Middle East situation: UN Chief's Media Stakeout Secretary-General António Guterres today (8 Oct) told journalists the United Nations Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA) “more than ever is indispensable” and “irreplaceable” and said he had “written directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express profound concern about draft legislation that could prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Such a measure, the Secretary-General said, “wou...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min
“Socially relevant issues have been the driving force behind my work since my high school days. As a filmmaker and storyteller, I strongly believe it is our responsibility to scrutinize our society’s perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudices, which stem from outdated traditions and an inadequate educational system. Rather than glorifying and romanticizing these harmful elements, as often seen in mainstream content, we should challenge them and contribute to our collective progress and growth. W...
Oct 08, 2024•50 min
Ministers on Bloc demands for Liberal government, conflict in Lebanon Ministers speak briefly with reporters on Parliament Hill before the federal cabinet holds its weekly meeting. Mark Holland (health), Karina Gould (government House leader), Randy Boissonnault (employment) and Steven Guilbeault (environment) face questions on the Bloc Québécois’ demand of increasing benefits to seniors as one of its two preconditions for supporting the minority Liberal government. Bill Blair (defence), Ahmed H...
Oct 04, 2024•52 min
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland holds a news conference on Parliament Hill to provide her weekly economic update. She announces the payment amounts for the government’s carbon rebates for small- and medium-sized businesses, which will deliver over $2.5 billion to about 600,000 businesses before the end of the year. She also announces the government has finalized the list of Chinese steel and aluminum products that will be subject to a 25 per cent surtax. Freeland is joined by ministers Jean-Y...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr
MPs speak with reporters on Parliament Hill as they convene for the daily question period in the House of Commons. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly faces questions on the conflict in Lebanon and on the federal government’s efforts to evacuate Canadian citizens from the country. Joly also comments on Iran’s missile attacks against Israel and reiterates the government’s calls for a ceasefire to prevent a widening conflict in the region. NDP MPs Heather McPherson and Alexandre Boulerice outlin...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
School staff Gender inclusive classrooms Including sexual orientation and gender diversity in school codes of conduct and anti-bullying policies improves the school climate for 2SLGBTQIA+ students by reducing discrimination and harassment. Teachers may include the B.C. Human Rights Code, sexual orientation, and gender diversity in classroom discussions. Being gender inclusive in the classroom means: Speaking about gender identity in a way that makes every student feel like they belong Not limiti...
Sep 26, 2024•44 min
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, addresses the General Debate of the 79th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 24 - 30 September 2024). World leaders gather to engage in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, "Unity and diversity for advancing peace, sustainable development, and human dignity, everywhere and for all." Heads of State and Government and ministers will explore solutions to intertwined global challenges to advance ...
Sep 26, 2024•2 hr 1 min
conference on Parliament Hill, NDP Foreign Affairs critic Heather McPherson and deputy leader Alexandre Boulerice reiterate their party’s call for peace and justice amid the Israel-Hamas war. The NDP is urging the federal government to recognize Palestinian statehood, impose sanctions on the Netanyahu government, and impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support ....
Sep 24, 2024•1 hr 16 min
What is gender identity? Gender Identity is the internal and psychological sense of oneself as a woman, a man, both, in between, or neither. Gender identity is unique to each individual and is not determined by sex or defined by sexual orientation. For many people, their gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. This is referred to as cisgender. For others, their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender-diverse is an inclusive term used to ref...
Sep 23, 2024•39 min
UN Under Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder said that “The idea” of the Summit of the Future “is to render the United Nations a multilateral system more effective in the fulfillment of its mandate, to make it more participatory, more networked, this in the face of the very clear global challenges that we face.” Briefing the press today (11 Sep) on the programme and objectives of the UN’s Summit of the Future, Ryder said, “The summit will be adopting 3 outcome documents: A Pact for the Future...
Sep 20, 2024•53 min
Federal ministers Steven Guilbeault (environment) and Randy Boissonnault (employment) hold a news conference in Ottawa to discuss the introduction of legislation in the House of Commons to amend the Canada National Parks Act. The proposed changes would enable the transfer of land use planning and development authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper, which will help rebuild the 30% of the town that was destroyed by fire. They are joined by Harjit Sajjan (federal emergency pr ep...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Occupied Palestinian Territory The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that today its team was able to reach northern Gaza for the first time in four weeks. OCHA was leading an inter-agency assessment mission to Gaza City. However, they were only able to reach the north after being forced to wait for more than five hours before and at the Israeli checkpoint on the Coastal Road. OCHA warns that access to the north remains extremely limited for aid workers from the UN and othe...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr
The 79th session of the UN General Assembly opened on September 10 in New York, with incoming President Philemon Yang outlining a vision of unity in diversity and calling for deeper international cooperation to tackle a host of global challenges, including climate change, escalating conflict, and a slowdown in sustainable development. Mr. Yang underscored the need for equitable economic growth driven by innovation and green economies, ensuring that “the benefits of economic development are acces...
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly speak with reporters in Nanaimo, B.C., on the second day of the Liberal Party's three-day national caucus retreat. Minister Miller comments on the arrest of a man who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack on a Jewish centre in New York City, and confirms that the arrested man is a Pakistani national who entered Canada on a student visa. 2,567 views • Streamed live 21 hours ago NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh holds a news conferen...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min
riefing reporters today (5 Sep) UN experts raised alarms over the increasing severity of global food crises, revealing that the number of people facing catastrophic hunger has more than doubled in the past year. In a press briefing on the 2024 Global Report on Food Crises, Máximo Torero, Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said "the number of people facing or projected to face catastrophic phase IPC, Phase 5, more than doubled from 705,000 in five countries and territ...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 1 min
These laws, part of the Taliban’s efforts to enforce their interpretation of Islamic morality, have been met with horror and outrage from human rights groups and international bodies, the UN has reported. The newly published “vice and virtue” laws, approved by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, mandate that women must completely cover their bodies, including their faces, with thick clothing whenever they are in public. The Taliban states that these measures are intended to prevent wom...
Sep 07, 2024•1 hr
In Toronto, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh holds his first news conference after announcing that his party will withdraw from its confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberal government. The agreement, originally signed in March 2022, has guaranteed NDP support for the minority Liberal government on budgetary and confidence votes in the House of Commons. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support ....
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 19 min
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's decision to pull his party out of the confidence-and-supply agreement with the governing Liberals injects a lot of uncertainty into Canadian politics — and it could lead to a federal election earlier than planned. The Liberal government is on shakier ground now that it can't rely on the NDP to prop it up on confidence votes in a Parliament where Team Trudeau holds a minority of the seats. But it doesn't mean the government will soon fall on a confidence vote — a vote t...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min
The NDP entered a supply and confidence deal with the Liberals in 2022. The party agreed to keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government in power until 2025 in exchange for movement on priorities like dental and pharmacare. Poilievre wrote to Singh to call on him to vote no confidence in the government when the House returns next month. Poilievre says the NDP doesn't have a mandate to keep Trudeau in power for another year. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 25 min
In Winnipeg, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers an address to a conference of the International Union of Operating Engineers. In his remarks, the prime minister discusses the importance of organized labour and comments on the recent railway labour disputes. He is joined by Labour and Seniors Minister Steven MacKinnon. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support ....
Aug 31, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat The Government of Canada is taking a whole-of-government approach to strengthen our economy and reduce the cost of living for Canadians. In doing so, we must continue to work with all partners to increase productivity and remove regulatory barriers so businesses and our economy can thrive. As part of these efforts, the Honourable Anita Anand, President of Treasury Board will immediately set up a working group to examine productivity and inform the government’...
Aug 28, 2024•51 min
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters in Halifax, where he is attending a three-day retreat of the federal cabinet. He announces that Canada will be imposing a 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) and a 25-per-cent tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. He also announces that his government is tightening rules and restricting eligibility to reduce the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in the country. Become a supporter of this podcast: https:...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 12 min
t a news conference in Ottawa, Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon announces that he has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose final binding arbitration in an effort to end the ongoing labour disputes between the Teamsters union and Canada’s two largest railways. The federal government is also calling for the resumption of railway operations and the extension of existing collective agreements until new agreements have been signed. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.s...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a statement in Gatineau, Que., urging workers and rail companies to reach an agreement and avoid a massive disruption of rail services. Canada’s two largest railway companies, Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), have said they will halt freight services on August 22 if they cannot reach agreements with the Teamsters union. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland holds a news conference in Fort Saskatc...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza, reiterated the Secretary-General’s call that “all efforts should lead to a return to calm across the blue line,” adding that “over the past three weeks, tensions have been at their highest peak. The urgency of de-escalating tensions cannot be overstated.” The Humanitarian Coordinator today (20 Aug) spoke to reporters via video link. He said, “Ten months on, nearly 200,000 people have been displaced by the exchange of fire across the blue line, inc...
Aug 22, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support .
Aug 21, 2024•44 min
The Head of UN Women’s Country Office in Afghanistan, Alison Davidian, today (13 Aug) told reporters in New York that “three years ago, a woman in Afghanistan could technically decide to run for president. Now, she may not even be able to decide when to go and buy groceries.” Briefing remotely from Kabul to discuss UN Women’s Afghanistan Gender Country Profile 2024, Davidian said, “today, no woman in Afghanistan has a leadership position anywhere that has influence politically, either at nationa...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 17 min
24 832 views • Streamed live on Aug 12, 2024 Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announce an investment of more than $6.7 million to support two programs for veterans in Nova Scotia who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The news conference takes place at the Dartmouth office of Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS), and is also attended by local Liberal MP Darren Fisher, VETS CEO Debbie Lowther, and Landing Strong Cooperative foun...
Aug 14, 2024•46 min
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vows that a Conservative government would protect jobs by matching U.S. tariffs on Chinese-produced electric vehicles (EVs) and EV components, including steel and aluminum. The announcement takes place in Hamilton, Ont., at the city’s Stelco steel plant. Following the press conference, Poilievre introduces Ned Kuruc and Erika Alexander, two Conservative candidates who will run in Hamilton-area ridings during the next federal election Become a supporter of thi...
Aug 10, 2024•1 hr 3 min
At an event hosted by Boeing Vancouver, Defence Minister Bill Blair discusses Boeing's $61 million investments in British Columbia’s aerospace industry. This investment is part of the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITBs) included in Canada’s decision to procure up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft from the United States Government and Boeing. He is joined by local Liberal MP Parm Bains, Al Meinzinger (president, Boeing Canada), and Kyle Kusznieryk (CEO, COTA Aviation). Health Minister Mark Ho...
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 16 min
