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Winnipeg Free Press
21 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In the news today: Air Canada flight cancellations, Alberta's third summer town hall
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed… Some Air Canada flights to be cancelled today Some Air Canada flights that were scheduled to take off today will be cancelled as the airline braces for a work stoppage this weekend. The union that represents around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants is poised to strike just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, as the airline also plans to lock out those workers. Air Canada says it will begin cancelling flights today, with more disruptions Friday and a complete stoppage by Saturday if it doesn't reach a last-minute deal with the flight attendants' union. It says customers whose flights are cancelled will be eligible for a full refund, and it has also made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide alternative travel options 'to the extent possible.' Smith to lead Alberta panel at third town hall A travelling panel collecting public feedback on Alberta's grievances with Ottawa is set to make its third summer town hall stop tonight. Premier Danielle Smith and 15 other members of her Alberta Next panel are scheduled to be in Edmonton to brainstorm with people about possible future referendum questions. The premier has said one of the reasons for the panel is to address concerns that are inspiring separatist sentiment in the province. Its agenda focuses on six policy ideas, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP. Ottawa should help fixer's family, ex-general says A former top general says it would be 'unconscionable' for Ottawa to allow the family of an Afghan translator who risked his life to help Canadian soldiers to be deported back to Afghanistan. Retired general Rick Hillier, a former chief of the defence staff, said it would be appalling if Canada failed to help the ex-translator's sister, who fled to Turkey from Afghanistan but has been denied permission to remain in that country. 'That would be unconscionable, if she ends up getting deported from Turkey and has to go back to Afghanistan to live under that brutal Taliban regime — who hate women just as a starting point,' Hillier told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. 'We can do better.' Chinese tariff on canola seed comes into force A Chinese tariff of nearly 76 per cent on Canadian canola seed is set to come into force today. The duty, announced Tuesday, has already caused the price of one of Canada's most valuable crops to fall, wiping out millions of dollars in its value. It comes a year after China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola. The investigation was in response to Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, and the two countries have since hit each other with various levies. Canola farmers and Ottawa have rejected claims of dumping, arguing exporters have followed rules-based trade. Simons opens first Toronto department store Wandering through Simons's newest store a day before it opened on Thursday, Bernard Leblanc had a quiet confidence despite the busyness surrounding him. Across almost every inch of the flagship store at Yorkdale mall in Toronto, staff were scurrying to unwrap and steam the last of the location's merchandise, vacuum carpets and dress mannequins. The seemingly menial tasks belied the enormity of what they were all preparing for: Simons's entry into the venerable Toronto market. That feat has been a long time coming. La Maison Simons is 185 years old but has taken such a methodical expansion outside its home province of Quebec that it only counted 17 stores until now. While it's long wanted to head to Toronto, it somehow detoured through Halifax, Vancouver and even the city's outskirts in nearby Mississauga before forging its way into the heart of Ontario on Thursday. TIFF backtracks after pulling Oct. 7 documentary The Toronto International Film Festival has changed course after pulling a documentary about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel from its lineup. In a statement sent Wednesday evening, TIFF chief executive officer Cameron Bailey said the festival would work with filmmaker Barry Avrich to find a way to screen the film. Bailey denied allegations that its previous decision to disinvite the film was a case of censorship. Earlier in the day, TIFF said that the doc titled 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' didn't meet the festival's requirements, including 'legal clearance of all footage.' — This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025
Japan Forward
41 minutes ago
- Japan Forward
80 Years After the Atomic Bombings, Reconciling Idealism and Reality
As we mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings against Japan, discussions on the significance of nuclear weapons have also taken place in the United States' capital. In contrast to Japan's idealistic call for their abolition, the prevailing American stance remains focused on the effect of nuclear weapons to deter wars. The most notable commentary came from George Will, a prominent conservative political commentator, as the anniversary of the August 6 US atomic bombing of Hiroshima approached. In his commentary published in The Washington Post , Will argued that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki "effectively ended 'the first modern conflict in which far more civilians were killed than combatants.'" This, he suggested, however, was a sign of "moral regression." As an example of this decline, he pointed to the killing of 100,000 civilians on a single night in the Tokyo air raids, just five months before the two atomic bombings. But on the question of whether dropping the atomic bomb was justified, Will quoted Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the plane that bombed Hiroshima. "I hoped until the very end that Japan would surrender," Tibbets said. By doing so, the author conveyed a view largely in line with the US consensus that the bombs were used to end the war with Japan sooner. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, where many gathered on the morning of August 6 to honor the victims and pray for peace. (©Sankei by Kotaro Hikono) On this point, Will drew on an article by renowned British historian Antony Beevor published this summer in a major American foreign affairs magazine. Beevor wrote that Japan's military government was "prepared to sacrifice millions of Japanese civilians by forcing them to resist an Allied invasion." Atomic bombings, therefore, he argued, were carried out to prevent such losses. What further drew attention in Will's commentary was his concern that there could be a third use of nuclear weapons, eight decades following Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He reminded that it would not be that challenging for even a poor nation to develop nuclear weapons if determined. Will also noted that the declining reliability of the American "nuclear umbrella" could provide a similar incentive "to nations from South Korea to Poland." Meanwhile, as these fundamental debates over nuclear weapons were unfolding, developments in real-world international security also warranted attention. On August 1, President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered two US Navy nuclear submarines to be "positioned in appropriate regions" in anticipation of a potential attack on Russia. It was a move that could have been seen as an expression of the Trump administration's "peace through strength" policy in response to repeated Russian nuclear provocations. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (©Getty via Kyodo) Reacting to the US proposal for further economic sanctions against Moscow over its refusal to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine, former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, warned, "President Trump should remember the 'Dead Hand.'" The "Dead Hand" refers to the Russian military's automatic nuclear retaliation system. Trump saw these remarks as a nuclear threat against the US and ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response. "Just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances," the President later explained. The exchanges between Washington and Moscow highlight the reality that nuclear weapons continue to serve as tools of deterrence and intimidation within the foreign policies and international security strategies of both nations. This stands in stark contrast to the idealistic view held by some in Japan, who advocate for the complete abolition of all nuclear weapons. Author: Yoshihisa Komori, Associate Correspondent in Washington, The Sankei Shimbun ( Read this in Japanese )
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former general says Ottawa must help former translator's family escape Taliban
OTTAWA – A former top general says it would be 'unconscionable' for Ottawa to allow the family of an Afghan translator who risked his life to help Canadian soldiers to be deported back to Afghanistan. Retired general Rick Hillier, a former chief of the defence staff, said it would be appalling if Canada failed to help the ex-translator's sister, who fled to Turkey from Afghanistan but has been denied permission to remain in that country. 'That would be unconscionable, if she ends up getting deported from Turkey and has to go back to Afghanistan to live under that brutal Taliban regime — who hate women just as a starting point,' Hillier told The Canadian Press in a recent interview. 'We can do better.' The woman and her children fled Afghanistan and the Taliban in 2018. That was too early to qualify them for a special, temporary federal policy designed to bring the extended families of former military language and cultural advisers to Canada. Now, she said she fears that she and her 22-year-old son will soon face deportation from Turkey and reprisals in Afghanistan because her brother assisted Canadian troops. Hillier said adhering too closely to the policy's strict time frame 'would be ludicrous in the extreme.' 'Let's not get stuck on a bureaucratic number,' he said, adding that the woman 'needs our support because her brother supported and served us.' The woman said she believes the Taliban killed her husband in 2013 because of her brother's work with Canadian troops. The Canadian Press has agreed to not publish the names of members of the family because of the threat posed by the Taliban. Her brother, a Canadian citizen who worked under the code name 'Sam' for the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan 15 years ago, has written letters to Immigration Minister Lena Diab and Prime Minister Mark Carney, to no avail. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it cannot comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation. 'The government of Canada takes the safety and security of Afghans extremely seriously and we sympathize with people in this extremely difficult situation. For reasons of privacy and security, we are unable to provide specific details, even with the consent of the person in question,' said department spokesperson Danielle Hickey in an emailed statement. Sam also has raised the matter with the office of the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman. He said he is running out of both time and places to turn for help. Sam and two other former military language and cultural advisers — whose families also did not qualify under the policy — challenged the government over the policy in Federal Court. Their case was dismissed earlier this summer. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
