In The News for April 25: Federal campaign officials testify on foreign interference

Also set to appear is Azam Ishmael, the Liberals’ national director and the person who oversaw the party’s campaign during the most recent federal election in 2021.

The Conservative Party’s national campaign manager in 2021, Fred DeLorey, is also set to appear along with Hamish Marshall, who held the same role in 2019.

The committee recently heard from Trudeau’s longtime chief of staff, Katie Telford, who repeatedly told MPs that national security provisions prevented her from divulging details about briefings on interference.

Concerns about Chinese meddling in Canada’s affairs have ramped up after a string of media reports citing anonymous sources alleged that Beijing tried to influence the outcome of the last election.

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Also this …

The federal New Democrats are coming under pressure from gun-control advocates to support the Liberals in enacting a permanent ban on assault-style firearms.

In a pair of open letters, various groups pushing for stronger restrictions on guns urge the NDP to come out decisively in favour of enshrining a definition of firearms that belong solely on the battlefield.

In response, NDP public safety critic Peter Julian says the party will always be a willing partner when working to keep people safe from gun violence.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is set to appear later today at the House of Commons public safety committee, where MPs are studying gun-control legislation introduced almost a year ago.

The appearance comes two months after the Liberals withdrew a late November amendment to the bill that would have spelled out in law the various models covered by the assault-style gun ban.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to formally announce today his plans to run for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn into office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of America’s oldest president for another four years.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set to face a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.

The announcement will come on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive.

While the question of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden. A notable swath of Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age — concerns Biden himself has called “totally legitimate.”

Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last year’s midterm elections.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made a surprise visit to military-run Myanmar on behalf of a group of elder statesmen that engages in peacemaking and human rights initiatives around the world, local media and a South Korean diplomat said Monday.

State television MRTV reported Monday night that Ban, deputy chair of The Elders, met in the capital, Naypyitaw, with top leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. It said they exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar in a friendly, positive and open discussion. It did not report details of the meeting, which it said was also attended by the ministers of defence and foreign affairs.

It said Ban arrived with a small delegation on Sunday and was greeted by the deputy ministers of defence and foreign affairs. It said Ban’s party departed Monday after the meetings.

The visit by Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, appeared certain to have focused on Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis.

Myanmar has been wracked by violent unrest since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. The takeover prevented Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party from beginning a second term in office.

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On this day in 1849 …

Gov. Gen. Lord Elgin signed into law a bill providing payment for people who lost property in the rebellions of 1837-38.

English Quebecers were infuriated the Queen’s representative would sign a bill rewarding treason. Rioting broke out and the Parliament buildings in Montreal were burned down.

Lord Elgin was almost killed, but he could not call out British troops to quell the riots because they were not to interfere in a Canadian civil matter.

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In entertainment …

Ginnie Newhart, who was married to comedy legend Bob Newhart for six decades and inspired the classic ending of his “Newhart” series, has died. She was 82.

Publicist Jerry Digney said Newhart died Sunday in Los Angeles after a long illness. No further details were available. The couple recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Ginnie Newhart is credited with providing the idea for the 1990 “Newhart” finale that included a clever callback to her husband’s “The Bob Newhart Show.” The later show, which featured Newhart as a Vermont innkeeper, ended with him waking up in Chicago next to his on-screen wife from “The Bob Newhart Show,” revealing the second series to be a dream.

Ginnie Newhart suggested the idea to her husband at a Christmas party that was also attended by Suzanne Pleshette, his on-screen wife in “The Bob Newhart Show.” That series ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1978 and helped cement Bob Newhart’s status as a legend of television comedies.

She is survived by Bob Newhart, 93, their four children, and 10 grandchildren.

The Newharts met on a blind date set up by actor-comedian Buddy Hackett, according to details provided by Digney.

The Newharts were close friends with comedian Don Rickles and his wife Barbara, frequently travelling together. In interviews, the Newharts said laughter was the secret of the longevity of their marriage.

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Did you see this?

The City of Iqaluit says its water treatment plant is to return to service Tuesday morning, more than a year after it was shut down due to contamination.

The plant was initially shut down in October 2021 after fuel was detected in the city’s water supply.

A do-not-consume order was lifted in December of that year, but less than a week later it was discovered the water was contaminated by a tar-like substance.

The city has since been using a water treatment bypass system while repairs were completed on the plant.

The city says when the plant becomes operational at 8 a.m., residents will be under a precautionary boil water order that could last as long as a week.

It says as the filtration system takes over, residents will notice gradual improvement in the taste and clarity of the water coming from their taps.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2023

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

In The News for April 25: Federal campaign officials testify on foreign interference

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