Parliament returns after 5-month break, elects new Speaker
Parliament has resumed in Ottawa with Quebec Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia elected as the new Speaker of the House, prompting congratulations from Interim Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who playfully asked for patience as he learns the ropes.
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National Post
23 minutes ago
- National Post
Raises, retention bonuses promised for Canadian Forces personnel
Pay increases for military personnel as well as retention bonuses and increased training allowances for particular Canadian Forces members are to be part of the government's spending boost for defence. Article content In addition, it is expected that around 1,400 new staff will be hired at the Department of National Defence. Article content Article content The initiatives were outlined Monday during a technical briefing that followed Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement that defence spending was being significantly increased. The Liberal government noted that it was pumping in more funding so Canada will meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP by the end of this fiscal year. Article content Article content Carney repeated his election promises to purchase new submarines and other equipment as well as improve military housing and benefits. Article content Article content But defence officials at the technical briefing had few answers. Article content They did point out that not only will there be pay increases but in some cases boosts in training allowances and retention bonuses for key military personnel. They did not have information on what specific Canadian Forces jobs or trades would be eligible for bonuses. Article content More health-care workers will be hired for the Canadian Forces and the civilian workforce will be expanded so military personnel can focus on operations, government officials said at the technical briefing. Under government-imposed rules, the officials who provided the briefing cannot be identified. Article content In January, the Ottawa Citizen reported that military staff were recommending retention bonuses to keep key personnel from leaving the ranks. But there were questions at the time about whether the government would fund such a plan. Article content Although the Canadian Forces doesn't currently have retention bonuses, the military does offer various extra pay or allowances for those in particular jobs or handling specific duties, the Department of National Defence has noted. In addition, the military does provide extra payment to recruit individuals with particular skills. Article content Article content Various western militaries, facing personnel shortages, have been using retention bonuses to entice individuals to continue to stay in the ranks. Article content On Nov. 22, 2024, the British government announced bonuses equivalent to $54,000 for aircraft engineers who sign up for an additional three years of military service. Privates and lance corporals who have already served four years would be eligible for a new retention bonus, which is the equivalent of $14,000. Article content An internal U.S. Air Force memo, recently leaked online, noted that 89 key occupations would be eligible for retention bonuses in 2025. Those bonuses range from the equivalent of $260,000 to $520,000. The retention money is aimed at a variety of jobs, including specialized maintenance crews to Chinese language analysts.
Globe and Mail
36 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Demand for oil to soar 44 per cent from now until 2050, OPEC's secretary-general tells Calgary gathering
There is no oil demand peak on the horizon, the head of the OPEC says, taking aim at a 'flip flop' in policy from the International Energy Agency which he says have undercut crucial investments in the oil and gas sector. Haitham al-Ghais, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, said Tuesday at the Global Energy Show in Calgary that the group projects global oil demand will surpass 120 million barrels a day by 2050. 'In our long-term projections, we see the forecast that global primary energy demand is going to increase by a staggering 44 per cent from now to 2050,' he said. 'Our forecasts are not based on ideology. They are based on data and analysis of data, and they clearly indicate that oil would remain an integral part of the energy mix at around 30 per cent still in 2050,' he said. Meeting that ever-rising demand will only be possible with adequate and timely and necessary investments in the oil industry, he said. But comments by the International Energy Agency have threatened those investments, he said. 'OPEC has been very concerned by the IEA's flip-flop on the critical issue of industry investments,' he said. Mr. al-Ghais specifically pointed to IEA reports between 2017 and 2020, which projected that oil would remain a cornerstone of global energy security. But in 2021, it changed its tune, saying there should be no investments in new oil and gas projects. But now the IEA has once again stressed the importance of oil industry investment, he said. Mr. al-Ghais also addressed the issue of climate, saying OPEC recognizes the importance of investing in technologies such as carbon capture and storage to battle greenhouse gas emissions. Member countries are all signatories to the Paris Agreement, he noted, and recognize the importance of investing in green sources of energy, 'because energy sources are not locked in a zero sum competition.' Rather, he said, 'all forms of energy will be needed to meet future demand and growth.' Plastics made from oil will be needed for the synthetic resins and polymers used for the blades of wind turbines, for example, solar panels and electric vehicles, he said. While he pushed for developed countries to support other economies through climate finance technology funding, he added 'there is no one size fits all solution to addressing the climate matters.' 'We welcome the recent moves towards policies grounded and pragmatic energy realities, and that recognize that we face an emissions challenge and not an energy sources challenge.' The veteran Kuwaiti oil executive was invited to the conference by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Dialog between OPEC and Alberta dates back to 1989, Mr. al-Ghais said, adding the group is committed to continue discussions with producers around the world, including Canada. 'We are acutely conscious of the important role that other major producers around the world, including Alberta, play in the international oil market and in the industry,' he said. 'International orientation is important, given the rapidly evolving global energy landscape.' OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil and includes OPEC members and allies such as Russia, has put forward plans for an increase of 411,000 barrels per day for July as it looks to wrestle back market share and punish over-producers. It is set to unwind production cuts for the fourth straight month. Mr. Al Ghais' comments come in the wake of forecasts by research firms and the U.S. Energy Information Administration that oil demand growth and crude prices will fall by the end of the year. Growth in global oil demand for the rest of the year is expected to fall to one of its weakest levels since 2001, says research firm S&P Global, which this week revised its price outlook for West Texas Intermediate benchmark crude down to as low as the upper-US$40 mark. The United States is expected to bear the brunt of the impacts from an oversupplied market, because U.S. shale production is more responsive to price shifts compared with other sources of non-OPEC supply, such as Canada, Guyana and Brazil.
CBC
38 minutes ago
- CBC
N.S. government prepares engagement table on gender-based violence
A new engagement group on gender-based violence is intended to bring together subject matter experts, people with lived experience and front-line workers as the Nova Scotia government seeks progress on an issue the legislature declared an epidemic last year. Justice Minister Becky Druhan, who is leading the work, said the approach is based on a similar engagement group used to focus on child care when she was education minister. "It has proven to be a very effective way to ensure that sector and community has real, significant and meaningful input into government work," she said in an interview. Druhan said applications will open soon for up to 25 spots. The group's terms of reference and priorities will be finalized soon and then made public. The minister expects the first meeting to happen in the fall and for subsequent meetings at least once every three months. Bringing together insights and knowledge Although the government appreciates the work the sector is doing, Druhan said officials have also heard feedback that there needs to be a way to "knit together the insights and understanding and knowledge of first voices, of families and survivors and those who work on the front line" with the work the government is doing or planning. During the last meeting of the legislature's standing committee on health, the Liberals put forward a motion to create such a roundtable. A vote had been scheduled for Wednesday's committee meeting. In a news release, the party welcomed Druhan's announcement. "When we listen to the people doing this difficult work every day, and to those directly impacted, we can create better policies that save lives," Liberal MLA Iain Rankin said in the release. "I want to thank the presenters who supported the motion last month. Their insights helped build momentum for this important step. I'm hopeful that this initiative leads to real, coordinated action that helps those who need it most." Despite the Liberal motion, Druhan said the idea of an engagement table was something government officials had previously discussed with people connected to the sector. Must lead to change NDP Leader Claudia Chender said in a statement that the new group would only be successful if it leads to change. "We know what the problems are — and we know what must be done. The recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission, the Lionel Desmond inquiry, and the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls — all provide us with a path forward. Now we need to do the work." For Chender, stable core funding for organizations that work to address and prevent gender-based violence would be a good first step. After tabling its budget earlier this year, the Progressive Conservatives announced additional funding for transition houses amid concerns there was not enough money being directed at the issue. That new money came after seven women were killed in Nova Scotia in less than five months whose deaths were connected to their male partners.
