FIFA Should Press US on Immigration Policies
In their letter, the groups warned that FIFA risks becoming a public relations tool to whitewash the Trump administration's abuses. They urged the United States government to reverse immigration policies that put the rights of fans, players, journalists, and host communities at risk.
"Cutting the world out of the 2026 World Cup is not just bad for business, but it is also at odds with the human rights strategy and related commitments that have been in place since the US bid to host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico in 2018," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch wrote to FIFA on May 5, 2025, requesting information on the steps FIFA is taking to ensure "that the US government will permit players, fans and journalists from around the world to safely attend the 2026 World Cup," including any steps FIFA is taking to advocate for "changes in policies to align with international human rights, FIFA's Statutes, and FIFA's Human Rights Policy."
FIFA's response on June 3 did not meaningfully address any of the issues Human Rights Watch raised. It said that "if FIFA becomes aware of potentially adverse human rights impacts ... we will engage with the relevant authorities."
Source: Human Rights Watch
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Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Carney welcomes European leaders joining Ukraine's Zelenskyy for Trump meeting
European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, with the possibility of U.S. security guarantees now on the negotiating table. In a statement from Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately welcomed the move and revealed he had his own virtual meeting with Zelenskyy on Sunday. 'This approach is consistent with the principles of no decisions about Ukraine being taken without Ukraine and no decisions about Europe being taken without Europe, and the promotion of the long-term security of Ukraine, Europe, and the Euro-Atlantic community,' the Prime Minister's Office stated. 'Experience has shown that Russian President Putin cannot be trusted,' Carney's office added, saying that current diplomatic engagement must be reinforced 'by continued military and economic pressure on Russia to end its aggression.' Story continues below advertisement Carney's statements came as the leaders from Canada, France, Britain and Germany are rallying around the Ukrainian leader after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelenskyy in a heated Oval Office encounter. 'The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr. Zelenskyy to the hilt,' said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations. 'It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he said. Prime Minister Carney also pledged to intensify Canadian support for Ukraine, which was already boosted with $2 billion in new military support, a $2.3 billion loan through the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans mechanism, and recent sanctions against Russia and 'its enablers.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Carney's statement also included a renewed joint call for Russia 'to immediately and unconditionally return Ukrainian children who have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred from Ukraine.' Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Putin agreed at the meeting in Alaska with Trump to allow the U.S. and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. Story continues below advertisement European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Zelenskyy, said 'we welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the 'Coalition of the willing' — including the European Union — is ready to do its share.' Von der Leyen was joined Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in saying they will take part in Monday's talks at the White House, as will secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, Mark Rutte. The European leaders' demonstration of support could help ease concerns in Kyiv and in other European capitals that Ukraine risks being railroaded into a peace deal that Trump says he wants to broker with Russia. Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to 'shape this fast-evolving agenda.' After the Alaska summit, the idea of a ceasefire appears all-but-abandoned, with the narrative shifting toward Putin's agenda of ensuring Ukraine does not join NATO or even the EU. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday that a possible ceasefire is 'not off the table' but that the best way to end the war would be through a 'full peace deal.' Putin has implied that he sees Europe as a hindrance to negotiations. He has also resisted meeting Zelenskyy in person, saying that such a meeting can only take place once the groundwork for a peace deal has been laid. Story continues below advertisement Speaking to the press after his meeting with Trump, the Russian leader raised the idea that Kyiv and other European capitals could 'create obstacles' to derail potential progress with 'behind-the-scenes intrigue.' For now, Zelenskyy offers the Europeans the 'only way' to get into the discussions about the future of Ukraine and European security, says RUSI's Melvin. However, the sheer number of European leaders potentially in attendance means the group will have to be 'mindful' not to give 'contradictory' messages, Melvin said. 'The risk is they look heavy-handed and are ganging up on Trump,' he added. 'Trump won't want to be put in a corner.' Although details remain hazy on what Article 5-like security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe would entail for Ukraine, it could mirror NATO membership terms, in which an attack on one member of the alliance is seen as an attack on all. In remarks made on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Witkoff said Friday's meeting with Trump was the first time Putin has been had heard to agree to such an arrangement. Zelenskyy continues to stress the importance of both U.S. and European involvement in any negotiations. 'A security guarantee is a strong army. Only Ukraine can provide that. Only Europe can finance this army, and weapons for this army can be provided by our domestic production and European production. But there are certain things that are in short supply and are only available in the United States,' he said at the press conference Sunday alongside Von der Leyen. Story continues below advertisement – with a file from Andrew McIntosh, Global News
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Letters to the editor, Aug. 18: ‘Pierre Poilievre should stick to constructive proposals and quit attacking Mark Carney'
Re 'The Trump-Putin summit isn't Munich, 1938. It's Paris, 1973″` (Report on Business, Aug. 15): U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that, in order to bring the war in Ukraine to a conclusion, both Russia and Ukraine must make concessions. This framing ignores a fundamental truth: Russia is the aggressor, having invaded Ukraine first in 2014 and again in 2022. What concessions did the United States make to Japan to end the Second World War? Peter Rozanec Toronto Re 'Only outcome' (Letters, Aug. 15): 'Vladimir Putin started this and must pay the full price.' In a word: yikes. After the First World War, the Allies took the same approach: Germany had caused massive carnage, and so the German people should have to pay restitution. The government did not have the cash, so it fired up the printing presses. The resulting inflation obliterated the German middle class and set the stage for Adolf Hitler. Dealing with him cancelled out any cash the Allies received from the treaty ending the war, and then some. To their everlasting credit, Allied leaders learned from that experience. After the Second World War, there were no calls for reparations. Instead there were boatloads of rebuilding aid and, lo and behold, former enemies became customers and trading partners. Decades of prosperity followed. God forbid, but if the current situation evolves into world war, let's remember the lessons of the 20th century. Ken Johnston Ottawa Re 'Disquiet on the Western front of the tariff war' (Editorial, Aug. 14): I believe it is a mistake to think that if we hand over Canada's electric vehicle market to China, they will be kind and reliably buy our canola. We should not be buying anything from China, except where we have no choice. China is by far the world's most powerful autocracy. It is systematically taking over one economic domain after another, with EVs next in line. The more we buy from China, the more we empower a tyrannical and threatening regime. Losing the Chinese canola market hurts a lot. But it is a price we should pay to stand up to them. We should make a serious push to trade and collaborate with like-minded liberal democracies, which no longer includes the United States, and become more economically and militarily self-reliant. The powerful are on the march and have no use for rules. Elbows up. Jim Paulin Ottawa You note that the auto, steel and aluminum industry jobs being protected by the federal government are in 'Liberal-friendly ridings.' Without getting into a deep discussion of how far auto industry workers commute to get to their jobs, an examination of the Ontario ridings where auto assembly plants are located, and how they voted in the last election, reveals a large percentage in Conservative ridings. There is Stellantis Canada's head office in Windsor, along with a minivan assembly plant; Volkswagen's PowerCo electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas; General Motors's CAMI Assembly in Ingersoll; Toyota's assembly plants in Woodstock and Cambridge; Honda's assembly plant in Alliston; GM's assembly plant in Oshawa; the head office of Magna International, Canada's largest auto parts maker, in Aurora. As for Liberal ridings, there is the Stellantis car assembly plant in Brampton and Ford Canada's Oakville Assembly Complex and head office. Greg Keenan Editor, Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing; Toronto Re 'Carney says supports for canola sector coming after facing criticism from Poilievre' (Aug. 15): Hopefully the federal government will address the unfair impact of Chinese tariffs on canola growers. Wab Kinew made a good suggestion: Use money from electric vehicle tariffs to compensate canola producers. Pierre Poilievre made the same proposal, but also took shots at British Columbia's Chinese ferry contract and accused Mark Carney of not caring about the West. Notably he did not suggest removing EV tariffs, which might give Canadians access to reasonably priced cars. If Mr. Poilievre is serious about opposing Alberta separatists in his new riding, he should stick to constructive proposals and quit attacking Mr. Carney. He might even talk to the Prime Minister instead of demonizing him. We need all hands on deck to deal with the trade war; we don't need Mr. Poilievre firing from the sidelines. David Steele Saskatoon It's sad that China has suddenly put a huge tariff on Canadian canola, causing a huge loss to Western farmers who stand to lose so much. It's sad that this represents a huge chunk of our national economy, with so many jobs at stake. But we've been here before. Whenever China wants to harm Canada, it stops importing our canola. We learned this the hard way six years ago. So why have we let canola exports to China again become such a vulnerable part of our economy? John Horman Waterloo, Ont. Re 'Northern Ontario communities propose widening sections of Trans-Canada Highway' (Aug. 13): Widening the Trans-Canada Highway should be a no-brainer as an infrastructure project. This is also true in mountainous British Columbia, where the narrow TCH gets shut down regularly due to collisions or transport trucks going off the road. But rather than a piecemeal approach, there should be a federally funded national highway plan, perhaps modelled on the U.S. Interstate Highway System. Such a plan would improve the efficiency and safety of commercial, personal and defence transportation from coast to coast to coast. It would set design, construction and maintenance standards across Canada, with deep involvement by provinces, territories and local communities. Highway travel would also be more enjoyable and safe with regular rest stops and clean flush toilets, rather than the more common pit toilets. To achieve this latter need, perhaps a new government role is needed: a minister of toilets. Glenn Johanson Columbia–Shuswap Regional District, B.C. Re 'For Saskatchewan, Chappell Roan's name-check serves up a surge of interest' (Aug. 13): No one has yet name-checked the song Girl in Saskatoon by Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton. Those of us who lived in Saskatoon in 1960, which I did, could not help but feel a little proud of being singled out by the great country and western singer (though, actually, I truly dislike country and western music). The song has an odd and somewhat tragic history. Mr. Horton died shortly after penning the tune with Mr. Cash. And despite being promoted by the record label, the song never hit the charts – except in Saskatoon, of course. However after a Saskatoon woman, who performed the song on stage with Mr. Cash in 1961, was later murdered, he apparently never sang the song again. Perhaps this is why it has fallen out of our collective memories of Saskatchewan's pop music history. Nancy Bjerring London, Ont. Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hot air coming from U.S. absurd
Opinion Winds change, weather patterns shift, and it's fair to say no one is ever completely sure what the meteorological outlook will be in the days and weeks ahead. But if there's one thing that's certain in this overheated Canadian summer, it's this: somewhere in this country, every day, there are communities choking under a thick blanket of wildfire smoke. Across Canada, mostly in the Prairies and most particularly in Manitoba, it seems, smoke has become so much a part of daily summertime life that air-quality alerts are routinely included in weather forecasts. In addition to being an annoyance that diminishes the quality of life and, in its most intense manifestations, is a potential health hazard, wildfire smoke is an almost-daily reminder of the consequences of climate change. As the planet continues to warm as a result of humanity's relentless poisoning of the atmosphere, summers have become hotter and drier, drought has become more prevalent and the conditions have been created in Canada's vast wilderness for fires that can spread with dizzying speed. And as we grapple with the realities of this environmental reckoning, the one thing we don't need is to be subjected to the gripes and hollow indignations of ill-informed individuals seeking to exploit the deepening climate crisis for spurious political gain. That, however, is exactly what arrived last month in the form of a letter penned to Canada's ambassador to the U.S. from Republican congressional representatives Tom Tiffany, Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, Glenn Grothman and Pete Stauber of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Their jointly signed missive complained that wildfire smoke from Canada is crossing the border into their states and robbing their constituents of their ability to enjoy the summer. 'Our constituents have been limited in their ability to go outside and safely breathe due to the dangerous air quality the wildfire smoke has created,' the letter states. 'In our neck of the woods, summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors recreating, enjoying time with family and creating new memories, but this wildfire smoke makes it difficult to do all those things.' Citing arson and mismanagement of forest resources as the causes of wildfires that have become more frequent and widespread in recent years — but, rather notably, not mentioning climate change at all — the U.S. politicians urged Canada to take 'proper action' to reduce the amount of smoke flowing over the border. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. What complete and utter nonsense. It should be noted, of course, that all six of these Trump-supporting representatives recently voted in favour of the U.S. president's controversial 'big, beautiful' budget bill, which delivers tax cuts to the wealthy but cuts funding for renewable energy projects and provides incentives for ramped-up production of fossil fuels. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew quite rightly reacted immediately to the junk-mail delivery. 'This is what turns people off from politics,' he said, 'when you've got a group of congresspeople trying to trivialize and make hay out of a wildfire season where we've lost lives in our province. There's no place for that in politics.' There shouldn't be, but in the current version of the GOP led by a president who sought to politicize last winter's California wildfires by blaming that state's Democratic governor for the devastation, there most certainly seems to be a place for partisan nonsense-based posturing. Perhaps they could do their northern neighbours a favour by keeping their opinions on their own side of the Canada-U.S. divide. We've got enough problems dealing with wildfire smoke in our atmosphere without having to worry about a bunch of noxious hot air drifting northward across the border.
