Were mixed signals a worry for Ottawa ahead of Pope’s visit: In The News for Nov. 8

One internal document dated early June said “A risk of not interpreting some of the Pope’s speeches into Indigenous languages is that a papal address translated into only English and French but for an audience of residential school survivors or Indigenous peoples could be seen as another act of colonization.” Instead, “interpreting speeches into Indigenous languages could be seen as a meaningful act of decolonization.”

The briefing notes were obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request.

Pope Francis, 85, journeyed to Canada in July to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.

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Also this …

A local Alberta politician facing charges for participating in “Freedom Convoy” protests at the Coutts, Alta., border blockade is set to testify today at the public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act.

Marco Van Huigenbos is a Fort MacLeod, Alta., councillor who was charged with mischief for his role organizing the protests earlier this year.

Ontario Provincial Police officer Dana Earley and Paul Leschied, who took part in the protests in Windsor, Ont., are also scheduled to testify.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history on Feb. 14, arguing its temporary and extraordinary powers were needed to end blockades in Ottawa and at border crossings.

The Public Order Emergency Commission is examining the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the act.

The public inquiry, which is required under the Emergencies Act, is holding hearings in Ottawa through to Nov. 25.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

Last-minute voters are headed to the polls across the United States today — but the results of the 2022 midterm elections may not be clear for days.

Campaign officials and political observers are warning Americans that they likely won’t know the final outcome before the end of the week.

The growing popularity of early voting, long a reality in the U.S. but never more so than since the COVID-19 pandemic, has complicated the counting process. More than 1.4 million mail-in ballots were requested in Pennsylvania this year, he added — 70 per cent of them by registered Democrats, compared to 20 per cent by registered Republicans.

That’s producing ominous echoes of 2020 in battleground states like Pennsylvania, where polls suggest the fight for control of the Senate is coming down to the wire.

Still, Republican control of the House is widely seen as a foregone conclusion. And Pennsylvania is far from the only battleground that could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

World leaders are making the case for tougher action to tackle global warming Tuesday, as this year’s international climate talks in Egypt heard growing calls for fossil fuel companies to help pay for the damage they have helped cause to the planet.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday that humanity was on “a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator,” urging countries to “cooperate or perish.”

The idea of a windfall tax on carbon profits has gained traction in recent months amid sky-high earnings for oil and gas majors even as consumers struggle to pay the cost of heating their homes and filling their cars.

The U.S. mid-term elections were hanging over the talks Tuesday, with many environmental campaigners worried that defeat for the Democrats could make it harder for President Joe Biden to pursue his ambitious climate agenda.

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On this day in 1917 …

The Canadian Press news agency was founded in Toronto.

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In entertainment …

The newest winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize says she hopes the 100-thousand-dollar honour will finally cure her impostor syndrome.

Suzette Mayr (MY’-ur) won the award for the best piece of Canadian fiction last night. The Calgary-based author won for her novel, “The Sleeping Car Porter.”

The book follows a queer Black train porter on a particularly difficult trip out west in 1929. He stays up all night to serve the white passengers on board, even as he grapples with sleep-deprivation-induced hallucinations.

Mayr (MY’-ur) says she’s long struggled with impostor syndrome. She says that now when she’s struck by feelings of insecurity, she’ll look over at the prize and remember that somebody believes in her.

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Did you see this?

Kremlin-connected entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin admitted Monday that he had interfered in U.S. elections and would continue to do so, confirming for the first time the accusations that he has rejected for years.

“Gentlemen, we have interfered, are interfering and will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do,” Prigozhin boasted in remarks posted on social media.

The statement, from the press service of his catering company that earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef,” came on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections in response to a request for comment.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

It was the second major admission in recent months by the 61-year-old businessman, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin has previously sought to keep his activities under the radar and now appears increasingly interested in gaining political clout, although his goal in doing so was not immediately clear.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2022

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Were mixed signals a worry for Ottawa ahead of Pope’s visit: In The News for Nov. 8

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