Scotty

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5687664

Here is the official release by the Canadian government.

Canada, seeking tighter ties with the European Union, will boost its investment in European Space Agency programs by C$528.5 million (EUR326.1 million), a tenfold increase compared to previous contributions, a top cabinet member said on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won an April election on the back of a promise to diversify the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs, is pressing for tighter defense and security relations with the EU.

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The money will be spent over a three to five year period. In a statement, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the investment would advance research and development of Canadian-made space technologies for both civilian and defense purposes.

These include satellite communications, Earth observation, space exploration, positioning, navigation and timing, and space situational awareness, she said.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5687664

Here is the official release by the Canadian government.

Canada, seeking tighter ties with the European Union, will boost its investment in European Space Agency programs by C$528.5 million (EUR326.1 million), a tenfold increase compared to previous contributions, a top cabinet member said on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won an April election on the back of a promise to diversify the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs, is pressing for tighter defense and security relations with the EU.

...

The money will be spent over a three to five year period. In a statement, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the investment would advance research and development of Canadian-made space technologies for both civilian and defense purposes.

These include satellite communications, Earth observation, space exploration, positioning, navigation and timing, and space situational awareness, she said.

Here is the official release by the Canadian government.

Canada, seeking tighter ties with the European Union, will boost its investment in European Space Agency programs by C$528.5 million (EUR326.1 million), a tenfold increase compared to previous contributions, a top cabinet member said on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won an April election on the back of a promise to diversify the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs, is pressing for tighter defense and security relations with the EU.

...

The money will be spent over a three to five year period. In a statement, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the investment would advance research and development of Canadian-made space technologies for both civilian and defense purposes.

These include satellite communications, Earth observation, space exploration, positioning, navigation and timing, and space situational awareness, she said.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5686820

'If TikTok is a security risk, then a moving vehicle that can be controlled outside of Canada is clearly one as well,' says Brian Kingston, chief executive at Canadian Vehicle Manufacturer’s Association

He talks about why China’s electric vehicle imports are dangerous to Canada in a video (8 min).

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5686876

Archived version

Canada and Sweden announced a strategic partnership to deepen cooperation on defense and trade, as the North American nation looks to reduce its dependence on the US for military equipment and as an export market.

The countries made the announcement Tuesday during a rare visit of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Ottawa. The agreement pledges to increase cooperation in five main areas: economic development, security, the Arctic, science and technology, and the environment.

“We are like-minded Arctic nations with shared interests in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region,” the countries said in a joint statement.

The partnership comes as Sweden’s Saab AB is in talks with Quebec-based Bombardier Inc. about building its Gripen fighter jets in Canada.

The companies already work together on GlobalEye early warning surveillance aircraft, which are assembled in Canada before being shipped to Sweden for installation of radar and sensors.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5686876

Archived version

Canada and Sweden announced a strategic partnership to deepen cooperation on defense and trade, as the North American nation looks to reduce its dependence on the US for military equipment and as an export market.

The countries made the announcement Tuesday during a rare visit of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Ottawa. The agreement pledges to increase cooperation in five main areas: economic development, security, the Arctic, science and technology, and the environment.

“We are like-minded Arctic nations with shared interests in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region,” the countries said in a joint statement.

The partnership comes as Sweden’s Saab AB is in talks with Quebec-based Bombardier Inc. about building its Gripen fighter jets in Canada.

The companies already work together on GlobalEye early warning surveillance aircraft, which are assembled in Canada before being shipped to Sweden for installation of radar and sensors.

...

Archived version

Canada and Sweden announced a strategic partnership to deepen cooperation on defense and trade, as the North American nation looks to reduce its dependence on the US for military equipment and as an export market.

The countries made the announcement Tuesday during a rare visit of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Ottawa. The agreement pledges to increase cooperation in five main areas: economic development, security, the Arctic, science and technology, and the environment.

“We are like-minded Arctic nations with shared interests in the North Atlantic and the Arctic region,” the countries said in a joint statement.

The partnership comes as Sweden’s Saab AB is in talks with Quebec-based Bombardier Inc. about building its Gripen fighter jets in Canada.

The companies already work together on GlobalEye early warning surveillance aircraft, which are assembled in Canada before being shipped to Sweden for installation of radar and sensors.

...

'If TikTok is a security risk, then a moving vehicle that can be controlled outside of Canada is clearly one as well,' says Brian Kingston, chief executive at Canadian Vehicle Manufacturer’s Association

He talks about why China’s electric vehicle imports are dangerous to Canada in a video (8 min).

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5665932

Here is an Invidious link to the video (1 min).

Hollywood actor [and Tibet activist] Richard Gere says Canada should not pivot to a stronger relationship with China just because of its currently strained relationship with the United States.

He says he is worried about that strain but says that won’t last forever and it is problematic for Canada to make “corrections” in its relationship with China as a result of the issues with the U.S.

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"If you look what's happened around the world with the arrangements the Chinese have made, [it is clear that] they haven't turned on well for anybody," Gere said. "I'd be very, very sceptical of these arrangements."

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Gere was on Parliament Hill on what is known as Tibet lobby day, an annual event that advocates for the rights and freedoms of Tibetans.

Gere’s philanthropy work includes advocating for human rights in Tibet and supporting the Tibetan independence movement.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of Tibetan Buddhism who was forced into exile in 1959 after an uprising by Chinese troops.

Liberal MP James Maloney, whose Ontario constituency is home to the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, welcomed Gere in a statement before question period today, before most MPs gave the actor a standing ovation.

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In the video, Gere warns of

Here is an Invidious link to the video (1 min).

Hollywood actor [and Tibet activist] Richard Gere says Canada should not pivot to a stronger relationship with China just because of its currently strained relationship with the United States.

He says he is worried about that strain but says that won’t last forever and it is problematic for Canada to make “corrections” in its relationship with China as a result of the issues with the U.S.

...

"If you look what's happened around the world with the arrangements the Chinese have made, [it is clear that] they haven't turned on well for anybody," Gere said. "I'd be very, very sceptical of these arrangements."

...

Gere was on Parliament Hill on what is known as Tibet lobby day, an annual event that advocates for the rights and freedoms of Tibetans.

Gere’s philanthropy work includes advocating for human rights in Tibet and supporting the Tibetan independence movement.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of Tibetan Buddhism who was forced into exile in 1959 after an uprising by Chinese troops.

Liberal MP James Maloney, whose Ontario constituency is home to the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, welcomed Gere in a statement before question period today, before most MPs gave the actor a standing ovation.

...

In the video, Gere warns of

Canadian trade officials have launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese-built truck bodies after imports surged more than tenfold in three years, hammering pricing and order books for Canadian manufacturers.

Chinese suppliers are allegedly selling bodies at deeply discounted prices and benefiting from government support, undercutting domestic builders serving OEM dealers, leasing companies and mid-sized fleets.

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Imports from China represented just 4% of Canada’s truck body volume in 2022. By the first half of 2025, they climbed to 54%. Domestic manufacturers reported price depression, lost sales, reduced capacity utilization and softer hiring as lower-priced imports gained traction.

The CBSA estimates preliminary dumping margins at 51.4% and subsidies worth 36.6% of export prices. It also triggered a Section 20 inquiry, signalling concerns that China’s truck body sector may not operate under market economy conditions — a move that could lead to higher duties.

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The Canadian International Trade Tribunal is reviewing whether the surge in imports is injuring domestic producers. A decision is due by late December. If injury is confirmed, provisional duties could be imposed as early as January, raising costs for importers and potentially tightening supply for fleets relying on lower-cost Chinese van and reefer bodies.

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Currently, there are 158 special import measures in force in Canada, covering a wide variety of industrial and consumer products. In 2024, these measures have directly helped to protect approximately 45,000 Canadian jobs and $18.4 billion in Canadian production.

The head of Canada’s intelligence service described his fight against the national security challenges posed by China, Russia, Iran and India on Thursday in his first public speech on the threats facing the country.

The normally guarded director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Dan Rogers, named the four countries as he catalogued the espionage and transnational repression efforts of Canada’s adversaries.

Russia has been spying on the government and private sector in the Arctic, trying to send intelligence officers to Canada and procuring goods in the country for its war in Ukraine, he said in his first annual speech.

“Illicit Russian procurement networks seek to illegally acquire Canadian goods and technologies, which they move to Russia through a complex series of front companies based around the world,” Rogers said, adding those goods are used to support Russian militar efforts in “Ukraine and elsewhere.”

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Driving extremism are “eroding social cohesion, increasing polarization, and significant global events,” he said, adding that radicalization is often happening online, without direction.

There have been 20 violent extremist attacks in Canada since 2014, resulting in 29 deaths, he said. At the same time, CSIS has disrupted two dozen “violent extremist actions” since 2022.

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