David Akin's Roundup: Carney v Xi. Legault's loss. BlueSky MPs.
FRI OCT 31
Canada
Carney tours South Korean shipyard competing to build Canada’s next submarine fleet
Prime Minister Mark Carney is continuing his visit to South Korea for this week’s APEC summit. On Thursday, Carney toured the Hanwha shipyard that is competing to build Canada’s next fleet of submarines. They are promising to can deliver four KSS-three submarines to Canada by 2035, if a deal is signed by 2026. the entire fleet of 12 submarines would be delivered to Canada by 2043. Mackenzie Gray has more. | Global National
Carney declares turning point in Canada-China relationship after meeting with Xi
Xi invited Carney to visit China as the pair met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea today. The invitation marks a significant thaw in relations between the two countries. Carney says he’s looking forward to a visit to China, which would be the first such official visit by a Canadian prime minister since Justin Trudeau’s attempt to launch trade talks in 2017. | CP
Truck driver industry crackdown coming in budget to target ‘Drivers Inc.’
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu told a House of Commons committee Thursday the government has set aside millions to deal with what experts say is the widespread misclassifying of truck drivers as independent contractors rather than employees to exploit tax and labour law loopholes that benefit employers. This practice — “Driver Inc.” — has also been described as a threat to public safety out of fears those same companies will also cut corners on driving training, maintenance and safety protocols. | Globalnews.ca
Poilievre vows to tackle unemployment, cost of housing in address to young Canadians
While Carney said the economy is holding up for the moment despite Trump’s tariff barrages, he stated in his speech that “if we don’t act now, the pressures will only grow,” and pledged his plan will contain “generational investments.” Poilievre said youth have sacrificed more than those in past generations because of “Liberal policies” and is vowing the Conservatives will help tackle issues like unemployment and the cost of housing. | CP
We’re headed to an election. Stop pretending we’re not.
Fred DeLorey: Back in the spring, right after the election, everyone was still in a cooperative mood - as is often the case after voters deliver a minority. The Bloc even promised a year of peace, and a handful of early bills sailed through with Conservative support. It feels like a lifetime ago. Now, every opposition party has its own reason to vote no to the budget - and every one of them stands to gain by doing it. The author, Fred DeLorey, ran the national campaign for Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives in the 2021 election. | Substack
The Provinces
Loi 2 sur les médecins | Carmant part, Legault fonce
Le départ de Lionel Carmant qui est neurologue de formation a provoqué une onde de choc jeudi à l’Assemblée nationale. Plusieurs ministres et députés de toutes les banquettes ont été ébranlés par la décision du M. Carmant, un parlementaire apprécié de tous. Mais, cela tourne les projecteurs sur la réforme controversée pilotée par le ministre Christian Dubé. Or, ce coup dur n’entraînera pas de réflexion profonde chez le premier ministre. Il garde le cap sur sa loi 2 qui vient lier une partie de la rémunération des médecins à des indicateurs de performance et leur imposer plusieurs sanctions s’ils se désengagent du régime public en guise de représailles. Carmant was the only doctor in Legault’s caucus. Shocking departure indeed. | La Presse
Elsewhere
Xi Delivers Veiled Warning to Nations Not to Take the U.S.’s Side
President Trump’s departure from South Korea a day earlier meant that Mr. Xi was the sole superpower leader at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city of Gyeongju. At the opening of the meeting, Mr. Xi could be seen smiling and shaking hands with world leaders and economic and finance ministers who came up to greet him.
He seized his time in the spotlight to pitch China, the world’s second-largest economy and a manufacturing powerhouse, to a room that included the leaders of Japan, Canada, Australia and the host, South Korea. He invited Prime Minister Mark Carney, recently spurned by President Trump, to visit China and even met with Japan’s new leader, Sanae Takaichi, who had been a prominent critic of Beijing’s efforts to expand its influence in the region. | NYT (🎁 link)
Media
What are Canadian Members of Parliament Doing on Bluesky?
Which Canadian Members of Parliament (MPs) are on Bluesky and what types of content do they share? Taking up calls for more mere description of how emerging social media platforms are used in their initial period of operation, this research note describes how many MPs are using Bluesky and what types of content they share. Of the 123 MPs already on Bluesky, we find that they apply the same logic and understanding of platform affordances from Twitter (now X), with posts most frequently discussing policy, the Ottawa bubble and their constituency. This research note contributes to our understanding of how MPs use Bluesky to communicate with the public in a high-choice media environment. | Canadian Journal of Political Science
Science and Technology
‘This is a big deal’: Health Canada approves 1st drug to slow Alzheimer’s disease
On Monday, Health Canada announced approval for lecanemab, commercially known as “Leqembi.” The treatment has already been approved in some other countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Mexico and China. It is currently under regulatory review in 15 other countries and regions, including the European Union. | Globalnews.ca
The Calendar
0040 ET : Gyeongju, Korea - PM Carney participates in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Working Luncheon
0245 ET : Gyeongju, Korea - PM Carney speaks at the APEC CEO Summit Leaders’ Special Session.
0400 ET : Gyeongju, Korea - PM Carney meets with China President Xi Jinping
0630 ET : Gyeongju, Korea - PM Carney attends the APEC Economic Leaders’ dinner
0800 ET : Toronto - Energy and Natural Resources Min Tim Hodgson makes a critical minerals announcement.
0900 ET : Brampton, ON - Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali and LPC MPs Sonia Sidhu and Amandeep Sodhi make an infrastructure funding announcement.
0900 ET : Toronto - LPC MP Maggie Chi makes a funding announcement
0900 ET : Debert, NS - LPC MP Alana Hirtle makes an infrastructure funding announcement.
1100 ET : Kapuskasing, ON - LPC MP Pauline Rochefort makes a funding announcement
1300 ET : Vancouver - LPC MP Hedy Fry speaks about the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
1330 ET : Moncton, NB - Intergovernmental Affairs Min Dominic LeBlanc and LPC MP Ginette Petitpas-Taylor make a funding announcement
1500 ET : Toronto - Energy and Natural Resources Min Tim Hodgson speaks to reporters.
1730 ET : Yellowknife - Crown-Indigenous Relations Min Rebecca Alty makes a funding announcement
Issued this day …
… in 2002. Sc 1964a se-tenant pair. Communications technology. Design: Susan Warr. Illustration: Bonnie Ross.
Sc 1963 marks the anniversary, on Oct. 31 1902, when Sir Sandford Fleming’s Pacific Cable was completed while Sc 1964 marks the day, on Dec 15, 1902, when Guglielmo Marconi made the first trans-Atlantic radio message, from Signal Hill in St. John’s NL to England.