Today’s Morning Brief is brought to you by News Media Canada. It’s time to level the rules of the digital game. Google and Facebook use their monopoly to threaten and undermine local news. Other countries are taking action. It is time for Canada to stand up to the web giants and mobilize for local news. Learn more.
Hello, iPolitics readers.
– Pending delivery of the writ: If the rumors about a warrant of committal on August 8 or August 15 are true, we are only days away from the campaign kicking off. And if recent visits by federal party leaders to the West Coast are any indication, British Columbia will (once again) be a key battleground.
If / when an early election is called, the office of Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux will not have enough time to fully assess the cost of party platforms. The PBO calculated the numbers for more than 200 campaign promises ahead of the 2019 election, which would be a big demand in a 36-day campaign.
– Bringing families out of Afghanistan: Former Afghan interpreters living in Canada are pleading with Ottawa to put their extended families out of the hands of the Taliban. Two weeks after the Liberal government announced it was working to resettle thousands of Afghans who worked with Canadian troops, those already in Canada are increasingly frustrated with the unanswered questions and the lack of clarity on the specific criteria for releasing their families.
– Other doses on the way: Although Ottawa has already received enough doses to fully immunize all eligible Canadians, an additional 2.3 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are on their way to the country. Dr Theresa Tam said last week that reducing the impact of a fourth wave will depend on “a continued increase in full immunization coverage and the timing, pace and extent of reopening.”
____________________
Tip for the news? Let us know: [email protected]
____________________
AROUND THE WORLD
– Biden Signature Invoice: The US Senate looked into President Joe Biden’s $ 1,000 billion infrastructure plan on Monday, analyzing the 2,702-page bill that would see crumbling state infrastructure given a boost financial. The bipartisan deal aims to invest in infrastructure projects, spur broadband expansion and inject $ 73 billion into the president’s beloved Amtrak.
– Naming and humiliating: Faced with increasing cases of COVID-19, Japan is following up on threats to publicly shame anyone who breaks the quarantine. On Monday, the health ministry released the names of three Japanese nationals who ignored coronavirus border control measures upon their return from overseas.
Japan has seen more than 10,000 new infections a day, which led the country to announce that only people who are seriously ill with COVID-19 will get a hospital bed. Tokyo hospitals in particular have suffered the brunt of this latest wave.
– Somewhere else: Nicaraguan first lady and vice president Rosario Murillo has been hit with sanctions as the country continues to be rocked by unrest ahead of the November elections. European Union sanctions freeze assets and ban the travel of Murillo and seven other senior officials in response to the arrests of several candidates who may have run against President Daniel Ortega.
IN OTHER SECURITIES
WHAT WE READ
ICYMI BY iPOLITICS
CARTOON OF THE DAY
THE KICKER
Those who attended Monday’s women’s Olympic field hockey match between Argentina and Spain were treated to creative cinematography in the closing minutes of play. The cameraman chose to move away from classy athletics world to film a cockroach rushing to a stadium ledge. Argentina won 3-0.