And the Rest of It

So much going on in the world ...




Justin inherited his wealth and will get a golden pension once he finishes ruining Canada:

This afternoon, politicians voted to cut Jason Kenney's pay, as well as the pay of Alberta MLAs.

According to Global News, the decision was completely unanimous among the committee. The committee in question is an all-party group specifically for the purpose of setting pay for the elected members of legislature. The now-enforced pay cut was one of Jason Kenney’s campaign promises before he was elected.

Let's see that duplicitous b@$#@rd Justin promise to live off of his dad's money.




Would this be the same SNC-Lavalin that, if penalised, would cause the loss of jobs and the pensions that come with them?:

Pension fund giant Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, which holds a 20-per-cent stake in SNC-Lavalin, reaffirmed its long-term support for the Canadian engineering and construction company. But the Caisse, in its second public comment in recent weeks, said an internal overhaul is needed to better the company’s chances at future success. As a project-management company earning relatively slim profit margins, SNC-Lavalin needs to fine-tune its ability to complete projects and still make money, Caisse chief executive officer Michael Sabia said.

That's cleaning house, not a minor bit of dusting.


Also:

The Liberal government is facing a new challenge over a decision to award an Irving company the contract to provide emergency ship towing services on the West Coast as part of its plan to protect the country’s oceans.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has started a second inquiry into the government’s procurement process that awarded the $67-million contract to the Irving company Atlantic Towing. A rival bidder has questioned the ability of those ships to do the job.

But Public Services and Procurement Canada says it remains confident its process was rigourous and fair. “The contract with Atlantic Towing Limited remains in place,” confirmed Marc-André Charbonneau, a department spokesman.

It's just healthcare:

The Trudeau Liberals are being slammed for having cut massive amounts of projected healthcare spending, after their attempt to attack the Conservatives backfired and blew up in their face.

But ... but ... the Narrative!:

Thirteen people were injured after nearly a dozen shootings across Toronto over the long weekend, one of which sparked chaos as gunshots rang out in a packed nightclub.

China once again flexes its muscles to intimidate protesters in Hong Kong:

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in fresh clashes with protesters after a general strike caused transport chaos on Monday, and as night fell in the Asian financial hub thousands of activists blocked roads in several districts.

The latest protests surpassed all the earlier shows of dissent for scale and intensity, escalating after Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader warned that the city is on the verge of an “extremely dangerous situation” and represented a challenge to China’s sovereignty.

What started several months ago as demonstrations over an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial have now evolved into a much broader backlash against the city’s government and its political masters in Beijing.

** 

Radical protesters in Hong Kong must not mistake China’s restraint for weakness, China’s Hong Kong affairs office said on Tuesday, vowing that the “violent criminals” pushing the city toward a “dangerous abyss” would be brought to justice.

That is not the only thing stoking China's ire: 

In a press release, the US Treasury Dept said “Secretary Mnuchin, under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a Currency Manipulator. As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.”

“In recent days, China has taken concrete steps to devalue its currency, while maintaining substantial foreign exchange reserves despite active use of such tools in the past,” added the Department. “The context of these actions and the implausibility of China’s market stability rationale confirm that the purpose of China’s currency devaluation is to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.”

** 

China said Tuesday that it “will not stand idly by” and will take countermeasures if the U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region, which Washington has said it plans to do within months.

Duterte doesn't seem to be affected by China's belligerence:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping soon to discuss a 2016 arbitration case over the South China Sea, an aide said on Tuesday, as domestic pressure builds for the firebrand leader to stand up to Beijing.

Duterte has a consistent approval rating of about 80 percent but the same surveys show people in the Philippines mistrust China and want the government to fight its perceived maritime bullying.

Then they shouldn't trust Duterte. 

Also:

Consular officials in China have met for the 10th time with a detained Canadian, Global Affairs Canada said Monday.

The department said it cannot provide details on the Monday visit due to privacy provisions but officials continue to seek further access to Michael Kovrig.

So, no luck. Again.




It's on? It was never off:

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Monday that Moscow would start developing short and intermediate-range land-based nuclear missiles if the United States started doing the same after the demise of a landmark arms control treaty.

The U.S. formally left the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was violating the treaty and had already deployed one banned type of missile, an accusation the Kremlin denies.

The pact banned land-based missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km), reducing the ability of both countries to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.

Putin on Monday ordered the defense and foreign ministries and Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service to closely monitor any steps the U.S. takes to develop, produce or deploy missiles banned under the defunct treaty.

“If Russia obtains reliable information that the United States has finished developing these systems and started to produce them, Russia will have no option other than to engage in a full-scale effort to develop similar missiles,” Putin said in a statement.

Perhaps this should be a further reminder that Kim cannot ever be trusted:

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton reminded North Korea on Tuesday of its leader’s pledge to President Donald Trump not to resume launches of intercontinental-range missiles after Pyongyang conducted its fourth short-range missile test in less than two weeks and warned it might pursue “a new road.”

I thought Obama had finished with this Iran business:

War with Iran is the mother of all wars, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday in a speech broadcast live on state TV, warning once again that shipping might not be safe in the Strait of Hormuz oil waterway.

Tensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year when the United States pulled out of an international agreement which curbed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran.

“Peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” Rouhani said at the Foreign Ministry in a speech which also praised Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after the United States imposed sanctions on him on July 31.