Wednesday Night #2235

George Alevisatos 1938-2024 RIP
Sad News for all of us who frequented By George! Deli, enjoyed the great catering services, or simply loved chatting with George as he stood on the Greene Avenue sidewalk, surveying his kingdom. George was a dear friend, an institution, and along with his family, part of the fabric of Westmount.
A celebration of his wonderful life will be held Sunday January 19, 2025 between 2-5 p.m.
at Kane Fetterly, 5301 Decarie Blvd

Congratulations to Kyle Matthews and Marie Lamensch, who -following the shutting down of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies by Concordia- held the soft launch of the Montreal Institute for Global Security (the new MIGS) on 10 January at an event on digital transnational repression with Freedom House and the Uyghur community. Associate Minister for Public Security Rachel Bendayan joined them.

UPDATE
Gaza ceasefire deal reached between Israel, Hamas; truce to begin Sunday
Palestinians in Gaza rejoice in streets
In Tel Aviv, hostage families express joy
Israeli PM says some items unresolved
(Reuters) – Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the U.S. and Qatar said, after 15 months of bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East.
The complex accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Warning! Lots of inside-baseball Canadian political news follows.
They are off and running – Fed Libs and Quebec Libs. Confusion may abound.
Paul Wells: Next
Exit Trudeau. The Liberals give themselves three months to save the furniture.
Having stalled until he ran out of options, Trudeau will now become incidental to events. There’s a lot going on. Wistful tribute speeches in the House of Commons will have to wait. The Trudeau succession will play out quickly, in four arenas at once: Parliament; the Liberal Party; the electorate; and Canada’s national security. Events in each venue will influence the others.
More possible candidates NOT running …
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne declines to join Liberal leadership race Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon and Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand also considered leadership runs, but then opted out; and Christy Clark announces she won’t run
Watch Mark Carney on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – a delight, with some interesting revelations – including his sense of humour.
Mark Carney…chats with Jon Stewart about his country’s response to Donald Trump’s desire to annex Canada: “It’s not going to happen.” They also discuss the impending financial crisis Canada faces if Trump follows through on his tariff threats and how the country’s upcoming election involving the leader of the opposition Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre mirrors the 2024 U.S. presidential race.
Mark Carney all but says he’s running to be Canada’s next prime minister in a Jon Stewart interview
“Let’s say the candidate wasn’t part of the government. Let’s say the candidate did have a lot of economic experience” Carney said. “Let’s say the candidate did deal with crisis. Let’s say the candidate had a plan to deal with the challenges.”

Meanwhile, Quebec Liberal Party leadership race officially begins, and the new leader is expected to be announced on June 14.
Pablo Rodriguez defends his credentials as Quebec Liberal leadership race kicks off

Anti-Bill 96 task force urges Quebec Liberal MPs to ‘defend the Constitution’
On Jan. 20, the Task Force on Linguistic Policy will be in Quebec Superior Court in its legal battle against the Legault government’s Bill 96.
Task Force president Andrew Caddell urged the 33 Quebec Liberal MPs in a letter Sunday to lobby federal Attorney General Arif Virani to stop attempting to withdraw the federal government from the court case.
Andrew expands his arguments in this week’s Hill Times column, concluding “English-speaking Quebecers…are not scapegoats, but rather citizens with rights equal to any Quebecer. Who will speak for us?
“Whoever is the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada must answer this critical question. Despite his proclamations of support for Quebec Anglophones, Justin Trudeau never did.”

Terry Jones forwarded Meet the Combative Populist on a Path to Become Canada’s Next Leader – Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, enjoys a commanding lead in the polls as Canadians look to the next general election, a very thorough albeit concise profile by NYT reporter Norimitsu Onishi.

Canada – U.S.
Jean Chrétien responds in an open letter to threats from Donald Trump
Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien responded in an open letter published Saturday morning to threats against Canada by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. See Long reads below for text of the letter.
Amen to Doug Sweet‘s comments: “The cynic in me was prepared to dismiss Jean Chrétien’s 91st birthday op-ed in the Globe and Mail over the weekend as the predictable ramblings of a politician well past his prime, and I’ve read (and edited) plenty of those. And then I actually read it. … Wow! What a strong, gutsy, accurate and timely assessment of how Canada needs to meet the challenge posed by the man about to return to the White House. As he says, vive le Canada! And vive Jean Chrétien!”
The text of the letter, published in La Presse and The Globe and Mail, calls on Canadian political leaders to show “determination” and “tenacity,” and on Canadians to unite in the face of statements by Trump, who has said he will impose significant tariffs on Canada and that he wants to make the country into the 51st American state.
Canada’s provincial leaders in disarray over response to Trump tariff threats
Whatever happened to Team Canada? Assorted premiers and others are currently refining individual approaches.
Kevin O’Leary, Danielle Smith, and Jordan Peterson were all at Mar-A-Lago with Donald Trump over the weekend. Trump Summons Canada’s MAGA Groupies for ‘51st State’ Night
Andrew Coyne comments: Ah marvellous. No doubt they were there to plead Canada’s case and not, you know, the opposite.

Question How does government function during prorogation? No legislation can be advanced. Ministers still occupy their offices and all staff are at work – so what is everyone doing? Are they taking advantage of this pseudo-pause to clean up all the files? Will things be more efficient post prorogation? Is Domenic Leblanc preparing a budget? Presumably the Cabinet meets? Is that how policies will be decided/furthered?
…all parliamentary activity, including existing bills, comes to a halt. That means some key pieces of legislation, like the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) and First Nations Clean Water Act (Bill C-61, awaiting its third reading) are among dozens of bills likely to fizzle, and projects delayed or abandoned.
For example: Delays, Trudeau resignation threaten Toronto-Quebec City high-frequency rail project the turmoil in senior Liberal ranks as cabinet ministers gear up for possible leadership runs under the eye of a lame duck Prime Minister could knock the bidder selection timeline off-kilter. “This has to go to cabinet. There’s a lot of people that have to sign off.”
Canada Immigration
Much as we admire Minister Marc Miller, we are dismayed by the apparent disarray in current (new) immigration policies, i.e.
Canada pausing applications for parent, grandparent permanent residency sponsorships
given the shortage of affordable child care in Canada, many immigrant families rely on grandparents to care for young children, so that their parents, especially women, can continue to work outside the home. Many elderly immigrants also contribute to Canada’s economy by working paid jobs and enrich Canada’s communities through their diverse volunteer services..
Thousands of caregivers’ status at risk as immigration programs stall
Thousands of caregivers from overseas may need to leave the country or risk staying here illegally as Ottawa delays the rollout of a new pathway to permanent residency for nannies and home support workers.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is a failure, and new immigration limits make a bad situation worse
The TFWP has steamrolled ahead like a glorified employment agency in response to the demands of employers as IRCC struggles to support the communities taking in these newcomers — or to develop policy infrastructure to address the many problems the program has created.
The major changes for international students and Post-Graduation Work Permits in Canada in 2024 – year in review
The majority of the changes align with the federal government’s aim of scaling back the number of temporary residents.

We are dismayed to learn from Heather Cox Richardson about the political confrontation in North Carolina involving, among others, Jeff Jackson, whose career we have been following with interest since he was first introduced by his cousin, Andrew Caddell. “Almost ten weeks after the 2024 election, North Carolina remains in turmoil from it. Voters in the state elected Donald Trump to the presidency, but they elected Democrat Josh Stein for governor and current Democratic representative Jeff Jackson as attorney general, and they broke the Republicans’ legislative supermajority that permitted them to pass laws over the veto of the current governor, Democrat Roy Cooper. They also reelected Justice Allison Riggs, a Democrat, to the state supreme court.
Republicans refuse to accept the voters’ choice.
In the last days of their supermajority, under the guise of relieving the western part of the state still reeling from the effects of late September’s Hurricane Helene, Republican legislators stripped power from Stein and Jackson. They passed a law, SB 382, to take authority over public safety and the public utilities away from the governor and prohibited the attorney general from taking any position that the legislature, which is still dominated by Republicans, does not support.

Social media
Bluesky takes bite out of X, as global users flee social media giant: analyst
Bluesky is billed as a platform where users can create custom content feeds, and control what they see while avoiding what they don’t want to see.
Social Media as It Should Be
There is no reason to accept in social media and search what we would not tolerate in legacy media.
Meta, Amazon scale back diversity programs ahead of Trump inauguration
Some of America’s biggest businesses have been scaling back their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.
In less than two weeks, Meta has scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program, elevated prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to be its chief global affairs officer and elected Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and close friend of Trump, to its board.
Jonathan Montpetit: Fact-checking has become partisan. Can it survive the backlash from conservatives and Big Tech?

The fun begins!
Steve Bannon condemns Elon Musk as ‘racist’ and ‘truly evil’
Ex-Trump adviser denounces tech CEO’s embrace of some forms of immigration and vows to ‘take this guy down’

A quick tour d’horizon
Gaza ceasefire likely as Biden and Trump both push
The waning days of the Biden administration have seen a whirlwind of diplomacy to secure a deal that releases the remaining hostages held by Hamas, but key differences remain over the phasing of a ceasefire and conditions for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Incoming president Donald Trump
has warned that unless a deal is reached ahead of his inauguration, “all hell will break loose.” -Just what does he mean?
Biden and Netanyahu discuss Gaza ceasefire talks as momentum builds
The White House said Biden discussed the “fundamentally changed regional circumstances” following Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s power in the region
C. Uday Bhaskar: Beyond US-China tussles, geopolitics will be shaped by India, Russia
The first quarter of this century has seen the global strategic framework move from Cold War bipolarity to an uneasy period of US hegemony and the steady rise of China as a peer competitor. The US co-opted India to deal with the China challenge and this was noted in Beijing.
How global geopolitics unfolds in the second quarter of the 21st century will be shaped to a considerable extent by the US-China dyad and Washington’s and Beijing’s individual relationships with India and Russia, as well as by the bilateral geopolitical permutations within this critical quadrilateral.
On 14 January, Brookings published Foresight Africa 2025-2030: The road to sustainable and inclusive development
Cutting-edge insights and actionable strategies for Africa’s inclusive and sustainable development in the run-up to 2030
We ignore Sudan at our peril. This campaign of mass murder and rape will have global consequences
Millions are displaced, both within and outside the country. Famine is blighting hundreds of thousands. Sexual violence is taking place on a “staggering” scale, according to the United Nations.
Finally!
South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol arrested, investigators say, after hours-long standoff at residence
Impeached president detained over failed December martial law bid a month after a first attempt ended in stalemate
Will the West move fast enough to lift al-Assad-era sanctions on Syria?
Damascus launches a diplomatic outreach to push for an end to restrictions.
(Al Jazeera) The United Nations says seven out of 10 Syrians require humanitarian assistance after 13 years of war
Trump interest in Greenland is ‘wake-up call to Copenhagen’, says minister
Greenlandic minister says Denmark has failed to act over demands for action on minerals and alleged state abuses
Mexican president might avoid Trump’s ‘day one’ tariffs
Sheinbaum intensifies actions on migration, fentanyl ahead of Trump’s inauguration
Venezuela’s Maduro takes new oath amid protests and international rebuke
(AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a new term on Friday, extending his increasingly repressive rule in the face of renewed protests and rebukes from the United States and others who believe he stole last year’s vote.

Varia
President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024)
Before he was president, Jimmy Carter saved nuclear reactor after meltdown
On a cold day in December in 1952, a nuclear research facility in the small Canadian town of Chalk River experienced a nightmare scenario. … To deal with the disaster, Canadian and U.S. officials turned to one man who could deal with the situation.
US Dementia Diagnoses Seen Doubling to 1 Million a Year by 2060. The number of Americans diagnosed annually with the brain-impairment disorder is projected to rise to about 1 million over the next 35 years, according to research published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. More than two of five people over age 55 are expected to develop the condition during their lifetimes.
-No figures for Canada, but surely are similar. Urgent need for analysis of the impact on the economy, immigration, housing, labour and social policies and action to meet society’s needs.
As E-Bikes Boom in NYC, Some Call for More Regulations
A bill that would require all electric bikes and scooters to be licensed with the city is part of a wider effort to rein in the battery-powered mobility devices.
Vet opens empty hospital, takes in dozens of displaced pets in wildfire
Requests from pet owners began to trickle in, as she expected. But then something unexpected happened: Harvilicz’s inbox began blowing up with hundreds of people volunteering to help her however they could.

Long reads
Doug Sweet highlights this depressing piece by Ezra Klein: ‘Now Is the Time of Monsters’
Donald Trump is returning, artificial intelligence is maturing, the planet is warming, and the global fertility rate is collapsing. To look at any of these stories in isolation is to miss what they collectively represent: the unsteady, unpredictable emergence of a different world
Jean Chrétien: Canadians will never give up the best country in the world to join the U.S.
Today is my 91st birthday.
… I’m going to do something in this article that I don’t do very often anymore, and sound off on a big issue affecting the state of the nation and profoundly bothering me and so many other Canadians: The totally unacceptable insults and unprecedented threats to our very sovereignty from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump…
Don Tapscott: I’m a Canadian listening to Trump. Let’s talk about ‘the 51st state’
… In her 2013 book Merger of the Century, U.S.-Canadian writer Diane Francis argued that the two countries should be combined, and she enlisted an investment banker to determine the price tag. The two used metrics sourced from the CIA’s World Factbook—comparing U.S. and Canadian GDPs; their total land areas, including offshore rights; debts; foreign reserves, and gold assets; renewable resources such as water and farmland; and fossil fuel production. In rough numbers, Canada was worth $17 trillion more than the U.S., equivalent to $492,529 per Canadian! …
Editorial: The Guardian view on globalisation and its discontents: how the left was left behind
As national populist parties gain ground in the west, progressives must put social and climate priorities ahead of market interests
In a new book to be published this week, the philosopher Michael Sandel and the economic historian Thomas Piketty suggest that this landscape, though now familiar, continues to be inadequately confronted by centre-left parties. Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters is a plea to retrieve authentic social democratic principles to cope with huge challenges such as the green transition.
Robert Reich: The Great Fire
The following is the best account I’ve read of the fire that’s consuming Los Angeles. It’s from Steve Schmidt’s substack, The Warning. (steveschmidt.substack.com)
Like the Great Fire of London in 1666, the Great Fire of Los Angeles will be recalled for 500 years.
The scale of the conflagration is biblical. These epochal fires will join Chicago and San Francisco atop an infamous registry of American destruction.
The fires are still spreading, still growing. There is no precedent, and no similar event by scale, cost or damage that has ever occurred in America. None. …
L.A. Fires Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Cope With Climate Change
California has focused on fortifying communities against wildfires. But with growing threats, that may not be enough.
Climate change around the world: In “Postcards From a World on Fire,” 193 stories from individual countries show how climate change is reshaping reality everywhere, from dying coral reefs in Fiji to disappearing oases in Morocco and far, far beyond. (NYT Interactive)