said on Monday that in the days leading up to the mass protest in the city last winter, police didn’t have intelligence suggesting the “Freedom Convoy” would use local citizens as a “leverage point.”

Senior police and City of Ottawa officials have painted a picture of disorganization between police forces and levels of government in the response to the mass demonstrations.

The inquiry’s ultimate goal is to examine the federal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act three weeks into the crisis and report on whether the unprecedented move was warranted.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

A new poll in the U.S. shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans think the federal government is not doing enough to fight climate change.

That opinion comes as respondents to the AP-NORC admit they have limited awareness about a sweeping new law that commits the U.S. to its largest-ever investment to combat global warming. President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress have touted the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August as a milestone achievement they hope can boost the party leading into the midterm elections.

While the law was widely heralded as the largest investment in climate spending in history, 49 per cent of Americans say it won’t make much of a difference on climate change, 33 per cent say it will help and 14 per cent think it will do more to hurt it.

The measure, which passed without a single Republican vote in either chamber, offers nearly $375 billion in incentives to accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, speeding the transition away from fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas that largely cause climate change.

Advocates say that when combined with spending by states and the private sector, the law could help shrink U.S. carbon emissions by about two-fifths by 2030

and chop emissions from electricity by as much as 80 per cent.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

At least five Palestinians have been killed and 20 more wounded, following the raid of a West Bank stronghold by Israeli forces.

The overnight raid in the old city of Nablus, was one of the deadliest in the West Bank in 2022 and comes at a time of escalating tensions. The target of the raid was a group of Palestinian gunmen calling themselves the Lions’ Den. The group was responsible for the recent fatal shooting of an Israeli soldier and several attempted attacks, the army said.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told Kan public radio that Wadie Houh, a leader of the Lion’s Den group, was killed in a shootout with Israeli troops overnight.

Ongoing Israeli arrest raids in the West Bank pose a serious challenge to the Palestinian self-rule government, which administers just over one-third of the territory. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas relies on security cooperation with Israel, particularly against his Islamic militant rivals, to remain in power. At the same time, this cooperation is deeply unpopular among Palestinians who chafe against Israel’s open-ended occupation, now in its 56th year.

Younger Palestinians are particularly disillusioned. Small bands of gunmen have formed in some areas. These groups challenge the Palestinian Authority and carry out attacks against Israeli targets.

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the five men killed in the raid were in their 20s and 30s.

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On this day in 1918 …

The Canadian Pacific steamship “Princess Sophia” sank in a snowstorm at Lynn Canal while sailing to Vancouver from Alaska. There were no survivors and it is estimated to have taken over 350 lives.

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In entertainment …

A completed documentary about the rapper formerly known as Kanye West has been shelved amid his recent slew of antisemitic remarks.

MRC studio executives Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu, and Scott Tenley announced in a memo Monday: “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform.”

Ye was recently restricted from posting on Twitter and Instagram over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. He has also suggested slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the “mark of the beast.”

Ye’s talent agency, CAA, has also dropped him.

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Did you see this?

A new study says the population of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales is continuing its downward trend.

The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium says its latest estimate stands at 340 animals as of last year: a decline from 348 recorded in 2020.

The Boston-based consortium, which includes more than 200 conservation, government, and industry organizations, says female right whales are getting smaller and are having fewer calves. The consortium says only 15 calves were born in 2022, far below the average of 24 reported in the early 2000s.

As well, the group determined there were no first-time mothers this season, which supports earlier research showing a downward trend in the number of female right whales capable of breeding.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2022

The Canadian Press