Striking diplomats target Harper's office in protest

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office in Ottawa was the target of a protest today by striking foreign service officers who are battling with the government to get a pay raise.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) created a picket line outside of the Prime Minister's Office, across the street from Parliament Hill, during lunch hour.

The striking diplomats carried signs that read "Same work equals same pay" and "Canada's Frontline Abroad" while blowing whistles and using other noisemakers. A spokeswoman for Harper would not say whether the prime minister was in his office or not.

Peter Bundy, a diplomat who was posted in Colombia and now works in Ottawa, said PAFSO has made an effort to bargain in good faith.

"We hope that Treasury Board will come back to the table," he said.

Talks between the union and the government broke down in June and the two sides haven't sat down at the bargaining table since then. The union offered to settle the dispute by arbitration but Treasury Board president Tony Clement agreed only if PAFSO accepted certain conditions, which the government wanted kept confidential.

When PAFSO accepted three of the six conditions the government said it would not move forward with arbitration. The conditions they accepted were: ending the job action immediately; selecting an arbitrator by mutual consent; cap salary increases at 1.5 per cent per year for the three-year contract.

The union said it couldn't agree to the other conditions because they would have predetermined the outcome of the arbitration. Treasury Board wanted to prohibit the union from raising the comparative wage issue at the arbitration table, an issue that is at the very heart of the strike.

It also wanted the arbitrator to put an emphasis on the foreign service not having recruitment and retention difficulties, something the union disputes, and the Treasury Board also wanted to eliminate any severance pay before arbitration.

"It would not have been a fair fight," said Edwards. "But that seems to be all that Minister Clement is interested in at this point, is stacking the deck in his favour."

Visa slowdown at 15 offices abroad

Tuesday's protest comes a day after PAFSO members simultaneously walked off the job at 15 visa processing centres in major cities around the world including Beijing, Mexico City, Paris, Cairo and Delhi. The escalated job action will increase the backlog that has already been growing because of rotating strikes that started in the spring.

Foreign service officers held a demonstration in front of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office Tuesday, across the street from Parliament Hill. (Meagan Fitzpatrick/CBC News)

The slowdown in processing applications is affecting tourists, businesspeople, temporary foreign workers and international students and the union believes it's having a "severe" economic impact. The tourism industry has estimated it could lose at least $280 million this summer.

"This is purposefully the worst period of time of the year to endure this type of work action and we just hope the parties can get back together and come to a solution so we can get back into business," David Goldstein, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, told CBC's Hannah Thibedeau.

Tour operators who lose five or six customers because they can't get visas have possibly just lost their entire profit margin on a tour, said Goldstein. Travel agents, bus companies, restaurants, hotels, attractions are all affected, he added.

PAFSO said businesses and individuals who are affected should pressure Harper and Clement to settle the dispute with the union.

Citizenship and Immigration is training existing staff who don't normally process visas, bringing some people out of retirement and sending some executive-level staff from Ottawa abroad to fill in for the striking workers.

"There's no way that the people they're bringing in to fill in for striking employees at our visa application centres abroad can compensate for the loss of these highly trained, high-performing professionals," said Tim Edwards, president of PAFSO. "They have no idea what they're doing."

The government and union are accusing each other of bargaining in bad faith.

"We are disappointed that the union has refused our reasonable offer," Matthew Conway, press secretary for Clement, wrote in an email Tuesday. "Our government is committed to bargaining in good faith, unlike the union, which has breached good faith bargaining principles by releasing confidential negotiating documents."

Diplomats want equal pay

"We remain open to a resolution that respects the interests of both taxpayers and foreign service union members," he said.

Andrew Bundy's father is a foreign service officer who brought him to a demonstration outside of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office on Tuesday, July 30, in Ottawa. (Meagan Fitzpatrick/CBC News)

The main issue the two sides can't agree on is money. The union argues foreign service officers who work as policy analysts, lawyers, or economists, for example, don't get paid the same as public servants who do those jobs outside of the foreign service and they want a salary boost to close the gap.

Foreign service officers say they make $3,000 to $14,000 less than some colleagues who work in neighbouring offices in Ottawa.

Edwards argued foreign service officers deserve to be paid even more because of the added challenges and sacrifices they and their families face when they are posted abroad, but for now they are just fighting for wages equal to other public servants.

"All we want is to catch up with those public servants in Ottawa doing the same work as us," said Edwards.

The government argues that foreign service officers have highly sought after jobs and that they have unique jobs that can't be compared to others.

"These jobs are substantively different from public service lawyers, economists or commerce officers," Conway wrote.

PAFSO said it is still willing to go to arbitration but for now there are no talks scheduled between the union and the government about that possibility.

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Toronto federal vacancy attracts media stars for Liberals, NDP

The upcoming federal byelection in Toronto Centre is shaping up as a battle between two media stars who are both political neophytes, but highly accomplished in the worlds of journalism and social media.

Chrystia Freeland (Liberal) and Jennifer Hollett (NDP), if they can win the nominations for their respective parties, hope to replace as MP former Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, who has announced he's vacating the seat by the end of July.

The diverse downtown Toronto riding would be a prize for either the NDP, seeking to shore up its increasingly orange-tinted section of Canada's largest city, or for the Liberals, who need not just to hold on to the riding but show that their new leader Justin Trudeau is a magnet for successful candidates.

So far, no one has announced an intention to seek the Conservative nomination in Toronto Centre.

Freeland, who revealed her intention to seek the Liberal nomination Tuesday, is a bit of a surprise.

George Smitherman, a former Ontario cabinet minister who had expressed interest in running in the upcoming Toronto Centre byelection, pulled out of the running Monday. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

Two Liberals who had been expected to show interest — former provincial Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman and former political staffer and businessman Sachin Aggarwal — have stepped away from running, and Aggarwal has thrown his support to Freeland.

On Monday, Smitherman appeared to pen his own political obituary in an article for the Huffington Post titled, "Why I Won't be Running in Toronto Centre." Citing mainly the needs of his young family, Smitherman wrote that "I won't be a candidate now. I won't be contesting a riding in the 2015 general election or any other."

Smitherman's former longtime assistant Todd Ross has announced he's also running for the Liberal nomination.

Freeland moving to Toronto from New York

Freeland has quit her job as managing director and editor of Canadian-owned Thomson Reuters and is moving her young family — ages 12, 8 and 4 — from New York to Toronto.

Freeland is the author of an award-winning book called The Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else, which is said to be a big influence on Trudeau, who has named the plight of the middle class as his core issue.

Speaking by phone from Toronto, Freeland said her life right now is "the perfect working mother's schizophrenia — sort of simultaneously looking for schools and starting to fight for the Liberal nomination."

Freeland, a former deputy editor of the Globe and Mail, denies she was hand-picked by Trudeau, who has promised open nominations, though she acknowledges meeting with him recently in Ottawa. When asked about who approached whom, she said the decision was "probably mutual."

"The people I need to be chosen by are the Liberal Party members in Toronto Centre, and I am not really taking anything for granted. It's a real race. I've quit my job, I've put my life on the line," said Freeland.

Her Canadian background, especially her Western roots, are "a big part of who I am," said Freeland. Her father is a farmer in Peace River, Alta., and her great-uncle was '60s-era Progressive Conservative MP Jed Baldwin, a "Red Tory," she said.

Her mother, who died of cancer a few years ago, was a feminist and activist who ran for the NDP in Edmonton in 1988, when Freeland canvassed with her.

Her French is "a work in progress" she said, but points out that Ukrainian is her first language.

The decline of "broad middle class prosperity," which Freeland said underpins democracy, is the reason she's running now. "That sounds like a highfalutin kind of point, but that's what I've been writing about and thinking about."

It's the "big challenge of our generation," she said. "I think it should be at the centre, really, of all political discourse." Solutions can't be boiled down to a "five-page position paper," Freeland said, but she mentions social mobility, entrepreneurship and aligning large corporations with the public good as a way of returning the middle class to something like "the golden post-war era."

Hollett, a former MuchMusic VJ, invented a popular iPhone app

Jennifer Hollett, who launched her nomination bid for the NDP a week ago and is already going door-to-door in Toronto Centre, said one of her main issues is the problem of income inequality and the growing gap between "haves and have-nots".

Hollett, who just finished a degree in public administration at Harvard, is a former CBC journalist on the now cancelled show Connect with Mark Kelley, but is best-known as a former MuchMusic VJ.

Hollett would like to bring her social media expertise to politics. For the U.S. election, Hollett, along with a co-founder, invented a phone app called Super PAC App. The idea grew out of a class in social television she was taking at MIT's Media Lab. "I thought, what if you hold up your iPhone to a political ad and find out what's going on … and find out who's behind this, how much money [it cost] and is it even true, what they're saying."

Growing up in St. Catharines, Ont., in a single-mother family, Hollett said she first became attracted to politics when she met NDP leader Jack Layton. But she wasn't sure about entering politics, she said, until she found out about Layton's death. "I wasn't sure what I was waiting for … it's a reminder when someone dies. The time is now."

Although Toronto Centre has been owned by the Liberals for a decade, Hollett points out that the nearby ridings of Trinity Spadina and Davenport, also once said to be safe Liberal seats, fell to the NDP in recent elections. "If you're standing in Toronto Centre and you look east and you look west, it's orange."

Asked about the Liberal focus on the middle class, Hollett said, "As someone who grew up in a very modest middle class upbringing, it's something I connect with." In Toronto Centre, she said, at the door, the issue comes back to joblessness, especially for youth, and especially for immigrants who came to Canada hoping to become members of the middle class.

So far, no one else has come forward for the NDP nomination in Toronto Centre.

The dates for nomination contests have not yet been announced, and the government has six months after a seat is vacated to announce the timing of a byelection.

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Liberals won't face courts over 2006 leadership loans

Former candidates who still owe money from the 2006 Liberal leadership campaign won't be taken to court by Elections Canada, the country's elections commissioner has ruled.

Instead, Yves Cote suggested Tuesday that the candidates pay the money back in a timely manner.

The Harper Conservatives have been demanding that Elections Canada impose penalties on Liberals who have failed to pay back loans taken out during their December 2006 leadership contest.

They called Cote's decision "absolutely shameful," referring to the owed money as "illegal political donations disguised as loans."

"Instead of letting Liberal leadership candidates off the hook for hundreds of thousands in illegal donations, it is time for Elections Canada to launch a thorough and proper investigation to preserve the integrity of our electoral system," Conservative Party communications director Fred DeLorey said in a statement.

But the law as it is currently written is unenforceable, Cote said.

"The commissioner has concluded that the act, as currently drafted, lacks sufficient clarity to support enforcement action in the criminal courts with respect to loans or claims that remain unpaid following the expiry of an extension," Elections Canada said in a statement.

"Therefore, no enforcement action can be taken against the leadership contestants in relation to their unpaid debts."

As of Tuesday — that is, nearly seven years after the leadership race in which Liberals picked Stephane Dion to lead them — four candidates still owed money.

Dion owed the least, at $7,500 while Ken Dryden still owed a hefty $225,000.

Hedy Fry had $69,000 in outstanding debt while Joe Volpe had yet to repay $97,800.

The candidates were given several extensions of the original 18-month deadline to repay their loans.

Regardless of his ruling, Cote urged the candidates to pay back the owed money out of respect for the spirit of the law.

"Despite the difficulties in enforcing the (Canada Elections Act), I believe it is clear that Parliament intended that leadership contestants act diligently to repay their campaign expenses," said Cote.

"I strongly encourage the contestants involved to make every effort to raise funds through individual contributions, repay all outstanding debts and report all transactions to Elections Canada."

Legislation delayed

The Tories introduced legislation in November 2011 designed to fix problems that chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand has said render the Canada Elections Act incoherent and ineffective.

But the proposed law has never been passed — something the Liberals say needs to happen.

"We agree with (Elections Canada's) assessment that the system needs improvement and we are willing to work with other parties on suitable legislation," Liberal party national director Jeremy Broadhurst said in an email.

The Liberals partly blame the Conservatives for tying the hands of leadership candidates midway through the party's 2006 contest by reducing the maximum individual contributions that could be made to a candidate to $1,100 from $5,400.

Earlier this year, the federal Liberal party revamped its own rules governing how much debt could be racked up by leadership candidates after some members were labelled as deadbeats for not paying back their 2006 loans.

Going beyond legal deadlines to pay back electoral loans is not uncommon for any party.

Elections Canada has not fined or jailed any of the candidates from the 2006, 2008 or 2011 elections, although 105 of them owed a combined $1.6 million beyond the 18-month deadline for repaying loans.

Some 18 months after the May 2011 general election, 39 candidates still owed a collective $741,326.

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Bittersweet 50th anniversary for Canada's Sea King helicopters

Canadian Armed Forces pilots have been flying Sea King helicopters for 50 years, with the anniversary celebrations taking place today and tomorrow.

That these aging beasts are still flying at all is testament to both the talents of those who have been operating and maintaining the old aircraft, and to the failings of a series of governments that have been unable to replace the tired, often grounded Sea Kings since at least 1986.

The Department of National Defense was supposed to start receiving the first replacement Cyclone helicopters from Sikorsky Aircraft in 2008 but it is still waiting. And those weren't even the first series of helicopters ordered as replacements.

A year ago, Defence Minister Peter MacKay called the government attempts to replace the Sea Kings "the worst procurement in the history of Canada."

At the time he seemed to be referring both to the former Liberal governments' stop-start attempts at acquiring helicopter replacements as well to his own government's frustrations at re-negotiating an appropriate contract with Sikorsky.

As for the aging Sea Kings, he added: "They're going to go right out of aviation service and into the museum in Ottawa, and that's not a joke."

A Sea King helicopter flies over Halifax harbour on July 30, the day before celebrations marking the Sea Kings' 50th anniversary begin in nearby Shearwater. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Some of the aircraft still in operation have been refurbished almost piece by piece.

In June, then public works minister Rona Ambrose told CBC News about her disappointment with Sikorsky. "The bottom line is that they have not met their contractual obligation," she said.

Although there were problems, things went better with Sikorsky in the 1960s, when Canada acquired 41 Sea Kings between 1963 and 1969.

Over the years, accidents have claimed 14 of the original 41 aircraft and the lives of eight aircrew as the Sea King played a key role in military and humanitarian operations.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary

The Sea King community that is gathering today in Shearwater, N.S. to celebrate the 50th anniversary includes John Orr, a retired Sea King pilot and the author of a just-published history, Perseverance: the Canadian Sea King Story.

Orr recounts how the Sea Kings were acquired during the Cold War for anti-submarine operations, and quickly made Canada a leader in deploying helicopters from destroyers and frigates.

The successes of the Canadian Sea King operation, Orr told CBC News, "are attributable principally to the quality and dedication of our personnel. Both on the flight line and the flight deck, they have persevered despite all the adversity that they have faced."

A Sea King helicopter is moved to the Shearwater Aviation Museum on July 29. The museum is helping to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sea Kings, which first arrived at the Shearwater base on August 1, 1963. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

With no date set for the arrival of the first fully capable Cyclone, or the retirement of the last Sea King, there may be more anniversary celebrations ahead, assuming they can stay in the air.

The entire remaining fleet was grounded for four days earlier this month when a Sea King tipped over on landing at CFB Shearwater and smashed its five rotor blades on the tarmac.

This week, there was word from Sikorsky's parent company that flight testing of the Cyclones would begin in August at Shearwater. That would happen on four 'interim' Cyclones that Sikorsky has delivered but DND refuses to accept.

Here's a chronology of the Sea Kings' first five decades and some key moments in the efforts to replace them. Col. Orr and his book were invaluable sources for this timeline.

---

Sept. 26, 1962: Canada's Treasury Board authorizes $24 million for the purchase of eight Sea King helicopters and a flight simulator. More authorizations would follow.

Nov. 20, 1962: Douglas Harkness, minister of national defence, announces the Royal Canadian Navy's purchase of Sea Kings from Sikorsky Aircraft.

May 24, 1963: RCN Lt.-Commanders Shel Rowell and Ted Fallen accept Canada's first Sea King at the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Conn., where the first four Canadian Sea Kings were built. The other 37 were assembled at United Aircraft of Canada Ltd. (now Pratt & Whitney Canada) in Longueuil, Que.

Aug. 1, 1963: The first Sea Kings, 4001 and 4002, arrive at the naval air station in Shearwater, N.S.

Nov. 27, 1963: The first Sea King deck landing takes place onboard the destroyer HMCS Assiniboine. It is also the first trial using what's now known as the beartrap, which uses a haul-down winch, a Canadian innovation. "Canada literally wrote the book on the techniques and procedures for these operations, and these have been adopted by navies and coast guards around the world," Orr says.

The first Sea King assembled in Canada, CHSS-2 4005, was accepted from United Aircraft of Canada Ltd. on Aug. 27, 1964. (Courtesy Pratt and Whitney Canada)

Aug. 27, 1964: The first Sea King (4005) assembled in Canada is accepted from United Aircraft of Canada Ltd.

Jan. 13, 1965: Six Sea Kings embark on HMCS Bonaventure for their first operational deployment, heading for warmer waters off Puerto Rico.

March 22, 1967: Crewman Ron Greenbury disappears from a Sea King flying over water near Shearwater. Greenbury said he was going to investigate a fuel leak in the rear cabin but he was never seen again and no trace was ever found.

Nov. 30, 1967: Claire Tully and Douglas Mander are killed when Sea King 4002 crashes at sea off HMCS Bonaventure. The two pilots were ejected on impact and survived. It was the first of 14 accidents to claim a Sea King.

Feb. 1, 1968: The Canadian Armed Forces are amalgamated. HMCS Shearwater becomes Canadian Forces Base Shearwater, the Sea Kings' designation changes from CHSS-2 to CH-124.

May 3, 1969: The final Sea King (4041) is delivered to Shearwater.

A Sea King helicopter hovers over ships on anti-submarine patrol, June 17, 1976. (DND/Canadian Press)

Nov. 7, 1971: After taking off from HMCS Nipigon during an exercise in the North Atlantic, Sea King 1420 experiences a failure in one engine and crashes into the water. The three crew members were killed and the cause of the crash was never determined.

1974: The Sea King Improvement Program begins and runs until 1979. This was a major upgrade of the aircraft, including new engines, transmission and radar.

Nov. 26, 1981: A Sea King rescues 13 sailors in stormy conditions from the oil tanker Euro Princess after it ran aground off Sable Island.

June 11, 1982: Two Sea Kings from HMCS Protecteur take part in the nighttime rescue of the crew of a Norwegian chemical tanker that had abandoned ship because of a raging fire.

August 1982: The Sea King fleet is grounded because of the discovery of a problem in the transmission. Deployments are cancelled for the rest of 1982.

April 26, 1986: DND authorizes a "solicitation of interest" for new shipborne aircraft to replace the Sea Kings.

An airman sports a humorous shoulder patch at CFB Shearwater in 2003. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Nov. 4, 1987: A Sea King crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, about 30 nautical miles from Halifax. The four crew members are rescued without injuries.

July 10, 1989: 443 Squadron transfers to Patricia Bay, B.C. from Shearwater, taking four Sea Kings to support the West Coast fleet.

Aug. 10, 1990: Canada announces that three ships, with a total of five Sea Kings, will deploy to the Persian Gulf to enforce UN Sanctions against Iraq after it invaded Kuwait.

Aug. 13-24, 1990: Six Sea Kings quickly undergo major modifications in order to provide surface-surveillance capability in the Persian Gulf.

Orr calls it "the Sea King's finest hour." There were no flight or general safety incidents.

Feb. 1, 1991: Flying in Sea King 413 (nicknamed Lucky Louie) in the Persian Gulf, MCpl. Karin Lehmann fires tracer bullets across the bow of a dhow that was headed towards ammunition ships and had refused to heed orders to alter course. The dhow then reversed course in a hurry. It is perhaps the first time a shot was "fired in anger" from a Sea King.

Nov. 8, 1992: The Brian Mulroney government signs a $4.4 billion contract with European Helicopter Industries and Paramax to replace both the Sea King and Labrador Search and Rescue helicopters.

Nov. 16, 1992: HMCS Preserver, with three Sea Kings, departs for Somalia, returning on April 7 1993. Over the next two decades, Canada would deploy Sea Kings on many different military operations around the world, especially in the Persian Gulf area.

Nov. 4, 1993: Newly elected prime minister Jean Chretien cancels the New Shipborne Aircraft contract for EH-101 helicopters. During the campaign he had said, " "I'll take one piece of paper, I'll take my pen, I will write 'zero helicopters, Chretien., That will be it."

April 28, 1994: At the start of a cross-country transit, Sea King 12425 has an engine malfunction near St. John N.B., followed by an explosion and fire. Engulfed in smoke, the two pilots managed a survivable landing that saved two crew members. Pilots Wally Sweetman and Bob Henderson died.

March-April 1995: Sea Kings are deployed during the so-called Turbot War fishing dispute between Canada and the European Union.

April 25, 1997: Three Sea Kings deploy for flood relief in southern Manitoba.

Sept. 2, 1998: Swissair Flight 111 crashes in St. Margaret's Bay, N.S., killing all 229 people on board. Sea Kings participate in recovery operations.

March 23, 2000: Sea Kings rescue 13 crew members from the bulk carrier MV Leader L, which is sinking 370 nautical miles northeast of Bermuda.

Aug. 1, 2000: A Sea King deploys from HMCS Athabaskan in order to seize control of GTS Katie, a transport ship loaded with Canadian military equipment returning from Kosovo. The ship had refused to enter Canadian waters because of a dispute with a contractor.

Aug. 17, 2000: The federal government announces plans to spend over $3 billion on a new fleet of 28 military helicopters to replace the Sea Kings.

Oct. 7, 2001: Following the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., Chretien announces Canada's participation in Operation Enduring Freedom, the war in Afghanistan, in which Sea Kings will be deployed onboard Canadian ships during what becomes a two-year operation.

Oct. 24, 2002: Five men are rescued by a Sea King helicopter after their 20-metre boat was destroyed by fire just south of Nova Scotia.

Feb. 27, 2003: A Sea King crashes onto the deck of HMCS Iroquois after becoming unstable. The four aircrew received only minor injuries. (See photo #14 in the gallery at the top of the page.)

Sea King pilots and crew listen to the announcement at a news conference at CFB Shearwater, near Halifax, on July 23, 2004, that the Cyclone, a military version of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, will replace the Sea Kings. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

July 23, 2004: DND announces Sikorsky's H-92 Cyclone is the winner of the helicopter competition.

Nov 23, 2004: The government signs contracts with Sikorsky for 28 new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters for $1.8 billion, and for 20 years of maintenance and support for $3.2 billion, including construction of a training facility and a simulation and training suite.

Sept. 6, 2005: HMCS Athabaskan and Ville de Quebec and their Sea Kings deploy to the Gulf of Mexico in the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina.

Feb. 2, 2006: Sea King 12438 crashes into the ocean during an approach to HMCS Athabaskan off the coast of Denmark. The crew escape with minor injuries before the helicopter sinks.

July 29, 2008: HMCS St. John's, with one Sea King aboard, deploys for drug patrols in the Caribbean. During her deployment, St. John's is diverted to provide humanitarian assistance in Haiti, which had been hit by four hurricanes.

November 2008: Deadline missed for delivery of Sikorsky's first batch of Cyclone helicopters.

April 5, 2009: HMCS Winnipeg comes to the rescue of a merchant ship facing a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia and then went on to help a boatload of desperate refugees. A Sea King helicopter is deployed to thwart the attack.

Jan. 14, 2010: HMCS Athabaskan, with one Sea King, departs Halifax for Haiti to provide disaster relief following the devastating earthquake.

June 30, 2010: Canada agrees to accept six interim helicopters with lesser capabilities than those ordered by DND, provided Sikorsky agrees to deliver "fully compliant" helicopters beginning in June 2012.

Sept. 21, 2010: Three Sea Kings deploy to Newfoundland to provide humanitarian assistance to outlying communities cut off by Hurricane Igor.

Oct. 26, 2010: Auditor General Sheila Fraser criticizes DND for its Chinook and Cyclone helicopter procurements. She notes the Sikorsky costs have increased to $5.7 billion.

March 2, 2011: HMCS Charlottetown, with one Sea King aboard, is the first Canadian ship to take part in international operations underway in Libya. Charlottetown would patrol the waters immediately off Libya in support of the UN arms embargo.

July 4, 2011: Prince William, a search and rescue pilot in Wales, co-pilots a Sea King during an emergency exercise in P.E.I. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is one of the 2,400 onlookers for the "waterbird landing."

A Canadian soldiers jumps into Halifax harbour from a Sea King helicopter as he participates in advanced amphibious training on July 30. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

June 2012: Deadline for Sikorsky to deliver fully compliant Cyclone helicopters passes.

Jan. 14, 2013: HMCS Toronto, with one Sea King, deploys to the Arabian Sea to conduct maritime security and counter-terrorism operations.

June 25, 2013: Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose orders a review of Sikorsky's ability to actually deliver the Cyclones. "They have missed every deadline and every timeline," she tells CBC News.

July 15, 2013: A Sea King tips forward smashing its five rotor blades on the tarmac at Shearwater. The Sea King fleet is grounded for four days.

July 31- Aug. 1, 2013: 50th anniversary of the arrival of Canada's first Sea Kings in Shearwater.

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NDP wants tougher stance on Russia, but no Sochi boycott

The Opposition New Democrats are calling on the Canadian government to make clear its position on Russia's recent anti-gay laws, in light of growing calls by activists to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

"I don't think [Foreign Affairs Minister John] Baird has been strong enough in his concern or been declarative enough of the government's position against the laws that have recently been passed in Russia," said Paul Dewar, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, in a telephone interview with CBC News on Tuesday.

"We haven't heard anything directly from Minister Baird," Dewar said.

Baird is on a seven-country visit of South America and was not available for an interview with CBC News.

In a written statement to CBC News, Rick Roth, Baird's press secretary, said "this latest development in Russia is extremely troubling and Canada has raised its concerns directly with Russian authorities."

"Canada follows the human rights situation in Russia closely and the promotion of Canadian values has and will continue to feature prominently in our ongoing dialogue," Roth said.

It is unclear whether Canada has raised its concerns since Russia passed another law in late June, making it illegal to spread "propaganda for non-traditional sexual relations" to minors, under threat of steep fines.

To boycott or not to boycott?

While the Official Opposition would like Baird to be more forthcoming about Canada's position, just as he has done in the past when speaking up against anti-gay laws in Uganda and Nigeria, it is not in favour of boycotting the Olympics at this time.

"Now is not the time for talk of boycott," Dewar told CBC News.

Dewar said the foreign affairs minister should make the Canadian government's position clear and then engage with Russia to make sure that everyone is safe.

CBC News asked Baird's office whether he would support a boycott of the Games, but his office said the decision did not rest with Baird.

"The decision whether or not to participate in the 2014 Sochi Olympics would rest with the Canadian Olympic Committee," Roth said in an email.

Minister of State for Sports Bal Gosal was also not available for an interview.

In a written statement to CBC News, Gosal said that it was important to note that "the Olympic and Paralympic Games are governed by a charter and are a competition between athletes in individual or team events, not between countries."

"National Olympic committees, such as the Canadian Olympic Committee, have exclusive authority over the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games," Gosal said.

Dimitri Soudas, the executive director of communications for the COC, was not available for an interview Tuesday.

His office sent a written statement attributable to Soudas saying that "playing sports is a human right" and that "we oppose discrimination of any kind."

"The International Olympic Committee has stated it continues to work to ensure that the Games can take place without discrimination against athletes, officials, spectators and the media and it has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games," the statement said.

The safety of Olympians

A spokesman for the RCMP said that part of its role with respect to security at the 2014 Winter Olympics will be to hold "a security briefing with athletes and team members on security precautions."

"In its security briefing, the RCMP will flag safety and security issues … the Sochi security briefing will include a briefing on the recently signed law giving authorities the rights to detain tourists and foreign nationals suspected of being homosexual or pro gay," Cpl. Laurence Trottier told CBC News in a written statement.

The RCMP will also brief athletes on other safety and security issues, including:

• Maintaining a high level of personal security awareness at all times and in all places.
• Wearing proper accreditation at all times while inside the athletes village and venues.
• Co-operating with local authorities and exercising caution in crowded areas.
• Ensuring personal belongings, including passports and other travel documents, are secure at all times.

In an interview with CBC Radio's The Current on Tuesday, Blake Skjellerup, a speed skater from New Zealand and one of a few openly gay Olympic athletes, said he does not support a call to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics, but he has some reservations about Russia's anti-gay laws.

Skjellerup said the IOC has told athletes they will be exempt from this new law, but "I don't know exactly how that's going to work."

"I foretrust in the IOC that my security is going to be granted … but in terms of leaving the [Olympic] village, if that is going to happen, you never know."

Skjellerup also expressed concern about wearing a gay-pride pin that the IOC approved in a previous Olympics.

"I would like to think that because the IOC approved it in a previous Olympic, it's not something that is going to get me into trouble whether I'm in or out of the village during Sochi," Skjellerup said.

Canada-Russia relations

There has been a recent series of diplomatic ripples in Canada's relationship with Russia

In mid-June, during the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Stephen Harper found himself at odds with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's support for the Syrian regime.

Months earlier, Baird denounced Russia's decision to join China in vetoing a Western-backed UN resolution threatening non-military sanctions against Syria.

Last year, Canada expelled several Russian diplomats amid spying allegations.

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Diplomat strike risks 'severe' economic impact

Foreign service officers at 15 of Canada's busiest visa application centres abroad walked off the job Monday as part of their ongoing strike action that the union says is causing a "severe" and growing economic impact.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers started rotating job action at the international visa offices in the spring, but with no resolution in sight to the contract dispute, it has decided to do a co-ordinated walkout at the 15 offices at the same time. They will be off the job until further notice.

Tim Edwards, president of PAFSO, said the withdrawal of visa services involves about 150 employees. They process 10,000 to 20,000 visas per week between the 15 offices, which include major cities such as Mexico City, London, Beijing, Cairo, Paris and Delhi.

"It's a massive flow," he told CBC News. Tourists, international students, businesspeople and temporary foreign workers are all affected by the withdrawal of services.

"A lot of them will not be able to get their visa. If they do it will be severely delayed," said Edwards.

Tourism associations have estimated the strike could cost the industry at least $280 million this summer and they have urged the two sides to quickly settle their dispute.

The education sector is also concerned about students not getting their visas in time to start their school year in Canada and about them applying elsewhere to study because of the hassle. Some associations have said the strike could damage Canada's reputation and that even after the strike is over students may be turned off of coming here because of the visa trouble. International students are estimated to pump $8 billion into Canada's economy every year.

Monday's escalated job action comes after PAFSO and Treasury Board Tony Clement failed to agree on the union's offer to go to arbitration. The government said it would only go to arbitration if the union accepted six conditions attached to it. One of them was that the union not make wage comparisons with other public service employees at the table. The government wanted the conditions kept confidential but the union disclosed some of them on Friday.

Visa offices remain open

PAFSO responded that they couldn't accept that condition since fighting for "equal pay for equal work" is the precise reason they are on strike. Edwards said foreign service officers are trying to close the wage gap with other government workers who do the same jobs working as policy analysts, economists, lawyers or other positions but get paid more.

PAFSO said it would accept three of the conditions, but Treasury Board said it had to accept them all.

"We are disappointed that the union has refused our reasonable offer," a spokesman for Clement said Monday. "Our government is committed to bargaining in good faith, unlike the union, which has breached good faith bargaining principles by releasing confidential negotiating documents."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada said all visa offices remain open and are providing service. The department has hired temporary staff to process applications. It is training existing staff from the department on an urgent basis so they can work on visas and some staff are working overtime.

"CIC is also shifting more work to Canada and to overseas offices that have additional capacity," a spokeswoman for immigration minister Chris Alexander said.

The department is urging people who need a visa to apply as early as possible.

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PM urged to send ministers to Europe to save trade talks

Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to quickly dispatch his top ministers to Europe to salvage the stalled free-trade talks before it's too late, says the head of Canada's most influential business group.

Canadian Council of Chief Executives head John Manley, a top-shelf minister in the Jean Chrétien government, says he is growing increasingly concerned that the four-year talks with the world's biggest economic grouping might fail — and he no longer accepts assurances that a deal is just around the corner.

The talks need a "push," he said in an interview Monday, adding that sending a high-level ministerial delegation consisting of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Trade Minister Ed Fast might provide the kick-start needed at a critical time.

"The size of the gains in this are significant and the risk of not having a deal is great," he said.

"Sending a high-level political mission to Europe would be an important step in trying to secure their attention and get this done."

Manley pointed out that the tactic worked for then-prime minister Brian Mulroney in the 1980s. Top ministers such as Michael Wilson, Pat Carney and John Crosbie went to Washington to lobby Congressional leaders at a time those negotiations seemed blocked.

He said he believes negotiators have gone as far as they have authority to go toward bridging the remaining gaps and that the success or failure of the deal now rests at the political level.

'Full court press'

Trade lawyer Lawrence Herman of Cassels Brock, who has followed the talks closely, agrees with Manley that a political "full court press" is necessary, saying the two sides are very close but the final unsettled issues could bring the entire process to a halt.

Europe's political leadership mostly shuts down in August, so such a mission might not be possible until September.

Manley says Canada risks repeating the South Korean experience, whereby Canada was first off the mark in getting free-trade talks started, only to watch the U.S. take the baton and actually get the deal done in quick order.

"Some of our food processors are losing market share in Korea because that deal is done (with the U.S.) and Korea is simply not interested in giving the same deal to Canada," he said.

Manley concedes the negotiations with the European Union are complex. The EU acts as one on some issues, and as 28 independent nations on others, he said.

In addition, Ottawa must consult and receive approval from provinces on elements of the deal that touch on their jurisdiction, such as access to the hydro-electricity sector and government procurement.

After several missed opportunities, there were hopes Harper could cement an "agreement in principle" during a meeting with his counterparts at the Group of Eight summit in Ireland last month, but that deadline also came and went.

Outgoing EU ambassador Matthias Brinkmann recently put the blame on Ottawa for the impasse, saying an acceptable deal was on the table for February. Most observers viewed the comments as an attempt to apply pressure on Canada's government to yield.

In an interview earlier this month, Fast shot back that what Brinkmann proposed was "not in Canada's interest and we will not sign that kind of agreement."

Issues remain

Several nettlesome issues remain, including counter-balancing Europe's need to win greater access for cheese producers, with Canada's demand that Europeans open the gate to Canadian beef and pork exports. As well, Canada is being asked to accept stricter European standards on patent protection for pharmaceutical drugs, which provinces have resisted because it could push up drug prices by as much $2 billion annually.

Manley says overall benefits to Canada of access to a market with over 500 million people and a $17-trillion economy cannot be held hostage to any particular sector, including the beef industry that's largely located in Harper's political western base.

Although both sides would appear to be invested in an agreement, the heat is greater for the Harper Conservatives, who have made trade the centrepiece of their economic agenda going forward.

"The government's trade policy is dependent on this," Manley. "If we don't do Europe, there's not a lot to show for our trade policy. TPP (TransPacific Partnership) is going to be much more difficult and complex than Europe, Japan is always difficult to deal with on trade issues, India is on a very long-term trajectory, so that leaves a lot of holes in the government's trade policy."

Herman noted that the government must also be able to point to clear victories in order to sell a pact, particularly as the critics — such as the Council of Canadians and other civil society groups — have been successful in underscoring the concessions Ottawa and the provinces must make.

In contrast, there's been little discussion of the benefits, a vacuum he partly blames on the Harper government's penchant for secrecy. Herman added the business community should also become more active in selling the merits of an agreement to Canadians.

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Unreadable braille printed on Manitoba MPs’ flyer

An advocate for people living with disabilities is calling a new Conservative Party flyer insensitive because its message about inclusivity is written in braille that is impossible for blind people to read.

A recent mailout sent by two Manitoba MPs, including the newly minted minister of Canadian heritage and official languages, Shelly Glover, advertises how the Stephen Harper government is working to help people with disabilities enter the workforce.

But the flyer uses braille that is not tactile because it is neither raised nor embossed.

Doreen Demas said the Conservative mailout touts access and inclusivity yet leaves blind people unable to read it. (Ryan Hicks/CBC)

"They're talking about what they've done for people with disabilities around issues of access and inclusivity. And I'm thinking, 'Well, this isn't really an inclusive way to do it,'" said Doreen Demas, who was born with a visual impairment that eventually led to blindness.

"It just kind of boggles my mind why they would do such a thing. What was the purpose of it? Clearly, blind people would be unable to read it, seeing that we read by touching the braille and obviously this couldn't happen."

Demas said a more inclusive flyer "could have at least provided information where a person with a visual impairment could read about whatever was in the flyer."

In an email sent to CBC News, a spokesperson from Glover's office provided a statement from her, saying the braille text on the mailer is meant to be a visual representation only.

"Like the other graphics on that mailer, it signifies a group of Canadians who may face challenges in obtaining employment," Glover stated in the email.

"Our Conservative government is committed to supporting all Canadians in finding work, and is proud of renewing our support for the Enabling Accessibility Fund."

Elmwood-Transcona MP Lawrence Toet also sent out the mailer, as did other Conservative MPs in other parts of the country. Toet's office has not released a statement on the flyer.

Demas said what irks her the most about the flyers are the Conservatives' claims made inside.

"They keep talking about their accomplishment, but at the end of the day, too many people with disabilities are unemployed," she said.

She said instead of an apology, she would like to see the government take real steps toward helping people with disabilities land jobs.

Was it insensitive for Canada's Minister of Heritage and Official Languages, Shelly Glover, to send out a mailer with unreadable Braille on it?

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Canada's U.S. ambassador disputes Obama's Keystone claims

Canada's ambassador to the U.S. is disputing U.S. President Barack Obama's claim that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would generate few jobs.

Gary Doer said he would prefer to rely on a U.S. State Department report that estimates the number of jobs to be created by the pipeline project is 40,000, and not the 2,000 figure used by Obama.

Obama, in an interview with the Sunday New York Times, said only 2,000 positions would be created in the first year or two during the construction of the pipeline, and after that, the job total would dwindle to between 50 and 100 jobs. Obama also told the Times he thought Canada could potentially be doing more to "mitigate carbon release."

However, in a Monday interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton on Power & Politics, Doer said, "I think at the end of the day we'll go with the State Department report. It's his [Obama's] agency in the sense it's the lead agency."

Doer added that the report, at 200 pages, was much broader than what he termed "a little short media interview."

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline is designed to carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Canadian oilsands and the Bakken shale in North Dakota and Montana to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Obama has final approval on pipeline

Obama rejected the project last year, but invited the builder, TransCanada Corporation, to file a new application with a different route that would address environmental concerns in the state of Nebraska.

The State Department report Doer referred to is a draft version, with the final report due this fall. However, Obama has the final approval over whether the XL pipeline will go ahead.

Doer also disputed Obama's contention that Canada wasn't doing enough to mitigate carbon emissions. He said that Canada and the U.S. are moving in the same direction when it comes to regulating vehicle emissions, which he described as "the largest source of greenhouse gases."

When it comes to coal, Doer said, Canada is well in advance of the U.S. in relying less and less on the fuel for electrical generation.

But on the issue of oil and gas industry regulations, Doer said the Canadian government is "working on it."

He added, "I suspect at the end of the day we'll again be ahead of the United States or certainly not behind them on modernizing those oil and gas regulations in Canada."

'U.S. is calling Canada's bluff'

Doer's defence of the pipeline was echoed by Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada's president of oil and energy pipelines. Speaking with Power & Politics on Monday, Pourbaix told Barton the industry has voluntarily reduced emissions per barrel by 26 per cent, even in the absence of government regulations. He also said that the pipeline project would be "keeping the entire U.S. pipeline industry employed over the next few years."

However, Gillian McEachern of Environmental Defence told CBC News the Obama interview indicates "the U.S. is calling Canada's bluff on the fact that we're doing very little and really nothing at the federal level to limit the carbon pollution coming from the oil sector."

McEachern said it's significant Obama is dismissing and backing away from some of the key economic arguments around jobs and gas prices.

"He has quite clearly put this decision in the climate realm, and said that his decision will be based on its impact on climate change," McEachern said.

Doer explained Obama's remarks by saying, "There's a fight between Republicans and Democrats right now on the economic agenda." Republican and business groups in the U.S. are pressuring the Obama administration to approve the pipeline proposal because of the jobs they say it will bring.

Doer also said if the pipeline is not approved, "it will come down to trains instead of pipelines." However, he hastened to add, "the tragedy at Lac-Mégantic we are not using. We would never use that. It's horrible, it's terrible. The reasons for it are not fully understood."

Doer also brought up the subject of energy security.

"This pipeline is proposed to displace oil from Venezuela, which I know most Americans would support — oil from Canada as opposed to oil from Venezuela."

A final decision on Keystone is expected later this year, or early in 2014.

With files from Reuters and The Canadian Press

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Is Justin Trudeau's pot stance a vote-getter?

Justin Trudeau's statement in favour of legalizing pot sparked a significant amount of political chatter. But political observers are split on whether this stance is likely to buy the Liberals any more votes in the next election.

"I don't think many people will vote on the basis of this issue," says Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto.

Nor does he feel Trudeau's new perspective will force the Conservatives to reconsider their own position going into the next election.

"To win an election, you don't have to win public opinion — you just have to win 38 per cent of it," says Wiseman, referring to the percentage of the popular vote that Harper's Conservatives took in the 2008 and 2011 elections.

Still, Donald McPherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, a national advocacy group that wants to scale back the drug war rhetoric, likens Trudeau's reconsideration of his party's pot policy to U.S. President Barack Obama's "evolution" on same-sex marriage.

"That was a gutsy move," McPherson says of Obama. "But he'd figured it out, he'd read the polls, he took the plunge."

"I can't speculate if this will get any votes for Trudeau or not, but I suspect he'll get more votes than lose them on this one, just because of strong public opinion," says McPherson.

He also suggests that Trudeau's new position "paints Harper as a stodgy old, dyed-in-the-wool conservative who refuses to accept reality."

Late last week, the federal Liberal leader told a rally in Kelowna, B.C. that legalizing marijuana is "one of the only ways to keep it out of the hands of our kids, because the current war on drugs, the current model is not working.

"We have to use evidence and science to make sure we're moving forward on that," he went on.

The immediate political response was unequivocal.

(CBC)

The Conservative Party has vigorously opposed legalization and, after two earlier tries died on the parliamentary order paper, finally passed a law a year ago that sets mandatory minimum prison sentences for pot possession, depending on circumstances.

Justice Minister Peter Mackay said, "I would think Mr. Trudeau should look at other areas in which we can end violence and drug use and end this societal ill."

A post on the Conservative Party web site said the fact "that one of Justin Trudeau's first policy priorities is legalizing marijuana demonstrates once again that he does not have the judgment to be prime minister."

Meanwhile, the NDP, which has long advocated decriminalizing marijuana, called Trudeau's announcement "political pandering."

"He's moved around on the issue quite a bit," says Libby Davies, NDP MP for Vancouver East. She also noted that, as a rookie MP, Trudeau voted in favour of C-15, the first attempt by the Harper Conservatives to establish minimum sentences for possession of marijuana.

She says Canadians "have to look at his consistency, or lack thereof, and determine what his actual position is."

The NDP favours decriminalization, which would remove the risk of arrest for possession of small amounts of pot, because it would give legislators an opportunity to review the outcome and plan a regulatory framework before potentially proceeding to full legalization, Davies says.

Divisive issue

The debate over the legalization of pot is a recurring theme in Canadian politics. The Liberal government under Jean Chretien introduced a bill to decriminalize marijuana in 2003, but it failed to pass.

But the response to Trudeau's announcement demonstrates the divisiveness of the issue.

When CBC News contacted the Manning Centre, a conservative think tank based in Calgary, for a response, a spokesperson emailed back to say "we won't be commenting on that issue."

Trudeau's announcement looks to capitalize on a number of factors, says Dana Larsen, director of the non-profit group Sensible B.C., which is campaigning for a provincial referendum on marijuana decriminalization in 2014.

The first is an increasingly relaxed public attitude to marijuana. An Angus Reid poll done last fall found 57 per cent of Canadians support legalization.

The second is growing liberalization in the U.S., where 19 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana and two — Washington and Colorado — recently voted in favour of fully legalizing the drug.

"The number one reason that Canadian politicians have said that Canada won't change on marijuana has been, 'Well, we can't do anything until the U.S. has done it. They'll close the borders, they'll get upset with us,'" notes McPherson at the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. "That reason is now questionable."

For her part, the NDP's Davies believes that taking a more progressive stance on marijuana can be a vote-getter. "I think there's a very strong public policy to get on with this, and develop public policies based on rational evidence," she says.

But while he applauds Trudeau's current position, Sensible B.C.'s Larsen remains guarded about whether the Liberal leader will follow through.

"The question will be whether he continues to talk about this. It's easy to say stuff when you're in third place."

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Striking diplomats vow major visa shutdown

Striking foreign service officers are withdrawing all services at Canada's 15 biggest visa processing centres abroad starting Monday, following a failed attempt to go to arbitration to settle the bitter contract dispute with the government.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers, the union representing the officers, said Friday that Treasury Board President Tony Clement had rejected its offer of binding arbitration because the union wouldn't accept the conditions Clement attached to the offer.

The union began staging rotating job actions in the spring at different embassies and visa processing centres at different times, which has slowed down work abroad but not completely stopped it. Now the union is stepping up its pressure on the government.

"Effective Monday, in order to persuade the government that binding arbitration remains the responsible way forward to resolve our dispute, PAFSO members will withdraw all services until further notice at Canada's fifteen largest visa processing centres abroad," PAFSO said in a statement.

The centres are:

• Abu Dhabi.
• Ankara.
• Beijing.
• Cairo.
• Delhi/Chandigarh.
• Hong Kong.
• London.
• Manila.
• Mexico City.
• Moscow.
• Paris.
• Riyadh.
• Sao Paulo.
• Shanghai.

"We take no pleasure whatsoever in these strike actions and their real, severe, and mounting effects on the Canadian economy. But it should now be evident to all Canadians that from this point forward the government of Canada bears sole and complete responsibility for these impacts," the union said.

The tourism sectors and education institutions and organizations have been vocal with their concerns about the foreign service strike because of its impact already on the processing of visas. PAFSO encouraged them and others Friday to urge the government to "bargain freely and flexibly."

After the last round of negotiation broke down with no resolution and weeks went by with no talks scheduled, the union proposed to the government that they go to binding arbitration. The government then responded that it would agree, only if the union accepted certain conditions. It wanted the conditions kept confidential.

But in its statement Friday PAFSO shared some of the conditions and said two of them were "so paralyzing that their acceptance would have predetermined the outcome of arbitration in the government's favour and negated the purpose and integrity of the process."

Union accepted some conditions

The government wanted to exclude any mention of other bureaucrats who perform similar work, according to the union, "which has been at the heart of our position since day one."

"Equal pay for equal work," has been the union's slogan throughout the strike and it's the main sticking point in the dispute.

Ending their work action during the arbitration process was another condition the government wanted to impose and is one the union accepted. It also accepted two other conditions, but without accepting all six, the government said no to arbitration.

The union is accusing Clement of "cherry-picking criteria" that would have favoured the government's position and of "negotiating in bad faith."

Clement rejects those accusations. In his own statement released Friday he said the government has put a fair contract offer on the table and it's "disappointed that PAFSO was so quick to reject our willingness to enter into a binding arbitration process that the union itself requested."

He said the Canadian public is concerned about PAFSO's willingness to disrupt international business and tourism during the busy summer season.

"However, we want to reassure Canadians and our international friends that, despite PAFSO's actions, Canada remains open for business, and that we continue to welcome visitors and international students to experience Canada," Clement said.

On Twitter Clement said he couldn't comment on future options but that new Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander "will be able to deal with the resources needed."

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Obama disputes job projections for Keystone XL pipeline

U.S. President Barack Obama called into question the number of jobs that would be created from the controversial Keystone XL pipeline in an interview with the New York Times released on Saturday.

"Republicans have said that this would be a big jobs generator," Obama said, according to the newspaper.

"There is no evidence that that's true. The most realistic estimates are this might create maybe 2,000 jobs during the construction of the pipeline, which might take a year or two, and then after that we're talking about somewhere between 50 and 100 jobs in an economy of 150 million working people."

'Republicans have said that this would be a big jobs generator. There is no evidence that that's true.'—U.S. President Barack Obama

TransCanada Corp's proposed pipeline is designed to carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Canadian oil sands and the Bakken shale in North Dakota and Montana south to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. It would cost about $5.3 billion US to build.

Obama's administration is under pressure from Republicans and business groups to approve the project because of the economic benefits they say it will bring.

Environmentalists oppose the project because of the carbon pollution they say it would generate. Carbon emissions are blamed for contributing to global warming.

Gas prices

The project was first proposed in 2008 but is still making its way through a State Department study process.

The Times said Obama disputed an argument that the pipeline would bring down gasoline prices. He said it might actually increase prices somewhat in the U.S. Midwest, which would be able to ship more of its oil elsewhere in the world, the paper reported.

Obama said in June the project would serve U.S. interests only if it did not "significantly exacerbate" carbon pollution. The Times quoted him as saying that Canada could potentially be doing more to "mitigate carbon release."

The administration's final decision is expected later this year or early in 2014.

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Israel, Palestinian peace talks to resume in Washington

A divided Israeli Cabinet agreed to release 104 long-term Palestinian prisoners convicted of deadly attacks, clearing a hurdle in the resumption of Mideast peace talks and giving U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry his first concrete achievement after months of shuttle diplomacy.

The U.S. State Department announced Sunday that the two sides had accepted invitations from Kerry to come to Washington "to formally resume direct final status negotiations." In a statement, department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the initial meetings would begin Monday evening and continue Tuesday.

Earlier on Sunday, a divided Israeli cabinet agreed to release 104 long-term Palestinian prisoners. The release of the prisoners is linked to progress in the talks, meaning many could well remain behind bars.

It's been five years since the last talks.

Neither side is upbeat. Each blames the other for the lack of success in 20 years of negotiations, and Kerry's success so far has been only to get the parties back to the table.

Israelis spattered with fake blood protest outside the office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, against the release of Arab prisoners as a step to renew stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

The prisoner release, approved 13-7 with two abstentions, is a key part of the Kerry-brokered deal. While in Washington, Israeli and Palestinian teams are expected to prepare for six to nine months of negotiations on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking to overcome stiff opposition from ultra-nationalists, told his cabinet that "resuming the political process at this time is important for Israel," noting that any deal would be submitted to a national referendum.

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, welcomed the vote on the prisoners as a "step toward peace," one he said is long overdue.

Palestinian president leery of talks

Negotiators made progress in previous rounds, and the outlines of a deal have emerged — a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands captured by Israel in 1967, with border adjustments to enable Israel to annex land with a majority of nearly 600,000 settlers.

Those negotiations broke down before the sides could tackle the most explosive issues, a partition of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, now several million people.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remains leery of negotiating with Netanyahu, fearing any offer made by the hard-liner would fall far short of Palestinian demands, so he has insisted on a clear framework for negotiations.

Abbas said over the weekend that Kerry assured him the invitation to the negotiators will say border talks are based on the 1967 line — though Netanyahu has not said whether he has dropped his long-standing opposition to that demand.

In Washington, the Israeli and Palestinian teams are supposed to close the remaining gaps on the framework for talks, and they could well falter at that early point.

Israel's release of veteran prisoners could help Abbas persuade a skeptical Palestinian public that it's worthwhile returning to negotiations.

Hundreds protest release

Netanyahu has repeatedly called for a resumption of negotiations that broke down in 2008, but he has not sketched the outlines of a deal he would be willing to strike, except to say he opposes a partition of Jerusalem.

In Sunday's Cabinet meeting, he pushed through the prisoner release despite opposition by two ministers in his Likud Party and by those from a main coalition partner, the pro-settler Jewish Home Party.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded the release of prisoners held since before a 1993 interim peace accord took effect. (Issam Rimawi/Reuters/Pool )

Outside the government complex, hundreds protested against a release. Among them were families of Israelis killed in attacks by Palestinian militants. Some held up pictures of their loved ones.

Naftali Bennett, the head of Jewish Home, briefly joined the protesters before attending the Cabinet meeting. "It's a hard day, the decision was made and I hope we won't pay a horrible price for this in the future," he said after the vote.

In the West Bank and Gaza, some relatives of prisoners anxiously awaited word. "Now there is a big relief," said Walid Abu Muhsen, 45, whose brother Jamal has been in prison for the past 22 years for killing an Israeli farmer.

Disagreements emerge quickly

Under the deal brokered by Kerry, Israel is supposed to free 104 prisoners who carried out attacks before the first interim peace agreements of the early 1990s.

Palestinian negotiators handed Kerry a list of 104 prisoners, arrested between 1983 and 1994. They said Kerry assured them Israel would release the prisoners in four stages over several months, with each release linked to progress in negotiations.

Among the 104 prisoners on the Palestinian list are two dozen who either have Israeli citizenship or come from Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. In the past, Israeli media have said Israel would not free them.

On Sunday evening, an official in Netanyahu's office said that no Israeli Arabs are among the 104 whose release was authorized by the cabinet. Asked to explain the discrepancy, he said Israel holds more than 104 "pre-Oslo" prisoners, suggesting the two sides apply different definitions.

Issa Qarakeh, the Palestinian minister of prisoner affairs, responded angrily.

"The agreement with Kerry was that all the pre-Oslo prisoners, including Israeli Arabs and east Jerusalem residents, will be released," he said. "If they (Israelis) exclude any of them, there will be a problem that might hinder the talks."

Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher said that a prisoner release in stages gives Netanyahu additional leverage during negotiations.

"Netanyahu has given himself a carrot that he can hold out to the Palestinians," he said. "Netanyahu can refuse to release the later batches if there's no progress."

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Will baby Prince George ever become king of Canada?

For republicans and monarchists alike, Prince George looks to have brought about general agreement on one issue at least: His very birth is a positive sign for the future of the monarchy.

John Fraser, the master at Toronto's Massey College and author of The Secret of the Crown: Canada's Affair with Royalty, says that even he feels sorry for republicans following the royal birth on July 22.

One of Fraser's favourite republican sparring partners, the eminent historian Michael Bliss, concedes the royals are "on a good run now" — a view that seems to be ricocheting around the globe.

British journalist Claudia Joseph, author of Kate: the Making of a Princess, told Associated Press, "I think this baby is hugely significant for the future of the monarchy," at least partly because George is the first offspring of a "commoner" in 350 years to be an heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, the editors of the New Zealand Herald opined that countries like New Zealand now "may be less anxious to cast off a connection of heritage that presents no threat to their constitutional sovereignty."

And the Australian Times reports that the royal birth "could prove to be the change that was needed for Australia to renew its commitment to the Commonwealth."

Author and journalist John Fraser defends the Crown in this 2012 book. But part of its dedication is to 'Michael Bliss: Historian, Conservative, Republican.' (CBC)

Not everyone was overwhelmed, mind you. In Northern Ireland, after brooding over "an heir backlog within the House of Windsor," the Belfast Telegraph observed that "it is hard even to envisage the future for a royal child born in the age of Twitter."

And Andrew Vine, an assistant editor at the Yorkshire Post, took the BBC to task for what he calls its "nasty little caveat" -- by repeatedly using the phrase "as things stand" in stories about George that implies "doubt hangs over the future of the monarchy."

"It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that within the BBC lies a mentality that regards the monarchy as a tiresome and outdated anachronism, and by extension, the millions who rejoiced at news of the birth as little more than deluded peasants in thrall to the pomp, pageantry and spectacle of royal events, an easily-pleased rabble who turn ga-ga with starry-eyed adoration and abandon all critical faculty when the glass coach passes by," Vine writes.

What does history tell us about the monarchy's future?

Last year Fraser and Bliss were debating the monarchy before large audiences across Canada. So after the new prince's name was revealed, CBC News checked in with the two eminent Canadians for their thoughts on the future of the Crown in Canada.

Bliss, ever the historian, looks to what recent world history tells us about about forms of government and counts fewer monarchies. "You don't have many countries that adopt a monarchy and you have various countries that get rid of it, so the historical trend is against the poor baby," he said.

He also pointed out the decline of the monarchy among Commonwealth nations over the last half-century. Only 16 of the 53 members nations recognize the Queen as their head of state.

"I would bet my money the baby will never be the king of Australia and New Zealand, and my guess is not of Canada either," Bliss said.

John Fraser says the test for the Royal Family is not the good times but how they weather 'the crises, and so far they look pretty resilient.' (Massey College)

When it comes to monarchy, much depends on public opinion, both he and Fraser agree. "The polls do show that with every generation of Canadians, there's less interest in the monarchy," says Bliss and he expects that trend to continue.

Fraser's view: "Any institution that depends on the goodwill of the masses has clouds over it, they're built in."

But he also noted that the same applies to parliamentary democracy or the American republican system.

Testing constitutional monarchy

"The test is not the good times, these nice times of renewal for the constitutional monarchy. But how it weathers the crises and so far they look pretty resilient," Fraser said about the the Royal family.

"They've been counted down so many times," he added. But "if you project from today, things are looking good."

Fraser argues that, in Canada, the monarchy "probably will continue, because to open up any kind of constitutional issue in Canada is always so fraught, and it had better be for a pretty important reason, and I don't think the constitutional monarchy actually constitutes a very important reason to hurl each other at each other."

Bliss concedes "there's a certain amount of truth in that, and that's the inertia factor, which is probably [Prince George's] best hope.

In 2008, with the opposition parties planning to bring down his government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper succeeded in getting then governor general Michaelle Jean to approve his controversial recommendation to prorogue Parliament. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

"The problem with that is that as we've seen at least once, maybe more often in recent history, the status quo can get us into some serious problems."

As Bliss sees it, "there is a serious flaw in the Constitution related to the monarchy, and the flaw is that the monarchy is so completely ceremonial and toothless that it is nothing more than a creature of the government of the day."

Abuse of prime ministerial power

That toothlessness results in the Governor General having no legitimacy to be a serious check on prime ministerial power, Bliss said.

It is a serious problem that "crops up whenever a prime minister appears to be abusing power, as in proroguing Parliament. In the next 65 years it's hard to think that Canada will sail along quietly, constitutionally."

This week the Quebec government said it would be an intervener in support of a court challenge to the legislation passed unanimously by the House of Commons in March that removed the gender bias in the rules on royal succession.

Since Henry VIII (in portrait), British monarchs have had the title, 'Defender of the Faith.' Prince Charles, shown here in 2004, has proposed dropping the 'the.' (Fiona Hanson/Reuters)

The challenge is mostly about the way the changes were implemented. The Quebec law professors bringing the case argue Canada's Constitution requires the consultation and agreement of all the provinces for a change of this magnitude to become law.

The federal government disagrees, arguing that a change to the rules of succession is not a constitutional amendment to the role of the monarchy. But Bliss says that this case could be "a real sleeping stick of dynamite."

Only Anglicans need apply

Another argument in the court challenge is that the change discriminates on the basis of religion because it requires the heir to be Anglican.

Fraser points out that, in Britain, there is the real possibility of the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church. "The moment that happens, the denomination of the sovereign is irrelevant," he argues.

In 1521, Pope Leo X bestowed on Henry VIII the title "Defender of the Faith," and every monarch since then has taken on that title at their coronation. Prince Charles has argued for a slight but important change in the title — dropping the word "the."

And while the suggestion provoked a firestorm, Fraser argues that Charles's view is important for the survival of the monarchy. "The monarchy has to be inclusive, not exclusive, that's his instinct and that's being passed on to his heir."

Historian Michael Bliss says we are entering the age of the geriatric monarchy, with the prospect of only elderly men succeeding each other once Charles becomes king. (CBC)

Fraser and Bliss both agree that Catherine has boosted the monarchy's popularity at the moment, essentially because shecomes across as a lovely young woman with an easygoing nature.

But Bliss points out that we are also in what he calls the age of the geriatric monarchy.

As things stand, to invoke the BBC caveat, after Queen Elizabeth the crown passes to her already 64-year-old son, Charles.

Given the longevity of the Windsors, and their opposition to abdication, the future of this royal family looks to be one of elderly men succeeding each other for at least three generations.

For Bliss, the likelihood there may not be another young queen like Elizabeth poses a problem for the monarchy's future image.

The Quebec law professors' motion for judgment on the Succession to the Throne Act:

Motion for judgement on Royal line of succession changes (PDF)
Motion for judgement on Royal line of succession changes (Text)

Daniel Schwartz is both a Massey College alumnus and a former student of Prof. Bliss.

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Is Verizon really the 'bogeyman' Canada's telecom giants claim?

Canada's three big mobile-phone providers have been ramping up their campaign to sway public sentiment against the potential entry of U.S. telecom giant Verizon into the wireless market.

"They're trying to use the bogeyman of a U.S. company to scare Canadians into supporting a change to [current wireless] rules and really kind of push the government to doing an about-face on their policies," said Steve Anderson, founder of OpenMedia, an advocacy group for affordable wireless access.

Just in the past week, for example, Bell Canada took out a two-page advertisement in major newspapers, while top executives at Rogers and Telus relayed their displeasure during interviews with a series of media outlets.

"But is Verizon a big, bad bear about to gobble up Canada?" asked Iain Grant of the SeaBoard Group, a telecommunications consultancy.

Here's a look at what Canadians need to know about the potential deal and why it matters.

What's the issue?

On June 26, media outlets reported that Verizon had offered to buy Canadian upstart Wind Mobile with an initial bid of $700 million, and was also in talks about buying fellow upstart Mobilicity. Verizon has called the moves just an "exploratory exercise."

Despite that, Canada's big three telecoms — Rogers, Bell and Telus — have cried foul to the notion of the American giant entering Canada's wireless market this way, as these smaller companies had been given an advantage in the periodic auctions for wireless spectrum in an attempt by Ottawa to boost competition and hopefully drive down prices for consumers.

Verizon's bid comes after the federal government made changes in 2012 to the telecommunications rules that allowed foreign entities to enter the Canadian sector, albeit with certain limitations.

Canada's telecoms are concerned that if Verizon were to take over one of the "new entrants," it would qualify for special status at an upcoming auction of lucrative broadband spectrum, which is what allows wireless providers to expand their networks.

Two blocks of spectrum have been set aside for new entrants. And Bell's argument is that because the big three are prohibited from bidding on these blocks, they are likely to be sold at a lower price.

Who is Verizon and why does it care about Canada?

Formerly known as the Bell Atlantic Corporation, this New York-based telecom was founded in 1983. It is the second largest cellphone provider in the U.S., with nearly 100 million customers.

But, "this isn't a stranger to the country," notes Grant. "This is a company that helped establish the Canadian telecommunications market as it now is."

Verizon once owned a large chunk of BC Tel, which later became Telus. But it sold its portion in 2004 to focus on its U.S. operations.

But why would a U.S. giant want to re-enter the Canadian market, with its small population spread over a vast area and where the total number of cellphone subscribers is not even a third of those in the U.S.?

"It makes a lot of sense for it to offer its services to its [American] customers in Canada," said Grant. "Similarly offering services to Canadians who spend a lot of time in the United States. Offering a seamless North American plan."

What does this all mean for Canadians?

There's been considerable speculation that if Verizon were to set up shop in Canada it could lower rates for customers, thanks to more competition; or perhaps offer more premium-priced contracts with better service.

Benefits could also include eliminating roaming charges when Verizon customers travel anywhere in North America.

"Right now, we pay some of the highest prices in the industrialized world for some really horrible service, and that one way or the other needs to change," said Anderson.

However, the Canadian carriers, and some analysts, have suggested that Verizon's entry into the Canadian market could force the big three to focus on competing with the giant, which could result in job losses and a slowdown in efforts to expand advanced wireless services to rural Canada.

Grant suggests that demand would drive Verizon to invest across the country, not just in major cities.

"Verizon's [U.S.] customers come into the country every day through all of the bridges and ports of entries and they want to roam where they want to roam, whether that's fishing in Saskatchewan or hunting in northern Ontario or wherever."

What are Canada's telecoms saying?

Rogers has accused the federal government of aggressively courting Verizon; Telus has warned of a "bloodbath," and Bell charges that "loopholes" are being opened to a "U.S. company that is four times the size of Canada's entire wireless industry."

Full-page newspaper and online ads are part of a campaign launched by the three to change public opinion and try to push the federal government to adjust its policy.

Is the system fair for Canadian companies?

A large part of the Canadian telecom companies' argument is based on the idea of an unfair playing field.

All three say they support competition, but they say rules brought in by the Harper government give foreign companies an advantage they would never get in the U.S.

"It wasn't meant to be a level playing field," said Grant. "It was meant to give a leg up."

In the midst of the furor over Verizon, Industry Minister James Moore has stood resolute on the issue: "Our view has been clear, we want effective competition across Canada."

Large carriers in Canada still can't be more than a third foreign-owned. But ownership restrictions were lifted on those "new entrants" with less than 10 per cent of the market share of all telecommunications services, which includes not only wireless but also home phones, fixed-line internet and TV.

What happens next?

The big event looming over the sector is the spectrum auction set for January. Any company wanting to bid in the auction must submit its application by Sept. 17.

On the auction table is the 700 megahertz spectrum. Incumbents call it the most valuable one ever sold because towers using its higher frequency have wider coverage, which means fewer towers would need to be built to cover a particular area.

"If you put a tower up in 700 megahertz, that thing is going to go forever," said Grant. "It goes through concrete, it goes through granite, it goes through walls."

But while it's the first time in 25 years that a section of the spectrum is for sale (the last one took place in 1985), Grant notes it's not the last time.

The 600-megahertz spectrum — offering even wider coverage — will likely go on sale in the next few years, he says.

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Senator Harb didn't live at 'primary' residence, RCMP say

RCMP investigators looking into Senator Mac Harb's travel and housing expense claims believe he has committed breach of trust and are further investigating a curious mortgage transaction involving one of his former properties.

The RCMP's lead investigator in the case, Cpl. Greg Horton, filed a production order request with the court that lays out the investigation to date and why he believes that Harb didn't live in two different properties he claimed as his primary residences over the past decade.

Senate rules allow senators to collect a housing allowance for a residence in Ottawa if their primary residence in more than 100 km away from the National Capital Region. An external audit was done for the Senate on Harb's expenses, along with those of senators Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau, and the Senate then asked Harb to repay some of the money he had claimed. He has repaid $51,000 but says he has done nothing wrong and is challenging the Senate in court.

The Senate has also advised Harb that he could pay back $231,649 if he wants to avoid a more extensive audit of his expenses dating back to 2005. The first audit only covered 18 months.

An online listing from 2011 depicts 62 Durack Line, Cobden. It was described as including 'a 35 by 35 great room with cathedral ceiling, marble floors, 3 stone fireplaces, 4 bedrooms and 3 baths with 100 acres of privacy.' (Homezilla.ca)

Harb has explained in an affidavit why he believes he was allowed to claim the expenses. In his affidavit, filed last month, Harb said he was told by the Senate clerk in 2003 that he could claim his new home in Cobden, Ont., as his primary residence.

Horton says in his court document that his team of investigators checked with the clerk, Paul Belisle, who said he doesn't recall the conversation with Harb and that he would have referred questions about residences to Senate legal counsel.

Harb claimed houses in Cobden and Westmeath, Ont., as his primary residences over the last 10 years, but Horton states that based on evidence gathered so far, he believes Harb "resides primarily in the NCR [National Capital Region], and as such is not entitled to collect a housing allowance" for the Ottawa residence he designated as "secondary."

Harb, a former Liberal MP, was appointed to the Senate in 2003 and bought the house in Cobden three months later. It's about 123 km away from Ottawa. He renovated the old house and put an addition on it over the course of about three years.

Mortgage same day

In 2007, Harb transferred 99.99 per cent of the ownership of the home to Magdeline Teo, who was an Ottawa-based diplomat for Brunei at the time. The court document says that on Oct. 12, 2007, Harb was granted a mortgage on the property for $177,000 and later that day the property was sold to Teo. He maintained a 0.01 per cent interest in the property.

"Obtaining a mortgage on the property and then transferring 99.99 per cent ownership of the property to Teo on the same day potentially put the bank at risk," it says. "Additional investigation will be conducted relating to this transaction."

Madgalene Teo, who was stationed as a diplomat in Ottawa 2004 to 2007 and is now Brunei's ambassador to China, owned 99.99 per cent of a home Mac Harb claimed as his primary residence. (asean-china-center.org)

The investigator also said the RCMP has not determined the relationship between Teo and Harb and that she has only agreed to answer questions by email. She now lives in China. She told investigators in writing that she lived in Canada from 2004 to 2007, is personal friends with Harb and that he lived at the property after he sold it to her, paying the mortgage as rent from 2007 until 2011.

She told them there is nothing else investigators need to be aware of and didn't explain when asked why she won't speak to them and will only answer questions by email.

Horton says that without further details from Teo, the rent arrangement explanation "lacks credibility."

The RCMP also contacted a number of other people, including neighbours, contractors, insurance agents and real estate agents. Some described the Cobden home, located at 62 Durack Line, as "sparsely furnished," "unkempt," and "not lived in full time."

The house was put up for sale in 2010 and a woman hired to clean it said it took her a week because it was so dusty and dirty and that it looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time. She told the RCMP that Harb told her he was selling it because his wife and kids didn't like the area and that he also had a cottage in Quebec and property in Florida.

Harb's gift rejected by neighbour

After the Cobden house was sold in 2011, Harb bought another property in Westmeath. The RCMP says it appears as though it was used as a secondary residence, not his primary one. A neighbour, Linda Crosbie, said she's never met Harb and that before the media attention she only saw him drive by on occasion. Now he's there more often and this past Christmas Crosbie found a bottle of wine at her door with a note from her unknown neighbour: "Dropped by to see you, sorry I missed you, Mac."

"She returned the bottle with a note that said 'No thank you' as she does not believe that Harb actually lives at the residence and did not appreciate the gesture," the court document states.

But Crosbie's nephew, Leroy Behm, contradicts her account and told the RCMP that Harb spends the weekends in Westmeath and if people don't see him it's likely because he arrives late and leaves early in the mornings. Behm noted that his relatives are not Liberal party supporters. Harb bought the house from his mother.

Multiple insurance and real estate documents list Ottawa homes as Harb's contact address. "He even notified the insurance company when he had an address change in Ottawa. The file also references an explanation of Harb staying in Ottawa during the week, while his wife stays at the residence full time," the court document says in its conclusion.

Horton says based on the information so far it appears as though the Westmeath home is somewhere Harb goes on weekends but it is "not indicative of a primary residence."

The RCMP requested documents from the Senate to support its case, including all travel expense claims filed by Harb since 2003, credit card bills, cell phone bills, and Senate attendance records.

The court granted the request and has ordered the Senate to supply the information within 21 days.

The RCMP also has a separate investigation into Duffy's housing and travel claims and a similar production order sought by Horton lays out that he believes Duffy has also committed breach of trust. Horton also believes Duffy has committed fraud on the government. That investigation includes an examination of the $90,000 cheque that Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former chief of staff, wrote to cover Duffy's expenses that he was asked to repay by the Senate.

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