David Akin's Roundup: Atlantic help. French crisis. Data water.
TUE SEP 9
Canada
Will Carney's tariff relief plan help Atlantic Canada?
Prime Minister Mark Carney is pledging $80 million to help Atlantic Canadian businesses after months of brutal tariffs. Heidi Petracek looks at how far the money could go and the questions about the federal funding. | Global National
Joly expects aluminum sector to receive ‘hundreds of millions’ in tariff relief
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Quebec’s aluminum sector is likely to receive “hundreds of millions of dollars” from a $5 billion fund to help sectors slammed by U.S. tariffs. Nearly all of Canada’s aluminum is produced in Quebec. | Globalnews.ca
Nearly 500 initiatives part of government red tape review
Red tape reduction is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s aim to create what he calls the strongest economy in the G7. His focus on efficiency and private investment has spurred the stripping and streamlining of regulatory processes within government. | Ottawa Citizen
Briefing materials for the Minister of Jobs and Families, May 2025
Provided to MP Patty Hajdu upon her swearing-in: Congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario and welcome back to the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) portfolio. I look forward to working with you to advance the Government's priorities. The ESDC portfolio, including Service Canada and the Labour Program, plays a pivotal role in shaping policies and programs that impact Canadians throughout their lives. From early childhood education and care, post-secondary education, youth transitioning into the workforce, fair and safe workplaces, navigating job loss and re-training, and living well in retirement, ESDC provides essential programs and services that help Canadians achieve their full potential and support the economy.
ESDC, through the the government’s open data portal, also provided orientation briefing materials to the three secretarys of state who work with the department. The material the secretarys of state each received is very similar to that provided to Minister Hajdu.
The Provinces
Ontario Liberals let Ford ‘define himself’ in campaign marked by ‘challenges’: debrief
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie failed to connect with voters on key issues during the 2025 election campaign, allowing Doug Ford to “define himself” and dashing the party’s hopes of an electoral resurgence, an internal party review of the campaign states. | Globalnews.ca
Local Opposition Erupts, Carney Invited to Tea After Developer Pitches Newfoundland LNG Project
Walsh added that she could understand why Fermeuse was chosen for the project. “We have one of the deepest harbours on the southern shore of Newfoundland,” she told The Mix. “So I get all the business factors for it, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen.” Atlantic Canada “was in flames this summer. People were horrified. People lost their generational homes. And yet this guy wants to build something here that is going to affect the climate so profoundly that this life we’ve had this summer is going to become all the time.” Now, if this project is built, “my harbour is going to be completely destroyed for market that’s probably not even going to be there,” she said. “Let’s just cut our losses and say this is not the right thing to do.” | Energy Mix
Alberta revises school book ban policy to focus on sexual images
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told reporters that visual depictions had been the government’s main concern from the start. When asked by reporters why the government wasn’t concerned with written descriptions of explicit sexual material, he said, “An image can be understood and conveyed at any grade level with any degree of comprehension. | Globalnews.ca
Elsewhere
French political crisis threatens country's influence over the EU
France’s political paralysis is shaking the EU: chronic instability and unpopular budget cuts weaken Paris’ influence just as Italy under Meloni gains ground, pushing for key EU roles and shaping the bloc’s future while France struggles at home. | Euronews
Spain PM Sanchez imposes arms embargo on Israel to ‘stop Gaza genocide’
Spain has announced sweeping measures against Israel, including a total arms embargo, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying the move is aimed at “stopping the genocide in Gaza” and “supporting the Palestinian population”. There is a difference between defending your country and bombing hospitals or starving innocent children,” Sanchez, one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, said in a speech. | Al Jazeera
Germany’s Merz warns against ‘false nostalgia’ over US alliance
“We must face the fact that our relationship with the U.S. is changing,” said Merz in Berlin on Monday in a wide-ranging foreign policy speech. “The U.S. is reassessing its interests — and not just since yesterday. And so we in Europe must also adjust our interests, without false nostalgia.” | Politico
Trump helps pad JD Vance's political fund as questions about 2028 loom
Many of Trump’s recent fundraising emails, as well as the donation button on his official website, direct contributors to make donations that kick 5% of the total to Vice President JD Vance’s PAC, Working for Ohio. The setup netted the former Ohio senator’s committee $245,000 in May and June alone, according to a campaign finance disclosure. | NBC News
Trudeau Highlights Korea's Role in Global Democracy at World Knowledge Forum
During the 26th World Knowledge Forum, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized South Korea's integral role in safeguarding global democracy. Speaking in Seoul, this marked his first official public address since stepping down in March. He urged democratic nations to bolster resilience through openness and collaboration. | DevDiscourse
Related: Trudeau speaks to students at Seoul National University Graduate School
Media
Is radio still relevant? In rural Colorado, this public radio station hangs on
KSUT is an NPR-affiliate radio station that serves five counties and four tribes in southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico, providing local news like Ms. Ashike’s story. And it’s about to lose nearly a fourth of its funding when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting winds down on Sept. 30. | Christian Science Monitor
[Press release] USA: Proposed journalist visa restrictions would have catastrophic consequences for press freedom
On August 28, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposal to introduce a fixed term for the visas used by foreign journalists to work and live in the United States. Currently, these visas last indefinitely as long as the visa holder remains in compliance with certain terms. Under the new proposed system, these visas would be restricted to 90 days for Chinese nationals and 240 days for citizens of other countries. A DHS press release alleged, without evidence, that the current visa system for journalists pose “safety risks.” | Reporters Without Borders
Science and Technology
Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much
Our analysis of public records, government documents and sustainability reports compiled by top data center companies has found that technology companies don’t always reveal how much water their data centers use. In a forthcoming Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal article, we walk through our methods and findings using these resources to uncover the water demands of data centers. | The Conversation
Google quietly removes net-zero carbon goal from website amid rapid power-hungry AI data center buildout — industry-first sustainability pledge moved to background amidst AI energy crisis
It appears that Google is starting to hide its internal climate advocacy goals from the public eye. The internet titan has silently removed its goal to "pursue net-zero emissions" across all operations by 2030 from its Sustainability webpage, as first spotted by Canada's National Observer. | Tom’s Hardware
The Calendar
0845 ET : Sainte-Foy, QC - The BQ National Caucus will meet.
0945 ET : Brampton, ON - Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters.
1100 ET : Edmonton - LPC MPs meet in regional caucus.
1245 ET : Winnipeg - Agriculture Min Heath MacDonald speaks to reporters after a fed-prov meeting of agriculture ministers.
1300 ET : Port Alberni, BC - NDP Interim Leader Don Davies and other NDP MPs meet with the Tsehaht First Nation.
1330 ET : Sainte-Foy, QC - BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet speaks to supporters.
1615 ET : Edmonton, - Jobs and Families Min Patty Hajdu makes a funding announcement.
2000 ET : Brentwood Bay, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth May holds a town hall meeting.
Issued this day …
… in 1954. Sc 345. Queen Elizabeth II - Wilding Portrait: Coil Stamps. Design: Herman Herbert Schwarz. Photograph: Dorothy Wilding.
