Business leader says BC Ferries' hiring of Chinese shipyard is ‘informed decision'
VICTORIA - A business leader on ferry-dependent Vancouver Island says BC Ferries made a 'strongly informed decision' in hiring a Chinese shipyard to build four new major vessels.
Both the NDP government and B.C. Conservative Opposition have criticized the choice of Chinese state-owned China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards.
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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Mark Carney accused of dismissing Sikh's concerns by inviting India's Narendra Modi to G7 summit
OTTAWA—Sikh leaders are accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney of putting economic interests ahead of concerns about their community's safety in inviting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to next week's G7 summit amid allegations of threats from the Indian government. At a press conference on Parliament Hill, leaders of the World Sikh Organization and the B.C. Gurdwaras Council also raised concerns about a Global News report that former NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was being tracked by an Indian government agent while he was the elected leader of a major Canadian political party. Contributors Opinion Leaders in both India and Pakistan stand to benefit from the escalating attacks in Kashmir Rashid Husain Syed Contributor Singh told the Star in April that he, his wife and his family were placed under 24-hour armed RCMP protection because of credible death threats linked to unspecified foreign government interference. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'That's absolutely unprecedented. As far as we're concerned, that's an act of war,' World Sikh Organization lawyer Balpreet Singh told reporters Thursday, referring to the Global News allegations against India. 'If Jagmeet Singh, who is the highest profile Sikh in Canada, isn't safe, then what does that mean for the rest of us?' Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson from Carney's office, did not address the report about the former NDP leader, but provided a statement to the Star that defended the government's invitation to Modi. 'As prime minister of the fifth-largest economy and the world's most populous country, Prime Minister Modi was invited to participate in some of these critical discussions,' Champoux's statement said of the G7. 'Importantly, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions to address serious security concerns.' The Indian High Commission in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Star was not able to reach the former NDP leader. Gurratan Singh, the former NDP leader's brother and a former New Democrat MPP at Queen's Park, condemned the federal government for 'rolling out the red carpet' for Modi in what seemed like placing business interests over the safety of Sikh Canadians. 'It's completely unacceptable. Sadly, it's not shocking. And more than anything it reaffirms this feeling of betrayal,' Gurratan said, echoing the calls to cancel Modi's invitation. On Parliament Hill, Balpreet Singh called on the Liberal government to rescind the invitation for Modi to attend the G7 meetings in Kananaskis, Alta. next week. They also demanded a public inquiry into Indian government activity in Canada, and for the government to cancel all intelligence-sharing that occurs with India. Balpreet Singh added that Carney's justification for inviting Modi, in which he spoke to reporters about ongoing police investigations and supply chains with the Asian economic power, 'felt like a betrayal' to Sikh Canadians. Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the B.C. Gurdwaras Council and Sikh Federation Canada added: 'We do have a problem where we're seeing trade and economic ties that are now overriding human rights and the lives of Canadian citizens and their safety.' He said his organization is considering telling Liberal MPs to visit their Gurdwaras. 'For us, it's a deep sense of betrayal at the moment,' he said. Carney said last week that he would press India to co-operate on law enforcement investigations following the stunning allegations in 2023 from then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, who said there was credible evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the killing of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in B.C.'s Lower Mainland. The allegation rocked Canada's diplomatic relationship with India, as Modi's Hindu nationalist government denied any link to the killing and accused Canada of failing to provide evidence. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Last October, the RCMP detailed further allegations that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada are tied to murders, violence, intimidation and threats against Canadians. That same month, the federal government expelled six Indian diplomats, alleging they were collecting information about Canadians and passing it along to organized crime groups. 'Canada has to send a clear message right now. It will not tolerate foreign interference, nor will it reward a government that targets Canadian citizens on Canadian soil,' said Moninder Singh, who also said he has been warned of threats and forced to live away from his family for months to protect his children. 'The government has to reconsider Mr. Modi's invitation and rescind,' he said. Some Liberal MPs have also raised concerns about Modi's attendance. On Wednesday, British Columbia's Sukh Dhaliwal told reporters he met with Carney to discuss the issue earlier in the day. 'It's not a good idea, but now he's invited. We have to move forward,' Dhaliwal said of the Modi invitation. He added that Carney is 'alarmed about the issue and he will be very strong when it comes to dealing with those issues that are important to Canadians.' NDP MP Jenny Kwan also expressed concerns about Modi's invitation, calling it 'so shocking' in light of the allegations against his government. She also said police should consider providing Jagmeet Singh, who lost his seat in the April 28 election and resigned as NDP leader, personal protection. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I don't know what the prime minister is trying to achieve, but one thing that he needs to achieve is to say to Canadians and to demonstrate to Canadians that foreign interference is serious, that he is taking it seriously, and transnational repression is something that we will not tolerate,' Kwan said. In the House of Commons, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe called for the government to cancel invitations to Modi, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand responded that the G7 is an important forum for international leaders, where they will have 'necessary conversations' about protecting the Canadian population. 'That is our absolute priority,' she said in French. An official briefing journalists on condition of anonymity about the G7 summit said leaders are expected to arrive in Alberta on Sunday, with meetings and discussions on various issues scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday. The official said Carney will strive to have individual meetings with every leader that attends. They also said the agenda will include discussion of foreign interference and how to stop 'transnational repression.' To Balpreet Singh, the federal government under Carney is failing to stand up for the Sikh community, including by failing to respond to a letter about his concerns that he sent to the Prime Minister's Office last month. He called for concrete measures like cancelling intelligence-sharing to show the government is serious, even if it allows Modi to attend next week's summit. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It doesn't feel as though this is being treated like a Canadian issue. It's being treated as though it's just those brown people. It's just the Sikh,' Balpreet Singh said. 'What needs to happen for Canada to wake up, for our government to take this seriously? What more needs to happen? Do we need to have more dead people on the streets?' With a file from Mark Ramzy Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Carney should rescind Modi's G7 invite over surveillance of Jagmeet Singh: NDP
The NDP is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to rescind Narendra Modi's invitation to the G7 Summit after Global News revealed a suspected agent of the Indian government surveilled their former leader. Global reported Thursday that Jagmeet Singh was under surveillance by an agent suspected of working for the Indian government, which resulted in the former NDP leader being placed under RCMP protection in late 2023. Multiple sources said the agent, also suspected of ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, had detailed information on Singh's family, travel patterns and daily routine. The Bishnoi group is a transnational syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently in an Indian jail, which has been linked to multiple murders, extortion and drug-related crimes. 'The targeting of a federal party leader by a foreign regime is a direct assault on Canada's democracy. It is utterly unconscionable that the prime minister would extend an invitation to Modi under these circumstances and in light of this new information,' NDP MP Jenny Kwan said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement 'This is no longer just about diplomacy — it is about the safety and sovereignty of Canadians.' According to Global's sources, police notified Singh of a credible threat to his life in late 2023 and placed both him and his homes under close protection. Singh, who lost his seat in the recent federal election and resigned as party leader, is no longer considered to be in imminent danger. Singh told reporters in April the RMCP warned him in late 2023 that his life was in danger, but did not reveal further details of the threat. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Global News sent a detailed list of questions to Carney's office Thursday morning, including whether the prime minister was aware of the surveillance of Singh when he extended an invitation to Modi to attend the G7 and whether the Canadian government has raised the issue with India. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) did not directly respond to those questions. Instead, they sent a written statement indicating that 'any form of attempted foreign interference is unacceptable.' 'The G7 summit will focus on the most pressing global challenges and opportunities facing us today … As prime minister of the fifth largest economy and the world's most populous country, Prime Minister Modi was invited to participate in some of these critical discussions,' wrote Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson for the PMO. Story continues below advertisement 'Importantly, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions to address serious security concerns.' India was named as the second-most active country involved in foreign interference operations in Canada, behind only the People's Republic of China, in Justice Marie-Josée Hogue's federal inquiry. Most of the conversation around foreign interference in Canada to date has centred around nomination or leadership contests, backroom politics and clandestine influence and cash. Revelations a foreign government allegedly spied on the movements of the leader of a Canadian political party — who police warned his life was in danger — is a different story, according to former NDP strategist Jordan Leichnitz. 'It's shocking by any reasonable standards. This is not the type of thing that anybody would be expected to be concerned about in the political sphere in Canada,' Leichnitz said in an interview. 'And it certainly brings into sharp focus another aspect of the foreign interference conversation that I think sometimes gets a little bit lost, which is the way that Canadians who may be members of diaspora communities can be targeted for harassment or even violence in these situations.' Relations between the two countries have long been tense over India's perception that Canada is too lax when it comes to the Khalistan movement, which seeks independence for India's Sikh-majority Punjab region. The Indian High Commission did not respond to Global News' earlier request for comment. Story continues below advertisement The diplomatic relationship further soured in 2023, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly said Canada had intelligence linking the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., to agents working for the Indian government. New Delhi still refuses to co-operate with an RCMP investigation into the killing of Nijjar, a Sikh temple leader and pro-Khalistan activist, despite Carney's 'continued law enforcement dialogue' with Modi. At a press conference in Ottawa Thursday morning, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) condemned the alleged targeting of Singh, saying it follows a 'series of deeply troubling disclosures' of Indian clandestine operations in Canada. 'Let that sink in. India targeted a Canadian politician on Canadian soil. That's absolutely unprecedented. As far as we're concerned, that's an act of war,' said Balpreet Singh with the WSO. 'The government has to reconsider Mr. Modi's invitation (to the G7 meetings) and demand full accountability from India. This is not just about Sikh activists. It's about Canada's sovereignty, its democracy, and its commitment to human rights.' — With files from Stewart Bell and Mercedes Stephenson.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
China grants rare earth export permits after US trade talks, offers relief but uncertainty persists
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The high-level negotiations over China's export controls of rare earths is giving U.S. businesses some relief, even though it may be only for now. China has approved 'a certain number' of export permits for rare earth elements and related items, its commerce ministry said on Thursday, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Beijing would supply to the U.S. companies those key elements and the magnets made from them following a two-day trade talk in London. 'I will be one of the happiest people out there if, if in fact, China starts to, to release some of those heavy rare earths and allows them to get into the world economy because the world economy is going to shut down without those heavy rare earths,' said Mark Smith, chief executive officer of NioCorp., which is developing a new mine in Nebraska to produce niobium, scandium, titanium and an assortment of rare earths. Export controls of the minerals apparently eclipsed tariffs in the latest round of trade negotiations between Beijing and Washington, after China imposed permitting requirements on seven rare earth elements in April, threatening to halt production of cars, robots, wind turbines and other high-tech products in the U.S. and around the world. Negotiators from the two governments said they reached a framework to move forward, with details yet to be agreed to by Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but businesses welcomed the developments, even though uncertainties persist. Important elements used in many products Rare earth elements are some of the most sought-after critical minerals. Despite the name, they aren't actually rare, but it is hard to find them in high enough concentrations to make mining them economical. They are also difficult to extract from the ore, and China over the past several decades has built dominance in the processing capacity, supplying nearly 90% of the world's rare earths. In the heat of the tariff war with Trump, Beijing on April 4 announced permitting requirements for seven heavy rare earths: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, citing the need to 'better safeguard national security and interests and to fulfill global duties of non-proliferation.' The elements China has restricted, such as terbium and dysprosium, are key ingredients needed to make permanent rare earth magnets withstand high temperatures. That is crucial for a variety of uses in electric vehicles, wind turbines and military uses like jet engines and nuclear submarines. Some of the other rare earths needed for those magnets are produced at the only operating U.S. rare earths mine run by MP Materials in California, but China remains the only source of nearly all of what's known as the heavy rare earths. MP Materials previously sent the heavy rare earths that it mines to China for processing but it halted that in April amid the tariffs. The company is working to expand its own processing capability as soon as possible, and it is building a new magnet plant in Texas. Looming shortages start to hit manufacturing Neha Mukherjee, rare earths analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, had previously predicted that most companies wouldn't start to run short of rare earths until later this year, but it appears some companies already have problems. 'The overall market stockpile exists, but looks like a lot of OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), especially auto manufacturers, were not prepared, especially in Europe,' Mukherjee said. Some American companies have stockpiled, but they 'might start experiencing constraint if this continues.' 'Looks like most of the stockpile is still in China hence the bottleneck in supply,' Mukherjee said. On June 4, the European Association of Automotive Supplies said the industry was 'already experiencing significant disruption' due to China's export restrictions on rare earths and magnets. 'These restrictions have led to the shutdown of several production lines and plants across Europe, with further impacts expected in the coming weeks as inventories deplete,' the group said. Questions remain about latest trade deal Details are still scarce on any agreement on rare earths shipments from China. On Thursday, He Yadong, spokesman for the Chinese commerce ministry, said China will 'sufficiently consider the reasonable needs and concerns by all countries in the civilian field' in reviewing applications of export permits for rare earths and related items. He said that it is consistent with international practice to put export controls on rare earths because they can be used for both civilian and military purposes. China's limits on rare earths remain a threat In a note, Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo, wrote that even though there is an agreement for now, 'supply cutoffs will remain an ever-present threat.' That's because China's licensing regime for the export of the seven heavy rare earths and related magnets is permanent, despite perceptions at the time that it was an act of retaliation, he wrote. China 'will probably not approve exports in sufficient quantity to allow U.S. customers to stockpile, ensuring that Beijing's leverage remains undiminished,' he wrote. 'Beijing may approve few if any exports to U.S. defense companies and their suppliers.' Smith of NioCorp. said even if the Chinese are offering a reprieve from their restrictions on rare earths, they will likely still keep limits in place on U.S. military uses. 'If I'm in the military and flying a jet or running a nuclear class submarine or a guided missile, I don't want that to fail because of high temperatures. So we have to have these heavy rare earths,' Smith said. Smith said he hopes to find a solution to the problem of America being almost entirely dependent on China for these elements. 'I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that we use this situation as our final learning,' Smith said. 'Let's take care of what we know needs to be taken care of.'
