Section: National Newswatch (Canada)
Leadership the question for Stephen Harper in foreign policy debate
OTTAWA — When the Conservatives accepted a proposal in May for a debate on foreign policy, they said they looked forward to the discussion because the issues had been afterthoughts in previous election debates. But Stephen Harper heads into Monday night’s Munk Debate in Toronto after weeks of facing foreign policy issues on the campaign,...
Obama and Putin to hold talks at UN
US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold their first face-to-face meeting in nearly a year on Monday in New York, officials from both countries say. The meeting comes amid tension over Russia’s military build-up in Syria and its annexation of Crimea last year. The two leaders will meet on the sidelines...
Federally funded polling data on niqabs released with issue on campaign agendas
OTTAWA — Results of a taxpayer-funded poll that suggest there is wide support for the Conservative position on banning veils during citizenship ceremonies were publicly released Thursday ahead of a federal election debate where the niqab is expected to be an issue. It’s the latest survey to suggest strong support for such a ban. The Privy...
Christians say Syrian refugee crisis could affect how they vote in federal election
TORONTO — The Conservative party’s about-face on the Syrian refugee crisis may not be enough to ease the minds of Christian voters disenchanted with the government’s erstwhile reluctance to make Canada more welcoming to people in need. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s oft-repeated pledge to allow 10,000 refugees into the country...
Election sidelines Harper government’s back room bid for French helicopter ships
Canada was actively pursuing — at the political level — the possible acquisition of the controversial French-built Mistral-class helicopter carriers, several defence, diplomatic and military industry sources have told The Canadian Press. The effort has ground to halt, however, largely because of the federal election campaign — and it may slip...
Elton John: I want to meet Putin over gay rights
Sir Elton John says he wants to meet Vladimir Putin to discuss what he called the Russian president’s “ridiculous” attitude to gay rights. A report by Human Rights Watch last year said Russia was failing to prevent and prosecute homophobic violence amid a rise in attacks against minorities. Speaking to the BBC, Sir Elton said he would...
Ukraine ceasefire talks ‘make significant progress’
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says significant progress has been made in talks about the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Mr Steinmeier was speaking after a meeting with his Russian, Ukrainian and French counterparts in Berlin. Earlier, the head of the OSCE monitoring group said a renewed ceasefire had opened up a window for...
Canada promises more humanitarian aid for victims of conflict in Syria
OTTAWA – After two weeks of sustained pressure to do more for the victims of conflict in Syria, Stephen Harper’s government announced Saturday that Canada will provide $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the millions of Syrians crammed into refugee camps.A second announcement — to speed up the tortuously slow...
Russian military in Syria ‘dangerous,’ but Canada won’t send troops: Harper
OTTAWA — Stephen Harper condemned Russia’s increased military involvement in Syria as “dangerous” Friday — but also reiterated his promise to keep Canadian conventional combat troops out of the war-torn region. Harper says the buildup of equipment and manpower, in an apparent bid to prop up the regime of Syrian President Bashar...
Mulcair says NDP would immediately order military out of Iraq, but not Ukraine
OTTAWA — In promising an immediate end to combat operations in Iraq, an NDP government is swimming against an international tide — even French socialists in recent days have called for greater military action in the Middle East. The New Democrats would immediately halt Canada’s bombing campaign against Islamic State militants and withdraw...