CTV National News: Dave Fraser on Iran's military capabilities
Retired major general David Fraser, CTV's military analyst, looks at potential retaliation from Iran and the country's military capabilities.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canadians like the idea of public service for young adults. Should it be mandatory?
Though he recalls feeling anxious ahead of his military service, Daniel You planned to make the most of it. "It's required for all Korean males; we grow up expecting it," said the 32-year-old Torontonian, "but I wanted to make sure it didn't hinder my growth in terms of career." You immigrated to Canada in high school and attended two years of university before returning to South Korea in 2014 for compulsory military service. He also completed some English proficiency exams beforehand, leading to a role as an army translator. "I had the opportunity to work in a U.S. garrison ... but also it opened up the opportunity to apply overseas and actually work in the UAE for about eight months. So I was happy with that experience," he said. Various nations worldwide have some form of compulsory military or civic service that starts with young adults and, according to a recent poll, Canadians support the idea of citizens under 30 devoting a year to serving their country similarly. Young adults who volunteer gain a host of benefits, experts say — but making it mandatory is a thornier proposition. Support for civilian service, but divided on military At least seven in 10 people responding to a recent Angus Reid poll supported the idea of one year of mandatory public service for Canadians under 30 — things like tutoring kids or working in national parks. Mandatory military service, however, was more divisive, with 43 per cent in support and 44 per cent opposed. Amid Canada's Elbows Up wave, the idea was to gauge our appetite for this kind of national initiative, according to Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl. "We live in an era where society feels way more stratified ... way more divided in terms of how they see their country," she said from Vancouver. "There's nothing like being in a situation where you are interacting with people from different walks of life, different cultures, different linguistic backgrounds ... [to] have a better understanding of where people are coming from." However, volunteering has declined, impacted by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and labour shortages. Canadians over 15 years old who volunteer for charities or non-profits dropped from 41 per cent to 32 per cent between 2018 and 2023, according to Statistics Canada data from June. It's a significant drop, noted Megan Conway, president of Volunteer Canada, which helps groups create volunteer initiatives. Being tuned into social media algorithms feeding us specific information, we're not necessarily seeing what our society actually looks like, Conway said. "Volunteering helps you to understand that," she said. "It builds a stronger sense of connection and also belonging." WATCH | How young adults benefit from volunteering: How volunteering can build knowledge, connection 4 minutes ago Applied learning, personal fulfilment When the pandemic pushed Priscilla Ojomu into virtual learning, she ventured out of her comfort zone first with online volunteering and, later, in-person experiences. Since then, the 23-year-old has co-founded a youth-led education platform about racial and social injustice, attended a United Nations conference and received Canada's Volunteer Award. "A lot of youth, they're looking for a purpose, they're looking for how they can apply what they're learning into something tangible and something practical. And those opportunities gave me a venue ... to really do that," said Ojomu, who's studying law at the University of Leicester. Direct acts — like stuffing donated backpacks for school kids back home in Calgary — still draw her in, she said: "You're really seeing that impact right in front of you." Ojomu calls public service a "third space" outside of home and school, where young people can build social connections and develop real-world skills. Instead of "sleeping or watching Netflix ... you're doing something that is leading up to the future," she said. For Aryan Gautam, volunteering is how he serves a cause he's passionate about: climate change. It grew from street and park clean-ups in his hometown of Mississauga, Ont., to founding an eco-education non-profit as a nine-year-old, to more recently working on an energy-efficient cryptocurrency. "I have a connection with this cause and it's something I want to contribute to," said the 19-year-old Johns Hopkins University student, just starting his second year in Baltimore. No matter what they are, acts of service "alter the way you see the world," Gautam said. "They motivate you on a hyper level ... because it really is making a difference." You, whose service in Korea spanned age 21 to 23, recalls it as a period of self-reflection. "The first two years of university, I really didn't know what I wanted to do," he recalled. Military service provided him more time to contemplate his future, You said; a year of volunteering for Canadians "would give that similar opportunity." Acknowledging the costs of volunteering Despite these benefits, making public service mandatory is tricky because not every young person is able to carve out a full year for it while balancing financial or other personal circumstances. "Volunteering — there is a cost associated with it," beyond those borne by the hosting organizations, said Volunteer Canada's Conway. Canada faces an affordability crisis, she noted, and young people are worried about entering the workforce, landing jobs and making a decent income. "Not [everyone] is coming to the table in a equitable way," she said. A vast amount of work is also needed to build up Canada's volunteering infrastructure and capacity if we wanted to ponder compulsory public service for 18- to 29-year-olds, she added. But right now, "it's just not possible." While some provinces have required high schoolers to fulfil volunteer hours for course credit or graduation going back a few decades, that hasn't necessarily sparked generations devoted to community service. According to the Statistics Canada data from June, the highest drop in volunteering and volunteer hours came from those aged 25 to 34, a cohort that completed high school before the pandemic. Yet at a moment where we're reflecting on what it means to be Canadian, Conway feels it's the perfect time to make volunteering "fun and easy," drop the notion of service as punitive and establish a national strategy — one that perhaps includes a pilot for compulsory public service. Instead of discussing mandates, she wonders, how about brainstorming how "to spark people's interest in really exciting ways"?
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Author of book on aftermath of Oct. 7 attack on Israel talks about its impact
Globe and Mail columnist Marsha Lederman's book, October 7th: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle, was released Tuesday. She spoke to the CBC's Gloria Macarenko about the deep impact of the attack on Israel in 2023.
Globe and Mail
9 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Former Israeli officials call for end to war in Gaza as Netanyahu hints at expansion
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at wider military action in devastated Gaza on Tuesday, even as former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs called for an end to the nearly 22-month war. The new pressure on Netanyahu came as Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 61,000. Health officials reported new deaths of hungry Palestinians seeking food at distribution points. As desperation mounts, the Israeli defence body co-ordinating aid announced a deal with local merchants to improve aid deliveries. Among those speaking out were former leaders of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service, Mossad spy agency and the military – and also ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In a video posted to social media this week, they said far-right members of the government are holding Israel 'hostage' in prolonging the conflict. Netanyahu's objectives in Gaza are 'a fantasy,' Yoram Cohen, former head of Shin Bet, said in the video. 'If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home – I think it is impossible,' he said. Explainer: What to know as Israel weighs reoccupying the entire Gaza Strip Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet to direct the military on the war's next stage, hinting that even tougher action was possible. However, the meeting wrapped up hours later without any announcements about Israel's plans. U.S. President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he wasn't aware of the 'suggestion' but that 'it's going to be pretty much up to Israel.' Netanyahu said his objectives include defeating Hamas, releasing all 50 remaining hostages and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel after the Hamas-led 2023 attack sparked the war. Israeli media reported disagreements between Netanyahu and the army chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, on how to proceed. The reports, citing anonymous officials in Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was pushing the army, which controls about three quarters of Gaza, to conquer the entire territory – a step that could endanger hostages, deepen the humanitarian crisis and further isolate Israel internationally. Zamir reportedly opposes this step and could step down or be pushed out if it is approved. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment on the reports. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli forces opened fire on Tuesday morning toward Palestinians seeking aid and in targeted attacks in central and southern Gaza, killing at least 45 people. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has said after previous shootings around aid distribution that it only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces. The dead include at least 26 people killed in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone where looters and desperate crowds unloaded U.N. aid convoys. Analysis: Movement to recognize Palestinian statehood reflects Israel's growing isolation Six people were killed in Teina, near a road leading to a site run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor. Morgue records at the nearby Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, detailed the deaths and locations. The hospital is part of the Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but says roughly half the dead from the war have been women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The United Nations and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of casualty data. Sami Arafat, a father of seven, described the chaos in the Morag Corridor early Tuesday, saying crowds rushed toward a convoy of U.N. aid trucks and Israeli forces fired toward them. 'There are no buildings to shelter us from the shooting,' he said. 'The area is all rubble.' He said looters brandishing knives climbed aboard the trucks first and tore into the aid boxes, taking sugar that could be resold at the market while leaving less expensive rice behind. Elsewhere in central Gaza, Al-Awda hospital said it received the bodies of six Palestinians who were killed when Israeli troops targeted crowds near another GHF aid distribution site. The GHF said there were no incidents at its sites Tuesday and that most of the recent violence has been linked to U.N. aid deliveries. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites, airdropped parcels and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the U.N. human rights office. Israel's military says it only has fired warning shots and disputes the toll. The Israeli defence body in charge of co-ordinating aid, COGAT, said on social media there will be a 'gradual and controlled renewal of the entry of goods through the private sector in Gaza.' It said a limited number of local merchants were approved for the plan. Mohammed Qassas from Khan Younis said his young children are so hungry that he is forced to storm aid trucks, which rarely reach warehouses these days because they are stopped by hungry crowds. 'How am I supposed to feed them? No one has mercy,' he said Monday. 'If we fight, we get the food. If we don't fight, we don't get anything.' It has become routine to see men returning from aid-seeking carrying bodies as well as sacks of flour. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide toward famine. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, and blame Hamas. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. Opinion: As a Jewish Canadian, I want my community to speak out about the horrors in Gaza Palestinians gather daily for funeral prayers. 'We are unarmed people who cannot endure this,' shouted Maryam Abu Hatab in the yard of Nasser hospital. Ekram Nasr said her son was shot dead while seeking aid near the Morag corridor. 'I had to go alone to carry my son,' she said, tears in her eyes. 'I collected the remains of my son like the meat of dogs from the streets.' 'The entire world is watching,' she added. 'They are watching our patience, our strength and our faith in God. But we no longer have the power to endure.'
